Grand Velas Riviera Maya

Great folks! Had a wonderful time.

We stayed 4 nights , 5 days and were treated like royalty from the moment we stepped off the shuttle till we got back on it to the airport. Everything and everyone was perfect. The food was delicious. The grounds were immaculate. The staff were knowledgeable and helpful. I would recommend this resort to everyone. I already told my daughter we should do a family vacation here.

I am only writing this review because I know it will be seen by management and hopefully they appreciate my feedback. My wife just returned from a 5 day trip with 4 of her best friends for her 40th birthday. Grand Velas has been our go to resort for the past 3 years and we usually visit one of their properties 2-3 times a year so we have become accustomed to the high level of service provided. We've also stayed at the Fairmont Maykoba, Rosewood Mayakoba, Atelier, etc in the area and Grand Velas has always been our favorite. This was the first time she had complaints about the level of service she received. I made the reservation through Vanessa Palomera, Grand Velas vacation advisor, who is absolutely awesome by the way. The reservation was for 5 adults staying in the Ambassador family suite. One of the 5 guests was going to arrive after the other 4 but at check in my wife was told that the reservation was only for 4 adults and that a 5th guest is not permitted in the room, even though the Grand Velas website lists the room as being ideal for 6 adults and 2 children. They let them check in and said they would look into it but when the 5th guest arrive they would not let her enter the property and it wasn't until my wife showed them the copy of the reservation clearly showing it was for 5 people that they finally let her in. My wife said the lady she dealt with at the front desk was extremely rude and unaccommodating. She was told that they would not provide her with a cot and that the 5th guest would need to sleep on the couch, which she did but definitely did not fit with a 5 star hotel experience. Her concierge was also switched a day and half into her stay and she never did meet the new concierge. They made a few requests through WhatsApp for a bottle of wine, a 5th robe and slippers and a 5th coffee cup for their room and every time they were told to dial '0' for room service if they wanted anything. We have never had a concierge tell us that before, they were always happy to help, as that is their role. My wife asked the day prior to departure if she could confirm their pick up time, the concierge told them to contact the company they booked through, the problem is that the company was Blue Dreams and is booked through the Grand Velas. She followed up saying it was Blue Dreams and wanted to confirm the time, she received no response from the concierge. She followed up again later in the day and was told the departure time was listed on the reservation they received. No one offered to help them with their luggage for departure so they just took it to the lobby themselves, checked out and left. We normally tip the concierge fairly well when we check out so my wife text me to ask how much she should tip, but when she said she had A) never even met the concierge, and B) every request they made was met with essentially telling them to ask someone else I told her not to tip them anything. She said the food was fantastic, the service around the pool, beach, bars and restaurants was fantastic, which is what we have always experienced no matter if we are at the Los Cabos, Riviera Nayarit or Mayan Riviera properties but the miscues by the concierge and the front desk did leave a sour taste in her mouth, and the other 4 guests were visiting a Grand Velas property for the first time and that was the only complaint they had about the experience.

We went to Grand Velas over Spring Break this year and had a wonderful time. My two kids are begging to go back. Big shout-out to our concierge Orlando, who was very attentive even when we were being high-maintenance. Other reviews have commented that this resort can be completely full (which it was during our visit), and yet never feels crowded. This is true! We were able to find chairs by the pool or beach every day, even though we didn't arrive until 9:45 or so. On our last day there, we even got a cabana on the beach. We never waited in a line for anything, ever. Our travel agent took care of getting dining reservations before we arrived, and we were seated for every meal immediately upon arrival. There were families everywhere and we never had to be concerned that we'd get looks from other guests because we had young kids. We stayed in the Zen section and had a room that backed up to a jungle pond with turtles and fish. It was magical. Can't recommend this place enough.

We had such wonderful time at Grand Velas! From the moment we arrived at the Zen area of the resort, you are greeted with warm smiles and a glass of prosecco! I can’t say enough great things about how beautiful the resort is and how well taken care of we were - thanks to Iza, our personal concierge! She was incredible and really eager to help us make the most of our stay. She handled our dinner reservations and offered tips on where to dine. I have to say, the Tacology night, where they made fresh tacos, guacamole, margaritas- was AMAZING!!! We actually were having so much fun and the weather was beautiful that we changed our reservations so we could just eat there. Amazing time at Grand Velas! Thank you also to Abner at Frida for the excellent tequila recommendations (definitely go there for dinner!) and also to Rodolfo for the sweet little gift for my daughter, the champagne for my husband and I and just for making our stay very memorable! Can’t wait to be back!