Paradisus, Azul Beach and Omni Cancun Site Visit (long)

[JHarwood2Be]

FI and I went on a quick trip to Cancun over the weekend.

We first went to Paradisus Riviera Maya on Friday. The ride from the airport was reasonable fast. We took a shared van and only had one stop before us. We arrived a little late due to delays. We checked in and were scheduled for an appointment with Perla. She met us and realized we just arrived. She suggested we go put our stuff in our room and have some lunch, then meet with her. I was pleasantly surprised because we were starving and it was nice to be able to change into something cooler. We stayed in a Royal Service room. Unfortunately we weren't there long enough to take advantage of the perks, but I think I would definitely do it again. The room was really nice. It smelled so good! Even the towels did. There was a lot of storage. We had an oceanfront room in building one. It was a very good location.

 

We met with Perla, she walked us around the resort. She showed us the different ceremony and reception sites. I was surprised to like the alternate rain location site for the ceremony. It is right off the lobby with a very pretty gazebo. She showed us the spa, which was pretty basic. One or two hair chairs and manicure set up and a pedicure chair. But it gets the job done!

 

We went to the office. They have two different tables set up with settings and centerpieces. A very large photo album of previous weddings. She gave us a folder with basically all the info that is on the webpage and went over it with us. The meeting was great and much more reassuring than communicating by email. I think any wedding there would be great.

The beach looked good, there was not an overwhelming amount of seagrass. The sand was soft and white. Plenty of chairs and palapas. The pools are beautiful. The drinks were served in small plastic cups, not that strong, but I'm sure for a nice tip they would make it like you want it. They have Corona on tap. We had lunch at the buffet and I didn't care for it too much. We did have dinner at Capri, the mediterranean restaurant. We both had a very good filet and desert was really good. We ordered chips and gaucamole as a snack for room service. It was the best I have ever had! One perk of Royal Service is restaurant reservations, which was very helpful since we just arrived and did not have one. I expected the resort to feel so much bigger, but it was a nice size and I never felt lost.

 

The next day we went to Azul Beach Resort. We were scheduled for a meeting with Carolina, the wedding coordinator. She gave us a tour of the resort. She showed us a video on Azul View and Azul Fives, the resorts opening later this year. She seemed really enthusiastic about her job. Then we sat down to go over the wedding packages. Gilberto, the Lomas Representative was also there. They had many photos to look at, I wish I was able to borrow the albums for awhile! She made it very clear that all arrangements were made with Nancy the Karisma coordinator in the States. This is disappointing due to how long it takes for Nancy to respond. I did ask about the outside photographers. Both Carolina and Gilberto said that it was either $500 or 3 night stay. They insisted that it was the case, but I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't even know a policy change.

 

The rooms are best described as basic. There was not a lot of storage space and there is no room on the vanity for toiletries. The bathroom is small as well. There are 3 pools, they are kinda small and again, basic. There is also not an indoor spa. They do massages on the beach. So hair and makeup would be done in the room. I think if we book there, we will be requesting the suite, which has an amazing bathroom.

 

Now on to the positives. I loved the resort grounds. I loved that it is small. The beach is beautiful. The beach butlers are great. The service from everyone that we encountered was awesome. I really like the style of the resort. Modern decor and aimed towards relaxation. I am also in love with their weddings. We had a chance to watch one. It was large-60 guests. It was mostly private. Those who were watching kept their distance. The flowers were gorgeous. I love the reception site. It is very large and open. We met the bride and groom later in the night and they were very happy with everything. Their guests all had very good things to say about their stay.

The food is amazing! I like how you do not need to make a reservation at 8am for what you would like for dinner. I think the resort is small enough that they can accommodate for everyone in a timely manner. The drinks were very good and a nice size. They mostly were in plastic glasses that looked and felt very real.

 

Now I am aware of the issues with their policy changes and I have not been impressed so far with the Karisma coordinator. But I love the resort. The weddings I have seen are what I had envisioned. I think the planning might be frustrating, but once we get there they would take very good care of us and our guests.

 

Lastly we went to Omni Cancun. I just came across the resort a few weeks ago. The price for rooms (non-inclusive) could not be beat. The pics of weddings I have seen have been very nice. The coordinator got back to me very quickly with pricing and pictures. Since we went on a Sunday, she was off. We checked in early and our room was not ready. We went out to the pool area. Very pretty pools. A lot of people! The water in Cancun is breathtaking!!! The beach has suffered some erosion. There are large boulder rocks that stick out, that apparently were not visible prior to the hurricane. But the beach was still very nice. The waves were just the right size to play in. The resort is pretty big. The rooms were very big and nice. The hotel is high rise and then along the sides are the villas. The ocean was so far away, comparatively to the resorts in Puerto Morelos. The ceremony site is gorgeous, overlooking the water. It is in the middle of the pool area, so not very private. We just knew that it was not the place for us. We weren't there very long, but it was a totally different feel than Paradisus and Azul. Just too big, too many people and it felt spring-breakish. There is noting wrong with that, but just not what we are going for on our wedding.

 

So now we are back home. We are discussing Azul View. It seems like the perfect mix between Paradisus and Azul Beach. It is a little less than 500 rooms. There are many restaurants and bars to choose from so one would get bored with the selection. The rooms will be new and very nice. The pools will be amazing. They will have the same quality of food and service as Azul Beach (I would expect). The price though is outrageous and we would have to blindly choose, since it is not opening until October. We also take great consideration with working with Karisma and their ever-changing policies.

We have a trip to Puerto Vallarta next month to check out a few more possibilities. Thanks for reading if you made it this long!!!!

 

PM me if you'd like the link to my Shutterfly! I'll post a few pics here as well.

 

ETA: I recommend bringing your own hairdryer to Paradisus and Azul unless you like to hold down a button the whole time to

dry your hair. Also bug spray is a must. We got ate alive at Azul Beach!

[MissyR]

Glad to hear that your site visits went well! It's always more reassuring when you see things in person! I would love to see your pics!

[Kryztan]

Its good that you got the info you needed!

[JHarwood2Be]

Paradisus Pics

[JHarwood2Be]

Azul Beach Pics

[Elizabeth]

Hopefully you will find something you like! I am excited to see Azul View as well. Have fun in Puerto Vallarta!

[JHarwood2Be]

Omni Cancun Pics

[riviera]

Thanks for the pics and your review!! I am leaning towards Paradisus... What did you decide on after all

 

anna

[JHarwood2Be]

We just set a date at Azul View/Sensatori for April 25, 2009. I really like the Paradisus too! I think it is beautiful there. I found much better pricing and Azul View seems to be the cheapest. We also liked the Westin Puerto Vallarta. If anyone ever wants pics, just let me know. But they are already so booked up for Saturdays.

Good luck in your decision!

[yamille]

The Sensatori is the one that is being built correct? Were you able to see pics? As far as pricing is it the same as Azul beach? I love that one but it's adult only and I need something that can acommodate some 14 year olds. I would love to see any pics that you have. We seem to have somewhat similar tastes. Thanks!