Where to Stay - updates

Hi everyone. We are enjoying getting a few reply cards in the mail each day - keep 'em coming!

Things are getting quite hectic all of the sudden, and the bridezilla in me is coming out! Several updates for you:

1) It appears that all the rooms at The Royal Playa del Carmen are sold out the week of our wedding, except for the very top tiered rooms. Deep breaths now.... If you are considering coming to our wedding, we'd strongly encourage you to book a room at the Gran Porto Real (right next door) ASAP, as those may run out quickly too. Generally the most expensive option will be going through the hotel directly but RIGHT NOW they are listing a special - no telling how long it will last. Also consider a trusted online travel site (cheap caribbean, locogringo, expedia) or a travel agent - you should not have to pay full price. If you book at another hotel, please check www.tripadvisor.com for reviews so you know what you are gettng. If you are booking a condo or private house - make sure to invite us over! ;)

--> Gran Porto Real specials right now: $124 (Fri/Sat) - $113 (Sun/Mon/Tues/Wed) per person for a basic all-inclusive (food/drinks) room based on double occupancy or $192 (Fri/Sat) - $181 (Sun/Mon/Tues/Wed) per person for a single occupancy room. Book online (http://www.realresorts.com/Reservations/Gran_Porto_Real/default.asp) or call 800.760.0944. IF YOU NEED SOMEONE TO SHARE A ROOM WITH, LET ME KNOW ASAP! 3 and 4 person rooms/suites are also available.

--> another useful bit of information: if you book into Real PdC or Gran Porto, you can call in advance or when you check-in and ask if there have been any openings at the higher level hotels and get a deal that way. No guarantees that there will be openings but I have been told that many people tend to cancel at the last minute, or blocks of rooms that don't get filled come available 30 days prior to check in.

2) It is not as easy as we thought to cross back and forth from the different hotels in the Real Resort chain. Current understanding (breathing, breathing): Guests staying at a higher priced Real Resort hotel can access the others for free, but guests at lower priced hotels cannot access the higher priced ones without purchasing a day pass - except for the wedding and reception, which will be covered by our bill. The "levels" of hotel are: The Royal (highest), Gran Porto Real, and the Real Playa del Carmen. It is cheaper for Real Resort guests to buy a day pass to a higher level resort than a non Real Resort guest. This is not quite what we had imagined, and sorry for the confusion. Beaches are public and free, so no worries about that. We will likely have several small get togethers over the long weekend and try to make them in diverse places so we can all see each other. Itinerary to follow.

3) Alaska Airlines is cancelling service to Cancun, so if you were thinking of using them, start researching prices with other airlines. www.bing.com/travel is a great resource for flights.

4) Ceremony - we are having a traditional Mayan ceremony. The shaman performing it requests that everyone wear light colored clothing to the ceremony to attract positive energy and "help the energy flow". White, ivory, tan, light colors are all good.

Thank everyone. Looking forward to hearing from you.