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Pasillos Zen Grand | Grand Velas Riviera Maya

Grand Velas Riviera Maya

Expedia® has named three Velas Resorts – Casa Velas, Grand Velas Riviera Maya and Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit - among the top 650 hotels on this year’s Expedia Insiders’ Select™ list. The Insiders’ Select list formally recognizes the best hotels worldwide that consistently deliver excellent service, a great overall experience and a notable value.

Casa Velas received the award for its third consecutive year, while the AAA Five Diamonds Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit returned to the esteemed list for its fourth year. Additionally, their AAA Five Diamonds sister property Grand Velas Riviera Maya returned to the Insiders’ Select list for its second year.

The three Velas properties make up a staggering 20% of the 15 Mexican hotels on the list, each receiving an average rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars; 97% guest recommended.

VELAS RESORTS

TRAVEL

Expedia® Insiders’ Select: Best Hotels, 2015

Worldwide GreenLeaders

The four properties of Velas Resorts were named “GreenLeaders”, a new TripAdvisor program which recognizes and showcases a variety of eco-friendly hotels and B&B’s that are committed to green practices like recycling, preparation of local and organic foods, and electrical power saving. Velas Vallarta, Casa Velas and both Grand Velas in Riviera Nayarit and Riviera Maya obtained this title in the Gold level, the second highest level of ecofriendly practices!

TripAdvisor developed the GreenLeaders program with help from national and international green industry experts including the US Green Building Councils LEED Certification Program and the United Nations Environment Program.

VELAS RESORTS

TRAVEL

The AAA Five Diamonds Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit on Mexico’s Pacific coast invites guests to capture all of their vacation adventures with the new “Vamos GoPro!” experience. Upon arrival, each traveler receives a GoPro camera to document their stay throughout the destination, which includes one flyboarding experience per person on Bandera’s Bay and one outdoor Tour Adventure per person with Vallarta Adventures. Additional resort activities that guests can capture include yoga, swimming with dolphins, kayaking, golf, and kite surfing, among others. Once all of the desired footage has been captured, GoPro’s are returned to the front desk where the video production team creates a ten-minute video for showing off to one’s friends at home.

GoPro’s are also available to rent for two-hour periods as a new resort amenity. Included in the rental cost is a three to five minute video from the resort’s video production team.

The Vamos GoPro! experience includes transportation to and from the airport, 50% off kids and teens 5-16 years old when sharing a suite with their parents, a $50 USD Spa or golf credit per adult per stay, WiFi, and 10% discount in the hotel’s boutique.

Vamos GoPro!

GRAND VELASRIVIERA NAYARIT

TRAVEL

Personalized service now extends to the babies of the family, with Baby Concierge staff providing parents with all the necessary amenities for keeping babies happy. These include baby bottle sterilizers, cribs, strollers, baby baths and toys. Other completely new personal use items are provided to take home, such as teethers, bottles and pacifiers.

This service has no extra cost. Items are subject to availability.

Visit our specialized website: velasresorts.com/babyconcierge/en.

GRAND VELAS

Baby ConciergeThe resort’s littlest guests are VIPs too!

SERVICES

GRAND VELASRIVIERA MAYA

ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

Sharing a kitchen, restaurant and passion for creating an amazing culinary experience, Maîtres Cuisiniers de France Chefs Christian Têtedoie, Claude Le-Tohic, Claude Godard and Michel Mustière join together from October 14-18 to present a 10-course dining complimentary experience for guests of the AAA Five Diamonds Grand Velas Riviera Maya.

Each evening, the dinners will be held in the resort’s Piaf restaurant, a lavish ode to the great, late singer/actress from whom the restaurant borrows its name. The cabaret-inspired dining room awash with stunning curtains of Swarovski crystals and red velvet will transport diners to the Parisian luxury of the of the 40’s. Each course of the dinner with wine pairing will be created by one of the four chefs. A total of 80 seats are available each evening.

ABOUT THE CHEFS

Michel Mustière is the chef of the award-winning Piaf restaurant at Grand Velas Riviera Maya. With more than 25 years of culinary experience in various countries and different prestigious restaurants and hotels worldwide, Mustière’s cuisine is based on classic French dishes with a contemporary style and a delicate presentation. His formal training and years of leading the culinary teams demands an extreme attention to the details of each dish. He refuses to use thickening agents in the majority of his sauces and instead allows them to reduce for upwards of 12 hours if needed. No shortcuts are taken in Mustière’s kitchen as he makes ample use of hot sous vide and dehydration techniques that insure the food’s essential flavors come forth.

