Blue Bay Villas Doradas: vacation disappointment

Hotel was full capacity! They are not prepared for this it seems. Not enough shade spots and loungers unless you wake up at 5am to reserve a spot you are more than likely not getting one - lots of arguments between guests over chairs it was ridiculous!! Coffee was made by an instant machine just press a button early risers have to go down to the beach bar to get a coffee until the buffet opened at 7am. Overall weather was great and food was good don’t bother with the seafood à la cart not great. [... read more] We will not return to this hotel

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: Recent day at Blue Bay

This hotel is very dated and the maintenance is quite poor. However, if you get a good room, they are clean, bed was comfortable enough and basic. When we first arrived, the bathroom had a massive leak. There was a puddle of water on the floor and the phone didn't work and there's no balcony or outdoor space on the second floor.,, so we asked to change rooms. We were given another room that was smaller, on the main floor with a patio,but at least there were no leaks. I asked them for a new coff [... read more]ee maker as the one that was there look like it had been through a fire. The hotel has the most amazing entertainment staff. I've been to many resorts and these people were great and the shows were hilarious. If it wasn't for that, I don't think we would've enjoyed our stay. The main problem is the hotel allows people to reserve chairs the night before they never enforce the rules that say no reserving chairs at the pool and the beach. For some reason, the pool area only has three umbrellas, which is weird because resorts should have umbrellas around all their patio chairs. In my opinion I've never had any different. Lots of sun beds at the beach but again people put their towels the night before and the staff does not remove them as they should so that makes it very frustrating. Everybody at the Resort was talking about it and they were all frustrated so for that reason you might consider whether you want to stay and go through the aggravation every day ...The food is good, but remember this is a three star hotel not a four as it is sometimes stated. You'll never run out of anything to eat. The desserts and ice cream are delicious. The bread is also very good and the pizza you can make your own pasta. They always have some meat or fish being cooked and the à la carte restaurants are good. The week we went, which was April 9-16 2026 it was pouring rain every night, but the first two nights we got there It was so bad that some peoples rooms were flooded. I heard stories of luggage is being soaked in 2 feet of water. Thank goodness there was five hours of sunshine every day. I had an OK time, but I won't go back to this resort ...just too many problems. Maybe if they do an overhaul like they need I would consider in the future.

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: Worst Vacation Ever

I have been travelling the Caribbean for 30 years. Blue Bay Villas Dorado is by far the worst resort I have ever stayed in. If it were free I would never stay again. Our room flood completely two nights in a row, 6 inches of water. NO COMPENSATION! Told we can’t help if it t rains. Food was awful, resort is very poorly layer out.

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: Great Stay

This was a trip for me and my husband, strictly for sunshine and relaxation! It was a great pick for us and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I had been here before, section of rooms by the lobby, this time we were closer to the beach. I do prefer the rooms closer to the beach, big pool and buffet was all nearby. We didn’t spend much time at the evening shows at the Black & White bar but it seemed most people enjoyed them. The food was great, highly recommend the Steakhouse restaurant. It’s a goo [... read more]d idea to get the App on your phone work b when you check in. Through the App you can book your own hotel reservations instead of lining up for the concierge. We originally intended to travel to Cuba but that plan didn’t work out, however we were very happy that we booked this instead. The beach was not super spectacular but the water was nice to swim in. The issue with loungers was a problem but we were up and at the beach by 7 and never had any problems to find two together. I highly recommend this resort to people looking for a budget friendly, great value resort!

Blue Diamond Wellness Resort: PERFECT GETAWAY

This resort is truly a hidden gem. Boutique (which yes means smaller) it is is a stunning property, with attentive staff and the food is unbelievable. This is not a 6 restaurant, all you can eat buffet with music pumping all the time, it is not a party spot. It is luxury, caters to you and the staff going out of their way to make your stay everything it can be. The rooms are spacious and sprawling, you have plunge pools and patios to enjoy, walk-in closest and mini fridges stocked each day w [... read more]ith drinks, fans and AC were in great working order and the cleaning was always done by early afternoon. The pools (there are 3 there is a hidden one at the spa, make sure you find it), are cleaned, clear and cool. The areas are reset every day, always fresh towels and the bar and staff always ready to support. There are 2 restaurants, which you rotate through each night for dinner. The food is amazing, not overwhelming portions, fresh ingredients and always something new, we never got board of the food - breakfast was our fave! The beach was stunning. Seaweed (when we had it) was cleared each day by the staff. Great couples get away or recharge if you are busy with work!

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: Dated Resort

The rooms are very dated. Our window did not lock and the deadbolt on the door was broken when we arrived. We called and they did come to fix the same day. The first night we arrived, we did not realize we didn't have a bed spread and froze when sleeping. Many of the lounge chairs are ripped or broken. Not enough shade at the beach or pool. Need to get up before 5 am in order to get a spot with shade. The VIP section on the beach was empty every day. This should be opened up for others t [... read more]o use if empty and people could move if any VIP's showed up. Food was not great. Although you could get a fresh omelette every morning and pasta in the evening. Drinks were good - not watered down.

