This DIY bride needs venue recommendations for Spring 2014 cabo wedding!

[Arroyo17]

I am planning a wedding in Cabo for spring 2014 and am planning on doing all the planning myself (and will probably hire a "day-of coordinator")  I am overwhelmed with the sheer number of sites we can choose from.  We are having a relatively low budget wedding--about $18k for about 60 guests so I'm looking for a place that is not on the total high end of the spectrum.  I'd like to avoid any of the mega-resorts as it's just not really my style.  We prefer something smaller.  So far it looks like my best bets are the Sunset de Mona Lisa restaurant and the Sheraton Hacienda.  Does anyone have any experience with them or do you have any other recommendations for great venues?

 

Thanks!

[flo628]

Hi Arroyo17,

 

I am in the midst of planning my April 2014 wedding as well, and looked at most resorts.  I also looked at the Sunset da Monalisa and fell in love with the photos. However, I decided against it b/c: a)there would be extra costs to provide transportation to and from the venue. We have a few children coming, and I didn't want to worry about some people needing to leave early, etc, so if we had a bus, it would have been extra trouble to find them a separate ride. I believe they don't open late unless you pay extra. c) I don't believe there are any hotels that are within walking distance. We opted instead for Casa Dorada, which has a lot of options, and is a smaller resort. We also looked at the Sheraton, it looks like a beautiful hotel, but the Dorada had nicer rooms, and for the ease we wanted everyone to be able to stay in the same spot, and be within walking distance to Cabo San Lucas for easy day trips, etc.  Hacienda Cocina y Cantina is another popular restaurant where people get married, and supposedly they have excellent food and reasonable prices. I really did love the Sunset da Monalisa, if you don't mind the transportation thing, then it would really be a beautiful place to get married. Zoetry is small but I hear is pricey, and it's also closer to San Jose, which we did not want. Good Luck!!

[Arroyo17]

Hi Flo!  Thanks for the info--we JUST got back from Cabo where we did some site visits.  We are debating between SDML and the Sheraton.  The transportation issue with SDML is a definite pain but yeah I really didnt like the rooms at the Sheraton--they aren't the kind of rooms you expect when they charge the prices they do. Also they close the pools at 5pm--what the heck is that?!  We also looked at Hacienda Cocina but decided against it. 
 

[Ash984]

Hi Arroyo17 I am debating on SDML and Hacienda Cocina....I see that you did a site visit to hacienda. Can you comment? I have been to SDML and it was very beautiful. Thanks and congratulations!

[Arroyo17]

Hi Ash984,

 

Hacienda Cocina is a great venue and I can give you a lot of info!  The contact person there, Susana, was really great.  Basically there are 3 different areas to have your reception in:

 

1) The restaurant.  This requires a buy-out with a minimum consumption of $20,000k.  This obviously doesn't make sense unless you have at least 100 guests.  This is way out of our budget but there was a wedding the day we went that was doing this and it looked awesome.  If you do the buyout you get to have this awesome little cocktail area too and this awesome bar area/palapa type thing for your dance floor. 

 

2) The beach front area.  This is a small area that is designed to hold about 45 ppl but she said it can go up to 70ppl.  The minimum consumption is something like $2500 plus a $250 site fee (these numbers are ballpark of what I remember her saying--not exact).  This area would be awesome bc it's directly on the beach.

 

3) A terraced area in the back.  This area overlooks the pool and holds a lot more people.  The price is something like $5,000 minimum consumption with a $600 site fee.  Another great area.

 

The ceremony would be held on the beach and there is a grassy area between the beach and pool where you do the cocktail hour.  The only thing I don't like about this venue is that the beach area is close to the hustle and bustle of Medano Beach.  It's not close enough that you can hear the noise or anything but in pictures it would be nearly impossible to avoid having other big hotels and stuff in the background.  You could shoot towards the ocean but at this beach there are a line of buoys in the water that I think make wedding shots not look as nice as if you had a clean ocean in the back.  I realize many people won't care at all about this but for whatever reason, it's a deal breaker for me.  If you aren't as picky about this sort of thing I think this is a trily fabulous venue.  We also aren't going with Hacienda Cocina because you have to bring in all the rentals (chairs, linens, etc) and we are trying to avoid doing too much of that. 

 

Oh another great thing is that Susana said that at the end of the night, she is willing to print out 2 receipts: one for how any drinks were actually consumed and one for the open bar price and she will charge you whichever is less.  That is a great perk!  That way if people don't drink as much as you anticipate you can save money. 
 

[Ash984]

Thank you Arroyo17!!!! You have been incredibly helpful!!! It is such a tough decision but it helps being reassured that hacienda is a great place. It sure looks beautiful from photos!

[Arroyo17]

Hi Ash,

 

Out of all the site coordinators we met when doing site visits in Cabo, Susanna at Hacienda Cocina was probably my favorite.  She's really down to earth and is totally understanding of people needing to do things on a budget and just seemed really on top of things.  We just pulled the trigger on Sunset de Mona Lisa.  As you go along in your planning, I'd love to hear if you have any recommendations of vendors.  We will need transportation, hair/makeup, audio equipment rental, linen rentals, etc. 

 

Good luck!
 

[Ash984]

Hi Arroyo! Thanks again! I have spoken with Susana on the phone and she has been so friendly and understanding!! Great choice with SDML...I absolutely loved it there! I booked Suzanne Morel pretty early on for my hair and makeup. We will be going to her salon the morning of. I will keep you posted with vendors. I would love to hear any recommendations that you have as well Have you found a day of coordinator to hire yet?

Ash

[MrsCrawford3]

Hi there! I was researching with my planner about Sunset de mona Lisa and we found that Hacienda cocina Y cantina is a lot cheaper!

[flo628]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrsCrawford3 
 

Hi there! I was researching with my planner about Sunset de mona Lisa and we found that Hacienda cocina Y cantina is a lot cheaper!

 

It is, but a completely different atmosphere.