lolKAT

Hi Carley, Â We got married this past May at PA (wonder if it was our wedding that Kashad saw...) anyway, at first we were told we could have a private reception at Sabor, then we were told they didn't allow that, so we were offered Cafe del Mar. At first, I was kind of disappointed, since our rehearsal dinner was a beach bbq at CdM, so that would mean both nights, both parties in the same place. In the end, I'm really glad we had the reception at the cafe. There is a nice gazebo there with a wood floor that seated the 25 of us really comfortably. There's also a dance floor with a DJ booth. I brought my iPod and hired the hotel "music coordinator" for an extra $100, and he managed hooking everything up and making sure the music for the special dances (our first, me and my dad) was right. Bonus: he ran the iPod for the ceremony itself too! The DJ fee was $500 - $750, so we saved a lot of money by making our own mix. The hotel wouldn't let us stay past 10, however, so it meant that by the time we finished taking photos, eating, cutting cake, making toasts, we had about an hour to dance. After that, the "grownups" went to bed, and the rest of us hit downtown Isla Mujeres for more dancing and a nightcap. Send me an email and I'll be happy to answer any more questions for you. I understand your confusion with all thiskatherinemarbury@yahoo.com-- I definitely felt like I got a different answer on a different day with everything! I just stayed focused on the fact that the beach is beautiful no matter what the decor looks like, and that our friends and families had a great time!

Sorry, sboone, just noticed your actual question was about *not* blocking rooms... Hm, I don't know if they'd be open to that, since their prices seem pretty reasonable already (especially compared to other hotels at the same level on IM). They did seem pretty flexible with wedding arrangements, but I bet you would find your prices hiked up on the little extras if you didn't book rooms through them-- you notice they don't post prices for the "extras" online. Still, I can't say with any certainty, so, guess I'm not much help after all! But the Reservations Manager's name is Edgar, and he is who you would talk to about it. Have a great time there in December, you will love it! Kat

Hey sboone, I just got back from spending the weekend checking out hotels in Isla Mujeres, Privileges Aluxes included... and what they told me was this: You tell them how many rooms you think you'll need to block off; for us it's about 15. You give them about half the total money upfront as a deposit on the block. Then they give everyone a discount proportional to the group size. They told us the prices on the website were the ones they will be discounting. Everyone has to book their room through the Reservations Desk (if I understood correctly) for you (and everyone else) to get their full discounts. You wouldn't be responsible for paying for any rooms that aren't booked in the block, however, and your deposit is credited to your final bill (rooms and wedding services), so in that sense, it's refundable as credit. Hope this helps! Kat

Hi I'm Katherine... We're getting hitched in Isla Mujeres May 8, 2010!