Suites at Garza Blanca Preserve Resort & Spa

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!

We were here during the recent turmoil and shelter in place. The staff did an outstanding job adjusting . This resort food was excellent. The staff is unbelievable and the sanctuary Gardens are incredible.. We would definitely come back and highly recommend your consideration.

Incredible place to stay. Gorgeous, so clean and beautiful. Serene and sophisticated and yet so warm. The staff is amazing. Thank you especially to Blanca Guzman our housekeeper who took such good care of us in our two bedroom panoramic suite, which was jaw dropping beautiful. Also the spa - oh my goodness. Absolute heaven. The food and the service, just impeccable. It was me (in my 40s) and my mother (in her 70s) and we were treated like a blend between family and royalty. We have traveled the world and this is one of our favorite places EVER! We can’t wait to be back.

After booking our trip, Roberto reached out and said he would assist us with transportation and arranging the all-inclusive package. We decided to purchase the all-inclusive plan for 5 of our 7 days since we planned to go into town on the first and last day.

We agreed to his quoted price for a private Suburban for four people. Shortly after, he wrote back saying the price had increased. We agreed to the new price. A day later, he informed us the price had increased again and said we were free to book transportation elsewhere. Despite this, we agreed to the second increase.

Upon arrival at the airport transportation area, we waited an additional 45 minutes past our scheduled pickup time. When it was finally our turn, the vehicle provided was not a Suburban as promised, but an older, run-down minivan. When I mentioned that we had booked a Suburban, we were told we could wait and see if one became available. We chose to just take the ride.

During our stay, I will say that the food at the main restaurants, when you could get in, was very good. (Room service and pool food were not at the same level.) However, many guests with the all-inclusive package were turned away without advance reservations. When attempting to book while onsite, we were repeatedly told everything was “fully booked” until after 8:00 pm, despite seeing many empty tables.

Housekeeping missed multiple days, and on other days came as late as 8:00 pm, which we declined since we were already settled in for the evening.

The night before checkout, we were given an itemized receipt that included an $8 daily surcharge, which I accepted without issue. The morning of checkout, after we were already in our transportation vehicle (which itself was 20 minutes late), staff came out and said we could not leave until I signed the bill. I went back to the front desk and confirmed I had reviewed the charges and asked whether there were any additions.

At that point, they added an additional $50 for our departure day, claiming we had consumed a Coke and items from the snack basket. I explained that while I had moved one Coke in the minibar, we did not consume it, and we did not take the sweets. They said they would need to investigate, while we were already concerned about missing our flight due to the delayed transportation.

They showed me a photo of the snack basket with items missing. Ironically, I had actually returned an extra unopened bag of chips to the basket earlier in the week, so there should have been three bags, the photo showed two. Despite writing on the bill that I disputed the charges, we were told we could not leave unless I signed and agreed to them. The essentially held us hostage.

It was a very disappointing way to end what was otherwise a very expensive vacation.

On a separate note, the resort is not particularly kid-friendly. Water sports and hot tubs are restricted to guests 14 and older. We were not allowed to take a paddle board out with our 7-year-old. The kids club itself is very nice, and the staff there were wonderful — but overall, families with younger children should be aware of the limitations.

We always love our stays with Garza Blanca in Puerto Vallarta. The rooms, pool and spa were spotless and clean. Great food selections 6 restaurants to choose from.. The room was exceptionally well stocked and welcoming… so many lovely and romantic touches.

Ivan Solis at the pool was a great help for us and our toddler. Provided excellent service

This is our third trip to Garza Blanca in Puerto Vallarta. My husband and I came here the end of January/beginning of February 2026, meeting friends of ours at the resort. This is a beautiful resort and the views are fabulous. In the past, we’ve stayed in both a high-rise and also the smaller units right on the beach. This trip we stayed in Building 2 on the beach. Previously, this area was all large rocks. They’ve made barriers to make more beach area here. Very nice. We had a walk-in closet, another closet and a large dresser – way more storage than we could ever use. Housekeeping was great! Thank you Almendra for taking such good care of our room every morning and ensuring we had everything we needed.

