Le Blanc Spa Resort (Honeymoon Review)

 

This is us.  We are a young interracial couple and whatever first impressions come with it.  Our experience (in Cancun) was littered with disappointment based on the way we look (as you will read in my review of Le Blanc and Moon Palace) despite having 11 years of history together. 

 

Fact Sheet

Our Room: 804 (originally 523)

Honeymoon Stay: Thursday June 21 – Tuesday June 26, 2012

Travel Agent: Melissa @ Beach Bum Vacations

 

Weather (Grade not applicable... but it was terrible).

Locals said that the rainy season came early this year.  It rained 4/5 days during our honeymoon stay and I almost went mad.  There are very few indoor activities you can do when it is pouring rain outside. 

 

Resort Overall: A-

Very small compared to Moon Palace.  It is like an intimate hotel located on the main Cancun strip.  So it’s in the middle of a bustling city life (if this is the kind of getaway you like).  Five main restaurants to choose from all with fabulous food (see reviews below).  There are a total of 9 floors, top floor are the presidential suites.  Incredible views from any room, really.  The people at the resort are always open and friendly.  Looks-wise, the quality of the resort seems clean and impeccable.  Though I am not sure they are prepared for their rainy seasons.  During our stay, there were many buckets in the halls and restaurants used to catch dripping water from the ceiling.  There were also towels shoved into wall crevices and window panes to help absorb all the rain water. It was also leaking in our room (see rooms experience review below).

 

Le Blanc has nightly entertainment in the lobby.  There was always some sort of classical music when we passed by.  I loved it and wish I had more time to sit and appreciate the beauty of it. Every night, the butlers left the itinerary of everything that will happen the next day!

 

Check-In: A+

When we arrived at Le Blanc, I truly felt like I was in heaven!  We were greeted with cold towels, a flower and coconut milk upon arrival. Check-in went very smoothly and when Tomas appeared from behind us, I think that’s when I fell in love with the resort.  We did not have to wait and was escorted right away to our room. This is the photo of the hotel atrium.

 

Rooms Experience: B

Room Quality (Layout, finishes, view): A+

It was our honeymoon so I was a little disappointed in the first room we got.  No complaints about the view or the floor height, but Room 523 was full of problems and in hindsight, I am actually quite annoyed that we were put in this room in the first place. Right off the bat, the safe was not working.  Tomas had to bring up someone from security to fix it.  Secondly, our thermostat was broken.  There was no way to change the air-conditioning in the room.  And thirdly, our room was leaking.  The window was not caulked properly to the wall so water came in from outside.  Our bed felt damp (but we chalked it up to humidity).  When I requested a different room or room upgrade, I was again told that there was no availability.  It wasn’t until I told them about the leaky room and other issues did anyone try to move us.

 

We had ALREADY dealt with this issue coming from our wedding at Moon Palace and I was just incredibly frustrated that we had to deal with it again at Le Blanc. At Moon Palace, it took almost 4 days and a pre-wedding breakdown before they moved us.  At Le Blanc, they were VERY reluctant to move me until I became distressed and told them all the things that were wrong with the room. However, they acted quickly and moved us the next day.

 

The next day, we were moved to room 804 (a honeymoon suite).  The view was SO much nicer from the higher floor and facing the ocean overlooking the pool.  There was one closet only in this room (two in our first room) but I was so happy, I didn’t mind at all. Everything was working properly in this room.  But the bed sheet STILL felt damp.  My husband and I had this experience in all four rooms between our Moon Palace stay and Le Blanc so we chalked it up to the humid climate... but none of our guests said their beds felt that way... so I am still at a loss of what to think.

