Forbes Travel Guide just revealed the 2018 Star Award winners, and the 60th annual list of the world’s best hotels, restaurants and spas is the largest one yet. The winners, evaluated by incognito inspectors, must meet the highest luxury standards that are based on up to 900 objectives. The scoring system uses a proprietary algorithm that weighs service at 75 percent and the facility quality at 25 percent. Forbes' standards are considered amongst the most exacting in the industry and emphasize graciousness, thoughtfulness and personalized service.
We're excited to share that Velas Resorts was recognized for multiple properties and spas! The 2018 4-star winners include:
Puerto Vallarta is typically known as a family-centric destination, but the luxury boutique hotel Casa Velas Puerto Vallarta eschews that notion. For starters, it is an adults-only property, an enticing destination to book when it’s time to get away.
Ideal for honeymoons, weddings, anniversary celebrations or getaways with good friends, this hacienda-style hotel is located 15 minutes from Puerto Vallarta’s airport. It is situated inside Marina Vallarta’s golf course and adjacent to a private beach club.
The lovely Spa Casa Velas and the fine dining at Emiliano restaurant place this all-inclusive resort on another level. Visual pleasures are aplenty, too. Lush botanical gardens, koi ponds, swaying palm trees and a glistening pool with cabanas serve as a dynamic playground for the peacocks that frolic throughout the property.
Amid a vast forest of mangroves on the edge of the Caribbean Sea, Grand Velas Riviera Maya sits on 80 acres — much of it filled with lush jungle vegetation and cenotes — and is thoroughly modern resort with a contemporary-tropical style and upscale epicurean amenities.
While this all-inclusive property does have its own white sand beach, you also will be tempted to cool off in the sprawling pools scattered throughout the resort’s three areas — the multi-tiered Zen pool surrounded by jungle, the immense beachside Ambassador pool with its submerged seating areas and the oceanfront Grand Class pool designed for adults-only relaxation.
The sophisticated Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit shows what an all-inclusive resort can be. Grand Velas stands seaside on the northern edge of Mexico's Banderas Bay, about 25 minutes north of downtown Puerto Vallarta. It is home to spacious suites, five chef-driven restaurants, a grand full-service spa, and daily adventures for guests ranging from snorkeling to golf.
This well-styled resort — with its contemporary Mexican design and lush, colorful gardens — is everything you'd never expect from an all-inclusive.
With all there is to do and enjoy at Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit, the sole all-inclusive resort on Mexico’s Pacific coast, it is no surprise that the spacious SE by Grand Velas delivers a top-notch spa experience as well.
Once you set foot inside the soaring, airy space, you are treated to a cool, refreshing chia-seed drink before being escorted into the men’s or women’s locker rooms. There, admire the floating floral mandalas – a symbol of nature, spirituality and the celebration of life – that appear throughout the calming ivory and earth-toned space.
Adjacent to the locker room lies a serene space complete with lounge chairs, warm whirlpools, cold plunge pools, saunas, ice stations and showers — all part of the spa's pre-treatment water ritual. An experience in and of itself, this comforting cocoon of light, air and water is but a preview of the pampering to come.
Traditional Mexican ingredients, advanced European techniques and ancient Asian therapies come together at Spa at Grand Velas Riviera Maya. This two-story, 90,000-square-foot space ventures beyond typical spa amenities to offer an intensive relaxing and rejuvenating experience.
Here, a natural rock wall and a serene stream provides idyllic relaxation inspiration, while the extensive hydrotherapy amenities allow for complete indulgence before one of the many treatments on the spa menu.