Part 1- The Destination
(again here are my not so professional pics, but you get the idea!)
Last week we traveled to Jalisco, Mexico, about a 3 hour bus ride south of Puerto Vallarta, to the beautiful El Careyes Hotel for John and Jessica's wedding.
Most of the guests flew in to Puerto Vallarta and then we took a bus south to our destination. Thank goodness we had a restroom on the bus as many of the guests consumed many cervezas along the way!
The town of Puerto Vallarta still has that old Mexico feel. 
Then as we traveled out of town it got very curvy and hilly and started looking not so tropical. We passed many towns that reminded us that there is a very diverse standard of living in the area. It also had us wondering where on earth were we going?
Then between the hills you could start seeing the coastline again. They had about 70 guests join them in this tropical paradise, we were some of the first to arrive!
The first thing you notice as you arrive at El Careyes is boy there is a lot of security here! You go through several guarded gates before you arrive at the property, and then you see why. There are so many stunning casitas (private homes) on the hills surrounding the resort. Heidi Klum and Seal own a casita just a couple doors down from where the wedding took place.
The resort is nestled in a cove with a private beach. Guests saw sea turtles, sting rays, & dolphins. Of course many just hung out by the pool.
When guests arrived they were greeted with a refreshing mint tropical concoction and cool hand towels for a quick refresher. (Left: view from the Lobby, Right: View of the resort from the Reception location)
Jessica and John's guests were treated to some muy bueno welcome bags.
(I'm burning that candle as I type this and it smells fab!)
One of their guests worked for Crocs and brought in several hundred pairs of Crocs in Blue and Green (the wedding colors). They made sure they brought enough not only for the guests, but all the hotel staff as well. When I met with the hotel's general manager he said he received the email from the guest asking how many people were on staff so they could have Crocs too.....at first he could not figure out why this guest wanted "crocodiles" brought in. Talk about getting lost in translation!
The rooms were all so different, I LOVED my shower, I think you could fit 10 people in it!
The beds were incredibly cozy, you just sank in to them. Plus cute little gifts every night with turn down service!
Tomorrow I'll show you the welcome parties and rehearsal dinner!
Cheers,
Julie