Grand Velas Riviera Maya

The property is amazing. Alfonso and Enrique were so awesome always freeing us with a smiling face… ready to do whatever our large group would throw at him. Crazy reservation changes and what not! We were bummed by the beach situation as what’s mexico without the beach! And we sincerely hope to add some wholesome vegetarian options for dinner and lunch. Like veggie burgers, sandwiches and some others like vegetable noodles etc. that would be great to have as options next time! Thank you for your hospitality and everything was great!

The last day usually arrives with an inevitability and that transition to all the tasks you have to get done at home. Your anxiety picks up. So many things to get done. And yet today you woke up in paradise. Specifically for us, we woke up in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Usually when you read something on Tripadvisor or any review site for places you visit or eat, you keep it short, to the point, focusing on a few couple of things and sign off with Five Stars or whatever the maximum rating is. However, I’m not going to rush through this. I want you to understand why our experience was the way it was, and why on this vacation when we woke up on that last day, we collectively, for the first time, pined for one more day. A week prior we arrived via plane from Atlanta, Georgia, to Cancun, Mexico. My wife, having done an outstanding job coordinating every detail of this vacation for me and our three children, had a car waiting to pick us up from Grand Velas Riviera Maya. That is one of the add-ons you can secure; a driver from the resort to pick you up at the airport as well as take you back at the end of your stay. No hassle with taxis or Ubers. No need to rent a car. Definitely add this on. It takes so much stress of arriving in another country and getting back home with its all over. The cars were very spacious, plenty of AC (which in the Summer combined with the humidity there is a must), and drivers with unbelievable hospitality. (This will be a recurring theme during our stay, but it goes to show it extends to every facet of every service of Grand Velas Riviera Maya). We arrived at the resort which immediately takes your breath away. So many people to help you get checked and settled in IMMEDIATELY. We were all given welcome beverages (juice for the kids, champagne for me and my wife). We met Airy, who was our personal concierge, along with her assistant Diana when she was away. Airy welcomed us and immediately created a WhatsApp group with me and my wife to be able to help us with any accommodations during our stay. Of course we could dial 0 on the telephone anytime to reach the concierge desk, but to have one dedicated to our stay was invaluable to get quick, customized responses as we needed them during our stay. —— The pool. It would be difficult to not mention it. Almost every piece of marketing collateral about Grand Velas Riviera Maya features it. It is massive. It divides into three sections for different ages of kids. The temperature is cool to begin with but you quickly adjust to without issue. The kids loved the pool and spent the majority of their time playing in the water. What makes the pool experience go to the next level is wait staff. Here I want to speak of Ruben. Ruben was our guy most of the time. We saw Ruben almost every day out by the pool. What Ruben and staff would do is immediately brings towels and buckets of water if you sat in a chair. No question. It is brought to you and then menus for both drinks and food. It’s an all-inclusive, so batten down the hatches for the desire to eat and drink beyond your heart’s content. (Also, be ready for Lizzbeth to bring you a special Welcome/Drink of the day, which is hard not to seek out a second.) Ruben and all of the staff were so friendly and accommodating. It was hard not to spend the whole day at the pool. —— The Restaurants. My wife took exceptional care in picking out Frida, Piaf, Cocina de Autor, Sin Lin, Lucca and Chakka. With the exception of Piaf and Cocina del Autor, these were all family friendly for us and our children. For those two restaurants, we reserved a babysitter through the resort. More on that later. In regards to the service, every place is exceptional. They bring a fresh cold cloth to fresh up before each dinner and provide plenty of options for adults and children. The food varied from Italian to Asian to Mexican, and none of the children came away unfulfilled. Where I will provide more emphasis is on the experience of Cocina de Autor. My wife told me a story that a friend of hers had a meal so good that she cried. I thought that was curious. I never ever conceived of any meal I had ever had that would elicit that same response. And then I proceeded to have the meal at Cocina de Autor. Although it was a part of the all-inclusive package, we paid additional to have the wine pairing with each course, which added another layer of enjoyment to the meal. It was, in short, the meal I have ever had. The Michelin stars are well earned in every regard. The waiter gave detailed explanations of each dish within the multiple courses. What made this so special was that each course helped tell part of a larger story from the chef. I had never experienced that before, and when you combine that with the incredible tastes, it was the total evening experience in every way. —— In-Suite Service Besides the dining options on-site, we ordered and ate breakfast in our suite with the entire family. Great options for each member of the family and always available within 35-45 minutes. The perfect way to begin each day. The staff was always courteous bringing it in and helping situate the room for everyone to sit down and eat. Of course this is available throughout the entire day as well, especially those late nights when you have the hankering for the late-night meal to soak up the nights of ever-flowing adult beverages. —— Babysitting Services I mentioned this earlier. This is a tremendous service that Grand Velas Riviera Maya offers. Because of our reservations with Piaf and Cocina de Autor, we needed someone to watch the children. The resort reserved Jasmine for us for both nights, and she did a great job following our night instructions for the kids regarding what they could do and when they had to go to bed. Our daughter loved playing with her, and our kids were perfectly fine while we were able to enjoy nights just the two of us. —— Kids Club/Teens Club The most difficult part when traveling with children is how you can keep them entertained so you as the adults can enjoy a vacation. We have been to many resorts in the past that offered Kids Clubs for the kids to enjoy, but they were mostly a sign-up in advance situation and mostly skewed towards children 6 and under, which for our 8 and 10 year old boys became more and more difficult for them to enjoy. That changed this vacation at Grand Resorts Riviera Maya. Yes, they offer a Kids Club, but it is much more of a drop-in set-up to where you can bring a young child by, sign them in, and leave quickly. They have numerous generous, friendly staff members, and truly endless games and crafts for them to enjoy. Our daughter (6 years old) loved going there every day to color, draw, and create many different arts and crafts. They even provided face painting and nail painting. Truly it was something every different for our week stay there. As for the boys, here was the next level we never found before. Next door to the Kids Club is the Teens Club which is an activity center aimed at older kids all the way up to teenagers. Ping pong, air hockey, TVs, video games, arcade games - this was exactly what our 10 and 8-year olds needed. They spent hours there, and honestly my wife and I enjoyed being there too, playing ping pong many times. They also provide drinks and snacks in both locations which are also part of the all-inclusive. Jacob was the employee we saw the most. He was great with all of our children, in particular my boys. So incredibly kind all the way up to our final day. We’d even see him and the other employees at times around the pool when they would bring fun, short activities like water soccer or movie trivia to the people around the pool. He was a good guy, and the boys still speak highly of him even after returning home. —— Ah yes, the Spa. How could I wait so long to mention this until now. It’s literally in the name of the resort on the entrance. Since it was my birthday during our stay, my wife booked me a spa visit. (She booked herself two, and for good reason) It is an incredible session. It lasted nearly three hours, maybe more. I definitely lost track of time during it. There is a multistage water ceremony that involves sauna, freezing, and steam rooms, exfoliation, a walking hot and cold pool, cold and warm water plunges and finally a large open pool to just enjoy until its time for the massage and/or facial. This experience was a next-level spa treatment and worth the add-on to the all-inclusive package. Another group of friendly, guiding staff members keeps you in the loop on the “journey” taking place and truly by the end of the it, I may have been the most relaxed I had ever been. My wife had a session on day one and loved it so much she booked a second at the end of the trip. They even provide, yes, a Kids Spa experience. It was another add-on, but we got it for the three kids and it was their first time having a massage. As laughable as it seemed in my head that this was actually taking place, they seemed incredibly relaxed by the end of it. —— Photos If you’re around the pool long enough, a young man by the name of Andre will find you as he carries a large photo album. He runs the Photography Experience for couples and families. We had already booked a family photo session, but he walks around to the guests at poolside and offers a free photo session with his photographer. This was another top-level experience. I’m in photo and video and have been on both sides of this song and dance. Andre and his photographer (whose name escapes me, sadly, in this moment) were tremendous. The photographer, in particular, was a real pro. She knew how to adapt to all different scenarios including children. She gave us so many different poses and positions and combinations between all of us that by the end of it, it felt like a workout in a fun way. The kids enjoyed it, and the photos, once we reviewed them with Andre, were very well done. We had not had family photos done in years. These were perfect. Again, depending on what you have going on, it’s worth it for the sake of family photos. —— Offsite Driving The resort is awesome, but there are times you may want to venture outside the gates and find other fun. We didn’t partake in excursions, but we did take a morning and go shopping at 5th Avenue in Cancun. We booked a driver to take us to and from 5th Avenue through the resort and that made the experience very easy especially not being from Cancun. —— So if you’ve made it this far, well done. I went long in describing our experience, but I don’t apologize for that. Everyone at that resort worked so hard to provide the 5-star, diamond, or whichever highest-metric you choose to describe service. Every place within the resort no matter time of day. Seriously, if Riviera Maya is your destination, I cannot recommend highly enough Grand Velas. I can’t wait until we can go back, and I know I speak for the children. Now, back to the real life. Until next time, that is.

