Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit is hosting its first Chocolate Festival that will include a chocolate bar, tastings, interactive workshops, signature menus, spa treatments and more.
Taking place September 11 – 14, the festival will pay tribute to the “food of gods” with a spirited tasting with guest chocolatier José Ramón Castillo who will showcase his top chocolate desserts paired with the finest Mexican red and white wines, tequilas and mezcals. Founder of Que Bo! Chocolatería Mexicana Evolutiva and the AULA QUE BO! chocolate education center, Chef Castillo marked the beginning of a new way of producing and consuming chocolate in Latin America by combining artisanal techniques with an in-depth knowledge of modern cuisine. He has created unparalleled Latin flavors and combinations based on his faith in national products, adapting them in his chocolate without the use of traditional fillings with creams, butters or sugars.
The award-winning SE Spa will offer themed treatments like the Xocolate Ritual. Made with 100-percent pure bitter chocolate, the 80-minute, three-step ritual consists of an exfoliation, facial, body mask and massage. Afterwards, guests will be given a unique chocolate drink and amenity created by the resort’s executive chef, Claudio Hotter.
Additional activities during the weekend include hot and cold cocoa drink tastings like the Hernán Cortez drink, a mix of cocoa and chili described by the Spanish conqueror in his expedition journals. Guests will also find a unique chocolate creation during turndown service every evening of The Chocolate Festival.
The festival is part of the resort’s all-inclusive nightly rate. Resort rates start at $319 per person per night.
For more information, visit: vallarta.grandvelas.com