Hi Ladies!
I'm so glad we're back up because I'm just beside myself trying to figure out what to do...
FI and I went and had a site visit at the Paradisus and really liked it - we left them with two requests - (1) use of the french restaurant for dinner (2) ability to put children in their "Royal Service" (the upgraded, nicer rooms, which are adults only) since we would have more than enough rooms to book an entire 20-room building (theory being that if its just us, who cares if kids are in the rooms/building).
They promised us a response the week after we returned. And we didn't get one. In fact, the only thing we heard was that they were working on it - and only in response to my requests for answers.
Last Thursday I gave up and handed everything of to my TA. And she must have gone all monkey-crazy (go TA go!), because we got an answer - NO. To both requests.
I was so distraught. Frankly, I could have lived without the kids in the rooms, but the dinner in the french restaurant was a deal-breaker. We want to have dinner in an air-conditioned space (it's HOT in August, and FI's family aren't al fresco dining people to begin with.) All of the other restaurants have something non-condusive for hosting a wedding dinner (rooms oddly divided, no A/C, etc.) and the conference rooms have no windows and have that classic "welcome-to-the-tropics" musty smell.
Not surprisingly I was up all night exploring all alternatives - the DR, bahamas, other hotels in the RM... and crying. I just want the location of my wedding set!!! So frustrated. But I found a couple of options that would work - Azul Beach (on a second choice date), and the Gran Porto Real.
Well, yesterday morning, TA to the rescue again - she called, explained that they needed to reconsider the restaurant or we were walking... finally last night at 8:00 PM I get an e-mail from the hotel saying that yes, we can use the restaurant, but... we have to pare down the menu and they are going to charge us an additional $80 per person.
Needless to say, I'm still frustrated. I don't mind the surcharge, but the extent to which we have to pare down the menu is frustrating. And I'm frustrated in that it took them TWO WEEKS to come back to us. And now, I'm also concerned that every little request we make between now and August is going to be just as difficult.
So (yes, finally, I'm getting to the point), what do you guys think? Stay with the Paradisus and recognize that they are going way outside their usual protocol to accomodate us, clearly want us there and it was our first choice anyway. Or ditch it as too hard and go with one of the backup locations?
Any thoughts you have would be so appreciated!