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: Nice little resort

Nice spot. Small resort, everything within a short walk. GREAT food at every meal, including the fried chicken at the beach bar. Rooms are adequate. Pool and beach loungers were scarce and some broken.

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: The Smell of Seaweed and Cigarettes .

firstly, it was seaweed season, so the beaches were practically un-swimmable for the whole week, and smelt terrible. this was also, quite obviously, a very smoke friendly resort, with ash trays on top of every trash bin, and smokers puffing away everywhere. including poolside. i rarely got a hot shower in my room, even the friends that i went with were all complaining about the inconsistent water pressure(if any) and temp of the showers in their rooms as well. the rooms themselves were n [... read more]ice, bedding was very comfortable, but the doors allowed for a lot of noise from the resort to come through, making ear plugs a necessity for a good nights sleep. the buffet food was pretty good, though the steakhouse was disappointing. thankfully, the italian and mexican restaurants were very good. the app kept failing on us and we were not able to book the french restaurant, but we heard great things. the pools were great, the staff was incredibly kind and overall our experience was really good. though, i doubt id ever go back due to the amount of smokers literally everywhere.

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: Not what i was expecting

This hotel was listed with 4 star reviews. I do not agree. The rooms were dated, buildings falling apart, areas of the resort smelt like sewer, every few hours the bathroom toilets were plugged, toilet paper floating in the pool, very little night entertainment, they didn't rake the seaweed like other resorts, and not enough seating for the amount of guests.

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: Decent and mostly enjoyable week

My husband, adult son and I just returned from this resort on Mar 16/26. Overall, we had a very nice week. The good Food and food variety were very good at the buffet. Selections were hot, tasty, and abundant. Although we stayed away from the fresh salad options, the items looked very fresh and clean. The fruit was also fresh, ripe and delicious. We booked both the Italian and Steak House specialty restaurants and both were outstanding with good quality and nice size portions. The Animati [... read more]on team was fantastic. All of them were high energy, friendly, and engaging. The nightly shows were good too, some were hilarious. The staff, in general, was wonderful. The 3 pools were very nicely maintained, and the poolside bars were well-stocked. Need improvement This is an older resort, and it shows in many places. The villas definitely need an upgrade or major overhaul. They are very dated, furniture and doors, shelves are sticky from being painted over and over instead of sanded and properly painted or replaced. Tile grout on floor is cracked or stained and just looks very unattractive. Several guests mentioned plumbing issues, room keys and / or door locks not working. Our bathroom floor wasn't cleaned, swept or washed all week, or maybe even prior to our arrival because there was a crumb or something on the floor behind the door when we got there and it was still there when we left. The bathroom mirror also wasn't cleaned regularly. Unfortunately, for me, these were deal breakers for leaving a tip. I just felt grossed out seeing the same grime and dirt every day. WIFI is hit and miss. In this day and age, reliable and fast WIFI is a non-negotiable at any resort. It was almost nonexistent in the villas further away, and sometimes even in the lobby or pool area. It took me a couple hours to finally complete airline check-in before our flight. I tried in the room and out by the lobby. Very frustrating. It would not be an expensive fix to install extenders by each block of villas. Another problem, which is quite major, is that 95% of the pool longers are in need of repair or replacement. Although the chair frames were good, the fabric itself was ripped and falling apart. When you sit on one of these chairs, you literally get hit on the head because the rip causes the back rest to whip forward. As the week wore on, there were fewer and fewer chairs available, mostly because the broken ones had to be removed as they just didn't work. We spoke to several return guests who mentioned they would not be coming back to this resport. It's a shame because it has great potential but really needs updates. At best, this resort is more a 3 to 3 1/2 star in its current state

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: So much fun!!

The grounds on this resort were impeccable and well maintained. The food was great, minus the seafood ragout. The steak house was superb, filet was cooked perfectly. The service was above board. The variety of the buffets was great! Our ac worked intermittently, but for the most part worked when we needed it to. The rooms and resort is dated, but clean and welcoming. Front desk staff was fantastic. Pool was a perfect temperature. They do what they can regarding the seaweed.

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: Well done

Great fun pool restaurants Food excellent Thankyou Great staff Bus drivers well done Sunwing staff said thankyou for clothing for Mexican male kids and Female donated We enjoy our Sunwing ,and westjet flight s

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: OK resort

Overall a nice spot, friendly staff. I was in a villa that was very dated, the stool under the desk was rotten as well as the headboard where it touched the floor. The tile floor had quite a few marks in it, bathroom was recently updated and was very nice. Convenient to the golf course directly across the street!

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: Average resort

The hotel is starting to show signs of neglect. All buildings are in need of new thatched roofs or as a minimum, patches. Many fridges don’t work, fixtures are rusting and showing signs of age, water pressure is poor at best, elevators don’t work and rooms are in need of paint. Our room was not very clean either. The good news is that the beds are comfortable, rooms are spacious, staff are wonderful, and the pool is large enough to hold a lot of guests. The food is good. Entertainment is ave [... read more]rage. While the beach is nice, there is little to no shade and serious lack of lounge chairs. I have no idea where the photo on the side of this review came from as there are no structures with shade. Overall, this resort is average and will start having return guests in a year or two.

