I recently got married at El Dorado Royale on January 8, 2011 and spent my honeymoon at the El Dorado Casitas.  We went the first half of our trip, from January 4th through January 8th, on the El Dorado Royale side and then transfered on the 8th through the 15th to the Casita side.  Oh what a difference!!

 

CHECK IN

 

Check in for the two of us was a breeze.  We were immediately taken over to a special desk where we were given a glass of champagne and a low down of when and where we would meet our wedding coordinator.  We were also given our room assignment - which for the first half of the trip was to be on the regular resort side.  We had reserved a swim-up suite in June 2010 for a January 2011 date.  We also had 4 other couples who had the same type of room and had requested that we all be somewhat close to each other.  Didn't happen.  Not even close.  At checkin- I tried to request the rooms in building 55 as I heard they were the best and had a great view.  I was quickly told no and to try back tomorrow.  Fine.  I assumed they were full. 

 

After check-in, we were whisked away to our room via golf cart and delivered to a beautifully decorated room with rose petals scattered everywhere.  Once inside, we quickly realized it was hotter than hades and humid!  It was after 8:00 at night so was just hoping they hadn't turned the air conditioner on.  We cranked it on and then headed out to let it cool down while we ate dinner.   After coming back from dinner, it was on but still unbearable.  So before heading to the disco, we stopped by the front desk to let them know to please come by and fix it.  No problem.  After coming back from the disco at 12:00am, not only was it a sauna, the a/c wasn't working at all.  So again, we call and immediately told we will be moved and someone will be there within 10 minutes to pick us and our bags up.  1 hour later, they arrived and what do you know, moved us to Building 55 - which is what I requested to begin with.  So while it was a rough first night, I ended up being in the exact room I wanted and it was perfectly located.  So definitely beg for Building 55!  Plus its a perfect viewing for the wedding gazebo 55!

 

MEETING WITH WC

The meeting with the WC was a complete beating in my opnion.  It was basically them going over the spreadsheet provided by your Lomas WC, very very slowly.  And at times I could not understand what they were saying or they couldn't understand me so I ended up just saying - whatever and hoping for the best.  The one major beneficial thing we got out of the meeting was our chosen locations were not going to work for the size of our party.  This sent me into a mild panic as there were 2 other weddnigs the same day and one had already chosen our top pick, which is why we had to settle for some unknowns.  The WC took us around to some available sights and we ended up changing the location for both our welcome reception and our wedding reception.  Welcome Reception went from the Health Bar to the Mexican Gazebo and the Weddnig Reception went from La Glorieta to the Health Bar.  Both ended up perfectly!

 

 

WELCOME RECEPTION

The welcome reception was a hit with our guests and a complete success.  We did the appetizer and cocktails - Mexican reception.  It was located at the Mexican Gazebo which was off the side of the property, close to the Casita section.  Very private.  The waiters passed around appetizers and were constantly refilling our glasses.  We brought our own BOSE system (cordless) and IPOD and played music for the 2 hour period.  Guests danced, mingled and had a great time.  I honestly thought it was more fun than our wedding reception with the DJ at some points!  We also had the donkey, who was there with a sombrero and for pictures.  While everyone just really thought it odd to have a donkey, it was a huge hit for pictures!   Here is the Mexican Gazebo location:

 

 

 

WEDDING DAY AT THE CASITA SPA

 

So the day was to begin with my MOB and mother going to the CAsita Spa where were to have the Bridal Suite to get ready and have treatments done.  After getting there, I was told that I could not have treatments done with my family as I was the only one to get things done in the suite and they would be out in the normal area.  This was pretty disappointing as I had planned to do this together.  I ended up fighting back a bit and I went out to the main area and at least had my nails and toes done with them.  I will say - the manicure / pedicure that comes free with the Bridal Package was literally just a repainting of the nails and toes.  They did not shape my nails or do the full treatment.  And the colors they had were very limited so bring your own! 

 

Naomi was in charge of doing all of my treatments, which included my hair and make-up.  She did a fantastic job here!  I loved my hair and make up. 

 

 

Positive experience about the spa was that Naomi was great and very attentive.  There was a personal attendant who was responsible for getting anything we needed, which basically for us was more champagne and glasses.  He did well keeping us stocked up all day long. 

 

Negative experiences were 1)  WC told me that I would have snacks and something to munch on during the day.  About 1 1/2 hours before go time, I realized we hadn't eaten anything since an early breakfast.  After trying to locate the food, the spa informed us that no food was allowed inside - no exceptions.  Then someone read us the disclaimer stating if we tried to sneak food in, all of our services would be cut short and we'd be asked to leave.  Well, after drinking champagne and all the nerves I had going on - this was quite frustrating! 

 

2)  I was told that they had one golf cart to take you from the Casita Spa all the way to the opposite end of the resort to where the wedding gazebo was.  You could take 2 people with you, period.  That could be the photographer or that could be bridesmaids.  Well, I had 3 bridesmaids and a photographer.  I ended up taking my MOH and 1 bridesmaid so the photographer had to walk and my other bridesmaid ended up just getting ready in her own room so she didn't have to make the long trek.  That was extremly frustrating as my other bridesmaid who didn't get to stay was very hurt and upset that she got booted.  There is no reason why they couldn't supply one of the longer golf carts to escort a group. 

