JLMS

Wow, it sounds like we had very similar experiences. We too had a lot of issues with check in/out, rooms, and a lack of response from management regarding these issues. Also, like you, we had a great overall experience with the resort activities, and especially with Lupita! I think that it is important to be honest with the review so that others know what to expect!

We didn't have our reception there, but a bunch of us went and had dinner at Alux Cave one evening. We found the food to be quite overpriced, but overall it was a really cool experience, and we really enjoyed the tour of the cave. There was a wedding reception happening while we were there and it looked pretty cool. My only concern would he the heat and humidity in the cave! It was VERY warm and very humid so I wouldn't imagine that you would want to dance in there...would likely be a very sweaty situation!

Hi Dallace, Here are a couple pictures of our reception in the Italian restaurant. As you can see, they had the table set up in a "U" shape. We had 27 people and it worked perfectly! We didn't bring any centerpieces, and they certainly weren't missed. The tables were decorated beautifully with candles, and we put the bouquets on the table for flowers. We had our cake cutting and first dance right in the middle of the "U" which worked really well! One thing to consider is that the walls in the Italian restaurant are bright green - which worked perfectly for us because that was our wedding color! However it may clash with other colors.

Here are a few pictures. We brought our own photgrapher with us from our home town.

Hi Wedding4Mexico! We actually had our first dance at our wedding dinner at the Italian restaurant. We got lucky in that the oven was broken at the Italian restaurant so we got the whole place to ourselves, even though we didn't pay for a private reception. So we got to have a speaker set up and it was perfect for our first dance! Another option would be to have your first dance in the wedding hut right after your ceremony, becuae it has a sound system and DJ supplied for the ceremony. Our ceremony was in English, and it was beautiful! Although we hadn't met the minister prior to the ceremony, she did a beautiful job and it really felt like she knew us. We had told Lupita ahead of time that we wanted to do our own vows, and the minister was fully aware of this. They have a microphone and speakers set up so everybody can hear over the sound of the ocean. We were thrilled with how the ceremony turned out!!!

Hi Alyssa, I wouldn't stress too much about hair and make-up. I'm very particular about what I like, so that is probably why I wasn't totally satisfied. The important thing is that they really cared and wanted to make me happy - both Lupita and the salon manager (can't remember her name) were awesome and wanted to do everything possible. I would definetly bring some pictures for your hair, and for make-up too if you can. Wind wasn't a problem on our wedding day - in fact, it was very hot and we could have used a nice breeze! However, most other afternoons on the beach were quite windy. The ladies at the salon used a lot of heavy-duty hairspray, so they are prepared for windy conditions should they arise. The garden ceremony area was very beautiful, and just steps from the beach so you could still see the ocean. It was quite shielded from the wind. As long as there isn't another wedding on the same day, you could probably wait until you arrive at the resort to make your final decision. We didn't bother paying to rent the disco. After the ceremony, our guests just hung out in the main bar area while we took photos all over the resort. Then we all met up for dinner, and went and danced the night away at the disco afterwards. You can hire a babysitter through the Kid's club at the resort - a few of our guests with kids used the service and they were very happy! We had a small enough group (27 people) that we didn't need to rent a space! Also, it was fun hanging out around the resort in our wedding clothes, as lots of other guests would approach us with well wishes and congratulations - super fun! Let me know if you have any other questions!

