alright hello
and welcome back to destination wedding planning
made easy season two
episode two we are so excited to be here today
i am your host mario lopez
and we're joined by the team
at destination weddings expert prissi
nikki and jodi hello ladies
hi
haha alright
so today we are gonna talk about regions to travel to
so you know
a lot of times we have our conversations around
you know different properties to go to
different packages at the properties
but let's talk broader scope
a little bit of like that thirty thousand foot view
before you ever get to the property
before you're ever looking at the wedding package
you're thinking about where you want to go
in some of these destinations
and so we thought it'd be a good idea
to break down some of the different destinations
what the vibes are like
what to expect while we're there uh
so that you can take that information
and then decide what fits best for you
for your group and for your vision for your wedding
so let's start off with mexico
um mexico
there are so many different areas in mexico
that you can go to and i think it's really interesting
you know that's when
when people think mexico
the very first thing that they go to
especially if they haven't done a lot of travel
in mexico is they think about cancun
right um
and cancun is an amazing destination
and there are some phenomenal properties
that we work with there all the time
but there are so many other areas
or sub areas in the cancun area that you can
you know
take a look at and get a totally different experience
depending on where you're looking
so
first things first let's talk about cancun
um so i
you know i love cancun for its party vibe
for the you know
that's the creature comforts of cancun right
that's i always like to think of it as the miami
but in mexico like it's
you know you have these
these larger resorts there's a lot of the towers there
um but when you step off property in cancun
you're looking at you know
that's some of these amazing restaurants that's
you know if you really want to go out
and get a fancy wine and dine
you know dinner
that's it cancun is the place to do that right
you're gonna get some amazing
amazing food um
the club name is escaping me
big party club
coco bongo frozen negro
coco bongo oh yeah
hahaha so many hahaha
you you can see that one from some of the resorts
though yeah yeah
you can walk to it from a lot of the resorts
that's so it's you know
there's coco bongo is one of these places where
you know you go in
it's a late night club you're walking in
you know eleven o'clock
twelve o'clock at night
there's spider man flying from the ceiling and
you know all these shows
and it really is like just this whole vibe to it
you know um
i think one of the best parts of cancun is
obviously it's at the international airport
so
if you're looking for a short transfer for your guests
cancun is gonna be one of the places
where you can get in get to the resort
get to the pool before
you know the day is halfway over right
it's prissy
tell me a little bit once we step out of cancun
tell me a little bit about kind of riviera maya
that area it's a bit of a drive from cancun
the transfer is a little bit longer
but what do you get when you're there
depending on how deep you go
you know you can have upwards of an hour drive
but i like riviera maya because i feel like
the resorts are a bit more expensive
so you get more grounds you get the grounds that have
like the fire
pits sitting in you know
lush gardens you get more beach to stretch out on
although i will say
a lot of the beaches in the riviera maya
aren't the prettiest
so if you're looking for breezy beach
you're gonna wanna stay in cancun
but if you're looking for just a tropical
resort experience
you're definitely wanna consider riviera maya
absolutely i
for me that's
you know
it's where i travel and where i send weddings to
are totally two
totally different things right
that's but riviera maya is my speed
i like that like secluded
just kind of chill jungle vibe
like grown up vibes it's not like
and not to say that cancun can't be grown up
but when when i want a nice glass of wine
when i want a really fabulous resort
i'm headed that way mm hmm
mm hmm absolutely
they're lush they're
they're green they're tropical
um not like the miami look right now
yeah
can sometimes in some of the areas
feel a little bit concrete jungle
right that's
whereas riviera maya very lush
very green you know
some wildlife you know
if you if you look close enough
it's out there you know
it's i
so i love i love that riviera maya area
just for that kind of step away from the city refresh
revive you know
it's it's not to see the monkeys and yeah
hahaha
i don't know if i like to see the monkeys
i run from the monkeys but
you're not alone other people run
ran from the monkeys before with me but i'm like
i don't mind seeing them
just make sure you close your patio door in your room
yes
one piece deal they go through your stuff
they do anything shiny
anything food it's gone
oh you can't
don't leave your room service tray out by
outside your door
you need to call them and have them pick it up
absolutely absolutely
it's now one of my favorite topics
close and near and dear to my heart
uh let's talk about plymouth carmine and shopping
it's so playa del carmen the really cool thing about
out in that area is fifth avenue
mm hmm it's
and so fifth avenue all those kind of high end shops
a lot of really you know
nice area to be out there and
and go explore a little bit again i
i feel like
playa del carmen is one of those places that
you can step off property and you know
have a good time exploring
you know it's out there
you're walking around you're having a good time
that's i i love that area just for
for some of the experiences out there
um and i think when we think playa del carmen
we think what's out there
ish krets out that way mm hmm
um that's uh
akumal secrets akumal is out that way
um you know
some of those hotels out in that area is
is kind of fun to explore and be
