Narrowing things down - Honeymoon!

[LauraSLP07]

My FI and I really need to decide on a honeymoon location soon...he finally renewed his passport and should be receiving the new one in a few weeks.

Thus far, I am having fun looking at various websites including tripadvisor.com for reviews of all-inclusive resorts in Cancun, Mexico and the Caribbean. I was originally thinking about a Sandals Resort (either Grande Antigua or Regency St. Lucia), but tripadvisor.com had LOTS of mixed/negative reviews, so I decided to eliminate all Sandals Resorts from the final decision.

Here are my final few:
1) The Royal Cancun (website: www.realresorts.com) It opened last Spring and got good reviews on Trip Advisor
2) Secrets Maroma Beach - Rivera Cancun (website: www.secretsresorts.com) It is brand new and opens in July...no reviews yet, so that is a little bit scary!
3) Couples Swept Away - Negril (website: www.couples.com) FI isn''t too sure about Jamacia, but I heard it is beautiful!

The resorts are all adult-only and have honeymoon options/specials. Has anyone been to any of these resorts or recommend any others that I can check out? My FI is not a big fan of swimming in the ocean, but a nice pool with a swim-up bar is a MUST for him!

 

[sunnygirl]

Hi Laura,

I don''t know much about Secrets Maroma Beach but if it is anything like Secrets Capri in the Riviera Maya, it will be fantastic! FI and I spent 7 wonderful, relaxing days at Secrets Capri a couple years ago. The food was delicious, the service was great, and the pool was beautful (with, of course, a large swim up bar). I thought the price (at least at that time) was very reasonable for what we got. We alternated between lounging on the beach and lounging by the pool - with pina coladas etc being served to us all day. Ahhh the memories! There were many honeymooners there (in fact, everyone thought we were honeymooning until we informed them we were just living in sin!) and I even ran into an acquaintance from college on her honeymoon.

Overall, it was a fantastic vacation and I highly recommend Secrets. Not having splashing kids in the pool was priceless. I wish we could do an adults-only resort but most are in the Caribbean area and we are getting married during hurricane/rainy season.

Good luck with your decision! Isn''t tripadvisor horribly addicting?

 

[sunnygirl]

Oh and we did a fun excursion to Chichen Itza which we both really enjoyed. I am wishing we were back there now!

 

[LauraSLP07]

Thanks sunnygirl for your input!

The new Secrets Maroma Beach is going to be a little bit larger than the Secrets Capri and on the coast inbetween Playa de Carmen and Cancun. I am really interested in it and the price is actually comparable (if not cheaper) than Sandals! Since Secrets Maroma is brand new in July, I am a little bit nervous because any new hotel is bound to have some "kinks" in the system and I don''t want to be on my honeymoon when they need resolved!

Any other opinions or suggestions????

P.S. FMIL and FFIL are paying for our honeymoon as a wedding gift, so I obviously want to go somewhere nice, but don''t want to "break the bank." LOL!

 

[lucy.lucy.80]

for cancun have you checked out Dreams Cancun? I haven''t been there but it looks beautiful and got really good reviews. My FI and I were going to go there for our honeymoon but decided on Aruba instead, because we have already been to Cancun.

Another great place in cancun is Marriott casa magna...not all inclusive but beautiful hotel. thats were we stayed last time and loved it!

 

[Courtneylub]

Date: 2/11/2008 9:06:02 AM
Author: lucy.lucy.80
for cancun have you checked out Dreams Cancun? I haven''t been there but it looks beautiful and got really good reviews. My FI and I were going to go there for our honeymoon but decided on Aruba instead, because we have already been to Cancun.

Another great place in cancun is Marriott casa magna...not all inclusive but beautiful hotel. thats were we stayed last time and loved it!

I''ve been to Dreams Cancun and it was pretty nice. I personally wouldn''t go back and wouldn''t recommend it for a honeymoon. I''ve been drooling over the Royal Cancun for a while and that''s where I want to go next time we travel to Mexico. I would go there and get the swim-up suite!

 

[LauraSLP07]

You gals aren''t making my decision much easier! LOL...

