Yean's Dreams Tulum Review with non pro PICS 06.25.09

ida · July 2, 2009

Iâ€™m so happy that I have this chance to write a review because at one point I didnâ€™t think that we were going to make it to Mexico for our wedding (swine flu). Weâ€™re lucky that everything worked out for us in the end and Iâ€™m also thankful that mother nature was on our side! Phew! Having our wedding at Dreams Tulum was so intimate and perfect! Once we got there our wedding coordinator Anabel was so helpful that I didnâ€™t really have much to worry about. It helped that our wedding group was small and everything I wanted was pretty simple. The major thing I splurged on was a good photographer and am I ever glad I did! We had Vincent from Del Sol Photography and adored him! He was so sweet and so professional. I cannot wait to see my pro pics!!!

I would like to thank Sunbrideâ€™s Dreams Tulum Thread for all the advice and ideas for my dream wedding! ☺

Air Canada Vacations:

Excellent! I got to collect Aeroplan points! I love the tv screens on the plane behind each seat to help you kill time. We got all our luggage safe and sound. Shuttle to the resort was in a big bus (2 hrs to Dreams cuz two stops ahead of us) and shuttle back to the airport in a van (direct 1.5 hr).

Resort:

Perfect! Not too big and not too small. We got upgraded the 2nd day to a Dreams Suite and the room is much nicer than the Gardenview Rooms. Room service is the best. My whole group used it a lot especially when they were hungry at night! The food and service at this resort is very good. They were a little slow at times but I know they work hard. We had such a blast because there was always something to do! The entertainment at night was always fun. Itâ€™s probably the best all-inclusive resort Iâ€™ve been to and Iâ€™ve been to quite a few.

Food & Drinks:

Bar â€“ The Sugar Reef bar was my favourite. There was always a cool breeze at night from the ocean. Loved it! The lobby bar was also a nice place to hang out at night. My favourite drinks were the mango mojitos & miami vice!!! The coffee is also really good at this resort. The Desire dance club needs a better DJ. They had a rock band and a DJ on Sunday night by the Sugar Reef bar and it was so much fun! My dad won the dancing contest and got 25 mins of free massage at the spa. The staff does a great job trying to get people involved in the games & activities.

World CafÃ© buffet â€“ very good with many selections for breakfast, lunch & dinner. The only thing I can complain about is no fruit for dessert at dinner.

Himitsu â€“ delicious! Everything from starters to the main entrÃ©e. I think I tried everything on this menu and loved it. The only thing I didnâ€™t like was the Tom Yum soupâ€¦they donâ€™t make it right.

Gohan & Bordeaux â€“ I did not get to try but everyone from our party that had sushi at Gohan loved it and they also liked Bordeaux!

Portofino â€“ was okâ€¦coffee and dessert was the best.

El Patio â€“ was great for lunch. Mahi mahi was good but a little greasy. Everyone from our group that had a hamburger thought it was one of the best burgers theyâ€™ve had.

Seaside Grill â€“ I donâ€™t think any of us tried it.

Beach & Pool:

Itâ€™s not the best beach to go in but itâ€™s still beautiful to look at. We went snorkeling ($5 usd for snokel) around the area but I wouldnâ€™t recommend it. If you walk more south pass the seaside grill the beach looks a little better. Both of the pools are really nice. Water aerobic was fun and yoga at 8am was really relaxing.

Excursions:

We went as a group with the resort staff to Cenote for about 2.5 hrs. It cost $45 usd per person but because we got 10 people 2 of us were free. It was better that way because we didnâ€™t want to be stuck with a tour group all day. We also tried to visit the ruins at Tulum but got there too late. If you want to see the ruins there try to go early because they close the ticket booth at 4:30pm even though the resort told us they close at 5pm!!! The cab ride there was only $7 usd one way so it wasnâ€™t too bad. We made the best of it and went to Tulum beach south of the ruins.

Spa:

Jennifer emailed us before our trip and asked if we wanted to book anything ahead of time to get the 15% off thru email. Donâ€™t do it! I booked a coupleâ€™s massage for us and later found out that they have specials everyday for 30% off if you book any spa treatments in the morning (I think 8 to 1pm?) Our appointment was at 3pmâ€¦but still I would have rather had it earlier for 30% off. So you might as well wait until you get there to book your treatments (unless its for your wedding hair & makeup).

Hair & Makeup:

I got my makeup done by my best friend and did my own hair (half ass because I was in a rush). The curls were gone by the end of the ceremony because of the humidity and wind. I wanted mine half up so I took a chanceâ€¦I would recommend you put your hair all back or spray A LOT of good hairspray.

Wedding Flowers:

I loved my bouquet! Originally I picked white calla lilies but Anabel said they are not in season so I had the option to pick whatever I wanted even though I went with the free Wedding in Paradise package. I stuck with my theme and chose dark pink roses with mini purple orchids. I gave Anabel my ribbon ahead of time for my bouquet and they did an excellent job. I love my colour combo. I didnâ€™t want flowers on the canopy so I asked for rose petals instead for the aisle (which she didnâ€™t put until after the ceremony!) and for our guests to throw. She also used some for the reception table which I loved. Simple and classic. My bridesmaidâ€™s bouquets were silk flowers I ordered online. The flower on their hair we made from a stem of orchids I bought from Michaelâ€™s.

Wedding Ceremony & Reception:

We went with the free Wedding in Paradise package and had the civil ceremony. The only thing we paid for was the:

1.Blood Test - $165 usd

2.Judge Transportation - $50 usd

3.2 day passes for photographers $55 usd each + 10% tax

4.Ceremony sound system - $150 usd + 10% tax

5.Reception dinner outside of El Patio $20 usd each + 10% tax + 15% gratuity

6.Marriage certificate we took home ourselves so we didnâ€™t have to pay the $100

Our ceremony was at 6pm on the beach by the seaside grill. The wedding party & I walked in to â€œStay with youâ€ by John Legend and out to â€œSigned, sealed, delivered, Iâ€™m yoursâ€ by Stevie Wonder. We had the judge do her thing then we exchanged our own vows and also did the ring exchange then. We memorized our own vows and surprised each other with it at that moment. Everything happened so fast I wish I could do it over and over again. ☺ Our reception was outside the El Patio. Loved the setup. I was disappointed the wedding cake came out so late cuz by then the photographers had already left. We are having a bigger reception at home this month so I didnâ€™t bring anything down but buri fans for the guests. I canâ€™t even remember what we picked for food because there were so many choices! All I can remember was flank steak for our main entrÃ©e and I loved it! We had our own mini ipod player the whole time and loved every moment of it.

Photographer:

Our videographer was my sisterâ€™s boyfriend. He did a great job capturing the moment with his digital Canon camera. It was a little windy that day but its good enough for me cuz the video is not that important to me. However, the photographer is really really important to me! I knew from the beginning that I wanted Del Sol Photography for my wedding. I originally wanted to go with Sol but because we had to hire a second photographer for our reception at home I had to stick within the budget. I was not disappointed at all to pick Vincent! He is so passionate about what he does and so hard working! We booked Vincent for 4 hours and also had him for our TTD shoot the next day. He is awesome! I cannot wait to get our pics and share it with you. I totally recommend Vincent from Del Sol.

Besides the little minor details that went wrongâ€¦our wedding day was perfect. I couldnâ€™t be happier because we got to share our special day with our loved ones and I got to marry the man of my dreams!

If you would like to view my album of non pro pics, pls visit this link:

Pictures by yeankyle - Photobucket