Nice holiday.

Service staff are excellent. Grounds are well kept. Food and drinks were good. Pools are fine, but forget about the ocean as the water is dirty. As usual, not enough beach lounges and evening entertainment is way too loud for conversation. Service carts pass every few minutes, so transportation around the resort is great. Rooms need some upkeep which is typical for the caribbean. Love all the wildlife wandering on the grounds!

Not as advertised

This resort was probably a great place to vacation when it was built in 2006 but today it was pretty dissapointing. Starting with the good. The food was pretty good, especially the specialty restaurants. The staff were very nice and the grounds were beautiful. There were ample shuttles from the lobby to the beach/ pool areas. Now the not so good. The beach is unswimmable. Some years ago the beach was destroyed, probably due to heavy weather, so currently there are large sandbags and some dock st [... read more]ructures offshore. The result is the sargassum weeds become trapped in the swimming area and make for a brown murky mess. Most of the beaches in this area are the same. As for the rest of the resort, it's pretty tired and needs more than maintenance. Depending where you are walking on the resort there is an occasional wiff of sewage. The room needs help as well, tarnished mirrors, worn fixtures, sloppy patch jobs and paint on the walls and ceiling. We made many calls to the front desk for towels, water, a working clock radio, missing patio chair, etc. Having stayed at a few all inclusives over the years, getting loung chairs around the pools is always a challenge. But at Bluebay there are clearly nowhere near enough and plenty of empty space. We did not feel like getting up at 6am (literally) to "claim" the few loungers by placing towels on them so we chose to carry our patio chairs to the pool every day. Had we done our due diligence and read more reviews online we would not have chosen this resort.

Great stay at Blue Bay!

We really liked the resort. It has two tennis courts surrounded by trees (shade + no wind) so we played tennis almost every day. They have fun entertainment in the afternoon and dancing on the beach in the evening. The resort is a bit ran down but overall clean. The drinks are fantastic and the food quite good. The only thing that I would complain about is the Air Canada rep. He was not there when he was supposed to be there. He gave us his cell phone number but when we called we got "phone num [... read more]ber no longer valid". There was no information on the bus back to the airport so we had to figure it out ourselves and then the bus was 40 min late. So a long wait. Also, resort management, please buy more beach chairs! They are not that expensive but if you purchased another 50 or so, people would not have to book the chairs at 6:00 am.

Traveler beware

The pool at this Resort has been updated. There are no umbrellas for protection from the sun. It was sometimes difficult to find chairs to sit on. Everywhere we went there was a consistent sewer smell. Daniel, our waiter was excellent as well as our maid service. Watch out for the luggage staff. We were missing some items from our luggage when we got to our room. When we were leaving the hotel, luggage staff moved our luggage from a public location to a small closed door office. I confronte [... read more]d the staff and demanded they bring it back out immediately. I had some resistance but they did bring it back out. It was happening to other travellers but they were not paying attention. Rooms are dated and run down. Food at the steak house is terrible. My husband's steak was less than an inch thick and instead of a baked potato he was served cold black bean puree with a stale tortilla chip.

The Blue Bay Grand Esmaralda was an okay resort for it's price. Not a 4.5 Resort.

The food was good and the service was great. The pool's were really nice, but need more stairs to get into it. They also need new chairs, plus no umbrella's to give you a little shade. The area near our room smelled like a sewer pit, because of the swamps all over. Thanks Murray Schroeder

Great resort!

I would definitely go back! The grounds are beautiful and well kept, the staff are friendly, the food is great, and the drinks are even better! I do usually love the beach but there was quite a bit of seaweed so we stayed by the pool most of the time but would make our way to the beach by late afternoon, after they had cleaned it up a bit. Our room was okay but I loved our view because we had the sunset. However, our shower was a bit leaky and required a bit of cleanup after each shower. The foo [... read more]d was amazing, everything that I ate was delicious. Overall, it is a great resort.

Just ok

The hotel was nice and clean. Huge resort and lots of greenery and golf carts to help with getting around. Rooms were clean and spacious and beds were comfortable. The drinks in our room were not replenished and needed to ask 5 times. The food was good .. you won’t starve. Entertainment was ok as well. Beach was horrible.. extremely dirty this was a huge let down. We made the most of it and had a nice time but I would not return. I prefer Dominican

Beautiful over all

super nice hotel great beds in the room, great trips also phone and coffee machine a little outdated. So calling for room service was quite fuzzy all the pool and food were great ? don't expect to swim in the ocean there though .... very murky water. Beach and sand was wonderful tho.

