Me by Melia Cancun

[Hoisthemain]

Hey girls!  Is ME adults only or are kids allowed? 

[babigirl21]

Kids are allowed, but it does not offer full services (such as a kid's club) like the larger chain all inclusive resorts.

[Brenners]

We are staying at the Me Cancun as we speak.  Here are my thoughts as promised:

 

1.  Rooms:  Unless you upgrade to a junior suite, the vast majority of rooms do not have a balcony.  My guests would prefer a balcony if they are flying all the way to Mexico and staying on the ocean, but the upgrade to the junior suite is very spendy.  Something to think about for your guests.  Rooms themselves are nice and big enough.  Bathroom shower is a rain shower and it is great but the shower floor is not slanted properly toward the drain so the water does not drain properly and you have an inch of water after each shower.  Bathroom also has a hair dryer.  Lots of shelf space on the counter, a shelf above the counter and also below the counter in the bathroom.  Each room has a safe, flat screen tv and the mini bar.  We are unable to get messages off our phone as the instructions are in Spanish and the front desk has not returned our call to request that they assist us with this.  Beds are firm but much more comfortable than some in Mexico.

 

2.  Ceremony location:  Beach only.  They do have a lovely "arch" with tulle and flowers where the bride and groom get married, however, keep in mind that the sun goes behind all the high-rise hotels around 3:30 - 4:00 in February so if that is the time of year you are considering, then your wedding would be in a shadow.  Also, beach-goers will be right there watching the ceremony which doesn't make it very private.  We saw a wedding here so I was able to view that.

 

3.  Reception:  Outdoor reception is by the pool so again, not private.  The Beach House restaurant and swim up bar are nearby so the noise from those drinking in the pool is very loud and right near the reception site.

 

4.  Noise:  This is a VERY noisy hotel.  The doors and walls are paper thin and you can hear people showering in the room next door and when you walk down the hallway.  Also, some floors have open areas to the floor above/below so that noise filters down to the rooms near the elevators.  Also, people getting on and off the elevators can be heard in rooms near them.  The Rose Bar (on the ground floor) can get very noisy - we are on the 3rd floor and we can still hear the music which doesn't stop until 1:30 am.

 

5.  Food:  The food is very bland.  The crispy grouper at the Beach House is awful - it could be chicken, a pork chop, who knows inside of the 1/2 inch thick breading.  Breakfast buffet at Salt/Silk is ok but you really can't go wrong with fresh fruit and juice. 

 

6.  Location:  Very close to Senor Frogs, Margaritaville, Bubba Gump - all are within walking distance.  It is very close to La Isla mall - has Coach, Benetton, Nike, etc....and again easily within walking distance.

 

7.  Staff:  Very friendly and the concierge desk is very helpful for planning trips, excursions and where to find places.  Beware of staff wanting to show you the resort as they are obviously interested in selling you a timeshare.  What we have noticed, and I am not sure if this is due to the change in ownership and the switch to all-inclusive, is that no one staff will give you the same answer to a question.  You are told at check-in that Salt/Silk are the only restaurants requiring a reservation for dinner.  Yet you go to the Beach House for dinner and are told you cannot eat there without a reservation.  Also, they do not provide you with any information on the hours for each meal at the restaurants.  Sometimes Salt/Silk are open and other times they are not.  Very confusing.

 

8.  Beach:  Large beach, chairs are difficult to come by and no shade whatsoever until the sun is hidden behind the hotels.  Bali beds are for VIP guests only and some can be reserved for $100 per day.  Cigarette butts litter the beach even though they claim to be a nonsmoking resort.  Also, there is smoking throughout the hotel as well - rooms, lobby.  The only place I haven't encountered smoking are the indoor restaurants.

 

9.  All-inclusive:  Not really.  They say that the water, drinks and "dry snacks" are included in the mini-bar, however, only the very small bottles of water, small bottles of beer (never have I seen a beer bottle so small!), coke and sprite are part of the all-inclusive package.  Normal sized water, beer and ALL the dry snacks are extra.  Room service is $5 per person per use.  You have to sign a check at all restaurants for every meal where they include a section to tip.

 

Just some things to consider when thinking about your wedding venue options.  I hope this helps!

[babigirl21]

@ Brenners, thank you so much for your very detailed review.  I have been considering this hotel because I like the Miami like vibe, but with limited wedding reviews and photos I have been cautious about choose ME Cancun.  Especially since they have not seemed to get the all-inclusive kinks worked out. 

 

I think I'm leaning towards Dreams Cancun now.  I like its close proximity to clubs/bars/restaurants while still maintaining a secluded appeal with its location on a penisula and just knowing I will have some goregous photos and location.  Besides, I will have to consider that there will be at least 3 kids under the age of 6 that will be in attendance and there is no kid activities/club for them at ME.  I think ME will be on my radar for partying options.  Did you by any chance visit Dreams Cancun while there?  If so, I would like to hear your review on that as well.

