Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: Great resort ... but a few things to note

The Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda is a great resort. The beach is wonderful with lots of water activities: catamaran, kayaks, swimming (rocky bottom but just walk down the beach and you can find a sandy spot to swim). The buffets were great with lots of variety each day, the main buffet had the most variety. The a la carte restaurants were good. My favourites were the French restaurant and the Mexican restaurant. The oriental restaurant had slow service and the food only okay. We did not make it t [... read more]o the steak restaurant as we saved it for our last day and it wasn’t open that day. I was not aware that some a la carte restaurants were only open some days. The staff were friendly and helpful. Our first night was not the greatest though. We arrived at 9pm and were given a room with one king bed (I was travelling with a friend and we requested 2 beds). If that were the only mishap, it wouldn’t have been bad but our room smelled of sewerage, mold and had at least 50 mosquitos in it when we arrived. We requested a room switch and were told that we could not switch until the following day. That night the air conditioner dripped all night long and when we woke up the next morning there was a puddle of water an inch deep. Luckily we didn’t leave any bags on the floor or they would have been wet. We were switched the next day into building 5 and had no other problems for the rest of the trip. Our travel agent Dianne was wonderful. One of the Air Canada Vactions staff at the resort was rude and unhelpful when I approached however we spoke with a different representative the next day, her name is Anna, and she was absolutely wonderful.

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: Beautiful

Its a lovely resort it was second visit..was there about 7 years ago....I love the walking ..and the food was excellent especially at the beach lunch buffet ...we however could rarely find a place to sit at the pool or on the beach but what ever I'm away from the canadian cold so I will sit on the ground I'm so happy to be on vacation....staff were great and always friendly ...all in all very happy 😊

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: Beautiful resort

I loved everything about this resort. The rooms were somewhat outdated but still nice. The food was amazing, can't say anything bad about it. The staff was wonderful, very friendly. The best part was the entertainment. They gave it 100%. Love,love,love. I will be going back there again.

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: Excellent Resort for the 2nd Time!

Extremely clean resort. Staff, waiters, bartenders, all awesome people. They took care of your needs promptly. Easy check-in upon early arrival and room was ready and clean which was a bonus. Food once again was fantastic at all the Al a carte restaurants. Beach was much better this year as previous year due to the seaweed but only mother nature can fix that! Only negative is that there could be more beach and pool chairs available.

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: Blue bay is average

Hotel is clean room staff are average, they work long hours. Watch when you check in, " do not ask for an upgrade " prior to seeing your room you will have your first bad experience. The concierge time shard staff are pests....after telling one fellow we were " NOT" interested he still seem to be whatever we showed up. I was not interested in wasting time to listen to a presentation for somewhere I was not prepared to buy into

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: We had a fantastic stay!

My boyfriend and I stayed at this resort from may 14-21, 2019. We had a fantastic stay at Blue Bay Villas Doradas. Room: 4/5 Everything in the room worked as it should, it was very spacious for a super saver room. We expected to get a smaller, less equipped room for the cheaper price but it was above our expectations. The only criticism is that it could have been cleaner as the floors were a little dirty when we arrived. Food: 4/5. There was always great variety and you could find something d [... read more]elicious at every buffet visit. The food at the beach bar was the least preferred as some of it seemed like leftovers/wasn’t that fresh but it was still flavourful. Atmosphere: 5/5. It was very chill and easy to relax at the beach and they also had a quiet pool. It grounds around our room were also quiet. If you wanted to party, the pool was the place to be as there was entertainment every day. The grounds were also very clean and beautiful. Service: 3/5. The largest criticism would be the service at some of the bars. There were some bartenders that weren’t very friendly. It seemed they only gave good service to people who they were friends with or tipped the most. Also, many of the bars were very slow and seemed understaffed. But we were on vacation and weren’t in a rush so it didn’t spoil our moods. Overall, we had a great time would definitely return.

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: Nice resort!

