Playa Del Carmen Resorts

[acw271011]

@@acw271011 really stinks that we were given such a bad taste of the "top service" they offer when we both have gotten told things and then back tracked.  I am from the US and thats why we decided to go with Azul fives because of the "extras" they were going to offer us but sadly when it came to actually making the contract they lied to us .. grr... but sometimes things aren't meant to be. so I'm taking this as my "sign" to leave it behind and move on. They even attempted to draw us back in and place us in with another Karisma resort but  they wanted us to sign the same day or they would take everything away they were offering. With that my FI and I just decided Karisma wasn't who we wanted to move forward with.And we're happy with what we have decided

 

Where are you having your wedding now offsite? If you don't mind me asking. We have started to see if it will be more affordable to do the wedding with the resort or just do it offsite. Ive attempted to contact kool beach club various times and have yet to hear back . But im not aware of many others.  So we will see. Thank you for the suggestions!!

Because our groups is so tiny - were only 6 or 8 - I just didn't find that resorts like small groups. They just seem to work better with20 plus people. So icontacted a planner that posts on this site and she has been amazing at helping me with finding a location that wasn't going to cost us a forth e since there are so few of us. We're already married and ending our vows so I want special but not over the top. We're going to be on a rooftop terrace at Grand Coral Beach Club which will be the perfect size. But they also have a beautiful deck locations that can do all of your evening dinner and dancing. It's a beautiful location. We're hen having dinner at a restaurant right in playa del Carmen that also has an open rooftop terrace. They can accommodate I believe up to about 100 people and the pricing is very reasonable. They can do a cocktail reception with hours d'oeuvres as well. Joyce has done the flowers for me, the minister, our gazebo. We have Samuel Luna as our photographer and I'm looking at Mike Cantarell for a very short little video. I so very much wanted a pier as they have at AF and when I booked it I was thrilled that it said I had it. But whatever. It is what it is and I love where we are now and what Joyce has put together for us.

 

There was a bride here that got married not long ago I think at Blue Venado and she loved it. Look up the location here and I think it was MrsCTobe. She also used Joyce and she was as happy as I am with what Joyce provided. Worth a look for sure and also talking to Wright Travel. I hope that info helps you out. Let us know what you decide. I know there are ladies here having a very good experience with Azul Fives and I'm glad it's working out for them so well. Wedding planning is stressful enough. My experience was a disappointment. I agree with you about azul Sensatori too. I looked at it and it's just too far out for me. Being close to Playa del Carmen was a must for me especially since all of our things are in or super close to PDC. I have Styling Trio booked as well and Joyce got me hooked up with someone for a small cake too so we're pretty much set. We just don't know for sure yet where we're staying!! But we aren't doing a group booking or anything so our TA is watching a few different things for us.

 

Good luck!

[TinkerSofi]

@@ashhtayy My TA  broke it down for me ... They were going to offer us the wedding set up (950) for free because we were going to book 10 nights and have more than 5 rooms booked for 3-4 nights. and then we were going to pay for the sky deck (1700) When the contract got made up its when my TA noticed they weren't offering us the wedding anymore and the sky deck was now 1800... so just for the 1/2 hour its going to be 2650 without even decor. So that was a complete turn off. They told him they had to change everything and separate themselves from the karisma promos because they were becoming so popular with weddings they were starting to lose more money giving weddings for free to US residents.Plus we were suppose to get unlimited events because i was going to book over 20 rooms and they aren't offering that either. We had it all listed out but since we didn't sign off it all got retracted and we got placed into the new contract set.  With them dropping the ball sensatori  lowered rates ( by 10 bucks ) and is trying to get us to lock in with them today for unlimited events. If we dont lock in today then by monday they will rise all the prices and not offer us what they stated.Its like push and pull with them.. its either yeah u can have it.. but No u actually cant when u want it.  Well we will give u what you want but you have to sign in the next minute or we wont . (can you tell im stressed just blabbing away LOL )

The whole "we won't give you the stated price if you don't sing by yesterday" speech is classic negotiation. I wouldn't take it too seriously and still try to make a counter offer. Definitely have a plan B in case they don't bite, but I'm sure if you tell them "we'll only book if you do this" they're more likely to do that rather than let you walk away completely. If they don't bite, then yeah, maybe move on. 