I looked into Beaches, but I believe that it is a family resort, not adult-only. I mean, I like kids, but I want some peace and quiet on my honeymoon!

Has anyone been to a brand new resort shortly after it opened? If so, were there problems with plumbing or food? That is my main concern about Secrets Maroma Beach.

With the Royal Cancun - I agree with courtneylub...the pictures made me almost drool on my keyboard! The only negative review I have heard is about the beach not being very spacious, but my FI is a pool person anyways!

 

[eks6426]

If you''re looking into the Riveria Maya area, check out locogringo.com Lots of great info & a very active forum.

One place I really liked was Blue Tulum:

http://www.locogringo.com/tulum/eurostarsbluetulum.html?name=Eurostars%20Blue%20Tulum

 

[Courtneylub]

Date: 2/11/2008 3:46:03 PM
Author: LauraSLP07
You gals aren''t making my decision much easier! LOL...

I looked into Beaches, but I believe that it is a family resort, not adult-only. I mean, I like kids, but I want some peace and quiet on my honeymoon!

Has anyone been to a brand new resort shortly after it opened? If so, were there problems with plumbing or food? That is my main concern about Secrets Maroma Beach.

With the Royal Cancun - I agree with courtneylub...the pictures made me almost drool on my keyboard! The only negative review I have heard is about the beach not being very spacious, but my FI is a pool person anyways!

Sandals is the same ownership as Beaches, but Sandals is adult only. We booked our at Sandals in the Bahamas, but it''s gotten bad reviews lately. I''m worried...I made a thread about it not too long ago.

The Royal Cancun looks just perfect, but yeah I noticed the beach wasn''t as big as others, but so what? Also, there''s a Royal in Playa Del Carmen that''s beautiful too with a bigger beach. It''s just not as new as the one in Cancun, but it''s still looks wonderful.

 

[Neveah]

Check out the Royal in Playa Del Carmen (hour away from Cancun and close to Riveria Maya) We''re going there after friends absolutely raved about it! Very luxurious and incredible affordable too!

http://www.realresorts.com.mx/The_Royal_Playa_Carmen/

 

[Neveah]

Oops... didn''t see the post above me! From all the research we did, the Royal in Playa Del Carmen has an incredible beach that was not affected by the hurricane. Anyway.... I can''t wait! GL with your choice!

I don''t know about you but I''m MUCH more excited for the HM than the wedding!

Stress free and relaxing with all the wedding stuff behind us! And married!

 

[indypitty]

My FSIL went to the Royal Cancun and said it was wonderful. In fact, she''s gone to two other adults-only all inclusives since and has been extremely disappointed.

We went to Secrets Capri last year and it was so absolutely fantastic. I also am looking forward to the new Secrets Maroma ~ Maroma Beach is rated one of the top 10 in the world.

We are going to honeymoon at the new Excellence Playa Mujeres. Have you looked into that one? It also looks wonderful. Good luck deciding! I know it''s hard to make a choice.

 

[beesknees]

i''ve noticed that lots of people have been knocking sandals lately, and although I''ve only gone to the Sandals in St. Lucia, it was a trip of a lifetime! we went there for a wedding and it was beautiful and really fun. we stayed at the Grande St. Lucian, which I heard was the best out of the three resorts that are on the island. we went in october of 2006, and i have nothing but good things to say about it. thought i''d stick up for the resort since it seems to be getting a bad rap as of late.

 

[Fancy605]

I think it''s best to avoid sandals personally. I know a few people who have been, and they find it a little bit on the crummy side.

I''ve heard good things about Swept Away in Jamaica. The Spas get mentioned in spa magazines a good bit. But, you would probably be confined to the resort for the majority of your trip. I know a lot of people who have been, and those who went exploring outside of the resort generally fell victim to pickpockets (even in the taxi!) or were made to feel uncomfortable by constant offers of contraband. My friends who mostly enjoyed the properties they were visiting tended to have a lot of fun.

