Celina

Quote: Originally Posted by amyh Celina, thanks for the review. But is this a review of the Grand Mayan Palace in Nuevo Vallarta or the Mayan Palace in the Marina (in Puerto Vallarta)? This is for the Mayan Palace in Nuevo Vallarta. It is right next door to the Grand Mayan.

Quote: Originally Posted by Raeka Well no worries, I was undecided on colors too until 2 days before the wedding. Our guys had yellow roses as boutinneres. They looked really good against their white linen shirts. Do you have BM dresses yet? if so, what colors? No - they dont' have dresses yet. I have to post a thread on that one - I am in a huge dilema...stay posted!

My fiance's mom and husband have a time share there so we stood with them for the last couple of days of our vacation. When we walked into the hotel, my first impression was "SWANK-Y and First class!" This property is BEAUTIFUL!! They had a room ready for us so we were able to check in. We had a suite which had two connecting rooms that were divided by a kitchen and living room. The rooms were nice, but they were a little old. We were told that they were tearing down the rooms next year and would be remodeling. We had a stunning view of the pool and ocean. Every morning I would peek out the window to make sure it was still there - and yep - it still was! The housekeeping was inconsistent. Sometimes they came at 10 in the morning, sometimes 2 in the afternoon, and sometimes at 3 or 4. It made it hard because we have a 2 year old who needed a nap in the afternoon and a couple of times me or my fiance we were there with the housekeeper which is always kind of awkward. Also, the rooms with the kitchens have small refrigerators and you have to pay for ice there. We didnt have a patio which was kind of a bummer because when you get your clothes wet, they never dry! At Paradise Village we were able to lay our wet clothes on the patio chairs and let them dry, but we didnt have that option here, so we ended up sending a bunch of stinky clothes to the cleaners. At this hotel, everything is laid out far away from the main lobby of the hotel. We did a lot of walking. The only thing that wasn't a far walk was the distance from the boardwalk area to the ocean. Also, out by the beach they have an area where the vendors are. You can buy jewlery, carved wood items, dresses and other souveniers. We ate in the main buffet restaurant for dinner and for breakfast. Both times the food was good. They have this "green juice" for breakfast. It is pineapple, parsely and celery juice. It is different, but really good. They had these fried empanadas (turnovers) that were filled with chicken or pork during the dinner buffet that my fiance thought were delicious. We ate at another restaurant there which is at the far end of the pool area. It was an outdoor restaurant and was very good as well. The best day we had there was hanging out at the pool and just relaxing. They have a beautiful swimming pool and have daily activities. When we were there we took advantage of the 2 for 1 mango margaritas! It was $6 for two. The cups were as big as a medium coke at McDonalds. I didnt think the food there was overpriced. The waitstaff there were all very nice. One thing they had by the pool that we thought was really cool was pottery painting. I know - it sounds cheesy, but you do a sort of paint by number with pottery which costs $6 to $12 or so, and when you are done, the pottery people (Tomas and Angel) fix up your painted pottery with all the details that make it look like Talavera pottery. It is so cool! It is a very relaxing activity, it doesnt' cost a whole lot and you walk away with a cool reminder of your trip. My fiance painted a picture frame for like $12, and the next day I painted a small trinket box for $6. We plan to put a picture of our trip in the frame, and we brought back some sand to put in the trinket box. I'm telling you - once you start, it is addicting and you can't stop! Overall I thought the Mayan Palace was wonderful. I actually felt like I was on vacation while staying there. The property is beautiful. We saw a lot of cool iguanas. There is a canal that runs through the property where people were kayaking and were taking little gondola-like boats through as well. The landscape is manicured and is very beautiful. The beach offers some beautiful sunsets as well. Thanks! Celina

Yes - Your bouquets were the reason I decided to go with Cala Lillies. I was dead set against them and wanted to do roses, but after I saw your bouquets, I thought they were stunning! Actually we are still up in the air about our wedding colors anyway, so I am undecided on what other colors to go with for the flowers. What did your guys have for boutinneres?