if you want that different vibe than cancun proper
uh
costa maharris so costa maharris
now we're still we're in cancun right
but costa maharris is kind of its own separate
gated community nikki
tell me a little bit about transportation
and costa maharris and what that looks like
transportation is a little more expensive um
to playa mahers and costa mahers
cause you are going behind gates
so you're it's more of a secured area
although you know
beaches are still public in mexico
but you're going to go behind one or two gates
to get to these different resorts
and it's a little more elevated and a little more
a little less
high energy it's a little bit lower um
we took a taxi one time between resorts
and it was expensive it was so expensive
it was like five miles yeah
it's bad i
i don't even think it was five miles
no and it takes so long to get there
that's it it
you know it
even though it's in kind of that same area
it just is a longer drive
it's a little bit longer yeah
but it's a little bit longer
because you're a little bit farther removed
from the downtown city area
so um
but that's okay you're gonna love it back there
yeah it is nice
the on site experience in
in costa mesa is amazing and i i it's
it's such a beautiful area just for kind of
some of the sites
that you get to see while you're there
and it's it's a good
it's a good choice
for people that might be a little hesitant
yeah because um
you are going behind these gates
and they are asking every driver for identification
it is it's a little more secure
and we've had customers say like
and clients say that oh
you know i was worried
but now that i'm here i'm not at all yeah
so um
you know i
i recommend that to a lot of people that are like
okay where should i go
i'm like you're gonna like it back there
yeah yeah
i think yeah
it's perfect for also like
when a client wants more of a lux resort experience
but they also
they might want to go out a night or two in cancun
it's not too far from cancun to do an excursion
or a night out
but it's close enough that you can still get
that expensive resort that beautiful white sand beach
you get the beautiful views of the turquoise waters
so best of both worlds
coastal maui harris is definitely
definitely it for me so speaking of turquoise waters
that's that kind of takes us transition
transitions us into our next region
which is islam harris that's now that's
i could sit and rave about islam harris all day long
because i it's
i just think it's such an amazing experience
i just pull on the call
who has been out to islam harris
it's jody you have yes
you're gonna have to send me in percy
it's yeah
it's yeah
we'll share a room we'll share a room
it's okay
you need to go if you have not been
it's east lamar i think it's just so unique
first of all it's an island right
so to get there you're either taking the ferry
or some of the properties
will send a catamaran out to pick you up
right that's
but that boat ride over there
just the boat ride over there
even before you get onto the island
it is that crystal blue water
it is so beautiful
they do have the jet stream that goes through there
and it's i think it's like
one of the fastest jet streams in north america here
um but it's it
you know it moves through real quick
you have a lot of you know
a lot of things that you can see in the water
just on your way out there
for us when we went over
it was quite the experience
cause it was kind of a choppy day
we weren't on the big ferry
we were on a little catamaran
and it was just you know
up and down which i don't get seasick
so it was fine i had a blast
i showed up soaking wet to the hotel um
but there were definitely some people on that boat
who you know
probably would have been better off on the big ferry
where you don't feel those waves as much right
um but you get into islam harris
and that's as you're out there
so first of all there's you
when you arrive there's a big beach club that you can
you can go to stop right there
get some drinks get some food
what not um
the hotels there are stunning
but i think one of the biggest draws to that area
you know
although we talk about all inclusives all the time
there's so much to do off property in islam that's
you know i
my favorite thing you get
you rent a golf cart doesn't
it's like
ninety five bucks for the day or something like that
you rent the golf cart
take it all around the island
drive all around you're on the streets with the cars um
and you know there's just
there's so much sightseeing to see
shops to stop at their little island shops
it's not you know
it's not cancun you know
you're not looking at gucci and
and all of those you're looking at
you know these little mom pop shops
that are selling trinkets and whatnot
but it's really cool to see um
the beach clubs there are phenomenal
so you get to you know stop
get some chips get some ceviche
that's you know
that's really make a day of it
and if you don't feel like you know
doing the golf cart
you want to be a little bit more healthy than i am
that's you can rent bikes all over that island
and just ride your bike all over uh
which is a great idea in the morning
not so much in the evening
after a couple cocktails
so you decide where you parked your bike
i ride a bike yeah
i'm bad on a bike no
ask me how i know um
this
hahaha
so you know
that's that
as we kind of talk about these regions
and transportation
that's the only thing that you have to keep in mind
when you're looking at isla
is not only do you have the transfer from the airport
to the the dock
but then you have to get on the boat from there
either get on the ferry or
you know take the
the hotel's transportation over to the island
so it's a little bit longer of a transportation day
but definitely worth the sights
i think it's just such a beautiful area
and if you are looking at hosting your wedding there
there's no sarcasm anisa
it's so because it's kind of shielded on the far side
you'll get it but there's not really a whole lot of
