Grand Velas Riviera Maya - All Inclusive

Todo exquisito

Nada

We started our vacation at a different resort, but we weren’t happy with the food or service, so we decided to switch to Grand Velas for the last three nights — and we are so glad we did. From the moment we arrived, everything changed. The atmosphere was incredibly relaxing, the food was exceptional, and the staff truly made the experience unforgettable. There were simply too many team members to name who went above and beyond to make our stay special. Thank you for making our vacation so memorable — we can’t wait to come back.

Service, food, atmosphere

Restaurants

Beach

Service is great, you have a dedicated concierge and most employees do their best at making sure you're having a good time. There is a Michelin star restaurant, the food and the experience is good, but it's tough to get a table, it shouldn't have been this frictionful when you are already paying such a high daily rate. The spa water circuit is brilliant. No drunken antics, which is always appreciated when alcohol is part of an all-inclusive rate.

Food was not very remarkable, most breakfast and lunch options are generic buffet offerings that you'd find in mass market all-inclusive options. There are a couple of fancier offerings in the largest buffet restaurant, but the quality wasn't great. Dining options were supposed to be finer, but out of the ones we tried, only the Michelin star restaurant stood out, with the Italian restaurant being fair but nothing remarkable and the Asian restaurant felt a bit like a PF Chang's. The beachfront was quite disappointing, the sand was lovely but the sea level is ridiculously low and it's a very rocky walk. There was an algae invasion while we were there, but you can't blame the resort for that. There really aren't a lot of things to do in the hotel, most of the families just hung out by the pool. For a pool holiday, it's terribly expensive, and despite the price tag, it's really not a high-end resort, so it ends up being a pricier mass market all-inclusive on their amenities and food quality, with high-end level service. They should really look to cruise entertainment/activities for inspiration. The bike tour could have been a highlight, but due to a recent hurricane, the original route taking you through the jungle was replaced with a loop around the concrete road (the same route that shuttle vans do...) What was very annoying was how pool employees allowed guests to abuse pool lounger/seating hoarding. Guests would tip to keep their spots saved for the day/duration of their stay. This made using the adult-only pool particularly annoying, since it's a very small pool and having a large family do this, takes out one third of the seating/lounging options. One thing that was very uncomfortable was the service protocol when employees found themselves walking towards guests, as they all took to the edges of the path, stopped to let you through and smiled.