Last Friday we had an appointment with Erika Cruz. She is one of the wedding coordinators at the RIU hotels in PV. We met her at 11:00. Since I was the one who chose the RIU Vallarta for our wedding sight unseen and soley based on the cost for wedding services and amenities, my fiance still had the final decision. So as we got out of our cab, I tried not to say anything and let him form his own opinion. When we pulled up the first thing I noticed was that the HUGE lobby was open aired. From the entrance you could see the back. There was an abundance of seating areas. People were playing cards, hanging out having cocktails, and it seemed very relaxed. The decor was sort of Art Deco-ish. The furniture was nice nothing there looked cheap. The lobby had a jewlery store, a little gift shop store, the bar and tons of seating. Everything looked very nice. My fiance said it reminded him of 1950's Cuba. He said all he needed was a cigar and he would be set. Needless to say, we were both very pleased with our first impression. We met with Erika who is this teeny tiny young lady. She brought us out her book and showed us some pictures. We went and did a walk through of the property. The rooms were a little far from the pool and beach area, but it wasn't bad at all. The pools seemed a little busy, but like I said, everyone there seemed to be having a great time. Since we chose to do our wedding on the beach and have our dinner at the Flamingo Steakhouse, we went to see where the wedding site was. They have a cordoned off area on the beach that she said would be raked, chairs set up, etc. The bride comes out from the back part of the steak house (I know it sounds weird, but really isn't). There is a ramp that leads to the beach area. From the ramp they lay down the jute carpets and you proceed to the ceremony area. The DJ sets up in the back by the ramp area and plays the music for the ceremony. Since our ceremony ends before the restaurant opens, we are going to have the guests go to the bar in the courtyard until we can be seated for dinner. The Flamingo restaurant is open aired as well. They have the huge buffet on the lower floor with food and cook stations. The restaurant has three levels. If you walk upstairs, they have an upper level that has a wonderful view of the ocean and palm trees. We will definitely be having our dinner upstairs! Also, upstairs it was much more private versus having it downstairs. It has the main floor where the buffet is set up. If you take a couple of steps down, there is a level that is closer to the beach. Erika said we could do a seating chart and they would arrange the tables to seat however we needed. We are renting out the pool bar for our reception and are bringing our own music on an Ipod and she said rental included the bar, bartenders and I believe it was an additional $40 per hour to have the sound system set up. The bar area has chairs and tables. The chairs are white with blue cushions and are small bistro type chairs with white tables. She said they arrange them along the edge and make an area for a dance floor in the middle. We are also having a cigar roller. She said he would be set up next to the bar. I think the pool area will be very intimate and we will have a wonderful reception! After touring the restaurant and pool areas we went up to check out some rooms. The rooms were all very nice and all came fully stocked with liquor, water, beer and I think soda as well. I believe she said that only the Jr. Suites and Suites had the patios on them. We saw some rooms that were semi connectd and that would work well for families with small kids who needed the extra room but still had privacy. The Suites had jacuzzis in the room and even had bidets! I was upset with myself for not staying there on this trip. Unfortunately we made our reservations before we decided on RIU, so we were bummed about that. It seemed to be well worth the money. The hotel looked like a great place to stay and as we walked away, I was happy with our choice to have the wedding at the RIU Vallarta. Thanks! Celina adding Okay, So we went to RIU Jalisco the day before we left. I knew my fiance was dead set and had his mind made up on RIU Vallarta, but I didn't want to leave any stone unturned and wanted to make sure we saw both of our options with the RIU properties. We just showed up at the hotel without an appointment. Unfortunately Erika was not available to show us around so I left my Drivers License and they let us tour the property without an escort. The property is older and has a lot of the Spanish Colonial charm with the blue tiles, wrought iron and terra cotta colors. The lobby was nice. They were putting in a christmas tree where the fountain is. There was a smaller lobby bar area than at RIU Vallarta. You could take the spiral staircase down to the pool and restaurant area or an elevator. The restaurants there were closed for lunch but we saw a mexican restaurant and a spanish steakhouse - I think it was something like a Rodizio Grill type. Down in the courtyard there is this stunning gazebo. I immediately fell in love with it. There were some restaurants, and an outdoor theater. I belive there were two pools and a kids area as well. The outdoor area seemed to be more spaced out than at RIU Vallarta. We didn't see the area on the beach where you get married. The main restaurant was busy with people so we didn't really check it out too much either. On our way back out of the hotel, we ran into some women who were on the same flight out as us. Ironically they were on the same flight home as us. We asked them how they liked the hotel, they said they loved it but were getting tired of the buffet food. They were on their way to take a tour of the RIU Vallarta. We saw the women again at the airport when we were waiting to board the plane. They told me that someone stole some of their things from the hotel room. They said that airport management was looking into it. (just thought I'd share) As we left the RIU Jalisco, I asked my fiance what he thought and he was still dead set on the RIU Vallarta. I liked both properties. The RIU Vallarta was newer, but he Spanish Colonial at RIU Jalisco was easy to fall in love with as well - and the gazebo was stunning. I took a lot of pictures of it and we plan to take pictures in front of it or on it if we can for our wedding. Thanks! Celina

