Best of the Best - The Best All-Inclusive Resorts for Weddings in Mexico

One of the reasons Mexico is such a popular tourist destination is its multitude of all-inclusive resorts. These hotels are often sold by tour operators (e.g., Apple Vacations, Air Canada Vacations) and typically include accommodations, meals, drinks, and airport transportation. If you're searching for the best all-inclusive resort for your wedding, you'll probably end up asking yourself, "Aren't they all the same?" Although most all-inclusive properties offer similar amenities, activities, and vacation experiences, they are not all the same when it comes to weddings. This list will give you an idea of which all-inclusive resorts cater to wedding groups, offering beautiful wedding sites including some on-site chapels, and a wide variety of wedding services. These resorts go out of their way to make planning a destination wedding easy for couples, ensuring you enjoy a carefree wedding day.


1. El Dorado Royale, A Spa Resort, by Karisma

Image copyright Sol Tamargo Photography - www.soltamargo.com

In recent years, El Dorado Royale, A Spa Resort, by Karisma has become the most popular wedding hotel in the Mayan Riviera. Romantic rooms, a full service spa and beauty salon, and specialized wedding services makes this adults-only hotel a favorite among couples celebrating a wedding or honeymoon. A free wedding package is available for couples who book one of the romantic oceanfront Casita Suites for at least seven nights, plus five rooms (any category) for three nights or more. Plus, the hotel offers a large selection of wedding decorations, flowers, live music, cocktail parties and dinner menus.

There are some very romantic ceremony sites around the property including directly on the beach, in one of the many beachfront gazebos, or in the quaint wedding chapel. One neat thing about this hotel is since they have a chapel on the property, they can arrange for a Catholic wedding ceremony, a service very few hotels in the area can offer. A reception dinner in the El Cocotal international gourmet restaurant is included in all of the wedding packages. However, if you would like something more private, for an additional fee the hotel is happy to cater a private served or buffet dinner in various locations around the property.

Some of the additional touches offered by the El Dorado Royale, A Spa Resort include favors for your guests that you can have delivered to their rooms. This is a great way to greet your guests and say thank you for traveling so far. Examples include a cheese platter and a bottle of wine, chocolate-dipped strawberries, petit fours, or a heart-shaped box of cookies.

For couples, the hotel has several in-room romantic packages you can purchase as a special surprise for your new bride. Examples include a champagne breakfast, a massage and dinner, and a chocolate fondue. For a little more, you can order a mini profiterole tower that comes with a bottle of Dom Pérignon, a dozen red roses, a red candle, rose petals, and incense.

For more information and photographs, see www.strayweddings.com/find_resort_details.php?resort_id=14


2. El Dorado Seaside Suites, by Karisma

Image copyright Karisma Hotels + Resorts.

Named one of the most romantic hotels in the world by Forbes, El Dorado Seaside Suites, by Karisma is another excellent wedding hotel in the Mayan Riviera. This hotel is another adults-only property, requiring all guests to be at least 18 years of age. All junior suites feature a mixture of contemporary and Mexican décor with four poster beds, Jacuzzis, and a balcony or terrace. Most rooms have a hammock and chairs, and all are just a few steps from the beach. Unlike most all-inclusive resorts in the area, all five restaurants at El Dorado Seaside Suites are à la carte. Before you walk the aisle, indulge in one of the many spa services available at the hotel’s on-site spa to melt away all the stress that comes with planning a wedding.

Like sister property El Dorado Royale, A Spa Resort, this hotel shares all of the same wedding options and reception menus, with the exception that this hotel does not have an on-site chapel. El Dorado Seaside Suites also offers a free wedding packages if you book a Swim Up Jacuzzi Junior Suite for seven nights or more plus five rooms (any category for three nights or more). With 280 suites, El Dorado Seaside Suites is about half the size of its sister property, giving couples all the same wedding and honeymoon amenities in a more intimate environment. Ceremonies take place directly on the beach or in a palapa-roofed gazebo. Receptions are held in the Los Arrecifes International Restaurant, or the hotel can arrange for a very romantic catered dinner on the beach.

For more information and photographs, see www.strayweddings.com/find_resort_details.php?resort_id=139


3. AZUL Beach Hotel, by Karisma

Image copyright Elizabeth Medina Photography - www.elizabethmedina.com.

If you love the wedding services provided by Karisma’s El Dorado Royale, A Spa Resort and El Dorado Seaside Suites, but have ruled out those properties because you expect to have children attend your wedding, one great option is AZUL Beach Hotel, by Karisma. This family-friendly property gives you access to all of Karisma’s excellent wedding and honeymoon options, including the same reception menus and extra wedding services.

Much smaller than El Dorado Royale, A Spa Resort and El Dorado Seaside Suites, AZUL Beach Hotel has less than 100 rooms. This gives you a more intimate feel for your wedding group, and allows you to be in close proximity to all the amenities of the hotel including the beach, the restaurants and bars, and the pools. This is a great benefit to any members of your group that may be elderly or have mobility problems.

Your entire group will be spoiled throughout their stay. The children will be kept entertained in the kids club, and the hotel even has special services for babies. Your more mature guests can relax on the beach with a massage and have beach butlers cater to their every need. The beach butler service includes fresh towels, tanning products, magazines and books, mineral water vaporizers, and in case you get hungry, food and beverage service. At the end of the day you can dine in one of the three à la carte restaurants where reservations and jackets are not required, and then sip tequila in the Agavero Tequila Lounge featuring over 30 types of tequila.

For more information and photographs, see www.strayweddings.com/find_resort_details.php?resort_id=131


4. Excellence Riviera Cancun

Image copyright Elizabeth Medina Photography - www.elizabethmedina.com.

