Does anyone have any experience with the Fairmont Mayakoba?

[giraffexx]

I am strongly considering getting married there November 2010. Any information about the resort would be appreciated. Thanks!

[nicolebodie]

Hi! I looked at it online and liked it. I unfortunately had to take it off of my list because I was looking for all-inclusive and it isn't. It looks great though! Good luck with your planning

[sosayi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by giraffexx I am strongly considering getting married there November 2010. Any information about the resort would be appreciated. Thanks!

I am possibly thinking of there, too! Are you still planning on that? If not, why?

THanks!

[giraffexx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sosayi I am possibly thinking of there, too! Are you still planning on that? If not, why? THanks!

Hi - I ended up choosing The Royal Playa del Carmen for two reasons.

1. The Royal is right in the center of Playa del Carmen so my guests can easily go where they'd like, the Fairmont would have required taxis to go anywhere.

2. The Royal is an all-inclusive resort so I think I will be more affordable for my guests to travel if they know their food and alcohol are included with their room.

The Fairmont looks AMAZING!! If I weren't trying to accommodate a large of group of people I would have choosen that resort. I am definitely planning on vacationing there sometime in the future. Good luck with your planning!

[sosayi]

Thanks for the reasoning! )

I have a "thing" against AIs (general lack of good food), but I am wondering if I need to get over it, at least for the sake of my guests.... as you say it would be easier for them.... sigh.... what to do!

[jaccat15]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Fairmont Mayakoba - and a girl I know is getting married there on May 30th. The room rates she got seem pretty good but it's not all inclusive so that was the reason I didn't look further into it - otherwise, I would def be looking it myself! you can check her website out on the knot for info:

Welcome - The Knot: Wedding Web Page Builder

 

her website gave me some good tips though!

 

Happy Planning!!!

[sosayi]

Ooo.... good to know, thanks! I just checked it out! And, I love how she has transport set up right there on her site... we'd been thinking we'd have to do something similar.

 

I am hoping to plan a trip down there, soon, to check it out. But I love the idea of being a bit away from downtown, and the place seems gorgeous!

[Elizabeth Medina]

It really is a gorgeous, gorgeous location and the architecture and grounds have a very unique, natural feel. I love it that they have bikes and gondolas all over the resort that you can use to explore. At the wedding I shot there the bride arrived at the ceremony location (MK Blue) by gondola, how cool is that?The Fairmont Mayakoba just really stands out in my mind as an amazing resort. That said, I will probably never forget the price of the bottle of water I bought there either!

 

 

 

 

 

[sosayi]

Soooooo..... I went on a site visit last week, and we've decided to go with the Fairmont Mayakoba!

 

We LOVED it!

 

Pros:

1) Gorgeous grounds - very vibrant, lush, and jungley! The paths are overflowing with greenery, and there are brightly colored flowers tucked away everywhere. I also loved the more brightly colored rooms (hot pinks, oranges, dark woods, and white walls) which seemed much more "Mexico" than some of the more "modern" places that we looked at.

2) Wide variety of room categories! With 13 categories, there is something for every budget. The lowest category, Fairmont room with a non-water views, would be only $129 a night, with our block discount. Which is great for a lot of our less-established friends! Plus, if they really wanted, they could have a room with two double beds, and share with two couples. Also, EVERY room has a balcony, which I thought was a fabulous touch. Also, all had gorgeous rain showers, in addition to separate bathtubs..... ah, soaking after a long day at the beach!

3) GREAT food. I've read a few reviews, saying the food was not quite up to snuff (trip advisor), and they are definitely wrong. Being a huge foodie (god, I hate that word, though), the quality of food was very important to me, and Fairmont definitely lived up to my expectations. We had dinner at the place we'll have the reception and I loved it! While I haven't seen sample menus yet, I am not at all worried about execution.

4) Friendly english speaking staff - very key for the older family members. Most of our friends can get by on, or speak Spanish fluently, but I knew that some of the older guests would be really uncomfortable if they couldn't communicate. Plus, every was was SO nice! Not a grumpy person there that I could see.

5) Okay, silly, but I love the bikes that they have everywhere! You can just grab one and ride around the resort. Loved it!

6) Venues. There are TONS of venue choices - lawn, balconies, restaurants, beach, ballrooms, you name it. We've decided to have the ceremony on the beach, with the reception at the beach "palapa" restaurant (very nice and upscale inside, with warm gold tones, which will match the color scheme I want, and it already has great lighting). But, I really liked quite a few of their options.

7) Beach - great beach, and plenty of chairs for everyone!

Pools - not really my thing, but they had 5, and all were very very nice, and not at all crowded.

9) Spa. Gorgeous. Huge separate facility, and they had great "wedding" packages that weren't too expensive, and they can do hair/make-up with trials! Either in the spa, OR in your room.

10) DMC right at the resort. Which is great for booking transport into Playa for a rehearsal dinner, and a few outings as well!

11) Florist right on the grounds = easy for me.

 

Cons:

1) A little more expensive than I had been thinking. We have a fairly generous budget, but I am definitely going to try and cut some corners! Of course, the "sample" budget they gave us had a few silly things included (like 1 hr of a violin playing), so I think it was fairly inflated, but, still! DIYing a few table touches, here I come. But, the location itself is so gorgeous, I don't think we'll need much on decoration anyway!

2) Not right in Playa. Guests will have to take a taxi OR have a rental cab if they want to get into town. But, on the other hand, I think most of them will be happy with just sitting on the beach/playing frisbee/reading, so our rehearsal dinner should be enough for them to see the town.

3) Resort doesn't provide transport from the airport - we'll have to arrange something on our own!

4) Ahem. Resort "approved" photographers only. And I had my heart set on one not on the list. We're still trying to decide what to do there, but photos are so important to me, I might just bite the bullet and pay for the fee to bring one in. Wasn't super keen on any of the choices, just because I want a more photojournalistic style, and none of their approved ones seemed to shoot like that.

 

In all, I am SUPER excited about our decision. If you want any more specific info, just let me know! I took about 200 pictures, and I can share if you'd like! Plus, if you want any contact info, I can pass it along, too. REally cannot say enough about how much I loved the place!

[Smidge]

My daughter is getting married at the Fairmont Mayakoba in three weeks, and everything is going beautifully. We have about 90 people coming who are delighted that are able to make a vacation out of attending the the wedding. Most are staying 4 nights or longer. Anyone needing info on how we are doing things, let me know.