Grand Velas Riviera Maya - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

• 

  Mildew in zen rooms

  I will caveat that we didn’t like Cancun as a whole - the food, the seaweed, the vibe and scale of the resorts. There are so many other places at the same price or less where the beaches are nicer, you can swim in the sea, don’t have to compete for sun beds and the food and service are better. But if you like Cancun, this is a probably a decent place to stay as long as you stick to Grand Class or Ambassador. The good: We slept very well. Perhaps the comfiest beds and pillows we’ve ever slept on. I would like to know where they get their pillows. The resort grounds are beautiful and well-kept. The public areas are very grand and luxurious. Plenty of public toilets that are nice and clean. We had really excellent service from Stephany and Micaela at the skybar. The shuttle service between the Zen, Grand Class and Ambassador hotels was quick and easy to use. The bad: Our first room was a ground floor zen suite. It WREAKED of mildew. We tried airing out the suite and they brought in a dehumidifier but it made no difference. The staff seemed to be aware of the issue and didn’t really care. The concierge said it was because they’re in the jungle, I think it was more to do with the mold covering the ac vent… They moved us to a 2nd floor zen suite and had sprayed a very strong air freshener. We said we were happy for now but that we knew someone had sprayed something. The concierge said they spray all their rooms but we didn’t smell that air freshener again. When the air freshener wore off we could still faintly smell mildew but we didn’t want to ruin our stay by having to argue further. Besides the mildew, the zen suites are very outdated and dark. Our first ground floor suite was like a damp dungeon. The shower didn’t work properly and some of the plug sockets didn’t work either. Housekeeping was lazy. They did the bare minimum. Floors sometimes weren’t cleaned and the sink and surrounding areas weren’t wiped - the toiletries we left by the sink never moved. This was surprising because we had some of the most attentive housekeeping we’ve ever had at Grand Velas Los Cabos. Food and drink was very poor. Cocktails were watery. The only place you can get a half-decent coffee is Amat, where they use espresso machines. Even the Mexican cuisine was bad I.e the tres leches cake was dry, guacamole bland and the carnitas were flavourless and chewy. Everything was overcooked and either completely flavourless or too rich. Nothing tasted fresh. The quality of breads and pastries would put the French in a coma. At Los Cabos we liked the ice cream stand, churro stand, cevicheria and the stand at the buffet where you could choose your meat and have it grilled in front of you. None of that existed here. Idk who gave that restaurant a Michelin star but they shouldn’t be trusted. The service was excellent but the taste and texture of the food varied from just ok to gross. There was a huge over-reliance on foams. Our reservation was at 9:45pm because that was all they had available despite booking before we arrived. Besides skybar, service was often sub-par. We had a lot of forgotten items in restaurants. Our concierge sometimes ignored messages. The mini fridge in our room was broken and never fixed despite promises it would be. We resented having to sign a check every time we left somewhere we were served food or drink so that we could give a tip. Pay your staff properly.

