Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: 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!

Platinum Yucatan Princess: Amazing Vacation

We had a great time. The rooms were great everything was close by for us. The service was great had no issues with slow service. The only negative was the beach, but its that time of year and the beach was okay at the sister resort that you can go to. I was able to find something good to eat and that I liked everyday. Swim up room by the main pool was fun. Me and my husband had one on the premium side, if your not into the party or loud music book in premium side. Our friends had a swim out o [... read more]n the other side, which was a good change for us. If you are prone to getting bad bug bites wear bug repellent. The two of us had gotten bad bites, when no one in group of nine had any, but we had both had this once before years ago. I went to three different resort since October, but this is the first one were I got bug bites on the bottom of the legs. Over all it was great time.

Barcelo Maya Riviera: Barcelona Riviera

Beautiful hotel very clean with nice grounds. Food was good. Limited availability for a la carte restaurants. Not enough loungers people were reserving very early in the morning (5:30 am). Staff very friendly and helpful.

Secrets Moxche Playa del Carmen: Do not sleep on Secrets Moxche!

This resort was the best my husband and I have been to, and first time in Mexico! Every single staff were helpful, friendly and approachable. 7 pools, 9 restaurants, endless margs! Here are some specific notes... Beach: There is one yes, its not to wide but plenty of seating. Seaweed did accumulate but they cleaned up every morning. Honestly, we did not go to the beach except to see the ocean the day we got there and the day we left. Pools: As I mentioned, 7 pools! We did prefer the Sug [... read more]ar reef pool, as it was next to the busy activity pool so you heard the music but there was less activity. Good to relax, or bob around with a drink :) There are 3 cenotes, we did not take a dip in however, very cool and would try if we make it back! The lagoon pool (real sand at this pool) was crazy, and I loved it! With the sand at a pool, this is why we didn't feel the need to visit the beach. They made one for you! All pool concierge and bartenders were amazing. Shout out to Angel at the sugar reef pool! They all work SO SO hard! I will note, like all all inclusive resorts, reserving chairs is still a thing here. The pool rules note you cannot reserve with personal belongings but everyone does, and unless there is a body in the chair - its kind of fair game. I hate the game but you do what you gotta. Food: I cannot say enough! I was concerned with no dinner buffet but every meal I had was great, My husband chose a few that were lack luster but I am sure if we spoke up he could order something else without question. The quality is higher than I have had here in Halifax! Transportation: We opted to use a 3rd party transport as the resort is 45-60 mins away and we are glad we did - it was well worth the added cost. Resort theme nights: We arrived Tuesday evening, this is "Roads through Mexico" night. We did not realize how large it would be and ate prior but take my advice - do not eat before attending. So many amazing vendors and food setups we were too full to enjoy. Friday they hosted "Asado" a beach bbq at Sea Soul restaurant. This, unfortunately, was the largest disappointment of the trip. We arrived at 7:15, about 20 people ahead of us and we were told the restaurant was full. Additionally, we were told we could wait inside but not shown where, or if someone would some get us if a table was available and to make that worse - we could not take the food to eat elsewhere. This was a busy night as an hour after this dinner started, there is a fire show in front of the restaurant (amazing). I do not blame the staff for how this is executed but the management needs to alter this set up. As I mentioned we were early and I cant imagine over 100 people behind us not even getting any dinner here that night. To add - the BBQ was the least interesting meal. The entertainment that night thought were phenomenal! Accommodations: We were in the preferred king swim out tropical view - I will make it my goal to always have a private swim out pool now, haha. This swim OUT not swim UP was key - we could cool off after the main pool (it was chillier but needed in 30+C temps). The bed and pillows were a bit too firm for my liking but the pool chairs at sugar reef (thick padding) made up for it :) I will note the bathroom could stand to change a few things. The bathroom door was VERY heavy and glass. Semi worried it would smash without slowly letting it shut on itself. We had to do this ad the handle was a very small knob without a grip. I would suggest in the nest upgrades they swap to handles like the shower where its rounded metal. Only other odd thing was, I believe the toilet paper was scented? It was very very strong and I thought the room had a fragrance pumping in but thats how strong it was I finally realized too late but this is obviously not great for womens bodies. We had to get room service several times and every time superb! Late night shows + speakeasy: The shows were outstanding! There was always singing and a type of acrobatics. My favourite was the quirky show :) The speakeasy in the pharmacy was so so so cool! After the show, you head to the speakeasy tucked behind the pharmacy ;) Such a fun night of singing and dancing! We truly cannot wait to return - we may possibly try another Secrets resort but this one will be very hard to beat!

