Weddings in Mexico at Karmina Palace are Worry Free
Tom, I have been getting a lot of questions from people that want to get married in Mexico. So that people are more involved on the process I ask you to post this message on Weddings at Karmina Palace, Manzanillo.Weddings in Mexico at Karmina Palace are worry free and without hassle as our On-Site Wedding Coordinators take care of everything. All you need to get married at Karmina Palace is the following:
- Passport or Drivers License
- Birth Certificate
- Letter of current Marital Status (Single, Divorced, Widowed) obtained through your local Courthouse.
- FMT Tourist Cards (received upon entering Mexico)
- Prenuptial Medical Certificate/ Blood Tests (must be performed in Mexico)
- 4 Witnesses (18 years old and up)
- Onsite Wedding Coordination
- Legal Administrative Paper Work and Marriage License
- Municipal Palace Judge Services
- Translator for Wedding Ceremony
- Prenuptial Medical Certificate/ Blood Tests
- Wedding Setting
- Brides Bouquet
- Groom's Boutonniere
- 2 Flower Table Arrangements
- Wedding Cake
- Bottle of Sparkling Wine
- Witnesses (if needed)
For further information, do not hesitate to contact Anne Maria or Linda Reyes, our Guest Services Managers at 011 (523) 334-1313 or karmina@karminapalace.com.
It will be a Pleasure to host your Wedding at Karmina Palace.
Roberto Martín Oveson, Reservations Manager
roberto@karminapalace.com
Karmina Palace
www.karminapalace.com
tel: 011(52)3-334-1313
fax: 011(52)3-334-1108
July 2000
17% Hotel Tax
Tom, I just made reservations at Karmina Palace (via 1-877-karmina) reservation phone number and got what I consider an excellent 7 day price for my wife and myself based on the prices listed on the Karmina Palace web page. The gentleman did mention that this price was without taxes that I would have to pay at check-in, he thought about 17%!! Is this kind of a "I got you" with the 17% Mexico tax or is that standard for any Manzanillo hotel.I would appreciate your opinion...thank you.
Ron Lundquist
ronaldo@premier1.net
May 2000
Carlos, of Underworld Scuba in Manzanillo responds:
The 15% tax is IVA (Value added) that we pay here in Mexico on everything just about except food and drugs. The other 2% is the hotel tax itself that is intended to be used to improve the tourist's conditions while visiting our fair city.
Carlos
scubamex@delfin.colimanet.com
Roberto Martín Oveson, Reservations Manager at the Kármina Palace, responds:
Tom, Thanks for everything that you do, I think that your site is a great resource for Manzanillo tourism. Regarding taxes: All of our rates have all taxes included. Our USA reservation center has been training new employees and apparently the reservationist was not fully informed of our rates and the taxes. I have contacted the man who wrote your site and it has been cleared up, but if you could through a little note in saying that our rates include all taxes, it would help me out a lot. Thanks again and keep up the good work.
Roberto Martín Oveson
Reservations Manager
Kármina Palace
Manzanillo, Colima, México
roberto@karminapalace.com
tel: 52 (3) 334-1313
fax: 52 (3) 334-1108
June 2000
Hotel at Careyes
Is anyone out there familiar with a small hotel, really just a few bungalows, on the beach between the Bel Air hotel and the Club Med at Playa Blanca. I think it is run by a French woman and has an ocean front restaurant. If anyone knows how to contact this property I would appreciate the info. Thanks for your help.