The views from the different buildings are breathtaking! Most buildings are up on the side of mountains, so you’re high up and get wonder views of the bay area. During the winter months the whales arrive – let the shows begin! There is a trolly that takes you around the resort.

Please remember to make your dinner reservations prior to arriving, as you may not got the restaurant and/or time you prefer if you wait. I made our dinner reservations, for 4, towards the end of November for our January/February trip.

There is a concierge here, but honestly, I’m not sure that there was a lot of value for the ‘service’. Because our friends had arrived a few days before us, they were able to make reservations for the 4 of us at the new Peruvian restaurant (which is very good). I asked the concierge to cancel the reservation I had made for that night online prior to arriving. My husband got a text message later that evening that said ‘we missed the four of you for dinner’, so obviously our reservation was not cancelled. We had a similar experience when we changed the time of one of reservations. We went ½ hour later, and later received a message that we never showed for dinner.

We found that if you’re at the pool or at the beach you can have lunch delivered to you. Very convenient and it was tasty! We were also grateful that the ‘get up early and save a chair’ game isn’t played here. You could find chairs throughout the day, at the pools and the beach. We spent a lot of our days at the roof top pool in the new Sanctuary building. Our waitress there, Mariam, took great care of us.

DAO, contemporary Chinese, was a very good meal. Our waiter, Alberto, was amazing, giving us excellent suggestions and providing outstanding service.

The Hiroshi restaurant has been revamped a bit. It’s been relocated to the new Sanctuary building. In addition to sushi, they now also have table grills for Korean BBQ dishes. Our waiter, Andre, who also did the cooking at the table, explained how the process worked and helped us in selecting a good variety of dishes. Thank you Andre for the very special meal. Hiroshi was also serving a la carte breakfast as well – it was fantastic food. I had the Quesa Birria – it was the best ever!!! Luis and Erik, our waiters, were a pleasure.

Bacados, the steak house, has very good food. They serve breakfast and dinner, with tables both inside and out. Our waiter Julian was very attentive.

Blanca Blue (Mexican) has a buffet available for breakfast, which had a large variety of dishes to choose from as well as an omelet and crepe station. We thought the buffet was very good. They are also open for lunch and dinner (a la carte). I had a disappointing dinner there. In the past the meals were very good, so maybe it was just an off day for them. Our waiter, Marco, was good and had someone from the kitchen come out to speak with us.

Thank you to Orlando, our waiter at NOI (Italian); you were fabulous and our meals were excellent. You will also find a nice bar outside of this Italian restaurant.

The lobby bar is small, though there are some chairs and tables.

Cons – My only complaint would be having to sign for your meals and drinks if you’re all inclusive. We kept forgetting that we had to sign. We’d get up to leave and the poor waiter would have to come running after us telling us we need to sign. We’ve never had to do this at any other all-inclusive resort we’ve been to. Bit of a bother, but not that bad.

A bonus is they now have a sports bar in the new Sanctuary building. HUGH screens to watch!

You will find live music by individual musicians throughout the resort at different places and times. It’s wonderful sitting in a lobby listening to the piano being played. We enjoyed an acoustic guitar during one dinner and the sax player at another dinner. Very nice touch if you’re able to time it right.

Extra Activities to do – While this isn’t part of the resort, this excursion is a must! Even though my husband and I went here on our last trip here, we once again took a cab to Jardin Bontanico, a beautiful botanical garden. It was lovely to walk through and look at all the plants. There’s paths and buildings throughout the gardens, with peacocks, chickens, and lots of other birds to see. You can also support their efforts by going to their restaurant. We had lunch there; the food was really good and very reasonably priced. Our waiter, Armando, was fabulous.

You can’t go to Puerto Vallarta without taking a cab to the Malecon and exploring the romantic zone. There is usually various entertainment as you walk along the boardwalk. People playing instruments, the Mayans on the very tall pole, spinning. There are lots of beautiful statues as well. There’s also a pier that looks like a sailboat in the distance.

The standout qualities of Garza Blanca Preserve and Resort are the stunning natural setting and the incredible service from wait staff and tour guides.

