Maps

Here are some maps that may help you figure out where to stay if it is not going to be at The Royal Playa del Carmen or the Gran Porto Real (which are next door to each other).


Here is a link to the above map, which has arrows you can click (in the upper left corner) to move up and down the coast and see other popular hotels.

http://www.locogringo.com/maps/tour/147a-t.html


This link will take you to the yahoo map above that you can zoom in and out of, has street names, etc.

http://www.expedia.com/pub/agent.dll?qscr=dspv&itty=new&from=m&shtl=1&htid=1151540&crti=1&mdpcid=21187-1.ExpediaHotelMapsUS|%20Hotel_Review|%20freesearch&eapid=21187-1

Room Sharing & Blog notes

If anyone is coming solo, but wants to share a room to cut down costs, please let us know. We will try to match you up with someone in the same situation.

Older blog posts can be found at the right side of the page - click the month to reveal the list of posts written then. Most of the detailed info was posted under "October". If you want to keep up with the blog more easily, become a "follower". I think the tab is on the lower right side of the page, and possibly up at the very top menu bar ("Follow").

Finally, to be clear:

Wedding date: May 31, 2010

Location: The Royal Playa del Carmen Hotel

We will probably arrive on Thursday May 27 and leave Thursday June 3. Bachelor & Bachelorette outings tentatively planned for Saturday the 29th, group activity tentatively planned for Sunday the 30th and/or Tuesday June 1st.

Love to you all!

Travel Information

Here is some basic info to get you started. Feel free to let us know what questions you need help answering.

Fly into: Cancun International Airport. Travel by shuttle, taxi, a 10 person "colectivo" van, direct bus, or rental car approximately 45 minutes south to Playa del Carmen. Your hotel should have a free shuttle service. If not, check www.travelyucatan.com/cancun_airport_transfers.php

Passort & Tourist Card Needed: You need a passport or other proof of ID to get into Mexico, but more importantly you need a passport to get back! Children are also required to get a passport. For US citizens, see here for info on getting a new passport or renewing your old one: http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html.

You must also carry a Mexican Tourist Permit (FMT), the equivalent of a tourist visa, which Mexican border officials issue, free of charge, after proof of citizenship (passport) is accepted. Airlines generally provide the necessary forms aboard your flight to Mexico. The FMT is more important than a passport while you are in Mexico, so guard it carefully. If you lose it, you may not be permitted to leave until you can replace it.

The FMT can be issued for up to 180 days. Sometimes officials don't ask but just stamp a time limit, so be sure to say "6 months," or at least twice as long as you intend to stay. If you decide to extend your stay, you may request that additional time be added to your FMT from an official immigration office in Mexico.

What do I have to do upon arriving to the Airport? After being cleared by an Immigration Inspector you may collect your luggage and proceed to Customs. Please have a completed Customs Declaration form available. The form will be provided to you by the airline during flight. If may also request one at the Customs information counter. Read it carefully before filling it out and, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask personnel for assistance before you insert your Declaration form through the Automated Selection System (stop light). This service is free and confidential.The Automated Selection System will determine whether your luggage will be submitted to inspection or released.

• The red light indicates that your luggage will be inspected
• The green light indicates that your luggage will not be inspected; therefore you will be allowed to leave

What can I bring there? See: www.aduanas.sat.gob.mx/aduana_mexico/2008/pasajeros/139_10210.html

Please DON'T BRING any GIFTS with you - you don't need to AND it will be a pain in the butt for us to figure out what to do with it while there. Thanks for the thought though. :)

Departure Taxes: When leaving the country, you must pay departure and airport taxes, which cost about US$13 and US$8.50, respectively. When purchasing your airline ticket, ask if the taxes come included. Tax fees may vary; bring some cash with you on the plane just in case.

Other questions about what you can & can't bring:
See: www.aduanas.sat.gob.mx/aduana_mexico/2008/pasajeros/139_10178.html

Again, please DON'T BRING any GIFTS with you - you don't need to AND it will be a pain in the butt for us to figure out what to do with it while there. Thanks for the thought though. :)

What you can & can't bring BACK: Returning U.S. citizens who have been away for at least 48 hours are allowed to bring back, once every 30 days, $800 worth of merchandise duty-free. You'll pay a flat rate of duty on the next $1,000 worth of purchases. Any dollar amount beyond that is subject to duties at whatever rates apply. On mailed gifts, the duty-free limit is $200. Be sure to keep your receipts or purchases accessible to expedite the declaration process.

To avoid paying duty on foreign-made personal items you owned before your trip, bring along a bill of sale, insurance policy, jeweler's appraisal, or receipts of purchase. Or you can register items that can be readily identified by a permanently affixed serial number or marking -- think laptop computers, cameras, and CD players -- with Customs before you leave. Take the items to the nearest Customs office or register them with Customs at the airport from which you're departing. You'll receive, at no cost, a Certificate of Registration, which allows duty-free entry for the life of the item. This is probably only necessary if you are bringing a brand new, or several, laptops, cameras, etc.