 

I want to finish this part of the review on a positive note because I really did like our new room.  There was nightly turn-down service and aromatherapy offered (which I took full advantage of daily).  We tried that “relaxing” aromatherapy I think it was lavender (it was okay), but we really like the “revitalizing” aromatherapy with eucalyptus and mint.  We like this one so much we used it for the remainder of our stay.  The citrus/lemon scent in the lobby is also very nice. There is an IPOD dock available in every room. The butlers come in the evening to set your room up for bed. I loved coming into the room in the evening after dinner to the serene music of Hans Zimmer!! And every morning waking up to that view of the ocean... no matter how rainy or sad I felt on our honeymoon, made me feel better and approach the day with new positive vibes. The honeymoon suite is absolutely amazing! I was very impressed by the lighting system in the rooms (turned on my key card and closet lights turning on when you open the door).  So I would say the room quality is great, but I was not happy with the fact they put us in a lower quality room to begin with.

 

Service: A

The reason this is an A is because of the butlers and the bellmen.  They were INCREDIBLE.  I loved Tomas, Luis and Alex!  They truly made our stay so comfortable (and they are SO good at their jobs). 

I was so tired after moving around, I asked Tomas and Luis to unpack for us.  Upon returning from dinner, all my clothes were folded, hung and organized in the closet and in the drawers.  Now THAT is heaven.  I wish I could come home to that every day!! Our butlers were instrumental in helping us figure out what to do with our credits, re-booking things due to weather and renting a car for a day (Fernando helped with that one). They went out of their way to find us the best local deals and engaged in conversation like were their only clients. My husband and I talked to Alex for some time and he made us feel like we were the only ones in the world that mattered.  When we were walking away, my husband looked back and noticed Alex almost running to his next task.  We felt so bad for making him do that but all so much more appreciative of his service and attention. Our butlers even noticed when we didn’t try a particular petit-four so they tried to bring us a different tasting one the next day! Honestly, the stress buildup from our wedding and the horrible honeymoon weather made me so upset, but I was so grateful for the butlers’ and their service.  It really made my stay.

 

Juan the bellman also went above and beyond for me and my husband.  We didn’t get a chance to see him the day before we left to give him a larger tip (in case our thank you note didn’t get to him). 

Also in this photo, you can kind of see the towel that a bucket was on to catch the dripping water from the ceiling.

 

The wait staff in the restaurants were very friendly and attentive. Bartenders and beach attendants were also great.  Spa staff were also kind and hospitable. Hosts and hostesses were okay.  In the room book, it did not specify that Lumiere needed a reservation, so we arrived without one.  We were told that they were full for the rest of the night by the hostess and turned away.  We went back to the concierge and they told us a slot was available in 15 minutes and proceeded to book it.  I was disappointed by how this was handled by Lumiere. Front desk was great at check-in but gave me the same round-about excuses Moon Palace did when we asked for a room change. 

 

So overall, Le Blanc did live up to its incredible service (mainly because of the butlers) but improvements could be made by front desk staff and restaurant hosts.

 

WEDDINGS

Though we did not get married at Le Blanc (because we had kids in the bridal party), I was seriously considering it.  But when we were there, I was SO HAPPY I did NOT get married at the gazebo there.  It is incredibly SMALL and tucked in the side of the resort beside a small pool (that looks like a hot tub but isn't... it was also full of dead bugs). If I were to get married at Le Blanc, I would choose to be married on the beach 100%. Just a heads up for brides considering Le Blanc for weddings.  It does NOT look as nice as the photo. The aisle is curved... The photo below?  That is as far back as the photographer can go because behind him is a wall.  To the right of the photo is another wall.  Everyone enters through the left.

 

Spa: A-

On one of the rainy day, I went for the Serenity massage.  A day later, we did the Romantic Couples massage (which is exactly identical to the Serenity).  You choose between 3 scent; lavender, green tea or grapefruit.  Obviously these are not registered massage therapists so the quality of the massage itself was only so-so.  The atmosphere of the spa and the service was great. I wanted to try out the Fish Spa but didn't get the chance. I enjoyed my stay overall though I do wish that someone could have further told me my options there.  What other free service could I have taken advantage of before or after my massage?  The masseuses were always professional (no one talked over us or to each other during our session as I had read in another review).