  Mar 25, 2025
• 

  Next Level Everything - Extra cost justified

  This place has been reviewed extensively , and it's not by accident that they have a near perfect overall score. It costs more than other AI , that's for sure. But , it really stands out in every way compared to other places we've visited. The only minor thing is that the beach just isn't all that great. The concrete "whales" do their job of keeping out the seaweed , but they aren't very aesthestic. It also blocks the natural waves of the ocean somewhat and kinda gives off an unnatural vibe. That said, I suspect without them the seaweed would pile up beyond manageable levels (they still have to clean it every morning), and perhaps the waters are unswimmable without them? If you insist on going in , water shoes are recommended as there's plenty of rocks in the water. The actual beach is pure white sand , but we opted not to spend any time there as the chairs were more standard loungers and didn't have the more comfortable padding like at the pools. I did try fishing off the shore one day off to the side of the resort. The water was too shallow too far out so it wasn't really worth the time. Anyway, we opted to spend virtually every day at the Zen Pool , which is also where our room happened to be. I arrived around 930 most days and most days I was among the first one to arrive. No chair games needed. Out of the 7 days we were there , the pool chairs only completely filled up one day. We suspect this was because it was really windy at the beach and the main pool, so some people opted to come over to this more protected area. So heads up that if it's really windy that might mean you need to arrive early. They told us Zen area was only at 30% capacity which likely also helped to ensure a true zen nature at the pool. Shout out to Angel and Gabriel who provided top notch service beyond expectations. You don't need to hunt down anyone at this resort if you need anything , they are always close by and ready to assist. We ate our lunches poolside, everything on the menu was quite good. We only went to the Ambassador pool area one afternoon. They had said this side was over 90% full, so much more active. Even then , mid afternoon we were able to get a couple chairs right by the pool, and the service was not lacking even with more people around. This pool looks out over the ocean as well, so if that's part of your wishlist you'll want to spend your time here. The restaurants in the evening were all like eating at a high end restaurant in any major city. Meticulously prepared and well presented plates, always with options for kids that may not be feeling adventurous towards their food after a long day of swimming. Cocina d'Autour is of course their signature place , with the many course tasting menu. They did this as well as the top restaurants I've visited, imaginative plates and surprising combinations. They did wine pairing with the included wines , and also had an option for an upgrade that we didn't try. Our teenage daughter opted for the mocktail pairings , which were really good and I'd highly recommend even for alcohol drinkers to try. Sen Lin was a hit , Chaka was fun as well. Not to say the others aren't good they just stood out. Lucca was good , but it's standard Italian. This means that all the families with picky eaters choose this one over the others as most of the menu is familiar. Compared to the other restaurants this one had substantially more disruptive families and the noise level was pretty wild. Maybe it's not always like that , but I suspect being the more traditional menu that some families that are turned off by the fancier menu items will go here several times in the week to appease those family members. The grounds are just impeccable , the covered walkways are quite impressive. Shuttles to get around are literally always available within a couple minutes , so no stress about which part of the resort. Our kids easily jumped on them by themselves to go over to the other side while exploring on their own. Lots of little anoles , iguanas, turtles, and even had a visit from some spider monkeys at the pool one day. One of them walked up on the bar, yoinked a banana , and went on its way. Long story short, it's more expensive than other places, but it's a step above as well. We stayed at the Grand Velas Nayarit a coupe years ago , and it had a very similar vibe. A lot of people say they would choose this one first , but we would go back to Nayarit if the opportunity came and both were at the same price. We liked that it was a bit smaller, had a natural beach , and loved seeing the whales out in the bay every day. But...this is just a personal preference , I would never complain about coming back to this one again!

  Mar 25, 2025
• 

  Good but not great (especially for the price)

  My husband and I have been to the Cancun area many times and have stayed at EPM, Secrets Moxche Impressions, Live Aqua, LeBlanc and others. This was the first time we took our kids (13 and 15) so this is the first non-adults-only resort we have stayed at. Here are the things I wish I knew beforehand: Dress code - “resort casual” does NOT mean long pants for men. We saw countless men wearing shorts to dinner at Lucca, SinLen and Frida. Food - people seem to rave about the food but we thought it was mostly mediocre (our favorite was SinLen by far, and the pizza at Lucca was excellent). Food preferences are so subjective, though, so take food reviews with a grain of salt. One important thing to note: even though it’s all-inclusive, they ask you to sign a “bill” after every meal (even at the buffet). If you don’t stick around to sign, a mysterious charge for a tip will end up on your invoice when you check out (even if you left a cash tip when you left the restaurant). We learned this the hard way. Drinks - drink service on the beach was inconsistent - sometimes great, sometimes not. Most importantly, though, the drinks were very different from all the other resorts’ drinks. The fruity daiquiris and cocktails had scarcely little flavor. If you like super sweet drinks with lots of flavor, you will be very disappointed here. Zen vs Ambassadors - we stayed in the Zen section because it was the only building with availability when we booked. Transportation to Ambassadors was totally doable and fine, but if you’re a beach person and/or want to be near the vast majority of the activities and restaurants, staying at Zen isn’t ideal. The rooms at Zen were clean and spacious (we had the family suite which is just two adjoining rooms) but the decor is dated and could use a refresh. Dinner reservations - we made reservations 3.5 weeks before our trip and the only times available at all the restaurants was 5:30pm. We heard people say they weren’t able to get dinner reservations at all bc they didn’t realize they had to make reservations so far in advance. If you don’t secure dinner reservations your only options are room service and the buffet. The restaurants don’t take walk-ins (at least not during peak times which is when we went). Teen club - My kids were not impressed with the teen club. First of all, kids of all ages are welcome all day until 9pm. Which isn’t exactly the vibe my teens were hoping for, with younger kids running around all day long. Also, there just wasn’t much going on. If you’re choosing this resort primarily bc of the teen club (as we did), I urge you to reconsider. Kids - if you’re a couple and aren’t bringing kids, I cannot imagine why you’d stay here instead of an adults-only resort. There’s an adults-only building but it’s not nearly far enough away from the rest of the resort to eliminate the noise and chaos of having so many kids running around. If you’re looking for a quiet, upscale resort I highly recommend Secrets Moxche Impressions. Excellence is also opening a new resort that is supposed to be very nice. On a positive note, the resort is very clean and very well maintained, which is impressive given the beating it must take from all the kids. Finally, there are lots of bats - yes, bats - flying around the resort at dusk and when it’s dark. The walkways within Zen were particularly bat-laden - we had several instances of bats swooping down from the overhead thatched roof and getting scarily close to our heads. If you’re not crazy about the idea of encountering a bat while on vacation, this is probably not the resort for you.

