Azul Sensatori vs. RIU Playacar....confused on Resorts !?!?!?

[DW11]

Hi Everyone!

 

I'm new on this website. I need your advice.

 

I'm planning on getting married at Azul Sensatori on November 16, 2011 ,but I'm looking at RIU Playacar also.

 

Everything looks great at AZUL, but I'm really really concerned about the beach....it seems a bit poor with lots & lots of seaweeds!!

 I know there's seaweeds in the ocean but  it's seems there's alot more in the Puerto Morelo area..... I've stayed at the Barcelo Maya before and the water there was crystal clear with no seaweeds at all, but I don't want to go too south. I want to stay in a small resort close to Playa del Carmen.

 

Any advice or experiences is greatly appreciated!!

 

Cheers!

 

Sandra

[murmel]

Hi, have not been to the RIU Playacar, but have stayed at the RIU Yucatan (just down the road) and the Azul. Yes, the beach is much nicer at the RIU, but that has more to do with how wide the beach is and the fact that the reefs are further out from shore by the RIUs. The Azul beach is quite narrow, and within a few meters you are right on a reef, so yes, it is rocky and there is more seaweed that gets caught. However that being said, the staff clean the beach at the Azul twice a day and we didn't have much problems with it. Also if you walk about 500 yards north there is a beautiful beach area, no rocks, no seaweed.

 

If you want to be close to Playa del Carmen, I would suggest one of the RIUs. The Azul is about 30 minutes north. Good luck, and if you have any other questions just PM me.

[DW11]

Hi Murmel! Thanks for the advice!

Can I ask you why you chose Azul Sensatori for your wedding location?  

[murmel]

Big reason for me specifically was I wanted the resort to be on the smaller size, so that we could find each other easier. (the other resorts on our list were Dreams, and the Barcelo Palace). The Azul Sensatori is about 440 rooms, compared to the other resorts at  a 1000-3000 room complex. Another big reason is we have a few children coming and we wanted a good children's program available so that the parents could enjoy themselves. They also offer a maximum of 2 weddings a day, so your not completing too much for the resorts wedding staff. We also were able to visit the Azul in April and were very pleased with the food and the service.

[daisymable]

Hi,

 

We are also thinking about Azul Sensatori  but we are worried about the beach.  Do you know what the beach is like at Azul beach hotel? Also, which type of ceremony did you choose? Do you know if going to Maroma to use the chapel is an option and then come back to the sensatori for the reception? Do they do beach receptions at Sensatori?

We stayed at Maroma in the spring and saw a wedding in the chapel then reception on the beach.... it was so beautiful. However we will have kids coming to the wedding so Maroma will not work for us as a place to use for the entire event. How far in advance did you need to book the resort?

 

Thanks!

[murmel]

The Azul Beach property is about 4 hotels north of the Sensatori. The beach is narrow, but it's sandy and the water does not have many reefs/rocks. The best strip of beach is just south of the Beach resort and north of Sensatori (be aware there is a nudist resort in the middle, so should you have family or guests that might be offended I would warn them ahead of time).

 

I know there is a bride staying at the Sensatori and doing a ceremony at the chapel, however I am not sure that she has children coming or not. That would be my only concern, since Maroma is adults only, so not sure the children would be allowed on property. There might be other chapels they could recommend. Or perhaps the children could have a babysitter for that part of the day?

 

Both resorts offer receptions on the beach, or multiple other locations, you choose. We booked in April for a January wedding, and hopefully will have the little details ironed out shortly (November). We are doing a beach ceremony, and then moving to Plaza Zavas for the reception. It's an area by one of the pools, with beautiful flagstone and surrounding by palm trees and small garden.

If you have any other questions, just ask!

[daisymable]

We're now thinking of Azul Fives. We are waiting on some pricing.  We did get back one quote but we weren't happy with the dates we'd have to fly on so we are waiting to hear from some other tour operators. The beach also looks nice there. Have you heard anything about this one?  I really like Sensatori but my fiance is not really going for it because of the beach.