Vegetarian and Vegan Stress-free Paradise at Garza Blanca Cancun 5-Star All Inclusive Luxury Spa Resort Hotel’s Restaurants Kicks It Up a Notch
By Author Ricki Linksman
Searching for the perfect blend of a stress-free all-inclusive spa resort with enough vegetarian and vegan dishes at their restaurants so you didn’t have to drive around town to find enough options?
Tired of 5-star and 5-diamond resorts where they have a small selection of dishes that you have to eat over and over as they don’t have enough variety for an extended stay?
While many 5-star hotels offer great spas, relaxing and beautiful environments, and elegant ambience, most of their restaurants do not offer enough vegan and vegetarian options to dine there daily, forcing one to drive around town to eat at other dining venues. That means renting a car, bucking traffic, and hoping the hours spent traveling from the hotel was worth it. Not very relaxing!
Other than vacationing on cruise ships, it has been rare to find a luxury five-star or five-diamond resort that has it all. Until visiting a new hotel that opened at the end of 2021—Garza Blanca Cancun during a week’s vacation in October 2022. Oh my goodness. It was like finding food paradise if you are either vegetarian who doesn’t eat eggs or are vegan. With its five main restaurants, every one of their five top chefs went above and beyond to prepare vegetarian and vegan dishes that were out of this world. They not only had multiple offerings on their regular menus, but they delighted in preparing numerous off-the-menu dishes, highlighting their passion for cooking, their creativity, and they sincere pleasure they derive from seeing the enjoyment of those dining in their restaurants.
At the two restaurants that offered gourmet Mexican food besides their international cuisine choices—Blanca Blue and the new Gourmet Hall—the head chefs especially enjoyed preparing authentic Mexican food on and off the menu with a gourmet twist and artistic presentations. The array of dishes from the different parts of Mexico were so varied that in nine days we never had the same dish twice. Every dining experience offered new combinations, new flavors, and new artistic presentations.
Even the other three restaurants featuring other types of food offered an amazing variety beyond their menu items, experimenting with gourmet creations The Japanese restaurant Hiroshi brought out dish after dish, on and off the menu, highlighting how many vegan and vegetarian dishes can be made with an Asian twist and served with an artistic flair. The chef at Dao, their Chinese restaurant, brought dish after dish that delighted the palette and the eye with its artistic presentations. Even the Steak House found some ways to serve vegetarian and vegan dishes, featuring pasta, salads, and vegetable sides, although we would like to see them expand their options. Maybe the Steak House should consider vegetarian, plant-based steaks and plant-based meat substitutes in the future? Let’s hope.
The chefs, restaurant managers, and waiters all went out of their way to make sure we had something new and equally delicious every meal, at each of their five restaurants..
Even the snack venues, from its beachside “food truck,” to pool side snack bars had vegetarian and vegan options.
The adult rooftop infinity pool where you can hang on the edge and look out at the ocean was incredible.. It too had a snack bar with beverages and some vegetarian options. It was a perfect place to watch the sunrise and sunset on comfy chaise lounges with pool butlers delivering whatever your heart desired right to you.
Every few hours, the pool butlers or pool concierges would bring around trays of snacks pool side and knowing our dietary requirements, went out of their way to bring snacks we could eat, from vegetarian burritos, nuts, delicious berries on crispy toast, and sweet sorbet options on a stick from spicy pineapple, to strawberry, and out of this world “Jamaica,” as they call it which is actually hibiscus flavored.
Every few days, the Garza Blanca staff set out a poolside lunch spread of Mexican dishes, with many vegetarian and vegan options. Make your own tacos, tortillas, or sopas, with vegetables, beans, guacamole, and sauteed or fresh vegetables, roasted corn, roasted vegetables, rice, corn chips, and fruits.
