Leaving today for a site visit in RM Paradise ~ Woo hoo!!!

[MarieSam]

I'm at work right now, but when get off at 6 a.m., then it's on to LAX with FI and my 12-year-old daughter for a week in Cancun/Riviera Maya to plan and set in stone our plans to get married in Akumal next summer.

 

I am so incredibly excited!! While we've been in email correspondence with a wedding planner/caterer in the Akumal area and have seen pics of the ceremony location and reception venue, I'm one of those types of people who has to see it all in person before I make any major commitments. Plus we have to make sure the food is up to par, and of course my favorite cake/cupcake tastings!!! I'm truly hoping it is all as we hoped for, so I can finally begin preparing all my DIY projects inspired by all you talented ladies.

 

Anyhow, this is also a much needed vacation for me and I can't wait to lay in the beautiful Carribean Sea all day long

 

And last but not least, if any brides-to-be in the Tulum, Akumal or Playa del Carmen area, need anything, please do not hesitate to ask!!! I am planning on making several visits to Playa del Carmen to check out the shops, Costco, Sam's Club and Walmart to see what types of items they have available that can be used for the wedding. Again, please do not hesitate to ask if you need me to check anything out for you I can also take tons of pictures!!!!

[h&a]

Have a great time! I loved Playa and can't wait to get back there!

Make sure to have a pina colada for me! Have fun!

[Jacqueline]

oh thats great!!! have fun and i hope everything is what you expect- im sure it will be!!! keep us posted!

[Jen_S]

Oh have a great time!!!

[starchild]

Have a blast, girl!!!! I don't need anything but lots of pics so I can vacation vicariously through you

[can't wait!]

So jealous! Have fun! If you can, can u post a review of costco, samsclub etc etc. I'd like to know what I can count on buying over there for my OOT bag. Things like candy, snacks maybe even pool toys etc etc. Thanks!

[MarieSam]

Quote:

Originally Posted by can't wait! So jealous! Have fun! If you can, can u post a review of costco, samsclub etc etc. I'd like to know what I can count on buying over there for my OOT bag. Things like candy, snacks maybe even pool toys etc etc. Thanks!

Ok I'm back <sigh> I hate coming back to reality especially when you esentially spent more than a week in paradise, lol.

I will put up a more extensive review tomorrow with pics BUT to give you a quick synopsis on some of the local stores in Playa del Carmen area:

Walmart - It's a supercenter so it has both the usual stuff and a full grocery store portion. Open until 11 p.m. which is great and they've got pretty much everything in there! You can find all kinds of snacks from chips, cookies, candy, etc. As far as pool toys, I didn't see much surprisingly but I'm not sure if it's because there's another location of stuff. When you first walk in there's a portion in the front of the store that has a bunch of beach stuff (snorkels, water gear, toys etc.) The stuff is basic, not too expensive but if there's anything specific you're looking for I'd bring it from home based off the small selection. Now if you're looking to buy water/beach toys for kids, strangely it was double the price anywhere in PDC. I guess because I've seen buckets of beach toys for about $2 to $4 at home, so seeing stuff priced from about $8 to $10 in Playa was surprising.

Sam's Club - Again open until 11 p.m. so it's super convenient. The Sam's Club in Playa truly has everything just like back in the States. Ideal place for snacks in bulk and honestly everything seemed so cheap (food, water, drinks, etc.) Most surprisingly, the alcohol was SUPER cheap!! By far cheaper than buying it in the U.S. We are having an open bar at the welcome dinner and wedding reception but providing the alcohol so we really did a thorough check on alcohol prices to see how much it was gonna cost us. So ladies, if you are thinking of providing your own alcohol Sam's Club is the place to stock up. We've figured we can fully stock our welcome dinner, reception for roughly 100 guests, and vacation for about 2 weeks on about $1,500 of alcohol. Pretty damn good deal if you ask me =) On a side note, my FI's drink is Jack and coke and both Sam's Club and Walmart did not carry any Jack. So...that's one thing we're gonna have to bring from home.

Hope that helps ladies!!!

P.S. On a side note, which I will also include in my main review, bring insect repellant or buy some at the Sam's Club pharmacy!!!! The mosquitoes were freaking attacking me all week ~ apparently it's been a problem since the rainy season started. So at dusk and dawn they are out in swarms. The locals use "Autan" and it comes in both lotion and spray. Spells pretty good because it has aloe, but cover up!!!