If you’re looking for a lush, exotic, beach retreat, look no further than Riviera Maya. Located on the Yucatán Peninsula in Quintana Roo, Mexico, it’s an ideal vacation spot. This area is known for it’s all inclusive beach resorts and it’s many beautiful Mayan ruins. We stayed at the Grand Velas Riviera Maya Resort and Spa for a week in 2016, and we loved it so much we went back for then another week in 2018. The resort is large and there’s enough to do on-site that you don’t have to venture off the property if you don’t want to (although you should take advantage of the many activities in the area!).
The resort
The staff at this resort are awesome and the facility is beautiful. It’s built on a large scale, with sweeping ceilings, wandering pathways, and spacious rooms. It has 2 sections – The beach area, and the jungle area.
This was the first all-inclusive resort I’ve stayed at. I was a little worried about the food as I had been told some all-inclusives serve either very small portions or lower quality food. I’m glad to say we didn’t experience anything like that at this resort. With 7 speciality restaurants in addition to their main dining room, you have a lot of eating options. We weren’t disappointed by any of the restaurants, although we didn’t have a chance to try them all.
The main restaurant, Azul, is very casual, open almost the entire day, and located right next to the main family pool. Because of it’s location and hours, we found this restaurant to be mostly filled with families, while kids were less often seen at the other speciality restaurants.
In the beach area, there are several beautiful pools which overlook the ocean.
However, most of these are family pools, so you do need to watch out for the kiddos. You’ll also have a chance to play in the surf or lounge on the sand; Beach concierge is included!
You’ll need to jump on a free shuttle from the main hotel to get to the jungle area. Don’t forget your swimsuit! The drive is pretty cool because it goes through very lush jungle – Keep your eyes open and you may see monkeys or other animals on either side of the road. When you arrive, you can lounge by the pool (poolside concierge, drinks, and food included of course!), eat at a restaurant, or go to the spa.
The spa is amazing and has won a long list of awards. It was named “Best Luxury Spa in the Americas” in 2014, and has been on the list of “The Leading Spas of the World” since 2005. We booked a massage and got there early as recommended so we would have time to do the “Water Journey” in preparation for the massage. Both were spectacular. I especially loved the Water Journey, which is described as a “revitalizing hydrotherapy ritual”. Start off with a soak in the hot tub, followed by a circuit in the Ice Room (which is a cold room with ice you can play in), the Clay Room (where you give yourself a clay facial and body mask), the sauna, and then the indoor pool. The pool is huge, and has waterfalls and pressure spouts so you can give yourself a hydrotherapy massage.
The room
The resort boasts that they don’t have rooms, only suites. Suites that, I might add, are gigantic! Our room was in the family section of the resort, and had double king beds. The shower and the jetted-tub were both huge and luxurious, and I loved the L’Occitane amenities which were provided.
Because our room was on the end, we had views of the pool/ocean and the jungle behind the resort. I think I spent about half of my week on the patio, just listening to the sound of the waves and reading.
Outside the resort
If you do venture off the property, be sure to explore some Mayan ruins. Chichen Itza and Tulum are the most popular and should not be missed, but there are other sites like Coba that will give you a closer, more hands-on experience.
Tulum is an ancient walled Mayan city located on a cliff top on the coast. It overlooks a sheltered white sand beach that is ideal for snorkeling. Get here early morning for stunning pictures of the sunrise over the ocean. Even if you don’t come for sunrise, be sure to get here early – It’s a very big tourist spot and fills up quickly. Getting there early will also protect you from the worst of the heat and sun – there’s no shade, so regardless of when you go, be sure to remember the hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen. The main drop off spots are a good walk from the ruins, and the paths to and around the area are rocky and uneven, so wear good walking shoes as well. Bring your own food as there aren’t any food stands or stores/shops here. If you didn’t come with a tour group you can join a free tour once you’re there, but you don’t have to. I recommend going there with a tour to begin with, as you’ll have transportation there and back. Of course the information you’ll get about the ancient culture is well worth the price. However, tours can last several hours and you’ll be in the sun for the duration. However you choose to see the ruins, be prepared for high temps, high humidity, and lots of walking.
Chichen Itza is the most well-know Mayan ruin. Even if the name isn’t familiar, you’ll recognize El Castillo, the main step-pyramid, once you’ve seen it.
You’ll do a lot of walking as you tour this ancient city, so be sure to wear good walking shoes. There’s a bit more shade here than in Tulum, but it’s mostly open to the sun so be sure to bring a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen. There will be a lot of vendors selling their wares in and around the ruins – cash only and all prices are up for debate. This is a good place to try out your bartering skills. They do accept US currency (although you might get a better deal if you pay in pesos, and especially if you can speak Spanish!). El Castillo is breathtaking, and I loved being part of a tour because the guides were very knowledgeable about the city’s history.
If you have the chance, stop at the Mayaland Hotel for lunch after you’ve visited Chichen Itza. They have a good buffet, and you might even be treated to traditional dancing as you eat.
Although we didn’t get the chance to go, we also heard great things about Coba, where you can climb the main step-pyramid (at least for now).
If you aren’t into ruins, or have little ones who might not make it through a whole tour, there are some amusement parks in the area, such as Xcaret eco-archaeological Park, Xplor Park, and Xel-Há. Although we didn’t get to experience these parks ourselves, they do seem to be highly reviewed on sites like Tripadvisor. Many of these parks offer animal encounters (like the chance to swim with dolphins or manta rays) which I know I would have loved as a kid.
There are activities for all ages and interests in the Riviera Maya area. I highly recommend the Grand Velas resort because of our experience, but I’m sure you’ll have a great time no matter where you stay or what you do.