Let me start out this review by saying that I cannot find enough superlatives to describe this resort, it’s staff and their dedication to outstanding customer service.

My wife and I got married at the Hotel Marina El Cid on April 28, 2012. From the first interaction we had with the hotel back in May 2011, the level of kindness, service and respect we have received from Deyanira (our wedding coordinator) and Sr Richard Bustamante (the Operations Manager who takes the time and effort to comment on every review here) is unparalleled. Our wedding coordinator, Deyanira, was absolutely outstanding. She worked so hard to make sure our day was spectacular from early morning until late at night. Every question we had was eagerly answered, and the word “no” was not uttered once.

In terms of a wedding venue, here are the features that set the El Cid apart from the dozens of other resorts we considered (and visited):

• The hotel is happy to work with external vendors. This is a huge deal. Many resorts – like Palace, Dreams, Secrets, Excellence, Azul and El Dorado either charge an exorbitant fee or prohibit the use of external vendors. Ultimately, this only hurts the customer, eliminating healthy competition and driving up your costs. The external vendor fee at El Cid is only $100 – way cheaper than the competition. They also have list of vendors with no fee. We used some of these and were very happy. In particular, the Minister (Jorge) who officiated our wedding ceremony was spectacular.
• The hotel didn’t charge us any extra for group events in the a la carte restaurants. The competing hotels charge fees for this. We had a welcome reception, rehearsal dinner, family dinner, departure breakfast and wedding reception all included in our package. In terms of value, you can’t beat this place.
• The hotel made efforts to make sure our guests were all accommodated near each other. Most guests were in Building 18. This is the newest building, and my personal favorite. Higher floors have sea views.
• You have a dedicated on-site coordinator for your wedding (Deyanira) that you work with from Day 1. Many other resorts make you work through an office in Miami, and you only meet your actual coordinator once you get to the resort. How awful!
• The resort has multiple outstanding ceremony and reception venues. They also have an excellent bad weather backup, which many resorts lack. We loved the resort because our ceremony was very private without people playing volleyball 10ft away like we saw at other resorts.
• We organized a Tequila Tasting with the entertainment staff at La Marina Restaurant. This was amazing. I learned so much about tequila, and have a new appreciation for it. This was one of the highlights of my stay, apart from getting married, of course