NEED HELP PICKING WEDDING VENUE!!!!

[shrandle]

Hi,

 

I just got engaged but planning on having a destination wedding in March 2013 in Playa Carmen/Riviera Maya.

 

I am looking for a fabulous hotel with an affordable wedding package and a great group rate for our wedding guests ($300 or under). Can anyone recommend an oceanfront hotel for this? I am currently looking at the following but since I have never visited I don't have much experience:

 

- Aventura Cove

- Viva Wyndham Maya

- Barcelo Beach

- Riu Palace Riviera Maya

- Iberostar Paraiso Maya

- Grand Rivera Princess

 

Feel free to recommend anything off the list because again I really am starting from scratch. Your help is much appreciated!!!!!

[Pierre Violle]

Hi,

 

To find the venue of your dream for your wedding, you can visit this blog. I have sorted weddings sessions by location in the RIviera Maya (Resorts and Beach clubs).

 

 

 

 

PIERRE VISUAL STUDIO - Wedding & TTD Photography
 

FACEBOOK Fan Page

[Moments That Matter]

Congrats shrandle! + welcome to our forum community so many brides ask your exact question, we compiled a webpage with some great suggestions to help you decide which resort works best for your needs at this link.........http://momentsthatmatterphotography.com/faqs.html

 

Wishing you all the best with your decision process, and the most amazing wedding of your dreams - here in our incomparable Mayan Riviera - CHeers!

[dreamweddings]

Originally Posted by shrandle 

 

Hi,

 

I just got engaged but planning on having a destination wedding in March 2013 in Playa Carmen/Riviera Maya.

 

I am looking for a fabulous hotel with an affordable wedding package and a great group rate for our wedding guests ($300 or under). Can anyone recommend an oceanfront hotel for this? I am currently looking at the following but since I have never visited I don't have much experience:

 

- Aventura Cove

- Viva Wyndham Maya

- Barcelo Beach

- Riu Palace Riviera Maya

- Iberostar Paraiso Maya

- Grand Rivera Princess

 

Feel free to recommend anything off the list because again I really am starting from scratch. Your help is much appreciated!!!!!

Hey Shrandle,

 

Hope that this information can help about narrow it down to 3 resorts and with that information take it to a travel agent(BDW has some great suggestions on TA) will help your choose a resort that best describes you. Do remember that March get booked up quick,since riviera maya still has the best weather at that tine.

 

How about Playacar palace? I love it that its an all inclusive and they have prices that could work with your budget and its kids friendly with good rates for them. Turquoise water and white sandy beach, its in walking distance to the famous 5th avenue.  

 

Feel free to ask me anything and I will be happy to help.

 

Happy Planning!

Joyce

[LCB803]

Originally Posted by shrandle 

 

Hi,

 

I just got engaged but planning on having a destination wedding in March 2013 in Playa Carmen/Riviera Maya.

 

I am looking for a fabulous hotel with an affordable wedding package and a great group rate for our wedding guests ($300 or under). Can anyone recommend an oceanfront hotel for this? I am currently looking at the following but since I have never visited I don't have much experience:

 

- Aventura Cove

- Viva Wyndham Maya

- Barcelo Beach

- Riu Palace Riviera Maya

- Iberostar Paraiso Maya

- Grand Rivera Princess

 

Feel free to recommend anything off the list because again I really am starting from scratch. Your help is much appreciated!!!!!

Hi shrandle! 

 

Congrats! There are so, so many options... glad you found this forum for help!

 

My Fi and did a fact-finding trip this past July and it was really helpful! We found two wedding coordinators who helped us see 17 locations in 3.5 days in both Cancun and Playa del Carmen. I would highly recommend a visit if you can swing it. Look for travel deals on sites like Travelzoo.com, or even Groupon and Living Social. 

