Tulum / Riveria Maya / Montego Bay TA Specialist

[bigboponthebeach]

Hello Ladies!

 

My FH and I are seeking the services of a reputable and qualified TA. We are scheduled to be married on May 28, 2011 and inititally began our quest with a destinationwedding.com TA. We didn't feel that we were receiving impartial and honest service from the TA and rather were being pressured to go with a specific resort chain.

 

With that said, I'm new here and have searched several threads trying to locate a TA or Agency that can help us narrow down our search. We have booked and placed a deposit at a resort, but after reading the reviews of the resort on here, we believe we might have booked hastily and the resort may not be what it was portrayed to be. We do not mind forfeiting our deposit if we can find a resort that is more in line with our needs.

 

We are seeking a resort where we can marry on the beach, that is family friendly but not too large, conducts no more than 2 weddings a day, is modern in style and fairly new or updated, has white sands and clear blue water with no rocks and minimal seaweed, will allow us to select our own photographer vendor, is all-inclusive, and is nearby a city should our guest seek outings and activities.

 

If any of you have any suggestions, I would LOVE to hear from you. Thanks in advance for your assistance as well as reading this posting.

 

All the best,

Bop

[Destination Scout]

Hi Bop,

Welcome to the forum. I was married in Tulum and just returned from coordinating another one at the beginning of May.

 

Just a few thoughts on Tulum and the Riviera Maya.

 

How big is your party? If it's larger than 20 people it is not possible to find a modern hotel in Tulum that will fit your party. However, you may want to consider El Pez, which is a private home with 6 beautiful beach side modern cabanas and fantastic restaurant/main house.

You may also want to consider the homes in the Rancho San Eric area. They are managed by the couple that owns Hechizo. Two of the homes were built last year and are absolutely gorgeous. I belive they have 7 houses and can hold up to a total of 40 people.

Neither of those choices are all inclusive, but it is possible to hire a chef. Other things to consider is that you ask for minimal sea weed. Tulum does not have sea weed, they have sea grass. It's rampant, and that's why the sea turtles nest there. The owners of most of the hotels rake the sand daily so it is not a visual impairment, but you should expect it when you walk into the water. That being said - I know many people worldwide who say that Tulum has some of the best beaches in the world.

There is plenty to do in Tulum, since you can always go into town, visit cenotes, ruins, and biopreserves within 1/2 hour.

 

A more typical hotel situation would be Le Reve, Tides, and Essencia. All have modern buildings, attentive staff and amazing beaches. None of them are all-inclusive, but if you are renting out the whole hotel (most have 25-29 rooms) you can put together a food plan for your guests.

 

Good luck!

[Destination Scout]

Just wanted to make an edit to my above comment - there is a Dreams and a Grand Bahia Principe in Tulum. I didn't think of them because you mentioned that you wanted a smaller hotel.

[bigboponthebeach]

Thank you so much Destination Scout! I will google them to see what I can find out. I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to respond to my post. I am very frustrated with our TA and we are going to cancel services by Friday. We thought since we both work full-time that would be the best option, but geez......it's been like a hard sell for one chain only. :-( And all I want to do is marry the one I love in peace. :-)

[Sita&Nate]

Bop,

 

Do not let anyone pressure you into doing what you don't want to do! The best advice that another bride gave me and I know it to be a100% true now is do what *you* want to do--I know that sounds selfish and I don't mean it to be, but what i mean is, go with your vision and don't let other people convince you otherwise. This I struggled with big time, but don't second guess yourself!!

 

Our travel agent from the local Flight Centre was absolutely awful (the worst part about the wedding planning process for us), but seemed great at first. It is a blessing that you know now that you don't like her.

 

YOu have a year to go, so take time to do your research

 

I was originally going to get married at the AI resort (Barcelo) we were all staying at, but less than 3 months before the wedding, I knew I didn't want to get married on the resort and found a wedding coordinator who helped me to make it all happen on the exact day we wanted to be married. You have lots of options!

 

Sorry for the novel! Good luck!

[TammyWright]

hi bop, have you tried one of the TA's on the forum. they all specialize in destination weddings? you can reach them by clicking on the banner at the top of the page.