of resorts over there on the side that faces cancun
that's it's completely free and clear
so it's totally clear waters
now let's let's
unpopular opinion on this next one
and i there's
there's mixed opinions on this call
but um let's talk about tulum
alright so let's get it yeah
so prissy
tell us a little bit about the experience of getting to
to loom oh
it's a drive like it
it's a drive drive
i would say maybe two hours
depending on what traffic looks like
um they do have the new airport
which cuts maybe that time in half
but getting to the new airport isn't as seamless
and it's not always as affordable
as flying into cancun so if you are
i would say
tulum is definitely not for three nights stay
just the amount of effort to get there
it's too much
so you kind of have to be planning a little bit
if you plan to you know
hang out in saloon yep absolutely
it's you know
and i think
i don't know if it's me and my attention span or
you know if
if everyone's this way but
i think what makes that drive so frustrating for me
is it's a single lane road
when you get haha yeah
single in road it is going so slow
so it's not i mean
distance wise it's still a bit
you know just a distance
but then you get into that slow traffic
and you're on a single lane road
and i just want to pull my hair out the entire time it
it was not my favorite experience getting
getting to that property so um
i don't like driving by resorts
i want to stay at to
right i don't like driving by resorts period
right there you got me
right there i don't need to go
i would say if you are going to tulum stop
have your driver stop get some beer that's
get some cocktails on the way out there
cause you're gonna need some entertainment and
you know just a little bit of a
something to take the edge off right
um but that's
you know i also think tulum
very much so had its instagram moment
mmm hmm mmm hmm
right like
that's it it's a beautiful area
but it's very boho you know very
that's
expect to see like you know
the wide brim hats and like
an owl necklace and
you know that's
you're gonna find that it's very predictable now
um i think
i think we kind of killed it for what it was
um and
i don't know
if it'll ever go back to being what it was
just because people flock there in droves
which made them make everything more expensive
which is probably part of the reason
the traffic is so terrible
so it we ruined it
yeah and i think they took sort of
you know the
the decor and the vibe
and incorporated it in newer resorts closer
so if you like that if you want that style that um
kind of design the aesthetic
yeah the aesthetic
it's a it's in other places now too
yeah right
a lot of other places now
yeah it's
you know
i think one of the properties that i do have to get
give a shout out there is secret saloon
mmm hmm so that property actually
i have to say i have not stayed at
but i did a site tour when they were like
still building it was a hard hat tour
i had my big yellow hat on
that's walking around the property
but it is such a vibe at that property it's
it's secret saloon has like the big circle area
so it's all these little like
you know corn crop like circles
haha ok haha
um and the rooms are beautifully stunning
stunning yeah
it's concrete and wood and
you know just very very
you know modern
um
it
it feels like luxury when you walk into that property
ok now on that same note it's
you're not gonna get to a beach very easily
unless you're on a property that's on the beach
so secret sloom phenomenal property
you're taking a twenty minute transfer
to the beach club so you can actually get to the beach
right ok
um so
but the beach club there it's a lot of fun
they also have the villa there
um and if we
you know
if we ever get it together enough to go down and
and do it we're gonna rent the villa because it is
it's i believe it's a ten bedroom house
um it come you know
you'll get your chef in there
you'll get you know
everyone has their own ultra luxury rooms that
you know that you get to stay in
it is so beautiful if i were hosting
if i chose to host a wedding in tulum and chose
chose to go to secrets
i would definitely rent out that villa as like
my home base for the group
maybe the bridal party stays there
and then the rest of the the um
the rest of the wedding can stay at the
secrets property itself um
but i think that that property is just
something kind of special out there
uh also
you know that's
if you are in you know
tulum proper and you're just going out for
you know for the night and going to a restaurant
like prissy said that's
everything's gotten more expensive there
and so that's you know
we went we had an amazing dinner
you know
that had the fireworks and people dancing on the
on the tables and
you know that's
i had a alaskan crab leg that was like
this big it was amazing
dinner was six hundred bucks
mm hmm you know
so miami prices like miami prices yep
mm hmm so yeah
i'll dance on your table in miami hahaha
i think we i think we have done that
nikki that's hahaha
five hundred bucks right
there you go yeah
it's a great deal it's a
oh okay
so now let's kind of
step out of the east coast a little bit
all right
let's move ourselves over closer to the west coast
that's pretty far west coast uh
let's start in puerto vallarta
now puerto vallarta is something special
it's i i love going out there
i think some of the properties are a little bit older
it's not quite as new as modern
although hard rock just did a renovation
unico just opened out there
so we're getting some new
you know
we're getting some new properties out in that area
but i think the big draw of puerto vallarta is actually
off property mm hmm
it's jody
tell me a little bit
just kind of about the aesthetic of
of puerto vallarta
i get quintessential fishing village when i'm there
um some of the best seafood
the freshest you're right there
um i just
i don't know how else to explain it
other than fishing village
it's just what you see in the movies
yep it is
elizabeth taylor yes yes
that's a that's a really good way to describe it