For more info, see: www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/travel/vacation/kbyg/kbyg_regulations.ctt/kbyg_regulations.pdf

A very helpful article on traveling to Mexico can be found at:

http://travel.latimes.com/destinations/mexico/clm/planning-a-trip

Booking Information - Package Costs

We researched the costs through various airlines for 4 nights at each of the Real Resort options. Hopefully this will give you a head start on what is a good deal from your city. Here are the results:

http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AQV0BQzCGENpZGNqZHNzcjdfMTRmcGJzZHNkbQ&hl=en

Update, 11/4/09: Seem to be having trouble with the link - if you can, copy and paste it into your web browser. If it doesn't work, we can email you the document.

Update, 1/25/10: We recently emailed out a more recent version of this spreadsheet, with updated prices. Let me know if you need us to resend.

Where to Stay

There are a myriad of places to stay in Playa del Carmen, with price ranges for everyone. There are 3 main lodging types:

• All inclusive resorts (includes room; unlimited food, drinks, and alcoholic drinks; onsite activities, shows, etc).
  
• Hotels (room only; sometimes called the “European Plan”)
  
• Condo/home rentals: these can be very affordable if you have a group to share the condo with. Remember not to drink the tap water.

Our hotel, part of the Real Resorts all inclusive chain: Our wedding will be at The Royal Playa del Carmen hotel. This hotel is part of the “Real Resorts” chain, which allows guests to visit partner hotels for free. If you are not a guest at a Real Resort, there is a day fee (approx. $50) to come to the Royal Hotel. Here are the Real Resort Hotels in Playa del Carmen:

The Royal Playa del Carmen ("our" hotel): 4.5 star hotel for adults (16+) only.
(www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g150812-d530483-Reviews-The_Royal_Playa_del_Carmen-Playa_del_Carmen_Yucatan_Peninsula.html)

Gran Porto Real: 3.5 star resort geared towards families and next door to The Royal (www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g150812-d185329-Reviews-Gran_Porto_Real_Resort_and_Spa-Playa_del_Carmen_Yucatan_Peninsula.html)

Real Playa del Carmen: 2 star budget resort (www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g150812-d240509-Reviews-Real_Playa_del_Carmen-Playa_del_Carmen_Yucatan_Peninsula.html ); this resort is not on the beach, but has a free shuttle to the beach (to see the location, go to http://www.locogringo.com/maps/tour/148a-t.html)

There are also two Real Resorts in Cancun, which would be just under an hour shuttle bus drive and may be slightly cheaper. See the Real Resorts website for more information: www.realresorts.com


Other Options:
There are endless possibilities for places to stay. The best source of information, especially for condos and houses, seems to be www.locogringo.com . They have many options with tons of photos: if you look under the “lodging” tab and select the type of lodging you want, it will list a slew of them and any deals they can offer. Make sure to see photos of your chosen location first and get any details in writing. Keep in mind you (probably) want to be close to the beach, 5th Ave, and our hotel.

For the best reviews of hotels and resorts, I would check www.tripadvisor.com , where people post their personal thoughts and photos.

Prices:
Hotel prices can vary greatly. All inclusive hotels tend to be more per night but can be a great deal in comparison to regular hotels when you consider all of your meals and drinks are included. Most all inlcusives even include room service! Each one is slightly different, so be sure to ask if there are any restrictions.

In our research, the MOST expensive option seems to be going through the hotel directly and the LEAST expensive option seems to be when booking through airline vacation packages (i.e. Continental air/hotel packages; see “Booking” post). You can find some great deals at www.locogringo.com and Travelzoo (http://vacations.travelzoo.com/mexico-vacations) but they are often last minute. Hotel prices for children should be significantly cheaper; if you think you are being charged full price be sure to ask a sales agent about lower hotel rates for children.

For flights alone, we recommend www.bing.com/travel/ . Bing will certainly give you the lowest priced flight and offers a “price predictor” to tell you if prices are expected to rise or fall.

Please let us know if you hear of any great deals and we will be sure to spread the news!

About Playa del Carmen

"Playa" as it's known to the locals, is in the middle of the “Riviera Maya”, on the Yucatán Peninsula in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. The Yucatán is home to beautiful beaches, wonderful people, culture, and ancient Mayan ruins, such as Chichen Itza.

Playa is tons of fun with amazing beaches, great beach vacation accommodations and the ferry to Cozumel (island) which runs numerous trips daily. Water sports available in Playa del Carmen include swimming, kayaking, snorkeling, scuba diving, sailing, fishing, para-sailing, sky diving and more... Great shopping and restaurants can be found along Playa del Carmen's "Quinta Avenida" (5th Avenue) pedestrian promenade. 5th Avenue is THE place to see and be seen in the tourist zone and it's located one block off the beach, adjacent to the "Zocalo" (main square) in central Playa del Carmen. Playa del Carmen is only 45 minutes from Tulum ruins and Cancun. It's central location makes it convenient to all the sights & adventures on Mexico's tropical Caribbean coastline.

Check out a tour book from your local library and also see www.locogringo.com for more information, inlcuding maps!

Welcome!

We are so, so happy to announce we are (finally) getting married! We have decided to beat the stress and go to Mexico for a beautiful and much needed vacation. We hope you can join us there.

Please use this site for information about our wedding. We'll update it from time to time to keep you posted on good travel deals.

Date: May 31, 2010

Location: The Royal Playa del Carmen Hotel; Playa del Carmen, Mexico