Azul Sensatori Brides - POST HERE!

[dasarokr]

Picasa Web Albums - Marcie - Azul Sensatori

 

200 pictures of the resort. I dont think i have seen these on here yet. No clue if it will work as a link though.

[dasarokr]

How does the sky web cam work? Tiffany sent me a link but it never stops loading and then eventually ends with an error message. Does anyone have any tips? I would like to send it out before we leave. My wedding is 2/13/09 I never figured out how to put it on the list.

 

Question - Are we supposed to tip all the vendors? What percentage is normal?

[jhawkev]

Thanks for all the detailed reviews ladies Congrats to you all!

 

And Tsasha I'm sure yours will be great.

 

Chloe, what exactly do you mean about guests being disappointed with the Swim Up Suites??

 

Krista, great info about the on site planners.

 

Has anyone been having problems with the site loading lately?? I swore I posted something yesterday and it didn't post, and I have just not been able to get the site to load at all lately, weird.

[chaangel]

Hi everyone,

 

First time poster in this forum but I've been reading the thread - I'm getting married this year on May 12 - hearing all the responses and seeing the pictures is getting me excited!! Thanks for sharing everyone!!!

 

I'm curiours if anyone has had their reception at the Zocola restaurant - the wedding coordinator said it's a private area but not a room, so I'm curious as to how private that really is?

[trayce2222]

Hi ladies,

 

For those of you that have had trouble deciding on the music situation....DJ, Ipod, etc....I wanted to share with all of you what my FI and I have decided on doing. We had first planned on using their DJ until we found out that they barely speak English and do not make any announcements, toasts, etc. Once we learned that, we decided to do the sound system that we can use with our Ipod. We thought we could have one of our guests do the announcements.

 

However, my best friend just got married this past Saturday and after discussing our plans about the Ipod music the photographer (we are bringing him with us, by the way), he informed me how important it was to have the DJ since they are the one's who set the mood, get people dancing, keeps everything on track, etc. He told me to watch the DJ and see how he kept everything going and on time. I did and he was amazing!

 

I spoke to the DJ there and discussed our situation. I also asked him if we paid for his trip, would he be willing to go with us and DJ our reception. He said to call on Monday and I would have to discuss it with the owner of the company. I called and discussed it in length with the owner and he said that the DJ is willing to go with us if we pay for his trip.....the only other fees we would have to pay would be a $200 license fee. This works out great for us because the total costs will be right around $1200-$1300. So, not only do I get an English speaking DJ who does this for a living, but I don't have to pay any more than I would if I hired him through the resort!

The DJ also told me that he will also do it for the cocktail hour and anything else we may need that weekend. He is excited because basically he gets a free 3 night/4 day trip and only has to work 4-6 hours!

 

I know this is long, but I wanted to share this info with all of you. If you have any questions, just ask!!!

Thanks!

[Anon101]

Thanks, trayce2222! Quick question: will you be renting the amplifier for private events ($250) for the DJ to use, or would they be bringing equipment? If using the rental, do you know anything about quality and/or compatability (e.g. would he just bring a laptop that could plug in)? Thanks, again. We're leaning towards the same option, hence the questions...

 

Jen

[milejilo]

i was about to ask the same question anon101... i saw some additions to the "music/entertainment options" on the lomas website... they have some dj packages with robotic lighting and firework displays.... trayce2222, do you know if we can still have this set up? but using our own dj?

[trayce2222]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anon101 Thanks, trayce2222! Quick question: will you be renting the amplifier for private events ($250) for the DJ to use, or would they be bringing equipment? If using the rental, do you know anything about quality and/or compatability (e.g. would he just bring a laptop that could plug in)? Thanks, again. We're leaning towards the same option, hence the questions... Jen

Yes, we are renting the amp and microphone set-up. The DJ is bringing his laptop and an Ipod just in case as well as a lot of CD's....all just "in case". I'm sure the quality won't be as good as his own equipment, but as long as everyone can hear him and the music I'm fine with that!

