Travel Guide | Garza Blanca in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

My husband's family takes an annual family trip together, and after how expensive Disney Aulani in Hawaii was for our last trip, we decided to choose an all-inclusive for our next family trip. We have all been to the Cozumel/Cancun area a lot and wanted to expand out to somewhere different, and also needed a resort that was baby-friendly for my 1-year-old to come with. We were really trying to decide between Cabo and Puerto Vallarta when I came across Garza Blanca. What worked great for us was that this resort had locations in both Cabo and Puerto Vallarta. The deciding factor for us between the two locations was that it's just not safe to get in the water in Cabo, and we wanted the option to sit on the beach with our toes in the water if we were going to Mexico, so Puerto Vallarta it was. We definitely made the right choice! Our resort looked like it could have been in Hawaii with the trees surrounding one side and the ocean on the other. We all loved this resort so much and spoiler, I definitely recommend it. Garza Blanca has been one of my top favorite resorts we've been to. 

Garza Blanca Preserve Resort & Spa Review

Let's start with this: this place felt very luxurious, and yet was family-friendly at the same time. Garza Blanca is on the smaller side, which made it feel less touristy and overcrowded (although we did go there the week of Labor Day which is apparently off-peak season). Right across from the street is its sister resort Hotel Mousasi, which you have full access to, but it is adults only so kids aren't allowed in the restaurants or pools over there. There's a trolley that goes between the two resorts and I really recommend that you take it, because Hotel Mousai is up on a cliff and it is a very steep walk to get up there. 

The views from the lobby of the resort are unreal! This is seriously one of the most beautiful resorts I've stayed at. There is a huge infinity pool that overlooks the beach down below and has mountains behind it and off to the side. It was seriously gorgeous! 

One negative about Garza Blanca is that they do have timeshares. They aren't pushy about it at all and they don't make you sit through a presentation, but it did seem to be a lot of ads in the elevators for this and you can tell who is  and isn't a timeshare member by their wristbands that they give you.

I wanted to point out that technically you could go "European" where you don't do the all-inclusive package and just pay for food and drinks as you go. While the room rates for this are much cheaper than all-inclusive, this is a luxury resort so the prices add up fast. If you're only there for a few days, maybe pay-as-you-go is cheaper, but for most people I would recommend the all-inclusive package. 

The rooms at Garza Blanca

The rooms at Garza Blanca are great! The room was spacious with a large bedroom with a living room that had a couch and coffee table, but with pretty room to walk around the furniture. Our bathroom had a jetted tub, roomy shower, and a connecting walk-in closet that had plenty of storage for our week stay. Our room had a really long balcony that went the entire width of the bedroom and overlooked the ocean. 

Eating at Garza Blanca

There's room service, plus a breakfast buffet, poolside service, and 3 all-ages restaurant options and 3 adults-only restaurants. There's a pool-side restaurant called Aquazul that has lunch/snack options. 

The breakfast buffet is all in the main building, which turns into a reservation-only restaurant for dinner, called Blanca Blue. 

The all-ages steakhouse Bocados sits at the top of a hill and has amazing views at sunset. Everyone raves about the Japanese restaurant Hiroshi on the Hotel Mousai, but it's notoriously always booked up so we didn't get to make it. 

Instead, we went to the Chinese restaurant Dao over by Hotel Mousai and my mother in law stayed back to watch my daughter and they ordered room service so we could go to the adults-only side. We also ate at the Italian restaurant Noi and just booked an in-room baby sitter for our daughter so we could all eat together. All the restaurants were included in the price except for Karuma grill, which is another steakhouse but the steaks are an extra cost. 

All of the food that we had was amazing. Even the buffets didn't feel like "buffet" food and there was a good variety of food and the options were great. You do have to make dinner reservations everywhere, so I recommend you do that right after you reserve your room so that you have the most options. There is a dress code, so pack business casual clothes to wear for dinner.

What to do at Garza Blanca

Between the two resorts is a cute little shopping center with a carousel! This was the highlight of the trip for my daughter, and is such an Instragram-able spot. 

The resort has 2 pools- an upper-deck pool that has a splash shelf for little kids and then a lower-deck pool that is their infinity pool. There's also a adults-only rooftop bar at Hotel Mousai, but we didn't go to that. We spent most of our time in the infinity pool. It has a sitting shelf basically the entire length of it so a lot of people can comfortably sit in the pool. It has waitstaff who keep your drinks full and will grab you a quick bite from Aquazul. 