Imagine Spa was incredible. Situated on the third floor, its panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows in its coed relaxation area overlooks the ocean. Besides its menu of rejuvenating treatments, the relaxation area with comfy chaise lounges extends to its hydrotherapy section. The spa attendants guide you through the hydrotherapy route, starting with the coed sauna and/or steam room to a large jacuzzi multi-person hot tub, a cold water plunge pool, a seat within a clear tube from which a flow of rain shower water massages the back, to another large hot tub with metallic beds on which one rests as jets massage the back. It is rare to find a coed relaxation area and hot tub and sauna these days as most places have them divided between men’s and women’s locker rooms and spa areas.. Spa attendants place heated neck wraps and heated eye masks as you luxuriate on the chaises. They gently rub your neck and head to relax the muscles. Attendants bring vegan snacks like nut mixes and dried fruit, infused water with either lemon, orange, or cucumber, or hot herbal teas. Garza Blanca Cancun’s Spa Imagine is one of the few best coed spas I have seen.
No Need to Leave Garza Blanca Cancun Hotel for Meals
Bursting with a cornucopia of food delights, there was no need to go out of the hotel to eat anywhere else. A small sundry shoppe in Garza Blanca Cancun’s sister hotel, Villa del Palma, connected by tropical scenic walkways, had a convenience store that featured breakfast, lunch, and dinner fast foods like oatmeal, bagels, avocado wraps and quesadillas, grilled vegetable subs, pizza, sandwiches, Starbucks, and sorbet and gelato ice cream station, with cups or cones. Its market section contained frozen, cold, and a variety of foods if you wanted to cook in your own hotel suite kitchen. It had sundries, toiletries, and various medicines you would find at a drug store, plus clothes, souvenirs, and jewelry.
Another special feature was that the chef at Gourmet Hall even offered to pack a gourmet lunch if you went for an outing. In fact, when we flew in, we described to them how our airlines which gave us a pre-selected meal choice when we booked our ticket, so we selected vegetarian without eggs, yet what they served on the plane turned out to be a lunch with eggs and fish. Knowing that the same thing might happen on our return, the Gourmet Hall chef, Salatiel, and manager David, Karen, and Enrique prepared vegetarian to-go sandwiches for our flight. Maybe the airlines should consider hiring Garza Blanca as their food caterer?
What a relief that the time we saved driving around town looking for vegetarian and vegan meals was better spent with more relaxation time at the pool, beach, and spa!
Stellar 5-Diamond Style Customer Service Brought us Back to Garza Blanca in December
We were so impressed with the pampered level of customer care, the relaxing experience, and the vegetarian and vegan food options at Garza Blanca Cancun with its five star all-inclusive luxury hotel rating we decided to return for 9 days in December 2022.
Welcomed back by the hotel manager, Manuel Martinez, and the food and beverage manager, Jose Maria Mejia, and his assistant Gabriel Beyer, we described how our last trip was so memorable that with a whole world of places to visit this December we chose to return to Garza Blanca Cancun. They pointed out how their philosophy is to “give each customer the best possible, relaxing, and stress-free experience and to go the extra mile to make their stay memorable, including their dining.”
Jose Maria Mejia responded, “You thought the food was great last time; you will find it even better this time.” How could that be possible? I asked.
He said, “we noted your comments yet even if you gave us praise, we are always eager to improve.” From December 12 to 21, their passion to be the best, to keep improving, was on full display. When we thought their food could not get any better, we discovered that the chefs at each of their five restaurants had definitely kicked their vegetarian and vegan cooking up a notch—or even higher! It was like spending 9 days inside the Food Channel or on an International Culinary Tour, with top chefs outdoing each other and even themselves meal after meal. The only thing consistent about the meals were the savory and succulent flavors of every dish, no matter what the ingredients they used. It was hard to pick a favorite as every dish, from breakfast and lunch to dinner was the best dish we ever tasted.
