We were a party of 34 ranging in age from 2-80. Not only did we have such an age difference, we had several dietary restrictions. We had vegetarians, several food allergies and several food "dislikes". Jamie, our destination concierge, was presented with a challenge but she came up with an itinerary that was fun, diverse, and delicious.
Once we selected our restaurants, she worked with the chefs and came up with recommendations for our dinners that were incredible. Everyone had an option and her restaurant recommendations were spot on. I opted to do "family style" at each restaurant so everyone could pick what they wanted and could have as much as they wanted. My husband kept saying every night that whoever picked this restaurant, this itinerary did an exceptional job. And he doesn't give compliments like that on a daily basis!
We had 5 villas which were beautiful. I loved that each villa had its own pool, the building had a pool and the resort as a whole also had a pool. I stayed in Las Maravillas which was the oceanfront penthouse. Amazing views. Las Brisas is also a penthouse, but further from the beach but also with an amazing view. They are on the top floor of what I believe is a 5 story building. Both of these are a good choice if views are important. We also had people stay in Villa Piedras, Casa Emilia and Casa Tierra. They are all next to each other on the main floor. There is less of a view, but the access to the building's pool is phenomenal. First you have your villa's pool, then you walk outside your gate and you are at the building's pool. You can run in and grab food and drinks, go to the bathroom, etc. The pools were heated to my kind of temperature, nice and warm. I don't like cold water, and the temperature was ideal. (FYI, Las Brisas is in this same building) Another advantage to these units is they are close to the little store and if you like to order specialty coffees, like lattes and cappuccinos, I believe they are available there even though we never did. I believe the gym is also right next to these units.
The distance between Maravillas and the other units was a short walk on a path through the complex. You took this same path to get to the beach.
The beach has a bar, a restaurant and bathrooms. Los Veneros, the complex, is located on a beach that stretches around 2 miles round trip from end to end and it wasn't too crowded. Considering it was spring break, we felt like we almost had a private beach. There were a few people walking, but it was quiet and peaceful.
The beach has a nice long break. It is not as big as California or Hawaii but definitely bigger than a lake. I would say they were maybe 1-2 foot waves, but the break was fairly long so the closer to the shore, the smaller the waves. Our kids ages ranged from 5-11 and all swam in the ocean. We rented 2 boogie boards for $10 each for the day and the kids ages 8 and 11 had a blast. The girls got their hair braided and it was only $20. You could also get a beach front massage. We didn't check the price at our complex, but while walking on the beach one day we saw a woman who had a tent and 4 tables. We asked her price and it was $50 for an hour. So the vendors were very reasonable.
Dorians was our local concierge and was on top of everything. We had 4 different flights coming in and 2 were delayed and he kept our transportation in the loop. He had a "Point Person" for each group and was very attentive to all and every need of all of our guests.
This trip was for my birthday, and Dorians also surprised us with a giant pinata of my face, along with balloons and decorations. I was shocked to say the least. I never saw anything like it. He also had welcome drinks of margaritas and chips and salsa in each unit upon our arrival.
We went to Venazu for dinner the first night. It is a 2-5 minute walk right next door at the W Hotel. Dorians met us and personally walked us over. Food and service were good. The best part was that we were on the patio and the kids played in the sand, found a volleyball and played volleyball while we ate and drank.
The next night we went to Tuna Blanca. AMAZING food, drinks and location. We were right on the beach, in the sand. As we were such a large party, I had opted for unlimited alcohol for 2 hours. There were at least 5 people that met us at the door with drink options ranging from, beer & wine to margaritas. I have been at other events where we have unlimited alcohol and you have to wait for your drinks. Not here. Even though we were late for seating (cause we were all taking photos with the ocean in the background), they did their best at keeping us on track without feeling rushed. This was the most beautiful place we ate at.
Next day, we did a catamaran ride for 4 hours where we saw humpback whales jumping and even a baby nursing from its mother. Our captain or boat concierge, not sure which, also told us a lot about whales, so we basically had a whale watching experience thrown in. We had pre-plated fresh fruit and muffins upon arrival, which were passed out to those who wanted it. This excursion also had unlimited drinks. I had bloody marys and they were excellent. We also had a lunch of delicious fajitas and ceviche. We rode for a bit then set anchor. We swam, went off the slide, swam up to the large floaty and some even swam to shore. Thank the Lord there was a life guard on the boat because one of the people who was swimming to shore had an activity induced asthma attack. They were on it. They were there in seconds, got her on a paddle board and brought her back to the boat. I was so thankful for that lifeguard!
We also had 2 very minor incidents. My sons sunglasses fell in the water. They actually dove down to the bottom and found them! Then on our return, my daughters hat flew into the water, they turned around and retrieved that too! Everyone, from the life guard to the crew, all went above and beyond.
Jamie, my destination concierge said mornings were the best time to go out on the water because the weather is more calm and less windy, but we did not want an early morning wake up call, so we opted for 10-2. Jamie was right, in the afternoon, the winds did pick up and the water did get more choppy. If I had to do it over again, I would still opt for the 10-2 because it wasn't that bad. But if you prefer calmer water, I would recommend doing the morning time frame.
That evening we went to Margaritas on the Hill. They had a DJ (the dad) and his little girl who was dancing. This got our kids to dance, and before you knew it we were all dancing and singing and having the best time. The food! OMG! The BEST! I cannot say enough about the food. The chips and salsa, the quesadillas, the lobster and fish, everything was EXCEPTIONAL I don't normally like lobster, but I ate all of mine, even after having several quesadillas. The margaritas, they have many to choose from, also delicious. It is a family run business and they are so kind. We had great service and the freshest, best food. This was the most fun dinner.
Our last day we did a Tequila tasting with a Taco bar. I was a little skeptical looking at the photos, but I was wrong. The people were so welcoming, and the place was set up so beautifully. We tasted and learned a lot about tequila and its history. Then after the tasting, we had tacos, where again, the food was AMAZING. This is also a family run business and they were also so kind. Side note, if you are a smaller party or have a home, they can also bring the tequila tasting and tacos to you and do it at your residence. This was educational and fun with delicious food and service.
Jamie did an excellent job curating the perfect birthday weekend. In addition to arranging all of our dinner and activity reservations, she also arranged for all of the transportation between the airport, our villas and our restaurants. Dorians did an excellent job of reaching out each day, handling any and all requests, and met us each time we were heading out to an event. He made sure we were off safe and sound.
This was an amazing birthday and I would HIGHLY recommend ALL of the above to everyone. Each activity/restaurant was different and memorable and I am sure we will come back and do it all over again. We are actually thinking about making this an annual trip.