PV Questions! Help please from any experienced brides :)

[LCBride2007]

there is a whole thread on Dreams PV and also Caletas - you may want to check those out!

[**Kat**]

Quote:

Originally Posted by starchild - Dreams does not let outside guests in so your friends/family not staying there will never be able to meet you there, they won't get past the gate to even just wait outside - There is nothing in walking distance from Dreams, everything requires a cab...old town and the malecon where many clubs are is a short cab ride away (less than 10 minutes) It's not a problem, just something to consider if you think you'll be in the heart of the nightlife. It is very secluded. . - If you're talking organized tours/excursions I highly recommend Vallarta Adventures. I have always been pleased with everything they've done (including our wedding). Puerto Vallarta Tours, Activities, Excursions, Things to Do and Expeditions, Mexico

Dreams DOES let outside people on! There is a fee though.. this is the email that I got from them about that

We have some day passes as well as WEdding passes for your guests not staying in property, the fees are as follow:

Morning pass - $72 usd from 9 am to 7 pm

Full day pass - $105 usd from 9 am to 11 pm

Night pass - $53 usd from 7 pm to 1 am

Wedding pass $80 usd access 45 minutes the ceremony and 45 minutes after the reception dinner with food and beverage from the event.

It is true about taking a cab.. but we did several times and it was not that expensive.

Vallarta Adventures is the way to go! They are who I used to planning my wedding since I got married on Las Caletas! (Reviews are in my siggy!)

Quote:

Originally Posted by KarenM Have you checked for quotes through a TA? Our rate for the Dreams regular rooms (deluxe) were actually pretty cheap considering it included all meals & drinks (a little over $100 per person per night, based on double occupancy). Much less than the prices quoted on the website or through expedia/travelocity. Of course it depends on the time of year you're getting married & May is in the low season so that helped. The benefit of being a little secluded is that Dreams has its own private beach. There are lots of hotels in town in the hotel district or marina, but they're lined up along the beach so there are tons of people walking up & down selling stuff or offering timeshares. We had one couple decide to stay in town b/c they were opposed to the idea of an all-inclusive and they actually really regretted not staying at Dreams. They said the timeshare & other people selling stuff on the beach were so obnoxious they couldn't even enjoy the beach at their hotel so they stuck to the pool. That may or may not be something to consider if your group prefers the beach vs pools.

It would be really hard for me to stay at another resort after staying at Dreams and a LOT of reason is the private beach! You have SO MUCH less traffic, hardly anyone of the beach! It is WONDERFUL!!

And YES!!!!!!!!!! Check with a travel agent! Mine is AWESOME!! We got quoted over $800 PER COUPLE LEEEEEESSSSSSSSS than anywhere else and the trip was PERFECT!!

His name is Chuck Joyce and he is with A Way To Go Travel! A Way To Go Travel Agency and he is AWESOME!!! He handled our whole wedding party of 32 and everything was great! His number is 336-855-0060

Quote:

Originally Posted by AZKimberly Do you happen to know if May is the season for releasing turtles? How was the weather in May?

They didnt release the turtles when we were there in May, but I heard that they had some hatching not long from when we were leaving! and the weather is GREAT!! My wedding day was HOT, dont get me wrong... but it wasnt bad. At night it is wonderful!

Quote:

Originally Posted by AZKimberly Also, What is Las Caletas? How would you even begin to organize a wedding there? I see so much about it on this forum.

LAS CALETAS IS AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!! I have my review and pics up if they would help! The links are in my signature!!! Kelley (our coordinator) is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO AWESOME!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by KarenM ooh, Las Caletas is amazing!! It's a private islandy thing that you take about an hour-long boat to. They have day & night excursions and do beautiful weddings! We opted out for a couple of reasons, but initially thought of having our wedding there. Here's the link to their website & there's a big thread on the forum about them. You can just contact them via email to find out about availability. Puerto Vallarta Weddings, Beach Weddings, Destination Weddings in Mexico .

Our wedding is actually going to be featured on their website here in the next month or 2! (YAY!) there is a lot of great info and they are SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUPER helpful!!

