I checked out the TripAdvisor website, and the written word about people's experiences at SMB are terrific - so I wanted to share a few things that might be different or helpful. You can always check out the full reviews at
TripAdvisor.
The Journey...* The road to the resort is, yes, bumpy, to say the least. We didn't mind at all. We knew about this ahead of time from Trip Advisor. It was an adventure.
* The road in to the resort is like a little jungle safari. It's a one lane, dirt road with many potholes. If there's more than one car the other driver has to pull over to let you pass. We didn't mind this, it was like a mini-adventure for us.
The Small Things...* I enjoyed having a large shelf-sitting area in the shower so I could shave my legs easily without falling over :)
* They provide you with Gilchrist and Soames toiletries which were quite nice. We had a sewing kit, shaving cream, toothpaste, toothbrush, razor, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and a bottle of SPF15. All of it smelled really nice.
* Can't say enough about how gorgeous our room was. All marble floors (slippery when running in from the swim out to the bar fridge for another Corona so be careful!) Bathroom was all marble with separate little room with toilet--nice for the openness of the room. Loved how the tub was open to the room. Someone didn't think there was enough privacy but it is an adults only, very romantic resort so privacy wasn't an issue for my fiance and I.
* The bed was heavenly. My fiance didn't want to leave it. On the firm side which we loved. Bedding very cozy--all white.
The Rooms...* Loved the Secret Box for room service. If you put your red light on they see it outside and know not to disturb so place your order in secret box and give a knock and leave. Very private. Never have a mess in your room cause all dirty dishes and bottles go back in the secret box and they are picked up regularly.
o Swim out suite was very worth it. Main pools close at 6pm so when u feel like lounging in pool after dinner or through dinner and order room service to your room to enjoy dinner while in pool, the option is yours. Very much enjoyed the late night dip.
The Food... o I agree about asking for your steak to be cooked a little more than u would ask for at home. I always get medium but medium steak there was too rare. No problem though-they took it back and brought me a new cut done perfectly then I knew how to ask for it.
o (We) had our private little candle light dinner for 2 on the beach--highly recommend booking this. We asked our concierge on the 2nd day about it and he got us booked in for the Tuesday evening at 7pm. It was unbelievable. We walked onto the beach to find a little candlelit path guiding us right down to our table. Only 3 tables set up and 1st couple was finishing as we arrived and 3rd couple arrived as we were finishing. Very romantic dinner under the stars with a lovely breeze and the sound of the ocean and our feet in the sand. Two waiters took care of our every need. It was the most romantic dinner we have ever had. Food was surprisingly very hot too. I recommend everyone booking this. It comes included with a swim out room. It costs $200 if u do not have a swim out. Ours was included but we tipped nicely.
The Activities... o There is an Avis car rental desk in main lobby. Was overcast first couple of days so we thought we would rent a car. We used our internet in our room and went online to Avis at night and made a reservation for the next morning. They didn't have any compact cars available, which is what we reserved so they upgraded us to a jeep at no extra cost. Our rental cost $36 per day. We rented for 3 days and drove ourselves to Tulum and Xel-Ha.
+ (We) don't recommend a bus tour to Tulum. Very hot and just stone structures to look at. Only cost $7 entrance fee and saw it in 20 minutes, much faster with our car.
+ Then we went snorkeling in Xel-Ha. Loved it there. You have to make the time and go early. Everything is included in the entrance price of $75. Towels, unlimited buffet and drinks, snorkel gear--brand new mouth pieces in plastic for each person. You can tube down the river and jump off the cliff. It's on the must see and do list for sure.
+ I heard mixed things about renting a car in Mexico and going off on your own but we felt very safe the whole time--mind you we never ventured into any bad areas. I recommend renting a vehicle and doing your own thing for a day or two!
o I thought building 26 was a little noisy as it faces the back of the pool bar and the pool, it was OK though as we only used the balcony in late afternoon and evening and everyone clears out by then.
+ Scuba diving - we booked with Aquaworld down at the pool for both Cozumel and cavern diving - the package was a good value, they had good equipment and good dive masters. We liked the cavern dive better than the Cozumel dive. It was a smaller group and such a unique experience!
