Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya Brides??

[MJKH]

We travel to Mexico and/or overseas 2 or 3 times a year, and although TripAdvisor can be a very handy tool, we have learned to take everything with a grain of salt.  We've often wondered, like how can 50 people in a row rank their experience super great and one guy pops on and rips the whole thing to shreds?!?  That's a guy we've decided we don't ever want to be travelling with! ; )

 

We were at the GS Jan of 2010 and splurged in Jan of 2011 up to Dreams Tulum...yes, there were things that were better about that resort, but HANDS DOWN, there were MANY things about the GS that we preferred over DT, which is why we're heading back there in one month to get married!  I am nervous about my FI's aunt who is super picky about EVERYTHING...but I know it wouldn't matter where in the world we took her, we'd find out after the fact about this and that she wasn't happy with.  We are really trying to impress upon our guests that if they are not happy with something, let the front desk or concierge for the building know...I'd be super upset if they weren't happy with something and I found out about it a month after the fact that they didn't talk to anyone.  Things go wrong in the FINEST of hotels and at the BEST of resorts...

 

 

Originally Posted by janette34 

It has been a few years since I was there but when I was the service was great, the food was good - nothing great, nothing horrible.  The beach is beautiful and I loved the ice cream shop.  We are going back in April to get married and have travelled to the Riviera area about 7 or 8 times we choose the Grand Sirenis b/c of the private palapa and the price we were able to get.  I have been reading the reviews on TripAdvisor and they are making me nervous too!

 

 

 

[Prometida]

 

Hi

thanks for your answer. I'm between the Dreams tulum and grand Serenis. We just went for a site visit and the coordinators are amazing. However, our concerns are the hotel service and quality, and after reading trip advisor and  Travelocity we were just very nervous!

Prometida

[Prometida]

Thanks

[MJKH]

IMHO, two very excellent options in a fabulous area of the Riviera Maya, especially if you want to get out and do some awesome excursions!  DT is certainly a much smaller resort...more intimate, traditional/colonial feel...we upgraded to an amazing room with a view there...and the little chapel is so lovely.  But the food at the GS was waaaay better...prices were more within what we were hoping for our guests and much more in the way of amenities, especially things for kids to do.  We love how at the GS it feels like you've been dropped into the jungle.  But really what sold us at the GS was a more private beach area for our ceremony and the amazing palapa space for our reception.

 

Word of advice...keep EVERYTHING you receive from any of your vendors/resort staff.  We're now at the point that we're receiving more e-mails from the WPs at the GS and already there is a glaring issue.  Our initial paperwork indicated that a rehearsal dinner was included in the presidential package at one of the a la cartes.  The latest e-mail yesterday said the first 10 guests for the rehearsal dinner are covered.  Well, that's a significant problem as we've told our 32 guests about the rehearsal dinner and we certainly won't be paying for the other 22 to take part with us!!!  It shouldn't be a problem though as I have all of 2012 package details I received a few months back.

 

Originally Posted by Prometida 

 

Hi

thanks for your answer. I'm between the Dreams tulum and grand Serenis. We just went for a site visit and the coordinators are amazing. However, our concerns are the hotel service and quality, and after reading trip advisor and  Travelocity we were just very nervous!

Prometida

 

[Jodo]

Hi Ladies,

 

I am brand new to this forum, I am thinking about GSRM for our Februrary 2013 wedding, any tips on how soon or even how I get started sourcing a travel agent to begin the booking/ planning process? 

Thanks in advance,

Jodo

[LJMedic]

Hi,

          I have been to this resort before and I am getting married there in May. Its difficult when you read reviews because often its people from other resorts writting bad reviews to put down the competition and other people can only focus on the negative things. Its best to do what you are doing and ask people who have been there. We where very happy with the resort, service and wedding locations. We loved it so much it was our first choice to get married at. It is a huge place with lots to do and so many choices for food. Hope this helps;)

[LJMedic]

Hi Everyone,

                        My wedding is in less than 5 months and can't wait to do all the final stuff they let yuo do 3 months before the wedding. Was wondering if anyone had any experience with requesting an english speaking judge or had one. As well for the ladies who have been married there already did they do a run through or rehersal of the wedding. I have 2 little flower girls and I am hoping to show them what they will have to do. Did anyone order and favors from the hotel can't decide what to bring as favors and not sure we have room in luggage to bring anything. Thanks ladies;)

[redapple01]

I was married at GS on Nov 30. Like some of the concerns about the hotel from trip advisor I was worried about the place but I have no complaints about anything during the week we were there.

Our rehersal dinner was in the brazilian restaurant and we had the whole place to ourselves for 2 1/2 hours - food was great

I only have positive words about the wedding coordinators and how the day happened. We brought some items for the wedding (cake topper, guest book) and it was taken the day we met with the WC and set up perfectly. The WC was present the whole time during the day and the bar tenders ect were wonderful during the night.

We had our ceremony on the private beach by the palapa and the reception on the Palapa. Some guests stayed around the Palapa after the ceremony and some went to the room or snack bar for a short time while we took pictures.

My flowers were beautiful and hair / make-up was perfect. The spa is lovely, new and so relaxing.

The hotel / food is not quite top 5 stars there is some wearing down of the place if you really look but I'm not very picky about the minor details. Our guests had no problems (we had 80 people) with any of the service or rooms.

please feel free to message me if you have any questions - I found this forum very useful and would love to pass on the info

 

[Prometida]

Thank you for sharing!, buy any chance do u have some pics to share if u don't that's ok.did u hired the package ? How was the DJ ? Last question...... At what time did u finished your wedding in the palapa?

  I' ll really appreciate your answers

 

[redapple01]

 

I have included one photo for the ceremony, sorry don't have any good one's of the palapa. We went with the most expensive package (can't remember the name)

 

We flew over our photographer. There was the photographer from the resort but when we looked at the photos to choose (as part of our package) they were terrible and looked like anyone of the guests could have taken it. From comments on the forum we didn't even ask not to have the hotel photographer not come and I did not even recognize or notice them during the ceremony. Oh, and they were there only for the ceremony as that was the only pics we saw. The money we spent bringing our own photographer was well worth it as our pics were beautiful. I also looked into getting a outside photographer from Cancun burt with their price and the $400 fee it was cheaper bringing our own.

 

The DJ was the same DJ at the disco. he was not that great but my husband did most of the DJ'ing as that is what he does. I had to ask several time from them to turn the volume down during dinner and the music was not very appropriate for dinner but once it was quiet I was happy.

 

 

We had to be out of the Palapa around 10 or 10:30 (can't remember we had the Palapa starting at 5:30) and the golf carts drove us back to the hotel. The disco started at 11;00 where we could have danced more but we were too tired and instead had something to eat at the buffett and went to bed.