buy11@email.msn.com
May 2000
"Security" at the Kármina
I just returned home from the Kármina Palace on Feb. 18, 2000. The hotel was beautiful and the serving staff was great BUT...the management was the worst. I checked in at 6pm Feb. 12 went to my room put on my bathing suit enjoyed the Mexican Fiesta and when I returned to my room at 10pm my money over $125.00 US was stolen. Now I certainly didn't expect my money to be refunded but I did report it to Mr. Pedro Meza head of security who came to my room and had me fill out a report and said "we will be following up on this and get back to you if a few days". Well, a few days never came. I then decided to see the manager of room divison Mr Sosa, this guy was useless, talked to him on Monday 3 days after being robbed and he said he would get back to us. Well that didn't happen either so we returned to his office the morning we were leaving and he said there is nothing he could do. I was looking to maybe get compensated a free snorkel tour or a free jet ski ride, things that would not have cost the hotel any money and Mr. Sosa said this could not be done. I would of been happy to receive a basket of fruit or a flower arrangement sent to my room saying something to the effect of " were sorry for your inconvenience, please accept our apology," anything. Instead I got NOTHING not even a "sorry".While mentioning this to other people at the resort it seems to be quite a problem at the Kármina, and I also discovered that room keys seem to fit other room doors, I've come to the conclusion that maybe security and management are in on this theft thing. No one mentioned to me that putting my money in a safe place should be my FIRST order of business. And always count your peso's when getting change from the desk, one man in particular short changed 4 different people in my group, when my husband mentioned to this guy he should learn to count better, and he didn't say this with an attitude, this man then said to his next customer that my husband was an asshole. That next customer was our friend. I don't care what an employee thinks of someone; everyone is entitled to their opinion, but an employee should NEVER say this out loud. My final words to anyone going to the Kármina..."make sure the first thing you do is put your money in the safe deposit box they have near the front desk" do not say to yourself "I'll do it tomorrow because in my case tomorrow was to late".
Lynn Gugino
Buffalo, N.Y
Ibcnu2468@aol.com
May 2000
Hepatitis?
Hi Tom....I am just wondering if you have heard from anyone experiencing Hepatitis A perhaps contracted in Manzanillo. My family and I were there March Break this year. My husband was hospitalized today with suspected Hepatitus. The doctors believe they have ruled out pretty much anything else and he seems to have classic symptoms. We stayed at the Kármina although (you don't have to publish that if you don't want to) we did not eat off the property we did travel to Colima and Barra de Navidad. We will not have the final test results for 2 more days however. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Nancy
potts@ssimicro.com
May 2000
First, I would like to extend my best wishes to the man and his health. I would also like to personally convey to all that in our opinion the man did not contract the virus at Hotel Kármina Palace. I have recently talked to our on-site hotel doctor and can inform that no cases of hepatitis have been reported by guests or employees at the hotel. Furthermore the virus is highly contagious and if had it been present at the hotel, it is likely that many cases would have been reported by guests and employees alike.
At Kármina we take pride in our cleanliness and sterile procedures in maintenance and food preparation. We have applied for and are in the process of receiving the "Distintivo H" award presented by the Méxican Government and Tourism Board for Excellence in Cleanliness and Hygiene.
On behalf of the Management and Employees of Kármina Palace, we wish the best of luck to the man and hope for his quick recovery. We strive for excellence in all facets of the hotel industry and do all possible to maintain the highest possible standards in delivering one of best Grand Class Hotels in México: Kármina Palace.
Roberto Martín Oveson
Roberto@karminapalace.com
Regarding hepatitis. Hepatitis A is passed by the fecal-oral route. Food somehow becomes contaminated with the feces of a person with hepatitis A. It can also be passed by certain sexual practices if one of the partners has the illness. When a person is most infections is about 2 weeks before they actually have symptoms themselves.
If it is hepatitis A, I am assuming the man has other health problems. Healthy adults do get ill from hepatitis A, and the need to be hospitalized from the disease is rare. Also, if they vacationed in March, and he is ill now, the incubation period does not fit. From the time a person is infected to the time they show symptoms is usually 21 days. Again, if it is hepatitis A, he most probably acquired it after returning home. Another thing is that hepatitis A is easily spread in a household due to poor hand washing. I am surprised that none of the other members of the family are also ill.
Now, if he is suffering from hepatitis B or C he could not have contracted it through food. Hepatitis B & C are blood and body fluid borne. As a healthcare professional I feel it is important for people to be informed about health issues. I have seen business take hard hits due to people accusing an establishment of making them ill. I would like to close by saying, if you are traveling please get a hepatitis A shot. Or any other shot you may need to stay healthy while traveling. Shots are relatively painless compared to the pain of illness, lost work, lost wages, infecting others, etc.....
Stephanie
slmineburg@hotmail.com
I greatly appreciate the response and kind words from Roberto Oveson of the Karmina. Please understand that I not trying to lay blame, I am really only searching for information. Once again, thank you.
