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We are getting ready for a trip next week with our family, so we thought it was the perfect opportunity to share our travel essentials. So many of these are packing and traveling game changers! We are going to get into each of these and why we love them so much!
We just got some, and these are a game changer for packing! They help organize all your stuff, and they fit perfectly in your suitcase and keep it all organized.
You all may remember us staying at this property in Riviera Maya last year, and we loved it SO much, that we had to check out the Riviera Nayarit property! We received so many messages from you all about this luxury all-inclusive resort, and so we wanted to share a recap of our stay!
First off, Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit is a gorgeous all-inclusive property that is a AAA Five Diamond resort, but what is even better, are the the staff. Every employee we met at this Riviera Nayarit all inclusive resort was nothing but helpful and sweet, and not in a forced way, if that makes sense? We have nothing but amazing things to say about this property, so let’s get started!
GETTING THERE
We flew into Puerto Vallarta from Dallas. It was a direct flight for us, so very convenient. The drive from the airport to the resort is only twenty minutes! There are taxis and Ubers available at the airport, or you can book a car ahead of time online, which is typically what we do!
FITNESS
You all know we are avid gym-goers, so having access to a nice gym while we are out of town is important, and we know many of you all are the same way!
Their gym has everything you could want like free weights, upscale machines, TRX bands, cable machines, cardio equipment, and more!
Also, they offer a ton of fitness classes like yoga, anti-gravity yoga, pilates, and more! We had the chance to take the anti-gravity yoga, which was SO fun. We were a little nervous before because it was not something we had done before, but we loved it. The instructor was great, and we loved that they offered a unique class like that there.
SPA
Sometimes we skip out on the spa treatments at resorts, but do yourself a favor, and DO NOT miss out on Se Spa! It has been included on Forbes Travel Guide’s list of The World’s Most Luxurious Spas, and we can definitely see why! They offer thirty different treatments, including facials, massages, scrubs, and more!
We experienced both the Water Journey and the Xocolat Massage.
The water journey is an hour-hour-long experience where a personal spa valet takes you through seven steps: hydro refloxology, eucalyptus inhalation and steam room, cinnamon-infused sauna, hot and cold lagoon, jacuzzi, and a multi-jet pressured shower.
Throughout the process they provide some delicious and refreshing snacks like fruit skewers and homemade mango and berry popsicles!
The Xocolat Massage is a body scrub treatment where they use coffee beans to exfoliate your skin and then apply a chocolate body mask, which as you can imagine, smells amazing! We wanted to eat it all, haha. They also treat you to a chocolate mask and facial. Yes, it is just as amazing as it sounds!
DINING
We were blown away by the food at this resort. You all know that we eat mostly plant-based, and very healthy, so we weren’t expecting to have that many options. The food was out of this world, and even so if you don’t eat healthy! They have tons of options for any diet, and pretty much cover all bases in the food area. They have six restaurants, and three of them have been awarded with the AAA Four Diamond Award.
Azul: International Cuisine
This restaurant is actually a buffet, but it is upscale, and presented so beautifully! They are constantly changing out the dishes to keep everything fresh. Azul also overlooks the beach, so the view is incredible!
We ate here for breakfast and lunch every day we were there! They had tons of options like fresh fruits, an egg station, pastries, fresh juices, and other gourmet foods.
While we were staying there, they had a big cacao festival going on! Every restaurant had chocolate-themed drinks and meals, which was so cool. They even had hot chocolate and other treats at the Azul buffet.
For lunch and dinner, they have a huge salad bar, sushi bar, dessert bar, and every entree option you can think of.
Frida: Mexican Cuisine
We ate here on our first night! They had a lot of traditional Mexican dishes like upscale tacos, seafood, and more!
We started with their house margarita and their table-table-side guacamole (you know that was our favorite part!).
We also loved that they had a lot of vegan options like these nopal tacos that we thought were amazing!