There's also a small beach. Similar to Aulani, this beach actually has a public part of the beach that is shared with the resort-only beach, so don't be surprised to see locals bring umbrellas and coolers to set up on the beach. The beach is beautiful and there's a beach bar with waitstaff who come by to take your drink/lunch order. The resort provides free kayaks for you to go out into the water with, and they have a free snorkeling expedition every morning at 8 am. The shoreline itself is very rocky, so I was very happy I packet my water sandals. Everyone who was barefoot didn't last long in the water, but what is nice is that they have a little breakwater to keep the water near the beach nice and calm. 

There aren't a whole lot of activities at Garza Blanca. Think of this as more of a R & R vacation spot than an adventurous place. 

Overall thoughts of Garza Blanca

Absolutely loved Garza Blanca, and really loved Puerto Vallarta! The view is just breathtaking! Similar to what we did at Aulani, rather than book 3 separate rooms, we booked a 3-room suite. And it was sweet! Our room had 2 stories, a private balcony hottub, a wraparound balcony, a full kitchen and wet bar, a dining room, and a living room bigger than my living room at home. The suite came with a butler service that we could just text to reserve seats down at the pool or beach, make dinner reservations, and book the babysitter through. The kitchen in our suite was stocked every day with water, beer, and snacks. 

The highlight of the trip is that the suite comes with a private chef for one night, which was the most luxurious part of the trip. The chef sat down with my mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and myself to get an idea of the menu for the night, and then a whole team of servers came and helped him prepare an epic like 7 course meal. The food was absolutely delicious and it was great to share a family-style meal on vacation.  

It was the perfect lavish trip to just relax and eat good food and drink good drinks while looking at an amazing view. 

Travel Guide | Panama Jack Resort in Cancun, Mexico

For Christmas 2019, Ryan's dad gave us Southwest gift cards + a little cash for a quick getaway. We booked to go to Cancun for Cinco de Mayo 2020, and as we all know now that definitely didn't happen. We were able to reschedule our trip for NYE 2020 and had a great trip! 

Why we chose Panama Jack

We did a lot of research on Cancun hotels before booking. We had only ever been to Cancun once before on a work trip for Ryan, so we didn't know a whole lot about resorts. Our focus was to find an all-inclusive resort that wasn't crazy expensive. We finally found the Panama Jack resort and liked that it was a familiar name and the hotel looked so cute. 

Because of covid, we had to re-book our room and originally booked it for labor-day weekend, then our flight was cancelled and we couldn't find another reasonable flight, so we had to re-re-book our stay for NYE. I was very concerned about losing money over this dealing with a non-American hotel, but the staff was great! In fact, I later learned that Ryan was actually planning to propose to me on our original Cinco trip, and had been working with the staff to set something special up, and he said they were very helpful. 

A pro tip I learned when I studied abroad is that most hotels will actually allow you to arrive to the hotel prior to the check-in time. Your room won't be ready yet as the last occupants are either still there or they just left and the room hasn't been cleaned yet, but the front desk will likely store your luggage until your room is ready. They likely will still give you your wrist bands when you get there and allow you to start enjoying the hotel while you wait for your room to be ready. 

Panama Jack review

I really loved the Panama Jack hotel. It's on the smaller side so there was only one building and you didn't have to worry about getting lost at a massive hotel. Because it is smaller, we were able to visit almost every part of the hotel. Overall, it definitely feels family friendly because there's a huge pirate ship-themed kids pool that is on the opposite side of the hotel from the main pool. There is only one pool (besides the kids pool) but it had great views and there was always some activity planned. 

Because of the pandemic, we were able to upgrade to a bigger room for a fairly cheap price. The only downside was that although we got upgraded to an "ocean-front" room, our room was on the first floor so really it was a pool-view room on the "ocean front" side of the hotel. I definitely recommend you reach out to someone and make sure you get an ocean-front room. The other rooms face the busy road that connects to the hotel and the kids pool, so the view isn't nearly as good. 

We thought the staff here was great and we loved our room. Although this was an affordable hotel, it didn't feel cheap to us. 

The rooms at Panama Jack

Like I mentioned, we upgraded our room to a Junior Suite Ocean View upon arrival. Arrival is a little hard because it is in this big open-air lobby where it is hard to hear someone with all the noise echoing through. We got a junior suite which had a large bathroom, bedroom, living room, and balcony. Because we were on the first floor right by the pool so we didn't use our balcony for much besides drying swimsuits. They did have swim-up suites near the beach that looked nice. The couch in the little living area pulled out into a bed and was so comfortable we took several naps on it. 