Nancy
potts@ssimicro.com
A Week at the Kármina
We spent a week at the Kármina Palace (4-21-00 thru 4-28-00). We were a little concerned about going to stay there after reading some of the comments some people had made about the resort. It was definitely not what we were expecting.The resort is very beautiful, the rooms are gorgeous and very spacious. The view from our balcony was overwhelming. What a view!! The staff was very kind and helpful! The restaurants had very good food and quite a variety. We especially liked The Grill! They had good Mexican pizza and one night they even had spaghetti fixed the way you wanted it. It was great! We ate dinner at the Carioca Restaurant a few nights during our stay. The staff there were so willing to be of service. The food was very good there too! The room service at the Kármina Palace is wonderful. We ordered room service for breakfast a couple mornings and we couldn't have asked for better service. The pools were fantastic and we always had plenty of room and could always find chairs to sit on. We also got beautiful flowers in our room each day from the maid. It was a nice touch!
One of the couples we went to Manzanillo with, got married at the Kármina Palace. It was the most beautiful wedding we've been to. The concierge arranged the whole thing. Our friends didn't have to worry about anything. It was a wedding in heaven!
So, I don't know why those other people had negative things to say about the resort. They were totally wrong! It is one of the most beautiful places we've been to and would definitely recommend it to anyone!
Kathy & Rick
rapple@allegany.com
April 2000
Kármina Palace
The grounds are vast and beautiful....there are beautiful bougainvilleas and iris' all around and in between the interconnecting pools and tiered waterfalls. There are deep pools and shallow pools and little pools. You can sit all day in a waterfall and keep yourself cool while you lay in the sun. It was very busy with many families, which probably one of the few things we would complain about - there were sooooo many kids everywhere screaming with blow up boats in the pools etc. I imagine that will not be a problem most times since it was a big holiday week when we were there (after Easter). I don't mind kids at all, don't get me wrong, it's just that there were so many slipping and falling on the tiles around the pools - it was stressful as I started to baby sit them all cause no one else seemed to be around there!There are three restaurants, The Grill (which is the pool area) serves hamburgers, hot dogs, ribs, chicken, pizza, popcorn, salads, and fruit. It is also the main pool bar. It's a very nice place to sit either under the large palapa or at a table under an umbrella to take in the incredible view of the ocean - the grill is located right in front of the activities pool so it is rather busy during the day but there's always tons of food for the taking and the drinks are non-stop. It is a lovely place to sit at night for a pre dinner cocktail or post dinner cocktails with pals. At nighttime it also serves a special menu that changes daily such as pasta, or quesadillas etc. If you want guacamole at the Grill make sure to ask for it and the cook will dole you out some! The salsa is always out...and the guacamole is worth it! It was the best I've had! So was the salsa.
There is the main buffet restaurant (the Bougainvillea) it was your typical buffet, nothing too exciting to report here although the outside patio was beautiful and had an incredible view. There is also another big bar area here too.
The patio leads down to the Maya Theatre which is a huge open air grassy area with a stage, most nights the buffet is served down in this theatre so you may eat and enjoy some sort of cheesy dance number and show - hey, when in Rome right? It was fun although no special talents there. The food was fine at the buffet - not too exciting but there's always tons of guacamole that you don't have to ask for! Plus the typical fare, rice, veggies, meat, potatoes, soup, salads, fruit and lots of desserts. There is a big bar beside this area as well.
On the Mexican theme night, you have to shoot a shot of tequila before you're seated and you get a free little shooter cup on a string around your neck - very handy if you want to continue and stay out late!
The last restaurant is the Carioca and it is the beautiful one out on the ocean. It's huge and VERY beautiful.... the view and setting are incredible. This is the one that you need to make a reservation for in person at 7am the day of the night you want. It books up fast and you need to make it in person at the buffet restaurant with the hostess there. The menu is the same but each day they offer a special. The menu includes options such as Salmon, Mahi Mahi, Ahi Tuna, the Surf & Turf (steak medallions and prawns), steak, salads, shrimp bisque and the desert cart. There is another big bar here and at 11pm it turns into the disco (or earlier if it's not busy at the restaurant).
The disco was fun, dj music first, then group line dancing stuff which everyone joined in and then some more dj later on...it could be a very romantic place if that's what you are looking for. The food was a step up from anything else in the resort - I love seafood and it was a nice change from the repetition and lower quality of the other places to eat.
Oh and one other thing (the best thing for me!) was that at 1pm every day down by the deep pool right beside the beach is a little wooden boat that they set up each day with the BEST ceviche I've ever had! There was salsa, chips, three kinds of ceviche (get the ceviche de Colima - yum), some other salads, sliced avocados etc. I thought this was a really nice option.... it's open from 1 till 3 each day and was a very nice replacement for the typical lunch which is too heavy to eat in heat like that anyway.