Blanca Blue Restaurant at Garza Blanca Cancun:
The culinary tour included Garza Blanca Cancun’s five restaurants. Their signature restaurant is Blanca Blue with Chef Carlos Romero. He takes Mexican food to a whole new level of gourmet preparations. While their menu is rich with many vegetarian and vegan choices, he offered a private Chef’s Table with dishes we could not imagine in our wildest dreams. The elegant restaurant with touches of golden colored wall designs on gleaming white walls, golden light fixtures, and its magical view of the beach lined with palm trees, walkways, and shrubbery decorated with colored lights set the perfect stage for the chef’s ensemble performance of dishes each vying for attention. Manager Stephanie Cruz was helpful in explaining the various dishes including their special ingredients.
The table side preparation of guacamole was fun to watch but even better to taste. It was the best guacamole I ever tasted in my life. Thoughts of flying back here for the guac for Superbowl Sunday crossed my mind. I wonder if they will deliver to Chicago!
Vegan delights on the menu included such as squash blossom; creamy corn soup drizzled over cubes of soft sweet corn bread and roasted corn; beet salad with roasted and dehydrated beets, passionfruit dressing, and sweet potato puree; and a vegetarian dish for those who eat cheese (or can be made without cheese) included roasted cauliflower with sliced almonds, arugula, cauliflower puree in a parmesan cream sauce. They were all so succulent and savory you wished you had more capacity to eat more and more.
Hiroshi at Garza Blanca Cancun Featuring Japanese Cuisine
The other restaurants with different types of cuisine were no less spectacular. Hiroshi offered the most unique Japanese dishes. We delighted in crispy wonton tostada with its finely cut vegetables topping a crispy wonton square. The soft vegetable dumpling filled with finely cut vegetables was drizzled with soy sauce.
The chef prepared an off-the-menu appetizer of a thin long slice of zucchini squash shaped like a basket and filled with refreshing carrots, onions, and celery topped with a sweet sauce.
Assorted vegetable tempura included onion rings, sweet potato, and zucchini squash. The chef totally surprised us with “popcorn tofu” in a sweet and sour sauce. Coated with a vegan breading that was crispy outside, round balls of tofu nestled inside. It was served in the most adorable one-foot-long miniature Japanese style wooden walking bridge set in the middle of the table. On its steps were a variety of sauces from which to choose. The fried rice with teriyaki vegetables were the most savory and tasty fried rice we ever had. We enjoyed a broiled skewers of Brussel sprouts with its roasted flavor.
To top it off, dessert included vegan chocolate cake with dollops of dark chocolate and white chocolate and a side of hibiscus sorbet with its sweet, refreshing flavor.
With joy, Chef Jonathan Ponce came tableside to meet us and we thanked him for his amazing efforts. He spoke of the passion with which he enjoyed cooking and pleasing the customers.
Dao, the Gourmet Chinese Restaurant, at Garza Blanca Cancun
I feel it is important to point out the lengths Garza Blanca goes to continual improve in their search to be the best five-star and five-Diamond Hotel not only in Cancun but all of Mexico. On our October trip we ate at Dao and asked them to make the dishes already on their menu as vegetarian and vegan. They did not have a lot of options on the menu so we asked them to adapt and modify, which they did. However, while the dishes were artistic they were lacking in flavor. We had heard that Dao was rated one of the best restaurants in Cancun so were surprised that it didn’t even equal the qualify of many Chinese restaurants we had dined in around the world. We chalked it up to the fact that the chef would have honed the dishes on the regular menu and preparing on the fly dishes that either replaced ingredients or left out ingredients to be vegetarian was not enough time to perfect it. We told the food and beverage manager that Dao’s vegetarian menu needs some work and he said next time we come we will see a difference.
True to his word, he said you will find Dao this time equal to the quality of vegetarian dishes as in the other restaurants. And he was so right! Chef Atlas Ho had definitely worked hard on improving the vegetarian and vegan dishes. This time there was more vegetarian and vegan menu items. And he prepared some specialties not on the menu!
For starters, the celery salad with its sweet vinegar dressing and cut vegetables was tasty and refreshing. We hesitated on the corn soup since we had found our new favorite one at Blanca Blue. But Dao’s corn soup was delicious in its own right. While sweet, it had a touch of spices that gave it a slightly smoky flavor. There was not a drop left in the bowl as it was so savory.
