About The Hotel
Grand Velas Riviera Maya, Mexico
Surrounded by acres of white sand beach, mangroves and the Mayan jungle of the Caribbean Coast, Grand Velas Riviera Maya is a luxury all-inclusive resort with fabulous family facilities and an award-winning spa. The resort is divided into three sections, the family-friendly Zen Grand section, located less than a mile from the beach and surrounded by Mayan Jungle, the Ambassador section arranged around the main infinity pool and The Grand Class section with extra spacious suites boasting private plunge pools and stunning sea views. There is a wide range of activities from kayaking to scuba diving as well as a kids club and teen club. Located just five minutes from downtown Playa Del Carmen, the resort is perfectly placed to explore the region’s cultural and natural wonders.
One Of The Best Luxury Hotels in Riviera Maya for Families with Young Children & Babies
There is a large infinity pool and separate kid’s pool, an award-winning holistic spa, fitness and wellness centre and a choice of water sports. Surrounded by the jungle, the 40-suite spa offers healing rituals including massage, body wraps, and facials and the Life Fitness Center is outfitted with state-of-the-art cardio stations with climbers, cross trainers, treadmills and bikes. Complimentary outdoor activities, include kayaks and pedal boats, snorkeling and bicycle tours, beach volleyball, water polo, ping-pong, bocce ball and even sandcastle building. At an extra cost you can rent catamarans and boats or enjoy scuba diving lessons and fishing trips. Discover the culture of the Riviera Maya with tours to the Mayan jungle and ruins, trips to Xel-Ha, Xcaret and Xplor natural parks, horseback riding and ATV excursions, and dolphin swimming adventures.
Exquisite Dining Options at Grand Velas Riviera Maya – 8 Restaurants, Top Chefs
There is a choice of eight restaurants offering a wide variety of cuisine, from local Mexican to Italian to Japanese. Family-friendly Azul has an open-air terrace and offers an impressive buffet with everything from grilled hamburgers to sushi and tempura, pasta, pizza, burritos and tacos. Frida offers exceptional Mexican cuisine with a modern twist and live music and Piaf is a four-diamond adult-only French restaurant. Children’s menus are available in all the family friendly restaurants (five out of eight) and early dining is available from 6pm.
Looking for a luxury hotel in Mexico with kids clubs & activities?
The Grand Velas Kids Club arranges an innovative entertainment program for children aged 5 to 12 years, with movies, storytelling, arts and crafts, board games and Bingo. Kids can learn how to make piñatas, kites, masks, and jewelry as well as enjoying outdoor and beach activities. There is a daily kids club dinner at 630pm and the club stays open until 11pm at no extra charge, so parents can enjoy dinner at one of the gourmet restaurants whilst the kids have fun. Created for ages 13-18 the Teens Club features an advanced technology sound system for playing the latest beats, a karaoke system, bar serving non-alcoholic beverages and a pool table, Xbox, ping pong, board games and more.
Family Facts
Cots are available on request.
Babysitting is available on request, at an extra charge
The complimentary kids club for kids aged 5 - 12 is open daily from 9am until 11pm.
The resort is pushchair friendly.
The resort is approximately 30 minutes' drive from Cancun airport.
There is an onsite doctor (extra charge).
There is a separate children's pool.
Baby bottle warmers and sterilisers are available on request.
Infant and child car seats are available for all airport transfers.
The complimentary teens club for teens aged 13 - 18 is open daily from 11am until midnight.
Reviews
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Tom Peary
29 July 2019
it felt like we were being carried by Totstoo. Everything was perfect and zero stress
Our holiday experience with Totstoo
Going on holiday should be one of the most exciting times of the year and for our family is looked forward to very much with great anticipation. However, they can tend to get a bit stressful during the run up and especially on the day of travel.
Last year we approached Totstoo after a good friend had recommended them, they specialise in luxury holidays for families which sounded perfect. We work hard all year and when it comes to our family holiday we go all out or try to.
But I am a little OCD and I spend way too much time looking at hundreds of hotels and reading every review on TripAdvisor etc. I can’t help it but honestly it gets too much, so much data out there you can talk yourself out of what could and probably is a fantastic holiday and then miss out on the better prices because I have spent 3-4 months choosing somewhere.
So, after speaking to Neil and told him what we were looking for which were; ‘luxury, Mexico (not Cancun), all inclusive, great food, plenty of kids activities, great beach and business class with British Airways.
The same day he had found several great options but 1 that we loved the look of was Grand Velas in Riviera Maya. This hotel is a 5* AAA diamond resort with what is considered by many as the best All-inclusive in Riviera Maya more of which I will go on to later in detail.
This whole process took me, very little time and Neil was great, he listened and delivered the exact holiday we were looking for. So that’s day 1 we found our dream holiday with all our criteria met.
Then came the little extras that pushed their service to the next level.
