Today, we have a bride reviewed resort of the month for the first time! The beautiful Meaghan and Aaron have returned from their Liz Moore Destination Wedding and have told us all about it. This article happens to be Part 1 of their wedding so stay tuned for more advice, details, and everything you need to know about having a destination wedding in Part 2. If you have any questions or want to read more about this resort, comment below or check out more information here.
Background
I have been to 5-star resorts in various locations including Varadero Cuba, Montego Bay Jamaica, and Rivera Maya Mexico.
Overall
This is the best “all-around” resort I have been to so far. By this I mean when you evaluate the property, rooms, food, pool, beach, and people, they tick “Excellent” in all these boxes. I would return in a heartbeat.
Pools
There are many different pools to choose from, and they are located between the buildings. We stayed in the family section to be close to our family members and it was fantastic. There are shallow ends where you can lay on your stomach or back in be in a couple of inches of water while you tan. Also, all the chairs there have pads, which happen to be very comfortable. And there are pool cabanas that are free, and tons were available every day.
Beach
I am a beach girl. You can get a nice pool anywhere, but a lovely beach is hard to find. Bavaro Beach is stunning, and it is that turquoise blue everyone seeks. The first week we lucked out, and the waves weren’t too bad. The waves were a bit rough the second week we were there, which brought in a ton of seaweed which was the only downside. We took ten bottles of water and handed them out to the workers who were picking up all the seaweed. They were extremely thankful. There were a ton of cabanas and never once were we unable to find one, and they are free! Oh, and the sand is like white talcum powder. Gorgeous!
Room
We stayed in the family section, and we ended up on the second floor in a corner suite facing the inside of the resort (the pools) which was perfect. The room was HUGE! There was a separate seating area with two murphy beds (which we didn’t use), but if you had kids, this would be great. There were two bathrooms with two showers! We didn’t have a tub in this one, but we had a Jacuzzi outside on the balcony. One downside is humidity. We brought something similar to DampRid, but there was still a lot of moisture in the air. Just remember, you are in a very humid climate, so that is to be expected. It was no big deal, but if you have DampRid or a similar product bring it anyways.
Cleanliness
The rooms were very clean, and so was the entire resort. They work so hard to keep that resort looking beautiful, and it doesn’t go unnoticed. I am huge on cleanliness (so is my mom), and we were all pleased.
Food
The food was phenomenal. The buffet was amazing, down to their presentation of the food and attentiveness to the display. There were endless varieties to choose from throughout our stay. The steak at the Steakhouse was the best! The lasagne at the Italian restaurant was delicious. Japanese was fun but one warning, go on an empty stomach because they make you a TON of food. The best meals were down at the Seaside Restaurant for dinner. The lobster was incredible.
Also, we had a romantic dinner on the beach, and the food was served to us from the Seaside Restaurant. It was a set menu, but it was surf and turf. DELICIOUS! It was included in our wedding package, so I don’t know how much it would cost if you were not getting married at the resort, but it was the best meal we had at the resort. I had salad and no troubles at all. The only disappointing thing about the restaurants was the hours of operation of the buffet: Breakfast was 7 – 10 am, and lunch was after 12:00 pm sometime. If you wanted to sleep in you had to go to the Seaside for breakfast, and only the scraps were left. I felt like lunch should have been served a bit early, at least 11:30 am.
Drinks
The alcohol is top shelf at the Mirage. Ask for Grey Goose if you like vodka, sometimes they use other brands of vodka in certain drinks. They have different flavoured vodkas too including Absolute Mandarin, Vanilla, Raspberry, and lemon. And for us Canadians they make Caesars! Drink bottled water (ice cubes are fine as they are all filtered) and brush your teeth with bottled water too.
Staff
One word AMAZING! They are such hard workers. I want to stress this. They are HARD WORKERS and deserve every bit of gratitude (and tips) you can provide. They work 12 days in a row with three days off. A lot of them live so far away that during the 12 days they are working the resort puts them up in housing nearby and deducts the cost of this housing from their wages. I don’t know their salary, but a lot of them have families that only see them every 12 days.
Every staff member had a smile on their face when we saw them, and all of them were happy to be there. We were told by the wedding coordinator that they are treated very well at the Majestic properties, and this is wonderful to hear. Please take the time to notice the effort every one of them puts in to make your stay enjoyable. Offer them a bottle of water if you are down by the pool, or ask them if they want something to eat by the beach. They would be extremely grateful. Without them, the experience would not be the same.
Butler
We have mixed feelings about the butler. We saw him on day 1 and then maybe once mid-week, and then on day 14 when we were leaving. I don’t think they should be advertised as “butlers” because they don’t stay with you the entire time. I wouldn’t want this to begin with, but when we did need something he was never around. Only when we were departing did he sit down with us to chat and then asked us to provide him with a good review. I am assuming he was only interested in collecting his tip and asking us for a positive review. So this was a disappointment, but we also felt that having a butler was completely unnecessary. It is much more efficient if you make your restaurant reservations, golf reservation, etc. yourself.
Fitness Center
The gym was great, we used it a few times, and it was never busy. Lots of space, weights, and enough cardio equipment. Very clean as well.
Entertainment
We enjoyed the entertainment provided by the Majestic Mirage in the evenings. The band was very good, and there is a lot of talent there. The disco was good, at least for an after wedding experience. The disco and casino are located at the Majestic Elegance / Colonial side which is a 5-minute walk or less. The pool entertainment was fun as well including ping pong, bingo, and water yoga (which isn’t yoga is more of a quick exercise on a paddleboard).
Excursions
We did two excursions, and in some ways, they were not as advertised. We did a half-day catamaran trip that involved snorkeling, lunch, and swimming in a natural pool. It was a very short catamaran ride (like 5 minutes) to an area to snorkel. Our “lunch” was alcohol, chips with salsa, and fruit. We were STARVING. The natural pool was advertised as an island it certainly wasn’t. It was a place where everyone could get off the boat into the chest-high water to pee and drink some more. We made the best of it with our family and friends, but I wouldn’t recommend it.
The second excursion was an all-day trip to Saona Island. It is a beautiful island, but what they don’t tell you is that it is a 2-hour bus ride to the catamaran, then over an hour on a catamaran to get to the island. The lunch is great! The water is stunning! But they don’t tell you about the coral in the water. They should advise that you bring water shoes because we had to wear our flip flops in the water and there was a ton of coral! A lot of people were struggling to get in and out of the water.
Read more like Bride Reviewed Resort here.
Paige Moore
Director of Communications for Liz Moore Destination Weddings. She enjoys writing about all things wedding, travel, and fashion. Notably, she has a BA in Communications and currently located in Sydney, Australia.@Paige2Travel @Paige2Travel