The featured item was Hor Fun Noodle, explained as a special dish of Mexico, which Dao makes daily fresh by hand and they made it vegan for us. It was embellished with tofu and vegetables with a mild teriyaki sauce that one wished for more room to keep eating.
Dao offered three vegetable dishes of which we tried Bok choy in a savory sauce.
For dessert they had a white vegan cake with chocolate icy, embellished with strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries.
The quality of Dao’s vegetarian dishes had improved to the point where its savory dishes had reached the heights of Garza Blanca’s other restaurants. Sharing this with the food and beverage manager he was pleased that within six weeks he had taken our constructive comments and acted upon them to provide a wonderful dining experience for those on a plant-based diet.
Bocados Steak House with Some Plant-based Options
We were intrigued by the few items on Bacados steak house that were listed as vegetarian and thought we would give it a try. This was the only restaurant that was not part of the all-inclusive options. Since none of the other restaurants offered pasta, we focused on trying those. We asked if they had anything else for plant-based diets and Chef Miquel Rodriguez served us a new salad not yet on the menu. It had mixed greens, pine nuts, chunks of apple, topped with sweet vinaigrette dressing.
We tried two pasta dishes, both with a rich tomato sauce and portobello mushroom: rigatoni and risotto. Both were rich and flavorful. They also offered a pizza, but it turns out the pizza was made at Gourmet Hall and delivered from there to Bacados. But as it was a night that Gourmet Hall was closed, it was not on the regular menu. Learning that the pizza was actually made at Gourmet Hall, we added another night to dine at Gourmet Hall just for its pizza.
There were various side vegetables offered at Daos, such as mashed potato, French fires, and sweet potato, and other vegetables but the pasta and salad was filling enough.
We were advised to order for dessert the orange tree, which everyone said was out of this world. However, that night the machine that makes the sugar into the shape of the tree was not working. Another reason to come back in the future when it might be working next time!
Gourmet Hall at Garza Blanca Cancun: Saving the Best for Last!
Words are inadequate to describe the spectacular dining experience at Gourmet Hall. When we visited in October, Gourmet Hall had just opened a few days before we arrived. Being new, the chefs were eager to experiment and please. In October it was only opened for breakfast, as a breakfast buffet with multiple stations. By the time we returned in December, they also offered dinner, a la carte without the buffet. It featured five stations for dinner from different types of cuisines: Mexican, Italian, Asian, and two we avoided being the Meat station and Seafood station. But there was more than enough at the three stations with a multitude of plant-based options.
What we experienced at Gourmet Hall was the best culinary experience we ever had in any hotel, restaurant, or cruise ships we had eaten in before.
On the first day, we spoke to the food managers, David, Karen Cruz, and Enrique about being on a plant-based diet and asked what did they advise. They spoke to Chef Salatiel which opened up their magical doorway to the most amazing plant-based dishes one could ever imagine. Wanting to be adventurous and explore new dishes, we told them for breakfast and the times we came for dinner to let it be chef’s choice and surprise us. It was just like being invited into the home of a family member or friend—they went above and beyond to delight us with one new dish after another.
Every morning for breakfast they brought out at least three and sometimes up to five new dishes to try. The waiters began hovering over our table, stealing a peek at what Chef Salatiel was making. We soon discovered none of the dishes were on the menu and the waiters commented how they had never seen anything like it before. While being incredibly artistic in their presentation, the combination of ingredients were often dishes they had never seen or tasted before. Like parents hovering over their children to see if they like their birthday presents or Christmas gifts, the chef and managers would come by to see how we liked each. Every dish was more unbelievable than the last one—and all equally savory.
It may take another article or even a book to capture all the different dishes they served to us at breakfast and when we came on some nights for dinner. It was like a culinary tour, as Karen Cruz would list the ingredients and then give cultural background on each dish.
