subzero

Just to add my two cents as well - we ended up spending about $400 on tips for the 9 days were were at Dreams. A lot of that went to the bartenders, but we also tipped our waiters generously at dinner (they always let our party of 20-25 sit together which we know was a lot of work). We tipped Rebeca $50, the fire dancers $100 and the reception bartenders $100. The fire dancers and bartenders got more because they had to split the tips. We forgot to tip the wedding assistant (Erica) who drove us around for the legal stuff and took care of the paperwork. I feel kind of bad about that because she was great. But, I would add a reminder that tipping is considered to be "above and beyond" so you should feel free to use your own discretion. We were so happy with everything that Rebeca did (along with everyone else, for that matter) so we felt like giving them a generous tip was appropriate. Rebeca did seem a little surprised by the tip but she did accept it (wouldn't you?).

To respond to the question about the beach ceremony: The beach ceremony that I saw was in front of the Oceana restaurant, way down on one end of the property (the side with the old tower). That's where most people get their photos done since it's really pretty at that end. The guests were all seated facing the ocean and the bride was waiting a ways away, up some stairs sort of in front of the old tower. There was no way her guests saw her coming. I think she had a great arrival. There is a "pathway" laid on the sand to help with walking, but it's not a smooth surface. It's hard to describe, but it's kind of like a runner made of a bunch of sticks sewn together. So your heels could get caught in the gaps if you're not careful. The only hitch for her (maybe it didn't bother her, I'm not sure) was that there is only one way to get to Oceana, and it meant that everyone who was going to dinner (including me) walked right behind her wedding and got a good view of the whole thing. They were probably 25 feet away from the restaurant entrance. But then again, we got married in the gazebo and we had on-lookers too. I didn't notice them at all, but my guests told me later that there were like 10 people watching. I had no idea. I was paying attention to the judge! Hope this helps!

Hi everyone! I was married at Dreams PV on May 13th and I haven't done a big review but since this thread is getting more active again I thought I'd chime in a little bit about what everyone's been talking about. We had an amazing time and are so happy we went with Dreams PV! It's funny about the food - the beef was actually a big hit among most of our guests, at most of the restaurants! So, as usual, it's just a matter of taste. We also really loved the shrimp dishes at all restaurants but didn't fall in love with any of the desserts. They aren't chocolatey enough for me! We had the calamari appetizer at the reception and while it was really good, it's a bit different than the usual calamari. I think it was because there wasn't very much breading and there were lots of whole mini-squids and I'm used to seeing just parts of the squid. It was pretty funny actually - once my dad figured out what he was eating, he decided that he didn't like it. Before he knew it was squid, he was really liking it. Be careful if you have any vegetarians attending your reception - one of the dishes they listed as vegetarian is actually some kind of chicken dish. Actually, now that I think of it, a lot of the things they categorized as vegetarian weren't actually vegetarian. No one we were with had any problems with food poisoning or swine flu or anything else for that matter. One person got sick a couple days after she got home, but if you think about disease onset after exposure, she probably got norovirus from the airplane rather than anything from the resort. I always take those TripAdvisor reviews with a grain of salt since people tend to only post reviews if they have strong feelings one way or the other. Hopefully I'll be feeling inspired enough to write a "real" review sometime soon. In the meantime, feel to ask me questions! Congratulations everyone! You'll have a great time at Dreams PV.

KLia, I will just miss you! I'll be at Dreams PV from tomorrow til the 15th of May. (our wedding is the 13th). I got an email from Rebeca yesterday saying the resort is pretty slow (they actually even forced her to take some days off). I'm super excited for an uncrowded beach!!!! Have a great wedding!

I did this too and FI thought I was crazy for doing it. But it certainly came in handy when we got back some blank RSVPs and we could figure out who send them!

I haven't seen this thread before. It must have been hiding! April 2009 May 2009 *M & L* - May 13, 2009 June 2009 Ashley -- June 30th 2009 July 2009 August 2009 September 2009 October 2009 November 2009 smith3576 Nov 3, 2009 (Jamie) Jennifer_Katherine - November 10, 2009 VancouverPVBride-- Nov 27th, 2009 (good idea)! Jess - November 28, 2009 December 2009 J&M Wedding - December 4, 2009 Autumn - December 5, 2009 January 2010 February 2010 March 2010 April 2010 May 2010 KarenM - 5/29/10

