The Case for an All-Inclusive Resort with Kids: Grand Velas Riviera Maya

Admittedly, I was 38 when I visited my first all-inclusive resort in Cabo. I understood the appeal, but I’d heard bad things: watered-down cocktails, people getting sick from buffets serving bland food.

Growing up, my mom was more of the “let’s eat jerk chicken from this roadside shack and stay in an off-the-beaten-path boutique hotel” type.

As a mother of two, I found myself in a situation in mid-January that I handled impulsively…and have no regrets. We live in North Carolina, and our city isn’t exactly known for its ability to handle winter weather. If it even threatens to snow, schools close and the grocery stores are cleared of bread, water, and milk. So when I saw a winter storm was coming and our heat started blowing cold, I began to panic. There were rumblings of possibly no school for multiple days.

I did what any irrational mother facing a week of working from home with two rambunctious boys would do: I booked a flight to Mexico, packed us all up, and attempted to “winterize” my house in under 12 hours.   

GRAND VELAS RIVIERA MAYA

Enter, the all-inclusive resort brand: Grand Velas. They have locations in Cabo, Riviera Nayarit (Puerto Vallarta), and Riviera Maya. Last year I took an impromptu trip with my then 5-year-old son Coleman to Grand Velas Los Cabos. He still won’t shut up about the kids club! Clients — both families and couples alike — have loved this brand for their food and beverage options and boutique feel.

ACCOMODATIONS

There are three parts of this resort. Zen, Ambassador, and Grand Class. We stayed in Grand Class Suite (which has the adults-only pool and restaurants and is generally quieter). Our room opened to a grassy area, and we had our own patio and tiny pool. The room product was recently refreshed and looked good. I will say that while I appreciated the room upgrade, the daily haul to the pool/breakfast did at times feel like a lot with a 3-year-old who acts like his legs don’t work.

Ambassador is the main hub of the property with the family pool and family-friendly restaurants. I’d stay here if I had little kids and try to get a ground floor to just push the stroller straight out to the pool or the main breakfast restaurant: Bistro.

Zen is a 3-minute shuttle away and off the beach, but it is unique jungle-style accommodations. They have their own breakfast restaurant CHAKKA, their own pool (which I actually loved!), and kids club, as well as the Asian restaurant Sen Lei. They even have their own cenote and monkeys. I felt the room product was a little older feeling here, but if your with kids or a corporate group, I doubt you would care.

The accommodations at Zen will price the lowest, followed by Ambassador then Grand Class. Each section has its own front desk and gift shop.

FOOD & DRINKS

There are multiple dining options- all different cuisines. The food by the pool was … pool food. Think: chips & guac, sandwiches, salads, and kids menu chicken fingers and fries, but it was solid. There’s something mentally nice though about your picky kid ordering food, rejecting it, and ordering something else and not having to pay for three expensive resort meals.

They also have incredible 5-course dining options at Frida (their elevated Mexican restaurant), Piaf ( their French restaurant where you can enjoy escargot), and Cocina de Autor ( their Michelin-star creative tasting-menu restaurant led by acclaimed chefs). There’s also Lucca, the Italian restaurant where we had gelato and pizza and Sen Lei, an Asian-inspired restaurant.

The breakfast buffet was oceanfront on the Ambassador side. It was had great options for healthy and indulgent breakfasts. They are great with kids and have plastic cups and bowls.

DRINKS: I’m picky about my tequila and they had some great top shelf brands. I will say that an advisor on my team is a wine drinker and noticed their list didnt have many recognizable options. They have a great passionfruit marg with a tajin rim, if that’s your things.

ACTIVITIES

Honestly, we kinda just flopped by the pool or the beach every day. One great aspect of the beach is that the have cabanas that you don’t have to rent at an exorbitant fee! I will say there was seaweed on the beach, but they handled it well.

They have a massive spa facility over at Zen, but you do have to pay to do the sauna/steam. We opted for a quick poolside cabana massage and it was good! They do have a kids spa on the Zen side with massage chairs, mani/pedis etc. that’s super cute!

The Kid’s Club– this is where Grand Velas EXCELS. They have 2 kids clubs at this property on both the Ambassador and Zen side. It’s almost unheard of, but this kids club is open from 9 AM-11 PM, so you can actually go to an adult dinner without a babysitter! We did still need one since the kids club starts at age 4 and my youngest was just under that. They had lots of fun activities hourly, and the staff was very engaging. The Teens Club also looked really fun.

They also have daily workout classes and family activities. We enjoyed a round of soccer with other guests and even a pool workout. Yep, I said it.

SERVICE

You can book Grand Velas via our portal, but since each property is so nuanced I recommend emailing your advisor or filling out or contact form to get setup with an advisor.