it's you know
it what you see in the movies and
and it's just kind of getting out there and exploring
uh puerto vallarta has the malecon
uh which is like their big boardwalk
you have all the food all of the um
you know places to stop for cocktails
like you said seafood is amazing
for our lgbt clients
that puerto vallarta is extremely gay friendly
um so
you really have a fun time out there in some of the uh
some of the different you know
bars and restaurants and what not
um but i
i think you know
puerto vallarta was actually my first mexico trip
that's which is weird cause
you know i lived in wisconsin at the time that's
but that's i think puerto vallarta just is so cool
like i i could sit and explore that city
walk the streets all day long
really have an amazing time
for me it's very authentic
like it it's accessible
but it's authentically mexican in like the best form
like the bars the food scene
just getting in a uber and figuring out your day
is like the best way to uncover puerto vallarta
like i never have a bad time there
the sunsets are amazing
so yes
the beach depending on where you are
the beach could be a little coarse
but it's worth it to i guess
just grind all the stuff off your feet
but it's a beautiful time
i will say the first time that i don't
god i'm gonna overshare i
it's on the podcast sorry guys
the first time i was there
i went and was exploring with some friends and
you know i'm
at that time
at that time i'm twenty years younger um
and hahaha
and right
and you know
we went down to the beach and there's
porto viejo is not like cabo
we'll talk about the beaches in cabo in a second
porto viejo you can get into the ocean
but it is still like you know
like chris said it's a little bit rough
so that's you know
your incline is pretty deep
and when those waves are coming in
it's real easy to pull you out
it did pull me out and pull my swim trunks out
that happened did you get them back
i got them back i got them back yeah
what's the rest of the story
yeah i know
i went after those things so quick
hahaha
ha ha uh
but it's good to know
men have bathing suit malfunctions
exactly
hahaha all of us have had them from time to time
hey listen
if it's gonna happen it
twenty years ago mario
that's fine that's yeah
now not so much
no one wants no one wants a babysitter now
now you're in the pool right
it's but i
you know it's
i again
i just have a very big soft spot for puerto vallarta
i think it's such a cool town
and definitely if you don't go there for your wedding
go there for your vacation
it is such a cool space to explore
and just kind of experience mexico in a
like jody said in a very authentic way
um so now we're gonna go the furthest west
let's take us over to cabo
there's a lot that cabo offers
and there's a lot that you need to consider
if you're going to cabo right
so first of all just geographical location
it's you know
when we do our consults
one of the big questions that we ask in the consult is
where is the majority of your group coming from
and we're not asking that with
you know typically our groups
we don't schedule flights
we're not asking it to schedule flights
we're asking it
because we want your group to be as successful
and for as many people to be able to join you
as they can ease of access
ease ease of access
that's exactly yeah
it's you know
a lot of the times if you
if most of your group is coming from new york
new jersey east coast
things like that
cabo is not gonna be your best choice for a destination
if you want a big group there with you
right that's
first of all that's
it's an all day travel thing
if you're coming from east coast yep
even if you're coming from midwest
it's a it's a long flight
it's five hours for me yeah
five hours it's six hours for me
this i have to have there is no direct flight
i have to have a connection in
in houston it's
so you're talking entire day of just traveling
your guests have wasted entire day just getting there
right it's not like going to cancun
where you can leave in the morning and
you know by noon
you're sitting poolside it's
you know it's something where you're really gonna be
arriving at the resort later in the day and
you know making sure that you're taking
at least one extra day of vacation from work
so that you can enjoy your time
while you're in destination
and that's also if you're close to a big hub airport
too right
so if you
if they're farther in the suburbs and regional airports
it might be two connections
we have one of our colleagues who lives in kansas city
she has an hour drive to the airport
then she has at least one connection
if not two and
you know it's
i mean it is
it is a full twelve fifteen hour day for yeah
for her to get out there yeah
it's
so it's just something to consider when you're in kabul
because it is not the easiest place to get to
for the eastern half of the country
right but when you get there
if you're in portland oregon
oh yeah
good
kelly right
right there we've had our california groups
we've had you know
our washington oregon groups
they go to cabo and it's like going to cancun for them
so it's you know
a quick flight down there that's
some of them you know
will drive if it's in the northern part that's
you know it's
it's quick right
but again for the east coast people
not so much um
but now when you get to cabo
that's i think that is one of my favorite destinations
for scenery
just you know
maybe it's because you know
i grew up midwest i live on the east coast now that's
i don't get to see that scenery very often maybe
you know for our california washington folks it's
you know it's everyday run of the mill for them
i guess right
but that's
one of my favorite things to see in cabo is a sunset
when you're seeing the mountain
driving right into the ocean
i think that's just such a beautiful view
that's you know
cancun's very flat very sand
very palm trees things like that
very florida very florida yeah
very miami it's
i can i can look out my window and see the same thing
um
but cabo you're seeing desert
