Wedding Renewal & Research Trip in Playa del Carmen

As we mentioned in our previous post, visiting a place is not like living there.  With all the research we were doing online, it was time to take a short trip to do some hands-on research.  In addition to doing research, we also decided to turn our trip into something really special and fun.



Several years ago we decided to renew our wedding vows on our 13th anniversary.  Initially, we made plans to have our renewal on a cruise ship, but with our decision to visit Playa del Carmen for research, we decided to renew our vows there.  So with plane tickets in hand and our hotel selected, we quickly put together our renewal.  We coordinated our renewal with our hotel wedding planner at the Aventura Mexicana (see our review and photos on Trip Advisor).  Although it was just the two of us, our ceremony was very beautiful and romantic.  The ceremony was performed by Cancun Minister on the lovely beach of Paradisus.  And we had wonderful photos taken by MCfotograhpy. We enjoyed a romantic renewal dinner at Imprevist (see our review on Trip Advisor) and ended the evening with dancing and a show at Coco Bongo.

As we mentioned, this trip was part fun, but mostly research for our upcoming move.  We had a limited time frame to pack in as much research as we could before heading back to the United States.  There were several places we wanted to see and research.  Keep in mind that Playa del Carmen is a walking community, so wherever we lived, we would be (for the most part) walking everywhere for everything.  So the first thing we wanted to do was walk through some of the residential communities we had researched online.  We also wanted to see a residential community that our rental agent had recommended to us.

Here are some of the places we explored: Playacar Residential and Resort Community, the INM office, the U.S. Consulate office, Bio-Natural Grocery Store, DAC Vegetables and Fruit Market, Mega Grocery Store, Walmart, Sam’s Club, Chedraui Grocery Store, Central Maya Mall, several Churches,  the Executive Barber Shop, a ferry ride to Cozumel, and the infamous 5th Avenue!  In addition, there were several day spas that we wanted to investigate. Needless to say, with all that walking around, we felt as if we already lived there!

So after walking around for several days, and getting the lay of the land, we decided we were willing to move forward with our plans to move to Playa del Carmen.  Experiencing the tropical warmth, Mexican culture, beautiful sites, the amazing beaches, and the warm and welcoming people led us to fall in love with Playa del Carmen.

Now that we know we're ready to move forward, our next step is to start the process of obtaining "temporary residency".  Next stop...the Mexican Consulate office in Washington, D.C.

Stay tuned...