We checked into Paradise Village around 2:00 - or should I say we tried to check in. The room they gave us had two double beds. Of course double beds was not an option so we asked for another room with a king and pull out couch (which is what we reserved in the first place). They had a room available, with a king, but it would cost us an additional $40 a night. I was hot, tired and just wanted to rest so we agreed to take the room. I worked in the hotel industry for many years and never heard of anyone paying additional for what is a standard king. The view didn't change and I honestly feel like we got the bait and switch. While standing at the check in desk, I heard another front desk clerk tell another guest that the price that was agreed upon for whatever service she needed was now $20 more dollars a night. She also agreed but didn't sound too happy about it either. Needless to say I was very disappointed in this and thus left a bad taste in my mouth the time we were there. The rooms were very clean and were very nice. Marble countertops and stainless appliances. Housekeeping did a wonderful job and even did our dishes! Of course we always tipped our maid. The food was overpriced. We paid $50 for two hot dogs and fries, and two club sandwiches and fries 1 water and a diet coke. They do have a grocery store there , but it too was overpriced. We did spend a lot of money at the grocery store but usually just bought breakfast items and snacks. At the little strip mall where the grocery store was, they have a coffee shop, Mc Donalds, Dominoes and Subway. There are also some other little trinket and botique type shops. The bellmen were nice and the taxi service was great. The cab prices were posted so we knew what to expect for cabs. The main pool was crowded most of the time. The beach was nice and our daughter loved the boogie boards. Overall it was a nice hotel, but I would not stay there again. They didn't post their activities like they say on the website. I wanted to take the kids to see the sea turtles at night, but never found any information on that. They did try to get us to buy a timeshare. We declined and they still gave us a coupon for four free drinks. We ate dinner there one night and it was okay. Nothing great. There were a lot of Americans at this hotel. They also had in room safes which were very nice to have!

Hi, (I'll be posting this a little at a time because it will be long) We made it back and boy was it an experience! We stood 7 days and we can't wait to go back next November. We had a wonderful time! We were there a week and went to RIU Jalisco, RIU Vallarta, Paradise Village and Grand Mayan. We also had some cake and the "world famous brownies" at Pie in the Sky Bakery. Keep in mind, my fiance and I were there with our two kids ages 9 and almost 2 years - so with kids in tow, we were off on our Puerto Vallarta adventure! Customs - on our arrival, I was overwhelmed by the humidity and heat. We are from Denver, and I have never been anywhere humid, so it was about 87 degrees when we got there. I thought we walked under a heat vent, my fiance Shawn said, "no honey - that's the heat!" Right then I knew I was in for a treat so ladies, bring your ponytail holders or clips! Going through customs was fine. One of the main things that occurred to me a lot when we were there was everyone speaking Spanish to me. I am Mexican, and the locals thought I spoke Spanish, and I don't. During our trip, I even had one lady VERY RUDELY ask me why I didn't speak Spanish. I said, "Because I live in America". Anyhow, at customs we hadn't completely filled out our form they give you on the plane so when I asked the customs guy what we needed to do, all I said was, "Senor"...and he rattled off a bunch of stuff in Spanish. I had NO idea what he said. Luckily my fiance speaks some Spanish and he got the jist of things. We got our luggage okay. Since we were traveling as a family, we took all of our luggage and hauled it over to this stop sign looking thing and push a button and it either turns green or red to decide if you get your bags looked through or not. Our luck was red. So off we went to the table to get all of our bags searched. Of course we had the usual vacation bags and we went through okay. After going through the customs doors, we went into the airport. They tell you to about the time share people - but it was a VERY RUDE AWAKENING! The timeshare people are like sharks! They were brutal! We were supposed to meet our Apple Vacation representative to get our cab to the hotel, but first we went through these doors with counters on the side which were very misleading as they had signs that had the hotel names so you think they are friendly counters to help you get your taxi, shuttles, etc. That was not the case. They all just want you to sign up for time shares. Unfortunately, after going through customs, all we wanted was to get out and get to the hotel. Well, we got suckered into a timeshare counter. The lady there knew I was mad about it because I knew what it was. My fiance didn't realize what was happening. After she asked him for a A$30 deposit, he said "No thanks" and we walked away. She came chasing us out the door asking us to come back. She offered us breakfast, a taxi ride, half price on our tours, etc. We just walked away as soon as we could. We went into the main lobby of the airport and there were all of these people behind this barracade with Apple Vacation signs, taxi signs, hotel signs - it was VERY overwhelming. I just wanted out of the airport because I needed to get my bearings. We got out of the crazy airport and stood there a minute and figured out that we needed to find our Apple Representative. We found a guy in a white shirt who looked like a security guard and told him we needed an Apple Rep and he went and got one and they had us on their list and he got us into our air conditioned cab and we got loaded in and took us to Paradise Village in Nuevo Vallarta. If you are traveling with Apple Vacations, you need to look for the people in the red Hawaiian type shirts. They have a badge on that says Apple Vacations. Their shirts will stand out. DO NOT stop at those counters to ask for help! The lobby where the time share counters is has wall and ceiling decor that look like the front doors of a Mexican village. DO NOT STOP THERE! Later on my fiance told me that at the airport, you are supposed to buy a ticket in the airport for your taxi. I'm not sure how or where you buy the tickets, but getting through the airport and to a taxi was BRUTAL! I'll write more later! Thanks, Celina