you're seeing cactus you're seeing palm trees
you're seeing you know
it's such a beautiful landscape
it's worth the trip alone for that
um that's when will and i were there
we went and we uh
did a tour and it was like a catamaran tour
and i'm gonna butcher it
cause i can't roll my r like that
but that's we went to l r
l l arco
that's the the r
the r yeah
hahaha say the r hahaha
the worst i am the worst mexican um
so hahaha
do better yeah
super mario do better
but this that first of all
that cameraman ride was so much fun
we went during stingray mating season
yeah and so you're in the
you're in the catamaran and i guess when the
when the stingrays are looking to mate
they uh the
the male stingrays the
to attract a female he makes a big splash
and the bigger the splash the
you know more attractive he is
of course right
of course yeah right
ice queens so this is
hahaha the
you know we had thousands of stingrays
just jumping out of the water
making a splash as we're going over to the arch
then we get over there you jump in
you're scuba diving you're
you know checking things out in the water over there
it's so much fun
but that is the only time
that you're gonna get in the water over there
so nikki
tell me a little bit about the beaches in cabo
things we have to do
well i haven't been to cabo in quite a long time
and it was not as developed as it is now
but um
you know it's
it's deserty out there so the sand is
the sand is not white mm hmm
it's not the white sand um
that's i don't have to go
cause i have not been out there in a long time
although i did meet my husband in cabo
yeah um
hahaha
and hahaha
and he won't let you go back
someday we're gonna have to share that story
cause that's it's a funny story
it's so much easier to
go to cancun and riviera maya from here now
so like it
you know um
time is limited when you yeah yeah
sometimes time is limited
so
i think one of the most interesting things about cabo
if you are taking your group to mexico
because you want to go in the ocean
cabo is not your place to go
it's most of their
their beaches there are not swimmable
you can't yeah
we
i don't think we ever went in the water anytime in cabo
but and it
and you know
it is the pools are great
yeah the pools are great
and they're usually heated so
yeah well
and and that's a good note
that's a good note too
chrissy cabo is a little cooler
you know you're in the desert
you think desert you think
you know super hot
but you have to remember that
the desert gets really cool at night
it's and so it is a little
it is a little cooler over there that's
but like
they still do have the nightlife
and combo and excursions dune buggies
if you want that kind of stuff
um oh
doon buggies they have a great art scene in like
san jose so certain times of the year
they do like
night markets and art markets
so it's a lot to do yup
you and it's the
on those you know
and they have a no boo there
oh that nobu there is amazing
i toured i toured that like
two years ago it is oh
just beautiful they have a lot of amazing properties
i'm actually spending my birthday there next week
nice where are you staying
everywhere so everywhere nice nice
so i'm doing um
fiesta americana
leblanc and grand velas boutique
oh that is a birthday
that's nice oh
um no
it's and
you know i think just some of the properties there
again kind of to your point
chrissy about like
the art and the culture over there
it's really incorporated into the properties
so i you know
we work with aic a lot
we work with a lot of the hard rocks
cabo is my favorite hard rock
mm hmm it's
and it's because when you get on that yeah
it is just such a beautiful property
and it's just there's so much color and vibrancy and
you know these beautiful areas on property
i will tell you that even
you know when you walk into hard rock
the very first thing that you do
they're gonna make you sign a waiver
saying that you're not gonna get in the ocean
and it's when i was out there
i got it you sit there and you look at the ocean
and it's not this calm you know
you know in cancun
the waves kind of lapping in and what not
it is heavy wind heavy waves that's
i would not want to step foot in that water
um but it's
it
you know if you're taking your group out there to swim
you're going to the wrong spot
go to puerto rico it's yeah
i would also say like
if you plan to do a catamaran or boat experience
do it in the early part of your trip
because there's a likelihood
those boats won't be able to go out
depending on how rough those waters are
so if you plan it day two
day three you're doing a seven night stay
if it's pushed back you have time to do it
but i've been cancelled quite a bit so yeah
yeah it's
it's it's
you know mother nature
there's there's nothing beating it right
that's you're not gonna ride
yeah so it's really
i mean there's
like we said there's so many different spaces in mexico
that you can go
and depending on the experience that you want
you can deliver that to your group
you just need to know what you're looking for
know what to expect and don't think that
you know
it's the experience that you're gonna have in cancun
it's gonna be a complete one eighty experience to come
totally totally different
bottom line if you lose your shorts in cabo
they're gone exactly
they're gone they're gone forever
it's no
i learned my lesson i that's hahaha
you wear two pairs of shorts right hahaha
are there any other honorable mentions from mexico
before we move on to another country
i think we should talk about
the differences of mexico versus our next country
hmm ok ok
cause you know
mexico's kind of considered more for extroverts
yep you know they
their service style is more engagement
mm hmm and up next
i think we're talking about dominican republic
yep absolutely
that's considered more for introverts
yep and their service first
before kind of being your best friend right
you know in mexico
they're gonna teach you like
you know slang
nicknames for stuff they're gonna
they're gonna chat you up
