Travel

Travel Note

Covid Update - get your free Covid test at the hotel 3 days before your return home flight departs!

As of now, the CDC announced an Order requiring all air passengers arriving to the US from a foreign country to get tested no more than 3 days before their flight departs. Meliá offers free travel insurance for stays in our hotel, covering health problems caused by Covid-19 up to December 31, 2021. Customers staying a minimum of 3 nights whose country of origin requires a negative Covid-19 test to return home, can take a free antigen test in the hotel administered by independent laboratories with qualified medical personnel.

Travel Note

Travel Dates

The wedding is Saturday, October 23, 2021. (The wedding party must be available Friday, October 22 for the rehearsal.) Tanner, Stephanie, & Milena are traveling to Playa del Carmen on Tuesday, October 19 and staying until Monday October 25th (6 nights total). We recommend our guests to have fun & make a vacation out of this trip if you have the time & money. So for example, you could also come the same dates as us Wednesday - Monday (5 nights), or Thursday - Tuesday (5 nights). There is a lot to do in Playa del Carmen, but if you get bored easily, you could also travel back to Cancun and stay somewhere else (example: stay in PdC Thur-Sun for the wedding, then Cancun Sun-Tues). It's all up to you!!

Shuttle

Shuttle to/from Cancun Airport to Paradisus Playa Del Carmen

October 21, 2021 12:00 am - 12:00 pm

The drive from Cancun airport to the hotel in Playa del Carmen is approx. 45 min. Everyone is responsible for organizing their own shuttle. (Everyone is arriving different dates and times, so it would be difficult for us to organize.) The most efficient option is to coordinate the shuttle with the Melia hotel. Some of the guests may have a free shuttle included in their reservation. If you booked the Reserve option (the upgrade), then you likely have a free shuttle included. Also, if you booked 4 nights or more, I believe you get a free shuttle as well (but don't quote me on that!) Please contact the hotel to confirm if your reservation included transportation. If you do not have transportation included the hotel recommends you book through their partner Otium at the following website... https://www.otiumtour.com/melia Rates are $28 per person round trip for shared or $60 per person round trip for private.

Travel Note

A big thanks to our guests for traveling! (And hints on how to save $)

Thank you in advance to all of our guests, as we realize destination weddings can add up in costs. We hope that you will be able to enjoy a nice vacation in Playa del Carmen / Cancun by arriving a few days before the wedding, and/or staying after the wedding. As a rough estimate, we expect travel and hotel to cost approx. $2000-$2500 per COUPLE for a 3-5 night stay: -$500 per round-trip flight per person, for a total of $1000 per couple. -$300-400 a night at the all-inclusive hotel -The hotel is all-inclusive eating and drinking, so hopefully you won't spend any extra $ on that. *Please note, any extra activities, like nightclubs, snorkeling, banana boating, excursions etc. are not included in this estimate. Want a FREE flight?! Read the section below called "Southwest Airlines". Want to save $100 on your hotel stay?! Read the section below called "Melia Rewards".

Hotel

Paradisus Playa del Carmen - Melia

There are four parts to this hotel, but they are all within the same resort. La Perla - Adults only side Royal Service La Perla - Adults Only with premium liquor, private restaurant and lounge, and butler. La Esmeralda - Family Side La Esmeralda Family Concierge - Family side and includes gifts/activities for kids. (*NOTE: Our wedding venue hotel is in Playa del Carmen, NOT Cancun. There is another Melia hotel called Paradisus Cancun, so don't confuse the two! You still fly into Cancun airport for Playa del Carmen.) We do NOT have a discount code / group rate. It is actually cheaper for each person just to book directly on Melia's website, and use the trick to save $ with the Melia rewards (explained in next post). Book on Black Friday because Melia usually has sales!!

Travel Note

Melia Rewards - save approx. $100 on your stay!

1. Create a MeliaRewards account&book directly at Melia.com-you get several benefits this way 2. Spend $5 & save $100! Melia gives option to pay w/ money, money+points, or points. A trick we found on their website is the best value you get is by using Money+2000 points when booking. 2000 points saves you ~$100. And the good news? 2000 points only costs $5 to buy! It makes no sense, but we found the glitch! Basically you can spend $5 and buy 2000 points, then go to book your room, pay with Money+2000 points, & it will take $100 off the room. Then why not keep buying $5 points? After 2000 points, the money savings aren't the same. So don't spend more than $5 on these points. 3. Booking direct w/ Melia usually gives you a free massage, free airport transfer,&maybe a free dinner at their luxury restaurant 4. Upon arrival they will discuss Club Melia, which is their timeshare. I rec going to the presentation if you have time (definitely do NOT buy in) but take the free massage out of it

Travel Note

Hotel rooms only allow 3 people max in a standard double room

If you see a room w/ 2 double beds, you may think that you can fit 4 people, but this is NOT allowed. Most rooms only allow 3 people max per room. It's strange, but this is what the hotel told us when we visited. Because it's an all-inclusive hotel, you CANNOT stuff a bunch of people into a room. When you arrive, each person has to be accounted for & is given a wristband to prove that you paid for the all-inclusive resort. When you go to book rooms, you must be honest w/ how many people will stay in that room. If you want to "trick" the system: say you have 6 people (3 couples) you can book 2 Double Rooms, put 3 people in each room on "paper". When you get to the hotel, just sleep 4 people in one Double room, & 2 people in the other Double room. You can test the pricing this way, but to be honest, it may not even save $. You'll just have to try. The only rooms that can fit MORE than 3 people are the Two Bedroom Master Suites. This connecting suite has a king bed & two double beds.

Flight

Airports - Cancun (CUN) and Cozumel (CZM)

Our wedding is in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Playa del Carmen is located ~45 minute drive South from Cancun (CUN) airport. This will probably be the best airport, as it is the largest international airport nearby so it has the most flight options. We will organize a shuttle for our guests to travel from the airport to the hotel (details to come later). However, if you look on a map, Cozumel (CZM) airport is another option. It is located on Cozumel island directly across from Playa del Carmen. If you happen to find a cheaper airfare to CZM, you may consider this. You will have to take a ferry across the water from the airport to Playa del Carmen. I think the ferry is ~$10 per person each way. And then take a quick taxi to the hotel. We have read a few travel blogs / Trip Advisor, & they say that either CUN or CZM airports will take about the same total amount of travel time to get to Playa del Carmen. So please check both airports, and choose the cheaper /easiest option for yourself.

Flight

Southwest Airlines - how to get a FREE flight

Southwest can accommodate most of our guests. It flies to/from Cancun, Cozumel, LA, Des Moines, Denver, Philly, Phoenix. And 2 FREE checked bags! How to get a FREE FLIGHT: Credit card points! Register for the Chase Southwest credit card using my link! You get 40,000 points if you spend $1000 within 3 months of opening the card. 40,000 pts should cover at least 1 person's round trip flight, & possibly part of the 2nd person's flight. Okay, but you're thinking "well, I still have to spend $1000". But think about it! How much do you spend at the grocery store or Target every month? Or on your phone, internet, cable bill? You will probably be able to spend $1000 within the 3 months to get your points! (Please don't go into debt by spending money on stupid stuff!) There are 3 SW credit cards, & we rec you get Priority. Be aware this has a $149 annual fee, but you get a $75 flight credit, so it really only costs $74. In summary, you are paying $74 to get approx. $675 in value!

Discount Code - https://www.referyourchasecard.com/226f/NRT3LDIBJ7