Niiiiice job! Congratulations and thanks for sharing the photos, it looked amazing! Loved the table settings. Congratulations again! Celina

Hi All, We are leaving on Thursday for our site visit/vacation! Wooo-Hooo!! Before we leave, does anyone have any questions for the W/C at RIU Vallarta or Pie in the Sky bakery? We have an appointment for 11am on Friday at RIU Vallarta and we plan to visit the bakery on Monday for cake questions. I'll post a review of our trip when we get back. Take care! Celina

HI, We'll be in PV this week for our site visit. We plan to stop by Pie in the sky next Monday to check out prices, designs etc. I'll post what I find when we get back. Take care! Celina

Hi and welcome to the forum! Your daugher is so lucky to have her mom be involved! I too am getting married at RIU Vallarta! We are getting married November 8, 2008. Actually we are going down there the Thursday after Thanksgiving (this year). I'll be meeting with the coordinators there and will be doing a walk through of the properties. I have a TON of questions! I will definitely share our info when we get back. I can hardly wait to get there! How many people are going down? We have possibly 50. I know when we are there this time we are going to meet with Pie inthe Sky bakery to look at cakes and get pricing. There is another member on this site who just got married at RIU Jalisco. She has some STUNNING pictures. Her name is Raeka. See if you can find her pics. It will give you some what of an idea since the RIU Jalisco is right next to RIU Vallarta. Take care and congrats!

Hi and welcome to the forum! You are getting married one day before me! Another Novembe bride! YAYYY!! Congratulations and happy planning!

Quote: Originally Posted by Raeka You sure are apart of the family... one more member never hurts. The more the merrier. LOL Jilana- what a girl! Thanks Jamy. I think the Buenaventura was a good choice just not under construction. It will be fabulous soon though. The reno's are going to be breath taking. That's sweet and almost made me cry. Yes this year certainly has been a rough one but it's also been one of the best. Funny how that works, isn't it? Thank you very much, kudos to Robin because she is very talented. beleive me, I am NOT photogenic one bit. I was very impressed with the flowers, the quality was over the top and the roses were at the perfect stage. I'm not sure who they go through for flowers but I know it is an outside vendor. They will give you ANYTHING you want. Our reception was my fave part of the night. We danced the night away at the Bar Bahia (infront of the beach). It was away from the resort a bit so only our guests could enjoy. We rented it for the night as well as a bartender and sound equipment. I brought my macbook(laptop) along and we played music from it. The guests loved it and we all danced the night away. It was so awesome. I wish I could do THAT part over lol What month is your wedding? because October was waaaaaay too hot! Yeah - I was going to ask you about the reception. We were thinking of renting out the bar as well. Did they set up tables, or were there tables already there? What was the decor for the bar area? How many people did you have? We are getting married November 8, 2008. Where did you get your cake?

That is my kind of party! Sounds like you had a great time. I love the flower centerpiece. The colors were beautiful!

I clicked on Robin's website and saw your pics and got a huge lump in my throat! OMG they were awesome! I even called my sister and we both looked at them again. I have had that Jimmy Buffet song on my mind all afternoon! Your flowers were stunning! I wasn't going to do the cala lillies, but after seeing your bouquets, I am definitely reconsidering! I was wondering how your reception went? Where did you have it?

Congratulations! I'm new here so I'll have to look around the site for your wedding pics. We are getting married next November at RIU Vallarta. Yes - Erika is hard to get a hold of. I'd love to see pics of your bouquets. I am doing a site visit the week after Thanksgiving, so I'll get to check it out for myself. I'll remember to not get a ground floor room either! Sound like you guys had a great time. Thank you so much for the information. It is VERY helpful. Once again, congratulations!

We are getting married November 8, 2008 at RIU Vallarta. Arriving on Wednesday, November 5th and staying through Wednesday the 12th.

Congrats! Another RIU Bride! I'm getting married at RIU Vallarta next November. Your date is right around the corner! Best wishes!

Hi! I'm a newbie here too ~getting hitched at the RIU Vallarta next November. I have heard nothing but good about the RIU Resorts. Best wishes!!

Hi All! I am a newbie here. I stumbled on this website and think it is awesome! We are getting married November 8, 2008 at RIU Vallarta. We will be going to PV this November so I will get a site visit! I am so excited and wish you/us all well and hope to share some great information from my visit! Love ya! Celina