We just returned from a wonderful and relaxing family Easter vacation to an “all-inclusive” resort in the Puerto Vallarta area of Mexico, and I want to share it with you.
It has been hard (impossible?) to plan and carry out a foreign vacation for a while, because it is hard to get all the “stars aligned” – it must be during a school break for my son, we have to navigate the covid restrictions of airlines and different countries, and it has to fit in my own schedule. Whew!
But we did it, and it was really worth it and enjoyable! Our son, Red Bear, is studying Spanish in school, and I am studying it at home, so a vacation at a Mexican resort seemed perfect for us to practice speaking and understanding.
We were invited to visit the Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit there, and I will tell you up front it was more fun and relaxing than any of us expected! If you are looking for a world-class, luxury getaway at a tropical beach, Grand Velas Resort Nayarit might be just what you need. It is rated a “Five Diamond” resort by AAA, and you can’t score any higher than that.
RIVIERA NAYARIT (PUERTO VALLARTA AREA)
Let me start by describing the area. Banderas Bay (Bahia de Banderas) is a 62-mile long bay on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, and has been well-developed for a growing tourist industry for more than half a century. It is shared by two of Mexico’s states, Jalisco to the southern half, and Nayarit on the northern half (it is nicknamed the “Nayarit Riviera” because of its beaches and friendly water within the bay). Puerto Vallarta was the first of the cities to have major tourist developments, and more recently there has been major resort development a few miles north, in what is called Nuevo Vallarta. All of the “Puerto Vallarta area” resorts, including the Grand Velas, are short drives from the international airport that they share (PVR is its code). From Los Angeles, the direct flight was just 2½ hours.
Visiting during April, we found the weather to be ideal – not too cool at night, and warm, but not too warm, during the day. The ocean water was a very comfortable 77-degrees Fahrenheit or so, a lot warmer than what we have in California.
Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit– ALL-INCLUSIVE LUXURY RESORT
Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit is a newer resort (built in 2005), right on the beach. It is part of a family of several resorts, all developed by the Vela brothers. The Nayarit resort has 267 large suites, and the resort is designed so they all face toward the ocean. The main building is shaped like a crescent, with the open side facing the bay, and there are large, inter-connected swimming pools, in the open center of the crescent.
I have to say right up front, the service everywhere at this resort is impeccable, from the moment you arrive to check in. Everything is done promptly, attentively, and graciously, and that continued throughout our stay, everywhere in the resort. For example, when my husband had a problem with a television (one of 3 in our suite), he called the desk, and within 10 minutes workers came to replace that television with a new one! Every aspect of service at the resort was flawless, and I have to commend the Grand Velas company for that high level of training and performance by all their staff. We were assigned a personal concierges (Daniela and Gabriela) to help us anytime we needed any help or information , and not only could we reach them quickly by text, but they also checked how we were doing whenever we passed in the resort.
Family Suite at the Grand Velas
Our Family Suite made us feel very much “at home” – it was very large (over 1,000 square feet), with 2 separate roomy bedrooms (a king bed in one, and 2 queen beds in the other), and 3 full private bathrooms, and one even had a whirlpool bathtub. There was also a living room, dining area, and kitchen area, along with 3 balconies, so we had great views of the ocean and the heart of the resort. One balcony even had a whirlpool hot tub, which was a wonderful place to sit, sip wine, and watch over the resort and all its activities below us.
This Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit is “all-inclusive,” they offer endless fun activities and food! You really do not need to leave the resort property to have a great time – in fact, we did not leave the resort at all during our 4 days, because there was so much fun (and relaxation) to be had right outside our suite.
For me, for example, there was the Se Spa. I went there for the “full treatment” on our second day. It began with one full hour of water therapy, and was followed by a super-relaxing massage. Words hard to describe it’s amazingness, but their Spa — Se Spa, is included on Forbes Travel Guide’s list of The World’s Most Luxurious Spas and known for its hydrotherapy journey and treatments inspired by the native traditions of Mexico. And I think they are well deserved.
There is a Kids’ Club for guests 12 years of age and under, and a separate private Teens’ Club center for the 13 to 18 year crowd. Lots of carefully supervised activities for the children, and lots of fun and socializing for the teens, too. The Teens’ Club has several private “pods” where teens can play Xbox video games, and the club has air hockey to play, a dance floor, karaoke, and teen-appropriate snacks and beverages – all included, of course.
In addition to the Se Spa, there is a large Life Fitness center, tennis, paddle tennis, kayaking, biking, and too many more included activities to list here, even if I could remember them all. But here is a link where you can go to see all the activities that are included in your room fee: vallarta.grandvelas.com/services
Believe me, you will stay as busy as you want!
Fun in the pool /beach
Sitting on the northern edge of Banderas Bay, by the majestic Sierra Madre Mountains, Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit is enveloped in the tranquility of Riviera Nayarit’s beautiful waters and beaches. We felt so nice just walking on the beach with bare feet! There are also many actives on the beach, like surfing, kayaking, parasailing, and we like to play football, throw and catch. (P.S, we bought this soft football in the boutique in the resort, and it was one of the best gifts we bought for ourselves during travel, we had so much fun with it.)
DINING AT Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit
Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit includes 4 high-end restaurants open for dinner: Lucca (Italian-Mediterranean), Frida (Mexican), Sin Lin (Asian), and Piaf (French). Incredibly, each one of those restaurants is rated “Four Diamond” by AAA!
