03 Oct Honeymoon Resorts: UNICO vs. Le Blanc
My husband and I just returned from our honeymoon in Mexico. We stayed at UNICO 20° 87° in Riviera Maya for three nights and Le Blanc Spa Resort in Cancun for three nights. Both properties are 5-star, all-inclusive, and adults-only. While we loved both of these properties, they were quite different in a few aspects. You can read our review of UNICO here and our review of Le Blanc here. Below we’ll highlight some of their differences so you can decide which one might be right for you!
1. Size of Property
UNICO 20° 87° is much larger than Le Blanc, with 448 rooms. Le Blanc, on the other hand, has just 260. In addition to having more rooms, UNICO’s property itself is much larger, with two very large pools and one smaller pool, as well as restaurants and other amenities that are more spread out. It was fun to explore the entire property at UNICO, but we loved the convenience of Le Blanc’s small size. It felt very intimate and unlike the usual all-inclusive experience. Le Blanc definitely had the feel of a honeymoon property, while UNICO was great for a honeymoon but geared more towards groups and singles.
Le Blanc Spa Resort Cancun
Unico 2087 Riviera Maya
2. Beaches
If you’ve read our reviews of both properties (linked above in first paragraph), you know that the beach at Le Blanc Spa Resort was much bigger and better than the one at UNICO. We usually opt for the pool over the beach, so we didn’t mind it terribly at UNICO. However, the beach at Le Blanc was so gorgeous and easily accessible that we spent almost every afternoon on it.
Le Blanc Spa Resort Cancun
UNICO 2087 Riviera Maya
3. Rooms
UNICO’s rooms are extremely spacious and comfortable. When we first arrived at Le Blanc, we were given a first level room with a walkout to the pool area. We loved that it was a walkout but it was very small, especially after coming from a stay at UNICO, where the rooms were huge. We eventually moved to a 5th floor room because our back door was broken and needed to be fixed. The 5th floor room was much bigger, with an amazing view. One thing we really liked about our room at UNICO was the balcony area. It was very large, with a couch and a jacuzzi tub. Although we never used the tub (It was over 90 degrees every day with 100% humidity), we did hang out here a lot in the morning and at night after dinner. The views from our rooms were quite different as well. Both were very private, but the room at Le Blanc felt more private because it faced the side of the resort, with partial ocean view and partial lagoon view. UNICO’s room was more set away from the beach area, so while we had a partial ocean view, we also had a view of the whole property. At some resorts I wouldn’t like this but UNICO was so beautiful that I actually loved it. It was especially gorgeous at night, with perfect lighting for great ambiance and tons of palm trees dotting the property.
Le Blanc Spa Resort Cancun
UNICO 2087 Riviera Maya
4. Food
While both properties had outstanding food, the food at Le Blanc was next-level delicious. Often when I get to an all-inclusive property it takes a bit of trial and error to find the best food options. This was the case for UNICO. For example, our first two meals were a bit of a let down; we had guacamole and chips, octopus ceviche, boneless wings, and Caesar salad at the pool bar. Everything was a bit bland and not what we were expecting, though we were starving and did end up eating most of the Caesar salad and a few wings. In addition, we did not care for the first restaurant we tried at UNICO, which was the Mexican restaurant. However, after that first day we had tons of great food for the rest of our stay! I will be posting a separate blog post on the food at both properties. Le Blanc had some of the best food I have ever tasted at an all-inclusive property. The restaurants at both properties were stunning, though!
Le Blanc Spa Resort Cancun, Italian Restaurant (Blanc Bella)
Unico 2087 Riviera Maya, Asian restaurant (Mura House)
5. Overall Vibe
The overall vibe at these two properties was different in just a few ways. While we saw couples and groups at both, we felt that UNICO had more groups and Le Blanc had more couples. There was definitely more of a party vibe at UNICO, while Le Blanc is extremely relaxing and luxurious – perfect for a honeymoon. However, Le Blanc is located right in the heart of Cancun’s hotel zone, so there are tons of places to go out around the property. UNICO is located in the Riviera Maya about an hour and 15 minutes from Cancun, so we are not sure if there is much nightlife outside of the property. We mostly saw people partying at the resort, which has a DJ nightly. At Le Blanc, we saw many couples venturing out to the bars and clubs. Both resorts had nightly entertainment in the lobby bar, so we stayed on-property during both stays.
Le Blanc Spa Resort Cancun
UNICO 2087 Riviera Maya
6. Spa Prices
The spa prices were vastly different between these two properties. At UNICO, the pricing was similar to what you’d see in the US. I have a membership to Massage Envy and it was actually a bit cheaper here! We got two 80-minute couples massages for a total of $350. That comes out to about $87.50 per massage. That’s quite a deal for an 80-minute service. Although we didn’t get a great explanation on this, we found out that UNICO and other Hard Rock properties recently changed their spa pricing and resort credit policies, which is why the prices were so affordable. At Le Blanc, however, the prices were typical for all-inclusive properties in Mexico. An 80-minute massage was almost $200 and specialty treatments were pretty outrageous. We knew that the pricing at UNICO was unique, which is why we got two massages each while we could. We did hear people raving about their Le Blanc spa services, however, so I’m sure they are amazing!
Le BLanc Spa Resort Cancun
UNICO 2087 Riviera Maya
7. Smoking Policy
If you are a smoker, you should go to UNICO. It is very smoking-friendly with ash trays everywhere and you can even smoke by the pools. I was surprised by this because most all-inclusive resorts that I’ve been to have been non-smoking or had a designated smoking area. Le Blanc, on the other hand, has a no-smoking policy. There is a small smoking area in the front of the property in the parking lot.
Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our honeymoon at UNICO and Le Blanc resorts! We would go back to either one if we had the chance. If I had to choose one over the other, I would probably choose Le Blanc because it was so unique and the food was so amazing.
Interested in booking your honeymoon at UNICO or Le Blanc? Call us today at 402-390-9291 or get started here.