brittbrodin - Las Caletas - March 21, 2009 Andi - Las Caletas - April 24, 2009 Mel&B- Playa Fiesta- May 1, 2009 M&L - Dreams PV - May 13, 2009 klhutsell - Villa Celeste - May 16, 2009 KLila (Kalindi&JR) Dreams PV - May 22, 2009 alliegrenier - Riu Vallarta - May 22, 2009 JaimeLynne Mayan Palace May 24, 2009 Susanandmo Dreams Nuevo Vallarta May 24, 2009 Bca33 -Las Caletas June 6, 2009 Goldstein to be (Bo) - Riu Vallarta, June 6, 2009 Ylopez87 (Yesenia) - Palladium Vallarta, June 29th, 2009 Ashey063009 (Ashley) -- Dreams Puerto Vallarta -- June 30th, 2009 Tiffiney01 -Riu Vallarta - August 15, 2009 tcuvicki- Presidente Intercontinental 9/26/09 jmiranda - Riu Vallarta - October 21, 2009 Jamie (smith3576) - Dream - 11-3-2009 (arrive Oct 2 Marie-Laine - Casa Aventura, PV - November 6, 2009 Sam (db2b) - Playa Fiesta, November 10, 2009 godaloveme-playa Los arcos- 11-14-2009 Jess - Dreams Puerto Vallarta - 11/28/09 MaryS-Mayan Palace - 11/28/09 msjcastillo- Las Caletas Puerto Vallarta 12/27/09 beachwed2010 (Becca) - Westin Puerto Vallarta 1/16/2010 Jenn (lil_reeves) - Karen's Place, Bucerias, MX (PV) - 1-27-2010 owensmiley-las Caletas-4-10-2010 Steffen and Randy, Villa Mia, June 4th, 2010 Nikkigard, Spiaggia, 12/5/09

Great info KLila. Thanks! We told all our guests that we would be hanging out in the Rendezvous/Lobby bar in the evenings if they want to meet up with us. I saw on other posts that it's a good meet-up spot. What's your wedding date? Mine's May 13th, but we'll be there from the 6th to the 15th.

I have a LOT of experience with these. I worked for a research study that measured physical activity level and we asked the participants to wear them for a week. We used a different brand, but it's pretty much identical to the BodyBugg (just designed for research, not gyms). I got to wear one for a week as well. They're not the most accurate devices in the universe, but they do give you a pretty good idea of your activity level. I think you should ask yourself whether you think you'll end up using this for an extended period of time. For $200, I think you should only buy it if you're really going to get a lot of use out of it. It's a lot of money to spend! Maybe you and some friends could go in on one together and share it. I was satisfied with wearing the thing for a week, and I don't really have any desire to wear it again. It can't give you any advice about what changes you can make to your diet or exercise. All it is doing is reporting the raw numbers (calories burned, steps taken, average METS, etc). So, you might be better off spending the money on a consultation with a trainer or nutritionist if you're looking for advice. Also, please, please take the thing off for at least an hour every day to let your arm rest - about 15% of the people who wore them for a week straight ended up with rashes, irritations or open sores on their arms. Keep in mind that they had thin skin because they're elderly, but still...you don't want a nasty rash! Good luck!

Thanks for all the replies! I think I'll keep going without the accelerator for now and stick to making sure I moisturize regularly like you all suggested! I definitely don't want to be orange, and I don't want to burn either! I also don't want to have one of those fake looking tans (like all the people who work at the salon have) so I'll take it easy.

I'm a total rookie when it comes to indoor tanning. My blonde hair and freckles mean I usually wear SPF 45 all summer long! But I'd like to try for a tan for my wedding. I just bought 6 weeks of unlimited tans and plan on working myself up very very slowly (I'm up to 4 minutes in the lowest bed and that's actually an improvement for me!). The people keep trying to sell me indoor tanning lotion. What's the deal? Does it actually make your tan better? Is there a brand that you'd recommend?

My guests are asking about it too. I'm going to include a little blurb about safety in the pre-departure letter that I'm e-mailing to everyone. I think people want to know that we're at least thinking about safety. It will be along the lines of: If you’ve been watching the news lately, you’ve probably heard about the violent crimes taking place near the U.S./ Mexico border. We’ve been paying close attention and are pleased to report that so far, Puerto Vallarta has remained very safe. It is more than 1,000 miles away from Tijuana, after all! Nevertheless, it’s always a good idea to keep personal safety in mind whenyou’re traveling. Leave your Rolexes and bling-bling diamond earrings at home. Guys, that thick wallet in your back pocket is an easy grab for pick-pockets. Ladies, keep the purses small and tucked securely under your arm.

It could possibly take a while before you feel 100% normal again. Unfortunately the dosing is a bit of a guessing game. Your doctor will probably start you on a fairly low dose and then have you come back in a few weeks for more blood work. Depending on you TSH and symptoms you may have to tweak the dosage and/or the medications a couple times. I had atypical symptoms (mostly joint pain) without much weight gain so it took a long time for my doctor to think of testing my thyroid. My levels were so out of whack that it probably took 2 months for me to be back to normal again. Also, FYI, if you're ever thinking of becoming pregnant, just make sure you talk to your doc about it. An endocrinologist that I work with told me that he usually doubles people's dosage as soon as they want to try getting pregnant. Hypothyroidism can sometimes increase risk for miscarriage if you're not on a high enough dosage. Also, don't hesitate to ask for a referral to a specialist. It never hurts to see someone who is an expert in the subject! Good luck! You will feel better soon!

Awesome! It's funny that I didn't even think of going right to their web page...duh... Thank you!

Their FAQ page says they only ship liquor within CA. Thanks though! I'll keep hunting. There's got to be some place that will do it.