[Brenners]

Hi Babygirl!  We will only be visiting Dreams Riviera Cancun tomorrow which is near Puerto Morelos.  Today we viewed Barcelo Maya Beach Resort which is quite beautiful.  We saw a wedding on the beach - secluded area of the Palace Resort there.  The gazebo is also a lovely option for a wedding.  We also saw a couple other options for beach weddings there as well - they have 5 hotels and they all go along the coast line.  The pool areas at each hotel is HUGE and there are separate pools for kids as well as water activities at each location.  The rooms are very nice but only a few at the Palace have ocean views and you have to have a Premium stay to get one of those.  There are many options for receptions as well - on the beach as well as restaurant options.  There is also an option for a reception at one of their meeting rooms but they look like a ballroom/meeting room at any hotel where there are no windows and it is very sterile feeling.  There is a shuttle bus that transports guests between the hotels.  If a guest is staying at one of the less expensive hotels, they still can come to the wedding and reception at any hotel, however, if they want to simply hang out at one of the more expensive hotels, then they need to pay a day pass ($95 but you get a 25% discount for having your wedding there).  The Palace is the most expensive, the Colonial and Tropical are next and finally it is the Beach and Caribe.  If you stay at the Palace then you can access all amenities and restaurants across the resort.  Tropical and Colonial can access restaurants and amenities at their own location as well as Caribe and Beach.  Caribe and Beach are the least expensive and can only access restaurants and amenities in those areas.  There is a dance club on site as well as tennis courts, mini golf, and a soccer field.  Guests can also rent a golf cart for $70 per day.  They have 5-6 weddings per day and have 5 wedding coordinators there.  We will review our options and put together emails with additional questions we may have so I hope you find this helpful with what I have thus far.  Still researching!

[babigirl21]

I was interested in Dreams Riviera as well since it was the newer resort.  I will check out Barcelona Maya/Palace Resort.  Thank you again for posting you reviews.  This site is definitely the best resource I found for destination weddings.  Hope you had a great time in Mexico and have the info needed to make your final decision.  

[Brenners]

Ok, so we went to Dreams Riviera Cancun and the site is quite lovely.  The rooms are nice but about only 40% face the ocean.  They have a few pools as well as a couple of whirlpools.  They have beach locations as well as a gazebo location by the pool area for wedding ceremonies.  They have restaurants, beach and pool areas for reception locations and they also allow you to use the whirlpool areas for the cocktail hour.  When we arrived, there were people ready to pounce us for timeshares which was irritating but they backed off when we told them we were there to meet a WC.  They have 2-3 weddings per day.

 

We also got the opportunity to view Ceiba del Mar Beach and Spa Resort that afternoon.  It was by far our favorite.  88 rooms in total and all face the ocean.  Two swimming pools - one with a swim up bar.   Option for AI or European plan.  Grounds are beautifully kept.  The hotel has the most authentic Mexican feel to it.  Rooms all are very modern but are decorated with Mexican touches.  Most of their materials are from the area that they have used to build the resort.  They recycle and have built the resort to blend in with the natural environment.  They have options for wedding ceremonies on the beach, at the end of the pier and they only do one wedding per day so you have the run of the resort.  You can have the cocktail hour at the end of the pier, beach and on the roof top of one of the buildings.  The reception can be in a restaurant, on the beach or on the patio - all of which are very private.  The best part are the 7 penthouse suites on the top of each building.  Two full baths, two sitting/living areas, large bedroom and a HUGE balcony overlooking the ocean and property with a whirlpool tub.  Downsides are that at least one of the buildings lost an elevator in the 2005 hurricane and the designer/property owner has no intention to replace it.  There are not a lot of activities on site, however, it is a 10 minute walk on the beach to Puerto Morelos which is a lovely little town with great restaurants and a reef right off the shore where you can do some great snorkeling.

 

I hope this helps.  I am torn between all three. 

[Maritza919]

Hi Brenners! When did you go to the hotels? Just came back from my sit e visit. Stayed at Dreams and hated it! The rooms are totally different lay out but you hear everything. I went my mom and I my fiancé wasn't able to go because of work but he liked Ceiba the most. Am going to write a review. So torn between hotel because everyone has a different thing going.

[GKGC]

Thank you soooooooooo much for the reviews Brenners.  My fiance and I SO appreciate it.

 

We were extremely keen on ME by Melia, but after lots of back and fourth communication with the WC and the reviews I have read (yours being the most recent) I think we are going to scratch it off the list.  

 

The WC was great at first and very helpful, but as my partner is in the public eye, we had a lot of special requests for media and photographers and the guests we are flying in from around the world.  The WC took a long time to reply each time and due to my vocation, I am not always near the internet. Thus when I took a few days to reply, she seemed to get annoyed. Very hypocritical and off-putting.

 

The icing on the cake was her telling me the entire time that our date 11-11-11 was available and then all of a sudden, she said it had been booked and I could "have the 12th".  Well, if she has ever dealt with a bride, she would know that a gal simply can't just "change her date".

 

We are now looking at your recommendation of 'Ceiba del Mar Beach and Spa Resort', it sounds fantastic and looks gorgeous online.  We'll definitely have to check out that one for a site visit.

 

All these hassles with Mexico, sub-standard WC's and the language barrier is starting to make me lean towards our original idea of getting married in Vegas.  Not a cheap drive-thur wedding, but a proper gorgeous glam one ...

 

Hmmmmmmmmmn

 

[Brenners]

Hi GKGC!

 

I am sorry that you did not have a good experience with Me by Melia.  Privacy and intimacy (which I am guessing you would want with your FI being in the public eye) is not something you would get there.  Ceiba really would fit that bill well.  Diana at Ceiba was great - very knowledgeable and helpful.  I would highly recommend looking at their resort and discussing your needs with them as they seemed very accommodating.  And having only one wedding per day makes you feel very special as you should on your wedding day!