Choosing A Resort...any Feedback Would Be Helpful!

[Lia33]

I'm Liane and am in the very beginning stages of my wedding planning. I am narrowed down to three resorts - Valentin Imperial Maya, The Royal Playa del Carmen, and Excellence...

 

Anyone have any feedback that may be helpful?

[calgarybride2015]

Welcome and congrats.

 

I have no feedback on the resorts, but you could do a search on here for each individual one and you will find brides from each   Good luck!

[Mrsktobe]

What are you looking for in a resort? Space, reception location.. etc. If you can give me some more details I can try and help!

[Lia33]

What are you looking for in a resort? Space, reception location.. etc. If you can give me some more details I can try and help!

 

Definitely an adults only resort with a room stay rate not super high for my guests. Other than that it's hard to pinpoint specifics! I want a simple yet elegant setting with outdoor reception and beautiful beach. I am leaning towards the Valentin right now but am waiting to hear back from the other resorts.

[malyna]

I chose excellence !

[acw271011]

@@Lia33 Congrats and welcome to the site. You will definitely find a ton of information here that will help you along on your planning journey! Plan on doing some reading around the site. That will be one of the best ways to see what is available here.

 

I see you're in New York. Do you have a travel agent yet? That is definitely one of the first moves to start trying to figure out what you want in a resort. I would highly recommend Wright Travel that own this site. They are destination wedding specialists and have great relationships with several resort chains. Here is some info on them, along with some contact details. Your TA will become one of your best friends as you plan you wedding so a good working relationship will be important.

 

Palace Resorts Top PRO Agency     |    AMResorts Master Agent & Top Agency  
Karisma Hotels Diamond Level 5 (highest production), Top 10 Azul Weddings, Top Wedding Coordinator |Wright Travel & Karisma GIVC Benefits
Travel Impressions Best of the Best Globe Winner    |     Apple Vacations Golden Apple Winner  

 

Email: info@wrighttravelagency.com

Phone: 415-839-7511

website: http://www.wrighttravelagency.com/

New Client Inquiries: http://wrighttravelagency.com/inquiry/

 

Good luck and happy planning!

[jeffandrobyn]

@@Lia33 of the three that you mentioned, i would say excellence. i stayed at one in the DR and it was amazing. That said, it also wasn't cheap.

 

I started by compiling a list of resorts that looked interesting to me and ran them all by a travel agent who specializes in DW for feedback. She crossed a number of them off my list, telling me the good and the bad of every property. We narrowed it down to 3 resorts and visited them all two weeks ago - Dreams Tulum, Now Sapphire and Azul Beach. We booked Now Sapphire. We chose it for its location, the food, the fact that we could get all of our must haves and would like to haves, their flexibility, etc. etc. You'll find that some resorts are more willing to work with you than others. For example, some charge you set-up fees for using your own decorations and there are outside vendor fees to consider into your budget. Some properties are rigid with who you can and cannot use - we didn't like that.

 

My advice would be (if you haven't already) figure out your budget and put a list together of 'must haves' and 'would like to haves' and go from there. I would def hire a travel agency too. 

 

If your budget permits, I would also visit your favorite properties ahead of time. It was very helpful for us to see all of the set-ups and little details. For example, one resort advertises only two weddings per day, 4 hours apart. We saw two weddings going on at the same time, just a few hundred feet from another. We didn't like that and it helped us with our decision to not go with that property.

[Lia33]

@@jeffandrobyn

 

I ended up going with Valentin Imperial! Their communication with me has been quick and efficient since I reached out to them. I've checked with other brides past and present who have had wonderful experiences with them so I felt comfortable with the choice - we were leaning more towards anyway. I have heard great things about the service, food, and the price for room stay seems to be better for my guests. 

 

I'm still on the fence about going through a TA. My sister has a good friend who is a TA but I'm wondering if it's necessary. I know many of my guests will book on their own. If they use a TA would those that utilize the TA be able to use a payment plan? That may be helpful for some. I know I need to decide asap!

 

Unfortunately i know we won't be able to visit the site I would hate if there were other weddings going on at the same time! I'll think positive and hope for the best. 

[jeffandrobyn]

@@Lia33 congrats! It was a huge weight off my shoulders when we settled on our venue - I'm sure you know what I'm talking about

 

As far as an agent goes, I would STRONGLY recommend a travel agency. I'll issue the disclaimer that I work in the travel industry (I am not a travel agent, nor do I work for a travel agency), so I can tell you some inside things about agents that a lot of people aren't aware of.  You have everything to gain and nothing to lose.

 

1. It doesn't cost anything to work with a travel agent. Travel agents get paid a commission on the back end through your resort.

 

2. A good travel agent has access to rates that you can't secure on your own. If you work with an agent that works with your resort often, they'll also have some extra pull.

 

3. There are perks in it for you - for example, for every 6 rooms we book, we get 1 free. That's how my BFF who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford to come to my wedding is able to make it. And for every 10 rooms, we get a free upgrade. The agent is able to access this because she's going through a tour operator, not the resort directly. Tour operators won't work directly with consumers.

 

4. Some agencies have a payment plan set up. My guests have to give $150/pp deposit and then they can pay however much they'd like, as often as they'd like. It makes the trip more affordable versus charging the entire thing at once.

 

5. There's a lot of coordination involved. A travel agency will make your life easier. They'll track (and tell you) who's left their deposit and such. You don't have to chase guests yourself. That could get awkward.

 

But my number one suggestion - go with an agent who specializes in destination weddings and works full time as an agent. There are a lot of agents out there who book travel on the side as a second income. You don't want that for such a major event. A lot of agents also dabble in this or that, versus doing one thing really well.

 

Hope that helps!

[Lia33]

@@jeffandrobyn Thank you for your super helpful tips and info about travel agents! I've decided to go with one. My sister's good friend is a TA and handled her daughter's destination wedding in Mexico. I'm hoping that she will actually be great and helpful considering she is a good friend of my sister's and she seems to really trust her. I guess this can be really great or can turn awkward if we aren't happy with her  , I'm thinking positively though!