Site Visits - Ceiba del Mar, Hotel Le Reve, La Amada, Blue Tulum

tweets.13 · June 26, 2010

Earlier this month my fiance and I did a site visit to Ceiba del Mar, Hotel Le Reve, La Amada, and Blue Tulum. Here is our brief review - email or post with any questions!

Ceiba del Mar - Wonderful! (and we booked it for our wedding next April.) The resort has a very authentic, Mexican feel to it. There are 88 rooms, which are spacious and cozy. The staff is incredibly friendly and helpful. There are numerous options to hold the various wedding events (cocktails, ceremony, reception, brunch, etc.) including the pier, a large terrace/bar area somewhat separated from the rest of the resort so it feels very private, a roof top lounge, pool side, beach, etc. The rain option is also appealing - a large (compared to other resorts) ballroom w/vaulted ceilings, or the beach side restaurant. The resort sits on its own stretch of beach, so you do not have to deal with other resorts right next door. Diana - the wedding coordinator - is always very available and responsive to our (numerous) questions. We took advantage of the spa while we were there, and had an INCREDIBLE massage. The food was good. We are big "foodies" and are spoiled by NYC restaurants, so we tend to be very critical. That being said, we were more than pleased with the food - creative, tasty, and enough authentic Mexican options. Also, they provide a complimentary coffee/tea/juice and danish service to every room in the morning. A very nice touch! My only criticism is that some of the cushions on the beach/pool chairs, spa chairs, and room terraces (every room has a patio/terrace!) looked a little worn - but they were still comfortable, clean, etc. Another bonus - there is a diving/snorkeling/excursion shop right on the property, so it is quite easy for your guests to arrange outings. I almost forgot the cherry on top - the bride and groom get upgraded to the Penthouse Suite - which is HUGE with a private plunge pool. Also, the town of Puerto Morelos seems like it will be fun to explore. A few of us girls plan to take advantage of the Little Mexican Cooking School, which is about a 10 minute bike ride from Ceiba (Ceiba has bikes for guests to use).

Hotel Le Reve - Also INCREDIBLE!!!! This hotel has so much going for it! The food here was by far the best we had in Mexico, and very authentic. Arlenis - the wedding coordinator - is amazing! She is full of energy and ideas - and willing to do basically anything you want. There are a few options for the wedding events - on the beach, pool side, or in their open air restaurant. The lighting at night is incredible. All of the rooms are very spacious, but they have a very minimalist concept - no TVs, clocks, etc. That being said, you hope your guests are there to enjoy the pool, beach, each other, etc. And, there are portable DVD players for use if someone really needs to watch a movie! Also, the bride and groom get a room upgrade. The master suites had the most incredible view and were huge! The beach bungalows were great, and about 30 feet from the water! The ultimate reason we did not choose Le Reve (and we debated back and forth between here and Ceiba) is there are not enough rooms (only 25) for all of our guests to stay at the hotel (although there are other options just a 5 min walk down the beach), and not enough rooms at the basic rate. If you have a smaller group, this place is a great option. You will feel like you rented a private villa! I really have nothing bad to say about this place. (And we plan on returning for a vacation here!)

La Amada - I am surprised that there are no posts on here about this place. It is a newer hotel (about 1 year old) and 15-20 minutes north of Cancun. The place is amazing - very chic, modern, pristine, and luxurious. The rooms are HUGE - each with a private jacuzzi. The shower is the size of my bathroom, with multiple shower heads (and we stayed in the basic room). The bride and groom (I believe) get an upgrade here to casitas w/plunge pools near the beach. The food was good, and they include a breakfast buffet with the room rate. It is not your standard free buffet - it has so many options, including authentic Mexican food, that I didn't know where to start! There are several locations for the wedding events, including this incredibly cool lounge space. It reminded me of some of the roof top lounges I find here in NYC. Ileana - the wedding coordinator - was very welcoming and helpful. AND, the room rates were the most affordable of all the places we checked out. If our room was double what we paid, we still would have felt like we got a good deal. We did not choose this place because it was a little to modern for what we were looking for. La Amada reminds you of something you would find on Miami Beach - and we wanted a place a little more authentic. Overall, this place is incredible if you are looking for a more modern, chic place.

Blue Tulum - This is the only place where we did not stay overnight, and our site visit was only for an hour or so. So please keep in mind that we did not have the same opportunity to review it as we did the other places. The various options for wedding events were GREAT here. The only hesitation I had was the reception space - if it is pool side or in the main dining area (the most appealing spaces), then it is not very private. While the area would be reserved just for the wedding group, the other resort guests would be dining on the second floor just above where the reception would be. Also, the dining options did not include much as far as Mexican food - two of the three restaurants were Asian and Italian, and the third has few Mexican options. Also, the one meal we ate here (at an off hour) was very disappointing. BUT, the rooms are very big- each with a jacuzzi. The beach is a short shuttle ride away (which we did not take/check out), but a friend of mine stayed here and said it was simple and the beach was very nice. The town of Tulum looks fun to explore.

I am sure I have forgotten something, so please post/email with any questions!

Theresa

lalanyc · June 27, 2010

Congratulations on a successful trip and on choosing a hotel!!! I'm happy to hear you liked CdM . Just when you thought you were done - now comes the PLANNING!!! more fun times