As I'm copying this over, I'm realizing how bloody long it is. Sorry for the length, but for fellow Type A-ers, here you go!

 

Travel Agency

After our first attempt with a typical storefront travel agency was slightly disastrous, we found the online travel agency iTravel 2000 and were assigned Sandra Momesso to handle our group bookings. She was super quick to get back to everyone and was really well organized, not to mention her prices came in a few hundred cheaper than our first travel agency quotes.  None of our group of 16 had any problems with her at all and I’d definitely recommend her.

 

Flights and Transfers

Since we had people travelling from different locations, Air Canada Vacations was the only carrier we could all use from our different gateways. There was no talk of an upgrade for us – it seems AC has pretty much done away with any group benefits they used to have. Also, on both of connector flights, they had me and the hubby sitting 6 rows apart, which we thought was a bit odd.

 

Our land transfers were included with our package. It was a smidge disorganized getting us all on the bus, but we all to the resort with our all our bags, so that’s what’s important. Dreams Tulum is right at the end of the highway stretch, but we were all so excited that the drive seemed to go by pretty quick. There were plenty of cold Coronas on the bus ride, which probably helped. There were two stops in Playa del Carmen before us, but our return shuttle was just our group, no stops. The Air Canada check-in in Cancun was terrible though, so leave make sure you check-in at the kiosk at the airport and do the bag drop off line, not the regular check in line.

 

Check In

Our first reaction driving up was “Holy crap, this place is gorgeous and SUPER clean.” When we unloaded our bags and went into the lobby, we were all told to have a seat and they would bring all of our paperwork to us. We got our champagne within 5 minutes of arriving (followed by some tequila shots to get the week started). Some rooms weren’t ready yet and it was a bit confusing about what we were to do in the interim, but most of us just went to grab some lunch. Once we finally got our keys, no one really directed us to our room, so we had to wander around to a few buildings and ask some staff before we found our room.

 

Rooms

We had reserved a Premium Oceanview Junior Suite and got room 6316 which was dead centre of the dolphin pool with a great view. The room was beautiful and whenever we were on the balcony, we’d always see people from our group passing by, which was really handy. The fridge never got very cold, but that seemed to be a pretty common complaint. It was cleaned every day, our mini fridge was restocked and we had turn-down service every night. If you want a quiet room, this might not section of the hotel for you. The noise from the pool throughout the day and the nightly shows could be heard in the room, though not too loudly. It never bothered us because we were normally out of the room for most of the day and early evenings.

 

There were a few room issues in our group. Another couple had a small spider infestation, and were moved after insisting with the front desk. Another couple booked an oceanview room and only got a sliver of the ocean. Some people got 2 double beds when they requested kings, but no one really was upset. Everyone was very pleased with their rooms.

 

Resort and Staff

I cannot say enough about the staff! Everyone was extremely pleasant, always smiling and always happy to help. There was a waiter at the Seaside Restaurant that knew us by the 2^nd day and had our afternoon snack/drink order down pat. Niecy, the beach waitress, was a dream. She would appear every 15-20 minutes to take empty glasses and new orders and to banter with my father-in-law and the best man. She knew our entire group by the end of the week! Our cleaning lady was very pleasant and the room was always spotless after she left. And if you tip, you get towel animals every night.

 

As for the resort, I really liked the layout of the resort, which made it easy to locate people throughout the day. It was the perfect size for us – not a mega resort but still lots of space and lots of amenities, and it wasn’t a huge party report (also a bonus). The staff works really hard to keep the resort so clean and well manicured. We saw staff picking up seaweed daily and they have a sand grooming machine that is out every morning (we called in the sand zamboni).

 

Guest Services

We didn’t deal a lot with guest services, but another couple in our group was on their honeymoon and arranged a candlelit dinner for one evening. We also had one guest with a gluten sensitivity and the resort provided her with a form letter to give to all the restaurants so they wouldn’t give her anything that would make her sick. 

 

Entertainment

I’ll be honest – I didn’t really worry too much about the entertainment and I didn’t participate in a whole lot, especially during the day. The two moms went to water aerobics daily, and my mom also did a few dance lessons. We went to bingo one night (my mother-in-law won – warning, the prize is a tequila shot), and saw the drummers another night and the fire dancers on our last night there (both were REALLY good). Another night, they had a football game set up on the beach big screen with snacks at the Barefoot Grill (we went over to grab some popcorn). They also had movies on the beach a few nights as well. We didn’t go to the dance bar, but a few guests went one night and stayed until it closed. Our favourite spot was the Sugar Reef – we had our table almost every evening and it was a great spot just to hang out with the group.