 

Other than that, after we booked our wedding I started to look into the Grand Sirenis and Grand Riviera resorts. They are beautiful and they have much lower prices. Some of our guests are actually jumping ship to that hotel now rather than finish paying their booking at AF. Sometimes I do wish we had booked somewhere else. I know I won't regret my decision when we get there, but throughout the planning process I'm tired of having to negotiate everything and having to compromise on a lot of things because of their ridiculous prices.

 

Grand Riviera Princess is actually next door to AF, so it might be a good compromise between good prices, a nice hotel and being somewhat close to Playa. That was priority #1 for us, being close to the nightlife, because we have so many young guests. That's where some of our guests are staying. 

[racht33]

@@TinkerSofi we tried to negotiate it and state we wanted an extra day to think it over and look over reviews and share the information with our family and they didn't bite at all. lol when they stated they wouldn't give us another day. we then stated we wanted some extras for the pressure and the issues we just had with AF. They declined that as well.. we waited 48 hours to see if they would turn around on it and my TA called us and told us they declined on us. So that totally back fired on us lol. apparently we arent very good with the negotiating. So they didn't want our business as bad as they attempted to make it seem and Im ok with that. It just wasn't meant for us. I'm really happy things have been working smoothly for you guys and you will have the wedding of your dreams!!! I cant wait to read your review and see your pictures!

 

The entire reason for us to want a destination wedding was to have it on the beach. So its how we got into the hunt. But when we saw the sky deck it changed our entire vision. I was just steered back to our original vision and Im really happy!!  I have decided to look into AM resorts. I've been working with dreams and to be honest its been soooooo nice!! My friend is getting married there this sept. and Im going to be a bridesmaid so ill get hands on experience with the place and we have spoken it out with out TA that we will have a playa day, and we will pay for the transportation for our guest for the day to get into town since the location isnt close. Just waiting for confirmation on our date! So far we or better stated I feel less anxious and much more comfortable

[vancouverpetunia]

@@racht33 We are booked at Now Sapphire for next April. So far I am very happy with our WC. Very responsive compared to most, it seems. They do nickel & dime you as well, but it seems that is the case with most resorts. It also depends on what you want. If you are happy with one of the packages and don't want to add anything, then you are set. It's once you start adding things that every single little thing will cost you. 

 

We've stayed at Grand Sunset/Riviera Princess a few years ago and did consider it for our wedding. We've been to 4 AIs in the area, plus a quick site visit (2-3 hours) at Now Sapphire recently. GSP has probably been our favorite to date (not counting Sapphire, since we haven't stayed there yet). Love the layout of the resort with the "lazy river" and lots of pool areas. Plus the walk-out suites look really cool. And I think the adults-only section has been recently renovated. It's a big property, lots of walking, but it didn't bother us. The beach is smaller and not the greatest, as I recall, but I've also seen worse (in terms of seaweed, rocks, etc.). It seemed pretty reasonable for wedding packages, etc. But our TA told us that another TA recently had his wedding there and did not have the greatest experience. Between that, and knowing that the food wasn't the greatest (perfectly acceptable, but we weren't blown away), we decided to try something different.

 

I've also stayed at Dreams Tulum (for a wedding), BlueBay Grand Esmeralda and the Barcelo complex, so if you have any questions about those, I would be happy to answer them as best as I can (from a guest's perspective, not a wedding perspective). 

 

EDIT: GSP is quite close to Playa, so that is probably a plus for you. I still have the wedding package details they sent me if you would like me to send them to you. PM me with your email address if you want them.

Edited May 17, 2015 by vancouverpetunia

[TinkerSofi]

@@TinkerSofi we tried to negotiate it and state we wanted an extra day to think it over and look over reviews and share the information with our family and they didn't bite at all. lol when they stated they wouldn't give us another day. we then stated we wanted some extras for the pressure and the issues we just had with AF. They declined that as well.. we waited 48 hours to see if they would turn around on it and my TA called us and told us they declined on us. So that totally back fired on us lol. apparently we arent very good with the negotiating. So they didn't want our business as bad as they attempted to make it seem and Im ok with that. It just wasn't meant for us. I'm really happy things have been working smoothly for you guys and you will have the wedding of your dreams!!! I cant wait to read your review and see your pictures!