The wait staff at the various restaurants at the resort provided the kind of attentive service and friendliness that has become hard to find from service professionals, at least in the U.S. We were particularly impressed with Gio and Arturo at Bocados Steak House, and Gerardo and Orlando at Noi. In addition, Tito, our garden tour guide, was incredibly knowledgeable charming and enthusiastic; and Salvador, our hiking guide was full of energy, attentive to everyone’s safety, and generally a joy to be around.

The natural setting at the resort was truly spectacular. A enormous effort was made during construction to preserve the natural rainforest surrounding the buildings, which gives it a lovely Garden of Eden atmosphere. The explosion of plant life and the songs and activities of exotic birds were a joy to observe from the sizable balcony of our junior suite. Though the beach had a fair number of rocks that sometimes made walking barefoot difficult, it also seemed part of the more rugged, less groomed natural environment of the resort.

In all honesty, We found the staff at the Garza Blanca front desk and concierge to be somewhat less eager to please than the other service staff. They were less warm overall and quite slow to respond when we had issues with noise in our room from the A/C, and problems with our safe.

Visitors should also expect the typical pressure from concierge to attend marketing presentations for memberships, etc.

Overall, we were extremely pleased with our experience at Garza Blanca. Though we usually don’t like to go back to resorts we’ve visited, I would definitely consider returning to the resort if we stayed in one of the newer towers.

The location is beautiful. We could watch whales from our 2 bedroom panoramic balcony. The room was very nice and clean (aside from the countertop stools and kitchen table chairs needing a clean)
The food was above acceptable but not the best I have had at an all inclusive. I would give it an 8/10. Lunch at Blanca Blue gave 3 spoonfuls of soup in a big bread bowl. I was told i should order a second if that’s not enough. 1. I shouldn’t have to, I eat very little and that was ridiculous. 2. All inclusive is optional. They are charging people for that.
We had dinner there another night and when we got to dessert, the brought the menu and a card thing advertising churros, so of course the kid and us decided churros. They were an up charge from all inclusive. Churros.
Every menu had the premium, some were marked with the chef. Drinks liked to mark the category. It got extremely annoying to make sure we were still in our all inclusive as we got a few days in. They are always coming around with drink carts, not included, a tray with lobster at the pool, not included. The carousel, not included (the kids club is extremely lacking and very little for kids to do). It felt like constant squeezing and this trip was more expensive than other top tier resorts I have stayed at with better food and most if not all of those “premiums” included.
The concierge is there to sell time shares. She told us if we go to the time shares presentation to help her she would help us make our vacation less bad. I was mad at the concierge by the time we had even arrived at the hotel. We had emails from them telling us we needed to hook our dinners 30 days in advance. There were 5 of us including a child which narrows down where you can go and none of the restaurant’s websites worked properly. When we had asked the concierge to help us, they go us 2 reservations. We were there 7 days. I had to struggle through it ourself. Our new concierge was told I was not impressed or happy. Her solution I guess was that we had to give up a morning of our overpriced vacation for their “vacation club” presentation for a discount for the spa. I don’t know what I was thinking. Anyway, we did it and never heard from her again. That’s all she wanted.
The spa is okay. The view is beautiful and the hydrotherapy stations are all there but it was small and crowded and people were wearing their outdoor shoes in there, not spa shoes. It was okay but wouldn’t crack the top 10 of spas I have been to. (My massage was great)
The kids club barely exists. There’s nothing for the kids to really do. The 4 year old on our trip was bored and tired of doing adult stuff.
When you get your meals even with the all inclusive they brung a bill at the end. The prices for these meals are unrealistic, while the food was good, it is not worth that money. We have paid way less for better food.

The staff other than concierge and front desk were absolutely excellent. I don’t have a bad word for any of them. Tito at the main pool was awesome. Housekeeping was awesome. The panoramic pool staff was awesome.

I absolutely will not be back and have canceled my trip for April. It was booked before we decided on this trip.

It’s a very nice apartment complex. It is not a great 5 star luxury all inclusive resort.

Excellent food. Beautiful resort. Very clean and friendly. Always going back. Great service by our butlers Leo and Ulises.

