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Secrets Maroma Beach advice

ajmontanajmontan member
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in Honeymoon Discussions
We're planning our October honeymoon and cannot decide where to go. I wanted Thailand but a friends wedding 2 weeks after ours has us limited with how far we can go. My fiancé came home the other day mentioning secrets Maroma beach, and I know nothing about it. I don't LOVE the idea of Mexico...an ex's brother died in a tragic accident there and it just seems so corrupt... I've seen the resort mentioned on here a lot, and it was ranked in the best all inclusives, so maybe I'm missing something. I also thought I'd never want to go to "secrets" or "sandals" or whatever, but I have no idea why! Are they awesome? Worth it? Any suggestions would be great!
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Re: Secrets Maroma Beach advice

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    Jells2dot0Jells2dot0 mod
    First Anniversary First Answer First Comment 5 Love Its
    edited March 2013
    If you were wanting to go to thailand, an all inclusive might not be the right choice. you'd be paying for the food and drinks, but it sounds like you might be the type to want to explore. you can still do activities while there, but you probably want to get your money's worth for food. Not knowing your budget, I'm assuming it's decent enough to head to Thailand, so check out some of the luxury non-AIs in that same area- Rosewood Mayakoba, Banyan Tree, Maroma Resort and Spa (different than Secrets). A lot of people bash Sandals because they advertise the crap out of it and also because you can usually get the same experience at Secrets for much less. Secrets Maroma in particular is also quite laid back and has a very romantic feel, whereas some of the Sandals properties are a little more lively. I really would not worry too much about Mexico, as long as you don't trek the land along the border with the US, which is far from Cancun.

    Other options include Costa Rica or Belize which are great options to explore and relax on the same trip!

     







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    ajmontanajmontan member
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    We were looking at Koh Samui for beaches and relaxation. My fiancé wants to lay on the beach and drink fruity cocktails; I would do that and adventure, but I don't really care. He started talking about Costa Rica, but I don't think he understood that that was an adventure honeymoon. He's a cop and works A TON so I know he just wants to relax. If we're not going someplace exotic where AIs don't exist, then I def want to do one just for logistical purposes.
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    Jells2dot0Jells2dot0 mod
    First Anniversary First Answer First Comment 5 Love Its
    edited March 2013

    Costa Rica actually has some great relaxation aspects! Check out the Four Seasons on the Pacific Coast. Though, if you are really set on relaxation and don't want to do very much, it would be a shame to travel all the way to Thailand just to sit on the beach. So, something like Mexico or any island in the Caribbean would be ideal! The main islands with AIs, other than Mexico (various places in Mexico have them) are the Dominican or Jamaica. There are Sandals in other locales as well, plus Couples is opening a resort in Barbados this summer. I would also consider Zoetry Resorts, which are a brand of higher end AIs.

     







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    hoffsehoffse member
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    We are going to Sandals Whitehouse in Jamaica primarily because we got a great deal on it.  I personally wouldn't pay more than 65% off + free night + airfare credit for them.  They have that deal relatively frequently and sometimes deals that are better for retuning guests.

    Sandals Whitehouse has a 2 mile private beach that faces west so you get sunsets.  It's remote from other parts of Jamaica so no beach vendors, etc.  Every room has an ocean view because it is on a small peninsula, so we actually booked the lowest end room (which is what every peson on trip advisor recommends).  They apparently upgrade there for free about 50-60% of the time during high season and more often during low season.  We are going during the first week of May, so it will be busy but not as crazy as January can be there.  No trouble getting loungers, etc.  The beach, the water, the rooms, the loungers, the food - these are all things you should read about on tripadvisor before you choose a resort.  There will always be some people who can never be satisfied but if most are happy you probably will be too.

    If you and your FI want a relaxing beach vacation I think AI is the way to go.  You won't be nickled and dimed on your honeymoon, and most people end up spending a good bit more on the wedding than they expected.  I can tell you from experience there are often some last minute expenses you might forget to budget for - postage for invitations, gifts for wedding party members, etc.  Heck I'm taking some friends out to lunch next week because they threw a small bachelorette for me, and I would like to reciprocate.  That's going to run me a fair bit of money, and it's something I decided to do very recently.  It's sort of a wedding expense but wasn't in my budget to begin with.

    I don't know about Secrets, but their website looks really nice.  That area of Mexico is incredibly safe (It's very very far away from the border), so you don't need to worry about security while you are there.  That said, if it still feels weird to you check out other islands in the caribbean.
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    hoffsehoffse member
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    Also? Even if you have the budget for Thailand don't feel like you need to spend it all.  Like I said, there will be last minute wedding expenses, and think how nice it would be to come home to a couple thousand in the bank to start your marriage off. We had a budget that could have taken us to some high-end resorts in Costa Rica, and that was our original plan.  We finally decided we didn't want to be nickled and dimed, I got a great deal on that Sandals resort during Black Friday, and so we have some savings available to us.  We were actually able to fully fund both our Roth IRAs for 2012 because of the honeymoon choice we made.  We would have only had partial funding if we had gone to Cotsta Rica.  For us, that was the right choice.

    I think it's totally fine to splurge a bit - maybe a nicer room, a couples massage, some excursions, etc. - but Thailand would run you way more than a nice honeymoon in the caribbean or Mexico, and spending that much down there is entirely unnecessasry for a kick-ass vacation.

    Also check out the Palace resorts in Mexico.  They give you resort credits that you can use for all sorts of things, and they just always come with your room - the longer you stay, the more you get.  They run Le Blanc, which is one of the higher end AI's down there.
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    nycrose2013nycrose2013 member
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    I dont like chain AIs because they splash their name all over everything; you cant get a freakin cup that doesn't have SANDALS written on it. It takes me out of the natural environment and feels like a honeymoon machine. I'd rather go to a resort that is slightly more authentic and not as forced, if you get what I am saying. However, some people don't even notice that stuff and love the atmosphere, so you really just need to know yourself.

    As far as advice, I heard that Le Blanc in Mexico is wonderful
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