Lucca: Italian/Mediterranean Cuisine
We LOVED the food here! They were super accommodating with our dietary needs, and the food was delicious. They have everything from fresh pastas to pizzas, and also a lot of fresh seafood and meat options.
We got a green salad to start, a pumpkin cream soup (made with coconut milk), a melon and cucumber appetizer, a pesto caprese salad, and they made these vegetable filled pastas for us out of zucchini.
And, for dessert, they made us two plant-based desserts: a chocolate cake and a key lime pie. Both were incredible and creative!
They also made us a tiramisu martini for dessert, which was to die for, and a berry, mint, and lime cocktail to start our meal with!
Sen Lin: Asian Inspired Cuisine
This restaurant is one of their newer restaurants, and the decor is absolutely stunning.
They have everything you could want like soups, spring rolls, yummy noodle dishes, traditional asian entrees, and more!
We got the Papaya Salad, the Vietnamese Vegetable Rolls, and the Vegetable Dish that had curry and turmeric and was delicious!
They also made us a great drink that had curry and cinnamon in it!
In Room Dining :
We ordered room service once while we were there, and they had some really good gourmet options!
They had everything from sandwiches to pasta. We ordered some salads, guacamole (of course), fresh fruit, and some hot tea!
Piaf: French Cuisine
Selva Del Mar: Poolside Dining (snacks like burgers and nachos)
BEACH/POOL
The pool is gorgeous, and has a lot of presence, especially when you’re taking a lot of Instagram pictures.
It is surrounded by perfectly manicured greenery and flowers. The pool is a three-tier infinity pool, all with different temperatures of water. They have a ton of cute pool floats to hang on, and the view overlooks the beautiful ocean and mountains.
The chairs are so comfortable, and there are a ton of staff members all around to bring you any kind of drink or snack you want!
There is also seating on the beach, if you want to hang out there for the day! They have cabanas and chairs and water sports like kayaking available.
ROOMS
The rooms at this resort are stunning. We had never stayed at such a gorgeous and upscale all-inclusive property before staying at the Velas his resorts. This property has all ocean-view rooms, and some have amazing plunge pools! All of the rooms have a fully-stocked minibar with tons of snack options, and they even have a Nespresso machine in the room if you love your coffee!
The bathrooms are stocked with L’Occitane products, which smell amazing!
Another cool feature about all of the rooms is that they provide a beach tote that is actually really cute, AND holds a ton in there. It is great because you don’t have to worry about packing a big tote in your already stuffed luggage! 😉
We had the opportunity to stay in one of their Wellness suites, which has an exercise bike in the room (so cool, right?!), a personal training session, a massage in-suite, and an Aromatherapy kit.
Our room also had a really cool terrace with a jacuzzi tub and a great view of the sunset and beach!
ACTIVITIES
They offer really fun activities for kids, and even adults like dreamcatcher making. We actually had the opportunity to learn about and make our own dreamcatchers. It was SO fun and interesting!
Not only do they look pretty, but we learned that they are made to filter dreams, and only allow positive dreams and visions to pass to the sleeper (since you typically hang it above your bed).
The staff member helping us make our dreamcatcher was so sweet and helpful, and we loved getting to ask her more about the property!
FITNESS
FAMILY
If you have kids, you know how tough traveling with them can be. This resort has it ALL figured out for you! They supply you with strollers, and other things like toys you may need. They also have a baby concierge, a kids club, and a teen’s club where they have tons of activities for them to enjoy! We thought it was so cool that they had actives like horse-riding, a mini foam party, and a nightly cinema with movies and popcorn for the kids, while the parents had dinner.
Overall, we highly recommend this resort! We loved the size of it and how walkable it is. We are already thinking about coming back with our parents soon! If you all have any questions about anything, please feel free to reach out!