Some of the off-the-menu highlights Chef Salatiel prepared included:
- Tofu scramble with diced onions and portobello mushroom and a touch of garlic and salt
- Yucatan empanadas with black beans, onions, cilantro, and queso fraiche
- Stuffed empanada with tofu scramble, onions, and portobello mushroom
- Quesadilla stuffed with tofu scramble, onions and portobello mushroom
- Soft corn tortilla (yellow or blue) topped with portobello mushroom, sweet onions. peppers, and beets, carrots, greens
- Handmade soft corn tacos with pumpkin squash and melted queso
- Sopa (thick, round corn tortilla) topped with onion, thinly cut greens, and tomato floating in a savory green sauce
- Black corn masa shaped like 3 mini tostados with a soft inside and slightly crisp outside with a thin coat of black bean topped with strings of carrot and marinated onion curls, with queso fraiche drizzled over finely cut greens and topped with avocado and sweet cheesy tomato, and red and green sauces (can be made without the queso)
- Taco with mushrooms and mole sauce and avocado and grated mozzarella cheese (Can be made vegan)
- Vegan aguachile (imitating a fish dish): cauliflower and avocado without spicy chili, with green apple, cucumber, and lemon sauce
- Taco al pastor with Guajillo chili and orange juice, special non-hot chili and spices. grilled pineapple
- Masa and mushroom with Guajillo chili
- Corn and beets taco
- Aztec soup: tortilla soup, tomato, onion, Guajillo chili, tofu chunks, and tortilla chips
- Eggless pancakes topped with berries and maple syrup
- Eggless waffles topped with berries and maple syrup
- Vera Cruz tamale with sweet corn masa
- Squash and onion with fennel, pineapple, grape cake and celery with honey citrus vinaigrette, sweet and savory and sour—pineapple add a sparkle of flavor—outside crunch and inside soft
- Salatiel’s special enchiladas with mole sauce (He came at 4 a.m. to make it so it can simmer that long)
- Vegetable burrito with onion, pepper, mushrooms, beans, and lettuce in a savory sauce
- Quesadilla with guacamole, beet on top and inside
- Vegan baked tostado with fried beans, pickled onions, fresh cheese, and vegetarian sour cream, lettuce and carrots
- Corn chips with creamy green sauce and cheese
Some off-the-menu special desserts Chef Salatiel prepared included:
- Pancakes with berries and chocolate
- Lemon eggless sponge cake with honey coated almond cream
- Eggless crepes filled with chocolate sauce, strawberries, and figs topped with chocolate sauce and berries
Note: For those who eat dairy without eggs, any item be include queso fresh, mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese, and other types
We thought the Gourmet Hall buffet was abounding in plant-based options, and at first would fill our plates with those, thinking that was what breakfast would be. But as the chef brought out one dish after another that was off the menu, our visits to the buffet decreased as there was more than enough in what they were preparing special for us. The buffet items of corn tacos and tortillas with fresh and cooked vegetables, beans, guacamole, and for those who are not vegan they could select from the freshest of Mexican cheeses like queso fresh, goat cheese coated with onion ash, brie, and many other types. Various yogurt combinations like mango yogurt with fresh berries, and other flavors were available for non-vegans. Fresh breads from brown bread to breads with herbs and seeds were available for toasting. One could choose from grilled vegetables, potatoes, roasted corn, and hash browns. When we asked if they could make pancakes and waffles without eggs, they went to town. Many a morning they brought out eggless pancakes that were soft and light with delicious maple syrup, or triangles of waffles, with just enough crisp for mouth feel outside and soft inside.
What to speak of eggless crepes? They had a regular crepe station, but they surprised us on several occasions with eggless crepes. OMG! On one day it was filled with figs, berries, and chocolate, and on another, filled with chocolate and topped with berries. How many places can a vegetarian who doesn’t eat eggs find crepes? Garza Blanca Cancun outdid themselves with this one, too!
