Grand Velas Boutique Hotel - Adults Only - All Inclusive

The resort is beautiful, our room 801 was gorgeous, and most of the people we met were kind and professional. Still, parts of the trip fell short of our very high expectations, and we didn’t feel the hotel was worth what we paid. We won’t return. The street noise was unbelievably loud day and night, especially on the hotel’s main floor. The food didn’t match the resort’s claim of Michelin-star level. At Loto, the half-inch steak pieces on each skewer were dry, chewy, and tasteless. Lucca was disappointing too. One of us had penne arrabbiata that was fine; the gnocchi were tiny, seemed store-bought, smothered in cheese, and tasteless. As an Italian, that was especially disappointing. The steak we ordered to share was almost all fat and disgusting. On top of that, about ten people at a nearby table let their children, around three to five years old, run around screaming at 7 p.m. It was hard to enjoy a meal. The room service was effectively nonexistent. Of the liquor in the room, we mainly wanted the cabernet, but the half-size bottle didn’t go far. We texted Viviana, our concierge, at 9:30 a.m. asking for a couple more small bottles when the fridge was restocked, since we were dining at Lucca that evening. She said no problem. After we got back and saw they hadn’t arrived, we called and texted several times. Each person said they’d take care of it, but by 7 p.m. nothing had been brought up. We had to go to the bar for separate glasses of wine. We hadn’t even touched the tequila they gave us and barely used the other minibar items.

The whole week at Grand Velas Boutique was unforgettable, and Carlos and his team deserve a big thank-you. From the moment we arrived until we left, Jair, Manuel, Adrian, Santiago, Jesus, Omar and the rest of the staff looked after us so well. It’s hard to find anything negative to say. If you want a peaceful place with great amenities and impeccable service, this is the one.

We’re already counting down to our second visit. The little touches here really stand out, like an employee bringing ice water in a metal bottle to the beach on a hot day so it stays cold. Drinks are carefully made by mixologists, even at the swim up bar, and don’t feel like standard resort drinks. The food is plentiful and five star, and the service is the best I’ve experienced. Whatever room level you book, you won’t be left wanting for anything. If you’re hesitating, go ahead and book. It’s worth it.

We had to go back to the airport after being assured our bags would be in the car. They weren’t there, and now we’re not sure we’ll make check in on time. They won’t even offer to ship the bags home. This has added a huge amount of stress and frustration to the end of our vacation. The hotel’s customer service has been awful, and the disorganization is mind boggling. I strongly would not recommend staying here. What an embarrassing operation. This is our second stay. The first was great, but after this visit we’ll probably try somewhere else. For the price, I expected better. The resort itself is beautiful, very clean, and has what you need. The restaurants are very good, and the pool and its staff were outstanding. The planning and housekeeping were the problems. We booked two rooms, but everything we charged to our room went onto the other room. The outdoor area was rarely cleaned, and our room wasn’t replenished with water or coffee. Housekeeping was average at best. Room service was painfully slow too. When they quote 30 minutes, expect more than an hour.