Upon arrival, they had given us a little plate of chips and salsa to enjoy. The room also had a stocked fridge with beer and Lays chips. They restocked that beer all the time so we always had something to pre-game with. 

Eating at Panama Jack

We came at NYE, so eating was a little different than normal. On the actual NYE, we had to make reservations for the only available restaurant. This just so happened to be their buffet, Ventanas, so we were all dressed up and shipping champagne that we splurged for while getting up every 15 minutes for another round of food. That's on us for not thinking ahead about how popular all the food places would be on a major holiday. So, if you're traveling anywhere on a holiday, always ask ahead of time about reservation options.

We ended eating at Ventanas almost every day for lunch during our trip. It was a good buffet, but it had limited options as this is a smaller hotel. But, the views were beautiful and the staff was great of course so we really liked it.

We also ate at the little breakfast buffet by the pool We really liked the options they had here. You can sit outside and have breakfast facing the ocean. They weren't open all day, but we liked it enough to have breakfast here multiple days. We did order room service one morning, but it seemed to have even less options than the breakfast buffet. After comparing the two, we decided the more options were worth the effort to leave the room and head over by the pool for breakfast. We're early risers, so we did learn that there's no mimosas before 10am.

Because this was a short trip, and because a lot was closed due to covid, the only other place we were able to try was Viaggio. This was our biggest disappointment of the trip. We went down there and was told there was a one hour wait. So, we hung out at the lobby bar for about an hour and then went back. Then we checked in with the hostess again and had to wait almost 30 minutes for a table. While we were at our table, I had to go to the bathroom. Since our room was on the first floor not far from the restaurant, I told Ryan what I wanted and walked to our room to use the bathroom. By the time I got back, they had only taken our drink order. Later, we got our drinks. Later, we were able to order. Later, we got our appetizer. At this point, it had been 2 hours since we were originally hungry and an hour since we were supposed to be seated. Then, our food came. By this time I was ready to leave so we got up and left before our dessert was served. I was really annoyed at how slow this restaurant was and if we ever went back, I probably wouldn't eat here unless I wasn't really that hungry. The food was fine, but by the time we ate I was not in a good mood.

On a more positive note, we loved the food cart by the main pool. Every day they had something different, and we loved the burgers, hot dogs, and tacos we got from here. It's great because it's a short walk from the beach so it's perfect for mid-day drunchies.

What to do at Panama Jack

We met another couple on our trip who took a day trip snorkeling out in the gulf. Because we were only here for a short time, and because 2020 was such an exhausting year, we chose to do nothing. We loved it. We would wake up early every day because we're early risers, set out towels and a beach bag of sunscreen on 2 lounge chairs, would take a mile walk down the beach, have breakfast at the buffet near the pool, then lounge/drink until the afternoon. 

The beach itself wasn't rocky, but in the ocean there were some very big rocks and some no-swim areas. The waves were pretty strong, but we had a lot of fun jumping into them and being blasted around. The current was also pretty strong, so we always were moved down the coast. If you have kids, definitely stay out in the water with them. But, the ocean was beautiful here and we really saw no seaweed or murky waters.

Our biggest regret of the trip was that we didn't get a cabana. I think they were about $50 and you got a cabana and a bottle of champagne. At first we thought this was dumb because it's an all-inclusive resort so the alcohol is free anyways and the beach chairs are free too. But after day 1 we decided it was worth the $50 but by then they were all sold out. We ran into another couple we met who reserved a cabana, and the FOMO got worse. Not only do you not have to worry about reserving a lounger on the beach, but you actually get a little outdoor daybed to spread out on, a cooler of the champagne plus a whole bunch of beer, and the staff visits more frequently. It just is a lot of convenience for not a lot of money, and if we ever visit here again, we'll definitely get a cabana ahead of time.

Overall thoughts on Panama Jack

We really loved this resort. The staff were always great, we loved our room, and we felt so relaxed during our stay. I feel that the problems we had at Viaggio was mostly due to the covid problem of being understaffed during a surge of guests during a holiday. I personally really liked that it was smaller and it felt more manageable. I would recommend this hotel to anyone who wants to enjoy Cancun without being overwhelmed, especially if you're traveling with children. I think it's safe to say that we'll be back.

