Jamaica Wedding but what resort?

[Jamaica2012]

Hi Ladies,

I got engaged in Sept of 2010 and we are thinking of getting married April of 2012 because after April 15th the cost per night of the resorts go down and we are trying to keep costs to a minimum for our guests.  I am overwhelmed with having to decide on the Resort though.  We are looking at Palladium and Riu Montego Bay, but are willing to consider any that are nice and have a good wedding package. But when I look up these resorts on travelocity they get bad reviews. 

Any advise on how to decide would be great?

Recommendation for resorts would be appreciated also?

Any great experiences at Jamaican resorts?

 

I have been trying to navigate around the site to get answers to these questions but have just decided it might be best to post and get all of your guys' wonderful advise

 

Thanks in advance and Happy wedding planning to all!

 

Jenni  

[starrysim]

Welcome to the board!  I guess everyone can come by and recommend their chosen resort to you, but that wouldn't be very helpful  Nevertheless, I would recommend the Iberostar Rose Hall Suites (or Beach), and let me tell you why - you say you're put off by bad reviews.  You will rarely read anything bad about the Iberostar Rose Hall resorts, so in that price range they are excellent value. Not the cheapest, but best value IMO. Their wedding package is relatively flexible and competitively priced as well.  We especially liked that it's three resorts in one, so guests who are on a tighter budget can stay at the Beach, instead of the Suites.

 

Other things to think about - how much does the resort charge for outside vendors (eg. photographer). Is the resident resort photographer good (or will you need to hire one from outside)?  Do they offer private receptions for your expected group size?  Adults only, or family-friendly?  

 

E-mail and get detailed cost info from everyone resort you're considering. ie. What's included, and what are the costs for extras.

 

good luck and have fun

[starrysim]

Oh, one more thing. You may want to consider how many weddings they do per day.  This can matter for getting attention from the wedding coordinator, having your choice of locations and times, and your choice of reception venue.  The Iberostars only have one wedding a day, some resorts have 3.

[baileybutton]

Oh Jamaica2012-I completely understand your confusion. We haven't even set on a country yet let alone a resort. At this time, we're leaning to Jamaica. I have heard great things about Iberostar Rose Hall Suites....I didn't even know that it was 3 hotels in one. I like that cause of prices for our guests. Hmmmm it's a huge decision.

 

I recently planned a vacation to Key West and having never been there before I created a spreadsheet with the top 50 ranked hotels and BB on the island from Trip Advisor. I went to each hotels website and took note of the things that were important to us ie. Continental breakfast, Pool/Jacuzzi, cost, etc......Now I know that all of the AI's will have all of that in Jamaica & DR etc. but I think I'm going to do the same thing for picking my wedding resort. I will include things that matter to me-decorations, bouquet, private reception, cost etc (or whatever)

 

I was very pleased with my Key West choice so I hope the same will hold true for this wedding resort. I understand it will take alot of time to figure it out but for myself-it's totally worth it!

[wendyjd]

Agree with what StarrySim said.  Everyone will tell you why they chose their resort (I too picked IRHS, one wedding a day, great reviews, stunning resort, affordable wedding package....). 

 

You need to decide what you think is most important for you, sounds like budget from your original post.  With that being said, pick your favorite 4-6 and make a list of cost, pros, cons and see which one stands out.  Only be prepared, if you try to contact the wedding coordinators at most resorts, you will be waiting a few days for responses, usually its one person for the whole wedding planning department and they are swamped.

 

Finally, don't forget to look at the reviews on this site in addition to tripadvisor, they have lots of negative reviews.  I think I read that people with negative outcomes/interactions are 7 times more likely to talk about their situation than one with a positive interaction.  (please don't quote me on that stat, it came from some training I scanned for work and couldn't give you a source.)  Older reviews can be found in the "share your wedding/engagement stories" and newer ones can be found in the resort reviews (near the forum at the top of the page).

 

Good luck!!