Let’s talk about specialty non-alcoholic beverages for breakfast. Karen described how when she and her friends go into Cancun to eat out, they have big debates with themselves. Should they order Jamaica (a cold drink made with hibiscus flower boiled and chilled and sweetened with sugar), or Horchata, (made vegan using cold sweet rice milk, considered a staple drink for Cinque de Mayo in which white raw rice is soaked in water and sweetened with sugar and blended with condensed milk or with soy milk or almond milk, and with added vanilla and coconut or nuts and cinnamon stick). Karen was right. Both were so tasty it was a touch choice which one to have, so she staggered them bringing a different one each day.
Other off-the-menu beverages included Jalisco Coconut Drink with cold sweetened coconut milk; Green juice: celery, green apple, celery, and orange juice; a sweet pineapple drink; Vera Cruz Torito digestive drink with almond milk and peanut butter; and Expresso with strawberry, coconut milk, vanilla and ice coffee beans, rosemary, sugar layered in a glass.
Knowing I was a big fan of Starbucks chai latte with soymilk, Karen had the chef experiment each day until she got it even better than Starbucks. One day she made it with Tealon brand white tea, another with Tealon brand blue tea (some specialty of Mexico), and finally on the last day they had it made with English breakfast tea, cardamon, soy milk, and the flavors that make chai taste like real chai from India! Seeing my delight, the chef wrote down the ingredients so they could repeat it. No need to take the long walk to the shop to the Villa del Palma sundry shop in the hotel next door that offers Starbucks. But the sundry shop never could make it with soymilk and whipped up like they do in other free-standing Starbucks. My new “Starbucks” location is Gourmet Hall at Garza Blanca Cancun.
Have I already said too much? I haven’t even gotten started on the 7 days of Gourmet Hall breakfasts we had in October, and the 9 days of breakfasts and 3 dinners at Gourmet Hall in December 2022. To give a broad overview, each dish was an authentic dish of Mexico made in a gourmet, artistic manner. While some dishes may have had a similar base such as a soft corn taco, or thicker corn sopa, or tamale wrapping, enchilada or empanada style, each were filled with different ingredients, sauces, flavors, toppings, and sides dishes. We got to sample cuisine from Oaxaca, Vera Cruz, Jalisco, and other states of Mexico. We learned of their history and backgrounds from Karen. Each breakfast was an experience that lasted often from 1 to 1 ½ to 2 hours as they made each dish fresh and brought them out one at a time so we can savor them in their own glory. The breakfasts were more like brunches that were so filling and satisfying that we were not hungry again until dinner. We easily skipped lunch, having our favorite nonalcoholic poolside drinks. For me who does not like pineapple juice, they instead made me the sweetest coconut virgin colada whipped to a creamy consistency and served cold. A side of fresh corn chips and guacamole plus the plant-based poolside treats that the pool butlers brought around were enough to tide us over until dinner.
Did I mention how each morning the pool butler would bring to each chaise bottles of cold water, and a shot of their healthful green juice. This was a combination of spinach, celery, and greens with a sweet flavor.
But I digress. Back to Gourmet Hall. In reflecting back what stands out is the off-the-menu items they made for breakfast. They made a tofu scramble with sweet onions, portobello mushrooms finely cut, with a bit of garlic salt. Oh my, was that scrumptious. Chef Salatiel, knowing how much we loved it, stuffed the mixture into an empanada one day that was out of this world. Some days he would have a soft corn taco, either yellow corn or blue corn, cut into rounds and topped with various combinations of vegetables and sauces. Sometimes he would fold over a corn tortilla, filled with different combos of vegetables and sauces. He would make it vegan without cheeses, or vegetarian without eggs but with cheese upon request. The tamales were filled with the freshest corn masa, sometimes alone and sometimes mingled with onions, peppers and finely cut carrots and lettuce. He also made empanadas filled with a sauce made of beans and fresh tomatoes. Two types of sauces made their debut frequently, a green sauce made with green tomatoes, and a red sauce, of red tomatoes. Knowing I was not a fan of hot chilies, he would flavor each sauce with a mild, but succulent taste.
Now Let’s Talk about the Best Part—the Pizza at Gourmet Hall at Garza Blanca Cancun:
While saving the best for last, this was the best of the best for last. First, the background.
Growing up in New York I was brought up on New York pizza. Having journeyed to many domiciles after leaving New York, I am always on the hunt for New York pizza. While Chicago is famous for its Chicago-style pizza, it is different enough from New York pizza that it is like comparing apples to oranges—they are each in a league of their own. In another article I will review the findings of my search for New York pizza outside of New York. But what a pleasant surprise to find that the pizza made and served at Gourmet Hall was the closest I have come to New York pizza outside New York. Yes, really! It had everything—the right consistency of crust, the right flavored tomato sauce—and yes, I go off my vegan diet for New York pizza whenever I can find it—the mozzarella was the right consistency of drippiness mingled with the tomato sauce. And it is foldable. We were delighted to find this extra bonus at Gourmet Hall. In fact I pointedly told Chef Salatiel and Chef Alexander the Food and Beverage Managers, “Don’t change the pizza! It is perfect as is—don’t change a thing about it.” Let’s hope they listen for next time and keep it consistent.
Now Let’s Talk about the Camera:
My consistent companion at each meal was my new Samsun Galaxy camera. The previous one was good, but this one was made for food and travel writers. It has two camera, is super sharp and crisp, and has a special food setting. I documented every dish served throughout the 7 days in October and 9 days in December. I ditched the notebook and pen for the note feature on the phone, where as each dish was brought out the chef, managers, or waiters would name the dish and describe its ingredients, patiently spelling each so I could get it right. (I am fact-checking the ingredients and dishes with the experts but if any slip through with errors, I apologize in advance.) While my taste buds delighted in eating the food, the camera’s lens were going nuts over the artistic presentations of every dish. Some looked like Picasso paintings with their dabs of color and splashes of squiggly lines embellishing the dishes.
Garza Blanca Cancun Has It All!
The October trip was not just a lucky fluke of finding a 5-star all-inclusive luxury resort that was stress-free, relaxing, beautiful, elegant, and with 5 restaurants with plenty of vegan and vegetarian options without having to go out anywhere else. The December trip showed they were the real deal—consistently attentive in customer service, both in the accommodations, the amenities, the venue, plus the food. In fact, they showed they listen to customers and made many improvements in little, little things that most hotels would not even bother to improve in. We thought the food was fantastic in October, but they bested themselves in December. I could see them topping themselves for omnivores, but for them to go out of their way spending hours preparing new dishes for plant-based diets, whether vegetarian without eggs, or vegan, was remarkable. We learned that to make the authentic Mexican tamales with their special sauce, Chef Salatiel came in at 4 a.m. as it takes that long to make it and be ready to serve at 9 a.m. Who does that? When I asked him about why he does that, Chef Salatiel said, “I am passionate about cooking and pleasing the customers who eat here. It is like one would cook for one’s own family and wanting it to be the best.” Again—who does that?
I asked Karen Cruz, the Gourmet Hall, assistant manager whether the Garza Blanca hotels in Puerta Vallarta and Los Cabos have the same menu, she said some things are the same, but Garza Blanca Cancun differs because we have Chef Salatiel and Chef Romero!”
Wait! There’s More!
Did I mention the luscious dark chocolate truffles left on your bed by turn down service every night?
The one-bedroom suite comes with a complete fully stocked kitchen, with stove top, oven microwave, refrigerator and freezer, dishwasher, coffee maker, dishes, pots, pans, silverware, towels, glasses, cups, and anything else to cook your own meal or reheat restaurant leftovers. They daily stock beverages in the fridge, and snacks like microwaveable popcorn, granola bars, peanuts, nut mixes, and sweets.
Each room has its own washer and dryer, ironing board, and iron.
The big surprise is the heated toilet and bidets in every bathroom. There is a giant luxuriating soaking tub and a shower as well. The one bedroom suites have two full bathrooms as well.
The curtains and blackout curtains are fully automated by an electronic wall unit that opens and closes them.
The balcony of the one bedroom suite is enormous—the entire expanse of the living room and bedroom. There is a two-seater outdoor couch, a dining table for six, and a hammock, with a choice of ocean view or nature view.
Besides the full kitchen, there is a dining room table for six, living room, full bathroom, bedroom with workstation, soaking tub area, and another master bathroom.
Every room comes with its own butler (one for the morning and one for the evening) to whom you can call at any time to take care of anything you need, from restaurant reservations to amenities for your room, or any problems you need resolved. I happened to be celebrating a big birthday—none of your business—in October, for which the room butlers arranged for a vegan chocolate cake, flowers, and decorate the bedroom with rose petals, flowers, towels rolled into animal shapes, and a big “Happy Birthday” spelled out with flowers on the bed. They also made sure to have the birthday cakes at the dinner restaurant and the staff to come by to sing “Happy Birthday!” Even the pool butler decorated the pool cabana with chaise lounges with happy birthday balloons and messages, which the other pool staff joined in to sing.
What stands out is that most hotels know they can do whatever is described in their brochures for their customers, but the Garza Blanca Cancun staff treat every customer as a member of their own family and go way above and beyond what is required and expected. Words cannot describe the care and over-the=top service of Martin, the pool butler. His smiling face, his friendliness, and going above and beyond was itself worth the whole trip. As the general manager said, “People are spending money, lots of money, to make the trip here, and our goal is to make it the happiest, most stress-free and comfortable experience for each one. They will then always remember us and want to come back.” How true!
Postscript:
What started out with a simple question when we arrived at Garza Blanca Cancun, “Where is the healthy menu we say advertised on the website?” lead to a search by the staff to find what menu the website was talking about. It took until the next morning for the Food and Beverage Manager to report that that menu was referring to Garza Blanca Reserve at Puerto Vallarta. Seeing my disappointment and asking why can’t they have that healthy menu here in Cancun, he said he would look into it. The result was that as a foodie focused on plant-based meals, I offered to help him create two different menus: vegetarian without eggs, and a vegan menu for each restaurant. This is how my journey through the restaurants, taking copious notes and photos began.
I am happy to report that after the two trips, and all that eating, I only came back two to three pounds heavier. How could I not gain that much weight with the tons of food they served. It goes to show that they cook with fresh, natural ingredients, avoiding greasy, fatty oils, and no preservatives, no corn syrup, no added sugars, yet using all the typical “flavorings” added to make restaurant foods elsewhere taste better. I not only didn’t gain much weight, but I did not leave a meal feeling sluggish, with hypoglycemic energy dips, and sleepiness. The foods were tasty, nutritious, and enervating.
Relaxation and Great Plant-based Food at Garza Blanca Cancun
If you are looking to relax without going on the hunt for plant-based foods when you visit a great resort, it may be worth a visit to Garza Blanca Cancun to see for yourself. The prices are far more reasonable than some of the big famous named hotels—in fact, in October it was one-third the cost of many brand name exclusive hotels yet Garza Blanca offered so much more than those “famous” ones, and in December even with the higher holiday rates, it was less than half the cost of hotels which didn’t even have all-inclusive vegetarian and vegan menu items. The weather is great all year round. And the flight was only 3 ½ hours with making up time to come to 3 hours and 5 minutes from Chicago.
Worried about safety? Despite what one reads in the papers about the country, the hotel maintains tight security and only those who have booked accommodations are allowed on the property. They pick you up with your own private or shared hotel van at the airport and bring you back when you leave. The area is considered one of the safest ones in Mexico, and now with their amazing restaurants, you don’t even have to leave the property to go into town or elsewhere to get a good vegetarian or vegan meal.
I hope you enjoy the same relaxing and culinary experience I had. If you find any other hotel as great as this one, let me know and I will explore it and add it as I did for Garza Blanca Cancun’s to Ricki’s List!