Beach Palace Cancun Brides

[tygrrlily]

Hello ladies!

My FI and I are going for our site visit tomorrow! I'll make sure to post back when we return. Let me know if there's anything you want me to find out

[kokobellaa]

Hi Ladies,

 

Anyone work with Zuniga? I have emailed them at least 3 times and haven't heard back yet. My wedding is on August 31st this year and have 5 events! Anyone know more about their flowers and linen? 

 

Renal

[shelikespink]

@@tygrrlily Hope you have an amazing trip! Update us with any info you find out! 

[tygrrlily]

Hello ladies! We got back from our site visit last night and wanted to give an update!

 

Overall we had a fantastic time. Beach Palace is a really nice hotel, and the service was definitely great.

 

In terms of the actual Site Inspection, I honestly didn't find it that helpful. Maybe because I've done so much research and basically read this whole thread through twice haha, but I found I already knew a lot of the info. Suzette, one of the wedding coordinators there, took us for a walk through and she was very nice. It took about 45 minutes total, and while I already knew most of the info, I do think it was good for my FI to hear since basically I've been planning this whole thing! I'm also glad we got to see all of the spaces - I think it will make planning the wedding a lot easier.
 

Our overall impression of the hotel is good and looks just like the pics . It's VERY clean! Good service overall. Some of the waiters and waitresses were so so good. We tipped generously and we had great service. We had a regular king size lagoon room and we were happy until we saw the ocean view rooms and saw the view haha. We got a tour of an ocean view room and a presidential suite, and we were pretty wowed. We're paying for an ocean view for sure - makes a huge difference - and we're hoping we get upgraded to the presidential suite!! That room is completely baller and apparently there are 24 (I think it was) so we're crossing our fingers.

 

The beach is amazing. Perfect turquoise blue water and white sand. This was really important to us, so we were happy with that. No problems getting a chair or towel or anything. We also really liked the sky bar area. It's low season right now so it wasn't busy at all, and I think it'll actually be better when the hotel is a bit busier. There wasn't a lot of entertainment (we only had 1 real show while we were there), but we're hoping there will be a bit more going on in December. Our young guests will go out, but we don't want our parents and older people to be bored in the evenings.

 

The weakest point to us was probably the food. We thought the breakfast and lunch buffets were very good, but the a la cartes at dinner didn't really impress us very much. The food wasn't bad, it just wasn't that great either. I'm a huge food person though, so maybe my expectations were too high. Of the 3 (Italian, Asian, Grill), I thought the Grill and Italian were best and Asian last. Oh and another weak point - the elevators are absolutely awful. Really slow, poorly calibrated and teeny tiny. So there were always line ups for the elevators, and it looked like clown cars every time the doors opened. But overall, everything else was good and it was these 2 smaller points we weren't happy with.

 

On to the WEDDING stuff. The sky terrace is amazing. I can't wait to get married up there. It's going to be absolutely beautiful. I think she said it can fit up to 150 people or something like that. I also like how it's super private, but you get the gorgeous view of the ocean. Really really nice. We're doing our reception on the Sky deck and it is kind of small, but we're only expecting 40 or so so it should be perfect. Suzette suggested we do the cocktail on one side of the small pool overlooking the ocean, and have the reception on the other overlooking the lights of the lagoon. This is a perfect use of the space. I'm trying to figure out the "look" of it now and how we're going to have our lights and tables set up.

 

We also saw the Palenque terrace which overlooks the lagoon on a lower floor. All of the lagoon rooms also have a view of the terrace as a fyi. This space would be great for a larger wedding. We also saw the ballroom which was depressing as heck and we are going to hope and pray for no rain so we don't have to have our reception there haha. The other private space is the Infinity Terrace and this space I'm unsure of. It's commonly used for welcome cocktails or rehearsal dinners. It's right in front of the pool where the beach showers are, and they can clear the chairs. It's not private at all though, and I'm not sure how it'd logistically work with all of the regular guests coming by, washing their feet off, etc. Also if people are in the pool (likely), then they're literally right on top/beside of you . There is another deck that overlooks the pool that is higher and a bit more private (beside the outdoor grill terraza restaurant) and I'm going to ask about using that one instead. The only other option is the beach which has a set up of $6 per person for cocktails and $12 for dinner which will add up quickly!

