We are a group of 8 women and this is the 13th summer beach trip we have taken together. This villa at the Grand Residences has now topped the list! The resort is absolutely beautiful, the service impeccable, and the food and drinks were delicious. We loved sitting on the beautiful balcony overlooking the ocean and listening to the sound of the waves in the morning and evening. The villa is huge and very comfortable, and it was great fun to be able to all stay in one villa. There was always someone ready to help get towels and lounge chairs set up. The beach staff was diligent in providing cold bottles of water and chilled Evian spray to keep your face cool. Several times a day they brought fresh fruit popsicles and fresh fruit kabobs. And, of course, drinks were large and plentiful and the waitstaff was very attentive.
The villa is beautifully furnished with king beds in each room. The "Murphy bed" in each bedroom is actually a small loveseat sofa bed. They have very thin mattresses and only a small child could actually sleep comfortably on them. There are two twin Murphy beds in the living room that are much more comfortable and worked fine for adults. The king beds were quite comfortable, and not as rock hard as many beds tend to be in Mexico. There is a pillow menu, so you can find just the right one for your needs. Our gorgeous kitchen went mostly unused, but it is very well equipped. Big screen TV's with Netflix service were an unexpected pleasure. Unfortunately the WiFi didn't seem up to the task of streaming much of the time, especially in the evenings when demand for bandwidth is greatest.
Dining options are a bit limited but the quality of the food is excellent. We had the all inclusive plan which worked out great for us-- no exclusions or upcharges. The wine options were fair, but nothing to write home about--heavy on Chilean and Argentine wines but there are certainly better options from those countries. Breakfast and dinner in El Faro Grill were wonderful. The other restaurant, Flor de Canela, was good but menu options were more limited and we didn't find the food as enjoyable. Each night there was music at dinner, which was generally pleasant. However, because Flor de Canela is quite small, the music was much too loud so it was impossible to talk.
Overall, this was a fantastic resort and this villa is amazing! Karen was great to deal with and quick to reply to questions. We will definitely be back next year!