Travel Guide | The Grand at Moon Palace in Cancun, Mexico

We went to Cancun through Ryan's work in December 2018. His entire company rented out a huge chunk of the resort, allowing us to reserve entire pools and even have a Macklemore concert on the beach. Obviously this means our experience at Moon Palace was a little different than most guests, but I still wanted to share a little about it.

The Grand at Moon Palace review

Moon Palace is a "fortress" in Ryan's words. It really is a huge resort with several different hotels. It's so big that realistically the only way to get around is on golf carts. It's all inclusive and we loved receiving a Corona as we were checking in. There's several different restaurants and even a little bakery and shopping stores. It has multiple pools and direct beach access with hammocks and lounge chairs. While we were there, I never noticed any merchants bothering beachgoers. We went right before Christmas and we did see big bulldozers clearing off buckets of seaweed every morning, so just be prepared to see those occasionally. 

A pro tip I learned when I studied abroad... most hotels only require you to be out of your room by check-out time, and will allow you to enjoy the amenities until you leave! Our flight wasn't until 8pm, so even though we were out of our room by the 11am check-out, the front desk stored our luggage for us and we were allowed to eat and drink for free until we had to leave for the airport. 

The rooms at The Grand at Moon Palace

We loved our room at The Grand! We stayed in a Grand Deluxe Garden View room which had a bathroom with windows that opened to the room, a full step-down living room area which had a two-person jacuzzi tub, and a huge balcony with lounge chairs. This truly was a 5-star room. The room was stocked with CHI bubble bath, body wash, lotion, and blow dryer. Each day we were given a new bottle of red wine to go with our bubble baths and I loved it. Our room also had a diffuser in the room which the staff would turn on when they were done servicing our room, so when we returned to our room in the afternoon it had a lovely vanilla smell. I know vanilla is one of the most common scents, but every time I smell it now, I think of our stay at The Grand.

Eating at The Grand at Moon Palace

What I really liked about The Grand was how easy it was to eat compared to other all-inclusive resorts we've stayed at. Almost every morning, we would set up room service on the balcony. Their room service had a great selection and the food was always great. For lunch, we typically would eat near the pool or go over to The Grand Buffet. The buffet was obviously a pretty popular place, so be warned that it can be about a 30-minute wait to get a table at peak time. But, they had a huge buffet with lots of options so the wait is definitely worth it. The best place we ate at was Tavola which had amazing Italian food and wine. We actually came back to have this as our last meal because we liked the food here so much.

What to do at The Grand at Moon Palace

Our room actually was right near the water park, and we loved going here on our last day. There's a huge slide that my little 5'2" self technically was too small to go on according to the "you must be this tall to ride this ride" sign. I went anyways and rode down with Ryan, and I definitely flew out of the tube a little and kinda agree that maybe I was too short for it. But, it was a lot of fun! We spent most of our time racing down the slides, and would relax in the lazy river when the slides wore us out. They even had a little thing in the bathroom that could quickly dry your swimsuits. 

Obviously with a water park, The Grand allows children at the resort and is very family friendly. There is a huge (think Vegas-size) adults-only pool at the center of the hotel that has cabanas and swinging chairs everywhere. Ryan's company rented out the entire pool for a welcome pool party the first night and we had so much fun! We also spent a lot of time throughout our stay at one of the smaller pools that is very close to the beach. It's great because you can relax in the water with a beautiful view without having to worry about big waves knocking you over and still being close to the bar so you always have a drink in your hand.

One of Ryan's favorite parts of the lobby was that it had this amazing arcade room with this huge screen on the floor where you could play interactive games by walking on it. 

As for the beach, it was absolutely beautiful. The water was a little murky when we went in December, but it was still the perfect temperature to splash around in and the beaches were so soft and there were no rocks at all. We never had a problem finding a lounger to sit on. And because the resort has multiple hotels on it, you can walk for a long stretch on the beach and still be at Moon Palace, which we loved because we love long sunrise walks on the beach, but for safety reasons we don't like leaving our resorts if we can help it.

Overall thoughts on The Grand at Moon Palace

Ryan and I have a goal to stay here again. The food, THE ROOM, the pools, the beach, everything was absolutely perfect. The only reason why we haven't returned is because all that quality comes at a price. The cheapest room is still several hundred dollars a night, and Ryan is no longer with that company, so right now that's just too much for us to spend. But, if you have the budget for it then I absolutely recommend this resort! You will definitely receive your money's worth.