Review: A Stay At Cancun’s Luxury LeBlanc Resort

This is the kind of view that has you asking yourself, IS THIS REAL LIFE??  After months of being home, I finally ventured out for a little sun, sand, and relaxation…and after a lot of research settled on the luxury LeBlanc Resort Cancun.

I loved my five days there, and wanted to do a full review post because I had a surprisingly difficult time finding good blog reviews while I was planning my trip.

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I go into WAY more detail about the rooms, resort, food and drinks, pools, beach, service, and more below…and LOTS of pictures.  Fair warning, it’s quite in-depth, but that’s because when I was doing my own research and trying to decide which resort to choose, I couldn’t find a lot of helpful details that would help me either make a decision or plan my trip.

But in case you’re short on time, here’s the TLDR version…

Bottom line review of LeBlanc Resort Cancun: 

• It’s absolutely beautiful and the service is great, they try to make it feel very special.  This is a great resort for a special occasion or just a splurge-y getaway.  It certainly caters to honeymoons, anniversaries, and other “couple” special occasions.  I think I was the only solo person there, but I never felt out of place and loved every minute.
• The pool areas and beach are amazing, and a major draw here…I literally spent most of my time at the pool.
• The rooms are very nice but do remember this is still a boutique hotel, not one of those sprawling resorts with big villas and such.  Your room will be nice but it’s still a hotel room.  I also didn’t realize until partway through my stay that I didn’t get any resort credits based on when I booked my room…that was a bit of a bummer, but I should have done better research.
• I stayed in the Royale Governor Suite Ocean Front.  It was beautiful and spacious, very white, modern, open, and clean inside, with a nice sitting area.  It has one of the biggest balconies in the hotel, but it’s still quite tiny so I think next time I’d go with a smaller room (still oceanfront) and save a little money.
• The food at LeBlanc is very good, and really excellent for an all-inclusive.  In my five days there, I was never bored or felt limited.
• I didn’t have a chance to try out the spa (which is supposed to be awesome).
• There are a handful of activities here (some evening shows or live music, paddleboard yoga in the morning, etc.) but this isn’t the type of place people come to be entertained constantly, or for a party vibe.  If that’s what you’re looking for (I wasn’t), you should look elsewhere.

I strongly recommend checking out the reviews on TripAdvisor (especially the most recent ones) and reading my tips on how to pick the best hotel for you.  I’ve also stayed at Excellence Playa Mujeres (TripAdvisor reviews here), and done a deep-dive comparison of the two.  (I’ve also stayed at Royal Hideaway Playacar if you want to check it out.)

See my direct comparison of LeBlanc vs. Excellence Playa Mujeres

Okay, diving in to the details…here’s what we’ll cover:

• Arrival & getting settled
• The pools
• The service
• The rooms
• The resort overall & public areas
• The beach
• The food & drink, restaurants
• The activities
• A few last thoughts

Arrival & getting settled in

Getting through customs and getting my luggage didn’t take too long.  One major thing to remember—keep the piece of the customs form they give back to you, as you’ll need it when you depart!

I found the Xelbor driver and only had to wait a few minutes, then it was only 20-25 minutes in the van to hotel.  Though it was a shared transfer (included with the cost of my room), I ended up having the transfer to myself both ways.

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Erica met me upon arrival and got me checked in.  She offered me a flower, some cold sweet coconut milk that was so refreshing, and a warm aromatic neck pillow to relax me while she did the paperwork.

I got my plastic bracelet which is also the room key, but thankfully not garish or annoying.  Then I met Francisco, who was my butler for a decent portion of my stay (certain days/times of day).  He stayed to unpack my luggage, while I went down to find a snack and drink and explore.

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The pools

I’m starting with the LeBlanc pools because that’s where I spend the most time, so it’s the #1 thing I care about at any beach resort.

Pool Sol

I seriously spent like…75% of my entire stay here???  Sun, drinks, Kindle, and Spotify.  That’s the life.

I’d get out here early in the morning because I’m an early riser, maybe go down to the beach to watch the rest of the sunrise, and select my chair, then just chill under an umbrella reading until the sun got strong enough to really be worth laying out.

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As soon as I settled on a chair, one of the pool concierges (light blue shirts) would pop by and bring towels, helping me get set up.  They’d bring by little silver bucket stands with water and ice as well, and refresh them throughout the day.  There were so many great pool concierges and servers (white shirts) as well—Henry, Laura, Lucinda, Carlos, and Alia just to name a few!

All the staff were so attentive, swinging by to see if I wanted another drink, anything to eat, even going out of their way on occasion to get food from one of the other restaurants if that was what I (or one of the other guests) were really craving.

