Beach Palace Cancun Brides

[LMichelleB]

Hi All! We just got back from Cancun last night. Our wedding was great and we had an excellent vacation. Still waiting on my wedding photos of course, so we don’t have many pics yet. Here is my review of everything, hope this helps!

 

Airport transportation

Our travel agent booked Lomas Travel for our transport to and from the hotel. This was basically a nightmare. It was way too confusing and too much work involved. We had to find a rep at the airport, then stand in line to get our vouchers and then wait for a shuttle. It would have been much faster and easier to just get a cab. On top of this, our group had to check in with the Lomas rep again at the hotel to arrange our transport back. This was kind of annoying because the guy was only there for like 2 hours a day so everyone had to try to find him to make sure their transportation was secured.

 

Check-In at Beach Palace

The check-in process was a bit long (about 30 mins) and there was nowhere to sit down at the desk. However the staff was very pleasant.

 

Overall review of the hotel

The hotel looks very nice and the staff is very nice. However, we did have some issues. There was one room in our group that had a leaking toilet and caused the room to smell of sewage. They took a long time to fix it and after it was “fixed”, the toilet leaked again. I’m not talking about a minor leak with a small amount of water; the whole bathroom floor was soaked with water.

We had another incident where a couple in our group booked a concierge level room which entitled them to two massages. The front desk gave them the wrong wrist bands so when they went to book their massage, they were told that they had to use resort credits. They were then told to go back to the front desk to get the correct wrist band for their concierge level room. The front desk told them that it didn’t matter and that the staff booking the massage could look in the system and see their room category and book the massages. Well, the people booking the massage insisted that it did matter. After about an hour of run around, my guests were able to get the correct wrist band and book their massages.

The food was probably the worst aspect of the hotel. The buffet restaurant (Tequila) was just bad. The food tasted mediocre at best and it was cold. Not only is cold food unappetizing but to have buffet food sitting out under temperature is clearly a health hazard. The Asian restaurant (Wok) was pretty good. Unfortunately they are only open for dinner and the space is really small. The hotel was fully booked during our stay so if you didn’t get there early there was a long wait for a table. We didn’t get a chance to try the Italian restaurant so I can’t review that one.

Overall, I’d give the hotel 4 stars and that’s mainly due to the great staff and the fact that our wedding and events turned out so good.

 

Pre Wedding Activities

We met with our coordinator, Rebeca, after we checked in to the hotel. She went over everything with us and explained how things would go. I had already emailed her a schedule of how I wanted everything to flow at the reception etc. I let her know that I had brought my own décor for the reception. She told me to drop everything to her office the next morning and she would have everything set up.

We had a total of 23 guests. Half of our group arrived on Wednesday and the rest got there on Thursday. Since our group was so small, it was easy for me to give out the OOT bags as people arrived. We had our welcome dinner at the Tequila restaurant (we did not book the 75 roomnights, so we didn’t qualify for the unlimited free events. We only received the free cocktail hour). I actually didn’t mind having the dinner in the restaurant (except for the subpar food). The staff pushed a few tables together so that we were all seated together and we had a good time. We knew we were going to play the shoe game at the wedding reception, so decided to have our friends and family make up the questions that we would have to answer. We gave everyone a paper explaining how the game worked and asked everyone to submit questions at the end of the dinner.

All of the younger people went out to the bars/clubs that night. We pretty much just winged it and had a great time. We had intended on staying in on Friday night but we had such a good time on Thursday that we all went out on Friday too.

 

Wedding Day

 

Nails/Makeup

Our wedding was on Saturday at 2pm. I made an appointment with the salon for makeup and nails. I had my nails done on Thursday (so that they could be done for the welcome dinner). I had my makeup done on Saturday at 11am. I used my resort credits for the services so I only paid for the taxes ($16). Minerva did my hair and nails and she did a great job. I showed her a picture of the look I wanted for my makeup and it didn’t look exactly like the picture but it still looked nice. She was definitely naturally heavy handed with the makeup (which I did not want) so I would definitely suggest having a picture if you plan to use the salon. BTW I did my own hair.

 

Photography

We used Cecilia Dumas associated photographers for photos (we had Fabian with Veronica as his assistant). They were very friendly and professional. They were scheduled to arrive at 1pm to start taking pictures of me getting ready (we had no bridal party) and they were knocking on my door at 12:55. We also had a photobooth at the reception which was a big hit. It only cost us an extra $300 to add the photobooth to our package and I’m so glad we did because we have a lot of hilarious photos (they provide a book with all the photos that were taken).

