Cancun - Riviera Maya: Selecting Venue... Help Please!

[CaroV]

Hi everyone 

 

This is my first post after lurking for a couple of weeks. My fiance and I got engaged two weeks ago and I'm starting the process of planning our wedding. I think we both share the same vision for our day: Closest friends and family, beach wedding, relaxed feeling.

 

We are hoping to get married April - May 2016 in Cancun / Riviera Maya. Our guest list is at 65 people now. I'm thinking we could have as many as 50 - 60 guests join us. Our guests will be traveling from all over the world (Europe, South America, Canada, U.S) so we needed a place that would be easy to reach and would offer lots of options for our guests.

 

So I've been doing some research online and I can say I'm extremely overwhelmed by the number of options and different elements that play into the decision. Like I'm getting headaches from it LOL! So I thought I would ask you to help me make this decision.

 

The following are some of our priorities:

• Gorgeous beach: We want to get married on the beach and I want stunning pictures, also a lot of our guests will be visiting for the first time and don't want to take them to a meh beach
• Food: My fiance and I are both foodies so good quality food and options are important to us
• Family vs adults only: Honestly, I would prefer an adults only resort. Our guests are mostly young and single (no children) and our parents and rest of our family all have grown up children. Not a deal breaker though
• Location: As I mentioned before, we have several single, young guests so I feel like we should be close to the action so that they can go party if they want to. Or if the resort has a club that would work as well!
• Bang for our buck: Because obviously....

So far I found that the Palace resorts offer great perks while Dreams try to nickel and dime you on everything. Any other suggestions? I would also like to do a site visit but feel like I should narrow it down to 3 options before making arrangements for it. 

 

Thanks in advance!!!

[KatieMcBride]

I spent every spare moment I had for a month straight reading this forum on reviews, researching the best wedding packages, how much extras cost, cost of travel for guests, etc.  The best I came up with is any Riu resort. We ultimately decided to go with the Riu Caribe.  All wedding packages are the same throughout Riu resorts though. Their largest package includes up to 40 people (most resorts I looked at only had up to 25...we are going to have more than 25 for sure).   It is very decently priced (we originally wanted to go with Dreams Riviera but that was getting to be upwards of $2400/guest)   It is NOT adult only, but it looks like it fits everything else you want...may be something to look into.

 

Good luck - deciding on the resort is probably one of the hardest parts!

[JenniferH114]

@@CaroV - Check out the Excellence Riviera Cancun. I'm obviously partial because we are getting married there in about two months. We did a site visit at the end of November and we were so impressed, so we are confident we made a great decision. It's adults only and it's a higher end resort, so travel packages won't be as inexpensive as some other places, but you'll have to figure out what price range you are looking for. In terms of the wedding, I've read a lot of different posts on here and I feel like we are getting an AWESOME deal in terms of everything we are getting and added to our package. I cannot speak to how large of a party they will accept, but I do know that every person over 20 is an additional pp cost.

 

If you have more specific questions, let me know. Good luck!

Edited March 17, 2015 by JenniferH114

[BecomingaRiggio]

You shoukd research how far the drive or how much cab fare is if your guests want to go do the whole cancun night life. Some resorts are 45 min to an hour away and that is a buzz kill. Ive heard good things about Palace Resorts and all the other ones mentioned above. We are at Azul sensatori. Most resorts will offer perks for you based on rooms booked and i think AS had the best value at the time I booked. I would def recommend using a travel agent. Our least expensive package was $573 per guest, includes 3 nights. The stinger was some of the airfare my guests incurred and adding decor. We are having 103 confirmed guests. Your pics will be beautiful no matter what but a good photographer will make them better. I think chosing resort was the worst part of the whole process

[racht33]

@@BecomingaRiggio have you been able to look into transportation from sensatori to cancun ? or playa? Ive been reading alot of mixed reviews on some places stating the resort has shuttles through the day to these areas for their guest and others saying they dont and you must take a cab that may charge 45-50 dollars a person each way. This is one of my concerns with having my guest at AS. If they want to get out i dont want them to feel like another additional crazy cost to do so.

[CaroV]

Thank you @@JenniferH114. We actually stayed at Excellence Playa Mujeres two weeks ago and I loved it! (that's where he proposed!) but I didn't love the beach, it had a lot of seagrass and I don't think it would look great in pictures.

 

Does ERC have a nice beach? Do you know how much they charge per additional guest? I registered on their website but haven't heard anything from them so far. I read somewhere that it is a bit older than EPM and that it is starting to look a bit dated.

 

Is there any night life close by? EPM didn't have a club and it was pretty far away from everything else (35 minutes drive to Cancun) so it wouldn't be great for those who want to go out and party or that want to stay at a different resort but want to join us for the events.

 

Thank you so much for your help!

 

@@KatieMcBride Thank you! I will definitely look into it! I like that their package includes 40 people! (Dreams is 20 and Palace is 30) so that's a big plus!

 

Do you know how much they charge for additional person? 

@@BecomingaRiggio Thank you. Yes, distance to the clubs is a concern for sure, no one wants to do 45 minutes on a cab each way!

 

I will look into Azul sensatori (what a lovely name)! Thanks for your help

Edited March 18, 2015 by CaroV

[dreamweddings]

Hi everyone 

 

This is my first post after lurking for a couple of weeks. My fiance and I got engaged two weeks ago and I'm starting the process of planning our wedding. I think we both share the same vision for our day: Closest friends and family, beach wedding, relaxed feeling.

