All-Inclusive Grand Velas Los Cabos Resort

Please don’t wake me from this dream… From the moment we landed at the airport and stepped foot outside, I immediately knew this was going to be a great vacation. When we arrived at Grand Velas Los Cabos, we were greeted by a sprawling, open lobby as well as a handful of staff members. We were then led to a couch overlooking the ocean and offered champagne and neck massages as we watched the sunset as they checked us in. Is this real life?? Apparently it is at Grand Velas. No wonder why the celebrities stay here (Hannah Simone and possibly Zooey Deschanel from New Girl were there at the same time as us).

Grand Velas has two other locations (Riviera Nayarit and Riviera Maya) and has been ranked number one by TripAdvisor for all-inclusive resorts. The Cabo location opened at the end of 2016, making it the newest addition to the hotel group.

THE EXPERIENCE

This was my first time at an all-inclusive resort and it certainly did not disappoint. I mean, what’s there not to like about unlimited food and drinks 24/7? I’d compare the experience to a cruise since you don’t have to worry about paying for anything (unless you want to) once you’re there.

Every suite at Grand Velas Los Cabos has an ocean view and private terrace. Some suites even have their own plunge pools on the terrace. As you may expect, the service at Grand Velas is beyond exceptional. Every suite is assigned a butler (hi Luna!), who basically serves as a personal concierge. Luna exchanged numbers with us and let us know that we can text him for anything and everything. We weren’t used to all this personal attention and service so Luna’s advice to us was just to say “yes” to everything (we learned pretty quickly). The property is quite expansive so the ability to communicate with Luna over text was extremely helpful, especially when we wanted to change our dinner reservations, had random questions, or when we forgot to bring sunscreen to the beach but didn’t want to go all the way back to the room to get it (lol laziness at its finest).

THE FOOD

I usually don’t have high expectations for food at all-inclusive type places (maybe because the first thing that comes to mind is buffets where quantity always prevails over quality) but Grand Velas takes pride in their dining experience and we were certainly impressed. From room service to the food at the pool to their seven unique restaurants, Grand Velas covers all the bases and does it well. Five out of the seven restaurants are only open for dinner and require a reservation so make sure to plan accordingly (we ate two dinners one night so we could try more restaurants). The only restaurant we didn’t get to try was Piaf, their French restaurant. Even if you don’t stay at Grand Velas, you can still eat at any of their restaurants, which would also be a great way to check out the property!

Azul - Even though Grand Velas is an all-inclusive resort, this is the only buffet style restaurant on the property. It is also the only restaurant open for breakfast (room service is available, too) but we enjoyed starting every morning here because of all the options. I think I was happiest to see the smoothie bar because that’s what I usually make everyday at home (I ended up skipping my daily smoothie because there were so many other good options). Aside from the smoothie bar, they also have an omelette station, waffle/pancake station (including matcha pancakes!), as well as a hot bar with various Mexican dishes in addition to a cold bar with fruits, cold cuts, pastries and so much more. My description doesn’t do the buffet justice because you really have to see it for yourself.

Cabrilla - Ceviche galore! We didn’t actually eat at this restaurant, which was a big mistake, but that was only because we didn’t realize it was an option. Cabrilla is the resort’s cevicheria that is located poolside. We ordered ceviche from the pool menu a few times (as in everyday because it was so fresh and delicious) but if we had known that Cabrilla had a more extensive ceviche menu, we definitely would’ve tried some of the other offerings.

Cocina de Autor - Led by two Michelin Star Head Chef Sidney Schutte, this restaurant certainly did not disappoint. From the top-notch service to the cocktail pairings to each unique dish, the experience was definitely on par with a Michelin Star restaurant. The set menu ranges from 8-10 courses with most of the courses coming out two at a time. I wasn’t sure what to expect from Cocina de Autor since I wasn’t sure what kind of cuisine it would be but I was pleasantly surprised to see Japanese influences like yuzu and furikake in some of the dishes since both Head Chef Sidney and Chef de Cuisine Vincent Colauto worked in Japan before. Every course was bursting with flavor and we were completely stuffed by the last few courses (this was our second dinner of the night). If you want to eat at Cocina de Autor more than once during your stay, just let the restaurant team know and they will change up the menu for you each time.

Frida - When in Mexico, eat Mexican food, right?? Surprisingly, Frida is the only Mexican restaurant on the property but it’s not your usual Mexican food. Frida puts a contemporary twist on Mexican cuisine, almost making each dish a surprise. Almost every dish came out completely different from what we thought we had ordered, not that it was a bad thing, it just wasn’t what we were expecting. Even the churros were not your usual churros but I loved it! Also, make sure to order the Mexican coffee with your dessert for some entertainment.

Lucca - Fresh-made pasta while overlooking the ocean AND watching the sunset? Yes, please! Lucca originally was not on our itinerary but after hearing about it from a few of the staff members and learning that the chef is from Italy, we decided we had to try it…so we moved our reservation at Cocina de Autor to a later time and had an early first dinner at Lucca. We ordered a few pastas with the intention of only trying each one but somehow ended up polishing every plate clean.

Velas 10 - Known for surf & turf. We were super excited to mix & match and build our own board full of different meat and seafood options with complementary dipping sauces (not on the menu but our waiter gave us the idea). We also ordered veggies and mac & cheese on the side. The mac & cheese was probably our favorite dish (probably because mac & cheese is always good) but it could’ve been warmer. Unfortunately, Velas 10 was the least impressive restaurant on the property and I would recommend skipping it and eating at one of the resort’s other amazing restaurants.

THE ACTIVITIES (not included with stay)

Sunset Sail - We didn’t have much time to explore Cabo but we wanted to do at least one activity outside of the hotel. We decided on the Luxury Sunset Sail with Cabo Adventures. The boat is pretty large and fits about 30 guests. I was surprised at how clean it was, especially since they made us take off our shoes and I was barefoot (which I hate so bring socks if you’re like me). The sunset sail is perfect for couples looking for an easy, romantic activity. The best part is that they have a professional photographer on board and you get the photos as soon as you’re back on land. The entire trip, including the drive to and from the hotel, was a bit long (about 4-5 hours) so I would only recommend this activity if you have spare time and want something easy to do.

Horseback Ride on the Beach - At some point everyday, there are horses parked on the beach waiting to give people rides. We really wanted to go on a horseback ride but of course the one afternoon we had set aside for the horses, they weren’t there (and then as soon as we gave up waiting and went back to our room, the horses showed up, of course). Unfortunately, trying to get ahold of the people with the horses was the one request Luna couldn’t help us with since they’re not affiliated with the hotel so if you want to take a ride, make sure to catch them when you see them instead of waiting like we did.

All in all, we had an amazing vacation at Grand Velas and could’ve stayed a few more days…or weeks. It is a luxurious experience, to say the least, so get ready for some major pampering. I just recommend going during a low-time (middle of the week, non-holiday weeks, etc.) for the best experience.