Have you seen this place?http://www.palaceresorts.com/Resorts/AventuraSpaPalace/Index.asp

I have never been, but I have been researching it for the past few months, and I am really considering it for our first anniversary trip if we can save up enough for it. I mention it because you said you are looking for a good pool scene, and the pool looks ridiculously amazing (and reviews I''ve found say the pools are so massive that it''s easy to feel alone in them). Plus it''s in a pretty location, and they offer all kinds of free tours to various attractions.

 

[Courtneylub]

Date: 2/11/2008 6:50:28 PM
Author: Fancy605
I think it''s best to avoid sandals personally. I know a few people who have been, and they find it a little bit on the crummy side.

I''ve heard good things about Swept Away in Jamaica. The Spas get mentioned in spa magazines a good bit. But, you would probably be confined to the resort for the majority of your trip. I know a lot of people who have been, and those who went exploring outside of the resort generally fell victim to pickpockets (even in the taxi!) or were made to feel uncomfortable by constant offers of contraband. My friends who mostly enjoyed the properties they were visiting tended to have a lot of fun.

Have you seen this place?http://www.palaceresorts.com/Resorts/AventuraSpaPalace/Index.asp

I have never been, but I have been researching it for the past few months, and I am really considering it for our first anniversary trip if we can save up enough for it. I mention it because you said you are looking for a good pool scene, and the pool looks ridiculously amazing (and reviews I''ve found say the pools are so massive that it''s easy to feel alone in them). Plus it''s in a pretty location, and they offer all kinds of free tours to various attractions.

Super!!! That''s where we booked our honeymoon!

 

[LauraSLP07]

Gee...of course I am away from my computer for most of the evening watching TV with FI, only to come back with TONS of GREAT responses!! You are all so helpful!!

IslandDreams - The link you posted will be great for me and FI to look through...I love Trip Advisor, but keep finding myself reading the same reviews!

Courtneylub - I read your thread about booking with Sandals and hope that everything works out for you! When I read bad reviews, I just take them into consideration and try to use their input to make my trip knowledge better! For me, personally, there were just too many "mixed" reviews on the Sandals resorts, so I went in the search of something a little bit more stable.

Neveah - I looked at the Royal Playa del Carmen too! It does look like the beach is better there and the amenities are comparable to the Royal Cancun. Our decision is going to be hard! Like you, I am really looking forward to the honeymoon because there will be no reason to be nervous. My wedding is in July, and I already have butterflies!!!

indypitty - I'm glad your FSIL had a good time at the Royal Cancun. It is either a 4 star or 5 star resort...I forget which! Secrets Capri is where my best friend and her DH stayed on their honeymoon! They loved it! That's where I got the idea to check out Mexico for a good honeymoon spot. I am excited to hear more about Secrets Maroma as the construction finishes. I guess I am just nervous to book with them without hearing reviews first.

beesknees - I'm glad you had fun at Sandals when you went....I have read tons of positive reviews and also quite a few negative reviews for various Sandals resorts. I guess I decided against it for my honeymoon because there seemed to be no "middle of the road" reviews. It was either 5 stars or 1 star. I would hate to be one of the people who had a 1 star experience.

Fancy605 - I think that my jaw dropped when I opened up that link you posted for Adventure Spa Palace! It looks beautiful!!!!!!

Well thanks again everyone for your advice/opinions! If there are anymore suggestions, I am always around at sometime during the day to check things out on the BIW board!!!

 

[BigDiamonds]

I haven''t been to Couples Swept Away, but I went to Couples Negril a few years ago and it was great. Definitely not 5 star luxury, but clean and nice with good food. I would definitely go back. I would also second what someone else said about staying on the resort property when in Jamaica. Unless you are on some sort of nature tour (hiking, rafting, etc.) I would pretty much stick to the resort. Our experience with Negril was that it wasn''t nearly nice or safe enough to make it worth the excursion, especially when the resort is so relaxing.

We are considering Secrets Capri for our honeymoon next year. I have a friend who has been there four times and swears by it. We are also considering Petit St. Vincent, but that sounds a lot smaller than what you''re looking for.

