Things People Wouldn't Do in Cancun

I am completely fascinated with online forums. One that I watch with particular fervor is TripAdvisor.com, which is a travel site at first glance, but if you click that little tab on the homepage called "Forums"...you are transferred to another universe, one that allows people to bash, trash, like, and love their travel experiences. It's a phenomenon you must experience to appreciate. I cannot get over how much of people's lives are 'lived' via the world wide web, and how this has changed just over the past 3-5 years. I remember thinking it was a huge deal to have an email address when I started college in 1996. I remember how 'telnet' was so amazing, and you could even CHAT with people on there if you knew the right words to type (and you had hacker dork friends like me). Now - you can literally learn more than you ever wanted to know from complete strangers. It boggles me, but in the same breath, I can honestly say that I appreciate it a ton when it comes to planning a destination wedding for us, our families, and our friends, some of whom have never visited Mexico. Most of my life is consumed in learning, through one method or another, and it just so happens that forums feed that need in a very simply packaged manner.

So I checked out the Riviera Maya region forum tonight, just to see if anyone has actually stayed at Secrets Maroma Beach yet, and if so, did they have anything nice (or mean) to say about it? Well, I did not find too much on that particular topic, but I DID find this very interesting post about what people do NOT recommend doing in and around Cancun. Here is a sampling of information:

• I would tell others to avoid Market 28. I did not feel safe there and I was pestered by merchants trying to barter deals with me on trivial merchandise - including marijuana.
• So, we tried the Crab House, the food was OK, IMHO, but the bill, was astronomical. 4 adults, 2 steak dinners, 2 small lobster tails, came out to over $400.00 USD. Which I think is a little bit over priced, since we always go to Lorenzillo's for much better food and price. Also, we were very tired from the night before, so there was no liquor at our table, only water.
• Do not over plan your stay!!! Things change, you can always make plans for a trip at the resort. Dpending on the weather, how you feel, how things are going. I see people planning five trips on a seven night stay! So when do you relax?
• Never would buy a taco out of the trunk of a car. You will see a lot of this downtown, can`t imagine how unsafe this would be to a tourists tummy.
• I would not be rude to employees as I have seen others do...it gets them no where and probably are worse off in the end....remember RESPECT.
• I liked Xel-Ha and Tulum, but would not couple them as one tour again. Way too much to do in one day and you feel very rushed. Would not use the airport transfers included in your travel package. It took us about 2 hours to get to the resort. Now I always spring for the private transfers....30 min. tops.
• Would never again drink one tequila shot after another just to get up the nerve to sing Karaoke!
• I would never lay out without sunscreen.
• I would never go shopping at Walmart in Playa del Carmen at night if you don't know Spanish.

Hey, these people apparently know what they are talking about...after all, they spend a good bit of time on these forums every day. Who wouldn't believe them??

We're Booked!! It's Official!!

Christopher and I will be married at the Secrets Maroma Beach Resort just south of Cancun, Mexico on August 8th, 2009.

We booked our travel today through Roads Less Taken (http://roadslesstaken.com/) and are SO EXCITED!

Beau has promised to get me the rate chart for our guests (for 3, 4, 5, and 7-night stays) and I just can't thank him enough for helping me through the process of choosing the resort, and then finding the absolute best prices anywhere. The agency is so knowledgeable, and Beau's wife Carol will help me in handling all of the wedding details with the on-site wedding coordinator (her name is Cecilia Reyes, and she was just hired this week).
The resort opened officially today, after some start-up issues with electricity (which all of the people who had booked stays there for this week were VERY angry about). Let's hope that by giving them a year, we'll have very few 'growing pains' to deal with when we are there!!


Christopher and I will be staying at the resort to chill and party with all of our family and friends from August 5 to August 9, and then will be departing for our honeymoon...just up the road, at the Le Blanc Spa resort. Click here to check out this ultra modern resort

Aaah! We can't wait! (Christopher doesn't say 'aaah!', but Mindy does. Just making that clear.)

resort selection through the eyes of a researcher

So...I think everyone knows that I research things...and generally this is a good thing. However, sometimes things you'd rather not know should remain...unknown.
*you wonder, where is this going?*

Well, the time has come for us to choose a resort at which we will host our Mexico wedding. We've established a number of different requirements (both Christopher and I have our list of 'must-haves') and attempted to hold various resorts against these to see who would fall out, and who would remain a possibility.
Needless to say, there weren't many resorts left after we finished that process!

The resort 'chains', if you will, that hung around were Secrets Resorts, Excellence Resorts, and the Le Blanc Spa in Cancun. We have determined that because the Le Blanc Spa is a bit more subdued and chill, we will be spending our 4-night honeymoon there following our wedding at one of the other resorts (or...we might book a cruise if we can, but this is just a thought at this point). So we are down to Secrets and Excellence.

The Secrets Resort line actually owned Excellence up until last year, so it wasn't too surprising that both resorts fared well in our choice matrix. The Secrets line has branched out, building and opening two new resorts in the area (Secrets Silversands, and Secrets Maroma Beach). ALL are 4.5-5 star, all-adults, all-inclusive properties in the Riviera Maya region (south of Cancun). All contain at least 6 ala carte restaurants, and have at least 6 bars of differing types (swim-up bars, beach bars, night clubs/bars, piano lounges, cigar bars, spa bars, oh my!). All have nightly entertainment on-site, and a variety of activities included in the daily room price (including kayaking, snorkeling, sailing, water aerobics, beach volleyball, archery lessons, tennis lessons...). All provide 24-hour room service...included as well.

So, now it is on to examine their actual wedding packages. Because these resorts were all influenced by the same presence at one point in time or another, the packages between Secrets and Excellence are pretty similar. One of my "must-haves" was the inclusion of some type of additional food and drink IN the wedding package that the resort offers (so, a cocktail reception or dinner reception included in the package price). I found this to be the crux of the wedding package debate - and the reason that most of the other very-nice properties did not make our list (e.g., El Dorado Royale, Le Blanc Spa, etc.). Both Secrets and Excellence include a wedding reception AND wedding dinner in their silver and gold level packages - for up to 20 people. After 20, you pay by the head. I feel pretty good about this kind of deal, mainly because at all of the other resorts, you pay per head after just 1 person! The other 'very cool element' to each resorts' packages is that the groom is given a separate room the night before the wedding...we thought this was very sweet and would add to the wedding experience.

But how to differentiate between Excellence and Secrets? Two of the properties are established (Secrets Capri and Excellence Riviera), and two are brand new, just opening in August 2008 (Secrets Silversands and Secrets Maroma Beach). Maybe price? We definitely included price in our matrix, mainly because we want this to be a possible trip for everyone on our guest list! But after speaking with a travel agent, AND working up prices all over the internet, it doesn't seem likely that price will help us decide. They are all just too similar.

Stay tuned for the next chapter in the saga, where I attempt to come up with more seemingly nonexistent differences...and maybe we'll make a choice!! SOON!