Grand Velas All Suites & Spa Resort Riviera Maya

We've stayed at Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit outside of Puerto Vallarta 3 times so we had a pretty good feel for the level of service, food, drinks, atmosphere, and spa. We've also stayed at 5 different Secrets properties and usually measure luxury all-inclusive resort experiences against the Secrets Preferred Club amenities, and GVRN. I can safely say that Grand Velas Riviera Maya far exceeded all expectations and we will certainly be returning! OVERALL: You really have to go out of your way to find anything out of place at this property. We were there over 5 days / 4 nights after spring break so it was certainly a slower time of year. There was a wedding and a corporate conference going on but you'd hardly notice as the resort is pretty well spread out. The resort grounds, landscaping, restaurants, bars, spa, gym, and beach are all meticulously cleaned and cared for. It almost felt like a Disney property for the attention to detail. ROOM: We picked the adults-only side Grand Class Pool Suite Ocean Front room but to be honest, we never really used the plunge pool or the hot tub. The outdoor balcony was perfect after a long day or early in the morning to see the sunrise. But you can experience that without the extra cost of the plunge pool. Room service was quick, housekeeping was perfect, and they restocked our fridge every other day though, would certainly restock daily if requested. POOLS/BEACH: While we spent the majority of our time either at the very chill adults only pool or briefly walking along the beach. We visited the bigger pool area for families before heading back home and it looked to be in great shape. The staff was attentive but not overbearing and always willing to help with a special request. The Riviera Maya coastline is basically under regular attack from seaweed (sargassum) and this trip was no exception. The crew was constantly removing it along the resort beach and did a better job than some of the other resorts along Riviera Maya. Otherwise, the water looked to be in good shape and guest hav access to stand-up paddleboards, etc. FOOD/DRINK: GVRM certainly raised their food and drink game over GVRN (Vallarta). We haven't been back to Vallarta so perhaps they've all standardized, but the wine program at Riviera Maya was far beyond what we saw out west. The food was top-notch. We ate at Piaf, Lucca, Frida, Azul, and the Bistro. SPA: Best I have experienced, period. Just a massive structure and well maintained.

When you arrive and are greeted by your Personal Concierge you start to realize what staying at Grand Velas will be like. It only gets better from there. The People that work there are only interested in you experiencing the most enjoyable vacation possible. The rooms are beautiful and clean, the restaurants serve delicious meals, and the pool areas [ which there are many ] are spectacular. I would absolutely return and in truth I am planning another trip there. This trip was to celebrate our 50th anniversary and we brought our children and grandchildren and each and every one of them wants to come back with us.

Listen this hotel is beyond beautiful the staff is beyond professional, sweet, respectful and they aim to please!!! The food is amazing!!!!! The room is gorgeous!!! The pool and beach is breath taking!!! Plus don’t get me started on the Spa! Omg that’s a whole other review by its self!! I’m just so grateful to have been there hopefully one day soon I’ll probably go back!

Everything there was top shelf and the staff was so friendly. The attention payed to the guest was amazing to say the least. We have stayed in other resorts but nothing can compare to this place. The place was so well kept it’s no wonder that this is a top rated resort.

Everything starting from the entrance is beautiful, and great service even before you arrive (all emails with requests and questions were replied in a timely manner by pre arrival Concierge). But nothing is perfect so here are my good and not so good observations considering that I travel with my family (husband, 1 year 8 month old baby daughter and mother in law). The good/great: Grand Zen is beautiful and quiet which was what I was looking for, I didn´t want any stress looking for available chairs/bed at the pool or free tables at the restaurant for breakfast and lunch. The pool is not as big as in Ambassador but big enough with different sections and depths. The service at the pool was very good, but the highlight would be Gabriel, he was incredibly nice, polite and always checking if we needed anything. The Baby concierge service gave me everything I needed: crib, stroller, bathtub, highchair, etc. and for us it was great that they provided babysitter service (with extra charge by hour obviously) and she (Maribel) was very nice and patient. Food at the buffet and a la carte restaurants was very good (but for me nothing is better than peruvian food so I´m bias and demanding), the ones I tried were Lucca, Frida and Sen Lin and definitely Frida was the best for me. Having the option of room service as part of the all inclusive plan was also incredible and useful. The Spa is expensive but wonderful!...the Water Ceremony (which I almost didn´t do because I´m not a fan of water circuits) was much better than expected with several options and just great, the massage was also great same as the facilities, very very relaxing. The not so good: The beach is beautiful but with a lot of seaweed, lucky for me I´m more a pool person but if you are looking for the perfect beach then you may get a little disappointed. Pool at Ambassador is huge and beautiful but it was also very crowded when we went and it was impossible to get a chair with umbrella so we were roasting under the sun and the service was not as good as at Zen. Service at Azul restaurant for breakfast (which was also crowded) was not as good as in Chaka, we had to request the highchair for my daughter 3 times. Though check in was very personalized, comfortable and the lobby concierge was very nice, the entire process until our personal Concierge arrived to meet us was very long for me. Tips: Try to book "a la carte" restaurants in advance, be careful at Zen pool if you go with small children because the floor is very slippery (my daughter fell down twice walking by the chair), if you look for quiet and relax Grand Zen is for you as it was for me, but if you want more entertainment and be close to the beach then choose Ambassador if you don´t mind the cost of being in a more crowded place. And if you don´t like spicy/hot food then I recommend you ask if what you are going to order is spicy or not...it is Mexico!