Barcelo Los Cabos

[kiwibride]

I looked at this resort but in the end decided on Dreams as they have so much experience with Weddings!

[pil1]

I got married at the Barcelo in Cabo earlier this month.  The entire process was very frustrating.  I recently wrote a review.  Please read it before deciding on the Barcelo!!  Good luck! 

[pil1]

I just got married at the Barcelo.  What a headache!  My wedding planner, Ana, became much better at responding to emails when I started ccing every email to the person in charge of guest relations and the concierge.  When I finally got there for my wedding, they upgraded us to the honeymoon suite.  It was amazing, but it didn't make all of the headaches and stress I went through in planning my wedding worth it.  Good luck!!!

[littlemisssunshine]

When we decided on a destination wedding in Cabo we wanted to choose a resort that accomodated us and our 35 guests the best. We would be having kids as well as grandparents and wanted a resort that was modern, not too big or too small, and was affordable for our guests. After research we chose the Barcelo because we thought it met our criteria best. We liked Dreams as well but it was significantly more expensive for our guests and we didn't want people not to be able to come. We knew that the wedding planning dept at Barcelo didn't have a lot of reviews because it was so new, and that we were taking a big chance, but we decided to go ahead and book there.

 

In September we put down a deposit to have our wedding at the Barcelo resort in June 2011. We chose the strawberry package and planned to have around 35 guests. Us and all of our guest have booked flights and hotel already so we will all be staying at the Barcelo. I'm happy with that decision still. While there have been mixed reviews on the resort, I think our stay will be nice and us and our guests will enjoy it.

 

Now, the wedding planning is a whole other issue. The whole process has been nothing but a nightmare! First the original wedding coordinator leaves and they fail to let us know. The new wedding coordinator is a sweet girl yes, but she doesn't respond to emails or phone calls promptly, or at all sometimes. I imagine she is overwhelmed and swamped, but that is no excuse. If they need more help they should hire someone else! When we are lucky enough to get someone on the phone they say "oh we've been trying to get in touch with you, but emails won't go through, or your phone number doesn't work". Such a blatant lie. I understand that some resorts only deal with the weddings that are coming up soon- so you have to wait to plan things until the months or a few weeks before your wedding date. I can understand that, but when you need information from the resort to help you plan things on your end then they should be getting back to you. We did not feel comfortable waiting  until the month before our wedding to book vendors- chances are the best vendors will be already booked by then.

 

In the end my fiance and I decided we wanted to try and get out of our contract with Barcelo to have our wedding there and book somewhere off-site. After many phone calls and emails, my fiance was able to get in touch with Barcelo and we were able to cancel the wedding without penalty. They were probably sick of hearing from us! Our deposit will be applied to our room as credit (I'll believe that when I see it though). We have hired an outside coordinator who is helping us plan an off-site wedding and I am soooo relieved!

 

I have heard of other things that Barcelo is doing that makes me even happier we're not having our wedding there. Apparently they recently increased the price for a day pass for vendors to come to the resort to $85 per person despite whatever price was listed in your contract (ours was $65). They also have random fees thrown in here and there without any mention of them when you book your wedding- i.e. if your reception goes over 3 hrs you have to pay $12 per person per hour (that includes guests staying at the resort!!!!), and then $15 per hour for each staff member. This just seems ridiculous to me.

 

Long story short, if you're thinking of the Barcelo for your wedding then I would make sure you really do your research and get everything in writing before you make a deposit or sign a contract!

[sanfranciscoca]

I too had my wedding in December 2010! I also have a lot to say, but if you want to hear it, email me. As far as vendors that I used outside the resort, because of the lack of expertise on the resort I used. There are Two outside vendors that I highly recommend!
Photographer: Juan Carlos Tapia  http://www.juancarlostapia.com/
Video:  www.jorgeibarra.com

And I used Suzanne Morel for Hair and Makeup! She was great!!

These guys were Awesome! You won't be dissapointed-promise!

[mllek1986]

Does anybody know whether you can use an outside coordinator for a wedding at the Barcelo? This would alleviate all the stress and nonsense of dealing with the on-site coordinator.

 

Littlemisssunshine - where are you having your ceremony and reception then? Is it similar pricing? Do you recommend your WC??

 

Thanks for all your help ladies. Barcelo looks like such an amazing resort and it is truly a shame that they have such poor wedding service.

[littlemisssunshine]

Hi mllek1986! You're right, it's such a shame that Barcelo has such a poor wedding dept because it's such a nice resort! I'm still definitely looking forward to our stay there!

 

Yes you sure can use an outside coordinator when having your wedding at Barcelo. I contacted a bunch of coordinators I found from this forum and also just searching on google. In the end I went with the coordinator that I got along best with, who seemed most professional, and who I had the best "gut feeling" about. We're working with Rachel Hansen of Infinity Weddings. She's super nice, very prompt with getting back to you, and I like that she really seems to care about making your wedding special! There are a ton of coordinators out there, so search around and find who suits you best.

 

We are having our ceremony and reception at Sunset da Mona Lisa. The price is higher, but they do have lots of options for different meal price ranges etc. If you contact a coordinator just let them know your budget and they will help you find what works for you.  

[AnneB]

Hi,

I’m getting married on June 2011 in Cabo. There are so many wedding vendors so I really think is important have a WC…We just booked with Rebecca Ruiz, A Yunik Event… I received about her and the company great comments and references. She answers promptly and has great prices, advices and suggestions. She has been very helpful and resourceful so far. 

All is going well with my planning...Good luck girls

[kiwibride]

Hi Little miss sunshine, Sorry to hear you had such a nightmare at Barcelo, we originally booked our wedding at the Sheraton but had to cancel because they were such a nightmare, i always think in the long run it is better to just cancel than take the risk, I looked at Sunset Da Monalisa and it looks beautiful i am sure your wedding will be amazing. Good luck with the planning. Victoria

Originally Posted by littlemisssunshine 

 

Hi mllek1986! You're right, it's such a shame that Barcelo has such a poor wedding dept because it's such a nice resort! I'm still definitely looking forward to our stay there!

 

Yes you sure can use an outside coordinator when having your wedding at Barcelo. I contacted a bunch of coordinators I found from this forum and also just searching on google. In the end I went with the coordinator that I got along best with, who seemed most professional, and who I had the best "gut feeling" about. We're working with Rachel Hansen of Infinity Weddings. She's super nice, very prompt with getting back to you, and I like that she really seems to care about making your wedding special! There are a ton of coordinators out there, so search around and find who suits you best.

 

We are having our ceremony and reception at Sunset da Mona Lisa. The price is higher, but they do have lots of options for different meal price ranges etc. If you contact a coordinator just let them know your budget and they will help you find what works for you.  

 

 

[littlemisssunshine]

Thank you Victoria! I am much happier now that we've changed venues- I can finally be excited instead of stressed out! Where are you getting married at now?