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Everything posted by Sherry
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Pretty much any time in July would work for me too!
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Nadine - I can see why you're heading out for that weekend. Stampede plus Vegas would not be a good idea. I wonder if it's even physically possible to do both? I'm guessing that my body would just shut down! Other than next week and during stampede, I'm pretty free the rest of the summer - we're not taking holidays until the fall.
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I would definitely be in, but I'm going to be in Jasper on the 19th
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Anastasia, I really recommend Mama's Fish House too. The food is amazing, and you can't top the location. It's a bit of a drive from the Wailea Marriott though, just so you know. I'd say it's about a half hour drive. It's totally worth the drive, but just thought you should know in case you were wanting somewhere closer. Sarentos on the Beach is really nice too, and is only about a 5 minute drive from the Marriott. If you're okay with the drive, then Mama's Fish House is probably perfect. However, I'd say that Sarentos is a pretty close tie, and is of course quite a bit closer. Hope that helps!
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30 mins on the elliptical trainer yesterday last night, which made 3 out of 4 days at the gym. I fell of the wagon today though - slept in this morning instead of going to the gym and am way too lazy tonight. I also fell off the food wagon today and ate a bunch of junk. I'm going to have to get my butt out bed tomorrow morning and go to the gym!
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30 mins on the elliptical trainer tonight.
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Did 30 mins on the elliptical trainer this morning, which wasn't the 45 mins that I wanted to do, but it was the first morning workout in a LONGGGGG time, and I just counted it as a victory that I actually got my butt out of bed this morning and did it! I feel like I'm finally back on track after months of being a couch potato. I used to at least walk to work every day (30 mins), but then I got promoted and it came with a parking stall, and while that was all very nice, it kind of got in the way of the walking portion of my fitness routine. THEN it got really busy with the new position and well, the rest is history and a whole lot of excuses! I am so happy to finally have some control over my life again and to be back at the gym. I had forgotten how amazing I feel when I hit the gym in the morning. Now I'll just have to remind myself of this feeling when the alarm goes off tomorrow morning!
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I didn't work out today, but I did 50 minutes on the elliptical trainer yesterday. I'm planning on doing 45 minutes on the elliptical tomorrow morning before work. I feel like I'm finally getting back into a routine after months of being ridiculously busy at work, and it feels so good!
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Quote: Originally Posted by Chem Sherrry thanks so much for your reply! I appreciate your input! I have booked the same make up and hair stylist as you as well as photographer. We are having both our ceremony and reception at the Marriott. Maui is pricey for sure but because we only will have about 30 people we decided to go all out. We think of it this way, if we had the Wedding at home we would have about 150 people so having it away is a lot cheaper at the end of the day. We figured the people that are going all the way to Maui with us deserve a nice dinner and party. (Which we are trying to do without breaking the bank) We paid $416 USD for the Pacific Terrace because we asked them for a discount. Norma price is $500. We also negotiated for two Ocean front suites. They didn't want to budge on this one but my fiance finally got them to give i... (One room for us and one for my parents.) The per head count for dinner without booze is about $80.00. We think we will pay about 2k for booze overall. We also have to pay for a DJ, as well as seat covers and table center pieces. We really like the Seawatch but our good friends got married there and we attended their wedding just a couple years ago...plus we think it will be nice to stay all in one place so we don't have to move. Hope that helps. If you have any questions please feel free to ask! * We are also negotiating with the Wedding coordinator re: her fees and charges! (We are trying not to pay full price) Chiemi, I'm so excited that you're using Dan and Jess for hair and makeup! I loved them so much. They really made the whole experience so wonderful. You'll have to tell them that I said hello! Poor Dan, I thought he was going to cry when he realized how heavy my veil was with all the detail on it. He did an amazing job of securing it though. That thing wasn't going anywhere!!! Good for you that you're negotiating the fees with the WC. We thought the fees were a little pricey, but at least the Canadian dollar was still really high until just after our wedding. We really lucked out on that timing, although we may not have been as savvy about negotiating the fees because of it. Looking back, we really wish that we had thought to do that.
