Jungle Belles: In Riviera Maya, Three Resorts Meet Among Lush Mangroves

Jungle Belles: In Riviera Maya, Three Resorts Meet Among Lush Mangroves

The pool at Zen

THE MANAGER OF Grand Velas Riviera Maya says a funny thing as she tours a writer around the 206-acre all-inclusive between Cancun and Tulum. “I still get lost sometimes. If I forget what I’m doing and stop looking at the signs, I wind up in the parking lot.”


Thank goodness for the signs, and the shuttle between the three distinct but interlocking resorts that comprise Grand Velas. One resort is adults-only and quiet, the other very family-friendly, and the third — the Zen Grand, immersed in tropical foliage — is so sexy the Love Is Blind reality show filmed here.

There’s so much to do, with the Caribbean waters to the east — Cozumel isle’s out in the sea — and the mangroves of the Yucatan to your back. Iguanas, racoons and coatis (sleeker racoons) wander in from the jungle, leaving behind spider monkeys, capybaras and jaguars, which keep their distance.

Consider an eco tour. Glimpses of wildlife are assured, and the reports of the resort’s sustainability initiatives — artificial reefs, tree-transplanting efforts — are fascinating. So are the grounds’ cenotes, the deep freshwater pits formed by geothermal activity after that dinosaur-ending asteroid hit here 66 million years ago.

The tour ends with a honey tasting, pairing cheeses with honey from the property’s bees. The sweet stuff also turns up in Se Spa. As part of one treatment, it’s smeared all over you before you soak in a tub then get a massage. The spa, where treatments begin with a multi-stage “water ceremony” in which you rotate through hot and cold sauna-like stations, is among the largest on the continent, featuring immense pools and cavernous relaxation spaces.

If honey isn’t enough, try one of eight restaurants. Cocine de Autor, where the tasting menu amazes with polished little plates of bone marrow with caviar and cabbage with pistachios, has a Michelin star. But if you eat there every night, you’ll miss the grilled “drunken” octopus at Mexican Frida — and the blue cheese croissants at Vegas-y/Parisian-y Piaf, whose chandeliers drip red crystals and whose beautiful violinist plays classicalized pop songs like something out of Bridgerton.

The best meals may be in the vast daily lunch buffet — roasted duck and lamb, many varieties of ceviche and sushi, lobster tail and giant cracked crab legs. It’s daunting and easy to get turned around. But getting lost has rarely been so delicious.

Mexican morsels at Frida

The cavernous pool and relaxation space at Se Spa

People + Places
With Expertise in Blondes, Extensions and More, the Janelle Alexis Team Is a Go-To Salon

YOU CAN'T LIMIT Janelle to one title – Hairdresser. Her career and business has been established and built on a strong foundation. Using her two business degrees + one more in-process, this enables Janelle and the team to deliver not only a customer-focused experience, but a foundationally solid business. There is much more than meets the eye, and in sharing a little bit about Janelle, she was not only an international hair extension educator for over 14 years, but brings extensive expertise to blondes. She rounds this out with her previously launched namesake cosmetic line, which is a perfect complement to her belief that “Beauty is our Business”.

Keep Reading Show less

Cyndy Garza Roberts, Stephanie Ramos, Michele Leal Farah, Vicky Dominguez and Leisa Holland Nelson Bowman

WITH A GOAL of ensuring access to quality healthcare for underserved families in Houston’s East End, El Centro de Corazón has been making a difference for 30 years. Its annual Making a Difference luncheon, this year chaired by Vicky Dominguez with honorary chairs Leisa Holland Nelson Bowman and Leila Perrin, raised more than $150,000.

Keep Reading Show less
Parties

ONE CANNOT ACCUSE Houston’s Axiom Quartet of playing it safe. When it comes to exploring the outer limits of string quartet repertoire, engaging audiences who don’t normally attend classical music concerts, and putting in the collective time necessary to nail the gnarly idiosyncrasies of 20th- and 21st-century composers, Axiom continues to walk the walk as they talk the talk.

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment