MEXICO WEDDING PLANNER - (Page 15)

Morelia The Experience: A romance-laced city where strolling musicians stop by your table and brides carry their white trains over cobblestones as a twin-towered, pink-stone cathedral looks on. Villa Montaña Hotel & Spa Weather: Due to its high altitude, Morelia enjoys a dry for guests. This reception is priced at $53 pp with a 100-person minimum. spring-like climate almost year-round, with cooler evenings, and a sometimes-chilly winter. Tours + Sites: Everyone loves Morelia. This UNESCO Cultural The Big Day: Morelia has lots of swooning potential and its beauty is no big secret. On the most recent visit, we saw four brides in various stages of nuptials in the space of an hour. With lots of swirling bougainvillea and colonial buildings, there’s no shortage of backdrops for memorable wedding shots. For the best views of Morelia and a wedding draped in luxurious details, there’s nothing quite like Villa Montaña Hotel & Spa in the Santa Maria hills, less than 10 minutes away from the city center. This is a real knockout, and a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World ﬁlled with original statuary, wooden beams, relics and objets d’art that take your breath away. Each of its 36 suites is different, but all are stunning with wooden furniture and ﬁreplaces for cool evenings. Just outside, jacaranda trees and assorted ﬂowers bloom throughout. The result is both aristocratic and warm, even in its soothing spa. Depending on where couples want to wed or celebrate, they can accommodate up to 300 people, whether in one of their salons, the restaurant or poolside, overlooking the city. This place is renowned for its attention to service, so there’s little that they can’t do. Rates start at $140. The hotel also offers a unique array of excursions, including a city tour, a visit to nearby 16th century convents outside of the city and a Paricutin tour that includes stops for views of this imposing volcano, a horse ride to the ruins of San Juan Parangaricutiro (now partially covered in lava) and a visit to a beautiful national park. Another choice for travelers is to marry in Morelia’s historic center in Hotel Virrey de Mendoza. Considered one of the city’s prettiest buildings, its history dates back to the 17th century (the hotel opened in 1939). It’s both romantic and a bit mysterious, with 55 rooms and suites (some with balconies) done up with regal touches and views of Morelia’s main plaza and cathedral. Couples can enjoy a 2-night stay, daily breakfast, a city tour and 15 percent off meals for $475, or else enjoy a spectacular 5-hour reception in a private area within the dramatic lobby with a 3-course meal, full decor, dance area, hostess and waiter services, a 1-night suite stay for the wedded couple and 40 percent off the hotel rack rates Patrimony is probably most recognized for the arches that form an aqueduct built in 1785 to bring clean water into town. The Morelia Cathedral, completed in 1744, is one of Mexico’s most stunning—a baroque beauty built from pink volcanic stone with soaring twin towers that rise into the sky and are lit up at night. Next door is the Plaza de Armas, the place to people-watch and enjoy the sights and sounds of the city. A short walk away is the Government Palace, built in the 17th century and featuring impressive murals that lay out the history of Mexico and of Morelia’s home state of Michoacan. Some of the city’s most popular repositories include the Colonial Art Museum and the Michoacan Regional Museum. Golﬁng couples will most deﬁnitely want to stop at the beautiful Tres Marias Golf Course, one of the world’s most challenging. It’s a 27-hole Nicklaus design that’s worth a visit even if you don’t golf—it’s that pretty. Don’t let clients leave Morelia without visiting other attractions throughout Michoacan, because it’s undoubtedly one of Mexico’s most beautiful states, dotted with historic towns, colonial treasures, lakes and highlands. MMG Tours can arrange, for instance, a monarch butterﬂy tour during season (November through March), taking visitors to their sanctuary in Sierra Chincua so they can witness millions of winged beauties ﬂy in from the north to hibernate. They also have a Patzcuaro tour that includes visits to pretty Patzcuaro, its House of 11 Courtyards (once a Dominican convent) the Plaza Vasco de Quiroga square and the 16th century Templo de la Compañia. There’s also the former mining town of Santa Clara del Cobre famous for its copper wares sold in all its shops; and Isla de Janitzio, the main island in Patzcuaro Lake and where a huge statue of Mexican Independence hero Jose Maria Morelos stands atop a hill. Isla de Janitzio is a great place to try the local pescado blanco (white ﬁsh) that’s so popular in the region. For added shopping, there’s the small town of Tlalpujahua, which specializes in hand-blown glass spheres and ornaments. ● Hotel Virrey de Mendoza: 52 (443) 312 00 45; hotelvirrey.com MMG Tours: 52 (443) 340 4632; mmg.com.mx Villa Montaña Hotel & Spa: (800) 728-9098; mexicoboutiquehotels.com May 2010 M15 Co n t a c t I n f o r m a t i o n http://www.hotelvirrey.com http://mmg.com.mx http://www.mexicoboutiquehotels.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of MEXICO WEDDING PLANNER

Los Cabos
Puerto Vallarta & Riviera Nayarit
Acapulco
San Miguel de Allende & Guanajuato
Morelia
Cuernavaca
Oaxaca
Yucatan
The Mexican Caribbean
You're Invited
Getting There

MEXICO WEDDING PLANNER