With soooo many resorts in the DR....

Aphrodite · May 6, 2011

I based my decision on the hotel's reputation first - I was not one that was lucky enough to travel to the DR ahead of time to look at the hotels.

I knew I wanted a 5 star.

Then I emailed all the wedding coordinators at all the hotels I was interested in. If they responded within 24 hours, they made it to the next list, if not BUH-BYE! lol My theory is this - this is the person you have to communicate with during this whole process. It's nerve racking enough that you can't be there to physically see things!

Then I looked at the best bang for your buck!

In the end I picked Gran Bahia Principe Punta Cana - taxes in $1385 (flight included) all inclusive club gold.

The wedding package I picked was $1500 (some hotels charge more).

The private reception I picked was about $850 (some hotels charge more - this is also optional).

I secured a group rate for 30 people for this price (I don't expect more than 30).

If there are more than 30 then the travel agent will work something out for the rest of the people coming.

Some people want to book last minute - that's fine but I still need them to RSVP by July (our wedding is in November) because the hotel needs a guest list for the rooms and what not by August (3 months ahead of time).

shellybeanz · May 6, 2011

Hey Aphrodite! Congrats on your engagement and upcoming wedding. I just started my planning as well and i find it super overwhelming. I have a question with ur reception are you paying per person or is it included? I will prolly have 40 people at my wedding and we want punta cana and don't have time to visit. Of course I'm looking for all inclusive but I seriously don't get the extra reception fees if we all payed all inclusive lol we are thinking April 2012... any advice?

baileybutton · May 7, 2011

Aphrodite- I think the 24 hour thing was a excellent idea! I think even 48 hours is fine but I don't want to be waiting a week for emails to be returned. I have family that stayed at Gran Bahia Principe Punta Cana and they LOVED it! She is actually recommending it for our wedding!

Since the first post I have narrowed it down to 10 or so and I will keep knocking places off my list. I think I'm going to make a spreadsheet to keep them all straight. I did that for our recent trip to Key West and it was super helpful.

If anyone else has ideas or suggestions keep 'em coming!

Aphrodite · May 9, 2011

The reception part can be kind of confusing.

You have to ask the hotels you are interested in for a price list so you can get it figured out.

Basically, the $850 gives you a private reception away from all the other people staying at the hotel - the price is depending on how many people will be there. So the price I'm paying pays for a plated dinner (I think it's 4 or 5 courses) for up to 30 people or something like that. Then once it's over the 30 people, they have another price point for up to 40 or whatever it was (I would attach the price list but the site isn't allowing me to attach things today for some reason).

Now, the price of the wedding (the $1500) will cover your place at one of the a la carte restaurants with your guests BUT it is not private. So you and your guests would be eating with other people from the resort.

Originally Posted by shellybeanz

Hey Aphrodite! Congrats on your engagement and upcoming wedding. I just started my planning as well and i find it super overwhelming. I have a question with ur reception are you paying per person or is it included? I will prolly have 40 people at my wedding and we want punta cana and don't have time to visit. Of course I'm looking for all inclusive but I seriously don't get the extra reception fees if we all payed all inclusive lol we are thinking April 2012... any advice?

Aphrodite · May 9, 2011

I'm glad to hear they like the resort )

I keep hearing people say great things about it which makes me feel good about my choice! lol

Originally Posted by baileybutton

Aphrodite- I think the 24 hour thing was a excellent idea! I think even 48 hours is fine but I don't want to be waiting a week for emails to be returned. I have family that stayed at Gran Bahia Principe Punta Cana and they LOVED it! She is actually recommending it for our wedding!

Since the first post I have narrowed it down to 10 or so and I will keep knocking places off my list. I think I'm going to make a spreadsheet to keep them all straight. I did that for our recent trip to Key West and it was super helpful.

If anyone else has ideas or suggestions keep 'em coming!