Newbie Trying to decide betwee Mexico & DR!!

[nbills511]

Hi ladies!

 

My name is Nicole and I'm from Charlotte, NC. I got engaged over the holidays and FI and I are set on doing a destination wedding!! I'm having a hard time making a decision between Aventura Cove Palace, Dreams Cancun, and Dreams Punta Cana. All of the information that is already posted about the resorts on this site has been a huge help!! I guess now it just be down to the numbers FI and I have quite a large guest list already, ~200, but are estimating between 80-100 will actually come.

 

If anyone has any additional advice or suggestions on the 3 resorts I've listed as favorites, I'd absolutely love to hear it.....as well as any thoughts on planning large DW!!

 

Thank you!

Nicole

[IrishgirlinNY]

Hi Nicole

 

Congratulations on your engagement. I heard great things about Dreams Punta Cana. Good luck with all your planning.

[TATrisha]

Congratulations on your engagement!!!

Like you said, there is a ton of information on all of those resorts on this forum, so that's a good start.

But maybe you should look at airfare for your guests maybe it's a lot cheaper to fly to Cancun than it is to fly to DR? And if your guest list is that big, perhaps it could be a factor that helps you narrow it down.

[renee1811]

congrats and welcome to the forum! happy planning

[Emmers]

Congrats on the engagement and welcome aboard. We, too, were trying to decide between Mexico & the DR in the beginning. Although I know my sister had a wonderful time on her honeymoon in the DR, in the end, we opted for Mexico. When we weighed the options, there seemed to be more to do in Mexico and while the hotels were comparable, the flights to Mexico tend to be more reasonable for our guests than to the DR.

[nbills511]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Emmers Congrats on the engagement and welcome aboard. We, too, were trying to decide between Mexico & the DR in the beginning. Although I know my sister had a wonderful time on her honeymoon in the DR, in the end, we opted for Mexico. When we weighed the options, there seemed to be more to do in Mexico and while the hotels were comparable, the flights to Mexico tend to be more reasonable for our guests than to the DR.

Emmers...what resort in Mexico did you guys decide on?? Flights to Mexico are definitely cheaper for the majority of our guests as well....so we are leaning in that direction right now. Thanks

[martin]

Welcome to the forum and happy planning.

[Emmers]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nbills511 Emmers...what resort in Mexico did you guys decide on?? Flights to Mexico are definitely cheaper for the majority of our guests as well....so we are leaning in that direction right now. Thanks

Nicole - After an exhausting time researching and reviewing area resorts, we decided on the Iberostar Resort for a few reasons: (1) It was family friendly. Most of our guests are adults, but my nephew is a year and a half old, and he will also be our ring bearer, so I couldn't exactly choose a place that excluded him. (2) There are 5 levels of hotels so based on the guests price ranges, they can make a decision on where they want to stay. They range anywhere from your standard, all-inclusive family style up to a couples-only/adult-exclusive, top-top-top shelf/higher-end hotel. We are starting out our trip on the more family friendly, less expensive side so we can spend time with our guests. But after a few days, we're upgrading to the Grande (their adults-only, couples-exclusive, honeymoon-esque) resort for the remainder of our stay. The Grand is more comparable to a Dreams, Beaches, etc. We found Iberostar to be a good balance between between beautiful photos, great locations for the ceremony (you have your choice between the beach, chapel, or gazebo), affordable room rates, plenty to do, great location, and accommodating to our guests.

Oh, and you can also rent out one of their restaurants for a private reception. And the per-head amount is a lot better than the competition (even though it is so silly that you're paying per head even though the guests are staying at the hotel and it's all-inclusive....).

Now I'm starting to sound like an adverstisement for Iberostar. If you need any additional information or specific details, by all means, let me know.

Best of luck, Emily

[Knbell22]

Congrats!! I'm sure you will find plenty of helpful information on those resorts to help make your choice

Good luck planning and best wishes!

[melette]

Hi Nicole! Welcome to the forum and Happy Planning!