 

As for recommendations... I would recommend looking for a resort that has an adults side and a families side, so that both couples and families can essentially enjoy being in the same place. The Royal Cancun has an adults-only side as well as a family side. We visited it, but it was not for us (I can provide details if you are interested). Another resort with both was the Paradisus La Esmeralda in Playa del Carmen. It is a newer location, and gorgeous! So quiet, serene, comfortable, and luxurious, yet affordable. Unfortunately, if you plan to hold the reception or ceremony at the resort, and you plan to have children attend, then you are limited to options on the family side only. The adults-only side must stay adults-only, even for special events. If you plan to have the ceremony and reception off-resort (like we are), then it doesn't matter.

 

Another option to consider is a small boutique hotel where you can rent out most or all of the rooms, so you can have as many kids as you want, and do what you please. Two good options are Le Reve (gorgeous!) and Omni Puerto Aventuras (so affordable! so much to do!), both in the Playa del Carmen area. (See my reviews of both here, at the bottom of the page.) Both offer either All-Inclusive (AI) and European Plan (EP, where guests pay on consumption),but not both, i.e., all guests must be on one plan or the other, you can split the group up.

 

Ultimately, we ended up choosing Hacienda Tres Rios because it's really nice, yet still affordable (feels more expensive than it is-- about $185 per person, AI). I would highly recommend this location, but consider that we were only looking for a resort for our guests' accommodation; our ceremony and reception are at a different location, so I dont know much about what the options would be on-resort for your ceremony and reception. 

 

We also looked at the Fairmont Myakoba, which was AMAZING, but ultimately we decided was out of our price range. I wanted to look at Le Blanc, but we didnt spend the time on it for the same reason. 

 

We have photos and more details I can share on these locations if you are interested. 

 

Good luck! Be sure to update us on how it goes

 

Lydia

[Lyman]

Congrats LCB803 ! + welcome to the forum Barcelo has 5 resorts in 1 - with different price points to suit various budgets, and integrates both adults only  + family areas, so could be a viable option for you. 

Wishing you all the best with your decisions, and have a Wonderful wedding celebration - where ever you decide, it's sure to be Gorgeous

[BridetobeABCD]

I am also finding it hard to narrow down a location for my wedding! Great suggestions and reviews!

[novbride]

Hello!  

We got married in November 2011, but are going back to Playa for an anniversary trip next week.  I haven't been on this site for a while and decided to check it out again tonight

 

I cannot say enough about how amazing our wedding at Playacar Palace was.  I have tons of pictures and a huge review posted under the old Playacar forum.  My sister was married at Vallarta Palace two years before us, which is why I decided on Palace.  Both hotels are fantastic.  (Vallarta Palace is a Hard Rock now, so I'm guessing the atmosphere is a little different).

 

The Palace staff was unbelievable and a year later, our guests are still talking about how fun it was.  Our anniversary was 11/4 and a bunch of our friends had Facebook status updates about wishing they were back at Playacar Palace posted that day!

 

Feel free to email me if you would like a link to pictures or have any questions!

Tiffany

 

ps - If you don't already have a wedding planner, my sister and I used the same one.  Our guests loved her and her services are free for the couple.  I think they are paid commission by the hotels.  She was very organized and detailed - which I loved - since I'm super detailed!  And, I never felt pressured.  I'd be happy to send you her name and contact info.  

[ornxoxo]

I went to the Princess hotel in September and I loved it!  It is not practical to do a site visit on all the resorts we want to see, but I've been using the 'Resort Review' section, where many of the brides here posted pictures and reviews of their resort choice.  I find it really helpful.

[SweetFire]

Hi there Shrandle! Welcome to the forum! One great way to get a feel for each resort and the kind of weddings available at each is to check out albums of actual weddings from each! Here is a link to Lori's Facebook albums where many of your short list are available!! Sweet Fire Facebook Albums http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/content/type/61/id/173963/width/500/height/1000[/img] http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/content/type/61/id/173357/width/500/height/1000[/img] http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/content/type/61/id/173183/width/500/height/1000[/img] http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/content/type/61/id/173360/width/500/height/1000[/img] Happy Planning and Happy Picking!! Sofia Lori's Office Assistant