 

[eks6426]

Big Diamonds--I don't want to hijack this thread but if you want info on Petit St. Vincent let me know...I went there for my honeymoon in 2005. I agree that it doesn't really meet Laura's requirements...no pool and not much of a scene but it sure was fabulous to me.


Laura--Another good place to look for trips is on http://luxurylink.com/ You can often find bargains for high end places that would normally be out of most people's price ranges.

 

[LauraSLP07]

I think that FI and I have decided to go with The Royal Cancun - All of their amenities just seem too great to pass up! For an all-inclusive, the location seems great, the rooms look beautiful, and the food has had decent reviews on Trip Advisor. Apparently, a beach renovation/"renourishment" is going to be performed to add more space and sand. It is scheduled to be completed in March or April.

Does anyone know if AAA can get you good rates on all-inclusive resorts such as The Royal Cancun?

 

[Courtneylub]

Date: 2/12/2008 5:01:07 PM
Author: LauraSLP07
I think that FI and I have decided to go with The Royal Cancun - All of their amenities just seem too great to pass up! For an all-inclusive, the location seems great, the rooms look beautiful, and the food has had decent reviews on Trip Advisor. Apparently, a beach renovation/''renourishment'' is going to be performed to add more space and sand. It is scheduled to be completed in March or April.

Does anyone know if AAA can get you good rates on all-inclusive resorts such as The Royal Cancun?

Very good choice! I would definitely choose that for our honeymoon if we didn''t already go to Cancun almost every year as it is. That''s the next trip we will take after our honeymoon!

I''ve figured out we can cancel our Sandals reservation, so I''m excited to book a different Bahamas resort!

 

[LauraSLP07]

That''s great Courtneylub! I hope you find someplace amazing for you honeymoon in the Bahamas!
I am excited about booking our honeymoon, but am nervous about booking online. I want to hunt for a good deal, but don''t know if I should just find a travel agent here in Pittsburgh or book through AAA? What would you recommend?

 

[BigDiamonds]

IslandDreams, thanks for the offer for info on PSV! I may have to take you up on it when we get more serious. I also really like that luxurylink site...lots of potential!!!

 

[happy in love]

Hi Laura,

FI and I are going to the Cancun area too. We are staying at the Playacar Palace resort in Playa del Carmen for 5 nights, and then Aventura Spa Palace for 6 nights just a little south of Playa. we are going to a wedding at Xcaret for the first few days, so we wanted to be close in Playa del Carmen, but also wanted to spend sometime without the chance of running into others attending the wedding, so we chose to go to Aventura for the second half which is an adult only resort.

I love that there are so many Palace properties around the Mayan Riviera so we can try other resorts out too. Did you check out any of them? What did you like about the Royal resorts? Our friends who are getting married there also suggested the Barcelo resorts, and the Royals.

 

[LauraSLP07]

happy in love -

It sounds like you are going to be quite busy on your honeymoon....another wedding to go to? Wow!

Anyways, I honestly didn''t really look look into any Palace resorts. Looking now, they are beautiful, but I am still really leaning towards The Royal Cancun. FI loves big pools and I am thinking about getting us a swim-up suite at the Royal so that we won''t have to worry about the "towel game." I like that the Royal is nearby Margaritaville and other tourist attractions in Cancun just in case we decide to leave the resort and buy some souveniers for family/friends. I was also really drawn to the overall look of the resort. It is very contempory and modern. Also many of the recent reviews on Trip Advisor have really raved about it!

My only concern is that FI will both be 25 on our honeymoon. I have heard that a lot of the people who go to the Royal are in their 30s and 40s. Not a big deal, but it would be nice to meet another couple our age to talk with!

When are you going on your honeymoon?

 

[happy in love]

Hmm, I maybe I should have looked into the Royal

We are leaving April 25, and then the wedding is on the 26. We are NOT spending any other time with the wedding stuff after that Saturday thought!! We delayed our honeymoon a few weeks so we could be at their wedding.

I think the swim up suite sounds great, and I wouldn''t worry about the age of other guests there, I have lots of friends that are that much older than me and we have lots to talk about!