yeah dominican republic it's
it's quiet it's more of a quiet service
you're gonna get great service both places
it's just a little bit different style
and you know
when you're thinking about your groups
and who you're inviting
you might want to take that into consideration
very much so if some people don't want to be
hey and see the same face all the time like well
and that's that's a really good point nikki
it's it's
and when we say quiet we don't mean
like
the culture the people
they're not quiet it's the
it's the service style is very different
or in dr is
is very different um
and so if you're looking for more
i'm gonna word this wrong
if you're looking for a service style
that you're used to that
you know that at
at if you're traveling in the states a lot
you're going to get that in mexico
you're not going to get that in punta cana
and it's not bad service it's just different service
it's a different style it's like if you're
if you're out to dinner at home and you wanna
you wanna your regular server
and they're gonna chat you up and be friendly
and be your best friend and you
that's the kind of service you like
or if you wanna have your dinner
and enjoy yourself with with who you're with
and know you're going to be waited on
at every single step but
you know it's more your experience than the
the experience with everyone around you
yep yep absolutely
so let's jump over to punta cana
let's jump to dr and talk about it a little bit
because again when people think about dr
they automatically think punta cana
but there are
there are some other areas or some sub areas
like cancun has that
it's over in punta cana that or in dr
that we wanna talk about so as we go over to dr
it's there's
of course as we started off before
punta cana proper right
and there's gonna be some amazing
you know properties there
but it's gonna have that same approach to it
it's gonna be more of the towers
it's gonna be more of the kind of larger
concrete jungle um in
you know in the punta cana area
although there's more greenery over there than
than you know
some of the other like
if compare punta cana to cancun
there's more greenery in punta cana
yeah yeah
um but then there's totally add more resorts
well
and they're growing fast
so i think one of the things that
that you know
you have to consider when you're going to punta cana
is they are very heavily the
the dominican republic is very heavily uh um
funding the the tourism over there
it's they have a very strong focus on it
that is their entire economy
right that and sugar cane
that's and so that's
you know you have to that's
you have to keep in mind that
they are really focused
on what that hospitality experience is gonna be like
and there's a lot of hotels popping up
and there's a lot of hotels under renovation
because they're trying to make them bigger and better
and you know
kind of compete with that mexican market
right that's
and there's some amazingly unique experiences
that you can have in cap cana
that you can't have elsewhere
it's so let's talk
i guess let's start in cap cana
uh nikki
what is the nickname for cap cana
the beverly hills the dominican republic hahaha
beverly hills the dominican republic
it is a very high end area
um again
another gated community really
really beautiful in there
a lot of beach clubs that are in cap cana marina
yeah that's
and you know
i think when we get approached by
you know some of our clients
who are looking for a little bit of that higher
end experience you know and
and you know some of that really good service
and have a little bit of budget to toss the wedding
because weddings in cape canaveral are not cheap
um
that's the first place that my mind goes to in
if we're looking to stay in the kind of proper
is that cap cana area the properties over there
are just such an amazing experience
i really don't think
i have a single property that i work with over there
on a regular basis
where i'm nervous about sending a group to
you know
so
yeah that's
they really
they have just a very nice elevated experience uh
over there the food is phenomenal uh
the wedding planning with those properties is fantastic
they really you know they
they are gonna charge you for it
but they're gonna deliver on that charge
so that's i think it's
it's definitely an area
if you're looking for a little bit of that
elevated experience
and you're looking to get out of the mexican market
cap cana is a is a destination in punta cana
that you really can focus on and
and
know that you're going to have an amazing experience
and it's close to the airport very
you can get off the plane
be at your resort in twenty five minutes
like love it
yep that quick transportation
we're not stuck on the on the road for very long
and you know dr
is not as developed as mexico
so when you go into some of their outer areas
those roads are not nice to drive on
drive on ride on
no no
it's rough and it's a long ride
if you have a bumpy ride you know
out to some of the outlying areas
you're really gonna you know
have a
a bit of an experience as you go
and dark if it's late and dark
yeah i mean
we've had we've had some clients who
you know
your flight gets delayed and you're pulling in at one
one am two am
if you're out in some of those outlier properties
you are dark you're counting the cows
yeah yeah
can't even see the cows that's it hahaha
so nikki talk to us a little bit about la romana
let's
let's step out of punta cana and head over to la romana
la romana it's about forty five
fifty minutes away they have improved that road though
so that road is is recently done
um
it's it's a little bit different
it's more relaxed um
you know our
where we have our fairy tale weddings at costa de campo
that's very exclusive
uh secure private
it's in seven thousand acres
you know um
there's also secrets and dreams out there now um
it's a different area very little seaweed out there
if that's what you're worried about
um so
you know
it's a good place to go
if you don't want to be right in the airport