A couple tips on figuring out where to sit…obviously assuming you’re looking for the same things I was:

• For me, I found that I liked to sit on the right-hand side of Pool Sol, and preferably toward the “top” end near the middle (because of the angle of the sun)
• Why??  First and foremost for the breeze…I found that when I sat over on the left side near the bar or over in Pool Luna, I was sweltering hot.  The right side gets a great breeze off the water all day!
• The other thing that was a consideration for me was that Le Blanc was next door to a resort that had a little more of a party vibe, so in the afternoons you could hear some bass, DJ, etc. coming over the wall over on the left side and by the bar
• That said, I would usually leave my things in my chair and then grab a towel and temporarily sit over on the left side in the corner in the late afternoon to get some last sun…Pool Sol starts to lose sun around 2pm as the sun moves over to the over side of the building (where Pool Luna is)

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Make sure you get a glimpse of Pool Sol during sunrise as well…it’s so pretty!  Sunrise time was around 7:20a, and I got down there usually between 7:00 and 7:45 depending.  I did learn that the best colors come when you’re patient, developing *after* the sun just peeks over the horizon.

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Pool Luna

And then there’s the other big main pool, Pool Luna.  And BOY is she gorgeous!

This view looks like something straight out of Architectural Digest.  So, pros:  it gets the mid/late afternoon sun, is beautiful, has these amazing in-the-water hammocks, etc.

Cons though for me were that there was NO breeze and it was oppressively hot and humid, so I just didn’t enjoy it as much back here.  Not a lot of people back here when I tried it a couple times.  They have some activities back here most days as well, like BINGO, water volleyball, etc.  I just hated sweating that much.

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The other two smaller pools

I’m not sure what the “official” name of this pool is, but it’s a level up from Pool Sol and right next to the restaurant Terraza.  It is really beautiful and never busy, though doesn’t get much breeze.  Great giant beds though, and amazing view!

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There’s also this little pool between Pool Sol and the beach, that didn’t have a name from what I could tell.  It’s so pretty!  It felt like a little tiny “party” group would end up gathering here late in the day to talk and drink (nothing crazy or annoying, just seemed like lots of different couples getting to know each other).

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The service

LeBlanc Cancun prides themselves on their service at all levels of the resort, and they largely lived up to that.  In my room, my butlers were Francisco (a lot of the time), Salvador some mornings, and Luis when Francisco had the day off.  The butlers can help with anything you need, from dinner reservations to booking tours to unpacking and packing your suitcases.

If you want to take advantage of any of the in-room offerings like aromatherapy, bath salts, soaps, pillow menu, or anything else, your butler can help you.  One of the things I asked Francisco to do was change my shuttle departure time…it was scheduled at like 8:30am for a 1:00pm flight, and I shifted to 10:30 so I could enjoy a couple last hours at the pool.

The resort app is great (if a tiny bit buggy), and you can order room service, check schedules, and all sorts of other stuff super easily.

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All the reviews I’d read ahead talked about getting like $1,500 in resort credits with their room, and so I just assumed I’d get those too (which is on me).  Apparently they weren’t offering them based on when I booked though, which was a bummer.

Two things that I found a bit frustrating were that I booked over the phone and never got an actual confirmation email despite multiple phone calls and assurances that it was being sent.  Additionally, it would be nice if Le Blanc would offer something special for single people, not only anniversary and honeymoon.  My suite came with a free special romantic dinner for anniversary or honeymoon, but I couldn’t take advantage.

The room (I booked Royale Governor’s Suite)

Let’s take a moment to appreciate that bathtub beach view…SIGH.

I was wanting to splurge and loved the idea of having more space, and the balcony.  And the room was lovely, spacious, clean, and had all these delightful little touches.

But at the end of the day it was still a hotel room, and I was spending most of my time at the pool, so I would go smaller next time to make it worth the cost here.  More on the balcony in a sec.

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A couple smaller notes…the couch really needs some cushions to be comfortable for sitting, and bed is super soft (which for me isn’t very comfortable, I’m all about a firm bed).  While the room was beautiful, I just didn’t use a ton of it, including the balcony.  The wi-fi worked well overall (sometimes would be a little slow to pick up or dropped on my computer specifically but no big issues).

They give you an in-room espresso maker, a welcome bottle of red wine, and four bottles of premium liquor.  Besides the coffee, I didn’t end up using any of it since the liquor wasn’t to my taste (I really wanted gin, and it was scotch, vodka, tequila, and rum) and while I love red wine it tends to make me unwell.  One tip, you can ask them to swap out the red for white wine if you prefer.

