Choosing between a sun-drenched resort getaway and a Mexico vacation seeped in the country’s rich history is no longer a decision that guests at the Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit hotel have to make. The all-inclusive resort has just launched a day trip to the state of Jalisco, where guests can opt for a tequila experience of a lifetime.

The day trip (US$8,244 for two, or US$3,544 if traveling by car) kicks off with a private flight to the tequila appellation, just an hour in the air from Puerto Vallarta. Once on the ground, guests head to Casa San Matías, one of the oldest tequila houses in Mexico, where some tequila is still made the old-fashioned way with the traditional tahona stone to ground the agave. “It is in this area where the finest tequilas are produced,” says the resort’s general manager, Maria Del Pilar Perciavalle. “Minerals in the endemic red soil make agaves grow richer, healthier and more suitable to make tequila.”

Guests will witness how the spirit is distilled and processed before sitting down to a five-course Mexican lunch alfresco, complete with a mariachi band and some of the finest tequilas of the house. After lunch, guests learn about the mixing and bottling processes. “Guests come up with their own mix, bottled in a specially crafted glass bottle covered with chaquira beads to take home,” says Del Pilar Perciavalle. The mixes are archived in case the guest wants to order another bottle later.

“The property offers views of beautiful agave fields paired with a refined and modern tequila house,” says Del Pilar Perciavalle. “It is truly a spectacular place.”