I can''t wait to get to Mexico!!! I''ll have to make sure to post info when I get back, as it looks like we are going before you, right?

 

[Courtneylub]

Date: 2/12/2008 6:09:49 PM
Author: LauraSLP07
That''s great Courtneylub! I hope you find someplace amazing for you honeymoon in the Bahamas!
I am excited about booking our honeymoon, but am nervous about booking online. I want to hunt for a good deal, but don''t know if I should just find a travel agent here in Pittsburgh or book through AAA? What would you recommend?

I would book through something online or through a travel agent in your area. American Express is great to book through if you have an account with them.

I need to update my honeymoon thread. I found a perfect place, but I''m concerned with how quiet it is. I like to have a little night life, even if it''s just one or two nights. I hope to meet some people to hang out with too. I love the alone time with FI, but I also like to socialize.

 

[TravelingGal]

I vote Australia!

But if you would like Mexico, I can vouch for Royal Hideaway Playacar...at least when I went there 4 years ago. It was a step above at the time vs. most all inclusives. Trip Advisor at the time gave it rave reviews.

http://www.royalhideaway.com/

I don't think this is the same as the other Royal resorts that have been mentioned here. No need for armbadges when we were there, which was a nice touch.

ETA, if you are interested, you can bid on the resort at skyauction.com. We had no troubles and saved a bit of money. If you bid on it and they do not have the dates you wish to go, you are released from your bid. However, double check that, as it has been 4 years since we've used the service!!! Other resorts are represented as well!

ETA2, Whoops, I think I was thinking of another thread when I mentioned Australia...nix that!

 

[LauraSLP07]

happy in love - The places you are going look lovely...I wouldn''t doubt your decision one bit! Also, you better come back with tons of pictures! My wedding is July 19th and we are planning on going to the Royal for 7 nights (July 21-28th). If you have any advice or opinions when you come back, be sure to fill us all in! Like you, I can''t wait to go to Mexico!!

Courtneylub - Thanks for the advice. I found a travel agency called Liberty Travel (www.libertytravel.com) that does bookings online or in-person. It turns out that they have an office near where I am living, so I am going to call sometime soon to schedule an appointment. This may sound greedy, but I heard that travel agents can give honeymooners special incentives (ie: free upgrades/discount spa services). We''ll see what I can wrangle...HaHa! By the way, I am glad you found an alternative to Sandals. I''m sure that if you are looking for nightlife, you can take a taxi somewhere!

TravelingGal - Royal Hideaway Playacar looks beautiful! I''m glad that you had a nice time when you went! I have heard that the beaches in the Riviera Maya area are nicer than Cancun because of the hurricaine last year, but a lot of places are doing full beach renovations soon! I guess that will be something I should ask the travel agent when I meet them. Thanks for the advice!

 

[beesknees]

Hi LauraSLP07, I completely agree with your reasoning as to why you ruled out Sandals all together. I think we may have just gotten lucky with the one Sandals resort that we ended up staying at. I hope you find a great place to have your honeymoon! I''m still trying to find the perfect place too!

 

[LauraSLP07]

I''m bringing up this thread again because FI are changing our minds once again!!

The decisions keep getting harder and harder! We met with a travel agent on Monday, who suggested looking into some of the all-inclusive resorts that are away from the "hotel strip" of Cancun to make our honeymoon more intimate!

Now, we have narrowed down our choices to:

1) Secrets Maroma Beach Riviera Cancun - (website: www.secretsresorts.com) It is looking very promising that it will be up and running by July 1st! Also, it is located on the worlds #1 beach!
2) Iberostar Grand Hotel Paraiso - (website: www.iberostar.com/EN/Riviera-Maya-hotels/Iberostar-Grand-Hotel-Paraiso_3_117.html) This resort has gotten great reviews on Trip Advisor and looks phenomenal, but is more expensive than Secrets!

I really need some PSer opinions: Would you be willing to spend more $$$ for extra peace of mind with an established resort like Iberostar, or would you save some $$$ knowing that there may be a few kinks in the system for a brand new resort like Secrets?