 

Let me know if anyone has any specific questions. We didn't bother meeting the dj or photographers, etc. because we're hiring ours from outside! I have a bunch of pics I took too that I will upload later

Edited June 26, 2014 by tygrrlily

[tygrrlily]

For any of the Beach Palace brides that have gotten married already at the Sky Deck. Can I ask if they somehow "privatized" the reception area? When we were there it was VERY open and people could easily walk across. I was just wondering if they kind of blocked off or deterred in any way other guests from entering? I saw on some people's pics it looks like the buffet is set up on one side. How about the other?

 

Also, did the music on the public sky deck side interfere at all with the music/events on the private side?

 

Thanks!

[yancn]

Hi Everyone!

Okay below is my full review and I created an album with pictures guests took from their phones.

 

1.       Beach Palace Experience Overall: Great with a rating of an A-

·         Wedding Coordinator (Marco Antonio Chuc Dzul)

I was really frustrated with Marco throughout the process because it would take me at least two weeks and several calls to get anything I wanted sorted out. It was not until a week before the wedding that Marco did a 360 and was the best coordinator I could have asked for. He started answering my emails almost instantly and on our in person appointment he made sure everything I wanted was included. The day of the wedding he went above and beyond to make sure I was 100% happy.

 

·         Beach Palace the actual hotel look and feel

The actual hotel is beautiful; I would recommend either an ocean front room or concierge level room. The service is great as well.

 

·         Welcome Dinner in the tequila Restaurant the day before the wedding

The dinner buffet was organized nicely, they set up a whole section of the restaurant for our group. The only problem we ran into were some day passes issues I will go into this in more details in the day pass section lol.

 

·         Day Passes

The Day Passes are the reason why I gave Beach Palace a rating of A- . The Day Passes are just a nightmare. It is really crazy to have to force all your guests to book in the palace resorts chain, especially if they are having financial issues. An example of one of the day passes issues is that we had two guests that stayed in different resort and they were more than willing to pay for the day passes for the wedding day. The problem occurred when they attempted to attend the welcome dinner the day before the wedding at around 930pm. They offered the manager to pay full for the day passes for the next day and pay half for the welcome dinner since they will only be staying for a maybe an hour and half, this would have been a total of 300 dollars. The manager will not accommodate this at all he was really stuck to his ways about them having to pay day passes the day of wedding plus welcome dinner without any discounts. I had to almost to be in tears because of how insulted I was about the whole situation for the manager to come around and agree to give the day passes for half for the welcome dinner. As a bride it was really stressful and really unnecessary since theses guests were paying full day passes the next day.

 

·         Vendor Fees

I got out of paying for vendor fees by just asking for day passes for my makeup artist and my two photographers Derek & Lorena. I rented two string lights for the reception from Zungia and used JSAV music equipment & additional lights. I created my own dj mix for the reception & cocktail hour. Overall I would recommend future brides to literally just tell them you need day passes and state the name of the vendor you need the day pass for and that’s it.

 

·         Ceremony 6:00PM

The ceremony was in the Sky Terrance and it was absolutely perfect! I was so happy with how it turned out. I used the pearl shimmer package and it was gorgeous! The pearl shimmer included a violist and they played the sounds I requested and fit the mood perfectly. We choose 6pm for the ceremony and in May/June I believe it was the perfect time because the sun is going down and it’s not too hot. In addition the colors of the sky look great as well. At end of the ceremony we had fireworks and it was a nice touch as well. It was short & sweet.

 

·         Cocktail 7:00PM & Reception 8:00PM

(1)Palenque terrace

We had both our cocktail & Reception in the palenque terrace. We only had 20 guests and I was hesitate about the space I thought it might be too big for only 20 guests yet the wedding coordinator made use of the space and it was perfect. I realize many other brides have gotten married in the north terrace but I personally loved & preferred the view, privacy & space of the Palenque terrace. I saw other weddings while I was there in the north Terrance and sometimes the layout was a little strange because of the pool being in the middle. I could definitely see though the north Terrance working for other brides, it’s still beautiful. I will post a picture as soon as I get them.

