When most people think of all-inclusive vacations, they don't immediately think "luxury." All-inclusives often have horrible food and mediocre service. However, they are convenient for anyone looking to forget about bills and meal plans. They are especially enticing to families travelling with kids.
I discovered the Grand Velas resort by accident. My husband had a conference at their Los Cabos location and my daughter and I tagged along. I was blown away by the hotel. The food was excellent - one of their restaurants even has a Michelin star. The service standards were incredible. No request went unmet and I just couldn't believe it was an all-inclusive! After that visit, we went on to stay at their Nuevo Nayarit (Puerto Vallarta) location and recently, we decided to try their Mayan Riviera one.
The three things I liked most about this resort were the beach, the service and the restaurants. The hotel's beach is pristine. The staff are constantly cleaning it of any seaweed and garbage. There are also breakwaters that create a calm, waveless beach. If you walk to the edge of the property, you will notice a stark difference between the hotel's beach and the adjacent ones.
There are 2 kids clubs on the property where you can leave children over the age of 4. Children younger must be accompanied either by their parent/guardian or a babysitter. Their childcare staff are incredible. We hired 3 babysitters and were happy with them all. They work directly for the hotel and their rates are reasonable.
Rates (USD):
1 HOUR:
1 CHILD $29.00
2 CHILDREN $35.00
3 CHILDREN $41.00
2 OR MORE HOURS (per hour)
1 CHILD $21.00
2 CHILDREN $27.00
3 CHILDREN $33.00
The hotel has a kids pool connected to two other pools by the beach, in their Ambassador wing. There's also another pool in their Zen building and an adults-only pool at the Grand. You might write off the adults-only pool if you're travelling with kids, but you could leave them at the Kids Club or with a babysitter, and give yourself that luxury. My husband and I did this and it was such a treat!
The food was outstanding. We ate breakfast at Azul, a sea-side restaurants that offers a beautiful breakfast buffet. Service is quick and the quality is good. Many items change daily so if you go every morning, you don't get bored. There's also the option to order breakfast to your room, which we also enjoyed.
A note about room service - it is available 24 hours a day! We never waited longer than 30 minutes for food to arrive. They wheel it in on a table and voila. Once you're done, you can call them to clear the plates and they are at your room within minutes.
We always ate lunch by the pool or the beach. There's a wonderful pool/beachside menu that you can order from after 11am. Pool and beach chairs are easy to come by. You don't have to fight anyone for them. You're not allowed to reserve your chairs per se. The rule is you can leave your things unattended for up to an hour. We left our stuff for longer and there wasn't ever an issue. You'll find special kids' loungers by their pool and they're so cute. Don't forget to order the kids popsicles! The kids menu features chicken fingers, grilled fish and salad, steak, a chicken burger and pasta. All were excellent.
As a guest of the hotel you will have a personal concierge. This person is there to help you with anything you might need. They will check in on you every day to make sure you're having a pleasant stay. They will book all of your dinner reservations and any services you might like, such as babysitting or the spa. Ours also contacted our airline and transportation company for us.
My almost 2-year-old son wasn't feeling well during our stay. I asked our personal concierge if she could send a doctor to our room to check on him. Within 15 minutes we have a doctor at our door. She was extremely competent and kind. The fee is $150 and must be paid directly to them and not the hotel. After the doctor's visit, the hotel sent 'Get Well' balloons and pool floaties to our room to cheer our son up.
Upon arrival, the hotel will have a teepee set up for the kids in your room with a few stuffies and some beach toys. We thought it was such a lovely touch. They also came by to run a bubble bath for them.
We had dinner at Chaka, Lucca, Sen Lin, Piaf and Frida. All were outstanding. Our top two were Sen Lin and Frida.
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