Rooms nice. Food was really good including both buffets. Lighting could've been better in the restaurant's... they were too dark in the evenings. Beach was constantly full of seaweed but hanging out at the pool was fine.

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: Really love this resort

We have actually lost count of how many times we have been to this resort.The food ,staff,beach and entertainment are great .If you are looking for top shelf liquor and luxurious rooms rooms remember you get what you pay for .The resort is small ( less than 300 rooms ) which we really like .You can be anywhere including the beach in 5 mins. or less.The Black and White bar in the lobby is not included in your package .There is a small mall within 5 minutes walk with souvenir shops ,restaurants a [... read more]nd stores that see liquor. Go with an open mind and you will love it ! If you are looking for totally luxury with Vegas style entertainment you should probably look at paying much more .For us it fits the bill perfectly and we will return .

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: Wonderful vacation spot!

The hotel was amazing! The pools are great and all of the restaurants and buffets are fantastic. The only complaint is that there is hardly any beach, and the ocean swimming is not great because it's all sharp rocks and murky water (at least during our stay). Lot's of fun activities so it's fun for everyone!

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: Beautiful Resort, Mediocre Service

I had my doubts when I booked this vacation. Friends chose the resort based on previous visits. 975 rooms makes for a large and busy resort. My first impression was not one of delight. The lobby is unimpressive and very hot. We were not greeted as we normally are at a 4-5 star resort with a refreshing beverage. We stood in a long and slow line. We arrived well after check-in time of 3PM and yet our room was not ready. The hotel staff did not take our request of 2 rooms being close together. We [... read more] had to request a change. We were placed in the furthest building from the beach. A 15 minute walk away. The grounds were beautiful and well maintained, but on certain days when they watered, the stench was nauseating. When we finally had access to our room, the safe did not work and we had to call to have it repaired. We needed to stay and wait in our room for it to be repaired. Our patio door handle was in pieces on the floor. When we showed it to the repairman he told us to call the front desk. We decide to leave it broken as we didn’t want to waste time waiting around again. The food started off good , but progressively got worse over the course of the week. Breakfast was good. Lunch was decent. Dinner had some questionable meat. The a la cartes had the worst service. You needed to make a reservation the day before. If you didn’t make it before an early breakfast, you were eating at 9PM. We tried the Italian restaurant with a 9 o’clock seating. When we arrived, they weren’t prepared and searched the restaurant to put tables together to seat 7 of us. When we finally sat down, we were greeted with a sour face. No welcome or how do you do. Nothing. He brought us water and literally threw it into my husband’s glass from a distance. Soaking the tablecloth. Took quite a while to take our order. Food was okay. Not worth the wait. My teenage children ordered the pizza which was clearly from a box and the exact same as what they found at the snack bar. The 24 hour snack bar was not always open. We ate at the Mexican a la carte one night. Managed to get a 7:30 reservation. Our server continually mixed up our orders. My brother asked for a Coca Cola and was not brought one until the end of the meal, after repeatedly asking politely. When he finally brought it, he gave it to my husband. We had some really good laughs at the inept service, but it’s not what you expect from a 4-5 star resort. When my husband asked for hot sauce, our server just laughed and walked away. When he came back around my husband asked again and was told the red stuff is the hot sauce to which he replied”no, that’s salsa”. And then he just left again. Bar service was okay as long as you went up to the bar. Poolside service was very slow. Even with a 20USD tip ahead of time. The swing bar down by the beach was definitely the best bar. My teenagers had very poor service and were mostly ignored. They had self serve non-alcoholic drink stands, but didn’t always have cups available. The rooms were kept fairly clean. We always had fresh towels. However, my nephew had been sick in the bathroom. The smell of vomit persisted and was not cleaned off of the toilet. The beach was beautiful. The scenery, breathtaking. Pools were clean. There was a large group of friends and family. 50% ended up quite sick. Vomiting more so than diarrhea which would have been more typical. Many children succumbed to the illness. So we can’t blame it on alcohol in the heat and sun. There were never any chairs available around the pool. You could find chairs on the beach at the far right side. We had a pleasant time, but I would not book at this resort again. If you decide to go, request a building close to the beach. Either building 1 through 5. They have carts to take you to and from the beach area, but it’s hit and miss. When one does drive by, it’s too crowded and doesn’t stop anyway. So to sum it up, the resort is too big, with too many people and the service is not great. This resort is more of a 2-3 star.