 

Wedding

Our wedding was on the sky deck. It was a pretty short ceremony (maybe 20 minutes). We did a champagne toast and pictures with the guests immediately after. We then went down to the beach for photos while our guests went to the cocktail hour.

 

Cocktail Hour/Reception

Unfortunately, it had been windy since we arrived on Wednesday. The forecast for Saturday evening called for more wind and possible light rain. We made the decision to move the cocktail hour and reception inside. We had the events in the Ballroom. Honestly the space looks pretty terrible. The carpet is dated and the space is just boring. However, it was too late to order any extra décor so we just had to deal with it.

We had the Asian hors d'oeuvres and they were very good.  We had the plated dinner (which I’m happy about because I wasn’t too pleased with the buffet food at the restaurant) and it was pretty good. The bartenders kept bringing everyone drinks, which was great! We had the red velvet cake, which I liked.

My husband’s brother was the MC for the Shoe Game. We had a lot of fun playing and the guests were laughing at all of our responses. I’d highly recommend playing this game.

We had several speeches that were great and a few of them were unexpected so we were really pleasantly surprised. Tim’s brother and two close friends also surprised us with a hilarious singing and dancing routine lol. Our reception was a blast!

 

PSAV

We used PSAV as our DJ and they were great! Their accents were heavy, but we had no problem understanding them. They only made a few announcements for us anyway so it worked out fine (the important part was to pronounce our name correctly when we walked in, and they did). We told them in advance the kind of music we like and they seemed to know popular American music really well. They played a good mix of new and older music. They also had the schedule of events so they (along with Rebeca) frequently checked with me to make sure that everything was flowing the way I wanted it to. I have no complaints at all.

 

Honeymoon

After saying goodbye to our guests, we left Beach Palace and went to Le Blanc Spa Resort for a short honeymoon (3 nights). This place is pure luxury and the food is amazing; even the room service food was great! It was definitely worth the money. I have nothing negative to say, it was just spectacular.

 

[Wafflesmom]

@@LMichelleB congratulations!!! I've been meaning to email you but I really didn't want to bother you while you were away. You look gorgeous in those pics, your dress is beautiful!

 

I'm sorry to hear that Beach Palace had so many problems, but at least your wedding went well. And thank you so much for your review of PSAV. I've also booked with them so I'm glad to hear they were great. What type of music did you request?

 

I'm glad you had a great time at Le Blanc. That's a great tip to go there for a mini honeymoon. I've heard it's absolutely beautiful there!

[LMichelleB]

@@Wafflesmom thank you so much! I think all of our guests were just happy to be there and to see everybody so we were able to overlook the issues for the most part. However, I don't know if anyone would want to stay there again (especially considering the price).

 

Le Blanc on the other hand is insanely nice. It's the perfect place for a honeymoon and relaxation. I also saw two weddings while I was there and they were really nice.

[LMichelleB]

@ I'll admit that this was my first time at an all inclusive, so I really didn't know what to expect. After reading a lot of mixed reviews about the hotel food I've come to the conclusion that it may just depend on when you stay at the hotel and who happens to be the restaurant chef at the time. I thought maybe I was being picky but everyone in my group agreed that the Tequila restaurant dinner was pretty bad (we had dinner there twice); breakfast was mediocre. The hotel was fully booked but Tequila was never full, however Wok always had a wait and they had much better food. We ate at the Sky Bar twice; the first time it was just ok but the second time there was a different chef behind the bar and the food tasted great so I really think it depends on who you get. The food at our wedding was pretty good though; I'm guessing this is mostly due to us having a plated dinner.

All of the food at Le Blanc was 5 star; even their "snack" foods on the pool terrace and beach were elaborate and delicious.

[FutureMrsGarcia]

@ I'll admit that this was my first time at an all inclusive, so I really didn't know what to expect. After reading a lot of mixed reviews about the hotel food I've come to the conclusion that it may just depend on when you stay at the hotel and who happens to be the restaurant chef at the time. I thought maybe I was being picky but everyone in my group agreed that the Tequila restaurant dinner was pretty bad (we had dinner there twice); breakfast was mediocre. The hotel was fully booked but Tequila was never full, however Wok always had a wait and they had much better food. We ate at the Sky Bar twice; the first time it was just ok but the second time there was a different chef behind the bar and the food tasted great so I really think it depends on who you get. The food at our wedding was pretty good though; I'm guessing this is mostly due to us having a plated dinner.

All of the food at Le Blanc was 5 star; even their "snack" foods on the pool terrace and beach were elaborate and delicious.

Sorry to hear your experience wasn't as great as you wanted it! I have also seen mixed reviews but in general on tripadvisor there seems to be a lot of positive reviews. I think my guests are not expecting a fine cuisine and all know that an all-inclusive has its limitations. Which buffets did you choose or what food did you have for your plated dinner that was good??