 

The entire reason for us to want a destination wedding was to have it on the beach. So its how we got into the hunt. But when we saw the sky deck it changed our entire vision. I was just steered back to our original vision and Im really happy!!  I have decided to look into AM resorts. I've been working with dreams and to be honest its been soooooo nice!! My friend is getting married there this sept. and Im going to be a bridesmaid so ill get hands on experience with the place and we have spoken it out with out TA that we will have a playa day, and we will pay for the transportation for our guest for the day to get into town since the location isnt close. Just waiting for confirmation on our date! So far we or better stated I feel less anxious and much more comfortable

I'm so sorry to hear that. I probably would the same then because I don't like it when companies act like my business is no big deal. I'm not saying they should put a red carpet for me, but a wedding is a big expense and it's giving them quite a bit of money. There's always resorts out there that offer way better perks. 

 

Have you looked into the beach resorts? Depending on the time of the year you might be able to get a good price and they also have beautiful terraces like AF. That one was on our list but the quote came back more expensive than AF. You don't lose anything by looking into it

[Matt Adcock]

I need help with suggestions on resorts in playa del carmen area. After Azul Fives dropped the ball with my fiance and I ....we are now back to square 1 on attempting to select a resort ( 4 months now ugh) any suggestions would be great. I just want to have a few options to pass over to my TA and just ask for rates versus the back and forth.

 

Thank you!!!!

 

Hi @racht33 

There are so many fantastic options for beach weddings in the Riviera Maya, full range of prices, styles and tastes. Here are some suggestions for resorts in the area.

 

Now Resorts weddings are extremely popular, their coordinators are top notch and we have enjoyed many events at both the Now Jade and Now Sapphire, both close to Puerto Morelos. 

 

 

Paradisus Resorts weddings are definitely near the top of our list, stunning venue and great staff, totally chic.

 

 

Grand Velas resort weddings are super luxurious, love this venue for great architecture, phenomenal beach and delicious food.

 

 

Dreams Resorts weddings are awesome, they really know how to take care of their brides. The gazebo at Dreams Riviera Cancun is totally unique and the chapel at Dreams Tulum is a great option if you are looking for a religious ceremony.

 

 

We were excited to get to visit the new Hyatt Playa del Carmen recently while it was under construction, they will be opening soon and it looks like it will be a fab wedding venue right on the beach.

 

 

The Riu resorts in Playa del Carmen have great wedding options, their coordinators really know their stuff and we love the location.

 

 

Hope that provides some inspiration, good luck with the hunt for a venue and keep us posted! 

[jeffandrobyn]

@@racht33 we are getting married next month at Now Sapphire. We have had an excellent planning experience and the value is terrific. It is also a very pretty resort.

 

I had looked at Azul too. While the food is better than now sapphire (and now's is pretty good) and there is def a more boutique feel, we didn't like being nickel and dimed. Plus I didn't like that we were obligated to use their vendors. They advertise that they only do two or three (I can't remember which) weddings per day when you speak to them, but when you go on the lomas website I found in very small print that they will do up to one per hour. While we were there we saw two receptions taking place at the same time, just a few hundred feet apart. You could hear one wedding's music from the other wedding's spot.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[racht33]

@@jeffandrobyn wow your wedding date is fast approaching!! We actually decided to go with Dreams Riveria Cancun and I have to say they have been AMAZING so far!! it actually made me worried at a point that it was just too easy haha!! Azul Fives gave me the biggest headache ever. and YES they nickle and dime for everything. I mean yes all resorts do this but they are OVERBOARD! But thank you for reaching out!! I would love to be posted on your wedding and hear how it all went!

 

Best of luck!!

[jeffandrobyn]

@@racht33 that's great! Dreams and Now are both owned by AmResorts, so I'm sure there will be lots of similarities! My advice is to bring as much of your own stuff as you can because that is where they will get you. For example, we bought our own chair bows for about 60 cents each on sale. The resort charges a $1/bow labor fee. However, if you get chair bows from them they are $5/each. 

 

Happy planning!!! 

[racht33]

@@jeffandrobyn Ugh i did begin to notice that going over the decor. Where did you get your bows from ??