Located just 15 minutes south of the Cancun International Airport on the Mayan Riviera coast, you’ll find this luxurious adults-only, all-inclusive resort. Excellence Riviera Cancun boasts eight full-service international restaurants for gourmet dining, ten bars, and six pools winding their way throughout the grounds. On this pristine stretch of beach, you can relax to the sound of the waves and never have to leave your chair since the hotel offers complete pool and beach wait service.

The world-class spa at Excellence Riviera Cancun is nestled in a lush garden with swim-in access. As a special treat for your group you can take part in the traditional Mayan temazcal. In this steam bath, your group will be guided through a series of rituals to release emotional tension and leave you spiritually revived and renewed. The bride and groom can also enjoy a massage in one of the four private couples cabins, or outside facing the sea.

All 440 of its spacious suites are beautifully decorated with four-poster king-sized beds or two double beds, patios or balconies, jetted whirlpool bathtubs, and 24-hour room service. If your suite is on the ground floor, you can step from your room directly into the pools.

As with everything else you will experience at the resort, you can expect excellent service on your wedding day. There is a quaint gazebo that overlooks the ocean where you can exchange your vows, or if you prefer, you can hold your ceremony on the pier or directly on the beach. Excellence Riviera Cancun offers three deluxe wedding packages including a free package when you book an Excellence Club Junior Suite Ocean View category or higher for seven nights or more.

For more information and photographs, see www.strayweddings.com/find_resort_details.php?resort_id=145


5. Secrets Capri Riviera Cancun

Image copyright Sol Tamargo Photography - www.soltamargo.com.

This classy, adults-only resort is only five minutes from shopping and attractions in Playa del Carmen, but enjoys the privacy of its own beach along the Mayan Riviera coast. Secrets Resorts are the highest-end properties of the AMResorts collection, which also includes the Dreams chain of resorts. Guests of Secrets Capri Riviera Cancun have five restaurants to choose from, a full-service spa, and complimentary golf at the Cancun Golf Club at Pok-Ta-Pok. Each of its 290 luxurious rooms is decorated with fine fabrics, tropical hardwoods and marble floors, and comes complete with a jetted bathtub, separate shower and water closet, double vanity, furnished patio or balcony, and 24-hour room service.

Couples getting married at Secrets Capri Riviera Cancun can choose from three wedding packages, including the free option when you book either a Junior Suite Ocean View category or higher for at least seven nights, or more than five rooms. The resort’s wedding packages include special touches such as preparation and ironing of the wedding dress and tuxedo, a complimentary room for the groom the night before the wedding, a personal dressing assistant, and a special turndown service.

Ceremonies for up to 150 guests can be held in the wedding gazebo near the beach, or directly on the beach itself. The wedding coordinator at Secrets Capri Riviera Cancun does an elegant job of decorating the beach site with floral lanterns, starfish, and seashells. You can hold a dinner reception outdoors by the pool or on the beach, or you can choose an indoor reception in the ballroom. As the resort is for adults only, keep in mind that children will not be allowed to attend your wedding here.

For more information and photographs, see www.strayweddings.com/find_resort_details.php?resort_id=2


6. Dreams Cancun Resort & Spa

Image copyright Sol Tamargo Photography - www.soltamargo.com.

Surrounded on three sides by the beautiful waters of the Caribbean Sea, Dreams Cancun Resort & Spa boasts one of the best locations in Cancun. The resort recently opened the first resort dolphinarium in all of North America, Delphinus Dreams Cancun, where guests can swim with the dolphins without having to set foot off the property. The 379 guest rooms are distributed among two buildings – the Pyramid (with views of the dolphin lagoon or the ocean), and the Club Tower (all rooms with ocean views). Guests also receive complimentary golf at the nearby Cancun Golf Club at Pok-Ta-Pok. Dreams Cancun Resort & Spa was named in Condé Nast Traveler’s 2007 Gold List, making it the only all-inclusive Cancun resort to receive such acclaim.

The property’s wedding gazebo is set upon a cliff with a panoramic ocean view. A large grassy area behind the gazebo is an ideal location for cocktail or dinner receptions. Couples can also hold their wedding ceremony and reception on the resort’s beach, or an indoor dinner and dance can be hosted for up to 400 guests in the ballroom. Three affordably-priced wedding packages are available, including the free “Dreams Wedding in Paradise” package offered by all Dreams Resorts.

For more information and photographs, see www.strayweddings.com/find_resort_details.php?resort_id=1


7. Dreams Los Cabos Suites Golf Resort & Spa

Image copyright AMResorts.

Situated on the Sea of Cortez in Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula, you will find Dreams Los Cabos Suites Golf Resort & Spa. This resort features 308 suites, all with views of the sea and 24-hour room service. Beach and pool wait service will treat you to margaritas as you bask in the sun, and a full-service spa will provide some much-needed relaxation on your wedding day.

Your wedding can be performed on the beach or in the contemporary beachside wedding gazebo with a full ocean view. On the beach or beside the pool, a romantic private reception dinner will be illuminated by candlelight and decorated with flower petals. For larger wedding groups, the indoor ballroom can accommodate a banquet for up to 200 guests. And as an added bonus, couples can receive a free wedding package if booking a Junior Ocean View category or higher for at least seven nights, or if booking five rooms of any category for at least two nights.

For more information and photographs, see www.strayweddings.com/find_resort_details.php?resort_id=12


We want to hear from you! Do you agree with these picks? Is there an all-inclusive hotel in Mexico you think should be on this list? Let us know!