“One Word . . . . OUTSTANDING!!!!!”
My family and I (kids: 10 & 7) had the pleasure of staying at Grand Velas and we could not be any happier! Just as the other reviewers have pointed out, this is a place that must be on your to visit list. If you're thinking "there's no way a resort can get that many top reviews", you are sadly mistaken; it is truly a beautiful place! We have traveled with the kids extensively and have done many of the islands. All were beautiful and charming but Grand Velas had charm, beauty, great cutover service and 5 star quality food. Being from NY, we are exposed to many different authentic cuisines and have the luxury of patronizing top quality restaurants with high quality food. Grand Velas' restaurants were on par if not above some of the NYC restaurants which is a tough thing to accomplish. Another reviewer mentioned that All-Inclusives tend to have mediocre food; not this one! Unbelieveable!!!
The rooms were big (we stayed in the Ambassador section with Ocean view & plunge pool) and the kids really enjoyed those days that it was a bit hot and just wanted to relax in the room; the plunge pool was fine with them. Every morning my wife and I would sit out on the deck and have coffee & Espresso; not just any coffee/espresso but NESPRESSO COFFEE! If you are not familiar with Nespresso Coffees, it is the best you can get via pods. I thought that this was just a weird looking coffee machine and that it was probably just like any other resort machine; bland coffee; Boy was I wrong! It was so good that I bought a Nespresso machine once I arrived back in NY. And no I do not work for Nespresso.
The other amenities in the room are beers, top shelf liquor, brand name chips and candy bars. We thought that this was an extra cost but it is not! All included! We are social drinkers so having a name brand or brands was a nice addition. Even the Tequila was Don Julio, not a lower end tequila. If you prefer Patron, fine, but this is just as good and if you want the Patron, just go to any of the bars.
As for entertainment, we hung around the pool a lot and I even went cavern diving at one of the Cenotes. I also went zip-lining (off property at Selvatica) with my 10 year for the first time and it was a great experience. If I had to add a suggestion, it would be to have a few more activities, perhaps at the pool, for kids. Teens may have a hard time unless they come with a friend or friends. There was a Arts & Craft room for the younger kids but for my kids it was a bit too childish for them. We did however entertain ourselves every night by going to the Karaoke bar and sing every night. My son is a bit shy at times so it was funny to see him look forward to going there every night after dinner. Most nights we were the only one's there since the majority of the larger families there were dining late so being in a bar/lounge with them was not an issue and the bar staff were at our beck and call even when we didn't them them.
There is an adult section that wasn't far and even some of the single couples or adults were coming over to the family side since it was not rowdy at all.
Again, the food was amazing and top notch! Every morning I had Chilequiles that were delicious and the other restaurant stand-outs were Frida's, Lucca's (?) an Italian restaurant and Hemingways.
This may be a long review but there is so much to say about Grand Velas. Our last trip was to Beaches in Turks & Caicos, which by the way was MORE EXPENSIVE than Grand Velas and nowhere near as pampering! I try not to frequent the same places but this is one place that I can. As the saying goes "If it Aint broke don't fix it!" Can't wait to go again!
CocoLoco in NY
Room Tip: For Ocean views: Ambassador section with plunge pool. Jungle/Garden section can be secluded if you w...
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
9 March 2012
Dear Guest,
Thank you for letting us know how perfect your stay was, we will be more than happy to have the opportunity to host you again very soon and give you once more the good service you have already experienced.
Kind Regards,
Guest Relations Manager
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC