Blue bay Grand Esmeralda

The hotel is old and outdated Room was clean maid was very thankful for tips .In 12 nights we had two warm showers . Common complaint for all buildings . Lack of chairs around the pool and at the ocean . The buffet was good . The restaurants excellent .The staff work very hard at the restaurants . Lack of staff at the white and black bar common for twenty people lined up for drinks in the evening . ,The west Jet rep. Was excellent . The pools excellent .Ocean from ok

Nice Resort

Hotel Staff were very friendly and accommodating, dated needs some tlc but otherwise we had a wonderful time. Lots of wildlife and good food. Beach is taken care of and the entertainment was very good.

Know before you go

Overall Verdict: Wouldn't Return or Recommend (Unless on a Tight Budget for Basic Amenities) ​Date of Stay: (support 27- October 4 2025) Travelers: Family Prior Resort Experience: Dreams, Emotions, Royalton, Riu (Varies) ​We booked BlueBay Grand Esmeralda when it was advertised as a 5-star resort, only to see it drop to a 4-star before our trip. As seasoned all-inclusive travelers accustomed to the standards of chains like Dreams and Royalton, we should have heeded this warning. If you are u [... read more]sed to a premium experience, this resort will likely disappoint. ​Star Rating & Value: This resort felt like an outdated 3-star property. We paid a premium price and received basic amenities and services more aligned with a budget vacation. While we had an amazing week away (because it's Mexico!), the resort itself was a poor value. ​Accommodation & Room Issues (Building 7 & 4): Our initial room in Building 7 (which is extremely far from the main pool and beach) was dated. The mini-fridge and ceiling fan were non-functional, and the air conditioning was weak. We had a serious issue in the adjoining room when the fan blade detached and struck our son (age 17) in the head. We waited two hours for maintenance before being offered a new room. ​We were moved to Building 4, which offered a fantastic location near the pool and beach, but the rooms were in the same dated condition. We had to cycle through three mini-fridges before one worked, and our patio light was never fixed. While tolerable, these issues speak to a lack of proper maintenance. ​Food & Beverage: The food experience felt like a blast from the past—the kind of standard offered in Mexico 25 years ago. ​Buffet: Blah and repetitive. Options for a nice, cooked-to-order lunch or breakfast outside of the main buffet were non-existent (buffet-only). We rarely saw fruit and only saw ice cream twice. ​A La Cartes: We tried the Italian, French, Mexican, Steakhouse, and Seafood restaurants. They were all just 'okay'—nothing memorable. ​Snack/Room Service: Room service has a $7 fee. The 24-hour Black and White restaurant offered only hot dogs and hamburgers sitting in a warmer. ​Drinks: The bar service is strictly non-premium. The drinks are weak and forgettable. ​Resort Layout & Transportation: The resort is massive and spread out. Buildings 6, 7, and 8 are so far from the main hub that it feels like a different resort. You are constantly waiting for a golf cart (which can take 20+ minutes) or enduring a long, hot walk where the mosquitos are relentless. ​Staff & Service (The Highlight): The staff truly are the resort's saving grace. The people are amazing, friendly, and work incredibly hard despite being visibly short-staffed in the restaurants. Cassey at the pool is full of energy and lovely. The gentleman at the VIP front desk (sorry, forgot his name!) went above and beyond to assist us. The employees are top-notch. ​Grounds & Wildlife: The grounds and wildlife are awesome. We enjoyed seeing deer, a small crocodile, a variety of birds, coatis, and fireflies in the evening. Cats, dogs and did i mention mosquitoes. ​Tips for Future BlueBay Grand Esmeralda Guests (The "Basic" Traveler) ​Restaurant Reservations: Download the BlueBay app and book your entire week of a la carte dinners immediately upon arrival. ​Room Location: The resort will try to place you in buildings 6, 7, or 8 and pitch a paid upgrade for a better location the next morning. Decline and insist on a room in Building 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 upon check-in. ​Drink Service: Tip your pool server, and you will see her more often. Leave a note for your maid specifying what drinks you want restocked in the room (the maid is not the one who stocks the drinks). ​Beach Walk: Walk down the beach toward the "Mexico" sign for a photo op. The walk in the other direction leads to a swampy, unappealing lagoon area. ​Coffee: The coffee house (near the Black and White/Gym) is not open early, but it’s a good spot for a mid-day or evening coffee. ​Locals: The resort is open to locals, and the ratio of tourists to locals felt about 50/50. They tend to dominate certain areas, but we didn't mind. ​Packing Essentials: Bring lots of bug block and sun block! They are ridiculously expensive on-site. ​Room Amenities: The room has a blow dryer and iron, but no hair conditioner. Rooms do come with umbrellas—take them to the pool for extra shade. ​Pool Chairs: Plenty of pool chairs available throughout the day—no issue finding one. ​Walmart: Avoid the Walmart in Playa Del Carmen—prices are inflated. ​In summary, this resort is only suitable if you are paying rock-bottom prices ($1000 or less) and are content with basic accommodations, repetitive food, and non-premium drinks. If you're used to a 4.5-5 star experience, look elsewhere. All in all we had a great week away, but wouldn't return unless we were given circle one treatment. They get better everything ha ha

Blue Bay

Overall our stay was amazing could’ve been better. The staff the cleaning people were amazing but the people at the front desk need a little bit more communication I know how to deal with the customers. The beach restaurant was amazing. The bar at the beach was amazing.

Great stay

This hotel needs to be refurbished but despite that we had a fabulous time Our room was spotless with 3 large bottles if water per day We were in building 7 garden view with its own pool for this area As usual not enough chairs and it was off season Staff were fantastic restaurants were good and festival buffet had a great variety all good The only night was the Asian night which was horrible for me anyways Shopping limited and they need more trolleys as it's quite the hike to beach We p [... read more]aid a reasonable cost for this hotel but wouldn't pay much more for the week Can't say enough good things about all the staff Tip them they work hard for us

Not great

Took 2 hours to check in at which time our room wasn't ready so we had to return to the line at 3pm. Buffet wasn't great. Long walk from our room to the main pool/beach. Long lines at bars and slow service, we would wait up to 15 minutes sometimes. Beach is awful, small,smelly and full of seaweed. Chairs are a huge issue. When all reviews are about the lack of chairs, why don't you buy more chairs??? Spend extra money and go somewhere else!

This resort is something else

This is the best place that I have visited, food galore Everything was perfect, the restaurants very good You could never ask for better service, and the people are so friendly and loving They make you feel at home The servers do everything they can to make sure you don’t miss anything They brought water and pop and beer every day Changed the towels and cleaning every day A place to take walks and it always seemed that there was never a crowd anywhere but the hotel was booked I recomme [... read more]nd this hotel to anyone who wants to relax and enjoy your food

This resort is something else

This is the best place that I have visited, food galore Everything was perfect, the restaurants very good You could never ask for better service, and the people are so friendly and loving They make you feel at home The servers do everything they can to make sure you don’t miss anything They brought water and pop and beer every day Changed the towels and cleaning every day A place to take walks and it always seemed that there was never a crowd anywhere but the hotel was booked I recomme [... read more]nd this hotel to anyone who wants to relax and enjoy your food

Fantastic Resort

This hotel was everything my wife, 3 year old, 1 year old and myself wanted for our first family all inclusive. The staff were very welcoming and friendly and always quick to help. There were plenty of tasty food options. Both pools were beautifully done and we loved the beach. The rooms were clean and all of the public bathrooms as well. The coffee shop and soft serve ice cream were a big win for us! We hope to return soon. This was a 12 out of 10 experience at the BlueBay Grand Esmeralda for o [... read more]ur family!

You get what you pay for

Pay the extra money for the room upgrade. Nice rooms down on the ocean front. Food was decent, but didn’t seem to change from day to day. Staff is friendly. Especially the ladies serving around the pool. The more you tip the better service you will receive.

Updating Needed Throughout The Resort!

Travelled March 25-April 8 2025 Gardenview Dbl Room #6 Bldg Check in - no information package on resort, map of resort, restaurant information. Bell boy asked if we’d like to carry our own luggage (2 large suitcases) to our building instead of driving us. Not impressed. Checkout - had prearranged a pickup to help with our luggage to the lobby. We ended up taking our own luggage anyways. PROS - clean room -large shower, double sinks, hair dryer, makeup mirror -comfortable beds clean [... read more] sheets -towels are more greyish than white (if that’s what you like) and not soft -patio balcony - average size -wifi spotty at times in room and throughout resort -housekeeping staff kept our room clean -liked the smaller quieter pool close by buildings 6,7 & 8 (snack bar closed down) - bar by small pool (hit & miss with cocktail knowledge) -pool by beach large & clean - restaurant close by -Festival Buffett - great cappuccinos , Mimosas **Highly Recommended these staff who were excellent in service and just wonderful people! *Festival Buffett -Miguel Benjamin, Lidia, Fernando *Ala Cart Seafood Restaurant- Benjamin *The Coffee House - great coffees, soft ice cream - excellent service all the time *The Black & White Bar - bartenders knew their cocktails. The shows here were basic, need to fix stage area. -Grounds - were well maintained CONS ~Room, deadbolt once locked , you had a hard time unlocking it! -ceiling fan didn’t work-no button on the wall to make it go on/off -AC next to none -limited plug ins for electronic devices -all rooms are the same - we checked them all and are in need of major updating done -pillows need replaced as ours were musty smelling -no snack bar or pool service at smaller pool - small pool area had approximately 25 Sun loungers 4 shaded areas only -staff shortage in Festival buffet, seemed overwhelmed in evening service at times -food was average in Buffett with long lineup for omelettes every morning as there was only 1 person cooking (felt sorry for her) -hard to book an ala cart on their Bluebay App, you could only book 12 hrs in advance -again hit & miss on cocktails…margaritas were served with Mescal, not Tequila (prefer flavour of Tequila) other drinks were messed up depending on who was bartending -the “welcome breakfast” is a a timeshare spiel! (Been to a couple at different resorts) learned to not go unless you want to! Ala Carts - Cuore di Rossi Italian Ala cart their salmon dish/spinach ravioli was delicious - Don ISI Steakhouse Ala cart - disappointed in the steaks. They were not grilled, no seasoning on steaks. - Jaal-Ha seafood Ala cart - very good food here Overall, I would not book this hotel or recommend to anyone until major renovations have been done!

Alright resort personally would not return.

Staff were alright ... so make you feel very uncomfortable and rude. Beach was a mess. Did travel to the lagoon very nice watch for rocks. 2 people ended up very sick from the food. Ended up with a bill for 100 American because someone got sick in our room from food poisoning and got a little bit of voimit on the sheets which is absolutely ridiculous ? it was the size of a quarter. Resort is very nice. And drinks very good. Night life is good till about 1am. I wouldn't return. Was s [... read more]cared to eat or drink to much. Cause of the charge on the second day. Heard lots of stories while on vacation and many not so good. Also think our daughter got a concussion from the sunwing drivers on our way to resort from not slowing down for speed bumps and holes in the road got to the resort and her forehead was all cut up from cracking her head on the bus so many times. Thats also could have help with her being sick the first night along with the food.

Okay resort

The hotel was ok, a lot bigger than I anticipated. Lack of lounge chairs at both pools Food was decent and no issues with booking a la cartes Didn’t get to experience beach as well as the red flag was up the entire time and we were not allowed to go in.

GOOD VALUE WITH SOME SUBTLE IMPERFECTIONS

Just spent a week at the Blue Bay. Lots of good at this resort. Staff were all great. Grounds were well manicured and full of wildlife (even a deer!). Rooms were clean (ours needed to be remopped upon arrival as they clearly had been mopped with sticky water -- not a big deal). Air conditioning was fully functional, lots of hot water. Fridge was stocked with pop and beer and fresh bottled water daily. There are two centres of activity and accommodation here. Buildings 6,7, and 8 which are  [... read more]close to the main lobby and a quiet pool area; and the buildings close to the beach. It wasn't worth the extra to pay to be close to the beach; it was a short walk regardless and the quiet pool had a bar, restaurant, washroom and activity. The beach-area pool had lots of activity. If there was one issue it was the ocean; the sea bed didn't feel like sand, more like a paste (perhaps from settled algea or other sea weeds. plus there were rocks hidden in the bed -- bring water shoes). The waters by the beach had old doc structures and big sand bags to save sand so it wasn't exactly picturesque. Overall a decent resort -- quiet and a 50+ vide (although the beginning of reading week saw an influx of youth). Food was decent (although they couldn't cook a hot dog. I stepped behind the grill to cook my own hot dogs and burgers). Buffets had a good variety. Lots of great drinks mixed up, and an excellent coffee shop. Only 40 minutes to the airport which was great!

2 star resort at best

We were very disappointed in our stay at blue bay. Alcohol was water down and the food was horrible the buffet was better than all the restaurants other than the Italian was ok. No night life. If you wanted a chair on the beach or pool you need to get up at 6am or you won’t get one.. Friends we went with had no air conditioning and it took them 3 days to switch rooms. Beds are very uncomfortable We will never stay there again

3 stars max

Deffienetly not a 5 star resort. No pool bars, no shade, can't get a lounge chair unless ur awake at 5am. Food was always cold. Waited in line for 25 minuites a day for pasta. Not very many options. Wouldn't let us check in 1 hour early to our room. Checkout took 1 hours in line.

Memorable family vacation

Fun family vacation with grandbabies (3 and 7 months). Surf was rough this week so we did not swim in the ocean but did play in the sand. The pools were great for the littles. We attended the kids club with older child, there were sufficient staff to children ratio. We did not leave our child there, but she enjoyed the other kids and facilities. The dining rooms offered good variety of quality foods, staff very attentive and friendly. We travelled with a vegan and gluten free and she always ate  [... read more]well (including specialty Mexican restaurant). We only attended one show this week due to littles, it was quite good. Our room was made up every day and fridge well stocked with beverages. We arrived late Tuesday, we had a beautiful welcome tray of fruits and a bottle of wine. On the downside adult male in our party and the toddler both got sick final day, best guess is Norovirus (vomiting and diarrhea). My recommendation to this is to go back to hand sani at entrances to dining areas (reduces but does not eliminate the viral load). I travel well stocked with gravol, immodium and gatorade powder, so mitigated gastro disaster

Okay resort

Not enough beach chairs for half the resort at either pool. One bartender at each bar so the lines were ridiculous. Night entertainment was fun and kept the crowd happy. Coffee bar doesn't open until 10: 00 am. Huge resort with little to no shuttle services to the beach. So if you can't walk long distances forget this place.

Good service/staff

Great staff and service. Food was good. Entertainment staff were great, but shows at night were too late of a start. Beach sucked, we went end of January/first of February, the beach water was super murky and was usually red or yellow flagged. Pool water always seemed kind of murky and gross as well, I ended up with swimmers ear on our second to last day. Rooms were alright minus the beds that were rock hard and could def use some tlc. Our second night there one of the ceiling fan blades fle [... read more]w off in the middle of the night and whacked the wall above the bed my kids were sleeping in. Thankfully it didn’t hit anyone. They fixed it by cutting off the broken part and glueing it back in which made the fan unusable, the whole thing would shake if you turned it on. My kids had a puking contest through the entire night halfway through our trip, we’re assuming it was something they ate, but that could happen anywhere. Lagoon 10 mins down the beach was gorgeous!

Good resort, but....

Overall we had a good time in the resort. We enjoyed the beach, room, pool area and grounds. Food and drinks were decent. Entertainment and service were okey. It would not take much to take this place from okey to very good, but it seems like the resort is focused more on Members Club- Circle One clients than regular clients, which probably make 90-95% of the profits for this resort. It was very disappointing to hear that lack of beach and pool chairs was a selling point to attract more people t [... read more]o join the privileged club. "If you join the club you don't have to worry about not having a lounge chair on the beach, regular people have to get up early to be able to have a chair, for you its always available." This is not right, every paying client should have access to a comfortable lounger to enjoy the beach or pool. Yes, we had to wake up early to reserve chairs and could not relax and sleep in. So many people had to lay on the sand , or they just walked away from the beach upset, because there was not enough chairs. Management needs to look after all customers, not only privileged club members. For that reason I will not recommend this resort to family or friends.