At Mexico Event Design we specialize in using luxury private villas on or near the beach as the venues for our international LGBT destination weddings in Mexico’s Puerto Vallarta. There are many advantages of using private villas for your wedding venue over large hotels and resorts, and here we list the top ten!
1) The pampering. Staying at a luxury private villa is just like staying at an all-inclusive resort—once you arrive, it’s all designed to pamper you. Yet, it’s better, because the whole place is reserved just for you and your group! The staff are there just to take care of you and treat you like kings and queens. But you’ll have the opportunity to actually get to know them a little bit, as well-trained professionals who really genuinely want you to enjoy yourselves with them.
2) The flexibility. At a large hotel or resort, you typically need to make advance reservations either when you arrive or even sooner, in order to gain access in their restaurants to the best places and times. At a private villa, YOU decide what time you want your meals (within reason, of course) and the staff will operate accordingly. And the menus? YOU decide what you want to eat, and the staff will operate accordingly. Would you rather go out to eat this evening? No problem, they’ll adjust. Want dinner late tonight because you’ll be coming back from a day trip? Sure! The idea is that this is YOUR vacation and the place adapts to you, rather than the other way around.
3 The privacy. One common complaint from destination weddings held at large hotels or resorts? “Other people could look in on the ceremony,” or “People were just wandering by in their swimsuits on the beach.” In order to avoid this as much as possible, we take care to choose villas that open onto beaches that are as private as possible. Because all beaches in Mexico are considered public property, it isn’t always possible to fully control access. But rest assured that we try as much as humanly possible. The grounds of the villa ARE completely private, so there you can really relax and enjoy away from prying eyes.
4 The value. Renting a luxury private villa is not necessarily a bargain, but its value can’t be disputed. Villas are not a part of mainstream tourism, and their prices are out of reach for the majority of travelers because of the necessity to fill up multiple bedrooms at the same time. While it can be difficult for people to cobble together a group of friends and family, a destination wedding provides you the perfect reason to do so! Armed with a nice-sized group, you can thus start searching for the best value in this specialized market. And you can often find places that will wind up being cheaper than the fancy commercial or all-inclusive resorts nearby. This, coupled with the personalized service available at villas, makes the experience that much more special, and often for less money than at the big places!
5 The food. Every private villa on our list of properties includes the services of a private chef among their staff. Many houses have set menus that you can choose from for during your stay. But typically they’ll be more than happy to create dishes that are not on their set menus, if there’s a special request and they know how! Of course, they specialize in traditional Mexican cuisine. Yet be prepared to be surprised at the depth and breadth of that cuisine and all the ways it can be stretched and adapted to your palettes! Dietary restrictions or food allergies? No problem! Don’t be limited by the bland buffet at the all-inclusive! Come here and soak in the salsa!
6 The staff. All private villas come with kitchen and inside cleaning staff, and most also include gardeners and outside maintenance, an English-speaking house manager/concierge, and many even have a driver! Private security guards are almost always onsite 24/7 as well. If you need pretty much anything within reason, they’re set up to take care of it for you, and always with a smile. Arranging outdoor activities or tours? Check. Making dinner reservations at the best restaurants? Check. Arranging airport transport? Check. Forgot to pack your sunscreen? Check. You’ll cry when you have to go home!
7 The intimacy. Everything at these private villas is scaled down to fit the size of your group. You’re staying in someone’s home rather than in an impersonal commercial property, and so it’s much easier to quickly start to pretend as if you yourself live here! With you and your group taking over the whole place for up to a week, you have the opportunity to spend quality time with your loved ones. And that’s something especially important on this most-special occasion of your marriage!
8 The reactions of your family and friends. Your special family and friends are coming with you to celebrate your destination wedding in paradise. So yes, of course, this is going to be a special, unforgettable experience. But on top of that, by having those closest stay with you in the same place during the whole vacation, you and they will share an experience even more special. One that they will be raving about for months and years to come! It’s a quality of experience that you simply cannot achieve at a commercial hotel.
9 The culture. Each private luxury villa is decorated in its own way, but the majority attempt to reflect the local culture where they’re located, using art and artistry from all across Mexico. In someone’s personal house, you can get much more of a sense of Mexican culture than you could at a commercial hotel. With your own private chef, you can potentially get a much better sense of traditional Mexican cooking, especially if you ask about any special recipes s/he might like to prepare. You also have the possibility of organizing private tours of local cultural sites to get a sense of the traditional cultures.
10 The control. It’s typically easier to plan the event you want negotiating with a villa owner than with a hotel representative. Any hotel will require that they prepare the food, so you’re limited to the menus they’re willing to prepare. They will also always have policies and restrictions that they use to help balance your event needs with those of other guests, such as noise restrictions or late-night-hours limitations. Best of all, you won’t have to worry about securing a private location for your ceremony and reception, because the whole place is reserved for you! Depending on the location of the private villa, you may face some logistical and neighbor-based restrictions. But in our experience, you and we will have much more latitude to design and create your vision for your event.
All in all, we have found in our years of experience that small venues and especially private venues lend themselves to a high quality of experience. There’s personalized service, freedom, privacy, and latitude to express yourselves, all rooted in the authentic culture of someone’s own home. A great recipe for romance, enchantment, and FUN!
Have you attended a destination wedding at a private luxury villa before, or held your own at one? What was your experience there? Please comment below.