 

WEDDING CEREMONY

 

 

There ceremony was absolute beautiful.  Decorated wonderfully.  The WC was on hand to make sure everything ran smoothly and get everyone where they needed to be.  My only complaints were they rushed through the ceremony songs on the IPOD.  I would have preferred to have some pausing in between parts so you could hear the songs that I took so much care to pick out. My other complaint was a result of some of the miscommunication earlier with the WC.  I wasn't quite sure what sermon I had chosen for the minister to speak but it was the shortest speech ever and not the least bit sentimental.  My quickie legal ceremony in the state was far more emotional.  And the minister stood most of the ceremony directly in front of my mother so she couldn't see me.  Odd.  But non the less, on was on cloud 9 through out the ceremony so it went by in a blur anyway. 

 

PHOTOGRAPHER

 

We used Citlalli and her sister from Claudia Photo and I know she was more expensive than the other options but well worth every dime.  We purchased the 5 hour package and wish I would have done more.  Her photos were just extraordinary and so much more than your standard wedding pictures - so far out of the box.  Just beautiful.  My only regret is I didn't outline specific pictures I wanted in advance as I was so caught up in the moment that day that I missed some key shots with family and friends.  After taking some family and group shots, she took what felt like a million pictures of just my husband and I all over the resort.  The package said we would receive 250 pictures on a CD but we received 542 pictures total and I swear there were only a handful I didn't like.  Here is a sampling:

 

 

 

 

 

WEDDING RECEPTION

 

Our wedding reception was at the Health Bar and was a perfect location for our size of 38 guests.  We kept decorations pretty simple with a couple runners, rose petals and votive candles.  And we had the flowers from the ceremony brought over to decorate various areas. 

 

We did the BBQ Deluxe buffet and it was fantastic!  The guests raved about how wonderful the food was.  I do wish they would have kept the food out a little longer so you could graze later but once people finished up and the speeches started, they took everything down pretty quickly. 

 

My cake design I had found online somewhere and was hoping for the best on what they could do.  Attached is a picture of what I wanted and what I actually received.

 

 

 

Not entirely sure why it turned out pink, but it was still cute and did the job.  I will say, it was far too much cake and the consensus was it was not that tasty.  Seemed a bit stale.  So if I had to do over again, I would not have spent the $490 on this cake and would have gone smaller. 

 

DJ DOREMIXX

 

We went the DJ route instead of the Ipod and he was fanastic.  Very easy to work with.  I had downloaded a few specific songs for him to a CD but he said he didn't need them as he could just upload them himself.  Wish I had forced my CD on him as 1 important song had a number of versions and the one he chose was not the one I wanted.  I also wish I would have emphasized more the style that we liked as he seemed to play more mainstream music.  This was fine for most of the evening but didn't truly represent us as we are bit more classic rock and alternative styles.  But he brought lots of props that the guests loved (masks, balloons) and for the most part, got everyone to dance at some point during the evening.  Highly recommend him!

 

GUEST BOOK

 

We did a photo guest book.  We bought one of those new polaroid type cameras with a tiny printer that printed out these little 2x3 pictures that we could post directly to a guest book.  We brought with us a number of props for people to dress up in for the pictures and then they could post to the book with some thoughts.  This was a great idea and everyone loved it!  Only downside - batteries ran out on the printer really quickly.  We did get through everyone (except the bride and groom) so it served its purpose. 

 

CASITAS

 

After our reception, we had our room moved to the Casita Suites and oh what a difference!  We were in the 3100 block, which I had requested so was very happy to see I got my wish!  The room was beautiful!  We paid for a swim up suite and were upgraded to a swim up infiniti pool suite.  It was just fantastic.  And in our room were more rose petals, lots of booze, a filled bath tub and a bottle of champagne - along with all of the flowers from our wedding reception.  It smelled fantastic!

 

 

 

The swim up was easily accessible to the shared pool as well as the bar.  The waitstaff would even walk over to your balcony and offer to bring you drinks.  Also this block of buildings were the only section to have a outdoor eating area that served hot food for lunch. 

 

Big plus of the Casitas was more lounge chairs and more access to the sun.  On the regular side, the pools were set so far into the resort that finding a sunny spot was difficult and you had to get there early to find it.  And the main pools were VERY crowded.  The Casita pools were much smaller and all had direct access to the sun.  We found you got to know your neighbors really well and hung out with them every day. 

 

And service on the Casita side was over the top.  Our conceierge couldn't do enough for us.  She would make our dinner reservations, spa reservations and would call for a golf cart to pick us up if we wanted. 

 

We did have a couples massage in the sky lounge which was fantastic!  But I do recommend you haggle with the guys selling it as you can purchase the sunrise couples massage for almost $100 less than the sunset massage and the only difference is you don't get a bottle of the cheap house champagne.  We bought the sunrise and booked our appointment for sunset.  Winner! 

 

I won't go into too much detail on the restaurants, they were most all fantastic!!  Favorites were Kampai and the Italian.  We would go do sushi appetizers at Kampai and then go to Italian for dinner and dessert.  YUM!  Our least favorite was El Cocotal.  Thought is was horrible for both breakfast and dinner.  Our favorite breakfast was Las Fuentes.  Its buffet was far larger than any other with made fresh to order, eggs, pancakes and french toast - where the others were only fresh eggs. 

 

Overall a fanstic trip and would go back again - but only to the Casitas!  :0)  If you have any questions, please feel free to email me!