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Quote: Originally Posted by thanda Thanks Sherry for your quick response. They've helped ease my mind. How far is Seawatch from the Marriott? Do I need to shuttle guests or is it a walking distance? I'm also thinking of booking a few rooms at Maui Banyan for my side of the family. Is it easy to commute to the Marriott if we decide to hold the reception there? Thanks again Sherry. The Seawatch isn't too far from the Marriott. It's about a 5-minute drive (if that), but I don't think it's really walking distance, because it's pretty hilly and probably too far when people are in dress shoes, etc. We had initially booked a shuttle with the Marriott, which was complementary pretty much as long as the majority of the guests are staying there. However, we ended up just cancelling the shuttle because our guests all preferred to drive their own rental cars over so that they could leave whenever they pleased. I don't think it would be a very expensive cab ride at all, so that would be an option too, and I'm sure you could have the Marriott coordinate cabs for you if you wanted to go that way. Several of our guests were staying at the Maui Banyan for the wedding, and it's only about a 10-minute drive (if that) to the Marriott, so it's a really easy commute.
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Quote: Originally Posted by thanda Hi Sherry, Your reviews are just amazing and big congratulations to you and your husband. You looked amazing btw!!! My fiance and I are planning to get married in Maui in Feb 2010 and found out recently that their costs are pretty high. Do you think having both the ceremony and reception at Seawatch would cut down the price compared to having them at the resorts such as the Ritz or Marriott? Thanks! Thanda Thanks Thanda! We definitely saved a lot having our reception at the Seawatch instead of at the Marriott. As far as the ceremony, I think it depends on which part of the Seawatch you're able to book. When we were doing our bookings, the only ceremony spot at the Seawatch that wasn't booked for our date was the Molokini Lookout. While it's really beautiful, we determined that the costs could get out of control pretty quickly because the site rental price is higher than the other ceremony spots at the Seawatch and mainly because they require you to pay for a shuttle service to get all of your guests out to the Molokini Lookout. Because that was the only option available to us at the Seawatch, it ended up being less expensive for us to have our ceremony at the Marriott. However, I think that if you were able to book one of the other ceremony sites at the Seawatch, you could probably do your ceremony for the same or even lower price than at the Marriott. That said, we found that it surprisingly wasn't too bad cost-wise to have the ceremony at the Marriott (especially considering how gorgeous the spot is). We definitely found that the reception would have been a lot more expensive at the Marriott, and we were so glad we went with the Seawatch for the reception. Hope that helps!
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We also used A Dream Wedding and Mike Sidney! Here's a link to some of our pics if you're interested: Shaw Photo Share
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Quote: Originally Posted by Chem We are getting married in May. Do you think the wind will be the same? We have our ceremony set for 4pm! I am worried now.... I forgot to mention... you could also ask Mike what he thinks. Again though, I'm guessing that you'll be fine in May and Tracy and Mike probably would have said something to you if they thought the winds would be really bad at 4:00. Sorry to worry you!
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Quote: Originally Posted by Chem We are getting married in May. Do you think the wind will be the same? We have our ceremony set for 4pm! I am worried now.... When we were there, a number of the Hawaiians (including my hairdresser and some people who worked at the Marriott) said that the trades were unusually strong that week. They told me that it was really unusual, so I'm thinking that at a normal time, the winds would be dying down around 4:00 at least as much as they did for our ceremony at 5:15. You're using Tracy at A Dream Wedding, right? I don't think Tracy would have let you book your ceremony at 4:00 if she thought the winds were going to be really bad. Maybe double check with her, but I'm guessing you should be fine by 4:00pm. Even on our day, by 4:00 the winds were already dying down, and again, that was apparently an unusually windy day for Wailea. It was also unusually hot the week of our wedding (around +32/+33 celsius the whole week), which is also supposed to make the trade winds worse. I don't think it normally gets that hot there in May, so it should be fine.