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: Great place to chill

Resort was small but accommodating and relaxing. Clean rooms and good food. Staff was friendly and helpful. It’s not a party place so if that’s your vibe you probably won’t enjoy it. They did have entertainment each evening and activities during the day. Great place if you want to relax. Beach was cleaned every morning of debris. Buffet dinner had a theme each evening. Only one bartender per bar so a bit of a wait at times. Overall had a great vacation!

Blue Diamond Wellness Resort: Badly needs repairs

I stayed at this resort for a week. The property is stunningly beautiful, the food is excellent and the vibe is serene. Unfortunately the infrastructure has been badly neglected. The first few days of our vacation were spent trying to sort out which room they could move us to as the AC wasn’t working in our room. It was 26.5 degrees through the night. The second room they moved us to the AC didn’t work and there was water pouring in through the ceiling. We met some lovely people there all of wh [... read more]ich shared that either something didn’t work in their room or they’d moved rooms. The room we ended up in had issues with the shower pumping out cold water and the fridge didn’t work. I didn’t even bring this up as it was clear wherever we ended up would have issues. I was just happy to be able to sleep comfortably. It was a bummer as the property is spectacular and the service is phenomenal. The staff were lovely and trying their best to accommodate. We got a compt massage to the hassles. It’s sad as the staff is being asked to provide a 5 star experience without the resources required to do so. The reviews are very mixed on this space and I can confirm the 5 star reviews are from people who ended up in a functional room. If you are going to stay here call ahead and ask which rooms have ductless ACs. The upgraded rooms are the only way to ensure you will have the experience you’re paying for.

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: Dated, but, a Clean Resort

If you are a beach person, you will enjoy it here. It's a long beach, not too crowded and great for walking. Water is great for swimming. There is also a beach bar/ restaurant. Lots of chairs available too (reserving a chair is not allowed). The front desk staff seemed helpful, but it took us 5 days to get a working phone and 3 days to get blankets for our beds (cool at night). The rooms are dated, but they are clean. as are the grounds. The food is good, with an excellent variety. H [... read more]alf of the staff are happy and helpful, while the other half wouldn't smile if you paid them. We would rate this as a 4 star resort.

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: 3.5star

Old resort rooms rundown we were locked out of room for over 4 hrs.when we arrived lock on door would not work had 4 different people come and could not fix lock finally changed lock then waited another 2 hours fer security to come and program the lock asked for different room were told they can’t change room because we didn’t like i we told them it was because the lock was not working we had not even seen the inside of room at this time lots of people complaining about the same problem.we compl [... read more]ained to main desk and were told they could not change anything.this was our 3rd.trip to blue bay got worse each trip then we kept getting more hidden taxes will never be back plus never recommend it to anyone. Prob. Never return to Mexico again to many nicer places to see

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: Not Impressed

The hotel itself and area are quite beautiful. However, upon entering our room we were hit with a massive smell of mold and mildew. It was so strong and it was worse when the AC was on (which was always as it was 29 degrees outside) By day 2 We couldn't take the smell any longer as we were feeling sick. When we went to the lobby to ask for a new room we were told we had no choice but stay in that room for the night. We were staying in building 8 which is closest to a water/waste treatment buildi [... read more]ng. You could very clearly smell the treatment plant at the back end of the resort. the next day when we were told our new room number, I was a bit upset that they were keeping us in the same building. They moved us from the ground floor (our room was at the front corner of the building) up to the 3rd floor and in the back corner (nearest possible room to the treatment plant) The room did not smell, however we could not spend time out on the balcony due to the smell from the plant, our room phone was not working and the fridge was so covered in ice that the bottom was full of water. Also there was no coffee for morning. When I asked for the phone and fridge to be fixed, and coffee to be brought to the room, it took 3 days!!!!!!!!! Each bar at the resort only staffed 1 bartender so you were always standing in line for at least 30-40 mins!!!!!!! And the concierge guys were relentless!!!! Every single time we entered the lobby they were on us to upgrade to cirlce one status. No matter how many times or even how polite we were, they NEVER listened. If someone says "No thank you, we are not interested" then leave them be!!!!!! Lastly, I'd like to say that the seating available at the beach and pools was atrocious!! If the resort holds 5000 people, there was only chairs/spots for aprox 1250 people. There were clearly signs posted saying that saving of chairs was not allowed, but almost everyone there was up between 5-6am just to put their towels on chairs to save them. We will never stay at a Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda Resort again!!!!!

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: Great Week

The grounds were beautiful, pools were beauftiful, staff was amazing and drinks were good. That being said, rooms are very dated, but were clean. We were on the second level in section 8. The big concern was lack of loungers at pools and beach. There are only 6 palapas at the beach (unless you are a Circle One member). No shade. That was a BIG disappointment.