[bigboponthebeach]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sita&Nate Bop, Do not let anyone pressure you into doing what you don't want to do! The best advice that another bride gave me and I know it to be a100% true now is do what *you* want to do--I know that sounds selfish and I don't mean it to be, but what i mean is, go with your vision and don't let other people convince you otherwise. This I struggled with big time, but don't second guess yourself!! Our travel agent from the local Flight Centre was absolutely awful (the worst part about the wedding planning process for us), but seemed great at first. It is a blessing that you know now that you don't like her. YOu have a year to go, so take time to do your research I was originally going to get married at the AI resort (Barcelo) we were all staying at, but less than 3 months before the wedding, I knew I didn't want to get married on the resort and found a wedding coordinator who helped me to make it all happen on the exact day we wanted to be married. You have lots of options! Sorry for the novel! Good luck!

Sita, no apologies necessary as I sincerly appreciate your response! I am headed over now to read your thread so that I can get additonal informaiton on your planner and such. I cannot thank you enough for the advice and the reassurance as I head down this path. What I did find interesting is something you mentioned......when we first spoke with our TA/WC, she was REALLY nice, joyful, and warm. Once we got going and we signed on, things changed. I just don't feel comfy spending the next 12 months planning one of the most exciting days of my life, with her involved. Just women's intuition, I guess. :-)

Thank you again!!!

[bigboponthebeach]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tammy Host hi bop, have you tried one of the TA's on the forum. they all specialize in destination weddings? you can reach them by clicking on the banner at the top of the page.

Hi Tammy!
I did do something with the TA vendors, but I can't be sure what. :-) Since I am new on here, I am still finding my way..... but earlier today, I found a link for a TA request and I completed it and submitted it. I'm not sure who it goes to or what that process involves, but I did submit a request for a TA. I've seen a few on here that are Sandals specialized and such, but I was hoping for one that was neutral and not commited to a specific resort. I'm praying for a good lead. :-) Thanks!!!

[Tanya Marie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigboponthebeach Hi Tammy! I did do something with the TA vendors, but I can't be sure what. :-) Since I am new on here, I am still finding my way..... but earlier today, I found a link for a TA request and I completed it and submitted it. I'm not sure who it goes to or what that process involves, but I did submit a request for a TA. I've seen a few on here that are Sandals specialized and such, but I was hoping for one that was neutral and not commited to a specific resort. I'm praying for a good lead. :-) Thanks!!!

Hey Bop!
Welcome to the forum! You are going to amazed at the amount of info on here, speaking from experience, i racked my brain looking for a resort. I wanted EVERYTHING that you wanted, and my search lead us to Playa del Carmen, not too far from Tulum. We chose the Playacar Palace...Why you ask...Here are my top 10 reasons, not in any order

(keep in mind I do not work for the hotel, this is strictly my opinion and reasons for my choice, Tammy can vouch for me, bc I used her to guide me, but I will get to that later)

1-Family friendly/has babysitting available
2- Is a somewhat smaller AI
3- Was right next door to 5th Ave. ( bars, restaurants, & shopping)
4-Stay at 1 play at all (Palace resorts are all over Mexico, so for the younger guests, they can take a shuttle to Cancun and hang there all day and night and eat and drink, for the older folks that want to take the ferry over to Cozumel, the same applies)
5- The amazing deals that the bride & groom get for booking a certain number of guests as a group
6- Most excursions are included (IE: snorkeling, zip lining, trips to the ruins)
7-The decor is contemporary
8-The food and service was amazing! (we went for a size visit)
9-What my guests get for their $$$
10- I can bring my Photog/chose my own DJ

To date, I have had nothing but a wonderful experience dealing with the wedding coords. on site at the hotel and in Miami.

I highly suggest using one of the TA on here, I went to Tammy and she guided me in the right direction, all of my guests have had nothing but nice things to say, and I love it bc I they have 1 or 2 go to people, therefore not driving me nuts.
I too am sorry for the long post, but I was in the same situation as you! I hope I helped a little bit!
~Tanya

[Sita&Nate]

No problem!! If I had to do it over again, I would have turned to a BDW TA, but I didn't because I thought having a TA in the city that I lived would be a better idea, but proximity doesn't necessarily mean anything I have found. After all, we are/were planning our weddings by email right?

 

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigboponthebeach Sita, no apologies necessary as I sincerly appreciate your response! I am headed over now to read your thread so that I can get additonal informaiton on your planner and such. I cannot thank you enough for the advice and the reassurance as I head down this path. What I did find interesting is something you mentioned......when we first spoke with our TA/WC, she was REALLY nice, joyful, and warm. Once we got going and we signed on, things changed. I just don't feel comfy spending the next 12 months planning one of the most exciting days of my life, with her involved. Just women's intuition, I guess. :-)   Thank you again!!!