aventura spa palace

[lilbuddha]

Really??? Would you mind passing that along?  Thanks!!

 

Originally Posted by ktrant 

I discovered that it was so much easier to just call them. They have an 800 #. I sat on the phone with Dulce for 30 minutes with my list of questions. Just a thought...

[sgray]

Yes, please do share the 1800 #! I'd like to call my WC too...
 

Originally Posted by lilbuddha 

Really??? Would you mind passing that along?  Thanks!!

 

 

[Steph3486]

Hello everyone,

 

I felt like it was time to chime in- I've been stalking this forum for months in preparation for my wedding at the Aventura. We had our wedding last week on 9/13 and it was great!

 

We were there ten nights- 9/9 to 9/19 with 13 guests and everyone left happy. We tried all of the restaurants at least once, and a few we ate twice. I worked with Wilma and did the "legal" wedding with the blood tests, paperwork, etc. All of this was very smooth and now I'm just working on filing paperwork and stuff. Feel free to let me know what questions you have- I will answer whatever I can because I know how much it can drive a bride crazy!

 

Stephanie

 

[jszy10]

Steph..here we go! )

 

Where did you have your reception at?  I am going to be having mine at a restaurant, is there one you would recommend?  I want to try and have it as private as possible.

 

Did you use a wedding package or did you choose a'la'cart?  Anything you would definitely recommend having??

 

and I know everyone wants to see pics!!!!!!!!

[Steph3486]

What restaurants are they letting you choose from?

 

Wilma only had room for us at the Oriental (Mo Ho Na Na or something like that) or Mundaca when we were there. We went with the Mundaca Steakhouse on the Cove side for the dinner. I asked Wilma to let us eat outside on the terrace, which was no issue at all. There was a pretty nice breeze and even though the restaurant is fairly big I felt like we were the only people there. When we arrived, the tables looked great... we didn't pay for any flowers/centerpieces but the table was decorated with tons of flower petals, carnations and candles when we arrived. They really do want you to have a lovely time.

 

The food was excellent and we had 4 wait staff and a manager taking care of the 15 of us (and only us) the entire time. Needless to say, service was excellent. They brought out appetizers, wine, and champagne shortly after we (bride and groom) were seated. They were definitely planning on serving things in courses, taking appetizer orders first, then salad orders, then soup orders, etc. so the dinner would have taken a good few hours if we'd allow it. Neither husband or I had eaten all day so we just asked if we could order everything all at one time instead. This was absolutely not an issue and the food was out fairly quickly thereafter.

 

We decided to do a DW to save money, so we didn't pay for any kind of sound system, DJ, etc. Also, I wanted a quiet dinner (family politics.... eeek!) and wanted to cut out and head to the disco right afterwards. We were pleasantly surprised by the show the hotel put on for us in its place- they brought the mariachi band over from La Hacienda to sing for us.. they sang 4 or 5 songs and "made" us do a first dance which was kind of a fun surprise. Then the waiter did a mayan coffee setup for the table (lots of fire and quite a production) after the band left, followed by our cake and desserts.

 

We did the complimentary package and the cake was ok.. Do keep in mind they make it "mexican" style which means it is very moist cake. I love that, but some guests hated it. We did the chantilly frosting which was like light buttercream. The flowers were fondant, which was also yummy... Word of advice if you're worried about the cake-  I'd swing into a Mexican bakery if you have one nearby just to try it and make sure it's what you want. Otherwise, I'm sure if you asked they could make dry American cake (for lack of a better description) if you asked. And honestly,  by the time they stuff you full of dinner no one eats the cake anyways. I ate two bites of my filet mignon b/c I was too full from the appetizers/soup/salad!!

 

Honestly though, I wouldn't stress too much about the restaurant but I would consider what kind of atmosphere you're looking for. Keep in mind it gets HOT hot there and a little AC may go a long way depending on what you plan to wear!! Husband wore a suit (his choice!) and was dying by the end of the ceremony. My dress was wet to the touch with sweat by hour 3. It was hot hot hot. But beautiful all the same. :-)

 

Here's a quick run down (spelling could be a little off):

 

La Trattoria:SPA side- Italian- very small restaurant- maybe 60 seats? There were about half indoors half out. Dimly lit but in a romantic kind of way. The food was great but small portions. The night we ate there they were hosting another wedding party who had payed for a violinist. He did a fantastic job but it was a little bit loud for such a small place. You really couldn't hear each other across the table while he played.