Let me know if you have anymore questions on Las Caletas! It is amazing! I would be happy to help!

[simplnsweet]

check out dreams pv's website. they have lots of info about the ressort, wedding stuff and surrounding areas.

Dreams Puerto Vallarta Resorts & Spas: Activities Day and Night

[autjo]

Definitely find a TA to get you some quotes. We had about the same price as Karen and flights from PHX were sooo reasonable.

 

Like Kat mentioned, I can't imagine staying anywhere else in PV after spending 12 days at Dreams PV. The private beach is absolutely the best. And the short, cheap ride into town is a perfect convenience to your guests. Plus Dreams offers a free Jungle Trek from the resort is just amazing (not recommended for anyone out of shape), but super gorgeous and free! We have several guests making return trips because they had so much fun. Come chat on the Dreams PV thread for more info

[starchild]

Quote:

Originally Posted by **Kat** Dreams DOES let outside people on! There is a fee though..

I was addressing the whole issue of where guests are staying and how you won't spend time with non-Dreams guests at Dreams if they don't stay there, i.e. who is going to buy a guest pass to hang with you by the pool, kwim? Or if her guests stay in the area and want to meet her at Dreams to share a cab downtown it's not happening. That's what I meant

For a wedding pass I guess the fee is more acceptable but that really adds up imo.

[amandalsu]

There are a few hotels near Dreams. One is Playa Conchas Chinas Hotel and another is a time share with rentals called Lindo Mar. The time share only rents for 7 days. Playa Conchas Chinas hotel is very budget friendly. There is a 3 bedroom with a private pool that would be affordable for 3 couples to share. These are right off Conchas Chinas beach. There are no vendors on this beach but also not chairs, bars, or restuarants. This is a local beach surrounded by villas and a condo complex (with one rental I know of but I can't remember the name of the condo).

 

Connected to Lindo Mar is a condo with multiple units called Villas Patricia. These are nice multi bedroom units that are very affordable. Lindo Mar also has a great restuarant that is very well priced. We all ate there multiple times during our stay.

 

We stayed at Villa Celeste for our wedding and had some guests stay at Villas Patricia and they loved it. Most of our guests rented villas around the conchas chinas area. We only had one guest at Dreams and he spent most of the time with us so he didn't get his money's worth with regards to the all inclusive package. PV has amazing restuarants so we recommended our guests not go with an all inclusive. We had a few guests at Barcelo in Mislamoya and they didn't like being that far from town or the food at the hotel. A group of us did go visit Mislamoya beach one day to hang out with them (not on the barcelo property but on the beach nearby). Mislamoya is a really nice beach but the vendors are terrible there. It is a good option if you plan on taking water taxi's to Caletas or Yelapa a few times while you are there.

 

Vallarta Adventures is a great tour group. We did the outdoor challenge with them and it was amazing.

 

If you are really looking for affordability you might consider Bucerias. It is abour 45 minutes north of PV (it is north of Nuevo Vallarta). It is a small town with plenty of resturants, an outdoor market, and town square. I am not really sure about the night life but there are several bars there. We honeymooned there and loved it. As much as we love PV we will probably stay there from now on and just venture into PV for a day or two during the trip. The beaches are better (less rocks in the sand and longer beaches), it is less crowded, and more affordable.

[TammyWright]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AZKimberly Wow, this really helps a LOT!!! Thank you! Who is your TA? I have never used one before... should I just google Travel Agents in Arizona? Thank you so much girls!

have you thought of using one of the TA's on the forum...

Quote:

Originally Posted by KarenM Weddings in Mexico[/url] our TA was Teresa Stauring at vacations4less.com. She's in LA and we're in NYC so we never met her, but she provided really good service & got us great rates! PM me if you'd like her email. I know hotel rates increase every year, so the rate I had (which was a 2009 rate) probably won't be available for a wedding next year, but it's worth finding out. Teresa works with Dreams PV a lot so was able to get really good rates. We booked our air through her as well, but there wasn't a discount for that so you could book airfare wherever you find it cheapest. We also got the transfer from/to the airport which was great!

Teresa is one of the TA's on the forum. you can either email her directly or fill out the form above to get her.