Garza Blanca is the best! Fourth time here and we will definitely be back. The entire resort is beautiful. Service and food are all top notch. Blanca was our room attendant and Gabriella did our turn down service every night. Both took wonderful care of us. You will not be disappointed if you choose Garza Blanca for your next vacation

This was the best vacation, celebrating our daughters 7th birthday❤️The best part was Bocados Steak house , the staff Gio, Alan , Arturo , Tono, Ricardo M Rodriguez , Mesero , And their Manager Elaine , sang happy birthday to her every day and did Mexican fireworks for her everyday . They made sure her and my niece had the best breakfast and anything they wanted ❤️❤️And made the best drinks for me and my husband, he said that was the best old fashioned he had on the the resort. Definitely a 10/10 ❤️❤️❤️will be returning in the future ❤️❤️

We love Garza Blanca, Cancun/Cabo and we were last at GB Puerto Vallarta 2016 and 2017. So many changes, so much growth, all for the better! Beautiful accommodations, great setting, amazing restaurants, perfect weather! Another great visit, beyond our expectations!

Garza Blanca is the finest resort in Puerto Vallarta and in our opinion the best in Mexico. Located approximately 30 minutes south of the international airport you are a short cab/uber ride to El Centro, but away from the noise and crowded tourist activity. Each room has an unobstructed view of the Bay of Banderas and become your home away from home. The real attraction to Garza Blanca besides all the other amenities is the amazing staff who can't do enough to make your experience unforgettable. We spend 2-3 months a year at the resort and the staff treat us as part of their family, with loving care and kindness. We have a lifetime of memories we continue to add to with every visit.

Room was nice beautiful view nice staff service was quick noise was not loud very beautiful location looking forward to coming back

Everything was exceptional. The food and staff made my stay memorable.

First, a shout out to Rodrigo the hike leader and Javier the server at Mizika. You made our trip amazing and Garza Blanca is lucky to have you!

My husband and I stayed for five days for our tenth anniversary, at the Garza Blanca on the beach with the all-inclusive offering. We ate at most of the restaurants, explored all of the hotels, did a couple of excursions, and spent time at the pool and on the beach. Overall, it was definitely a 5 star experience, but some experiences/restaurants were way better than others, and there are certain things that are worth actively avoiding. Here’s goes:

Garza Blanca “honeymoon suite”: The room was super nice. There was a double-vanity, hot tub, walk in shower, and separate toilet with frosted glass door. The room had a king size bed, small sofa and table, TV, and separate wet mini at at the entrance. The bed faced one of two double sliding doors onto a wraparound corner balcony with a hot tub, two lay-flat lounge chairs, and a breakfast table. It was comfortable, and the view was incredible. We saw whales and a pod of dolphins just standing in our balcony. Despite one side of the balcony facing the pool, we never had an issue with guest noises except sometimes hearing others in their balconies but the roar of the surf generally drowned out all the other noises.

Room service was included in the all-inclusive plan. We had breakfast on our balcony one day, ordered it and they came and set it all up on the balcony for us. The food plus view was perfect. The minibar gets re-stocked daily but also on demand and includes canned juices, flat water and mineral water, gatorade, and a variety of beers. There is also a snack basket that is refilled only once a day, with a snickers bar, m&ms, salty and spicy peanut bags, a snack mix and a granola bar.

There are two pools at the main Garza Blanca hotel, right next to each other. We didn’t go to any of the other pools because I prefer to be on/near the beach. We generally didn’t have trouble getting lounge chairs but if you’re picky about where exactly you sit, you’ll want to go early (by 9 am, latest) to reserve your spot. You get waiter service poolside and can order food and drinks to eat right there. The beach is just a few steps down from the pool deck. It’s pebbly/rocky in parts and will tear your feet apart when a big wave comes in, but they also have a small all-sand area that they appear to be trying to expand. Like all beaches, it’s publicly accessible so there are people trying to sell you stuff but they aren’t pushy and there are plenty of wait staff around to shoo them off if you need help. Beach has umbrellas and lounge chairs reserved for guests only.

