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Day 2 in Riviera Nayarit at Grand Velas Resort Review

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We are back with more of our family vacation to Riviera Nayarit at Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit! We hope you enjoy these reviews and of course, special thanks to Velas Resorts for hosting us.

We woke up to this! 

Heather here… One of my favorite parts of a vacation is waking up to gorgeous views, in beautiful accommodations sipping coffee. Here at Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit, you get all that and more. Having stayed at the Grand Velas in Los Cabos earlier in the year, we know the ins and outs of the resorts and take advantage of all the amazing things they offer, like 24-hour premium room service. I call it premium because you don’t get run of the mill offerings here. It is fine dining no matter where you are in the resort, and room service is no exception. 

Each morning we would order coffee, fruit, pastries, and smoothies to enjoy as we got ready and then went down to Azul for our real meal. We also ate lunch there most days too because we loved everything they serve and the view was breathtakingly beautiful.

Don’t forget to read about day 1.

The master balcony was pretty awesome too. This is right off our bedroom. If you looked farther below you can see the pools… (There are more large balconies.)

(side note- I just stopped writing this post to ask Pete when we had time to go back. Once you stay at a Velas Resort, especially a Grand Velas property, you will think of nothing but the next time you can experience their over the top luxury vacation experience. In case you are wondering, Pete, reminded me that they also have one in Riviera Maya we need to visit. I’ve already added it to our tentative plans for later this year and we plan to vacation with Grand Velas at least once a year.

If you take multi-generational vacations, this is the place for you too. There is something for everyone. I have another full resort review I’m working on that you will want to read!

Speaking of meals here at Grand Velas, here is a sampling of the food at the resort. Being vegan and vegetarian can sometimes be harder at all-inclusives, but Grand Velas has actual vegan menus and I can’t even tell you how much that elevated the entire experience. 

Each dish you are served is masterfully plated.

Ash had this tomato and mozzarella salad at every meal she could. It was so fresh and flavorful.

And this salad…

In the early afternoon, between lunch and out late dinners we would order room service. It was always delivered super fast, and then expertly set up. On this day, it was just Pete, myself, Maddie and Ash. Take a look at what we ordered. Pete and Ash had fruit plates. Maddie and I shared something not even close to as healthy as that… and we have NO REGRETS! 

This here is the best chocolate cake on the planet.

It is not only vegan but also gluten-free… so that makes it healthy right? I totally don’t care. The fact that we can order this straight off the menu and that it is vegan and so delicious… well the rest is of no importance to me. Having said that, if you are looking for definite healthy options, they have those too. Ash is so careful with her diet and she was able to order everything to keep her feeling her healthiest, especially with their amazing gym and workout areas. 

Speaking of food again… When it was time for dinner, Emmy opted for some time in the kid’s club. It looks like she was the only one there, but there were a few other children who had the same idea, but they were in a different area. Much like in Los Cabos, full activities are always available regardless of how busy the resort it. So if you go during the offseason and the resort isn’t as busy, you will still be able to take advantage of all the resort has to offer.

Back to the kid’s club, Emmy LOVED it. Every Velas Resort we have been to has had the best people working there and Emmy enjoys everyone in the kid’s clubs.  

She especially loved this night, because they ordered room service straight to the kid’s club and she and her friends thought that was the best thing ever! She told me she ordered buttered noodles, broccoli, french fries, a smoothie and then they had ice cream sundaes for dessert… but that they also offered to order a snack later and cake, but she was too full. Ha!

While Em was in kid’s club, Pete and I and our older two had a couple special dinners. Yes, dinners. We already had plans to eat at the French restaurant Piaf, but our concierge encouraged us to have a light dinner, drinks, and appetizers on the beach at their special dinner on the sand. 

In reality, it seems like all the other guests had the same idea. It was impossible to turn down the opportunity to have dinner close to the water’s edge. Like all the specialty restaurants, there were even signature drinks available. 

I can’t even imagine all the work that goes on behind the scenes to create such a wonderful atmosphere. It was a full-service restaurant transported to the sparkling sand.

The girls loved getting dressed up for dinner!

After drinks on the sand, we were off to Piaf for more fine dining where every moment was a new experience. Piaf is an adults-only restaurant where everyone must be over 12 years of age so it worked out perfectly for Emmy to enjoy club time instead.

Here are just a few moments from dinner:

I’d love to tell you that Pete and I went to the nightclub and had drinks while listening to music, but we instead went and picked up Emmy and then sat on our balcony and listened to the waves crashing in the near distance. That is my kind of night! Maddie and Ash enjoyed the teens club and were back to our suite later that night. Vacations, where everyone is thrilled, are hard to come by, but we found a real gem here.

Have you used a kid’s club while on vacation?

Heather Reese
the authorHeather Reese
Heather Delaney Reese is the storyteller and photographer behind the lifestyle and family travel blog, It's a Lovely Life®! For the past decade, she has vacationed over 150 days a year with her family. She is a vegan, and loves being by the water, spending time with her children, husband, 2 Shih Tzus and Cat.

32 Comments

  • Looks like heaven to me. I love the view from your balcony and the kids area for playing looks so cute. I bet your daughter loved it.

  • Wow what a dream come true place to visit and stay! I love the room! I probably would have had that mozzarella salad every chance I could too!

  • Great review!!! I’ve always wanted to visit a resort. The food looks amazing and I love the scenery and view.

  • This looks like an incredible vacation. We just went to the Mayan Riviera in November, it is such a beautiful place. The Grand Velas has a lot of great features. The food looks amazing! And how great to have a place for the kids to go.

  • That is a very beautiful resort. I’d love to be able to stay there sometime. Even the food looks so amazing.

  • Oh gosh, your photos are gorgeous!! I would love t take a trip to the beach right now. It’s been so cold and gross lately!!

  • Oh beautiful! Colour me green with envy as I sit here watching it snow outside my window. This looks like such a lovely place to vacation.

  • The views are gorgeous and the food looks amazing. Bet you all had a wonderful time. I would love to go on a vacation right now. 🙂

  • Were there activities for the family within the resort that they provide? I stayed in Velas Vallarta and the only improvement would’ve been more entertainment for the family.

    • Hi! Yes, there totally was with a nightly show that the whole family enjoyed. They also had other activities throughout the day. We didn’t get to many of them because we hopped around from restaurants, spa, snacks, drinks, pool and just relaxing.

  • Hello, my husband and two teen boys are thinking about staying here. This may be a silly question but did you feel safe here? I worry about the safety of the food and drinks in Mexico , also I would worry about leaving my kids alone. Any help is appreciated!

    • Hi Danica! We felt very safe there and our older daughters explored the resort together and never had any issues. A few things that we do for safety reasons are:
      1. Arrange for transportation to and from the resort ahead of time.
      2. We don’t leave the resort. There is so much to do that we don’t even want to.
      3. We try to travel during daylight hours.
      4. We drink bottled drinks whenever possible, however, I don’t ever drink alcohol and Pete rarely does so this isn’t an issue for us. Having said that, I would feel 100% confident drinking alcohol here if I did.
      5. We take normal precautions we would wherever we are in the world. We stay together after dark and stay in well-lit areas of the resort.

      Grand Velas Resorts are true luxury resorts and some of our absolute favorites. We have always felt pampered and very safe at them. Please let me know if you have any other questions!

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