 

We are hoping to get married April - May 2016 in Cancun / Riviera Maya. Our guest list is at 65 people now. I'm thinking we could have as many as 50 - 60 guests join us. Our guests will be traveling from all over the world (Europe, South America, Canada, U.S) so we needed a place that would be easy to reach and would offer lots of options for our guests.

 

So I've been doing some research online and I can say I'm extremely overwhelmed by the number of options and different elements that play into the decision. Like I'm getting headaches from it LOL! So I thought I would ask you to help me make this decision.

 

The following are some of our priorities:

• Gorgeous beach: We want to get married on the beach and I want stunning pictures, also a lot of our guests will be visiting for the first time and don't want to take them to a meh beach
• Food: My fiance and I are both foodies so good quality food and options are important to us
• Family vs adults only: Honestly, I would prefer an adults only resort. Our guests are mostly young and single (no children) and our parents and rest of our family all have grown up children. Not a deal breaker though
• Location: As I mentioned before, we have several single, young guests so I feel like we should be close to the action so that they can go party if they want to. Or if the resort has a club that would work as well!
• Bang for our buck: Because obviously....

So far I found that the Palace resorts offer great perks while Dreams try to nickel and dime you on everything. Any other suggestions? I would also like to do a site visit but feel like I should narrow it down to 3 options before making arrangements for it. 

 

Thanks in advance!!!

Hey CaroV, 

 

Have you considered the Royal hideway Resort in Playacar. its 10min walk to the famous 5th Av. and its adult only , they have amazing beach .    Also Secret Beach Resort is adult only and its gorgeous.  There are plenty of resorts , you just have to decide on what price range you are looking for.  

 

Feel free to reach out and we will be happy to help.

 

Happy Planning! 

[BecomingaRiggio]

@@racht33, the package through my TA includes transport to/from airport and resort. I honestly didnt research how far the drive is or how much it would be to leave. None of my guests expressed interest in leaving the resort.

[Matt Adcock]

Hi everyone 

 

This is my first post after lurking for a couple of weeks. My fiance and I got engaged two weeks ago and I'm starting the process of planning our wedding. I think we both share the same vision for our day: Closest friends and family, beach wedding, relaxed feeling.

 

We are hoping to get married April - May 2016 in Cancun / Riviera Maya. Our guest list is at 65 people now. I'm thinking we could have as many as 50 - 60 guests join us. Our guests will be traveling from all over the world (Europe, South America, Canada, U.S) so we needed a place that would be easy to reach and would offer lots of options for our guests.

 

So I've been doing some research online and I can say I'm extremely overwhelmed by the number of options and different elements that play into the decision. Like I'm getting headaches from it LOL! So I thought I would ask you to help me make this decision.

 

The following are some of our priorities:

• Gorgeous beach: We want to get married on the beach and I want stunning pictures, also a lot of our guests will be visiting for the first time and don't want to take them to a meh beach
• Food: My fiance and I are both foodies so good quality food and options are important to us
• Family vs adults only: Honestly, I would prefer an adults only resort. Our guests are mostly young and single (no children) and our parents and rest of our family all have grown up children. Not a deal breaker though
• Location: As I mentioned before, we have several single, young guests so I feel like we should be close to the action so that they can go party if they want to. Or if the resort has a club that would work as well!
• Bang for our buck: Because obviously....

So far I found that the Palace resorts offer great perks while Dreams try to nickel and dime you on everything. Any other suggestions? I would also like to do a site visit but feel like I should narrow it down to 3 options before making arrangements for it. 

 

Thanks in advance!!!

 

Hi CaroV, congratulations on the engagement and welcome to the crazy world of wedding planning! Choosing the venue is the hard part, though fun too! I have a couple of suggestions for locations for you, hope you find some inspiration!

 

The Secrets Maroma resort is on one of THE best beaches in the world, is adults only, has incredible food and a great wedding coordination team.

 

 

 

 

The Paradisus Resorts are another good option, part of the resort is adults only, part family friendly. They are located close to Playa del Carmen so you can enjoy the nightlife with your young group. 

 

 

 

 

Weddings at Grand Velas Riviera Maya are always lovely, great beach, luxurious resort, amazing food and not far from Playa del Carmen.

 

 

 

 

 

Happy planning! 

[TNT2015]

@@CaroV @@JenniferH114 We chose Excellence Riviera Cancun over EPM. EPM is beautiful and much more modern looking that ERC. The reason we chose ERC was for some of our guests, they are reserving 1 room for both parents and a 18-20 year old. While in both resorts the bathrooms are open to the bedrooms, EPM has glass shower/toilet doors (from the pictures we looked at).

 

It's $45/person extra for the Love & Gold packages. I can send you the price booklet if you send me your email. They took almost a week to get back to me before I booked, but now they usually respond within a day.

 

From what I hear, ERC doesn't have a club anymore either. It's been replaced with a sports bar.

 

Thank you @@JenniferH114. We actually stayed at Excellence Playa Mujeres two weeks ago and I loved it! (that's where he proposed!) but I didn't love the beach, it had a lot of seagrass and I don't think it would look great in pictures.

 

Does ERC have a nice beach? Do you know how much they charge per additional guest? I registered on their website but haven't heard anything from them so far. I read somewhere that it is a bit older than EPM and that it is starting to look a bit dated.

 

Is there any night life close by? EPM didn't have a club and it was pretty far away from everything else (35 minutes drive to Cancun) so it wouldn't be great for those who want to go out and party or that want to stay at a different resort but want to join us for the events.

 

Thank you so much for your help!

 

Edited March 18, 2015 by TNT2015