Amazing Travel Agent

Mike was really great. Helped us along the way, kept in touch and was very responsive. Was happy to have him as we were travelling as a group and with children. Will use him in the future for sure and would recommend him to anyone

Decent resort!

The grounds of the hotel were very spread out and travelling with a mobility challenged person was hard as 1/2 elevators did not work! Very quiet not real sociable or a lot of activities. Food was plentiful and very good. Entertainment was very little. They did have golf carts but the wait and the occupancy was very busy. they pushed their timeshares apon arrival but if you avoided the lobby, you were fine and not harassed. Hotel room themselves were run down but you did get what you paid for! w [... read more]ater pressure not very good and internet not reliable having to refresh the code using many different ones daily. I would recommend for a quick cheap getaway but not for any length of time.

Needs a little TLC but had a great time!

Our family of four (7yo and 9yo) went for a week with another family (11yo). We have travelled extensively and been in the area multiple times. Here’s our here. Pros: Friendly staff that worked whether you tipped or not (but they definitely appreciated tips) Shuttle was frequent Food was tasty, fresh, and a great selection Drinks were ample and a variety and the swing bar by the beach was my kids fav to have their virgin pina coladas. Lots of pools to enjoy and a quiet pool tu [... read more]cked in the back for those wanting to avoid the loud music Elevators was nice especially for luggage or after a long day at the beach The ac worked great, showers were warm enough, the fridge was always stocked. Decent entertainment. The kids loved it and that’s all that mattered. Cons: It’s a big resort. I don’t recommend if you have mobility issues as you will still need to walk a bit with or without shuttle The beds are older and “bouncy” and a double. They would benefit from platform bases versus screws on legs and some variety in room set ups to be more family friendly. The leg kepts falling off and they never came to fix after multiple calls. We ended up sharing a bed each with one kid as pretty small for two grown adults They are skimpy on towels and lacking spoons. They made up for it with plastic spoons but it’s weird to get a plastic spoon for a soup in a restaurant when you have regular cutlery for everything else No towel animals. This may seem silly but it’s something kids look forward to. Limited change. We brought money to tip but could never get it broken down. This made it a challenge to tip as often as we liked as some days they had no change! App wouldn’t let us make group reservations for dinner so had to go every morning to make reservation for the following night. Need more spaces for groups to hang out and play cards without loud music. This was something people kept looking for and we enjoyed but it was hot and sticky behind the black and white bar Intermittent wifi. I didn’t mind disconnecting but I know it was frustrating to send a quick message and it not send when you needed it. Chairs at the pools or beach were limited during peak season. Once people left jan 7 we could find seats much easier

Disappointed

I stayed at this resort twice about 10 yrs ago and booked it thinking it was the same quality. Was very disappointed we had 11 of us and was looking for a wonderful family vacation. Start out bus picked us up almost 1 1/2 hours late with a bunch of different excuses. The rooms had some mold and we never got any refills of water or pop only the first day we checked in. Towels they sometimes did not provide any some days only one for the two of us. Called down to the desk everyday but nobody  [... read more]showed up with towels after they said they would bring them unless my daughter in law called who spoke Spanish Showers had litterly no hot water ours sometimes did not even have any water would stop in the middle of your shower. The pool and ocean had very little seating available most loungers were broken they seem to take them all away at night and than very little available the next day. Food was good not great but didn't have any issues other than they did not want to accommodate our large group. Public washrooms other than the lobby and spa were not clean toilets broken and overflowing and not cleaned properly. Was told my manager at front desk that it has been bought out and no upgrades were being done till new owner takes over. This resort should not be a 4 or 5 star.

WORST EXPERIENCE EVER!!!!!

We planned a family vacation over the Christmas break to celebrate the New Year. 11 of us went to this resort which is rated as a 4 star resort. It is NOT a 4 star rating maybe 2-3 star rating. Bus to pick us up at airport was 2 hours late. We were told there was an accident then told bus a mechanical trouble. Driver showed up wearing an under shirt and had to clean out bus before we could board. We were not the only people waiting few other families were also waiting. One family got a taxi and  [... read more]left. Resort was run down traps on roofs, no water at times from taps, no hot water at anytime. Wanted to charge us for everything possible a new wrist band for my under aged daughter who was served alcohol all the time! Elevator did not work at all, was left to find pour hotel block in the dark, shuttles to drive guest around resort may pick you up if they feel like it. No chairs at either pool or beach have to get up before sun comes up to secure chairs. lounge chairs are broken, one restaurant didn't even open for the day no notice that is was closed. Beds are has hard a rocks, no towels or very little one person in your room. Lifeguard takes belongings off your chairs if you leave to go for lunch and gives them so someone else. Was told this resort has been sold and you can tell. Tripcentral should be reimbursing clients for false advertising. Wll Not book again with tripcentral and will not go back to this place again. Westjet was the carrier and they gave us a swoop airplane to fly from Toronto to Mexico and back thats like sitting on milk cartes for 4.5 hours. No notice that the plane was not a true Westjet plane. Was told our dutyfree was part of our carry ons in mexcio we were scrambling to get all our belongings on the plane and not hold up other passengers.

Wonderful resort

The grounds were impeccable especially for such a huge resort! There is a lot of walking as it is 444 acres. Sand fleas were a problem for me but other than that, the beach area was massive and a great walk. There were 8 complexes, two huge buffets and 5 restaurants so there was always somewhere to grab food and a drink. The best takeaway from that resort was the staff. They were helpful, friendly, always smiling and worked very hard to keep us "tourists" happy.

Rundown Nightmare

This hotel was way overpriced. It was poorly maintained, no hot water in rooms, rooms were not properly cleaned etc. Front desk tries to charge for EVERYTHING. The rooms were not sound proof. You could hear everyone around you, including the cleaning staff rolling their cart up the hallway. Food was okay. Not the best. Beach was terrible. So much seaweed and again not maintained well.

Stellar Staff but the resort stinks, literally.

To begin our holiday, Air Canada informed us at 11:57 pm on Dec 18 that our flight on Dec 19 at 3:30 pm was delayed four hours. This meant we arrived at the resort at 3:00 am on Dec 20 th - not off to a great start! There were two staff to greet us in the darkened lobby and we were given our room keys and discovered our teenagers would be five rooms away from us despite the travel agents request for adjoining rooms. We were told to show up in the morning to see if we could switch. We were given [... read more] and a map with the promise of a golf cart pick up to bring us to our rooms. After a long wait, we decided to find the rooms ourselves. We located the building and found our rooms. When we opened the doors, the putrid stench of sewer gases overwhelmed us. Opening the balcony doors, turning on the ceiling fan and covering bathroom drains, spraying deodorant and cologne did not remove the stench. It was overpowering despite being on the seventh floor. At 8:00 am, I went to the front desk to request a change and was told to return at 3:00 pm as there would be people checking out. At 3:00 pm, I returned and the front desk person offered me two rooms in building 6 but one room was on the first floor and the other was on the fourth floor- no adjoining rooms were available. I explained we were travelling as a family with minors, bus she would not budge and said we could keep our current rooms. I asked to see the supervisor and was told it was not possible. Finally, she flipped the paper over and offered a suite in the 4 the building but we’d have to use the sofa bed as there was only a King bed. They would provide another bed for us. We accepted and retrieved our luggage from the smelly rooms. By 8:00 pm, after several calls to the front desk, we got sheets and a blanket for the sofa bed but no additional bed was available. The sofa bed had seen better days about 10 years ago and the flat piece of foam did not provide any comfort from the bars and wires. After an uncomfortable night, we put the mattress on the floor the next day as there was still no extra bed available again. The suite’s saving grace was a swim up pool and two bathrooms with no sewer gas smell. On our fourth night, I flagged down a staff person in the hallway and explained our situation about the bed and later a twin bed was delivered. There are things people should know before booking: The smell: The stagnant sewage water and smell does appear unexpectedly throughout the resort. Guests in blocks 6 & 7 complained of the smell. Walking: The resort has many pathways to walk and tons of greenery making it very beautiful. The walk can be long depending on where your room is located. There are three golf carts that randomly stop to shuttle people to and from the beach. The VIP cart drives fast and can run you down if you aren’t on the lookout, and often drives empty despite people requesting rides. Poolside Chairs: There are limited chairs and waking up early at 6:00 am to save chairs is necessary. We witnessed people bringing snack bar chairs, and several arguments over chairs that were saved, then taken. This is unpleasant and unnecessary. The management could provide more chairs. The beach: Not. There are breakwater walls and 3 piers, 2 without access, and brown water over a rocky bottom. It just looks neglected. To swim, walk down either direction to the next resort’s beach. Entertainment: The evening entertainment venue is small and very hot. We tried to attend each night and left early very disappointed by the quality. The Staff (other than management): The bar, poolside server staff, poolside entertainment and buffet staff are exceptional people who make up for management’s shortcomings. Overall, there are simply too many negatives at Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda!

Waste of money

I had several problems with the resort but I’ll stick to the two main ones. It’s stunk in lots of areas and a lot of the time we were moved three times to try to get a room that didn’t stink and lots of times had sewer smell even around the food. The second biggest issue I had was the food, I basically survived on some fries I watched them do things like pics something out of my egg something as simple as potatoes were either cold or not even cooked. I found all of the food to be bad.

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda was ok

We went the week before Christmas and the resort wasn`t what we were fully expecting. I`ll start with the good. It was only 40 min from the airport so the bus ride was pretty good. Check in was fast and the people at the front desk were very friendly and efficient. We were in building 5 which we thought was a great location, close to the pool and beach and quiet. The rooms were big and comfortable. Ac worked great, big balcony and lots of drawer and closet space. The pools were nice and th [... read more]e water was a good temperature to cool off. The food at the main buffet and beach buffet were ok but the same type of food everyday, which is to be expected. The grounds are lush with lots of trees and grass, and wildlife. Ok now for the not so great: The rooms although big and fairly nice they had a few things that needed repairing. Not a big enough nuisance though to complain about. The beach was horrible since the hurricane last year and there is so much seaweed. Any wind and the water is a gross brown. If you walk down the beach 10 minutes its better. The pool finish on the bottom is very rough, which I get makes sure you don`t slip but it ripped up my bathing suit and my kids knuckles. The bathrooms by the pool were horrible in that at there was never toilet paper and always i unusable toilet. it was the same in the mens all week. If you wanted a chair by the pool or beach you had to be up before 7am to get one and if you leave it unattended for literally 20 min(we went for a beach walk) people move your stuff and take them. The resort was not full and there was space for more chairs they just didn`t have any to put out. The a la carte restaurants were ok but not amazing like the Barcelo ones we have been to. We had an okay time but would not return to this resort again. I personally wouldn`t go back to that area again just because of the beaches and ocean water.

Resort Grounds nice, rest of it very questionable.

Lobby didn’t invite us for 4 or 5 star resort as advertise. Initial service was chaotic, took them around 45 minute or more to get us a room. We did get to our room quite late in the evening, didn’t check anything until morning. Room was specious, but that’s all the positive I can say about it. It was smelly, bedding old , bathroom with greyish towels, not enough toiletries, we have to ask for it every time. Balcony doors are barely able to open. Wanted to forget all these negatives ( res [... read more]ort ground were beautiful , another positive ) and we were going to spend 14 days all inclusive , but unfortunately day 4 after a nice dinner in Italian restaurant ( I believe Romeo was our waiter and he was great ) walking around main pool I tripped and fell into poorly lit shaver pit, broke my wrist and end up in the local private hospital. Emergency physician recommended surgery in their hospital, but our insurance decline that due to very high cost and send us home to Canada for surgery. Hotel / Resort ( concierge ) promised us that they will reimburse all the cost told us just ask and keep all the receipts. They paid once for the taxi. The next day after meeting I guess with finance person in the resort she gave us email address to their insurance company to send our expenses. Nothing about reimbursement from them. Resort treated us very poorly, didn’t ask how we are or if we need anything until we filed report with WestJet, then they asked, but that’s all. And very low point was that resort ask us to pay for medical emergency, even if that happened on their property, with poor or no lights there. It is a big shame.

Not the greatest

We were there for 10 nights. The first night we got there no rep present or let us know about orientation. The food was always cold and not 24 hour snack only 24 drinks unless you pay $8 usd for food. Rooms needed fixing some had major water damage. Washrooms always smelt like sewage issue. This wasn't the resort I enjoyed and never go again.