 

Pools: A+

Beach: A

Both the pool and the ocean were warm (The pool more so here than then sea water after the storm).  It was very serene at both the pools and by the beach, never crowded. The water here is SO beautiful (compared to Moon Palace).  The sand is not as soft as Moon Palace but there are seashells.  There is also seaweed but it’s not that bad at all.

This is the best picture I have of the pool (bottom corner).  It's very beautiful.

 

Restaurants & Food

 

blancinternational: A+

INCREDIBLE! Seriously better than The Keg! I ordered the center cut filet mignon and it practically MELTED in my mouth.  I am not typically a meat person and I don’t exaggerate, but the beef was the best I’ve had in my entire life. The sides that come with it are average (veggies could use salt, potatoes are ... well potatoes).  I decided to be adventurous and asked for the red-pepper béarnaise sauce and it was perfection! The crab cake appetizer and the crab bisque soup; sublime! And don’t forget the apple pie to finish it off!  We opted to skip our romantic lobster dinner to eat here TWICE.  Make sure you get the filet cooked medium.  My husband got his medium-rare and it was a bit charcoal-y. We ate at blancinternational quite often for breakfast and lunch too!

(I am SO sorry, I don't have a photo of the filet mignon... I was so busy eating it both times I totally forgot!!)

This is blancinternational breakfast.

 

blancinternational dinner: apple pie

 

 

blancitalia : A

Service was good, food presentation was great.  The pasta was okay (not spectacular) but the beef carpaccio and tiramisu were delicious. 

(No photo.  The ambiance was SO quiet, I felt really bad for pulling out my camera. I could hear everyone's conversations.)

 

blancorient: A-

I eat oriental food on a daily basis, so I am biased and critical (Vietnamese rolls, Pad thai, etc).  My husband, however, LOVED the blancorient.  He really enjoyed the sashimi (which I also thought was the best dish).  All dinner items were okay, typical of what you could expect of Americanized Asian cuisine (did not seem authentic but wasn’t bad). There was a bamboo flutist when we were there and the music was lovely.

 

blancterrace: A

Lunch on a sunny day is great on the terrace overlooking the ocean.  Service was a little slow (only one server working when we were there). Calzone is delicious and so is the bruschetta and antipasto del mar. They bring your drinks from the sports bar inside. The view is INCREDIBLE.

 

Lumiere: A

As expected, food quality and service were great.  As mentioned previously, the reservation process and hostess could have done better.  I loved all the dishes, but if I had to choose between Lumiere or blancinternational for dinner again, I’d choose the latter. Also, there is a way to get to Lumiere INSIDE.  It was raining so I did not feel like walking through the water in my Louboutins.  So they took us through blancinternational to get there.

 

Room Service – B+

Breakfast was okay if you had a late night and need some privacy in the morning.  I would much prefer to go down to blancinternational for breakfast.  Never tried lunch or dinner room service.

 

Cabana Service – B+

Just like room service it took about 30 – 40 min to get to us after we ordered.  The small bites menu is what we ordered from (selection was okay). Ceviche was also okay (typical) but I really like the crispy salmon!! The service was great.  We were in a rush so I wish we could have ordered more!

 

Resort Credits: C-

One of the most frustrating parts of our destination wedding was spending resort credits.  No matter how prepared I thought I was going to Cancun, be ready to spend up to an hour at a time dealing with bookings/reservations of things to spend your credits on.  It was incredibly difficult to use the credits during the 5 day stay.  The best things to use them on are tours & activities.  They have a binder full of things you can do, but the majority of them are NOT resort credit applicable. 

 

You can use your credits for salon/spa but those run out pretty quickly.  Also be aware that there is now a cap on the number of credits you can use for the dolphin swim (ugh). You can use up to $100 credits on cigars, $100 on tequila, $100 on sunglasses, $100 on a pair of running shoes and $100 on silver.  None of those include taxes and all the prices of sunglasses and silver are over $100 anyway.  It was hardly worth it.