It also has an open, beach-front buffet restaurant, Azul, which is open from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m., and goes from breakfast to lunch to dinner offerings. And, if those dining choices are not enough, it also offers 24-hour room service, which we enjoyed a couple times.
Lucca
The night we arrived, we dined at Lucca, the fine Italian restaurant in the resort. For the most part attire at the resort is “vacation comfortable,” but the fine dining restaurants all have a dress code – long trousers, regular shoes, and collared shirts for the men, and dresses, skirts, or nicer pants outfits for the women. I think the dress code was appropriate for the rich décor and more sophisticated ambiance of these restaurants.
Everywhere in the resort, from the suites to the common areas to the restaurants, the décor is rich, tasteful, but not overdone. The décor at Lucca was no exception, so we were very comfortable as we dined. I especially loved that there was nice live piano music during our dinner.
As for the cuisine at Lucca, it was all so flavorful, and also presented very attractively. Service was very efficient, quick, and attentive – and knowledgeable. When we had questions about the various dishes, the information was accurate and helpful.
My son had a lasagna (first time trying it), and he finished it all, while my husband had a mushroom risotto that he proclaimed, “Delicious!” As for me, I went with a lamb main course. My husband and I began with a wine-and-cranberry juice cocktail, followed by sampling some good wines.
When it was time for dessert, we managed to share a portion of a very satisfying tiramisu, and a dish of pistachio gelato. It was a great ending to our arrival day at Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit.
Frida
The next night we chose to dine at Frida, a restaurant with wonderful classic Mexican food, named after famous artist Frida Kahlo. During dinner, a talented musician played an instrument that looked like a harp, but in a very lively style – quite nice and interesting!
I started with a spicy margarita, and it was very tasty. For our main courses, both my husband and son ordered plantain tacos, and they loved them so much, they got another order to take to our suite for a late-night snack! As for me, I ordered a very tender ribeye steak, and a salad with octopus. We shared desserts again, with a so-sweet tres leches dish, and a heavenly chocolate tamale – I had never seen one before, but we all loved it.
Sen Lin
For our third (and last) dinner at the resort, we had to choose between Piaf for French cuisine, or Sen Lin for Asian food. It was a hard choice, but I was raised on Asian food, so we decided to dine at Sen Lin.
I must say, Sen Lin had a really comfortable feel for me, another high-end restaurant with meaningful Asian décor and ambiance.
We started with a sake (rice wine) cocktail; it was a first for me, and it was very good. We all ate with gusto at Sen Lin, because the food was so tasty – I enjoyed a delicious papaya salad and steamed sea bass, while my men both had a mushroom soup, sautéed vegetables, and lots of rice. I even had the pleasure to discuss the dishes and preparation with the Chef, who came out to chat with us!
Azul – beachfront casual buffet
Azul is a casual buffet, practically on the beach, and it is open from early morning to late at night. We spent lots of time in outdoor activities, so it was very convenient to stop in for a bite at Azul whenever we needed a pause to refresh, or just to sit, sip some juice, coffee, or tea, and chat about anything. I am not sure how many times each of us ate there, but I know that I had both breakfast and lunch there twice, even tasted some late night barbecue there one evening. There was a very wide variety of good food at Azul all day and night , some ready to be served buffet-style, and other food to be made-to-order, such as my omelets. Not only was the food very good with so many choices, but I think it even tasted better because we were refreshed by the gentle ocean breeze while we ate.
Aqua Bar, Selva Del Mar, and Koi Bar
In addition to having wines and cocktails available in the fine restaurants, there are 3 different bars in the resort. The Aqua Bar is outside and serves guests on the beach, and the Selva Del Mar is open-air, under a thatched roo by the extensive swimming pools, and it provides beverages and light snacks all around the pool and sunbathing areas. The Koi is an intimate sports bar right near the lobby and main entrance to the resort.
AMPHITHEATER
The resort has a small outdoor amphitheater, and each night they had an interesting entertainment there – the first night we watched some circus acrobats doing amazing stunts, and the next night we heard Elvis Presley and some other famous singers performing – live! They were impersonators, of course, but very good and very entertaining. We listened to them from our balcony whirlpool hot tub, actually, and had a great time doing it.
CONCLUSION
We had a wonderful Easter vacation at Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit, and each one of us wished we could have stayed a little longer – that is a big recommendation when we all agree on it!
So, yes, if you are thinking about a beachfront luxury resort vacation, do yourself a favor and check out Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit. I hope you will love it as much as my family did!
I want to thank the Grand Velas Resort organization for inviting us and sponsoring our visit to the resort, especially during the busy Easter / Holy Week season. I can’t be sure I can remember all of the helpful staff by name, but we are grateful to them all for their kind and thoughtful help. I do have to specially thank Daniela and Gabriela, and social media manager Citialy, for helping me in so many ways.
WHAT I WORE DURING THE TRIP:
Outfit 1: Caroline Herrera Dress & Bag, Vince Camouto Shoes, Burberry Hat
Outfit 2 : J.Crew Swimsuit, Cara Cara Sarong, Vince Camuto Bag
Outfit 5: Misa Los Angeles Dress, Vince Camuto Bag
Outfit 6: Cara Cara Dress, Burberry Hat, Vince Camuto Shoes & Bag
Outfit 7: Cara Cara Dress, Miu Miu Bag, Vince Camuto Wedges, Tuckernuck Earrings
Outfit 8: Charina Sarte Set, Caroline Herrera Shoes, Bag is from the resort, Tuckernuck Earrings
SHOP SIMILAR TIEMS BELOW:
