Garza Blanca Preserve Resort & Spa

The Resort has 3 different properties. The ones on the beach are older, hotel rooms, but they are convenient for accessing the beach and the main restaurant, (Blanca Blue or the Mexican Restaurant), which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. The Pool is there too, and there is another small restaurant by the Pool for snacks or lunch. The other properties are on the other side of a public street. You can go there by walking (I do not recommend because this is a very busy street) or by the resort's trolley. The trolley goes around every 15-20 minutes, but depending on which building you are, you might have to wait for a 2nd trolley. This was a big inconvenience for us, because you waste a lot of time just for going to and from your room somewhere else (whether is the beach, the main pool, the main restaurant, or the Lobby). Some of these buildings have a panoramic view. The view is beautiful, but again, time consuming. The 3rd type of property is The Sanctuary hotel, which is their newest building. It is out of this world. You can go there using the trolley, and it is a new and high-end luxury hotel. This hotel is beautiful and amazing! From this hotel, everything is within your reach: The Rooftop pool (adults only), the restaurant on the basement floor (Hiroshi Japanese restaurant at night), the hot tub in your room's balcony, etc. The view is also beautiful. This resort has 2 options: all-inclusive and A la carte as far as food and drinks go. The resort is well-kept. However, the employees at the Lobby (administration are not pleasant and instead of listening to their clients' issues, they are first to come up with excuses, justifications, etc.. Wish they would train their administrative staff to listen more, rather than be on the defensive side. Maria who works there in the administration/main Lobby, came out as rude and insensitive to our needs, especially health hazard issues caused by others. Another thing that bothered us was that we were told by Maria at the Main Lobby that since we had booked our vacation through Costco, we were not their priority anymore. The people who booked their vacations directly with the Resort had their main attention and priority!!! On the other hand, the rest of the staff (restaurant hosts (Fatima for example), the waiters, the room service people, etc. were all extremely nice and hard-working.) We had a great experience with them. The Restaurants: Something that bothered us was that you must have reservations for each night for Dinner. No restaurant will accept you without reservations! And the curious thing is that even though we tried to reserve the restaurants since the 1st day we arrived there, they were all booked during any reasonable hours. The only openings for us were the late reservations, like 9pm for example. If you saw the restaurants, however, they all looked empty between 6-7 pm, but we were told they were fully booked. It was disappointing to find out that there was no restaurant that would accept you without reservation, like a buffet-style restaurant for dinner. Plus, another disappointment and time-consuming is that their restaurants are so scattered around the resort, that we had to call the Lobby to find our where these specific restaurants were located. During dinner time, the Trolleys were always full of people trying to get to their reservations, and we had to make the decision whether to wait for a 2nd trolley in 20 minutes or walk there. The streets are very steep if you decide to walk to places there. Another disappointment was that we were there with friends and the restaurants could not accommodate us together with our friends. They would put us in different corners of the room. Why go with a group if we could not eat together? Overall, I would not go back. Between the time-wasting trips to and from the room/beach/pools/restaurants, restaurant reservations and rude administrators, it is just not worth it. It is considered a luxury resort, so the pricing is a bit steep. However, not all the resort rooms are up to date and not all the rooms have beach view. Most of the rooms are up on a hill. Eating late dinners and fighting for food reservations for our choice restaurants made our stay feel at times more like a chore and a torture. Relaxing should not include worrying about your dinners, transportation and time management.

The service was impeccable. Thoroughly enjoyed all of the personnel that attended to us. The food at the poolside (especially the red snapper and grilled vegetables which was a fresh catch every day) was her favorite and we ordered it often for lunch. We did, however, book a three bedroom suite through the GarzaBlanca elite concierge service, and the pictures that were shown with our confirmation email was of the newer location. That was not the location that they put us in and there was no mention of that when we were booking. When we checked in, we were given the more dated, older suite . This was disappointing.

One word - simply amazing!!! I have been looking for “the spot” for family friendly vacation, and I found it. I stayed at Garza Blanca Resort and Spa in Puerta Vallarta, specifically stayed at the Santuary. My experience started with Alan, over the telephone reservation - I had called to verify some of their amenities- which was the kids club and babysitting/ childcare. Alan nicely confirmed and provided the information to me -that they provide well trained and experienced nanny at an affordable price ($20 for 1 kid and $35 for 2). And the kids club take kids from 4-12 but since mine were younger- they could go there with an adult/nanny. Alan then offered to book my reservation, and his rate was much more affordable than the Amex app. I had also arranged round trip airport pickup up, and that too was very affordable. Overall, The booking process was great! From the telephonic booking process, to the timely airport pickup, then the hotel. Wow - the most beautiful sight I have ever seen - the combination of the beautiful mountain and the ocean- gives this hotel the most relaxing and luxurious touch. Everything was inclusive, And the food was not buffet style. there were several restaurants - Japanese, Mexican, and the steakhouse and others you can eat at, and the food was really good. The next day, I went to the kids club and spoke with the manager - Nancy, to book our nanny. Nancy was very welcoming and accommodating. She booked us a nanny for the very next day, and she stayed in touch with me during my stay through text and calls. The kids club itself was super cute, giving off a very warm feeling. During our stay, Ms. Shary and Ms. Meeyrah cared for my daughters - both were very experienced, certified and overall wonderful with my daughters. Ms Meeyrah spent the most time with the girls - from day 2 - she knew at the back of her hand the girls routine - I was blown away by her professionalism, efficiency, and her warm caring and loving nature. At multiple occasions, she suggested going elsewhere eg.. the kid pool, kids club or going to the restaurant so I can have some time to myself - and I enjoyed my alone time very much. My daughters and I have such a wonderful time, and we cannot wait to be back. This was a vacation made in Heaven!!

We had a great relaxing vacation in the Garza Blanca and definitely will return in the future. They have an exceptional service and staff. The food is great, all facilities are clean. Special thank you to the staff of Blanca Blue, who provided an exceptional service during all our breakfasts and lunches.

Garza Blanca has given our family and friends three truly unforgettable vacations, and we just returned home feeling more grateful than ever. We truly couldn’t love it more. During our stay, the town experienced some unexpected and unsettling situations, but the extraordinary staff, the resort’s location, and its thoughtful layout made us feel completely cared for every step of the way. We always had plenty of food and fresh water, and the team worked tirelessly to ensure every guest felt safe, comfortable, and supported. Their dedication did not go unnoticed. The resort itself is stunning, and the food is both abundant and absolutely delicious. With so many dining options, there’s always something new to enjoy. The rooms are clean, spacious, and beautifully appointed with everything you could possibly need for a relaxing stay. We would especially love to thank the incredible Bocados team — Nestor, Elaine, Antonio, Alan, Marco, Arturo, Javier, and Carmen — who worked seamlessly and never missed a beat all week long. The upper pool team was equally wonderful (Juan is fantastic!). There are so many names I wish I would have taken down - everyone we met was so kind. We are already looking forward to our next visit!