 

La Hacienda: COVE side- Mexican- one of my favorites. Indoors and depending on your party size you could probably have them sequester you to the back area where people wouldn't see you. Very fun atmosphere with a "roaming" mariachi band. It's quiet and the decor is very "mexico" from the floor tiles to the pictures on the walls to the paint.

 

Mundaca- COVE side- Steakhouse. They have indoor and outdoor seating but it's all open air so NO AC. The outdoor seating is maybe 60 seats? and indoors is much more. Nice place, great view of the water and Cozumel. We ate there twice and left full and happy both times. It was funny on our wedding dinner because we sat outside and a stray cat wandered onto the terrace and meowed for steak. My family is a pack of animal lovers so he/she ate VERY well that night. Keep in mind a lot of the outdoor places get "visitors" like birds, geckos, and the occasional cat. The wait staff runs them off pretty quick when they spot them... we're pretty casual and found it amusing. (I'm not saying the place is a zoo- just saying you may see a critter every now and then)

 

La Ventana- COVE- Pizza and pasta. All indoors... not set up for a wedding. The food was ok, but I was least impressed with them- they were more of a kid food/pizza/cafeteria type ambiance if you asked me. It was very brightly lit and felt like a golden corral or something, with grey floor tiles.

 

Oriental- SPA-(can't think of the name but it's something like mo no ha na na) all indoors. This one doubles as a breakfast buffet in the morning and an oriental place at night. The windows overlook the ocean and the evening atmosphere is very nice. It's a big place, but there are several "levels" of seating so again, you could probably have them move you to one end or the other and keep it somewhat private.

 

El Greco- SPA- seafood- indoor/outdoor seating. This is one of their staple restaurants and one of the only ones open for lunch time. We ate there for lunch almost daily and for dinner twice- once we had the chef prepare spanish mackerel that we caught on a fishing tour and the second just straight off the menu and it was fantastic both times. There is NO AC at this place- indoors or out. Also, it appears that if it rains they shut the place down. It rained two days that we were there and they closed the lunch buffet both times. The roof of this one is thatched- I assume it must leak. Also, because it's completely open air there are a lot of birds in the daytime stalking your lunch. We just kept in mind it's a fun place and you're in Mexico and it's not worth getting worked up about. And the staff chasing them around is kind of amusing. ;-)

 

La Huerta- SPA- "california light". We actually never ate there for dinner but it's all indoors and looked really nice. The menu wasnt calling to us (health food? yuck!) but there were always people going so it couldn't have been bad.

 

 

 

As for the packages, you can use your vacation dollars on them now. Had this been an option when I booked, I'd have done it. The meeting with Wilma was very smooth and only took about half and hour/45 minutes. I didn't feel rushed at all and it was pretty "to the point". I LITERALLY planned nothing in RE to cake, flowers, etc. until I got there 3 days prior and all went well. She showed slides with what they had, I picked, moved on. The doctor was very professional and took our blood samples on site. Wilma brought us drinks and cookies to distract my needlephobic husband while he got his blood drawn (lol). She did ask that we bring four songs for the ceremony- the staff ran the sound system and it all sounded great., they did a good job fading everything in and out as needed and it really sounded flawless. I did the free bouquet and it was a nice size and gorgeous! I also bought a flower for my hair but honestly could have spared one from the bouquet if I'd have known how big the bouquet would be.. for some reason I expected some kind of sad bouquet with like, 4 flowers lol.

 

My only regret as to not purchasing the "extras" was the horse and carriage ride.. Just do it! I felt kind of ghetto riding in on the golf cart. :-) Wilma drove in and parked us a decent distance from the gazebo but I think the horses would have been sooo much more dramatic.