There are also some snacks and cold drinks, plus plenty of water in the mini fridge that they keep stocked.  At night they come in and do turn-down, and leave a couple of artisan chocolates for you as well.

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The bathroom was lovely, dominated by the bathtub (more on that in a moment).  One thing I LOOOOOVED was the two-way shower.  It was unexpected and BOMB.

There’s a rainfall showerhead above, and then two sideways powerful shower heads in the wall as well, so you feel kind of buffeted on all sides.  It feels amazing.

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On my first afternoon I browsed the TV’s menu of resort offerings, including the in-room aromatherapy options, bath salts, pillow menu, and more.  Before I left for dinner, Francisco asked me if there was anything he could do.  I let him know the aromatherapy and bath scents that sounded best to try, and asked if he could draw a bath for around 8:00pm (so I could enjoy it when I got back from dinner).

I’m not a bath person at all, but I definitely felt like I had to try it!  The bathtub is so big, so I could really sink in and just luxuriate while reading my Kindle.  That was the only night I did it, but I bet many people probably enjoy an awesome bath every day while staying here.

After the first few mornings I figured out my perfect schedule to start the day…

I pre-ordered breakfast room service the night before, to arrive in the 6:45-7:00 window.  Sadly I couldn’t really sleep past then anyway.  So I’d wake up, throw on my robe, make one of my in-room espressos, and wait for my food to arrive.

Then I’d take my food and coffees out on my little balcony to watch the sun rise and listen to the waves crash.

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One of the “selling points” of the Royale Governor Suite (Ocean Front) is the balcony that you can actually walk out onto.  For me I just didn’t end up using it enough though, and it was also quite hot with no breeze in the afternoon, so as I mentioned above, I’d downgrade rooms next time and maintain the ocean view but not pay extra for the patio.

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LeBlanc Cancun Resort public areas & overall vibe

Okay, let’s talk about the resorts itself…the grounds, buildings, public spaces, and more.  They’re BEAUTIFUL.  Also it smells amazing everywhere, I think they pipe the aromatherapy throughout the whole resort.

Any angle you look out over the pools is so pretty, any time of day.  One thing I noticed is that LeBlanc has little seating areas scattered all over the resort so that even if people don’t want to sit by the pool, they can find nice little chairs and couches for chillin’ or conversation.

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The decor throughout the buildings is very much to my taste, with beautiful clean white and silver touches, lots of rich teals and blues that echo the ocean that’s steps away.

Each of the restaurants has its own vibe as well, based heavily on the cuisine (e.g. Japanese, French, etc.).

The beach at LeBlanc Cancun

TAKE ME BAAAAAAAACK!

While I love laying out by a pool (less sand sticking to you), I absolutely love the ocean…looking at the water, hearing the waves crash, luxuriating in the different shades of green and blue.  The beachfront at LeBlanc Cancun is stunning and well cared for.

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I made sure to spend at least a few minutes on the beach each day, getting my feet wet, watching the birds (or the parasailers) soar, and taking a ton of pics.

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You can get a chair down on the beach if you’d like (I don’t like dealing with sand myself), or your can rent one of the private beach cabanas for the day.  You can pay $250, or use resort credits if you have them (you do have to pay about $40 in taxes still).

It comes with your own private server all day, a cold bottle of Moet, and white glove service.  I didn’t do it since I didn’t have credits, but worth thinking about.

I don’t do all-inclusives much, but here’s how I felt about the nearby Royal Hideaway Playacar

The food, drinks, & restaurants

I’ve done a MUCH deeper post on LeBlanc Cancun’s different restaurants, food, and drinks overall, so I’ll just hit some high points here.  As I mentioned at the outset, the food overall was excellent for an all-inclusive resort, and pretty good for *not* an all-inclusive.  The portions were generally pretty small, which I appreciated because then I could try more things without wasting food.

Drinks were…hit and miss?  From a *true* cocktail standpoint, I think Yama and Lumiere had the best cocktails (for my taste) and maybe Terraza too.  At the bars (lobby, Cava, etc.) I didn’t have great luck going off-menu, even for classic cocktails like a gin gimlet or old fashioned.  I had a truly heinous Old Fashioned at the bar in the lobby, and learned my lesson and stuck to gin & tonics after that.

I realize places have their specialties and this is definitely a tequila and rum area (and I don’t like tequila) so part of that’s on me, but for a resort THIS NICE I would have thought that bartenders at the fancier bars (not the pool bars) would know some classic drinks, and honestly I’d love to see Le Blanc get at least one decent bourbon on their back bar (you get Jim Beam & Jack Daniels, neither of which are super premium).