 

Transportation & Excursions

We arranged for a van to take us to Playa Del Carmen to Shop for the day through the concierge (I think it worked out to less than $20 return each) and then again for our trash the dress. We also just used the concierge to arrange for a van to Xel Ha which is only about 10 minutes away (and well worth a day trip). Other guests went on tours through the Air Canada Vacations rep. 3 people went on a catamaran ride and snorkel to the Tulum ruins and 1 person went on the Chichen Itza excursion. The big hit was the full day trip to Coba though – 10 people went on the day we did our trash the dress and they all loved it. It was a trip to the ruins, shopping, kayaking, hiking, zip-lining, rappelling, a cenote swim, and a Mayan feast (although the food was right at the end, so people were SUPER hungry). They all raved about the tour guide and highly recommended it. They even had my parents doing tequila shots!

 

Restaurants

Oh the food, the food. I cannot say enough about the food. I don’t think I ate a bad mean the entire week. I was back 3 weeks and I was still get emails at work in the morning from friends saying “Breakfast buffet???” One guest was stomach sick for 1 day out of all 16 of us – and then she was back up and running around the next day.

 

Room Service

We ordered it one night and we were not big fans of the fruit tray or the chocolate cake. I found the overall selection a bit lacking, but most people were ordering club sandwiches and French fries when they were too tired to go to supper and no one had any complaints. It took approx 30 minutes for our order to get delivered, which seemed the norm for the group.

 

World Café

We went there everyday for breakfast – so good and a really wide selection of food. The wait staff was excellent and attentive. I went for lunch and supper once each and it was just okay.

 

Barefoot Grill

Right by the Dolphin Pool, we grabbed lunch here most days. Basic burgers, hot dogs, pizza, etc, but it was good and quick.

 

Seaside Grill

We ate here almost every afternoon for snack, and I found the waiters here the most attentive. Supper it switched to steakhouse – really good. Another couple tried the cheese fondue and went back again just to have it a second time.

 

Portofino

Really good Italian, I found there was a wide selection of choices, but a bit of a wait time for food to arrive.

 

Himitsu

We really liked Himitsu, went twice in the week. We had to wait what seemed like forever the second time to get our food, but it was still really good.

 

Bordeaux

For some reason, we decided to order room service instead of going here – mistake! Everyone that went loved it. Apparently, the duck is really good.

 

El Patio

We didn’t eat there, but others that did gave mixed reviews. However, it’s probably the most gluten-free friendly spot at the resort.

 

Gohan

None of us are sushi people, so we all took a pass.

 

 

Wedding Coordinator

I think in the span of a year I went through all of the wedding coordinators at one point or another! I’m pretty Type A, so I found planning a wedding away without complete control a challenge.  I didn’t have any trouble at all booking the wedding itself, but found it hard when I would send 14 questions to the coordinator and have to wait a week to get a response. This is normal when your wedding is so far out! There can be up to 3 weddings a day, and all the coordinators work their butts off to make every wedding special. About 3-4 months before the wedding, we were sent the big planning package, where we actually picked things out. After that, the response time to e-mails went down to 24-48 hours, which is how they normally operate. The closer the wedding, the more immediate a response!

 

I knew a few weeks before arrival that Anabel would be our coordinator at the resort. There was a letter waiting for us when we checked in with our meeting time for the next morning. When we showed up, Anabel was very nice and had everything under control. Everything she reviewed was right, all our pre-selected options and all the prices on the bill. There was a small change to our venue - we had been confirmed for a beach reception near the Maya Diving side, but the Thanksgiving Day party bumped us back over to the Seaside Grill beach side – but she brought us over there and assured us it was going to be much nicer. That was super reassuring and at that point, I pretty much relinquished all control. I left our decorations with her and didn’t think about a thing until Thursday. She came through big time  – nothing was missed and the wedding day was perfect. Ladies, relax – Anabel is awesome and if it’s in her hands, don’t worry about a thing.  

 

Welcome Dinner

We did our welcome dinner the second evening we were at the resort in the World Café, as this is the only place you can do a group dinner without a surcharge. I confirmed in person at breakfast and it was all set up and ready when we arrived in the evening.

 

Photographers - Il Gruppo Digitale

Since we had Del Sol Photography booked for the wedding and the trash the dress (review to follow to go up shortly) we chose to use the resort photographer for the Welcome Dinner. He showed up and took 20 minutes max worth of photos. They were pretty typical posed pictures, and it was a bit of a struggle to pick the total included in our package. The ones that we felt turned out the best were all the ones where we didn’t pose like he wanted.

 

Spa

The spa is beautiful! I went with my maid of honor and another good friend on the morning of the wedding for a body scrub/wrap, which was amazing. We loved that the collected you from the hot tub. 

 

Elia did my hair and makeup for the wedding. I was a bit worried because I didn’t do a trial run, but it turned out fantastic. I really don’t know what kind of makeup they use, but it did not budge all night. Same with the hair – the hairspray is pretty solid stuff. My girlfriends also looked awesome and were really happy with their hair and makeup.

