Sandy

Lovely pics Trisha. Thanks so much. I'm not going to lie..i'm pretty nervous about this resort...just when i think the reviews are getting really good they slip and fall again... so it is very nice to hear that you had a great time and had very positive things to say!

Everything above in respect of Puerto Vallarta is true! There's so much culture, great restaurants, cute little shops, cobble stone streets, beaches etc. It is also really safe. I have backpacked through all of mexico and puerto vallarta was hands down my favourite place! I would recommend not staying on the hotel strip though (it is older and busier) but staying at either dreams puerto vallarta in conchas chinas; in the marina area (ie. westin, velas) or in nuevo (dreams vm, rius)...

Beautiful wedding Trisha! Looks amazing! I would love to see some general pics of dreams if you have time! Thanks!

Britany - beautiful slide show! What's the name of the song in your slideshow..I think it's portugese? - so cute!

Congrats Trisha! You look so beautiful in the pic above! I can't wait to see more pics..can you please email me some? I am so happy for you and so pleased that you were happy with dreams villamagna...it is a sigh of relief for me! Enjoy married life!

Congrats Jen! So glad to hear you had a great time!

FYI - I emailed Dreams regarding some of the issues that I noticed from the reviews on trip advisor and here are the responses from Dreams: 1. Regarding the leaking in our guest rooms, we had a serious problem in the beginning, since we used glass divisions between the showers, toilets and sinks, and it was not correctly sealed, however, this is not a problem anymore at the resort. 2. None of our ceiling fans are broken and regarding the AC, we have had several external problems that affected DreamsVillamagna, as well as other resorts in the area, since the first equipment in the hotels to be affected by this energy issue is the AC . The electrical supply of Nuevo Vallarta comes from Mazatlan (300 miles to the north) and Manzanillo (300 miles to the south) and during the heavy rainy season we are sometimes affected. Fortunately winter and spring are the “dry” seasons, so we should have no AC issues. 3. One of our strongest areas is our 3 large pools. We had a problem with one of them, but at no time was there any risk to any of our guests, nor did our occupancy demand the necessity to use all three pools, however, several guests chose to ignore our warning signs and use this pool anyway, since its appearance seemed satisfactory to them. 4. We have almost doubled the “shaded” areas, so if anyone visited us between December and March they will note the difference. Unfortunately, during the summer no one wants to be out in the sun for more than 15 minutes (unless you are in the pool) and during the winter people spend 2 or 3 hours, without a problem, under the sun. 5. You can drink next to the pool but not while inside the pool, in order to avoid kids or adults spilling drinks in the pool. 6. Luis Fitch, our Hotel Manager, is one of the best Chefs I have ever met and it is for this reason that he was asked to join the company. In the very near future, we expect to have very positive Food & Beverage comments on the internet. 8. We are doing our best to, once again, include non-motorized water sports to our daily activities. We can assure you that at least kayaks and boogie boards will be ready for you during your upcoming visit.

Thanks so much! Funny - a couple weeks ago I decided to have it there...I have been and the sunsets are amazing from the restaurant..it is also very quaint with good food.

Jen, Trisha and Heather...I wanted to say have a blast in Mexico - I know you are all getting married this week or in a couple weeks from now..I hope your weddings are amazing! I am sure they will be! Can't wait to hear all about them! Best of luck!

I'd also like to mention that I don't think it's fair for brides to speculate which coordinator a quote is from - this can lead to inaccuracies which can affect vendors and isn't really fair...especially for a company like Dazzling Details that works SO hard. I can say that my wedding with dazzling details is costing no where near that, very reasonable and you really do pay for what you get - if you want a stress free, amazing wedding with fabulous detailing, decor, creativity and uniqueness - DD is awesome and will guarantee you that! That's my two cents and best to all!

I'm using DD and they have been great and worth the extra cost (although I didn't find them very unreasonable anyway for what you get..they put a lot of detail into their weddings). And I agree with Jess that they likely never got your email...they really try to work with you to come up with a budget that works for you and have negotiated vendors down on my behalf when I told them a vendor seemed to be charging too much. All I can say is I am SOOO happy the Canadian dollar is at $.97 now...given PVR weddings are quoted in US dollars..I'm sure most Canadian brides are pretty happy! This is awesome timing

There's a great review on Trip Advisor from the parent of a bride who had a wedding there...said the WC's at the resort were great

Never been to Hotel Lagunita but been to Yelapa and it is amazing..you can only get there by boat though. It is pretty remote but nice and tropical.

I'll share my pics after January! And I must say working with Dazzling Details so far has been absolutely amazing! They are so awesome, nice, organized and extremely talented! You should check out their fan page on facebook!

Jen - try emailing cynthia at: [email protected]. She works with Yolanda (in groups at Dreams) and I find her to be very responsive. Tell her you haven't heard from Yolanda. Good luck with the planning and hope it all works out!

I am trying to decide where to have my welcome dinner in puerto vallarta. I would like somewhere with a nice view but am planning it sight unseen. Has anyone been to Barcelona Tapas, El Panorama or El Palomar? These all seem to have nice views. Looking for a charming place with a more "mexican" feel as the rest of my wedding is pretty modern. I would be interested to hear any comments! Thanks for your help!

Thanks for taking the time to post this...very helpful!

Bucerias has some good spots for trash the dress sessions...lots of personality in that little town. Also, if you want rocky beach, go to conchas chinas - very hilly, lush and beautiful (south). There are also some beautiful spots north toward punta mita.

Final quote I got was $210 round trip for 15 passenger vans.

Are you ladies getting hair/makeup done at Dreams VM? My WC sent me some pics of brides who had their hair done there and were very pleased.

I just got a quote for 15 person passenger vans all day from nuevo vallarta to china blanca and back (round trip) for $260. Kinda pricey...

Good plan Davina...in hindsight, i kinda wish i had chosen the westin to stay at - I have been there and it is really nice. Niki beach is great too and the restaurants are good!

Hi Nat, I just sent you a private message re pricing and pictures. I looked at a million villas when deciding on a villa and came back to this one. It's a bit pricey but REALLY pretty and dazzling details does such an amazing job making it look stunning.

I just got a copy of the current entertainment and activities schedule. If anyone wants to see it, I can email it to you. Looks like they have lots of activities going on at the resort on a daily basis. Also, some of the reviews said there was no AC in the restaurants - in fact, there is AC in all of them.

I emailed Cynthia, the groups director, today about the shade issue (Yolanda is on vacation until July 30th) and she said that management is aware of the shade problem and that they are addressing the issue (hopefully that means more palapas/umbrellas around the pool area?). I'm a sun worshipper so it doesn't bother me a bit..but I think my 90 year old relatives may not like so much sun. As for grounds, I don't think that there will be much more trees/flowers - she said since the resort is new, the baby palms take time to grow..she didn't address the flowers/gardens issue. I just really want some pretty flowers..that's all As for the welcome toast - I think I may just tell people to all meet on the rooftop bar for drinks/sushi..I think I might notify Dreams of the meeting place / time and order a few of bottles of champagne or something in advance to do a toast. As for reviews, I think sometimes people forget they are in mexico, things are a little bit slower. ie. service etc..it's hot there.. people work at a slower pace. Mexicans are lovely people though and very hard workers. It's low/rainy season there.. not the best place to go in July! Some of the reviews seem a bit far fetched to me like the lady who posted a pic of her leg after falling into the balcony jacuzzi? lol... come on!