Bride-chill-a

Hi Cara, I just popped on the site and saw your post and I'm so glad to hear everything went so well and that you all enjoyed yourselves! I can't believe the wedding has come and gone already...I'm sure you can't either! In fact, I can't believe that we are coming up on our one year anniversary! Time flies. All the best to you! Jennifer

Hi Sashk2006, I got married there in Feb this year and we did our first dance under the hut, before pictures. You need to let Maria know that's what you want to do so she can have the music ready for you (you will need to give her the music for that). That's all! It's pretty simple. :-)

Hey Nadia, CONGRATS on being done school! You must be so relieved! I'm relieved for you! Thanks for posting the picture! You have a lovely family. I realised ours was a bit of a far away and hard to see our faces, so I replaced it with a closer up shot. Soon enough this is what we will all be doing ! Hehe. See you soon. Jennifer

Michelle + Nadia, Just over 2 weeks to go!!! I know how I excited I am to go and it's not my wedding this time around, so I can imagine how pumped you guys must be! See ya soon! Jennifer

Hi Lisa, Thanks for that link! I didn't go to Puerto Morales last time we were at Turquesa, so I'm not sure what they have but I would think it's safe to say you can get what you need there. Any of the little shops will sell stuff like that for a decent price. Playa Del Carmen is about 30-40 mins away - which is about a $35 cab ride. The hotel has a shuttle that goes there for $15 but you only get about an hour and a half to shop/look around. So if you get in and get out quick, that will be a cheap option and way to go. Also, they have a free shuttle going to Cancun that drops you at the shopping plaza - I think that one goes daily. I'm sure the concierge at the hotel can better direct you though. Happy Planning! Jennifer

Does anyone have a price list for the services at The Spa? If so, can you please email it to me at [email protected] ? Thanks!

Hi Lisa, We did shot glasses and maracas for our wedding and we bought them from Wal-Mart in Playa Del Carmen. Although, we later saw them much cheaper at some of the smaller stores on 5th Ave. I would recommend going to anyone of those stores, because you could probably work out a deal, buying a large amount too. Hope that helps! Jennifer

Haha! A little technical difficulty at the end of my last message there.

Hi Michelle, That sucks that Ana isn't quick to respond. Hopefully she'll be much more helpful in person! Yes, my hubby is super excited too! We weren't thinking we were going to get our Honeymoon this year, but I got an unexpected bonus from work and we already had this week booked off from work, together...so away we go! The first thing we both said when I found out was "Mexico!" We are flying out of Vancouver with Air Transat on Nov.8th. I'm glad I could assist in keeping things cheerful for ya! It is going to be so awesome for you to have your wedding there! We are bringing a floaty chair, that we took with us for our wedding and had fun with it in the pools. Also, make sure you bring bug spray! When we were at Turquesa in 2008 we brought some and were glad we did. It just gets a little buggy at night. Also, in case you are doing any excursions, bring some ziplock bags with you so you can pack some food with you, from the buffet. We saw people doing that last time we were there and I thought that was clever. And of course, something to cover up with at night when it gets chilly. I'm not sure if you've been to Mexico or to the Resort before, so you might already know all this. If I think of anything else, wedding related, I will let you know! Jennifer That'sthTThatThat's a

Hi Michelle and Nadia, I remember the countdown craziness! It does get a little hectic leading up to the trip but don't worry, once you get there your troubles will melt away! As much as you are not loving this part...enjoy every minute of it, because your wedding will be over so fast!!! It's crazy! I miss being a bride Looking forward to possibly meeting you both and of course...MEXICO!!! Countdown is on! Happy planning, ladies! Jennifer

Hi Lise, I got married in PDC in February at 4:30 pm and actually wished i had done it at 5pm as the sun was still really bright at that time so i was squinting in my photo's alot. We had pictures from 5pm-6pm and the sun started to set close to six so we got some gorgeous photo's. You can find info here http://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/MMUN/2010/4/11/MonthlyHistory.html for the sunrise and sunset times that happened this past year to get an idea of what would work for you. Good luck and happy planning! Jennifer

Hi Michelle, Yes, we are flying out on the 8th too! Are they going with Air Transat? Too funny if they are! Thanks for extending the invite to us, that's so kind of you! I will definetly come by and introduce myself, at the very least. You will be so glad to have an extra week to yourself. Part of you will miss having everyone and the other part will be so glad to have some alone time. It's going to be great! The resort is so beautiful. I was able to upload some pictures on here, of the wedding we saw in 2008 (since this website has been revamped it's much easier to navigate! I wasn't able to post pictures on here before). I do have more pictures of the resort, if anyone wants to see something specific, let me know. If I have it, I will post it. If you are having your dinner at the Villa Marina, you'll be happy! The food is amazing there and it's really pretty. Bye for now! Jennifer

