Destination wedding · March 2027 · version 2

Six places to say it on the sand

16 guests in one rental3 nights · any window Mar 11 to 15, 2027Flights from Salt Lake CityRanked by what the bride and groom pay

Re-run for the new dates and a new goal. The first version ranked by group airfare; this one ranks by the couple's own bill: the whole rental plus two round-trip seats from Salt Lake City. Same bar as before: sleeps 16 or more, rated 4.8 or better, on or within a couple of minutes of a beach. About 60 towns and 48 airports swept, roughly 1,100 listing cards, the top 60 opened to confirm price, beach access and event rules. Fares are live Google Flights prices pulled Oct 1, 2026 for the exact dates. Returning Sunday Mar 14 or Monday Mar 15 keeps everyone well clear of the Holy Week surge that starts Mar 19.

Where they are

Arcs show the flight from SLC. Each card lists the cheapest sane routing for the exact dates.

The shortlist, in order of what the couple pays

Couple's total = Airbnb total for 16 adults on the dates shown (before local lodging tax) + two round-trip fares. Fares are single-seat Google Flights prices for those dates, nonstop or one connection under 10 hours door to door with a layover under 4 hours, and exclude about $80 for a checked bag.

How the numbers were built

  • Lodging is the total Airbnb displayed for 16 adults on the exact dates, before local tax. Expect roughly 16 to 19 percent on top in Mexico and El Salvador.
  • Fares are live Google Flights prices for one seat on the exact dates, pulled Oct 1, 2026. Only nonstops and single connections under 10 hours with layovers under 4 hours count. Add about $80 a person for a checked bag.
  • Dates. Thursday Mar 11 departures are $50 to $150 cheaper to Mexico than Friday Mar 12 on most routes, and Mazatlán houses price the same either way. Both windows return before Holy Week (Mar 21 to 28) and before the Friday Mar 19 travel surge.
  • Skipped on purpose: Hawaii (nothing legal for 16 on a beach under $7,400), Florida (Destin at $2,146 bans parties and the Gulf is 63°F), Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua, Punta Cana, Aruba, the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos (nothing beachfront for 16 under $5,000), and Carlsbad (cold).
  • Wildcard: La Catalina Plus near Cartagena, Colombia, is $1,203 for Mar 12 to 15, eight bedrooms with a pool two minutes from the beach, so the couple's total would be about $2,767. It fails the layover rule (12 hours through Miami), has 5 reviews, and events need host approval, so it is not ranked.

Where version one's five landed

  • Villa La Jolla, East Cape: $2,686 + two $720 seats = $4,126. Still the cheapest calm-water beachfront house, now seventh on the couple's bill.
  • Tuscania House: now sixth, above.
  • Villa Kaisa, La Cruz: $3,549 + two $772 nonstops = $5,093. Same price both windows. Still the most complete wedding house if the budget stretches.
  • Tropical Beach Oasis, Luquillo: $3,157 + two $756 seats = $4,669.
  • Casa de Playa Tortugas, Isla Blanca: $4,476 + two $724 seats = $5,924. Weddings and staff included, but the most expensive bill here.

Before booking

  • Message every host about a ceremony and amplified music. Only Flora del Mar and Tuscania House say yes in writing.
  • Fares are single-seat prices. For 16 seats on one plane, get quotes from Delta's group desk (800-532-4777) and American's (800-433-1790).
  • Pinos has no smoke or carbon-monoxide alarm listed and no pool; weigh that against the $500 saving over Casa Dorada.
  • Guests flying from elsewhere lose the Dallas and Mexico City connections priced here; check their home airports before fixing the destination.