Garza Blanca Preserve Resort & Spa - All Inclusive

“Fabulous TAFER Vacation”

Be forewarned, long review! Airport VIP Services transport worked flawlessly. Driver Estaban was a delight. My accommodations were on beach unit, 1 bedroom for 2 weeks. Our accommodations were great location for us, nice spacious room with excellent patio space for relaxing when you weren’t at … more

Be forewarned, long review! Airport VIP Services transport worked flawlessly. Driver Estaban was a delight. My accommodations were on beach unit, 1 bedroom for 2 weeks. Our accommodations were great location for us, nice spacious room with excellent patio space for relaxing when you weren’t at the pool and great views. Karla provided VIP checkin and great assistance with other items such as modification of few pre arranged restaurant reservations and departure questions/arrangements for travel partner. Vacation began with lunch at Aquazul. Antonio provided excellent service with follow-up by Constantine. We enjoyed our chicken quesadillas, pizza, watermelon fruit drink. Our first evening meal was at Blanca Blue with service from Juventino and table side guacamole by Omar. The Mothers Day Special was steak and shrimp with nice presentation and great flavors. Dessert was nice presentation of lemon brownie. All flavors and service were excellent. Blanca Blue breakfast buffet was great, love omelette and waffles station and a great selection of foods/ fruits/ pastries and juices to fit every taste. Andres was great server. Bocados Restaurant doesn’t disappoint, we enjoyed steak, roasted chicken and a delightful Apple Strudel with elevated TAFER touch. We had excellent service from Esteban. The new Misika Restaurant was excellent with service by Carlos and introduction to Restaurant Manager Carlos and Pilar Hostess. We enjoyed the plantain chips with sauces as well as Chancho Pork skewers with baby roasted corn and potato (our favorite ) as well as Lomo Saltado beef fillet wok fry meal. Our dessert was Vainilla Picaron which was tasty. HIROSHI Restaurant located in Sanctuary, is a delightful table experience. We were greeted by Erika with Jorge as our primary server with assistance from Diego. First up, Mixologist Kevin provided a great tableside experience in crafting a very tasty mocktail. Presentation and energy was everything. The smoky bubble popped just above drink giving it a smoky presentation. Jorge and Diego provided excellent explanations of menu details, ingredients, sauces, salt and accompaniments and Jorge provided excellent table side grilling of steak and mushrooms. Chef Ernesto was introduced by Erika and he graciously provided a great specially prepared dessert plate for us and inquired about our experience which was fantastic. Crème Brulee was also great. We also enjoyed the Sports Bar nibbles of cashews, plantain chips and corn with tasty Cosmo and Beer while waiting for Hiroshi reservation. Did I mention the size of television screen ? WOW. We also attended a Special Hiroshi Cooking Class for our group with personalized menu- excellent presentation by Chef John Michael and Chef Ernesto of details surrounding table designs, operations, ingredients, origins, preparing & cutting meats, knives for various purposes etc. Service was great as was mocktails and meal. Alejandro was our primary server but many provided assistance. If this activity is offered, it was an excellent experience. Beach pool was enjoyed with great service from Alejandro, Tony, Salvador & Rafael. I enjoyed the Crudités plate, Watermelon water and Mango Margarita. KARUMA Restaurant located at Tierra Luna Gardens was enjoyable with Jaime providing great service. I enjoyed a tasty brisket with hot bread, grilled onion, chopped pickles / jalapeños and cheese sauce. Jaime provided a nice light dessert for my enjoyment. If you feel like enjoying your beach room and patio, don’t hesitate to utilize the room service menu and ordering via TV which worked flawlessly. We enjoyed the omelette with veggies and potatoes, sweet bread basket, fruit plate, hamburger with all condiments, fries, wings and cheesecake. Food was good temperature on delivery and service was quick and excellent. If you are a TAFER Member don’t miss the weekly Member Cocktail Party at the beautiful Sanctuary during our visit. We met many management staff and enjoyed great bites from restaurants. Presentation was great as was meeting other owners. TAFER quality is top notch in food, accommodation quality, staff attentiveness and their ability to make you feel like family. For anyone who enjoys gym time, walking from Beach Unit to both Mousai towers for workout is a nice stroll, well more than a stroll depending on route you take. All equipment was operational and clean with towels and cool water available following my trek up mountain side and workout. The views from gyms were great and made a workout more enjoyable. HOUSEKKEEPING provided excellent service day and night with nighttime turndown service from Sinai Martinez. The Annual Members Meeting was great, as always, and we enjoyed the meal in DAO family style with probably most items from menu which was great as was service. Throughout my 2 week stay I received little surprises such as nice flower arrangement, champagne, fruit bowl, sweet treats and Charcuterie platter. These extras may not be provided for all who visit but the little extras when received make you feel like family. The Annual Member Cocktail Party as well as Dinner and Dancing included great drinks, entertainment as well as fantastic food and services. These annual events are so well organized with great information on your ownership and such great extras from those who work tirelessly in planning and executing this event. When vacationing, please support Eagle Wings Foundation, they provide great assistance to those in need and if you like to visit local charitable organizations, check out Vallarta Cares, Vallartacares.org, the couple who began this particular organization are impressive. RISE Orphanage was also impressive with volunteers passion and compassion for children in need. If you are looking for offsite fun, we enjoyed Downtown Vallarta Food Walking Tour with tour guide Joana. This was great fun and educational. Loved seeing Romantic Zone Lazaro Cardenas Park Gazebo and Art. We visited 8 food/ drink locations which we would likely never see or visit. The highlight is tortilla making shop learning / witnessing entire process and details of how roadside vendors operate as well as some of their restrictions/ laws. We experienced great nibbles and drinks which were more than sufficient by tour end. Stop 1 Sonorita for Chilaquiles with great sauces and hibiscus drink. Stop 2 was Birrieria Robles for tasty pork tacos and sides. Stop 3 was Agua DeCebada, wonderful tasty juices ( 5 flavors) that were ice cold and excellent. One was local favorite with cinnamon and other items that had slight flavor similar to eggnog. The plum and passion fruit were my favorite. Stop 4 Restaurante Mar de Vallarta for shrimp carnitas and sauces. Stop 5 Mariscos El Guero for octapus and guacamole. Stop 6 Tortillerias La Authentica to witness tortilla making. Stop 7 Paleteria Villasenor for very tasty popsicles and finally Stop 8 Gabys for some chicken enchilada with mole. We also visited Vallarta Factory for tasty chocolate. We did not do all inclusive and was good decision. However, we do not drink a lot and tend to share meals, so your needs and experience may be different. Keep in mind to monitor your daily charges on your television. I had no issues with billing but final bill during checkout was awfully small and difficult to read without magnifying glass. Enjoy your vacation.

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