Hey Americanadia and MCRtobe, Â My husband and I are going to be there during your weddings! We just booked our official honeymoon for Turquesa yesterday and are there from Nov.8th-15th! We were there a couple of years ago and loved the resort. We saw a wedding there (I have some pictures of it, if you are interested) and that inspired us to have our wedding in Mexico, this past February. We only stayed the 7 days with all our friends and family and wished we had stayed longer and had some solo time, hence us going back now, for our 'official honeymoon'. I'm excited to see your weddings! I will have a peek from a distance...of course! Â Feel free to ask me any questions either about the resort, or planning a destination wedding. Â Happy planning! Â Jennifer

I was there last week of Feb, this past year for my wedding, and it was unusually cold in the evenings. We had to wear long pants, and a sweater (or tshirt and cardigan). Some of us wore pashmina's on top of that as well. It was weird. I'd say go prepared with warmer clothes for the evening. It was warm during the day, but as soon as that sun went down...the temp dropped and the wind picked up. And I'm from Canada!

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news ladies...but the disco issue is not a one time issue. That was the first thing all my guests talked about was how the disco smelled of cat pee (it's in my review). The disco door stays open all the time, and they have stray cats that live at the resort. The disco is not that nice looking either but...it is super fun especially once you get all your guests there. There is a nice outside area between the La Bombola Bar and the Mexican Buffett, that everyone hangs out at, they have tables and chairs, so that might be an option. You should check on what the entertainment is for the night of the week you are getting married on, and maybe you can just partake in that, until the disco opens, so people can go dancing there after if they want. They do all the evening shows in that area. We did our speaches in the restaurant, so we could get that out of the way and just go party after. If you want somewhere nicer, you can go to the main lobby (where you check in) and it's not busy...there is a bar there too. Right outside there is a really nice patio/seating area, you could go take that area over. Hope those options help!

Quote: Originally Posted by Jennybell1 Do you mind sharing what extras you paid for and how much extra out of pocket you paid over and above the "free Sandos Symbolic wedding?" I just dont want any surprises and want to be as prepared as I can be when going down there. Thanks Sure....I purchased/paid for my bouquet, 5 bouquets for my bridesmaids, 2 corsages, the gazebo with tulle, the minister and flowers that line the aisle. I paid $50 for my bouquet, $35 for each BM, $20 for each corsage, $220 for Gazebo with Tulle, $350 for the minister and $20 for the flowers that line the aisle. I think that's about it, but I feel like I'm forgetting something. There won't be any surprises so long as you are clear in what you want. I would recommend writing it all down on what you agreed on, to confirm it all in your appointment with Maria. You'll be fine. Hope that helps!

Quote: Originally Posted by kansas city bride Hey Bride-chill-a, This is kinda random but when you went down there did you get your wedding comped for having a certain number of guests with you or a certain # of for your guests staying so long? I was just asking because I was wondering if they went based on the total number of nights or I have also read a few things saying you have to have so many guests staying for like 7 or more nights We got the Sandos Symbolic Package for free, as that one comes free when you book 5 or more rooms for a 7 night stay. Anything outside of that package, we just added 'a la carte' style, as it worked out cheaper that way. Hope that answers your question!

Congrats Jennybell1, on making it official! How did he do it? I had posted my review shortly after I got back, here is the link to it (it's on this forum pg.3 and it is long, which is why i'm not going to repost it here! LOL. http://bestdestinationwedding.com/fo...3/index38.html

Thanks for the compliments on the pics, Jennybell1! I love the rock ones too...they are my favorite! Our ceremony was at 4 and we started taking the pics of just the two of us around 5pm until about 6pm (the sun set at about 5:45). All of them were taken the night of our ceremony. Maybride2010 - LOVE your photo's too! Some good creative shots in there! And you look HOT in those TTD ones! Congrats!

P.S. I forgot to mention our pictures were done by Citlalli from Claudia Rodriguez Photography

Hey everyone! I finally got my proffessional pictures posted on Photobucket. Here is the link if you want to check them out! Image hosting, free photo sharing & video sharing at Photobucket

Quote: Originally Posted by Jennybell1 THanks Jennifer for posting and answering my questions. I def feel more at ease with the decision of Sandos. I always take trip advisor with a grain of salt for sure, bc like I said, sometimes there is no pleasing some people. It just kinda scared me a bit with the food poisoning issue coming up alot in the last little bit. But I know now we arent moving our venue. NOw its on to deciding where to honeymoon. Thanks so much for your help!!!!! You're welcome! Glad I could help! Can anyone recommend a photo sharing website? We got our pictures back from Citlalli and I'd like to post them on a site so that it would be easy to share them.