 

At Le Blanc, using the credits on the Cabana rental was one of the best things I spent it on. (see review below). Tours and activities are also great ways to spend credits.  Other than that, it’s pretty useless.  So when it was raining 4/5 days, it was hard to find things to spend credits on. Granted, at Le Blanc, dealing with the reservations desk was definitely smoother and faster than Moon Palace.

 

 

Tours & Activities

 

Cabana Rental: A+ (used resort credits)

Best resort credits I spent all vacation!!  It cost just over $100 credits, but you rent it for the full day.  It’s private and you have personal attendants for your every drink and food need!! The view of the ocean from the cabana is incredible. It was the MOST relaxed I’ve been in all the 10 days of being in Cancun!  A MUST DO. They even bring over some lawn chairs in case you feel like tanning! It rained in the evening of the day we rented, but I would have totally continued to bum in there all day if it hadn’t.

 

 

Jungle Tour: A- (used resort credits)

Aquatwister is fun (group speedboat ride) but it is cold so DO NOT do it on a cooler day.  It will also wash off sunscreen so make sure you reapply it right after before you go snorkeling. For the Jungle Tour, you are in the sun for 3 solid hours!  Make sure you apply and re-apply sunscreen!!  My husband forgot to put some on his knees thinking it was covered by his shorts, but got severely burnt when he was riding the sea-do. The fish and coral reef was beautiful.  Visibility is about 10 – 15ft.  Guides sprinkle some fish food so that the fish will come up closer to tourists. We got seaweed in our sea-do motor on the way back so the guide had to come back for us.  They will provide all the snorkel gear you need.  Just make sure to eat a little because this activity lasted about 3 – 4 hours. Ladies, put your hair up because it will get in the way! They will give you a locker with key if you leave your room key with them.  I was not pleased with the fact that there were ants inside the lockers though.  It was a hassle to get them off my bag and clothing afterward.

 

Premium Dolphin Swim: A- (used resort credits but be aware that there is a recent “limit” on how much you can spend on this)

Transportation is not included.  We were told that the Wet n Wild bus comes back every 20 minutes or so.  We waited about an hour and still nothing.  In the end, we had to take a cab.  Most charge $25 one way to get there but we managed to get a good deal at $12USD one way.  The Dolphinarium was fun, trainers seem to really care about the Dolphins and talked a little about each one.  I would’ve liked a longer time with the dolphins and to learn more about their personalities or something. They DO NOT ALLOW cameras of any kind... and then they also charge $30 per photo.  You can purchase a locker by paying $8USD upfront and upon key return, they will give you back $5USD (however they did this in pesos).

 

MUSA with diving lesson: A (Not applicable with resort credits) $100 per person

The diving lesson went well.  Instructor said I had perfected the skill but since I have a sensitive sinus, the pressure doing down hurt my ears.  She said the normal person equalizes every 3 – 5 ft descending, but I would have to do it after every foot.  It took me about 5 minutes to go down 10 ft!! Scuba diving is not hard at all though!! However, if you are sensitive to pressure in the ears like me, don’t fret!  Once I got into the ocean, it only took me about a minute to get down 30 ft!  The pressure in the ocean is different than in the pool.  It was MUCH easier for me to do it in the sea.  Definitely try it but know your limit.  My husband did perfectly fine in the pool but in the ocean, he took longer to equalize the pressure.  However, the guides were rough with the men, so they tried to just pull him down because he was taking longer than others.  When my husband told me this, I was not happy about it and promised to do a review of it so that others will be aware.  If the guides are rushing you at all, make sure to be assertive.  Don’t try to “suck it up” because those are your ears inside your head you are putting at risk!!   The tour itself was a lot of fun.  It was incredibly beautiful!  We saw a lot of marine life and the coral reef.  I was disappointed that we only ended up seeing TWO statues.  I thought the statues were all together, but they were not.  Be prepared for this.  ALSO remember not to hyperventilate.  Pace yourself; because some people had low air in their tank, we had to come up early.  We had 4 exposures left in our underwater camera there was unused. The lesson was about 1 hour.  The ride out to Isla Mujeres is about 40 minutes one way. The dive itself lasted about 40 minutes. So in total, we started the day at 7:30am and didn’t get back to the resort until almost 3pm.

