We went to Le Blanc from May 10 to May 14. I was really looking forward to this visit because we have friends who rave about Le Blanc. We have a resort we visit frequently in Playa Mujeres that we have never found anything better than, so we wanted to try Le Blanc, but it was pricier than our usual resort. We were guests of another couple who invited us, so the trip cost us nothing.
We made the mistake of taking the free transfer offered. We were crammed into a van with two other couples and had to stop at their resort on the way. Contact Canada Transfers to get a better deal on a private transfer and have drinks ready for you that you order in advance.
About a week before our trip we received an email from a girl named Pamela asking about restaurants we wanted to book. We had never been there, so we had no clue. Because of a TripAdvisor review I’d read about a couple being turned off by “memberships,” I replied that we were not interested in any memberships and asked that our file/reservation be noted.
We received a nice greeting with cold towels and a beverage while we waited for a desk to open for check-in. It probably took about 15 to 20 minutes. After check-in we were informed another colleague wanted to talk to us about credits we could get for excursions and spa treatments if we listened to a 90-minute presentation. We said we were not interested, but the “shark tank” was waiting the minute we got up from our chairs. To appease her we let her show us the brochure and pamphlets and listened to the high-dollar amounts offered if we attended the presentation. Of these credits — about $750 — only $350 could be used for the spa. We again said we would not attend the presentation. Then she wrote down a higher dollar figure for us — $1,500 in credits. Again, we were not interested; she kept asking why and said she could put us down for the 11 a.m. or 12 p.m. presentation. We again said no, and her response was, “You’ve got to be kidding me.” At that point I snapped: “We’ve only been at this resort for 10 minutes, haven’t even seen it, and you’re pressuring us into a meeting.” That left a bad taste in our mouths.
We went up to our room on the fourth floor: the Royal Honeymoon Suite, oceanfront. I was surprised how small the room was (412 sq ft) compared to our regular resort in Playa Mujeres (807 sq ft). I thought the shower was very small — it could barely fit one person. The shower door was hard to slide open and the knobs were hard to turn. We enjoy our double shower at our favorite resort, and you really can’t both get ready in the small dressing area with only one sink. I thought the room layout was strange and not what I expected. The bath towels, slippers, and bathrobe were the best I have ever experienced anywhere — I applaud them for attention to detail in this area. I was disappointed there were no balconies. I always enjoy sitting on a balcony with my coffee and fruit tray in the mornings; the view was outstanding, but there was no balcony to enjoy it. I also missed having an “x-box.” At our other resort we have an x-box — and no, it’s not the video game system; it’s a little compartment by the door where room service (which is 24 hours) can put your food from the hallway so you can take it into your room without opening the door. We liked this because we were never bothered (we would have coffee automatically delivered every morning without having to open the door). There is no such thing at Le Blanc.
One of the first things we did after unpacking was ask our butler if we could exchange the scotch (which we don’t drink) for a bottle of whiskey (which we do). We were told no, unless we wanted to buy a bottle, but we were told we could order shots to be set up in the room. This was the start of getting more NO than YES answers.
We went to the pool area to find our friends, who had arrived a day earlier. They had loungers to the left of the entrance. Lo and behold, there were ants everywhere where they were sitting. When our friends called someone over to ask if they could spray, the response was, “We can sweep them up, but they will just come back.” Nothing was done after that. We finally had to move.
We had dinner at the Italian restaurant, Bella, on the first night. We had a table of six. I was surprised that each time servers brought out food they didn’t seem to know who ordered it; we were constantly switching plates around, and one entrée didn’t arrive until about 10 minutes after the rest of us had been served. It was very uncomfortable because the rest of us were waiting for that plate before we started eating, and food got cold in the meantime.
My husband wanted to smoke a cigar after dinner. The smoking areas were laughable , more like a prison . The best place to smoke is in front of the hotel to the right as you exit — maybe four chairs. Then there is a third-floor area where you’ll be in the blistering sun or rain and there are only two chairs. Or off in the grassy knoll behind the pickleball court — again two chairs and full sun (or rain). This is completely inadequate regardless of the smoking laws. Never seen anything like this.
Monday morning we had breakfast at the buffet; the food was good, though the orange juice tasted watered down. We enjoyed the infinity pool on floor three and stayed there the whole day. The service was fabulous and the views were breathtaking. Our friends were “roped” into a presentation at noon to get more credits and were gone until 3 p.m. They said the resort brought in four closers to get them to buy more membership, and the closers “huffed out of the room” when they weren’t getting anywhere. We laughed — three hours of my time is more important than credits for services we have no interest in. That was prime lay-in-the-sun time, and by the time they returned we were ready to get ready for the evening. For dinner that night we went to Yama, the Japanese restaurant. I never did get my fried rice, but I was full anyway, so didn’t complain; the wait staff seemed mixed up about who ordered what. That evening we went to see The Mentalist show with David McGee, and I highly recommend it — he will blow you away. Do not miss this show! This was a highlight of our visit.
Tuesday morning, after breakfast at the buffet, we went to the Luna pool. It was quiet and we enjoyed watching people play water volleyball. It was a relaxing day; we ordered sandwiches for lunch and the service was excellent. For dinner we went to the French restaurant Lumiere. I had the sea bass, which was fabulous. We were tired by the end of dinner and called it a night.
Wednesday morning, after breakfast at the buffet, we went to the beach. The water at this resort is beautiful, and you can’t stop staring at it, but the beach at our resort in Playa Mujeres is better. Both beaches suffer from sargassum and both resorts use tractors to control it. At Le Blanc, the tractor churns the sargassum back and forth, mixing it into the sand where it bakes in the hot sun and the smell is relentless. At our Playa Mujeres resort, the tractor scoops up the sargassum, takes it further down the beach, and buries it. We could only enjoy Le Blanc’s beach for a couple of hours because the smell was bothersome and we didn’t attempt to get into the water. Le Blanc’s beach is also public, meaning vendors can approach you to sell their wares; the Playa Mujeres beach does not allow this. We came back to the main pool and ordered nachos, guacamole, and chips.
We returned to our room at 3:30 because my husband needed to get on his company laptop, and I was disappointed to find the room had not been made up. This was very disappointing and added to the negative impression of the visit. All we needed was fresh towels so we could get ready for the evening. It amazes me that the butler didn’t stay on top of this; the most our butler did was press the elevator button when he saw us coming.
Dinner that night was at the steakhouse, where I had the catch of the day — it was good. The servers there seemed to know what they were doing and who ordered what.
Thursday we checked out to go home. This was a head-shaking visit because of the many issues I’ve listed and the fact that people rave about this place. I feel they rave about it because they don’t have anything better to compare it to — but I do. I have been to several hotels in the hotel zone, the Riviera Cancun, and Tulum. None of those places match our favorite resort, but I was glad to get this experience out of my system and stop thinking about it. I did hear Le Blanc in Cabo is much better, and we might consider that. We really wanted to like it. As we were loaded into our transfer (and please, pay the extra to get your own private transfer), the guy who helped us into the van said, “Be sure to post a review on TripAdvisor — only if it is good!” Wow. How can they improve if they don’t hear about the things that need work?