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: Beautiful Resort

The sprawling resort grounds are meticulously maintained. Staff are friendly and go out of their way to be helpful. The food at the buffet was good and plentiful and the a la carte restaurants were top notch. The only negative was the beach. It was rocky and full of seaweed. We didn't swim in the ocean once. We spent plenty of time at the resort's numerous pools.

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: Overall good resort.

The resort was well kept and the staff was friendly. We found that the resort size was just far to big for them to be able to offer a fantastic customer experience. Food was great in the beginning of the week, started to quickly go down hill as the days went on. Again they are trying to cater to the masses. The beach was lovely, lots of seaweed but the entire coast line is covered. Helpful tip a lovely lagoon is about a 10 minutes walk up the beach from the resort, worth the walk. Store prices w [... read more]ere far to inflated for what was offered. They had some local artisans from playa del Carmen host a night market one evening which was nice. The staff did a great job but I imagine they are flat out all day and just exhausted. Pools were large and clean. Our room was a bit of a walk to the beach about 15 minutes, so we had to attempt to pack for the day. Overall good experience, would not rank high on our must return list of resorts though.

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: Love the Mexicans!!

The hotel and grounds are lovely, if excessively spread out. We really enjoyed the personnelle and found them helpful, well-trained and pleasant at all times. The food was copious, although very ordinary, with the exception of the French restaurant. We did have a problem with our first room but the hotel sorted it out quickly. This is a good resort for young families.

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: Nice Resort

The Resort is very well maintained. The rooms we had was very big and clean. The staff are very polite and helpful..The food is very good. The drinks are not very strong, hey seem to be watered down. There was construction going on during our stay from another resort and it woke us up every morning at 6am..wasn't to pleased about that. The wifi on the resort was terrible.

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: Awesome resort with a very luscious grounds.

Resort is very spacious and very well maintained, always see ground keepers working away. Room was clean and had all the essentials including an in room coffee maker, every day had clean towels and fridge replenished. Bonus was they had cold water available to fill your own bottles at all beverage stations (bars & restaurants). Buffets were busy but never had to wait more then a few moments to get seated or food/drinks. Afternoon by the pool always had entertainment, I would suggest going early [... read more] as chairs are hard to come by especially if looking for more than one.

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: 3 star hotel at best

Very disappointed . Rooms are old and worn as are other parts of the resort. Stayed one night and changed hotels. Food was ok, drinks terrible, beach is not nice. Definitely not four stars. Staff were nice, There is a membership tour..those units are closer to the beach and looked nicer but require investment.

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: Very nice place to visit

The food was quite good, the service was great, the staff were excellent. They made every attempt to accommodate for our needs as a young family. The pool and beach were beautiful. All in all a great resort to visit and an amazing experience to have!

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: Great resort

Great staff, rooms were spacious and for 3 people they put in extra bed, only issue was the air conditioner leaked in our room and flooded the bathroom. Food was great, different theme each evening for supper.

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: Awesome Resort

Our room was in a perfect location,minutes away from everything! The staff was amazing!! The grounds were kept so clean! Our room was cleaned everyday.A great variety of food to choose from.Entertainment was so good each night,we would return!!

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: Ok vacation

This was our 2nd time to BlueBay. First time was three years ago. If you are looking for a cheap and cheerful resort this is the place. It is in need of an update but there is always somewhere to get a drink or something to eat. Extra sun loungers are needed. Cheap and cheerful.