 

Kukulcan Mall: B-

A fairly standard mall that we went to because it was raining.  If you want to buy souvenirs, it might be best to get it at the mall anyway.  Nothing exceptional. There was an Elvis show on the bottom level.  On the upper level, we found some great art galleries to walk through. Luxury Avenue was only okay.  There were some high end designers like LV, Rolex and Burberry, but then also some mixed in like BCBGMaxazria? Random.

 

Flea Market: D-

This was a complete waste of time.  All the things are priced similar (or more) than the mall.  You get harassed and pestered constantly.  If you’re a woman, forget it.  They don’t bother to really negotiate with you let alone talk to you.  You will get hollered at, whistled at, and generally annoyed by everyone even if you are with your husband. This is where I encountered the most sexism, racism and ageism. There really isn’t anything special you can get here that you can’t get elsewhere anyway.  I would skip this completely.

 

Coco Bongo: A

I was having a terrible start to my honeymoon and my husband knew this.  With the help of one of the bellmen, Juan, he got front table reservations to Coco Bongo!  Coco Bongo is like a giant nightclub.  There are no seats (be prepared to stand all night) and dress like you’re going clubbing!  I originally thought it was a show, so I wore a dress and brought a purse which became a hassle.  The music and the shows were INCREDIBLE, a definite must-do, especially if you’re with the ladies! The only reason this was not an A+ was because of how crowded it became. I was barely able to dance because of all the people there.  A group paid off some bouncers who ended up kicking us off the reserved table for them (we still were allowed to stay in the area) but it was really cramped. But overall, I had so much fun there and really enjoyed the performances! It cost $65 per person (includes open bar).

 

Vendors

 

AquaWorld: C

We confirmed with the resort that even though it was raining, the Jungle Tour was not cancelled.  So AquaWorld (who runs it) picked us up and dropped us off on location.  Once we got there, our group was told that half of the Jungle Tour was cancelled (saying no snorkeling but we could still go on the Aquatwister).  I asked if we get refunded any credits.  They said no.  I asked to reschedule and the AquaWorld worker told us we could always do it two days later. I agreed and told him to reschedule us.  He said he couldn’t and that I’d have to do it at my resort. When I asked about getting back to the resort, he essentially smiled at me and told me we’d have to walk, bus or taxi back unless we wanted to wait 4 hours for the roundtrip transportation since it was an “independent company”.  I was livid. So in the soaking wet rain, we bused back to the resort only to find out that we were misinformed.  The Sunday slot was full and the only thing available was on Saturday which did NOT include transportation.  I was absolutely offended by the way this situation was handled and will be forwarding a formal complaint to Aquaworld.

 

The guides on the tours themselves were always funny and knowledgeable. I was always inclined to tip and did when they did an exceptional job, but I was really annoyed by the badgering for tips at the end of each tour. I think asking for tips made me less likely to give them one, or if I did, it would not have been as much as I would have originally given.

 

Travel Agent – Melissa @ Beach Bum Vacations: A+

Recommended by many brides on the forums, I sought out Melissa from BBV. All the reviews were right!  Melissa was absolutely incredible.  I had a million and one questions (most of which were misdirected) but Melissa was still able to answer ALL of them, always responding quickly.  The wedding planning and honeymoon booking process was SO EASY with Melissa and it was one of the things that I really needed.  I am incredibly picky and need to know all my information upfront before ever making a decision.  I am also very control oriented and usually have to stop myself from micromanaging things.  Melissa got that and really helped me with the process of booking guests and being a liaison between myself and Le Blanc.  The best part of all this is that BBV is free (and I am a Canadian bride)!  Never did I feel second rate because of where I am from or who we are.  I will definitely be using BBV again for future trip planning!

