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Spa at Grand Velas Riviera Maya

About Velas Resorts

Offering unparalleled all-inclusive experiences, the four Velas Resorts in Riviera Maya, Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit have earned more than 43 AAA Diamonds, including the prestigious Five Diamond Award. Other esteemed international awards for their services and facilities include Virtuoso’s “Best Spa” and Conde Nast Johansens’ “Most Excellent Resort” and “Most Excellent Spa Hotel”. Properties include Casa Velas, a boutique adults-only hotel and ocean club located on the Marina Vallarta Golf Course, Velas Vallarta a family-friendly all suites resort and spa located on Banderas Bay, both in Puerto Vallarta; and the AAA Five Diamond Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit located in Riviera Nayarit.

Completing the group is Grand Velas Riviera Maya, located five minutes from Playa del Carmen, offering the most sophisticated, ultra luxury all-inclusive resort experience in the Caribbean with jungle and beach settings. Velas Resorts feature spacious accommodations, spas, a unique culinary experience at a selection of restaurants, 24-hour insuite service, fitness centers, Concierge service, state of the art convention centers, extensive family programs, fully stocked mini bar and more. Velas Resorts are operated by Eduardo Vela Ruiz, majority owner, founder and president of Velas Resorts, with brother Juan Vela by his side, vice president of Velas Resorts.

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Recipients of Five Diamonds by the AAA and members of The Leading Hotels of the World, resorts Grand Velas Riviera Maya and Riviera Nayarit continue to earn prestigious awards from significant international travel and tourism publications. One of the latest examples is Travel + Leisure Magazine, which placed the resorts on its roundup of Best Mexico Beach Resorts. Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit achieved position No. 10, followed by Grand Velas Riviera Maya in 11th place within a total of 30 properties throughout the country.

About Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit

Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit is an All Inclusive resort, member of The Leading Hotels of the World and luxury travel consortia Virtuoso, and proud recipient of Five Diamonds by the AAA.

Grand Velasnamed among the Best Resorts in Mexico

Grand Velas Riviera Maya

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It features 267 spacious oceanview suites and a world-class Spa included on the select list of The Leading Spas of the World, with 20 treatment rooms, over 30 treatments, gymnasium, fitness studio, boutique and beauty salon. The resort’s specialty restaurants have been awarded Four Diamonds by the AAA, offering gourmet experiences on par with the finest dining venues in the world. Guests also enjoy three pools, a tennis court, over 20,000 sq. ft. of meeting space and a Kids Club. It is an ideal escape in an enviable location: near the best golf courses and main attractions, 15 minutes from Puerto Vallarta and its Malecón with art galleries and nightlife. About Grand Velas Riviera Maya

The AAA Five Diamond Grand Velas Riviera Maya, an all-suites and spa resort located five minutes from Playa del Carmen, is

the latest and most sophisticated iteration of the ultra-luxury, all-inclusive resort experience. The resort presents a gastronomic tour of Europe, Asian and Mexican specialties, offering five world-class dining establishments including signature restaurant Cocina de Autor; the first All-Inclusive resort restaurant to be awarded Five Diamonds by the AAA. Some of the services you may find are: 24 hours butler service, fitness center, beauty salon, luxury amenities in suite and the region’s largest spa sanctuary specializing in signature treatments. The Spa was named “Best of the Best” by Virtuoso because of its amazing fusion between serenity of the Caribbean and the vibrancy of Yucatan cultures.

Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit

TRAVEL

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“Live It to Believe It” shows favorable results.

The latest review of the campaign was attended by leading political figures and business leaders, including Eduardo Vela Ruiz, Chairman of the Board of Velas Resorts and Vice President of Velas Resorts Juan Vela Ruiz; Jose Gomez, Mayor of Banderas Bay, Aristoteles Sandoval, Governor of Jalisco and Claudia Ruiz Massieau, Mexico’s Secretary of Tourism. Juan Vela served as representative of the region and thanked both the Secretary of Tourism and the governors of Jalisco and Nayarit for being key players in the success of the campaign. He also mentioned that this project has yielded billions of pesos in profits; a number that represents the wellbeing of communities in both states, as they assure more stable jobs for residents. A year after the launch of the “Live It to Believe It” campaign the numbers are showing positive results. Vallarta-Nayarit

has become one of the fastest growing tourist destinations in the country, surpassing Cancun and Los Cabos. According to Mexico’s Tourism Board the number of visitors arriving at the Puerto Vallarta Airport increased by 18.4% from January to June last year. Massieau Ruiz affirmed that the campaign will be repeated next year with an investment of $11 million dollars (similar to the sum used this year); also, improvements to the infrastructure of the region are expected, which will further boost the tourism industry.

“We orchestrated this scheme in which we, the state and municipal governments and business owners, participate; we realize that collaboration works and it has proven itself as a way to enhance our capabilities and to generate these great results.”

Vallarta-Nayarit expects even better results in the future and strong growth to maintain its position as one of the most important tourism destinations in the country.