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One more thing - I forgot to mention that another thing we really liked about having the ceremony at the Marriott was that it was only about a 2-3 minute walk over to Wailea beach for our photos. With the sun setting so early, it was nice not to lose any valuable sunlight getting over to the beach. Another thing I forgot to mention - depending on the time of year you're having your wedding, if you're planning on having it in the afternoon/evening, I'd really recommend having it after 5:00pm. A friend of ours who spends a lot of time on Maui had actually recommended 5:15 because the trade winds have really gone down by then, and we were so glad that we listed to him! A couple of days before the wedding we had walked down to the lawn to see how the wind was, but we went around 3:00pm and we could hardly hear each other because the wind was so crazy!! I was kind of freaking out about it, so we went back down at 5:00 that day, and I can't tell you how relieved and amazed I was that the wind had gone down so much. Thank goodness we had followed the advice we were given!
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Quote: Originally Posted by PaddleAddict Hi Sherry, Can you tell me how you liked the Wailea Beach Marriott (rooms and grounds)? We were planning on having both the ceremony and reception at the SeaWatch, but SeaWatch is having some problems with their lease and they are not booking past Aug. 18, 2009 at this time. They gave me a courtesy hold on the date, but can't/won't tell me if/when I can book and I am starting to stress out about it. Plus, I can't book any vendors or send save the dates! I am starting to look into the Marriott for the ceremony (not sure about where to have the reception, but probably not there), which looks pretty reasonable, and I also like the fact that you can get married right by the water. (How was the wind down there, by the way?) I'd love to get your impressions on the hotel rooms and grounds. TIA! We were really happy with the rooms and grounds at the Marriott. The rooms are pretty typical for a 4-star - really well done and modern looking, high thread-count sheets, etc. I really liked that the bathroom area was pretty separate, and there was a large vanity area that was really great for getting ready on the day of the wedding. The view from our room was gorgeous too. The grounds of the Marriott are amazing. All of our pictures before the wedding and were taken there, including the ones by the pond. They just finished re-doing the grounds in the past year, and I can't tell you what an amazing job they've done. We were so happy to see it when we arrived, because the photos online at the time really didn't do it justice. We so loved the pictures that our photographer did by the little pond they have. there's also gorgeous old trees all around the lobby area, and you could do some pretty amazing pics there too. We had initially hoped to have our ceremony at the Seawatch too, since we had our reception there, but it ended up already being booked on our date. Our only option would have been to have the ceremony out at their Molokini Lookout, and it seemed awfully expensive by the time we factored in the mandatory shuttles that you'd have to do. I'm sure it would have been gorgeous, but we were so happy with the lawn at the Marriott, and I think it was at least as beautiful. The wind turned out to be not too bad for our ceremony. There was definitely wind, but we had our ceremony fairly late (5:15pm) and by that time, the worst of the trade winds had died down and it really just kept the temperature comfortable. Without the wind, I think it might have been a little unbearable, because it was an unusually hot day for Maui on our wedding day. My sister held on to my veil for about the first 10 minutes of the ceremony, which worked out fine, and after that she was able to let go of it, because the wind had died down even more. We were so happy that we ended up having the ceremony at the Marriott. It was really nice having it down by the water, and the spot is actually fairly private and people were really respectful. Our guests kept telling us how beautiful the spot was. Anyway, hope that helps! let me know if you have any more questions!
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Quote: Originally Posted by PaddleAddict Sherry, you look absolutely stunning and your photos are incredible. In fact, thanks to you, we decided to hire Mike to photograph our Sept. 2009 Maui wedding! Thank you so much!!! I'm so glad to hear that you're booking Mike!!!!! I will try not to start gushing again, but you will absolutely love him. He is so great. I'm so excited for you!
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We had our reception at the Seawatch, and we were thrilled with it. We found their prices were more reasonable than a lot of the resorts too, but with very similar views. Here's a link to my review if you want any more info: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t33306. Good luck! You can't really go wrong wherever you choose in Maui!
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My Maui wedding pics
Sherry replied to sdnative222's topic in Post your Destination Wedding & Engagement Pictures!