 

Airline (Westjet): B+

The booking process went well. Some other brides I talked to had said that Westjet hung their wedding dresses up in their closet.  Airport staff also confirmed this.  But when I boarded (both on departure and return) I was told I would not be able to do that.  So I had to put my dress in the overhead compartment. Flight was smooth (and unrelated, I went through customs just fine with my metal spiked shoes too). Westjet did fine, nothing above and beyond.

 

However, when my guests were returning to Toronto, Westjet had to divert the flight to Hamilton to avoid a large storm.  My guests were supposed to depart at 10am and land at 1pm, but no one got home until almost midnight.  Westjet pilot told passengers that he did not know what was going on.  They ended up getting on a 3 hour bus ride back to the city.  Westjet also failed to provide any sort of food to the passengers.  Only water was offered.

 

Car Rental (Autosel): D-

Our butler sourced a few different car rental companies for us and gave us the company with the lowest price for a Dodge Avenger for $70USD for the day.  On the day of, Autosel shows up with a Dodge Attitude (small) and it ended up costing us $80 not including gas.  They charged my husband and extra $5 on the spot for bringing the vehicle to him... sneaky. In addition, there was a lot of damage on the car already when we got it (we made him document it all) and I didn’t notice until we were driving that there were ants in the car. Overall, we were very displeased with the experience and the quality of Autosel’s rentals. I would not rent from these guys again.

 

Overall themes of our honeymoon

Negatives

- bride/groom put in lower quality room

- extra and hidden fees

- non-inclusive transportation experience

- inconsistent pricing

- resort credits difficult to spend

- humidity made items inside rooms damp

- weather (raining 4/5 days)

 

Positives

- smooth airport experience and customs

- water is never cold in the pool or ocean

- food quality

- butlers

- variety of tours and activities

 

Conclusion

What I Expected of the Resort Experience: A

What I Actually Received through the Resort Experience: B+

 

The majority of the negative experience comes from the terrible weather during our stay.  All the rain limited our options for tours and activities.  In addition, the rain caused major problems in Le Blanc’s interior.  There was flooding, leaking and dripping everywhere.  Buckets and towels all over the place!! Also, having just left Moon Palace with a similar experience with room problems, I was not impressed at all by how Le Blanc tried to do the same thing with us. If it weren’t for the food and the butlers, I think I would have asked to leave Le Blanc altogether.

 

One particular thing that bothered me most (in my general stay in Cancun) was that many people greeted my husband first and asked him questions directly without really acknowledging me despite the fact that I was the one giving answers.  Several times I had to assertively interject because I planned the majority of the trip and knew the details and at times I was completely ignored.  Perhaps it was because we looked like a young couple so we are not taken seriously?  Or perhaps it was the assumption that my husband who is tall and Caucasian could likely communicate or know more than myself with an Asian background? Whatever it was (sexism, racism, ageism), even if it was inherent in their culture, I was greatly annoyed. This subliminal exclusion did not go unnoticed, as it was not only perceived by me, but my husband as well. As a result, many times instead of feeling hurt or correcting them, I simply told my husband what to say and gave him the cash to pay/tip just to make things go faster and smoother. People would be constantly appealing to my husband without knowing that I had all the money and made most of the decisions. Again, this is the local experience, not just Le Blanc specific.

 

One thing I really liked was the complementary tote bag we were given.  I used it A LOT during our stay.  The inside has a waterproof liner so it was very useful for tours and activities.  However, it was torn to shreds from simple wear and tear in the 4 days I used it.  The maid walking by was very generous when I asked if I could have a replacement.

 

Le Blanc’s saving grace is their amazing view.  No matter how bad things got, the ocean always made me start the day with a positive attitude.  Even when it was stormy, the view is divine! The butlers go above and beyond expectations every time, and the food!  Let’s just say I had a difficult time coming home to cereal and microwave dinners. I am not sure if I would return to Le Blanc.  If not for the weather, I’m sure it would have been a marvelous stay.  But the resort is very small, and we’ve already seen what we could see so I do not know if we will return again.