(2)Reception Tables

I used the pearl shimmer collection tables and mixed & match fabrics. I bought menus, place cards & table numbers that match from etsy. I will post a picture as soon as I get them.

(3)Zungia & JSAV

The string lights & candles I ordered from Zungia were perfect and exactly the look I was looking for. JSAV lights were great as well because it designated the dance floor for the reception area.

 

 

2)Photography (Photos In Cancun) Rating of A+

This is probably one of the best decisions I made throughout the process. I hired Derek & Lorena almost a year and half ago when I first started my wedding planning they were sweethearts from day 1. My husband and I meet both of them two days before the wedding just to go over details and so they could get to know us as a couple. Let me just tell you guys I am a very detailed person and I was willing to pay more, I just wanted a great photographs and I happen to choose one that was actually very affordable compared to other photographer’s. The other photographers I was looking at was Del Sol they have really impressive photos as well but I fell in love with a sun rise shoot of Derek & Lorena it was just breathtaking. They provide you all your pictures at the end of the night in a USB, I looked at them and they are so beautiful!! I really am so happy with having them capture our special day. Unfortunately my husband left the USB in the villa we were staying at so the housekeeper is mailing them to us L. As soon as I get them I will post some of the pictures. These are just raw pictures without edits and they are still so beautiful!! Derek & Lorena provide the raw pictures and you tell them which ones you want them to edit, there’s a limit depending on the wedding package you choose. At the end of the night of the wedding, they were seriously our friends, all our guests were telling us how wonderful they are. I highly recommend them, fabulous couple & photographers!

 

3)Makeup + Hair (Tania Tangle) Rating of A+

Tania + her assistant are wonderful! This was one of the best decisions I made because I was so happy for her work. I am usually extremely picky with makeup and have actually gotten upset over professionals doing my makeup but Tania was a totally different experience. They arrived on time at 2PM and went straight to work. She sat me in from of the ocean with relaxing music and it was really soothing. I sent her a couple of looks beforehand so she already knew exactly what I wanted. We talked throughout the process and she is real sweetheart! Really loved her and her work! So professional and clean! She is worth the money I highly recommend her!! She told me she will send me pictures she took my makeup so when she does I will post it on here for you girls to see J!

 

 

I know this was really long, but previous brides helped me so much and I felt I had to provide a detail review as well.

Hope you enjoy and please let me know if you have any more questions.

 

-Kat

Hi @@kather2008,

 

Thanks for the review! It helps a lot!! I am deciding whether to choose the Pearl Shimmer package. I am wondering what "Photography Package A" includes.  Does it include a videographer to record the ceremony? I emailed my question to my WC. Instead of answering, she cc'ed the photographer vender and had them answer me, but they never did!

 

Also, how much is it to extend the private event for 2 hours?

 

Thanks!

Edited June 28, 2014 by yancn

[shelikespink]

@@yancn From what I understand, it's $60 per table per hour to extend your reception.

[kather2008]

Hi!! @@yancn

I am really happy my review helped!

 

If I was you I would not ask them because the wedding coordinator will just try to charge you. The day of the wedding just ask for a potential extension. I found they were more flexible the day or days lending to the wedding, when I was already on site.

 

The Photography package is just a basic package of 30 pictures I believe and they only over the ceremony. This is why i ended up hiring outside (Photos in Cancun) they were really affordable and took gorgeous pictures.

 

Overall I would definitely recommend the pearl shimmer the set up was gorgeous and I felt it was worth the money especially after I applied the resort credits to the package. 

 

let me know if you have more questions!

 

-Kat

Edited July 2, 2014 by kather2008

[LauraM]

Just started talking to Tania about makeup! SO excited to work with her!

I'm a little confused about the photo package. The "Pure" package I chose includes photography and mentions an upgrade fee to include photography at the reception (rather than just at the ceremony). IF I choose to hire and outside vendor, do I still receive the included photography at at the ceremony (through Beach Palace) in addition to my outside photographer?

[tygrrlily]

@@LauraM - A lot of brides choose to use the included resort photographer for another event, like your welcome party. Some photographers even say they prefer not to also have the resort photographer there because they can get in the way/interfere with lighting, etc.

 

Ask your coordinator about using the photography for one of your other events