Last Updated on April 24, 2024
We didn’t expect a fine French restaurant at an all-inclusive jungle/beach resort along Mexico’s Mayan Riviera. But in almost all aspects, especially its cuisine, the five-star Grand Velas Riviera Maya, located half an hour south of Cancun, lived up to its reputation as one of the most luxurious resorts in Mexico or the Caribbean.
The expansive 206-acre property includes 539 large, luxurious suites. All are at least 1,100 square feet, divided into three sections, each with a massive swimming pool. The adult-only Grand Velas and the family-friendly Ambassador are located in front of an attractive, very walkable white sand beach.
Few swimmers were present, however, mainly because the water was shallow, with some rocks underfoot. The other section, Zen Grand Suites, is almost a mile inland, carved out of mangrove and Yucatan jungle foliage.
A Day At Zen
We always enjoy an ocean view, but after a day in Mexico at the Grand Velas Riviera Maya’s Zen, we appreciated our suite’s high-end, thoughtful amenities and the quiet jungle environment, surrounded by beautiful flora and fauna. All suites have a personal concierge to look after every need. Zen includes a gourmet Asian restaurant and an excellent buffet, especially for breakfast (including a wonderful selection of fresh fruit and juices). A very efficient shuttle system takes visitors to the seaside Ambassador and Grand Class buildings, where three of Mexico’s best restaurants are located. There was never more than a three-minute wait for it.
Award-Winning Cocina de Autor
Cocina de Autor was the first all-inclusive resort restaurant in the world to receive a AAA Five Diamond award. It was well deserved if playfulness, creativity, and great taste were the criteria. From local products, the chefs prepared ten imaginative small and medium-sized plates for us. All were expertly served by an attentive, well-trained staff and accompanied by excellent Mexican and international wines.
Ingredients included spider crab, smoky tuna, honeydew shrimp, striped bass, Mexican bald pork, and bone marrow. They were accompanied by jackfruit, figs, black garlic, kohlrabi, caviar, and yogurt. Two desserts also rounded out the almost three-hour extravaganza, one with chocolate and sesame seeds, the other with blueberries, mascarpone, and honey. It was a memorable experience.
The Grand Velas Riviera Maya’s Elegant Piaf
Equally memorable our next day in Mexico at the Grand Velas Riviera Maya was the four-course dinner at the resort’s elegant French restaurant, Piaf (named for the famous Parisian chanteuse Edith Piaf). Decorated in tasteful red and black with Swarovski crystal curtains and a fresh red rose at every table, the menu was traditional French but with extra flair and imagination.
For instance, the chef’s escargot appetizer was not just snails in garlic butter but included tartiflette, Morbier cheese, and watercress purée. The soup course (French onion or lobster bisque) was also followed by five meat, five fish, or four vegetarian entrées. We chose tender beef short rib with dauphine potatoes, blue cheese sauce, coffee foam, and lamb cooked two ways with stuffed artichokes.
Desserts included pear in red wine sauce with almond crust and a dark chocolate soufflé with passion fruit sauce. Grand Velas has clearly found top international chef talent for its restaurants.
Outstanding Mexican Frida
We expected the Grand Velas’s Mexican restaurant, Frida, to be outstanding. And it was. A surprising beginning for all guests was the small bowls of fried grasshoppers, ants, and red worms. A yukky reaction quickly turned to smiles as most guests found the unusual appetizers crispy and tasty. The main courses continued the resort’s commitment to creative cuisine using mole, mezcal vinaigrette, truffles, black recado (spice paste), huitlacoche (a black corn fungus, tasting like truffle), and chipotle molasses to enhance grouper, salmon, shrimp, octopus, beef fillet, duck confit, and suckling pig entrees.
The daily schedule at Grand Velas Riviera Maya in Mexico includes complimentary chocolate, tequila, and mezcal tastings (even pairing the drinks with mole samples) and guided tours of Zen’s jungle habitat, ending with samples of three unique types of Mexican honey.
We appreciated that all bars and restaurants also offer non-alcoholic beer and wine. We love good coffee, especially at breakfast, but the quality of the java in all restaurants could have been better.
A Remarkable Spa At the Grand Velas Riviera Maya
When visiting Mexico, many guests come to the Grand Velas Riviera Maya for its remarkable 90,000-square-foot spa located in the Zen section. Forbes Travel Guide gives it five stars, and Virtuoso calls it “the best in the world.” Skin therapies and massages are combined with Mexican holistic rituals to relax and rejuvenate. Guests begin with the Water Ceremony, which includes a steam room with herbal infusion, an exfoliation room, an ice room, various hot and cold showers, and several hydrotherapy pools before the traditional Mexican treatments begin.
Sandra chose a signature Bacal (Corn Cob) Massage. In Mayan culture, corn is a sacred plant. The unique experience began with therapist Sebastiana performing a short Mayan ceremony honoring the four elements (earth, air, fire, and water). This was followed by a dry corn meal and honey exfoliation to detoxify the skin. Then, Sandra received a massage with copal oil using hot corn cobs to apply pressure. After the eighty-minute treatment, Sandra’s muscles were tingling, and she felt very refreshed.
Although our stay at Grand Velas Riviera Maya lasted just three days, we could easily observe why the resort deserves its stellar international reputation for fine cuisine, unique spa treatments, and outstanding, friendly service.
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