You looked so pretty! The reception site looked wonderful! -
We didn't bother sending in the green form, because I wasn't changing my name, so we weren't in a rush. Interestingly, our official marriage certificate arrived within about 6 to 8 weeks of our wedding. I can't remember exactly when it came, but it was WAY faster than we thought it would be based on what we were told in Hawaii. I still can't believe how fast it came, because they really made it sound like we'd be waiting for a very long time.
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Quote: Originally Posted by Chiquita Great review Sherry. It's nice to read a review and know exactly WHERE you are talking about.. haha!!! Seawatch, Maui Banyan.. Wailea Marriott.. we had friends and family staying at the Banyan and my reception was at the Seawatch and we used Maui Wedding Cakes too We can't wait to go back BTW. Jayson wants to live there forever!! I know exactly what you mean! I am so jealous of people who actually live there. I mean, they LIVE there. How amazing would that be?
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I'm sorry it has taken me so long to finally get around to posting my review. Things have been so busy since we got back to real life after the wedding, and I also hadn't anticipated how much time it would take me to write my review! Anyway, here it is. I hope some other Maui brides find it helpful. Horizon Airlines - B We flew Horizon Air Calgary-Seattle and Seattle-Calgary. The flights were fine – pretty typical, although the planes were a little older and smaller, which meant that there wasn't a very big closet to store my dress and the overhead bins were pretty small too. On the flight from Calgary to Seattle, we actually ended up rolling my dress in the garment bag, which was pretty stressful, since we were on the way to the wedding. The flight attendants said there wasn't any room in the closet, because apparently there was a lot of canes and walkers or something. On the flight home, there was room in the closet. Of course, at that point, I wasn't too concerned about my dress, but oh well! In any event, even on the way from Calgary to Seattle, it didn't make too much of a difference, because when we got to Maui, my dress was absolutely fine, without even a wrinkle. I thought I'd mention it though, because for another Calgary girl, she might be happier flying on another airline that uses larger planes, as they might be able to be more accommodating with the dress. Northwest Airlines - A We flew on Northwest Airlines from Seattle to Kahului (Maui) and upgraded to first class both ways. Both flights were great, right down to the mai tais they served. It was a really great way to start getting in the Maui spirit before we arrived! They also stored my dress in the closet both ways, which of course we expected since we were in first class, but which definitely seemed even nicer after having to roll my dress on the Horizon leg of the flight! A Dream Wedding: Maui Style LLC – A A Dream Wedding Maui Style - A Full Service Wedding Coordinator on the Island of Maui We worked with Tracy Flanagan at A Dream Wedding: Maui Style LLC and she was great. Her office is in Lahaina, which was really convenient, because we were able to pop over to the registry right around the corner from her office to get our marriage license. She thought of everything, and there were lots of little touches at the ceremony that we weren't expecting. We had asked her to book a Hawaiian guitarist, and he was amazing. She also had him play us a special little song right after the vows, with him standing behind us, between the ocean and us. It was really intimate and such a nice end to the ceremony for us. In terms of lessons to hand off to other brides, there were a couple of things that I'd wished I'd focused a little more on when working with the WC. I wish that we'd talked to her about booking the photographer and videographer for longer, with coverage of some of the time when we were getting ready and then some coverage for the beginning of the reception. We had started off with a pre-set package with the WC, which included the photographer and videographer for the ceremony, but I think we should have talked to her about adding some extra time with them. It was one of those things where you're only doing this once, and you don't have the benefit of hindsight. Everything was amazing, but I do kind of wish that we'd booked more time for the photographer and videographer. I'm putting this under the WC portion of the review though, because I think it was more of an issue on the WC side of things. Pastor Vance Rosete – A+ Pastor Vance Ali'i Rosete - Hawaiian Minister - Maui, Hawaii A couple of friends of mine had already been married by Vance, and we really loved all that we heard about him. The ceremony was so meaningful and we thought he did an amazing job. He has clearly found his calling, and it was so wonderful to be married by someone who loves performing wedding ceremonies so much. He did a Hawaiian style