My husband Ed Miller and I had the pleasure of enjoying a wonderful Cancun vacation promoted by Napa Auto Parts where we own 5 stores in the Southern California area in Kern County. Our stay was great and our concierge Alfonso was exceptional in providing assistance to us with whatever we needed. Alfonso was there for us at literally a moments notice no matter what time of day or night. We stayed at the lovely Grand Vilas Rivera Maya in Playa del Carmen, Cancun, Mexico. It was well kept and clean and our view was amazing too! We had a room on the 3rd floor that was central to the lovely main pool, beautiful grounds, and the pool and ocean and views were spectacular. Everything was immaculate including restaurants, stores and the people were very friendly! I especially loved spending time at the beach and the pool, and The Karaoke Bar where I could sing every night to an audience! That made this vacation a Dream come True! I’d like to give a special recommendation to Alfonso our concierge who made our trip to Mexico very special with his thoughtfulness and professionalism! He made us feel like we were a King and Queen! Thank you Grand Vilas Rivera Maya for making this a very memorable and enjoyable vacation we will never forget!

This is an amazing resort I was treated with such grace and class will also treating you like family. I’ve been to the to the Cabo San Lucas location and I must say, Grand Velas are the only places I will book from now on after such wonderful experiences. There is so much to do on the resort and the atmosphere - the pools the spa and the amenities are out of this world, such a high class and luxurious experience.

Nora Vasquez was our personal concierge and she went above and beyond! Food, service, and all the amenities were 5 stars.