After 2 1/2 years of COVID-19 sheltering in place, it felt like it was time to resume my search for the best stress-free spa resort hotels and venture out. We had booked travel to the Sanibel, Captiva, and Cape Coral area and was set to go, when Hurricane Ian reared its powerful head. Long story short–it made a direct hit to that area with massive devastation.
Back to the drawing board. It seemed every warm place we searched for was undergoing the effects of climate change, from hurricanes, to earthquakes, to flooding, to fires, to smoke-filled air from those fires, to mudslides. A travel agent suggested trying Cancun. Intense search for a five-star all-inclusive resort, Garza Blanca Cancun, with high ratings that met the criteria of Ricki’s List brought up a new hotel just built last year. It had all the items on my list:
-breath-taking ocean views and environment
-pools with comfy chaise lounges and shade umbrellas that we socially distanced from others
-Jacuzzi hot tubs
-Adults only areas separate from family areas
-co-ed spa with sauna, hot tub, and relaxation area
-pool butlers bringing beverages, food, and snacks
-beautifully appointed accommodations with a balcony and seating area
-preferably a fully stocked kitchen, living room, and separate bedroom
-A variety of on-site restaurants that had vegan and vegetarian (without eggs) options
-all-inclusive and self-contained amenities so it wouldn’t be necessary to travel to town or shops to buy anything–didn’t want to deal with traffic but just relax for the whole time
-And most of all–great customer service so that the trip could be stress-free
A special perk was the staff wore protective masks even though in other hotels they no longer did, which added a level of protection, especially during meals when we would be removing ours to eat. This was especially timely as news had come that flu season was starting and a new RSV virus was spreading rapidly.
We also were delighted that the flight from Chicago was only 3 1/2 hours and the hotel was but a 30-60 min drive from the airport depending on traffic and construction.
We took a chance on a new hotel: Garza Blanca Cancun, a Tafer Resort, and I found my new favorite resort hotel and paradise. Not only was every item on my resort hotel wish list checked off, but it far exceeded my expectations. There is so much to write about that I will be breaking up all the wonderful experiences in my next blog posts.
Here is what to stay-turned for in my follow-up blog posts:
The Stress-free Experience from Its Venue to Its Customer Service:
Each room comes with your own personal butler that takes care of different needs. A shout-out to Candido and Jenny who went above and beyond. Besides dinner reservations, they took care of anything we needed in our room. They even put together a birthday party, getting an eggless chocolate cake made–how they did it is still a mystery–and flowers and decorations. The pool butler, Martin, was over-the-top incredible. Kind, caring, and friendly, he set up our pool chaise loungers with towels, brought iced water, kept moving the umbrella throughout the day to keep us in the shade, and brought us whatever was needed. His partner Abraham came around each day with green healthy juices to energize and cleanse. Diana at Concierge helped us navigate our stay with helpful information when needed. One of the most amazing waiters was Gustavo at Dao restaurant who went out of his way to make sure we selected menu items that were vegan or vegetarian.
Beyond this, with our special diets of being a mixture of adhering to a vegan and vegetarian diet without eggs, two notable dining venues made the trip extra special because of the customer service of the managers and the chefs. Chef Carlos Romero of Blanco Blue accommodated our vegan and vegetarian diets by preparing not only the menu items by switching ingredients for our diet, but he went all out to prepare amazing items not even on the menu that were authentic Mexican dishes but made vegan and vegetarian. They were exquisitely artistic but most of all out-of-this world delicious. He even invited us on our last night to a special chefs table where he created gourmet dishes, each one more spectacular than the last. Manager Stephanie Cruz helped make these arrangements in a caring, friendly way to make sure we had the best experience.
We thought nothing could top that, until we ate breakfast at the Gourmet Hall. It had just opened a few days before our arrival and the staff was incredible. It offered a buffet-style breakfast. Being new they were just getting started and in the future they would be offering dinner, and later still adding lunch. When we asked to speak to the manager, David, Enrique, and Karen Cruz, asking which buffet items were vegan and which were vegetarian without eggs, they said they would check.
Little did we expect what happened next. Karen seated us and told us they would bring us something special. Then, one by one, the waiters kept bringing us the most beautifully presented and delicious-beyond-words dishes not on the buffet counters. They were preparing us the most amazing authentic Mexican food and beverages with vegan and vegetarian ingredients without any eggs, meat, fish, or chicken. The more delighted we were, the more they continued to prepare dishes we had never tasted before in our lives. We asked Karen who was preparing all these savory and beautifully presented dishes. They brought out the chef, Salatiel, who was delighted we were enjoying his gourmet meals. From that moment on, we returned each morning for breakfast and they showered us with one new course after another. There was so many special things to enjoy that it filled us up so that we didn’t need lunch and skipped right to dinner, with a few poolside snacks and beverage in between. (The poolside virgin colada without only coconut and no pineapple was the best one I ever tasted.)
Karen Cruz, the Gourmet Hall manager, was a wealth of knowledge and kindly helped me spell the names of the dishes, described the ingredients, and gave a fascinating cultural and historical background on the dishes. What stood out was the significance difference in both Blanca Blue and Gourmet Hall and what one often but sadly finds at many other restaurants is that other waiters, managers or chefs become annoyed when asked to accommodate special dietary requests. But the above named chefs, managers, and waiters at Gourmet Hall and Blanca Blue were the opposite–they delighted not only in meeting our requests but went above and beyond with delight and pleasure. By the time we were ready to leave, they made us feel like family and a deep bond between all of us was formed. How often does that happen at a resort? They modeled the best of what a dining experience should be!
These were just some examples of the unforgettable customer service at Garza Blanca with the Tafer ethos. It will take several blogs to go into detail with photographs of the amazing dishes we enjoyed at the restaurants in the hotel. Stay tuned!
The Best Kept Dining Secret: Top Chef Preparing Off-the-Menu Authentic Mexican Dishes Vegan and Vegetarian
A Unique Spa
And more such as the accommodations, the pool areas, the beach, and all the restaurants and the people who made it all special.
The customer service was superb–the way any resort should be.
In interviewing the manager, Laura Rosales, about what made their customer service so stellar. She said, “Three things are promoted at all our Tafer hotels: 1) we begin at the hiring process to select employees who have the right attitude. You can teach skills but you can’t teach someone to have the right attitude to be of service to people. It is something they have within them, so we look for that. 2) We believe leadership and management should model the kind of customer service we expect our staff to exhibit. If we don’t model it, how can they follow what we are asking? 3) We meet with the staff regularly and share comments from the guests. We do more of things people felt are positive, and we improve upon anything they felt lacking or problematic. In this way, we can provide great customer service, making people feel welcomed and stress free.”
This alone qualified Garza Blanca Cancun for Ricki’s List of the best stress-free resort hotels and spa vacations. I hope every other hotel management reading about this takes a page out of the stellar staff at Garza Blanca and improves their own hotels. With all the challenges people face in the world today, everyone needs a stress-free vacation.