 

Since we had scheduled our wrap before our hair and makeup, we didn’t really have any time for lunch. They called room service for us and I was able to get a cheese tray and champagne brought in for an extra cost for us to snack on.

 

Wedding Day

We chose the Dreams of Love and paid extra for the following:

Bridesmaid bouquet

Rose petals for the aisle

2 extra centrepieces

Photgrapher Day Pay

Tiffany chairs

Décor set up

Arch setup (I supplied the material)

Paper lantern setup

Sound system for the ceremony and the reception (4 hours)

Extend reception by 1 hour to 10:30

 

The dress steam and suit press was part of the package. Both were picked up Wednesday and it was back in my room when I got back from the spa.

 

Flowers

Anabel and her assistant showed up pretty much right on time on the wedding day at 3:10 with my flowers. In the months prior to the wedding, this was my big stressor (I know, it seems so stupid now). I wanted fuschia, but not lilies or daisies. It seemed everything I thought of was either not available or going to cost me an arm and a leg. After probably my fourth inspiration bouquet e-mail, Anabel finally said “Why don’t we do roses and carnations?” Genius! It was one of the cheapest options available and the bouquets looked really full and it was exactly the look I wanted.

 

 

Ceremony

We had the symbolic ceremony on the beach by the Seaside Grill at 4:00pm, which was hte perfect time for pictures. Anabel’s assistant arrived at my room at 4:00 on the nose and said that everyone was in their chairs and it was time to go! When I got down there, the arch was done exactly how I wanted and everything was beautiful.

 

We chose to write our own ceremony and vows. I had sent it straight to the officiant (Kiko Flores) a few weeks beforehand, and he didn’t have any issues with it. He read everything perfectly and everyone could hear and understand him. Our ceremony lasted 15 minutes max.

 

We used the sound system for the ceremony and it was a bit windy and probably would have been hard to hear us, so I’m glad we got it. We also used it to play music for the processional (Vitamins String Quartet’s version of “Yellow” by Coldplay) and recessional (“Signed, Sealed, Delivered” by Stevie Wonder).

 

Cocktail Hour

Since we were off doing pictures, we didn’t attend the Cocktail hour from 5-6pm, but everyone seemed to enjoy it. We chose the shrimp, the smoked salmon and the mushroom appetizers and the champagne was apparently never ending. My dad cut my mom off after 4 glasses.  

 

Reception and Dance

I originally didn’t want to have our reception near the Seaside Grill because all of the pictures made it look extremely sparse. However, when we did our Monday walk around with Anabel, there were new palm trees that they had just put a few weeks prior lining the ceremony walkway and separating the reception site. It looked a thousand times better and the location worked great. It was off to the side, so there was no foot traffic at all – it really was our own private beach reception. We had a few extra centrepieces in the tables with the placecards and menu cards, as well as the paper lanterns near the (sand) dance floor. To make up for having to move us, Anabel also threw in 4 tiki torches and 12 paper bag lights, which was a very nice gesture that made it look even nicer.

 

The reception was from 6:30-10:30pm. The food was the best meal we had all week, and that’s saying something. We had the following:

Bruschetta

Mixed Italian Lettuce with Citrus Vinaigrette

Filet Mignon with Shrimp, Vegatable and Mashed Potato

Tiramisu

 

We had a tres leches wedding cake with vanilla filling – and I could cry just thinking about it, it was that good. Not the prettiest cake I’ve ever seen, but it tasted fabulous. We had cake boxes so once everyone had a piece, the waiters boxed every last bit up into boxes for people to take back to their rooms. I ate one box at midnight that night and the other box the next morning for breakfast – then regretted it instantly because that meant I had none left! When I got home, I emailed Anabel for the recipe, which she got me. J

Also, we had a special meal for our gluten sensitive person – which she also said was really good. The waiters were excellent – glasses never went empty. Around 9pm, one of the waiters ran over to get the nightly gluten free brownie and to also pick up a bacon cheeseburger and fries that I ordered for the hubby. He was so happy when it showed up!

 

The sound system worked great for us. We hooked up our iPad with our playlist and let it go. I think the waiters were trying to hold back from dancing – we tried to drag them out after we saw them tapping their toes but they refused. The sound technician showed up right at 10:25 and gave us 2 more songs before shutting us down.

 

Overall, this really was the wedding I dreamed about. I have nothing but good things to say about the resort and the staff. I'm so happy we chose this for our wedding and I'm so happy our closest friends and family enjoyed it as much as we did.

 

Here's our wedding day and trash the dress slide shows for the AWESOME Del Sol:

http://delsolphotography.com/blog/content/galleries/?gal=550

http://delsolphotography.com/blog/content/galleries/?gal=551