Quote: Originally Posted by Jennybell1 The Royal?? Never heard of it, the only one close to that I know of is Eldorado Royale.... Will have to see what I can find on it. I do have a question for you though....I have been reading trip advisor again and the most recent posts on there are not great...make that alot of the pages arent great. Talking about food poisoning and bad rooms and too far to walk and that the food wasnt that great.....too many to list.....did you notice or have any of these issues?? Knowing what you experienced now with your wedding, would you do it all over again at the same hotel or would you do things different I am just starting to play around with the idea of moving my wedding bc of the trip advisor notes. I know that the good usually out weighs the bad and some times there is no pleasing some people...but there are a lot of not so good reveiws that have recently been posted.... Thanks! Hmmm...good questions. Here is my personal and honest opinion on my experience, on the things you mentioned above. Food: I really enjoyed the food at the buffets. We tried 3 of the a la cartes: Asian - hated it, Steak house - pretty good (it's kind of like the Keg actually), Brazilian - very good. But I still seemed to enjoy the Buffett food more, funny enough (especially the Italian). As for getting sick...that's a tough one as far as pin pointing what makes a person sick. My stomach was all wrong when I got home for about a week after, but it always is when I get back from Mexico. You could likely get sick eating off the resort but even more likely is that people aren't eating the foods they are used to, not on a regular routine like at home and are probably eating alot less veggies and fruit than usual. Add in a whole lot of booze...and of course you will be sick! I honestly don't know how people know they got food poisoning unless they got their stool tested by a doctor. Rooms: I have to admit, I wasn't crazy about the rooms on the Beach side. They are noisy and a bit older. The Riviera side is much, much nicer. More room, quieter area and more modern. If you still decide to go here, I would recommend staying on that side (the pool on that side is awesome - the only one on the resort with a swim up bar and it's bigger and quieter too). Having said that, if you like the beach (and you stay on the Riviera side)...then you will walk. If you want to be where all the action is...then you will walk. The Beach side is good because it's right where all the action is, but it's also noisy because of that. It's about a 5-10 min walk to the other side. It's not too bad, but sucky if you are on the other side and forget something in your room, or something like that. The carts come around but only seat 5 people so there is usually a line up. You can walk to your room faster than if you were to wait and then get a ride. In my experience in Mexico, we always end up walking far because most of those resorts are huge. It's up to you. I would check out the other resorts and see how the reviews were. There are definetly nicer hotels out there and yes, I did look around when I got home, wondering if I should have had it somewhere else. I looked at a few other threads and although the hotels seemed nicer, they didn't have the criteria I was looking for (i.e. not many of the resorts to a beach ceremony - strangely enough, or maybe they don't allow kids, or they weren't in as good of a location). So, I would probably do it there again because of the size -it had something for everyone and everyone was really happy and really liked it. We actually didn't have one complaint from any of our guests (we had 33 people). The other reason I would do it there is because the ceremony set up was beautiful and they had a decent priced package and specialize in weddings - which again, some of those other resorts didn't. Plus, the price range was decent for our guests. And lastly, we loved the location and that it was on the Playacar strip because it was close to town. If I were to go back to Mexico again, we would not stay there again because it would be a different kind of trip (just the two of us). We would probably go somewhere that's more of a boutique hotel and adults only. I hope that helps! You have to take those trip advisor reviews with a grain of salt. The people who had bad experiences are the ones that like to share them the most. Good luck and keep us posted! Jennifer

Quote: Originally Posted by Jennybell1 Has anyone stayed there for their wedding and honeymoon?? The reason I ask is bc we were planning on going to The Eldorado Royale for our Honeymoon, but Im afraid of prices and I havent even found out yet. I have never stayed at the same resort for more hten 7 days at a time and Im wondering if it would get boring and whether or not we should change. Even if it doesnt end up being the honeymoon resort we want - we could pick another one if that makes more sense then staying at Sandos. Any input would help :0 Oh and does anyone know of a cottage or something along those lines that you can rent that is on the beach? Maybe do that instead of a resort for the honeymoon....hmmm... THanks!!! We only stayed the 7 days but if we had stayed for our honeymoon I might have switched, just for the sake of making the most of our time there and checking out different places. What about the Royal, which is right downtown on 5th Ave? It looks beautiful and it's adults only, which would be great for a honeymoon and the location is excellent!

Quote: Originally Posted by MayBride2010 Hey Bride-chill-a Thanks for the advice. Everyone keeps telling me to relax. I just really want everyone to be happy. You can only use the Riviera pool if you are staying in that section right? You can use any part of the resort no matter which side you are staying on (except for the 'Royal Elite areas' which are small roped off areas). So yes, you can use the Riviera side pool all you like! We had so many different people with us, including my aunt and uncle who go to Mexico about 4 x a year and everyone loved the resort! I know what it feels like to have that pressure, and I was so nervous too, but I was so relieved when I got there and my aunt and uncle had been there a few days already, and said they were loving it!