ceremony for us, and it was so perfect. I would highly recommend Vance to anyone getting married on Maui. Dan Sanchez Hair – A+ Dan Sanchez Salon | Maui, Hawaii | 808.268.8258 Dan Sanchez did the hair for me, both my bridesmaids and my Mom, and he did a gorgeous job on all of our hair. I wanted something really simple, and he did such a great job of it! I really felt like he listened to me and what I wanted, and it was so important to him to get it right. He did a fabulous job: My sister was ecstatic with her hair, because her hair is actually quite short, but Dan actually gave her an updo, and it looked amazing! We couldn't believe how he managed it, because her hair is only chin-length. Jessica Waite Makeup – A+++ Maui Makeup - Maui Makeup Artist, Maui Weddings, Bridal Makeup on Maui, Maui Models, Weddings on Maui I'm a total girly girl, and I have to admit that I've had my makeup done professionally for a few big events. Jessica Waite is hands-down the best makeup artists I've ever worked with. She does such a great job of getting a feel for your look and who you are before she does your makeup, and she has incredible skill. Jessica did the makeup for me, both my bridesmaids and my Mom, and I think she did a beautiful job on all of us. I'm so glad that I went with Jessica for the makeup. I still can't believe what an incredible job she did of my makeup for the big day. It was so perfect, and exactly what I wanted. The funny thing is, before I met with her, I really wasn't sure exactly what I wanted! I didn't even bring her a sample photo from a magazine. I just told her that I wanted her to do what she thought would look best on me. I figured that she's the professional, so how could I have a better idea than her of what would work? I told her that I wanted the look to focus on the eyes, but other than that, I left it up to her. We did a trial about 5 days before the wedding, and when she did the trial, I almost cried, because it was like she knew what I wanted even when I didn't! I wouldn't have thought it could get any better than the trial, but on the actual wedding day, somehow she made it even more amazing! I only wish Jessica lived in Calgary so that I could have her do my makeup for every big event! (Actually, if I'm wishing for things… maybe I'd rather wish that I lived in Maui… ) Mike Sidney Photography – A+++++ Maui Photographer Mike Sidney 888.505.2808 I cannot say enough about Mike Sidney. The man is amazing. Our photos are so incredible, and we have him to thank. Words cannot express how happy we are that we chose Mike as our photographer. I think our photos speak for themselves: For more of our photos, see this posting: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t30724 Mike was so easy to work with and so much fun. We bought a package that included a DVD of all digital negatives, one print of each picture, and they also threw in a slideshow to Hawaiian music. We weren't expecting the slideshow, and it was a really nice surprise and very well done. Another nice thing about Mike is that when you're from out of town and staying around Hawaii for your honeymoon, he makes a huge effort to meet with you before you go home and will even get your photos ready so that you can take them home with you! We thought that was amazing, because if you're from outside the US, you can avoid having to let your pictures go through customs on their own. I'm sure it's not a big deal to have to do that, but it's also nice to have them with you and know that some customs agent isn't going through your pictures and getting fingerprints all over them! I know I'm gushing, but I just can't say enough about Mike Sidney. We are so thrilled with our pictures and I would urge anyone getting married on Maui to seriously consider booking him. Hawaii Video Memories – TBD once video received (expecting at least an A) Maui Wedding Videos by Hawaii Video Memories We won't receive our video until January, so I'll post an update review then. That said, we are expecting great things from Hawaii Video Memories. Their sample videos online are amazing, and I think they seem to be in a class by themselves in terms of cinematography on Maui. They were so much fun to work with, and extremely professional. We are so excited to get our video! Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa – A We had the ceremony at the Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, on the Kahoolawe Lawn, and it was gorgeous. We really could not have asked for a more beautiful location for the ceremony. The view is unbelievably beautiful. We were so happy with how private the spot turned out to be, and people were so respectful about staying out of the way. We were so glad that we chose this spot for our ceremony. We were also so happy with the rest of the grounds of the Marriott. There were so many beautiful places to take pictures. It was absolutely perfect. I especially loved the lily pond: We also stayed at the Marriott for the weekend of the wedding, and we were really happy with all the amenities. The