Hi everybody! I got married at Sandos Playacar on November 24, 2011. Yup, just last week! We had a group of 27 people, and we arrived at the resort late in the evening on Sat Nov 19th. We were so excited to see the beautiful lobby, but then began the check-in nightmare! It was completely unorganized and chaotic, but after about an hour, we all headed off to our rooms. We had booked the standard rooms because we wanted to be close to the beach and the action. Nobody mentioned during check-in that the actually put us in the junior suites. So as we made our way to our rooms, we quickly discovered that they had stuck us at the very back of the resort, absolutely as far away from the beach as you could be! When I went back to the front desk, they tried to convince me that we should be happy for the mistake because we were in better rooms. I’m sure some people would appreciate the upgraded room, but we specifically selected the standard rooms for location and were absolutely furious that they moved our entire group without even mentioning it to us. The worst part was that they had stuck us in the adults only section, so the members of our group with kids were put in a totally separate location, away from everybody else! After much fighting with the front desk, they finally agreed to move our entire group to the standard rooms (2000 block building) but told us that we would have to wait two days. So on Mon Nov 21st we were finally moved to our proper rooms. They moved all of our luggage for us and it went smoothly but we really never got an acceptable explanation for why it took 2 days to get us into the rooms we had booked 8 MONTHS in advance. The standard rooms were very nice and we loved the central location, so it was all good after the move. A couple good things did come out of the room mix-up. First, because we were initially placed in the junior suites, our whole group ended up with the gold wrist bands, instead of the blue wrist bands that we would have got if placed in the standard rooms in the first place. The gold wrist bands granted us access to the premium lounges, which had excellent drinks and snacks (and air conditioning). We ended up spending a lot of time in these lounges. Also, because of all of the problems, Lupita gave us some free extras including a private beach dinner for my husband and I (which was AMAZING!!!) and also surprised us with a sand ceremony for no charge, which we loved and have the jar of sand as an amazing keepsake. As for the actual wedding, it was perfect and Lupita was amazing. We had the ceremony on the beach, and then we had dinner at the Italian restaurant. We got really lucky because, although we hadn’t booked a private reception, the Italian buffet was shut down due to a broken oven so we got the whole place to ourselves, complete with a microphone and sound system. We just had to go through a set of doors to get food from the main buffet. It was perfect! The flowers were beautiful and the cake looked and tasted so good! After dinner, we danced the night away at the disco (which was super fun every night we went there)! I had my hair and makeup done at the resort. The hair turned out alright but my makeup was awful and I ended up having to wash it all off and do it myself so they didn’t charge me. The girls in the salon seemed alright but they didn’t speak any English so it was impossible to explain what I wanted. Lupita and the salon manager ended up showing up at my room with another girl to help fix my make-up so it ended up alright. As for the resort, it was very beautiful, especially the beach. The drinks were really good (very strong). As for the food, some people in the group loved it and some people not so much…but there was lots of variety! As I mentioned previously with the rooms, if you want to be near the action then you’ll want to book the standard or ocean front rooms (room numbers in the 1000s or 2000s). If you prefer peace and quiet and a slightly nicer room, then the junior suites are good but be prepared for a lot of walking and taking shuttles to get anywhere. To avoid the problems we had, I would call a few days prior to arriving at the resort to confirm that you will be placed in the rooms you booked. If you wanted to go with the garden area for the ceremony instead, it was quite beautiful and just steps from the beach so you can still see the ocean. It was quite shielded from the wind also so it may be a good option if you are concerned about that. Overall, our experience started out very rough but finished strong, and we left Sandos with a good feeling! Like most brides, I stressed a lot leading up to the wedding, but in the end, it was all good and I married the man of my dreams on a beautiful beach - what could be better than that!?!

Yesterday all of our plans came together and we are offically getting married at the Sandos Playacar Beach Resort on Nov 24 2011! Couldn't be more excited! 02Nov crystalz Grand Bahia Principe Akumal 04Nov kelnces Now Sapphire Riviera Cancun 05Nov jenniketchup TBD 05Nov clgriffi7 Dreams Cancun 10Nov carribe258 Dreams Tulum 10Nov jen83rn Now Jade Riviera 11Nov angi111111 El Dorado Royale 11Nov karielk TBD 11Nov CaitlinBlane2011 IB Tucan 11Nov Vanessa C Gran Caribe 11Nov nadennec Gran Caribe 11Nov Pucca Coral Baja 11Nov AshleyNicole84 Kool Beach Club 11Nov mrsgreene2011 Iberostar Rose Hall Suites 12Nov jlarruda Majestic Elegance 12Nov hollybee Cabo Surf Hotel 17Nov JoanneIreland Barcelo Maya Palace 24Nov JLMS Sandos Playacar

Yay, as of yesterday my fiance and I are officially getting married at Sandos Playacar on Nov 24, 2011! We will be staying at the resort with approx. 25 friends and family from Nov 19-26! We are so excited and can't wait! nmoreau - I love your review and laid back attitude! I only hope that I can embrace the Mexican spirit and "go-with-the-flow". Great idea on the bright coloured mugs for guest too - I just may have to steal that one! Same as you, we will get legally married at home a few days before heading to Mexico so the cermony will be symbolic. I would love to see some of your pitures if you don't mind?!? Did you find that your group had enough privacy in the Italian restaurant?

02Nov crystalz Grand Bahia Principe Akumal 05Nov jenniketchup TBD 05Nov clgriffi7 Dreams Cancun 10Nov carribe258 Dreams Tulum 10Nov jen83rn Now Jade Riviera 11Nov angi111111 El Dorado Royale 11Nov karielk TBD 11Nov CaitlinBlane2011 IB Tucan 11Nov Vanessa C Gran Caribe 11Nov nadennec Gran Caribe 11Nov Pucca Coral Baja 11Nov AshleyNicole84 Kool Beach Club 11Nov mrsgreene2011 Iberostar Rose Hall Suites 12Nov jlarruda Majestic Elegance 12Nov hollybee Cabo Surf Hotel 17Nov JoanneIreland Barcelo Maya Palace 24Nov JLMS TBD

What a great ides for a thread! My fiance and I are getting married on November 24, 2011. We were just about to book at Dreams Puerto Aveturas but at the last minute the prices were raised by $600/person by our tour provider. So...we are back to the drawing board. Hopefully we can choose a new resort and get all of our travel booked in the next couple weeks! Happ planning!

Hello, We haven't booked just yet, but my fiance and I are strongly considering getting married at this resort in Nov 2011. We will have approx. 25 family and friends with us, who will all be staying at the resort for 1 week. Any pros, cons, tips, advice, etc. would be greatly appreciated! We will be making our final decision in the next couple weeks. Thanks so much!