Garza Blanca Preserve Resort & Spa

I recently returned from Garza Blanca with my husband and my 4 month old son for my 40th birthday trip and we had a wonderful time! I read so many reviews about the hotel prior to booking and almost considered canceling or booking because of the many recent negative reviews but so happy we didn't we had a fabulous time. The hotel itself is gorgeous and amazing views wherever you go. Our last day at breakfast at Bocados we saw so many whales in the bay which was such a treat! The spa and hydrotherapy were amazing with amazing views! The food was delicious at all the restaurants we tried and the staff went out of their way to make you feel special. Special shoutout to Mariana our housekeeper and Juventino, Marco and Jeraldo at Blanca Blue. Thank you for an amazing vacation!

Miriam at the roof top Santuario is my new favorite waitress of all time. So attentive, friendly and just over all amazing! Highly recommend going to the roof top pool at Santuary Garza Blanca in Puerto Vallarta. Make sure Miriam is your waitress!

We had the best time here! The views are amazing at every restaurant, and the food is good, NOT the typical all-inclusive food. We went to the places that were family friendly and each one was truly a dining experience. The hospitality did not stop there. At the pool (Alejandro) the trolly service, concierge, room service, housekeeping - we always felt welcomed, wanted, and that our expressed/unexpressed wants and needs were being addressed. In the US, you need to go the Ritz-Carlton for this level of service, in Mexico you NEED to go to Garza Blanca, Puerto Vallarta. ****Special shout out to our housekeeper, Mariana, who went above and beyond to connect with us and make us feel special. She noticed I had set up some photos on the wall with “40” balloons as to celebrate my wife’s birthday. She brought me some goodies from the spa to set her up with the best bubble bath, and two red roses for me to peel and float on top of the bubbles. Needless to say, my wife, nor I will forget our time spent at Garza Blanca, Puerto Vallarta! We will be back. I hope this review helps you to decide where to vacation!

The hotel itself is nice, and for the price it’s hard to beat in Puerto Vallarta. That said, bottom line: this is not an honest operation. You either bite the bullet and deal with the BS, or you spend the extra money and stay at the Four Seasons or St. Regis. We booked a Junior Suite and were instead put into a Superior Suite in Tower 3. The same thing happened to our friends earlier that day. They arrived first and pushed back, so they were moved. We arrived late, exhausted, and were told we’d need to “relocate in the morning” and spend the night in a room we did not pay for. What bothered me most wasn’t the mistake—it was how it was handled. They already knew this had happened to our friends hours earlier, yet chose not to proactively disclose the issue at check-in. Instead, they let us go to the room, hoping we wouldn’t push back. Predictably, I went back to the front desk and complained. Only then did they claim it was a “plumbing issue.” If that’s true, just be upfront. Don’t dance around it. The manager told us we could either email the company we booked through for a credit or that he could issue the credit himself. The booking company explicitly told me to ask the manager to issue a credit of around $180, which reflected the actual price difference between the two room categories. In the end, the hotel offered a $50 resort credit, which was presented as if it were meaningful compensation. What made this even more ridiculous: a honeymooning couple standing next to us laughed and said not to believe the $50 credit story because it was already included in their reservation. On top of that, our friends also received a $50 credit at checkout simply for complaining about something unrelated. So clearly, this “credit” is a generic pacifier they hand out routinely, not real compensation. For context, this is a hotel that charges tip fees on the minibar, sells $20 cocktails, and prices seafood as “catch of the day.” A $50 credit is meaningless in that environment. The situation escalated further when the manager threatened to call security if I didn’t immediately sign and pay my bill. This, despite the fact that they already had my credit card, passport, and all of my information on file, and we were spending thousands of dollars just to stay there. Threatening security over a billing dispute in this context is absurd and completely out of touch with how service works at a true luxury property. To be fair, once things settled, we did have a mostly nice stay. Most of the staff were friendly and trying their best. However, there are a lot of unnecessary “friction” rules and policies that add up and keep this place firmly in the average tier of five-star resorts, not the top tier it wants to be in. One important note for future guests: Tower 1–3 are the older beachfront towers. Towers 4 and 5 are newer, on the mountainside, and a completely different (and better) experience. We were initially placed in Tower 3 and had to complain again just to be moved to Tower 5, which is what we effectively paid for in the first place. You can blame this on Mexico if you want, but this isn’t cultural—it’s leadership. This is a management issue from the top down. Something here is fundamentally broken. Would I return? Maybe, but only with eyes wide open. If you value transparency, proactive communication, and real service recovery, spend more and go elsewhere. If you’re price-sensitive and willing to manage problems yourself, you can make it work—but don’t confuse this with true luxury hospitality.

Let me start off by saying that Garza blanca USED TO BE such a gem. My family and i frequented this resort due to its beautiful location, excellent pool staff, pretty good food, and wonderful rooms. They either changed ownership or management in the last year and our last trip felt completely different. It's such a shame because we would have continued to come to this resort with my entire family as an annual trip. Last trip, my family booked an oceanside room so that we could be together with the rest of the family. Upon arrival, they claim they don't have any more of these rooms available and only the back towers have rooms available. This was so inconvenient because the whole point of our trip was to be nearby the rest of our family. What's the point of even reserving a room if they don't have them available when you arrive. I heard they've been doing this bait and switch on soooo many other guests checking in within the last year. The worst part is they were not even apologetic AT ALL and they acted like they did nothing wrong. They gave absolutely no consolation for the mistake and were even rude. It's truly such a disappointment as I don't want to return to this hotel because I don't even know if we will actually get the room selection we booked WAY in advance. If they changed management/ the way they guarantee bookings we would totally love to return to this resort. Such a shame.....