As far as the added on services for the music, we have not checked into any of that such as the lighting.

[Blondie Bride x]

Hi ladies,

 

I am just back from my honeymoon and was at Azul for my wedding the same week as chloe (Chloe, it was great to meet you and I'm sure you were an absolutely stunning bride!)

 

I'll give you a condensed review until I have some more time to get caught up with work.

 

The Good:

 

Overall, we had a WONDERFUL experience at the Azul, with 45 of our closest family and friends. My Dad wrote a review on Trip Advisor (Larry from Aurora) if you'd like to read it.

Our guests were blown away by the quality of the resort. The drinks were fantastic, and the food was the best I have ever had, and I've travelled a LOT. We were thrilled overall with the resort.

We had a 'welcome dinner' at Spoon restaurant the first day (our West coast gests were not arriving for another 2 days, so we had enough people to squeak in with the 'under 40' rule). The restaurant did an incredible job. When we arrived, they had a special champagne toast ready for the group - an unexpected, lovely touch.

We had menus with a choice of steak, chicken or fish that the restaurant provided - all at no additional charge! That is the way they do their'set menus' for groups. One of my guests had food allergies, and they promptly altered the menu to accomodate her. They were wonderful, and the chef even came out to introduce himself to me and make sure that everything was fine.

The week itself was a blast, and everyone loved the variety of food and drinks. I heard nothing but rave reviews about the service and quality of both the food and drinks.

 

The wedding:

Gilberto and Honey are incredible. We did our blood test (no problem) and met with them to plan out the day. They were super accomodating and very easy t work with.

I got married on the beach, and added hot pink bows to the chairs. I LOVED how it looked; they even added hot pink gerbera daisies and tropical flowers to complement the colours. It really 'popped' against the sand and I thought it was gorgeous.

The ceremony went beatifuly, and I had two of my friends do short readings throughout even though it was a legal civil ceremony. Gilberto helped organize it, and it went off without a hitch. We brought our own ipod with music for walking down the aisle and signing the book, and I honestly don't know who played it for us. We had a friend that offered to be in charge of the music, but I know that the resort will take care of playing your ceremony music for you as well.

We had quite a group watching the wedding, and nstead of it othering me I found it really touching to hear them all wish us well afterwards, and to see that a few of the ladies even got a little weepy

 

The reception was on the terrace at Zocalo al Fresco. I LOVED this set-up. The bar was there for people to have a drink while we were doing pics, there were bathrooms nearby, and we were off the sand but still had a beautiful ocean view. I chose a cheap menu - a $12 chicken entree with an endive salad, and I swapped the butterscotch cheesecake for dessert. It was wonderful, and everyone loved the food.

I really don't think you need to spend a lot on the food - it is all consistently good anyway.

I brought small white lanterns from home with scented hot pink tealight candles. They set them up around centerpieces filed with hot pink and orange gerbera daisies and lilies. I also had tropical rose petals scattered on the table tops. It was so pretty, and I was completely thrilled. They set u my lanters, etc. at n charge as well.

 

We had a cake as well - the three tiered version that was supposed to only feed 30-40. It was more than enugh, even though we cut it later on in the evening. I'd recommend ordering smaller than you think - especially if you are also serving a meal.

We played our own music.

The staff was incredible. I felt like I had my own personal butler for the evening - my wne glass was never empty and I was constantly being asked if I needed anything. My family loved the staff, and we even took some cute pictures with them.

 

The Bad:

I was shocked in my meeting with Gilberto and Hney to fnd out that the vows I was provided by Fabio were the wrong vows. He sent me the 'symbolic' ceremony vows, which I spent 3 weeks revising and personalizing. When I got there I found out that the civil ceremony was nothing like what I had expected. That's why we had our friends say little speeches throughout, to soften it up and make it more personal.