  Mar 25, 2025
• 

  Family friendly upscale feel

  To begin, we were looking for a family friendly resort in Mexico, wanted Cancún as it was a direct flight for us. Wanted something that felt more upscale and feel we chose well! Rooms were very spacious. We booked an ambassador suite but were upgraded to a grand class suite on arrival. This gave us a bit more room. Very clean space, serviced daily. Lots of space to get ready as we have two girls, and needed mirrors! Plenty of room to get ready. Fridge and snack cabinet is refilled everyday if you request. Comfortable bed, slept well! Restaurants, and food service were excellent. Our favorites were Lucca and Sen Lin. We much enjoyed Cocina de Autor, it was unique and a tasting experience. Azul was perfect for breakfast, and the Bistro was good if you’d prefer a non buffet, though I’d never be afraid to go back to Azul, always fresh food and great attention to service and detail. We frequented the ambassador pool because we had our kids with us, excellent service especially Reuben and Luis. They made our week. At the ambassador pool bar, we much enjoyed Jorge and Orlando. Real class acts. Frida should also be mentioned excellent service and good food. We loved our server Walter. Our girls are still talking about him! David at Chaka was also 100! Plenty to do at the resort. Nicholas at the teen club had so much energy and kept the pool rolling all day long with different events. His staff was also amazing. My girls were both of age to do the teen club events and enjoyed guacamole making, and a painting event. They played video games and some pool also. The club was clean and huge, lots of space to spread out. Each evening my girls wanted to go to the karaoke bar! It was kid friendly until 11. It was a huge hit and always busy. There were a few nights of a live guitarist on the outdoor pool deck. He’s excellent. We visited the Zen pool one day. We probably enjoyed the vibe more at the ambassador pool. It was nice to have options though. Overall just great service, excellent food, clean facilities/rooms. I’d definitely not hesitate to take a family.

  Mar 23, 2025
• 

  Really wanted to give 5 stars

  We visited as a family of 4 during spring break, with two daughters in the tween-teen range. We stayed in the zen area, we usually stay in the grand class but it was full. The good: We stayed in a family suite and it was nice and roomy. The bathrooms are large and everything was working. The surroundings are beautiful, they take great care of the vegetation and it feels really green and lush. Chaka, Lucca, Frida and Azul were all great. Pool service at zen was great. The staff at the teen club are great The girls really enjoyed the snorkeing / catamaran outing The not so good. I honestly don't think they are able to function well when at capacity. A few examples: A long line waiting for breakfast for 10-15 minutes when a lot of tables were open No seating at main pool. I mean none. We were told they were fully occupied for the day... yeah, that is not good for the amount of money you pay. We we went down to the pool and they were full as well... We had sent information about booking dinners about a month before our visit, one week before we get the times. We had requested early and we got 9pm dinners (9.45 at Cucina)... The main pool felt crowded even though it is huge. Zen is supposed to be the calmer area. It was overrun with babies and toddlers and the associated meltdowns. There was a private birthday party on night blaring music and having games, it sounded like they were on the balcony. There was a huge wedding another night outside, and those close to that area got to enjoy party music well into the night. We will probably be back, but this visit was definitely a step down from our previous ones.

  Mar 23, 2025