The rooms were great. We had a beautiful view of the ocean of the beach adjacent to out resort and it was quite nice to fall asleep with the pounding waves outside.
Everyday we got beautiful flowers from the maid on our towels in the bathroom. Nice touch.
Room service is 24 hours a day and offers different things than the rest of the resort (chicken soup, club house sandwich, steak sandwich, nachos (don't get the cheese on it - it's cheese whiz!). All rooms are situated not far from the pool - 5 min. max.
Hmmm, what else? Oh, the staff was great and very friendly! I don't know what the others were talking about! All you have to do is not be rude which should be pretty easy for most people! They were very cheerful and helpful make sure to try out your newly learned Spanish as they are most appreciative - most are still learning English as fast as they can. I thought they were all just great. I'll even give you particular names if you care to look out for any staff that I thought were super nice.
There were lots of activities to play if you like to do that. Or else, there are several calmer, quieter pools to just lie like broccoli if you like that too. We didn't have trouble at all finding lots of areas to sit. I guess it just depends of where you want to sit. I imagine it would be harder to sit where the activities are but I prefer a quieter area myself to drink beer with my friends.... you're never far away and always are aware of what's going on if you need to because you can just walk down on of the tiered waterfalls and see what's going on in the main pool (if you care).
If you have a preference where to sit just get up at nine and put your towels there and then go and do what you want. I wouldn't take heed to most of the bad things you've heard on the forums.... I guess it's just depends on what you're looking for and how spoiled you're used to being. I'm not a laid back person at all and I was completely relaxed which is a HUGE feat in itself let me tell you.
Sure there were things I'd change but all in all it was really nice.... I would recommend it but I wouldn't go back. And I don't think I'd be able to handle staying for two weeks only due to the repetition in the food and just being in one place for so long...the reason mainly is because Manzanillo is still not very touristy and there really aren't other places to go once you leave the complex. I've been to both Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta and I like being able to leave, it's always nice to have a night out at an authentic (not buffet) Mexican place for dinner and drinks with your favorite pal or pals or husband/wife.
There was shopping centre to your right as you exit the Hotel not far away and it has a supermarket and some shops but was pretty expensive as it caters to tourists mostly. There was a silver shop there though and it had pretty decent prices. There are no beach venders which was too bad cause it's always fun to be annoyed and then give in by the end of the stay and buy something from those guys. There were beach stands with your typical tourist gifts to your left around 10 - 15 min by cab.
The private beach wasn't covered in oil like someone on this forum said!!!! It is a black sand beach...that's why the sand is black, not because it was dirty. There are chairs surrounding the beach as well and it's not far to walk at all to the bottom deep pool (and the ceviche!)
Just remember one thing, Manzanillo isn't a big tourist spot yet - so remember that things work on Mexico time. If you order a drink from a pool waiter then it may or may not come quickly - it's not because they are rude, it's because they are just taking it easy Mexico style. If you just can't wait, it takes one minute to walk to any of the surrounding bars so if you're that thirsty, then get up and get it yourself! By the time he gets there you'll have two, even better on a hot day right? The drinks were great by the way, you can get almost any international style liquor too and the beer on tap was Sol - with a lime wedge! so refreshing.
As with any vacation, you will get out of this trip whatever you are looking for and the thing to remember is that you're not in the rain, you're not in the cold, you're not at work, you're not in the check out stand, you're not stressed - it'll be warm and sunny and you'll have a great time!
I took tons of pics and will try to scan them for all to see.
Carla Bryce
cbryce@triathloninc.com
May 2000
Thank you Carla for your information on Kamina Palace. Dated May 2000. In good faith and on recommendation from our Travel Agent we booked and paid for two weeks at the Karmina Palace. Then we heard all these bad comments, plus reading some of the letters on line, we got a little concerned. However, reading through and reaching your ' Travelogue you have eased our minds, it was most informative with an unbiased twist (Well, almost). We now look forward to going and seeking out some of the things you mentioned like the ceviche de Colima etc., Thanks again for your observations and comments, truly appreciated.
