The Villa Blanca Gardens is my go to for a short getaway, having stayed there 6 times in the last 4-5 years. It has a beautiful landscape, is across the street from the beach and two dive/excurson piers. Very diver friendly, with dive trips leaving from piers across the street. It has a pool, but no Waterpark, so not as noisy as many of the all inclusive resorts. The current on-site restaurant/bar (Stingrays) is pretty good and not overly expensive on paper, but they give you a poor exchange rate on the dollar. Restuarant/bar staff are friendly and helpful. Stingrays is small as is the Via Blanca generally; thus, there are not a lot of hard core drinkers hanging out there, and I have never seen a person unduly inebriated at the facility. There are four other really good restaurants within walking distance as well. It is an older 3 star facility in Mexico, so don't expect new cushy chairs, but the rooms have a nice Mexican/Caribbean atmosphere, comfortable beds, good AC, and many have a partial view of the ocean. The penthouse has a panoramic view of the ocean from a very large private terrace. If you want a chill out place to stay, avoiding the 'all you can eat buffets' with marginal food, then the Via Blanca Gardens is a great budget wise place to stay! Thus, leaving you money to explore better food and varieties of outdoor activities on sea and land on your own, and there is plenty of them!
I recommend the Villa Blanca Gardens, and look forward to a return visit myself!