Neil and the team at Totstoo had booked private car transfers, booked our internal flight transfers from Edinburgh to Gatwick and sorted the hotel in Edinburgh for the night before. This meant come travel day we casually drove up enjoying the beautiful coastal scenery to Edinburgh, checked in the the Hilton Double Tree which was great and got some food before getting an early night for the next day. This immediately was a huge game changers as there were no arguments in the car or rushing around as we had a 2 minute drive the multi-story car park the next morning.
Business class experience with BA
So, we’ve never flown business class but after missing out on a holiday last year we wanted to go all out. Our 1 year old has never flown before and we wanted to make this journey as easy for all of us and other passengers. I’m 6ft 3 and economy seats even with the best airlines is a struggle and for long haul painful.
The check in was remarkable simple and fast and we passed all the queues for check in which was amazing as a tired 1 year old isn’t much fun when stood in long queues with 5 cases and 3 carry-on bags trying to find your passports. Neil had reserved us the best seats on the plane Row 4 seats D, E, F so we were all next to each other with the space for the baby to sleep if we wanted.
Before we boarded we had an hour or so to relax in the BA business class lounge, so we grabbed some delicious breakfast which is continually replenished and very good and just chilled.
Even when it came to going through security we had our own express path and we literally saved what looked to be an hour in wait. So, another lovely perk we weren’t expecting.
Turn left!!!!!
Never before have we had the luxury of going business class but WOW! From the moment, you board and greeted with a glass of champagne as you take your bed sorry seat you’re on holiday. Flying is enjoyable but usually because of the destination but this time the holiday started upon check in. I had heard mixed reviews on BA business class but our 777 was very clean and the seats which literally are beds and it’s impossible to be uncomfortable.
Both my wife and I were relaxed and the kids were loving it. Food on board was very good, we had steak and a number of cocktails and beverages. In-flight entertainment was good but mostly we are really comfortable and the children didn’t kick off screaming. My fussy daughter didn’t want anything on the menu to our attendant created a picnic for her, that was a lovely touch.
A ten-hour flight has never been so much fun or this easy.
What we paid additionally for the upgrade was much less than we expected and less than the previous time we flew to Thailand as a family. This was because we booked almost a year ahead when the prices were at their best. So actually, all in all it wasn’t as much as you’d think and most importantly it was the best upgrade we’ve ever done and will definitely do it again.
Grand Velas – they know how to deliver a luxury experience
Where to start? Well to summarise this is a GRAND hotel resort, from the entrance to the rooms, restaurants, pools it’s all just next level. When Grand Velas do entertainment for example on an evening which was sometimes Cirque du Solei-esqe acrobatics they would then hand out gifts for the children. Catch of the day every Friday was our favourite as local fisherman would bring their catch of the day on to the beach and about 20 chefs would prepare and cook them over coal on the beach. It’s worth noting there’s about 6 restaurants at Grand Velas and one has 2 Michelin stars I believe and some of the best chefs in the country. So, the first Friday we had 4ft grouper, Mahi Mahi, lobster, crabs, tuna and more and it was amazing.
The food
From Azul (buffet) which is great for breakfast or a quick lunch serves everything you can imaging, sushi, pastries, steaks, tacos, fish, sandwiches, salads, local cuisine and overlooks the beach and ocean.
Our favourite restaurant was Sen Lin, contemporary Asian cuisine – it was just an experience like no other I can’t tell you how great this place is.
All restaurants have a really good wine selection and the Malbec was one we kept going back to at Lucca (the Italian) restaurant.
We stayed in the Ambassador section of the hotel which is the north end of the resort and nearest to the main pools and beach. We upgraded when we got there to an Ambassador Ocean View Plunge Pool suite and it was amazing. Free room service and we enjoyed fillet steak no less than 6 times.
We also visited Zen which is the jungle style rooms but honestly, I wish we maybe hadn’t upgraded as this has a very cool laid-back Thai feel, which sounds odd but it does. Next time I probably wouldn’t have upgraded and save the money and go to Zen it’s a little newer and just has a different feel.
The staff were all exceptional, they got us more baby formula, had a cot ready, tepee in the room for the kids to make a mess of and just looked after us thoroughly.
This was by far the best holiday we’ve ever had and it’s thanks to Neil and the team at Totstoo. From the initial enquiry to boarding our flight and getting to the resort it felt like we were being carried by Totstoo on a cloud of champagne dew and rainbows. Their app just made things so easy and kept us up to date with flights etc. and had all our travel documents in one place. Totstoo don’t just find you a nice holiday they create an experience that you couldn’t create yourself as they remove all the headaches and stress. It was a bonus we saved money booking with them but honestly even if I didn’t I wouldn’t book with anyone else again.
Thank you so much and especially to Neil, Ivana, Leah and Emma for everything. We are Totstoo for life.
Have a great summer.
Tips for the Grand Velas if you're going:
Stay in Zen it's more affordable and honestly amazing, bit quieter too although the main area Ambassador isn't overly busy.
- Poolside lobster tacos are a must
- Try every margarita they offer
- SenLin restaurant is incredible
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