OUTFITS
*click any of the images below to shop all links*:
We are SO excited to share today’s blog post! We had SO many of you all who wanted all the details from our trip! We had a blast. This was our first time in Tulum, and it definitely won’t be our last. It is so different than any other part of Mexico we had been to before. The beach is beautiful and there are a TON of healthy spots with fresh fruits, juices, and vegan options, which was perfect for us! There are also a ton of other spots that aren’t like that, so if you’re not a health nut, don’t panic, haha.
We flew into Cancun, and then booked a private driver ahead of time, and they were at the airport waiting for us when we arrived. This is typically what we do when traveling to Mexico because it is so much easier and less of a hassle.
You can take a shuttle or bus, but this is what we would recommend. The drive from the airport is about an hour and a half, so it is pretty long. You can also rent a car, but we didn’t really feel that comfortable doing that when it was our first time going!
PS- make sure you have a lot of pesos for food! Some places take credit cards, but not everywhere! We changed over money at the bank before we left, and would avoid using ATMs there, if possible!
We usually try to pack a carry-on when we go for shorter trips. For this trip, we were there from a Monday to Thursday, which was a good length of time. We recommend 3-5 days, and for us, it is easy to fly in and out to Cancun, but for you all that have longer travel routes, you may want to be there a little longer!
Some things we recommend:
CLOTHING: cute flowy dresses, coverups, denims shorts, flat sandals (for beach, and also comfortable to walk in at night or during the day), straw hat, beach tote, clutch or bag for evenings, swimsuits
We actually stayed in an Airbnb, so if you all want the exact one we stayed in, shoot us an email. We loved where we stayed, but we did have to take taxis everywhere, unless you want to ride a bike. We don’t know a ton of spanish, so that was a little tricky at times with the taxis, but it really wasn’t bad!
Our airbnb was in the middle of the beach and the pueblo/town, so we got to try out some cool restaurants! Where we stayed was actually a condo so it had 24-hour security and a concierge, and it was very modern and clean. It also had a rooftop pool, which was gorgeous!
We were actually deciding between a few other resorts and an airbnb. In the end, we went with the airbnb because it was more cost effective and we had some friends that had stayed there, so we decided to try it out! We also stopped at the local grocery store and got some snacks, water, and fresh fruit to have for breakfast!
The beach spots are all pretty much in a row on a long road on the beach, so it is pretty easy to hop around!
If you want to stay on the beach, here are some of the spots we were looking at:
We ate at SO many amazing spots. A lot of the places we ate at were Vegan, but there are so many others, too! We used Yelp a ton to find good spots.
WHERE WE ATE:
El Vegetariano
We ate here the first night we were there. It is a really cute, little spot that has an outdoor kitchen with a lot of vegetarian options! We got the house salad, the hummus, the stuffed poblano pepper (SO good!), and the Shamde.
Burrito Amor
This spot was so popular! We went here on the day we left for lunch! They had a TON of yummy burritos and drinks!
This was our favorite spot! We ate here twice. This one is also outdoor with an outdoor kitchen, and so cute!
They have a detox water, which is warm water with lime!
For our appetizer, we got this delicious mushroom and coconut ceviche! It tasted just like real ceviche with seafood.
This is the Ensalada Verde, and was so yummy!
This Veggie Wok was INCREDIBLE!
Raw Love
We had heard SO much about this place. They have a bigger location tucked in this area on the beach with cute, bright pillows, and then a smaller stand on the actual beach!
We got this turmeric latte that was SO good!
One of us got the Pad Thai, and one of us got the Zucchini Alfredo. Both were delicious!
Matcha Mama
Y’all have probably seen this place all over instagram, and it is SO cute! We had to stop by. They have really cute swings and stuff to enjoy your drink or smoothie bowl on!
We got the Banana Nice Cream cacao and coconut flavors and it was amazing. We also got an iced matcha!
We honestly didn’t do much besides go to the beach, eat, and explore, but there is SO much you can do there. Some things we did, and some things we didn’t have a chance to do:
Do Some Water Activities: snorkeling, kayaking, catamaran, etc.