I ate at all of the restaurants except Blanc, though I believe when you order from the pool that it’s coming from Blanc.  Of them, my second meal at Yama might have been the best, and Lumiere was very good as well (there’s just a ton on the menu that I can’t eat).  Nowhere was bad, and the service was mostly great as well.

Here are a few “quick hits” on the main LeBlanc Resort Cancun restaurants:

• Terraza:  The croquesita brioche was weird and good, the goat cheese tart delicious, and the moka pancakes delightful.  The parmesan cream soup was delicious as well.  Terraza for “second breakfast” is a winner.
• Yama:  All the sushi was delicious, the beef tataki was good, the short rib bao bun was delicious but spicy, and the macadamia nut ice cream was revelatory.
• Bella:  I went wine here, and had the cacio e pepe which was delicious.  The lasagna was fine but I was full at that point.  This restaurant’s design could use better ambiance, but the service was wonderful.
• Lumiere:  Delicious cocktails, and the mid-course 80% butter brioche was WHOA.  The rack of lamb was very good.  Their little amuse bouches were delightful, and desserts delicious.

I did order food from the pool several times, sometimes just a snack and other times lunch.  The nachos look amazing but lacked flavor, but were fine.  The onion rings (which aren’t on the menu) are great, you can tell they’re handmade.

The tacos are really the winner here though, including the fish pastor ones and the tinga (my faves!).  The other stuff I ordered to the pool left me a little flat taste/texture-wise.  Also, make sure to grab ice cream or a milkshake from Glacé right there at Pool Sol whenever the mood strikes you!

Pro tip:  Doing the breakfast room service pre-order is way better in my opinion…when you order morning-of, it can take a really long time and the coffee wasn’t as hot and fresh when I got it.

For pre-order breakfast room service, my favorite things to get were the waffles (definitely better than the pancakes in my opinion!), and a couple cappuccinos.  I’d throw in a couple pastries for good measure (the vanilla concha and dulce de leche croissant were my faves).  These were the best coffees I had from anywhere in the resort.  The resort does offer 24-hour in-room dining.

The cute tiny pastries at Ka’kau (the coffee and crepe shop) were great too, as well as the crepes.

Thinking of visiting Chichen Itza?  Here’s a little about my visit (on a separate trip)

Activities

If you’re looking for lots of different activities and a super lively atmosphere, LeBlanc Cancun may not be the place for you.  I wanted super chill and relaxing, so it was perfect.

That said they do have a couple activities each evening, like one night a live rock cover band at Cava (I stopped by for a while, and it was really fun and so good to hear live music!).  I also tried out the paddleboard yoga one morning.  The staff can book you tours to go see Chichen Itza, the cenotes, and more as well.

Compare this to nearby Excellence Playa Mujeres

A few last thoughts on LeBlanc Cancun…

Tipping is something that always stresses me out, because I don’t know what’s expected, what’s overkill, plus it always feels super awkward to figure out how and when to hand over the dollars.  I did quite a bit of digging ahead of time and I still have no idea what’s “right”.

I ended up probably overtipping but in my mind, those few dollars here and there can be a big deal in other countries, plus all the staff is having to wear masks (especially out in the heat by the pool!) and do extra steps for everyone and the resort doesn’t have as many people.  I brought a few hundred in $1, $5, and $10s.  I maybe used $250 in tips total in my 5 days there?

I tended to tip a dollar with most drinks, a $5 to the pool concierges I worked with the most, $5 or $10 for a full sit down meal, and then gave my butlers $10-20 depending on how long they were with me.  Remember that everyone’s days off will differ, so don’t just wait til the end if you’re tipping.  And don’t forget the housekeeping staff!

I loved this little touch of chocolates that they gave me as I was leaving, which is really emblematic of the sweet little things they do during your stay…

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I didn’t get a chance to try out either the spa (which I hear is awesome) or the fitness center, so can’t speak to those.  But if there’s anything else I didn’t cover, or other questions you have about staying at LeBlanc Resort Cancun, please let me know in the comments!  While there were small things that could be improved, I absolutely loved my stay overall!

You can book through LeBlanc Cancun’s website directly…though it’s worth calling their customer service because I got a *slightly* better rate that way.  It’s worth looking at reviews and such on Booking.com and TripAdvisor as well.

Other beautiful beachy hotels you’ll fall in love with:

• The Gorgeous “Hotel Unique” In Fethiye, Turkey
• Resort Review: Excellence Playa Mujeres in Cancun, Mexico
• Negril, Jamaica’s, Stunning Tensing Pen Resort
• Royal Hideaway Playacar in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico

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