 

As for the photographer, I booked an outside vendor because I panicked but after seeing the hotel's work with another couple that was there I can tell you that they did a fantastic job and know the grounds REALLY well and can get those nice shots that an outside photog wouldn't know about.I opted to hire Sascha Gluck, based on this thread and I'm very excited to see the pics. He was very professional when he was there- I'm still waiting for the pictures and will post a link the second he gives me a sneak peak. I left my mother in charge of taking pictures (other than Sascha) and she cried the whole time and didn't take a picture. :-(

 

I didn't tell the hotel that I hired an outside photog, just said I had a couple of friends coming and paid for their day passes (86 each) through the wedding planner. Wilma didn't ask and no one said anything when he was taking photos all night long!

 

 

I have quite a few pictures of the room/grounds/etc though, if you want to see them.

 

 

 

Sorry for the book but I am trying to leave no stone unturned!! :-)

 

 

 

 

Originally Posted by jszy10 

Steph..here we go! )

 

Where did you have your reception at?  I am going to be having mine at a restaurant, is there one you would recommend?  I want to try and have it as private as possible.

 

Did you use a wedding package or did you choose a'la'cart?  Anything you would definitely recommend having??

 

and I know everyone wants to see pics!!!!!!!!

[jszy10]

On the paperwork I received, it says El Greco, Momo no hana, Ventanas or Mundaca.  I was actually leaning towards Mundaca because I did hear they had a terrace we could request to be on.  Plus I think the steakhouse would be a crowd favorite.  I am having around 25 people and am qualifying for a free cocktail hour too, which I was thinking I would do at the Pandero Terrace.

 

Thanks so much for the info on the complimentary wedding package.  I actually switched from the Amber to the complimentary a month ago because I realized I was paying way too much just for a little "fluff" at the ceremony.  Now we are going to choose a la carte the things we want, like the videographer, harpist and horse drawn carriage.  We aren't paying for a DJ, we are going to the Disco afterwards as well.  I hired Octavio Montes to be my photographer.  He has done weddings at ASP before, so I am confident in his work.  We can't wait to see yours!!!

 

Any grounds pictures you have, I'm sure everyone would love to see!!  It gets us excited for our trips )  Thanks again for your help!! Keep us posted on your pics! and congrats on the marriage!!

[sxcT]

Hi Steph -

 

Thanks for posting all this great info on here.  It really is helpful as you already know.

 

Question:  I rec'd a packet of Aventura's Private Events from another member on here.  When listing all the places to have a reception there is a picture of "The Cove Terrace".  Is that part of a restaurant?  It looks like the perfect place for my reception since Mundaca terrace is probably way too big for the number of guests I am having.  How many did you have?  Did the terrace feel empty or too big?

[Steph3486]

For some reason I can't picture where the Cove terrace is.. and I can't find it on the map I brought home. If it's connected to a restaurant, I wouldn't be too worried about the size. We were a small group of 13 (15 w/ photogs) and it still felt pretty intimate even though there was tons of space. They seated quite a few older couples out on the terrace behind us that night too, which I was mad about at first, but it added to the atmosphere more than I'd have expected. They all applauded and cheered when we came in and then more or less left us be the rest of the night. There were lots of "congratulations" from passing guests on our way to the disco but everyone really left us alone for dinner. I really did feel like we were the only ones on the terrace!

[ktrant]

The number is 1-800-635-1836. Just follow the prompts and select wedding departments.

Originally Posted by sgray 

Yes, please do share the 1800 #! I'd like to call my WC too...
 

[Steph3486]

I did the same thing too. I had a package picked out and then I backed off because I wasn't sure how much I cared about all the decorations. I'm really glad I backed out and chose the comp package because the ocean is an amazing backdrop on its own and if you do the ceremony the judge sets up you are only there about 15 minutes anyways.

 

We chose the Tulum Gazebo for the privacy and it was lovely. Yes, there is a fence right by it but it doesn't hinder the view of the ocean and it's dark green so it's not as attention grabbing as you'd think. The photographer just made special effort to work around it. Ladies, I will tell you that ALL of the gazebos are lovely- it just depends what you're looking for. I wanted Coba at first, but the steakhouse and lagoons overlook it too and I was leery of a big audience. The ones at each end have the best setup for after wedding rock access for photos. Have someone bring flip flops (or wear them) if you intend to go out on the rocks. there are holes in them and you WILL hurt yourself if you try to navigate them in heels.