TRAVEL

Claudia Ruiz Massieau, Mexico’s Secretary of Tourism.

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While traditional Canadian cuisine is firmly rooted in the sweet and salty, it appears our palates have developed a taste for the hot and spicy.

Grand Velas’ award-winning Mexican Chef Xavi Pérez Stone proved this in his latest win at the Iron Chef International competition at Toronto’s Hot & Spicy food festival. His Rib Eye with Spicy Mojo won over Donna Dooher, Elizabeth Baird and Tawfik Shehata at the Toronto event, beating out international chefs as well as Canada’s own Chef Howard Dubrovsky.

“From my experience at Grand Velas, our Canadian guests preferred balanced flavours that linger on the palate. I knew that the key to winning the judges over is to find that perfect marriage of heat and flavour,” says Chef Xavi.

Recognized as Mexico’s best chef in 2012, Chef Xavi is the resident chef at Grand Velas Riviera Maya’s Cocina de Autor, the world’s first all-inclusive restaurant to receive the prestigious AAA Five Diamond award.

It is the crown jewel in Grand Velas Resorts’ world-class roster of dining options, which includes five gourmet fine dining restaurants as part of their all-inclusive package.

Grand Velas will please even the most discriminating palates, with each dish meticulously prepared using the finest locally sourced ingredients, herbs grown in the resorts’ own botanical gardens, as well as imported delicacies. From organic to gluten-free and allergen-free meals, the resorts’ restaurants can cater to every diner’s unique needs. Chef Xavi’s talent sets the tone for the unparalleled gourmet food and wine experience awaiting guests at Grand Velas Resorts. This combination of world class chefs, sophisticated cuisines and the splendour of Mexico is unmatched anywhere else in the world.

Velas Resorts Ignites Canadian Taste Buds

Chef Xavi Stone

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Preparation Wash and disinfect all ingredients. Preheat a pan with olive oil, add the mussels and cover. Cook on high heat for several minutes before adding the white wine, salt and pepper. Allow the vapor from the wine to open the mussels. Turn off the heat and clean and debeard the mussels. In another pan sauté the onion, garlic and carrot. Add ¾ of the cleaned

mussels. Add the saffron threads and season with salt and pepper. Add the fish fume and allow the mixture to reduce for 10 to 12 minutes. Add the cream, allow to simmer and then blend. For the ragout, sauté the rest of the mussels in 120 ml of the blended mussel cream. Add the chopped spring onions and allow the mixture to reduce.

recipe

Mussel Cream with Saffron and Ragout

Ingredients

-Live mussels 1.5 kg-Saffron 20 g-Chopped white onion 80 g-Minced garlic 20 g-Chopped carrots 60 g-Fish fumé 600 ml-Heavy cream 2 L-Chopped green onions 10 g-White wine 220 ml-Salt and pepper to taste-Olive oil

cuisine

Claudio Hotter, Executive Chef of Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit, shares this unique recipe to delight your palate.

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It was time to meet the talented man behind the delicious food and beverages at Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit! Chef Hotter is the one in charge of creating the amazing culinary experience that distinguishes the resort. Because he is an Austrian in Mexico, we were particularly curious to understand his view of the cuisine; the new menu at AAA Four Diamond restaurant Frida was the perfect excuse. What makes Frida different from other Mexican restaurants?

Four main points:1) The environment2) The variety of dishes from different regions of Mexico3) The impeccable service4) The nice live music by a guitarrist Which ingredients define Frida?Fresh corn, chicuacle chile, achiote and even grasshoppers.

Why did you decide to change Frida’s menu?Easy: Every 6 to 8 months we change the menus for our guests. Repeat guests are able to enjoy different dishes each time they visit us.

What inspired this menu?It was inspired by our guests’ comments and wishes, the latest culinary trends observed in the hospitality industry, the creativity of Frida’s Chef José Manuel Martínez, and the desire to create very colorful presentations. What is your favorite dish on this menu?Tuna steak on a diamond of papaya served with a salad with mint and tamarind vinaigrette and tequila beans. Worth trying! What are your recommendations for our readers the next time they visit Frida?1) The Chef’s Amenity: Our different

dips with mildly spicy house tomato and tomatillo salsas, complemented by flavored tortillas: huitlacoche, corn and cilantro.

These are the new appetizers on our menu “Experiencia en boca”, along with special margarita flavors.

2) Taste different dishes and share them. Some great examples are bean salad, tuna crusted in chile de arbol and the spinach cream – a delight, tasting it is a must.

The range of entrées has more traditional and innovative components and they are powerful in flavor and taste.

3) To finish your experience in Frida, we recommend the amaranth cake and goat cheese, or the chocolate mousses with chayote –they are equally delicious.

PEOPLE

Authentic Mexican Cuisine with Chef Claudio Hotter

Chef Claudio Hotter

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Casa Velas | Luxury All-Inclusive Boutique Hotel for Adults

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