Eat Some Local Food: juices, tacos, coffee, etc.
Ride A Bike Around The Town
Shop At The Local Boutiques
Take A Yoga Class
Visit The Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve
CENOTES:
We didn’t personally have time to visit any cenotes, but these are the ones we heard good things about. Also important to note that these can get crowded, so try to get there early!
Gran Cenote
Cenote Car Wash
Cenote Dos Ojos
Casa Cenote
Cenote Casa Tortuga
DRINK SPOTS:
We honestly don’t drink a lot, but saw a ton of cute spots and places a lot of y’all had recommended:
Since we were not staying on the beach, we kind of hopped around and walked a lot. The place we were staying had a nice pool on the rooftop, so we sat outside there, and then during the day we went to a few spots:
Coco Tulum: all white area with really cute swings and beach area!
The cutest seashell sink faucets!
Paraiso Beach Club: really pretty beach club that you pay to use for the day and serves drinks and food!
Ziggy’s Beach Bar: very popular spot with good drinks!
Ahau Tulum: we hung out here for a little bit and got a fresh coconut from Raw Love on the beach!
Happy Monday! Hope you all had a great weekend! In case you all missed our first Friday FAQ, you can check that out here. We know the holidays are over, but a lot of us are taking weekend trips or short trips in the next few months, so we wanted to share what we typically pack in our carry-on/weekender bag.
First off, having a good carry-on suitcase or weekender bag is a must! We love this weekender bag and this carry on the most, but see below for more options! The one we are wearing is vegan and has a crossbody strap. It is also super roomy!
For starters, we almost always travel in some kind of athleisure look, like this one! It is comfy, but looks put-togther- aka a win-win! These Adidas Ultra Boost sneakers are probably our most worn pair. They are literally the comfiest shoes and so light! We paired them with our go-to faux leather leggings, which are a staple in our closet, and we love them with a denim button down shirt.
We don’t know about you all, but when we are running around, and especially when we are traveling, we always look for an easy and comfortable shoe that we can slip on and off. We found this pair of grey step ins from KIZIK that we have been loving and had to share them with you all!
They come in a lot of color options, but we love the grey because it goes with everything! We went with a size 6.5, and they fit perfectly!
We paired them with some faux leather leggings, a grey cardigan, and a plaid shirt for an easy, comfy travel look!
What is so cool about these is that they are laceless, so they can be put on and taken off without your hands! No need to bend over to get your shoes on and off, just stick your feet in, and you’re good to go!
That is why we especially love them for traveling. You’re already in a rush, so the last thing you want to do is have to spend even more time getting your shoes on or lacing them up.
These shoes feature F.A.S.T technology (Foot Activated Shoe Technology) and are made of high-tech materials, have an automatic fit so you can just step in, and have adjustment strips on both sides of the tongue for a high or low arch.
In case you all haven’t tried out these New Balance Sneakers, you all MUST! We had taken soooo long to finally get these, and now we wear them on major R-E-P-E-A-T! They are so comfortable and you can wear them to workout, or you can wear them with more of an athleisure look (perfect for traveling for the holidays!) What is even better about these sneakers is that we found them on eBay for less than other retailers! If you’re a little skeptical about buying stuff off of eBay, we were, too, BUT ever since we started buying some harder to find pieces, or designer pieces we had been on the hunt for, we have been hooked ever since! 80% of their pieces on there are actually brand new, and not used. They also have free 2-day shipping on most orders, which is a game changer, especially for the holidays coming up! And, since we are on the topic of gifting, we wanted to share our favorite sneakers and athleisure items that make the perfect gifts for all of your loved one:
Comfy, neutral sneaker that can be worn with leggings
In case you all haven’t tried out
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And, since we are on the topic of gifting, we wanted to share our favorite sneakers and athleisure items that make the perfect gifts for all of your loved one:
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