Christian Têtedoie began his tenure in French cuisine working for renowned French chefs Paul Bocuse and Georges Blanc, at the age of 17. A year later he was named the best chef apprentice of France. Following his time with Bocuse, Têtedoie did his military service at the Elysée Palace where he had the honor of serving two presidents. In 1996, he won the Meilleur Ouvrier de France, a unique and prestigious award given in France according to a category of trades in a contest among professionals. This contest is organized and recognized as a third-level degree by the French Ministry of Labour.

Upon completion of culinary school in Vannes, France, Claude Le-Tohic worked for two years at Les Hortensias, a Michelin one star restaurant, before joining the kitchen of acclaimed Chef Ghislaine Arabians’ Le Restaurant, a Michelin two star eatery in Lille, France. Less than a year later, Le-Tohic became chef de cuisine at Jamin, a three star Michelin restaurant in Paris. From 1989 to 1998, Le-Tohic’s career was filled with positions at some of the finest restaurants in France including the Michelin two stars Le Chateau de Locguenole and L’Assiette Gourmande, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Honfleur. In 1998, Le-Tohic stepped into a lead position at the Centre de formation d’Apprentis Interconsulaire de l’Eure, an apprenticeship program.

Claude Godard made a name for himself in France early in his career by working in some of the country’s most renowned restaurants, including the Michelin-starred gourmet restaurants Lasserre and his family’s Restaurant Godard under the helm of his father (Jean-Claude Godard). He’s also worked alongside the distinguished Anne Willan at the famous La Varenne Cooking School, and prepares a state dinner for Cuban president, Fidel Castro. In 1998, he opened Madison Bistro New York City. In 2008, Claude Godard was inducted in the prestigious “Académie Culinaire de France”.

Christian Têtedoie

Claude Le Tohic

Claude Godard

Michel Mustière

CASA VELAS

Culinary Variety

The luxury adults-only boutique hotel, Puerto Vallarta’s Casa Velas has launched 6 new 5 course gourmet tasting menus created and overseen by head chefs from its sister resort, the AAA Five Diamonds Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit. Rotating each night, menus include Mexican, French, Italian-Mediterranean, and Veracruz themes along with paired foodie experiences. Menus are from the AAA Four Diamonds Frida, Piaf, and Lucca restaurants, all at Grand Velas.

On Sundays, head chef of Piaf comes to Emiliano restaurant to oversee a French tasting menu, including a martini tasting hour. On Mondays, the star is an Italian-Mediterranean sampling menu from Lucca, with a paired wine tasting in the evening. Tuesdays, guests are welcome to enjoy delicious grilled steaks and seafood. Wednesdays, head chef from Frida makes an appearance at Emiliano, ensuring that the regional Mexican tasting menu is created with perfection, along with a Tequila tasting hour. On Thursdays, visitors of Emiliano will enjoy delicious pastas and lobster, prepared to their specific liking with sauces of different styles to choose from. Rounding out the week, Saturday begins another special menu featuring the cuisine of Veracruz, Mexico, and its seafood specialties.

Casual yet elegant, Emiliano at Casa Velas features gourmet Mexican cuisine with seating indoors and outdoor terrace options surrounded by relaxing koi ponds. Boasting a diverse menu infused with local flavors and spices, Emiliano is the signature AAA Four Diamonds awarded restaurant at the adults-only Casa Velas.

These culinary activities are subject to availability.

ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

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VELAS VALLARTA

Salsa ranchera

CUISINE

The basic Mexican sauces are the result of the combination of local resources. Thus we have, for example, that green tomatoes and red tomatoes are the foundation of our sauces, which are then integrated with onion, garlic, coriander or parsley, to finally complement with different chiliis and salt.

The ranchero sauce is the star of the internationally renowned huevos rancheros. You may also enjoy it as a snack with tortilla chips, or as an accompaniment to many dishes.

INGREDIENTS½ liter of salsa

2 cloves peeled garlic 4 tomatoes¼ cup olive oil½ cup chopped white onion1 green serrano chili5 coriander branchesA pinch of bay leave1 cup waterWhole cumin, roastedSalt to taste

PREPARATION

Fry over medium heat with half the olive oil the garlic, onions, toma-toes, chili, bay leave, and cumin. Add water and boil for 10 minutes.

Allow cooling, and grind along with fresh coriander. Put a saucepan with the remaining oil and return to medium heat. Fry the sauce and season.

Note: This sauce is perfect for the traditional Huevos Rancheros or any Mexican breakfast. The level of spiciness is according to the amount of serrano chili you add to the recipe.

velasresorts.com