hotel area if you want it to be a little more
you know relaxed vibe
again that
that secluded and expansive feel
that you might get in riviera maya
in mexico you're gonna get that in la romana
in dr right
that's and
you know and like nikki said
you know we've got costa de campo out there
we love working with that property
that's dreams and secrets
we've actually now have i think
two groups that are are there this year um
that you know
really
have been a phenomenal planning experience so far
um and
and so that property for those of you that don't know
that property did just switch ownership
so secrets and dreams is new to that
it was hilton before now it's secrets dreams
um and
and we still
we still do have competitive transportation
we can do excursions out there um
because that they have
they're expanding in that area and the
the road has been improved
you won't have any trouble getting out there
and now same thing as tulum
la romana now has their own airport
so again you know
rates are a little bit higher
you're probably most likely
not gonna get a direct flight into la romana
but if you want to fly into that area and not do that
forty five minute transfer that's
that is an option over there
and apparently
that airport is just a piece of cake to slip like bam
bam you're done yeah
yeah you're done
there's options over there
and i think i think that area
we're gonna see some more growth in that area as well
um now
on that same note
let's talk about the roads that are not so great
that's if we step out of la romana
let's go the other side of the island
and we're going to go to los amana
which we are all getting an education on this year
it is it's where they have the little
the tree houses and it's the very lush
looks like costa rica um
you're very
yeah an experience
yep
you're absolutely gonna get the island vibes over there
but the drive is gonna be an experience
the drive hahaha
so that's you know
the nice thing about lasamana
that's when you know
it is a little bit further out there
because of that the hotel rates are a little bit lower
right supply and demand
so that's you're gonna be able to get out there
and really get a great hotel rate
and something that you know
you need to consider when you're looking at your group
and you know
everyone that's traveling there
when you're trying to transport a hundred people
to la samana that's
transportation costs are gonna be way up there
so whatever you saved on the hotel
you're gonna be paying in transportation
to get over there that's nikki
we did
when we were doing our most recent group over there
we did a cost comparison
between the punta cana airport
and the santo domingo airport
and it was the you're gonna wanna fly into san diego
punta cana is gonna be more expensive um
but it's still expensive so if you are
if you really wanna do that
you're gonna wanna maybe
you know agree with your friends and family
we're taking this flight we're arriving together
we're gonna take a big transport
that way we can split the
the rate to something reasonable
yep absolutely
it is much cheaper to transport
you know twenty five people on a bus
then to transport two people in a car over to
to los amana
so it's definitely a consideration that you need to
to take into account when you're looking at
where you want to host your groups
over there it's
you know it's like i said packages
the the room rates
they're going to be a little bit less
but the the transportation is gonna offset that
not to mention
you are a little bit out there at that point
service standards are different
um it's not i
you know i don't want to down talk
i don't it's not a bad service experience
but that's
when you're out a little bit further out there that's
you're not going to get the same thing
than when you're in the city
right um
and so it's just well
you know with that
it's more competitive you know the
the
it you know
and if if you're
if you're working in the dr
and you have to drive yourself two hours on a
mmm hmm little
little road yep
you might say
you know man
hi it's ziva
looks great right
exactly exactly
so it's these are all
you know just things to consider
as you're looking at where you want to host your group
how you want to host your group
what you want their experience to be like
um you know
but again when you're out there excursions
there's actually a lot of excursions out in that area
that you can go and you can take and
and have a good time so it it
but it the area is growing
so in the next few years that could change
yep immensely
there's an airport out there in
in samana they have their own airport
but you know
flying is gonna be limited
very limited so hopefully we'll see it
expansion in the next few years
and improvements on the roads
and more accessible transportation
absolutely because it's
you know very lush tropical
yep absolutely
any other honorable notes of mention
before we move on from dr
um misha's
hahaha
tell us a little bit about that percy
it's a new resort area very very
very far from the airport
so the roads are not they're not ready
in my opinion
for the amount of resorts that are popping up out there
but i do hope that at some point
the government changes that
but beautiful area once you get there
it's just getting there as with the other destinations
very expensive very bumpy but
and it's it's not ideal for a three or four night stay
i would say you have to be out there a week or better
yeah um
not too much to do in the area
so you are you know
beaching it and stuck with your resort
but the beach was pretty the resorts were nice
yeah absolutely
i think you know
it's with the amount of investing
that the dominican government is doing
in tourism there
i think we're gonna see a lot of growth in that area
coming up we're gonna see a lot of offerings and
and some different inventory that we'll be able to to
uh you know
work with our groups on
and we will see those roads develop a little bit more
so it's a little bit easier to get over there
and maybe some more flights coming into that area