Also, my bouquet picture was not passed along by Fabio. My flowers were gorgeous (hot pink roses with greenery) but not what I expected.

Ladies, make sure you are very diligent about your details.

 

Another downside was the beach. It is NOT a swimming beach, although you can walk down a few minutes towards "desire" and the beach is much nicer. The sand is gorgeous, and we spent tons of time there regardless.

Also, the resort has quite a few 'construction' glitches to fix. My blinds fell down, the door to my patio had the handle break off in my hand, and our A/C didn't work 3 days out of 7. Not big deals, but annoying.

 

Overall, I loved my wedding and can honestly say that my friends and family were thoroughly impressed with the resort! Good Luck to all of the future brides, and I'll post some of my candid shots soon

 

Krista.[/quote

 

Hi, Your review sounds great - Sounds like you had a wonderful time, looking forward to your pictures. Im new to this thread so finding it exciting reading you all helping each other. I get married Jan 2010, can i ask did you do alot of your planning before you went or did alot happen mainly when you arrived at Sensatori?

[Blondie Bride x]

Quote:

Originally Posted by daifje Hey guys!!! Just got back sunday night but it took me a while to get the time to write you guys what I found. I am a little obscessed so this review is going to be a little hard core!!! I took a ton of pictures but for some reason I can't upload them to this site. I will keep trying. We arrived on Friday night... late. By the time we got there it was almost 10pm and we were starving. All the restaurants were closing but the italian restaurant went out of their way to accomodate us. They served us and the food was pretty good. One person had the vege lasagna and thought it was amazing!! I had a pasta dish that was good. The desert was pretty good. The service was great. The house wines are good, not great. There is a choice of chardonnay or merlot from argentina. Anything else you have to purchase. Saturday morning we wet to spoons for breakfast. The omlettes are great! The buffet spread is a little scarce but not bad. THey could do a little more to have some ethnic dishes. Fresh juice was good. The servers are a little overwhelmed but it is buffet style. The beach is pretty. The beach and pool beds are a really nice touch. The sand is fine but always packed. I did not go into the water because it was too cold. They had a BBQ on the beach and we ate that for lunch. It was pretty good. Our meeting with the wedding cooridinators was great. They seem really with it and showed us all of the wedding, cocktail and reception spots. Wedding: The roof top wedding seats up to 80 people. very very romantic. I think we will go there. The beach is nice but I am expecting too many guests and my shoes will not handle the sand!! We saw a beach wedding set up and it looked very elegant. It is very windy so those of you considering veils (as I am) will have to be creative or else I could see a serious problem. The rain site is a hallway that they block off and decorate. I was not impressed when I saw it but when they showed me pics of it all set up it actually looks ok. Cocktail hour: There are various sites in the outdoor grounds for the reception and I think that they are all really nice. Most of them have an ocean view and are by the pool. Reception: Andrew and I really really want a private reception and we are expecting between 40 and 60 guests so we are really really limited. We are basically stuck in the conference room which is nice and spacious but does not have an ocean view. The cenral plaza is nice but you are in the middle if everything and there will be lots of foot traffic from the other hotel guests. The rooms are nice. No plumbing, electrical or air conditioning issues. We travelled with another couple who said that the water in their shower spilled a little into the bathroom but did not think it significant enough to switch rooms. The drinks were good but a little cheap with the alcohol. The mojito bar makes a great mojito. Overall I think that the service was good however they can get a little overwhelmed at times. Overall I was happy especially since the hotel was at 92% capacity. I am soooo excited!!!! We were planning to get married next jan but I realized that it is a little cold in Jan. We caught a cold front which made me realize that I don't want to take any chances. Keep that in mind when you are selecting your day. As soon as I figur out how to put pics on this site I will. Hope this helps Jen

Hi, thanks for checking things out your review sounds positive, when you said the weather was cold what was it like im getting married Jan 2010, do i need jumpers!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks Blondie Bride x