Come Home With the Photo Nobody Remembered to Take
You booked the Iberostar Waves Tucán or Quetzal for a trip that is still months out, and by the time you arrive the two hotels will have only just reopened — they closed in May for a top-to-bottom renovation and open their doors again on December 1st. Here is the part worth knowing: the thing you actually came for is the one thing a renovation cannot touch. A family wrote to us in June about a December reunion — grandparents, two grown sons, five grandchildren, seventeen people spread across both hotels — asking for exactly one thing: could we get all seventeen of them into a single frame before somebody had to fly home. That photograph is why you are reading this.
We've photographed thousands of sessions across Playa del Carmen, and the requests we get from guests of these two hotels are remarkably consistent: families who want everyone in one picture, and couples who want an hour to themselves. Six years and more than a thousand clients in, the reason both work here is the same — the wide, quiet public beach that runs along the front of the whole Playacar complex, and that stretch of sand is not part of the remodel at all.
The Sessions Iberostar Waves Guests Book Most
Both hotels share one stretch of Playacar sand and one kind of traveler: families on a reunion and couples on a getaway. These are the three sessions we photograph most often for guests staying at either one — and knowing which is yours before you write us makes the whole thing faster.
Family portraits
The reunion photo is the one that never happens on its own. Somebody is always holding the phone, so the single frame with all of you in it never gets taken. That is the job we take off your hands: a short, unhurried half hour on the open sand, everyone dressed to match, and a set of pictures where three generations are finally in the same shot. Our Playa del Carmen family session guide shows how we keep even the youngest ones happy through it.
Couples
Maybe you are here with the whole group and you want one hour that belongs only to the two of you, or maybe the trip itself is the anniversary. Either way we shoot it early, before the beach wakes up, so the pictures hold the two of you and open sand and nothing else. Our couples photoshoot guide covers outfits and timing.
Everyday vacation memories
Not every session marks an occasion. Some of the best hours we shoot are simply a family being a family on holiday — walking the shoreline, the kids in the shallows, the ordinary morning you will be surprised how much you want back a year from now. Our vacation photoshoot guide shows what a relaxed hour like that looks like.
Where We Meet You in Playacar
Both hotels sit inside Playacar, the gated stretch just south of the ferry pier, and that address quietly works in your favor. The public beach runs right along the front of the complex, so from either hotel’s door the sand is a two-minute walk — no taxi to book, nothing to negotiate on the morning of your session. We meet you at the beach and send the exact pin over WhatsApp the day before.
If you would rather fold the shoot into a day out, the center of town and the Cozumel ferry pier are about five minutes away by taxi, or a twenty-to-thirty-minute walk up the sand — the same short trip you will already be making for dinner on Quinta Avenida. That is the advantage of Playacar over the busier beaches downtown: the sand in front of you is calmer and wider, so nothing crowds the edge of a family portrait.
One thing is worth planning around. This coast faces east, which means the beach is emptiest and the light kindest in the hour after sunrise — no strangers walking through your reunion photo, no glare in anyone’s eyes. We start early not for a postcard but because that is the hour the sand is genuinely yours.
Want one frame that belongs on a wall rather than in an album? Ask about our signature beach-gown editorial sessions in Playa del Carmen — metres of fabric in the morning breeze, made for this kind of trip.
Simple Pricing, No Session Fee
Pricing is refreshingly simple: there is no session fee. You pay $15 USD per photo with a 10-photo minimum ($150 USD), or choose a group package from $200 USD when the whole family wants in — so you only pay for the images you love. You can see everything we offer, and hundreds of recent sessions, on our Playa del Carmen photographer page.
Every hotel has its own rules about photography on the property. We know how each one works — message us and we’ll tell you exactly what your options are where you’re staying.
Because the hotels are reopening on December 1st, the earliest trips of the season are already coming in — book ahead and we will hold the morning you want while the December calendar is still open. Send us your dates and we will tell you which one to keep free, and you can see the full range on our Playa del Carmen photographer page.
Let’s Get the Whole Family in One Frame
Tell us your dates and how many of you are travelling, and we will hold a morning on the Playacar sand for you. The first slots after the reopening are the ones that go first.
Why You Book the First Hour in Playacar
Everything we shoot for guests of these two hotels happens in one short window — not for the light, but because that is the hour the public sand is still empty and yours.
-
The whole group in one frame
Somebody always ends up behind the phone. We take that job, so the reunion picture actually exists — all of you, once, before anyone flies home.
-
You have the beach to yourselves
The public sand in front of Playacar is at its widest and quietest in the first hour, so nothing crowds the edge of your family portrait.
-
We direct the whole thing
Almost nobody who books us has done this before. We tell everyone where to stand and what to do — down to the toddler — so it looks like your family, not a pose.
-
You keep only what you love
There is no session fee. You see the full gallery afterwards and choose from it, which takes the pressure off the hour.
Family & Couples Sessions at Iberostar Waves — FAQ
Is a beach session realistic with little kids and grandparents in the group?
Yes — big multi-generation groups are the sessions we photograph most for guests of these two hotels. We keep it short and we direct every step, so nobody stands around waiting. The half hour is built around the youngest and the oldest in the group: quick with the little ones, unhurried with everyone else, and the whole reunion in one frame before anyone gets restless.
How much does a session cost?
There is no session fee. You pay $15 USD per photo with a 10-photo minimum ($150 USD), or choose a group package from $200 USD when the whole family wants in. You see the full gallery first and choose from it afterwards, so you only ever pay for the images you love.
The hotels are being renovated — can we still book for our December trip?
Absolutely, and booking now is the smart move. Both hotels reopen on December 1st, and the sessions happen on the public beach out front, which is open and unaffected by the work inside. Send us your dates and we will hold a morning for you while the early-season calendar is still wide open.
Where do we meet you if we are staying at Tucán or Quetzal?
On the public beach directly in front of the complex — about a two-minute walk from either hotel’s door, no taxi and no gate to sort out on the morning. We send the exact pin over WhatsApp the day before, and we are already on the sand when you arrive.
Does it have to be in the morning?
It does not, but there is a trade worth knowing. This coast faces east, so there is no sunset over the water here. Mornings give you soft light and an empty beach; the hour before sunset is still lovely, it just will not be quiet. Either way, plan on about an hour on the sand.