 

Also what did you think of the space on the sky bar terrace for a larger group - you think it could accommodate 100+? Was it very windy? Do you think it is less windy on the Palenque terrace and better suited for a group that large? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

 

Congrats!

[FutureMrsGarcia]

Ok.. hopefully I have better luck! I know what you mean though because i've been to resorts before that had hit or miss food. Some nights good, some nights not so much. Le Blanc is a great resort!

@@FutureMrsGarcia Just a tip.. I heard the carribean buffet wasn't amazing. Looks like we will be there the same week

Yes I think you are there right after me right? Sooo exciting! I think all of our friends will be glad to get out of the cold in December!

 

I also have seen carribbean isn't so good but heard Mexican is! Seems to be mixed reviews about Italian...I think I am doing Mexican for my welcome beach party but not sure about rehearsal dinner or reception...

[LMichelleB]

@@FutureMrsGarcia we didn't have any of the buffet menus, here is the plated menu we had:

 

Grilled vegetables over garden greens with soy vinaigrette
Crab bisque with brandy
Stuffed chicken breast with seafood and coriander sauce
White chocolate tulip filled with seasonal tropical fruits

 

Both the sky bar and Palenque terraces are nice. Both were windy but that was because it had been windy for the first 4 days of our trip and only about 70 degrees. The last few days were not windy at all and it was 85 degrees. You just have to hope that the weather is in your favor, lol. I would suggest the Palenque terrace if you want your tables to be closer together because the terrace is very large and can easily accommodate a large group (and you'll still have plenty of space for dancing). If you don't mind your tables being separated the sky terrace is nice too. The pool separates the area so your guests won't be as close together and you'll have to walk around the pool to access all of the tables. I think it may be a little cramped with 100 guests. On the other hand, you'll probably have to spend more on décor/lighting if you do the Palenque. What time will your events be? The Palenque terrace has a great view of the sunset (not sure about the sky bar terrace).

[Danielle1]

@@LMichelleB - did the plated menu cost more than the buffet? Do you mind me asking how much?

 

I officially set my date for February 20, 2016. I'm so excited! This blog was SO helpful in making my decision. Thank you for all of your input ladies!

[LMichelleB]

@@Danielle1 I don't mind! The plated dinner was not an extra cost to me because we did not book the 75 roomnights to qualify for the free reception (we only got the free cocktail hour). The cost for any 2 hour private event is $55 per person (you can choose buffet or plated) and then $8.50 per person for each additional hour.

However if you do book enough roomnights for the free 2 hour reception you do have to pay a charge if you want a plated dinner (I think it is $55 per person ).

If you are planning to have a very large group then the buffet is probably a better fit. The plated dinner would be really expensive for a large group and it will probably take a while for them to bring out all of the food.

[FutureMrsGarcia]

@@FutureMrsGarcia we didn't have any of the buffet menus, here is the plated menu we had:

 

Grilled vegetables over garden greens with soy vinaigrette

Crab bisque with brandy

Stuffed chicken breast with seafood and coriander sauce

White chocolate tulip filled with seasonal tropical fruits

 

Both the sky bar and Palenque terraces are nice. Both were windy but that was because it had been windy for the first 4 days of our trip and only about 70 degrees. The last few days were not windy at all and it was 85 degrees. You just have to hope that the weather is in your favor, lol. I would suggest the Palenque terrace if you want your tables to be closer together because the terrace is very large and can easily accommodate a large group (and you'll still have plenty of space for dancing). If you don't mind your tables being separated the sky terrace is nice too. The pool separates the area so your guests won't be as close together and you'll have to walk around the pool to access all of the tables. I think it may be a little cramped with 100 guests. On the other hand, you'll probably have to spend more on décor/lighting if you do the Palenque. What time will your events be? The Palenque terrace has a great view of the sunset (not sure about the sky bar terrace).

Oh I am soooooo hoping the weather is in my favor! I would say that is THE MOST nerve-racking thing about this - not knowing what the weather will be! Regardless, I know its not under my control so I will try my best to be the easygoing bride that goes with the flow  

 

So my wedding day looks like this : 4pm ceremony on the sky deck, 4:30-6 cocktails with possible mariachi band and then 6pm-12am reception. The pics I have seen of the sky terrace mostly show tables on one side of the pool and so I'm wondering if we will be too spread out with tables on both sides...I want my guests to be able to hear speeches and interact and that may be weird with the pool in the middle. The only concern I have about the Palenque terrace is the fact that all the lagoon rooms overlook it so its not as private but not sure that will really matter.