Riu Palace Riviera Maya

Travel Agent = A++

I found Wendy Hicks on this site (BDW) She was the first TA that truly knew the answers for a destination wedding.  Before finding Wendy, I spoke with at least 5 different agents and none were as attentive and knowledgeable about my location/resort.  She was very accommodating and quick to answer any questions that we had.  Everyone from our party ended up using Wendy to book their trip.

Airline = A

We flew Continental.  The flight attendants let me put my dress in the 1^st class closet even when the flight was fully booked.

We arrived at the Cancun airport around 6pm and there were no lines in customs.  We were so surprised how fast the process was since my sister warned us that she was in line for about an hour the day before. 

Leaving Cancun, we had the opposite experience.  Lines were out the door and waited over an hour just to check in.  Luckily we arrived 2 hours prior to our flight and just had enough time to walk to our gate and board. 

Airport Transfers = A+

Olympus Tours booked by our TA.  They were easy to find at the airport by their bright orange shirts & were very friendly.  They communicated clearly the transfer process & who to contact with any information.

RIU Palace Riviera Maya= A++++

This was truly a palace… absolutely beautiful!  Our first reaction to the resort was WOW! The lobby was grand and magnificent.  The front desk attendants were welcoming and gave us drinks during check in.  Our room was on the first floor close to the gazebo (wedding area) and pool…couldn’t have asked for a better location.  Our guests were also in the same area of the resort.

Staff = A+++++

Amazing staff at the Riu!  They were friendly, helpful, very attentive and also had great sense of humor.  We got to know our servers and some even knew what drinks we wanted before asking.   There was always someone to help you or get you something.

Food = A++

Don Manolo – breakfast & dinner buffet

I think this was my favorite!  Located by the plaza and had tons of selections.  Breakfast included: omelet station, eggs station, bacon, sausage, fruits, desserts, cheese/meats, salads, cereals, pancakes, smoothies, soups, breads, soo much more.

Dinner- there was usually a theme.  Our first night was lobster night.. which was awesome!

Chilis- Lunch/snack buffet & Steakhouse for dinner

Open and airy restaurant.  Great location since its close to the beach and pool area.  Lunch pretty much consisted of salad bar, meat/cheese selection, pastas, pizzas, fries, burgers & hotdogs, nachos, salads, etc.  (will review dinner below)

Agave-Mexican restaurant.  Was okay.  This is where we had our welcome dinner which my sister had set up.  They greeted us with margaritas and had a good appetizer buffet. 

BotoFogo-Rodizio restaurant.  I really liked this one.  My new hubby and I went here the night after our wedding and had a really great dinner.  They brought out different rotisserie meats throughout the meal and we were soo full from eating so much.  The turkey was nice and  juicy and the cinnamon pineapple dessert was superb!

Krystal- did not try

Japanese-did not try

Chilis-Steakhouse (wedding reception location)        

Started out with salad and mixed selection of appetizers (mussels,calamari,)

I chose the sirloin steak… really good.  Dessert was our wedding cake, just enough to serve our small group of 15 ppl.

The morning after our wedding, room service came with a full breakfast spread, our wedding flowers for our room and also our leftover wedding cake. 

Entertainment = A

After dinner, there was always something going on at the plaza…from a saxophone player, singing band, dance group, etc. 

Around 930pm, the evening show would start at the stage area by Lyrico Bar.  The “Broadway Show” and “Michael Jackson” night were great!

Club Pinata at Riu Tequila- didn’t really care for.  They didn’t open until 11pm and music was not that good.  They mostly played out of date music..nothing new.

The resort had plenty of activities to join during the day.  The entertainment staff coordinated  horseshoe, ping pong, beach or pool volleyball, bingo, pool aerobics, sand castle building for kids, etc. 

Wedding Coordinator = A+

Nancy was our coordinator and she definitely knew what she was doing.  I didn’t hear from her until about a month before the wedding but once we got the initial email… contacting her was pretty easy.  We met with her 2 days before our wedding to finalize our plans.  She explained what to expect the day of and how the ceremony was going to go.  I made special requests for our ceremony and she made sure the minister was informed.   We left all of our ceremony/reception accessories with the front desk and she coordinated our setup exactly how we wanted it. 

We requested our Minister to be Roberto Gomez. (thank you Virginia & Dana)  He spoke very clearly and just had a great ceremony.  I highly recommend using him.

Music= no rating

Since we only had 17 ppl, we didn’t want to spend $1200+ for a dj for the reception.  We did bring a small IPOD player for our first dance, father daughter dance, etc.  My sister ended being the MC and everything was perfect.

We gave a CD to Nancy for our ceremony which they had a sound system set up by the gazebo.  You need to have 4 songs if you want to use your own music:

1. processional
2. bride entrance
3. certificate signing
4. recessional

Flowers= A++

Flowers were beautiful.  I gave Nancy a picture of the bouquet I wanted and she made it happen.  The staff moved our ceremony flowers to our reception area for decoration for the bride/groom table and cake table.

Bouquet and bouteneire were included with our package but we ordered a bridesmaid bouquet and 2 corsages for moms.  (cost was extra $100-$130)

Renova Spa = A+

My hubby didn’t really care about using his free massage so I gave his voucher to my FMIL.  We had a little bonding moment the day before the wedding which was a nice gift to her. 

The day of the wedding, the spa’s AC was out of order so they asked if I minded getting my hair and makeup done at my room.  I actually preferred to have it done at the comfort of my own room...which was nice since my room was soo close to the spa and gazebo.  I brought a pic of how I wanted my hair and makeup, and the girl did a great job.  I was very happy with the turnout.

Photographer = A+++++

Sascha Gluck.  What an amazing photographer!  I found Sascha from this site and saw all the many great reviews.  Not only was he great but also was reasonably priced.  We had him and his assistant for a total of 4 hours.  Sascha and his assistant came early for our session and went straight to work.   He was truly a professional and had such a great eye for amazing photography.  He gave us direction and wasn’t in anyone’s way during the ceremony & reception.  Since we were using an outside photographer, we were charged an extra $200 for their access to the resort. 

Wedding= A+++++++

Exactly what the previous brides said.. there really isn’t anything to worry about.  Enjoy your day because they take care of everything for you. 

The day of the wedding, I started my day eating breakfast and hitting the pool and beach.  I had a chance to read my book and play with my lil’ nephews in the pool before the wedding.. stressfree and not rushed  

2pm- hair/makeup appt for bride and MOH.

4pm- photographer arrives

5pm- ceremony starts

5:20pm-pictures with family

5:45pm-bride/groom pictures & family goes to the lobby bar for cocktails (Nancy set aside some tables for us)

6:45pm-  dinner at chilies for reception.  They set up the upper level for a semi-private dinner- which was perfect.  We had 1 long table and a bride/groom table facing our family. 

8-9pm- reception ends and everyone heads to the plaza for more drinks/entertainment

After the night show, I felt very sick and retired to our room for the evening. 

All in all- we couldn’t have asked for a better wedding day!