Attached to the lobby is the Blanca Blue restaurant, which serves breakfast (buffet), lunch, and dinner. We ate breakfast there every day but one, and the buffet was good and had a zillion varieties of food. Don’t miss the french toast, it’s delicious. You’re also offered mimosas and special smoothies that are considered “premium” which means not included in the all inclusive plan. You do get 20 percent off if you’re in the all inclusive plan, but just double check when you order a smoothie or mimosa that it isn’t premium. They’ll make the mimosa with sparkling wine instead of Moet (which, IMO, should never be in a mimosa anyway!) so that it isn’t premium and is included. In general, all the lobster and scallop offerings were premium and not included, but never more than 10 percent of the menu at any place was premium. The juice is fresh squeezed and service is great. Lunch at Blanca Blue is just ok. The tacos are good, the tostados are both not tostados and not great. The chilled seafood is so cold it basically has no flavor. Dinner is good and comes with a great view. Service here is great. It can get crowded at breakfast time, we went fairly early every day (before 10 am) and never had to wait.

We had lunch poolside twice, which is a slightly more basic menu but actually has great food, better than Blanca Blue. The pizza was good, the chicken caesar was delicious, and my husband and I both loved the tacos.

In additional n to Blanca Blue, we had dinners at DAO (Chinese), Noi (Italian), Mizika (Peruvian) and BocaDos (steakhouse). First the good: DAO was delicious and a very cool, trendy looking place. It was our first night and I was tired so we ate early and it was basically empty except a very loud piano player. Hands down best experience though was at Mizika. Huge shout out to JAVIER at Mizika who encouraged us to practice our terrible Spanish, recommended the best food to order, took service slow and didn’t rush us, and just generally made sure we had a good time. I would have eaten there again if we had had time. Absolute 10/10, the food was incredible for every single bite from appetizer to dessert.

The not so good: Noi was not great. It was so loud that we were shouting across the table at each other. The food wasn’t great, and entrees were served before we even finished our appetizers. Then our waiter got caught up in some big production of a dessert and we had to sit and wait for our bill for over 20 minutes. It was the only bad service we had but it was noticeably lower quality than anywhere else we ate. BocaDos was similar, if quieter and better-ish service. The food was just ok and all happened very quickly. I barely finished one glass of wine during appetizers and dinner because everything came so quickly. The orange tree dessert was very cool, especially in the setting. But the food was just not worth the experience overall.

We went on a hiking excursion with the amazing RODRIGO who took us to a waterfall where we got to swim. He was entertaining and informative, and remembered us every time we saw him the rest of the rip. They should probably do a better job warning guests about the physical requirements of the hike, there were a few elderly folk who couldn’t really safely keep up. But do the waterfall hike if you can, it was a beautiful experience. Expect to get wet.

A couple other thoughts: getting around the resort can be confusing at first. You ride a little shuttle from place to place and it goes the same route and makes the same stops every time, so you do learn it eventually but depending on where you’re going it can take up to 15 minutes to get there. We never waited longer than 10 minutes for the shuttle, often just 3-5 minutes. If you tell the shuttle driver where you’re going, they will make sure you get off at the right stop. Some of the newer rooftop pools are off-limits to Garza Blanca guests. Another weird thing is the “shopping area” which I think must be relatively new but reminded me of Dubai or something. It was very artificial seeming, and basically empty the entire time we were there. I went once to browse while my husband worked out and the first shop I went into was completely empty, not even staffed. Eventually a young woman came in to ask if I wanted to try anything on. When I left and went to the next shop down, she followed me in because she was also working there. It was super weird and uncomfortable, which is not her fault but just felt phony. We went to the shops again after dinner one night to buy some sunburn lotion and waited so long in the empty shop that I was tempted to just take it and go. Finally we went to the gelateria next door and found the woman who was supposed to be in the drugstore chatting with the workers there. Kind of annoying.

Overall though, the service, views, and room made it 5/5. The staff was kind, generous, and proactive in helping with everything you could want. Every order of sparkling water was accompanied by a tray of freshly sliced citrus fruit to garnish the water, they spread your napkin in your lap and scooted your chair in for you, had purse stands at every table. Just very thoughtful, luxurious service. I highly recommend doing the all-inclusive package, food prices are absolutely insane to pay as you go and there is enough variety for at least 3-4 days worth of good meals. Any longer of a stay and I’d spend half my time there and half my time at a hotel in the zona romántica to enjoy the street food and restaurants there.