+ Activities pavilion - there is a fun pavilion with ping pong, foosball, and a pool table (the pool table is NOT level!) along with a TV and a bar that is open only part of the time. We ended up spending time here watching football and baseball and playing a lot of ping pong.
+ The drinks - they really do have a lot of top shelf liquor. We aren't big drinkers but it was a lot of fun to have a pina colada or mojito. Most of the drinks were too sweet in my opinion but the bartenders were very nice about following my instructions to make the drinks to my taste, which I really appreciated.
Thank you to everyone! I'm one happy bride. 
The new news is that the bridesmaids will be wearing a purple orchid in their hair (which we'll do our best to keep off their necks in the August heat) and the bride will wear the same orchid in white. This was a quickie DIY project that emerged out of an email and was completed in little more than an hour - I love those types of projects! Plus, Hobby Lobby had the orchid stems for 1/2 off, the barrettes for $1.99 (for 18), and I already owned the glue gun (watch out). A little hot glue and patience, and voila -- hair-ready o
rchids that look pretty darn real. If we can nab real ones in Mexico we'll try to use those instead, but these are a nice stress-reliever that we'll definitely have some tropical look to our hair. Plus, it's just plain fun - how often do you have an excuse to wear a flower in your hair?
* The bed was heavenly. My fiance didn't want to leave it. On the firm side which we loved. Bedding very cozy--all white.
o (We) had our private little candle light dinner for 2 on the beach--highly recommend booking this. We asked our concierge on the 2nd day about it and he got us booked in for the Tuesday evening at 7pm. It was unbelievable. We walked onto the beach to find a little candlelit path guiding us right down to our table. Only 3 tables set up and 1st couple was finishing as we arrived and 3rd couple arrived as we were finishing. Very romantic dinner under the stars with a lovely breeze and the sound of the ocean and our feet in the sand. Two waiters took care of our every need. It was the most romantic dinner we have ever had. Food was surprisingly very hot too. I recommend everyone booking this. It comes included with a swim out room. It costs $200 if u do not have a swim out. Ours was included but we tipped nicely.
+ (We) don't recommend a bus tour to Tulum. Very hot and just stone structures to look at. Only cost $7 entrance fee and saw it in 20 minutes, much faster with our car.
Then, from "10 things you should never DO at a wedding"...
In our case - 33 guests (including ourselves and our photographers) - guest books, at least the traditional kind, don't seem an overly useful concept. Many months ago, I found a great idea for a more functional and meaningful guest book. I ordered a set of 100 vintage Mexico postcards from Ebay (cost = $11 with shipping) and purchased a pretty orange paisley photo album ($8.99 at Michaels). The cards, along with some pens, will be stationed on the cocktail tables, and guests will be asked to write a message to us on the back of a card and then place it in the photo album. Instant-fun-guest-book! Plus, then we can add photos of each guest near to their written message, and have something that will be fun to peruse over the years. And just in case we forget what any of our guests look like....ha ha ha ha, right.
an they are worth. As I am not often deterred by such nay-sayers, I set out to create a simple menu that will spruce up our rather simple reception tables and convey the all-important reception menu (which will be the same for all guests, save for a few vegetarian types). I plan to print them on all-white cardstock that I already own to save costs, and then cut them in squares to add visual interest. For now, the two favorite picks in terms of font and layout are...
Yes, I am still fretting about wedding shoes. This is partially due to the fact that I have 2 dresses, and partially due to the fact that I love perusing for shoes and don't ever really want to have to decide already because there are so many pretty things for feet!
While I appreciate the beauty of flowers, let it be said that I do not consider myself a connoisseur of floral design in any way. However, I do know a few things about wedding flowers. First, they should be 'pretty' (at least to the bride); second, they should be hearty (so as not to wilt as they are jostled around from photos to ceremony to reception); and third, they should be reasonably-priced (since they will eventually pass on to flower heaven - I'm just too darn practical to spend tonsa money on things that don't last beyond a day or two). So, in the case of our lovely Mexico wedding, our package with the resort includes my bouquet, the groom's boutonniere, and 2 other corsages and 2 other boutonnieres (typically for parents is my guess). We also receive a large table arrangement that will be 
placed on the ceremony table, and then moved to our sweetheart table or the cake table for the reception.
Posts