[Jamaica2012]

Thanks Starrysims,

 I appreciate everyone's opinion and the more I can get the better. I checked out Iberostar and it looks beautiful. I sent them an email enquiring more about their costs. I haven't heard back from them yet, but I am excited to hear what they offer and their cost. I tried finding their pricing on their site but all I could find was to email them. Did I miss something? Do you have any of that info that you could post, cause I hear that it sometimes can take a few days to get back to brides. Oh and is the Iberostar Rose Hall Beach resort right by the other 2? (The Iberostar Rose Hall Suite and the Iberostar Grand Hall Suites) 

[Jamaica2012]

Wow Baileybutton, I like the idea of a spreadsheet, but that seems like so much work.  But I'm probably doing all that work already just not writing it down in an organized fashion like you- Gd idea!  I will have to try to start being more organized about my search :-)  Good luck finding a resort! This stuff is more intense than I first expected, but its more fun than my school work that I should be doing right now! ;-)

 

Originally Posted by baileybutton 

Oh Jamaica2012-I completely understand your confusion. We haven't even set on a country yet let alone a resort. At this time, we're leaning to Jamaica. I have heard great things about Iberostar Rose Hall Suites....I didn't even know that it was 3 hotels in one. I like that cause of prices for our guests. Hmmmm it's a huge decision.

 

I recently planned a vacation to Key West and having never been there before I created a spreadsheet with the top 50 ranked hotels and BB on the island from Trip Advisor. I went to each hotels website and took note of the things that were important to us ie. Continental breakfast, Pool/Jacuzzi, cost, etc......Now I know that all of the AI's will have all of that in Jamaica & DR etc. but I think I'm going to do the same thing for picking my wedding resort. I will include things that matter to me-decorations, bouquet, private reception, cost etc (or whatever)

 

I was very pleased with my Key West choice so I hope the same will hold true for this wedding resort. I understand it will take alot of time to figure it out but for myself-it's totally worth it!

 

[Jamaica2012]

Hi Wedyjd,

Thanks for the advice. Especially about where to find more reviews on resorts.  I wouldn't have known to look there.  Also, I think I will take that advice about picking my top 4-6 and writing out all the pros and cons. 

 

Thanks everyone!

 

Originally Posted by wendyjd 

Agree with what StarrySim said.  Everyone will tell you why they chose their resort (I too picked IRHS, one wedding a day, great reviews, stunning resort, affordable wedding package....). 

 

You need to decide what you think is most important for you, sounds like budget from your original post.  With that being said, pick your favorite 4-6 and make a list of cost, pros, cons and see which one stands out.  Only be prepared, if you try to contact the wedding coordinators at most resorts, you will be waiting a few days for responses, usually its one person for the whole wedding planning department and they are swamped.

 

Finally, don't forget to look at the reviews on this site in addition to tripadvisor, they have lots of negative reviews.  I think I read that people with negative outcomes/interactions are 7 times more likely to talk about their situation than one with a positive interaction.  (please don't quote me on that stat, it came from some training I scanned for work and couldn't give you a source.)  Older reviews can be found in the "share your wedding/engagement stories" and newer ones can be found in the resort reviews (near the forum at the top of the page).

 

Good luck!!

 

[eholt]

Agree with all the ladies above.  I too am a IRHS bride and I am happy I made the decision.  I have not even been to the resort but I am confident that I have made the right decision for myself and my guest based primarily on reviews from the wonderful site and tripadvisor.com.  I have checked frequently for the past year and the reviews are consistently great!  I was initially sold on the 1 wedding per day as my travel agent had told me about other larger chains that offered in excess of 6 weddings per day (aka wedding factory).  I was so not interested in that.  Good luck on your decision!

[Lua]

Having recently returned from my wedding at the Riu Negril you'll always find my suggesting that resort!!! I'm glad I didn't worry about the bad reviews because they honestly make me laugh now after being there.  My hubby and I had THE MOST INCREDIBLE time there and the wedding was amazing!!  It all depends what you want though.  For us, we went into it with a tight budget and a very easy-going attitude.  We went with the Riu's free wedding package so in the end it only cost us $500 which paid for the minister and cake/champagne/setup for our extra guests (the free package covers 10 guests, we had 25).  We didn't bother wasting any more $$ on extras like chair covers and other decorations because in our opinions, the scenery was our decoration and that was enough for us. we love every single one of our photos!  Our wedding was on the beach and at the Riu Negril, on the far end of the beach they have a fish sanctuary where you're not allowed to swim.  The ceremony was at the end right by the fish sanctuary and thanks to additional courtesy of guests at the resort it felt completely PRIVATE. There are only a very few rare photos from our ceremony where you can see other guests on the beach.  Oh and the "semi-private" dinner at the steakhouse was also more private IMO.  There was another wedding on the same day as us but they were on one end of the restaurant and we were on the other and 100% honesty we didn't even realize they were around. It was amazing!!!