staff was extremely helpful and the room was quite nice. They upgraded us to an oceanfront room, and that was definitely a nice touch. Seawatch Restaurant – A++ Seawatch Restaurant :: Maui Restaurants :: Wailea Fine Dining :: Sea Watch We had our reception at the Seawatch Restaurant, and we were absolutely thrilled with the entire experience. We were on the Upper Pond, and the view was amazing. One thing that was a nice surprise was that the children at the wedding just loved the reception spot, because it's surrounded by a little tropical garden and pond, and there were frogs in the pond, which kept the kids entertained for hours! The food was delicious, and our guests raved about it, even after we got back home! The dessert was their Chocolate Mousse Gateau, and people absolutely loved it. I must say, it was a pretty amazing dessert, and we already plan to go back and order it when we return for anniversaries! Mulligan's on the Blue – A Mulligans Restaurant and Pub, Maui Dining, Catering, Entertainment We booked kind of an after party at the Mulligan's on the Blue pub after the reception. We hadn't booked the dance floor at the Seawatch, because we were having our reception outside, and there's a 10pm curfew on outdoor events on Maui. Our ceremony was only at 5:15, so that we could take advantage of the sunset and so that the trade winds would have gone down by the time we had the ceremony. Since the reception wouldn't be starting until close to 7:00pm, we figured there wasn't much point in booking the dance floor. We wanted to have a dancing option if people were up for it though, so we booked a few tables at Mulligan's on the Blue, which is a pretty upscale pub/restaurant that's almost next door to the Seawatch on the golf course. The people at Mulligan's were really helpful. I dealt with Julie when arranging everything from home, and I really appreciated that she made an effort to help us keep costs down and to make sure that we had everything we needed. We pre-ordered some appetizers and opted for an open bar tab. Mulligan's is really nice (I actually think it could be nice enough for a full reception, as long as you're not looking for really, really fancy). The funny thing is, after all my stressing about the fact that we couldn’t go past 10:00pm at the Seawatch, people barely made it until 11:00pm once we got to Mulligan's! In hindsight, I'm not sure we even needed to both with that part, as we'd lost over half of the guests by then, but it was a really nice chance for us to get in some quality time with our wedding party and parents after the reception. Mulligan's did a great job. I only wish that we hadn't been so tired by the time we got there! We really had not anticipated how much the 4-hour (and for some guests, greater) time difference would affect everyone. Maui Wedding Cakes – A Maui Wedding Cakes - Maui Weddings, Wedding Cakes on Maui, Maui Bakeries, Weddings on Maui We weren't too fussed about getting a cake, but after some pressure from a few family members, we finally decided to get one. We used Maui Wedding Cakes, which is the only baker that the Seawatch will allow you to use for your cake. We were really happy with the cake. We wanted something really simple, and they did a beautiful two-tiered marble cake with chocolate mousse filling and white icing. The cake was trimmed with fresh orchids to match the bouquets. It was really classic and exactly what we had ordered. We loved how it looked and it was really tasty cake. Maui Banyan Resort – B+ Kihei studio rental in the Maui Banyan, Kihei Maui We rented a condo in Kihei for the week before the wedding, at the Maui Banyan Resort. It was a studio, and it definitely served our purpose for the week before the wedding. It's right across the street from one of the Kamaole Beaches, which was very handy. The condo was really nicely outfitted, with nice, high thread count bedding and pretty new furniture. It had clearly been renovated fairly recently, especially compared to some of the condos that our guests rented (all were nice, but I think ours might have been the nicest). If you're looking for a full condo though, I would consider the 1-bedroom which is right next door and available for rent from the same site. For us, the studio was great and all we needed, but for anyone who wants the benefit of a full kitchen, I'd recommend paying the little extra for the one-bedroom full condo. That said, we loved the studio. It would have gotten an 'A', and I think it would for a normal holiday. However, for the wedding there were a couple of things I would have changed if I could: (1) there was not a proper closet, and it was difficult to find a good place in the room to hang my dress properly, and (2) there was not a bathtub (just a stall shower). In the end, we hung my dress from the curtain rod, which turned out to be fine, but I would have preferred a proper closet or clothes rack. I think if it were just a normal holiday, none of that would have mattered though, and we would definitely rent this suite again.