Pat and Dennis Izzard
pendat@dowco.com
Recommend Kármina
We just got back from a two-week vacation at the Kármina Palace, and we had a wonderful time. My fiancé and I went down with some family and friends and came back husband and wife. The hotel was fantastic at providing a beautiful, stress free wedding!! Linda was the hotel concierge who made the hotel arrangements such as beautiful outdoor chair setup, and the hotel introduced us to Mauricio, who took care of every other little detail for the wedding from getting the Judge, taking care of all the wedding documentation, to taking us to the flower shop to pick out flowers. I can't imagine getting married any other way or in any other place.The rooms at the Kármina are truly palatial compared to other hotels I have stayed at. This was our first time staying at an all-inclusive, and I had some reservations regarding food and service quality. However, I was not disappointed. I found most of the food for being buffet style was very good. Some things were a little hit and miss, but I was never hungry and always had something tasty on my plate. The service was also excellent, and free room service was a definite bonus. The a la carte restaurant is truly beautiful and romantic and offers some great food as well.
The pools and grounds are spectacular. The beach is just ok, but definitely serves the purpose for splashing around and snorkeling (the underwater visibility ranges from 1 - 15' in the little bay depending on tide and waves). My niece (4 yrs) spent some time at the kids club and loved it. The staff always had great activities for the kids, and my niece enjoyed meeting and playing with other kids.
We did some touring around Manzanillo and area, but avoided the organized tours as they were in American dollars and seemed expensive. We took the bus into Manzanillo which was very cheap and very easy (3 pesos each way ($50 cents)). We cabbed it other places. We didn't make it to Colima, but we did make it to Barra de Navidad which was beautiful.
Anyway, I would definitely recommend Kármina Palace.
sandon11@home.net
April 2000
What You Make of It
I'm having a hard time digesting the complaints about Kármina Palace. I've never traveled anywhere, so I have nothing to compare it to...but I sure had fun!! The weather only got better each day, the rooms were great, and as for the service, well like jm said, if you get to know the people serving you it seems more likely that they'll treat you better...(try talking to them, they understand english!) We took the Manzanillo transit system(autobus) What a Hoot!! and even at night we still found them courteous and friendly. My husband and I throughly enjoyed the holiday, I guess it's what you make of it!
JLC
cavallari@sympatico.ca
April 2000
Blue Bay Village
Tom, Our family just returned from a 7 day stay at Blue Bay Village and had a great time. We felt safe and secure the whole time.Our children, aged 8, 13, & 18, were well taken care of and kept busy by the excellent activity staff. This staff went out of it's way to know where the kids were and what they were up to. The staff also continues to put on great shows every night and makes sure we are entertained. The activities in the bar, after the shows encourage guest participation and are very funny.
The hotel has it's charm and is very clean. It is four stories, but does not have an elevator so if you are going to stay awhile try for the lower floors as 4 sets of stairs can get tiring after 5 or 6 days. Some rooms need attention in the plumbing area, but if you notify the management, things get fixed.
All of the staff is very attentive and polite, as are most Mexicans. The food was consistently good and is everywhere. There are restaurants and snack shops, serving a great variety of food. This is not a place to go to diet.
The beach is just plain beautiful, and almost empty all of the time. We never felt crowded. Anyone, including children, can go on the Jungle Tour and it was very interesting. Some new small independent restaurants have opened down the beach and serve very good sea food.
The Blue Bay is very popular with Canadians and Mexicans, but few U.S. citizens seem to know about the place. There were only around 10 people from the US, including us, when we were there, but don't let that discourage anyone as the Canadians are a great group of people who love a good time, participate in the activities, and treat their southern neighbors like long lost friends. Bless you, Canada. The same can be said of the Mexican guests. They were very kind and helpful.
We also took a trip to Barra for shopping and had a great time haggling over prices. We took the kids and felt safe the whole time, although the taxi ride can be unnerving. At times the native merchants can be a little pushy, but if you say no thanks, they understand and leave you alone. Barra is a real Mexican village with a lot of native culture, that's also discovered the importance of tourist peso and offers many crafts and souvenirs.
In conclusion, the Blue Bay at first impression seems more like a 2 star resort, but the longer you stay, the more you participate, the more you see, the more people you meet, it just grows on you, and by the time you must say good-bye you are convinced it truly is a 4 star resort. This is a place where the people and staff really make the difference. We'll be back.
Jim Perkins
jperkins@wavecom.net
April 2000
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Tom Penick:
tom@tomzap.com