yeah it's
you know it
it's but i think that's more of a timeline thing
it's down the road it's
you know they gotta build up to get there
there's still you know
developing so much of punta cana that
you know it's
to then step over there it's gonna take a minute to
to get out into that area
yeah okay
so now we're gonna go from punta cana
we're gonna go to one of prissy's specialties here
that's so let's talk jamaica a little bit
and you know
just some of the different areas that
that we can take a look at when we're out there
prissy do you want to start with montego bay
yes um
once you get off the airplane
you are in montego bay
so if you do not want to do a long drive
if you want to jump right into your wedding weekend
you will prefer a resort in montego bay
um montego bay was severely impacted by the air
by the hurricane so on the flip side
a lot of those properties
are undergoing renovations right now
so what that means for you
late twenty six early twenty seven
you'll have a new product
lots of new resorts to experience
so now is the time to start
you know locking in on if you want to head that way
um also in jamaica we have negril
which is the capital of casual
i'm actually headed there in may for a conference
but negril is perfect for the beach bums
um you want that nice white
expansive beach
you might want somebody to go hop on a boat
and grab you a lobster and come back and cook it
you want to be on seven mile
um the resorts out that way
we have a lot of legacy resorts out there
but it's also some new products coming to that area
as well and then my adventurers
i send them to ultra rios
so if you wanna do dunns river fall
you wanna do mystic mountain
you wanna do some club hopping
you are headed to ultra rios now
both ultra rios and the grill
hour and a half hour
forty five minutes from the airport
so buckle up buttercup
you are going to be on the road
um roads
drive driving is
can be a headache in jamaica
especially depending on the time your flight arrives
um
i would say have your driver stop and get you some kfc
some rum punch make a day of it
as you venture to either negreille or ultra rio's
just to make more of an experience out of it
because you are
you're going you're stuck in that seat for a minute
yep absolutely
i think you know
one of the things and it really
this applies to you know
jamaica dr
and mexico all of them
um but
i guess
one thing that kind of sticks out to me a lot with
with jamaican people is
they are so motivated to share their culture with you
very warm yes right
very hands on yes yeah
very hands on very
you know they're
they're you know
like nikki was saying before
you're gonna get a little bit more of that
interactivity again
when you're looking at at uh
you know your bartender
your waiter you know
things like that that's
they're very invested in you
learning about the destination while you're there
um and that really does apply to all of them
i think you know
the dominican culture if you are
if you don't know how to bachata yet
you will know when you leave
you know punta cana um
that's you know
in mexico they're
you know such a family oriented people
and just you know
that's they'll
they'll really
kind of take you in as part of their family
while you're there you know
even when you're just sitting on the resort um
it's it's such a warm culture
so i think you know
one one of the greatest gifts
that we can give ourselves in life
is to travel to see the world to
you know experience some of these locations
and that's as you step into these different areas
it's important to keep an open mind and to
you know
to immerse yourself in the culture a little bit
go there expecting to learn a little bit
yeah you get some drinks by the pool
that's a you know
that's a fun time you know
what not but there's so much to learn
and to expand your mind while you're there
i think you know
that's one of the biggest draws to destination weddings
and to travel in general yep
right i would also
but also if you want to stay on property the whole time
you can do that too you can do that too
yeah yeah yeah
i think the wedding weekend starts well before you
hit the resort so i just want
i want the couples to really understand that
so all of these things that we talked about
the distance the experience
you need to make sure that that fits your group
you need to make sure it fits your guest list
because a mitch mack transportation experience
some people may hold on to that all week
you know so
you just want to make sure
that your guests are properly educated
they know how to plan and prepare for it
you want to make sure
you're working with the right team
like us yep
because we help you hone in on all of those features
well and i think
you know that's
that's one of the big draws to us
to our team right
it's you know
in our reviews that's
i've spoke about this before on the
on the podcast but it's in our reviews
if you look at our reviews
you're gonna see a number of five star reviews
and in those five star reviews
it's not just our couples that are in there
it's the guests who are saying
we were so prepared prepared for travel
we knew exactly what we needed to do when we got there
we knew that we had an hour drive out to
you know out to lasamana
that's anything like that or not lasamana
that's laramanah it's
that's you know we
we were prepared for that
we knew it was coming and
and that's half the battle right
if you know it's coming it's fine
if you're get there
and you're expecting a fifteen minute drive
and you end up on an hour transfer
you're gonna be irritated
mm hmm it's
and that's no way to kick off a vacation
you know yeah
so anyways any
anything else jamaica
oh you should go haha
let's go um
that's perfect ladies
thank you so much for joining us today
thank you for your insight
uh for anyone listening
we hope you enjoyed it
we hope you got got something to take out of this
and we hope that you're considering some of these areas
for your destination wedding
we'll talk to y'all soon bye bye