Secrets Moxche Playa del Carmen: Secrets Moxche Playa del Carmen

The hotel is beautiful and the staff are extremely professional, friendly, and fun. From every perspective other than the food, I had a wonderful time. However, I'm not sure I would return to this resort. I have celiac disease. While the resort 'claims' to be allergy friendly, I did not have a great food experience. I tried to engage staff to ask questions, and for the most part it was embarrassing for me to constantly be the 'problem child' of our family. They didn't make it easy to get goo [... read more]d food. An allergy friendly resort is one that says: I've got you and I'm going to help you so that you don't have to make a fuss, and so you don't have to wander around trying to find someone to help you. That did not happen here. I have pictures of everything including the menus to back up this review. 1) Except for the dessert and bread station, the buffet is not clearly marked as to what is and what is not gluten free. It was very difficult to find help on the floor. 2) The daytime beach food venue did not have clearly safe gf options. There were pretzels and breadsticks spread all over the cheese and meat trays, and the soup had noodles. At the other all I could have was 'fish of the day' which is a giant, tasteless fish with a face -no sauces, no veggies, nothing. It was not good. 3) For the restaurants, their menu typically only one appetizer (usually a tartare or ceviche - and who wants to eat raw meat while travelling?), one main course, and one dessert item that was labelled as gf. When I asked the waiters if there were other options that I could have, they at first said no and redirected me to the menu, which was sparse. Menu items that should been easy to make gf weren't offered: e.g., Most of the meat dishes and salads (e.g., grilled lettuce) at Ember are not labelled as gf, Caprese Salad at Allora is not gf and there is only one gf pasta and sauce option, most of the sushi was not gf at the Japanese restaurant (even the veggie rolls were not gf), and most of the Thai Food was not gf at Bamboo (even though most Thai food is usually gf elsewhere). Almost all of these things can easily be made gf - you just need a clean pan, a gf soya sauce, and oil & vinegar to offer as a salad dressing alternative. 4) When I finally got fed up with the limited options (because I have never had such a hard time getting food at an expensive resort and we chose this resort bc of their allergy friendly claims), an allergist showed up. Her first approach was to try to convince me to chose the 1 appie, 1 main dish, and 1 dessert option at each restaurant. When I told her that wasn't good enough because I wanted an option that didn't involve a raw tartare appie, she finally said she would talk to the kitchen about which meats and salads could be made safely. Things seemed to get easier after that, but I shouldn't have had to get upset to get help and get good food. It's an expensive resort and it's really not hard to provide gf options. After making a fuss, at Ember, they agreed they could provide me with a chicken dinner and some vegetables. To their credit, when I finally got food, I didn't get sick and it was good food. It's just not a pleasant experience to have to advocate for yourself so hard to make it happen. It was embarrassing for me and my family. It's just not the way I want to spend my vacation. Note: I've been to three other resorts in Mexico that were wonderful and took care of me.

Blue Diamond Luxury Boutique Hotel: Beautiful, quiet gem of a resort

In all of our years visiting resorts in the Mayan Riviera, this is hands-down our favourite. Is it showing it's age a bit - yes. BUT...we found absolutely nothing to complain about. The grounds are spectacular, our patio junior suite was perfect. The plunge pool was cleaned and filled every day and it was extremely private. The hotel staff was super friendly, courteous and helpful. And...i don't know where they stole their chef from - but the food was INCREDIBLE. We couldn't be happier w [... read more]ith the Blue Diamond luxury boutique and we're already looking forward to a return trip.

Iberostar Waves Paraiso Beach: Too unorganized and too many changes

We have been 7 times to iberostar parisio beach, but due to the changes in restaurant booking procedures, pushy concierge to attend members recruitment, decrease in amenities, poorer entertainment theatre programs and overall lack of organization this time, we will not be returning.

Bahia Principe Explore Akumal: Reasonable

Food: excellent. Buffets have a lot of variation. You won't starve, A la carte.. Really good. You do have to go online to pre-book restaurants. Get the app, pre check in, pre book restaurants... And then day of leaving, pre check out. Pretty painless Room was clean, but very musty smelling 7516. They were made aware, but did nothing. Definitely need water shoes. There's lots of rock/Coral.. Especially adult section. They did their very best cleaning the sargassum. The big beach is busy [... read more], water is shallow, so good for little kids. Pools were clean. Not freezing cold. Really big resort. If you don't care about the beach and are a pool person, you'll love it.

Barcelo Maya Riviera: Beautiful resort, but beaches are weird

Everything about the hotel is perfect! The service, the room, the cleaning, the food! The only comment I have about this resort is the beaches. I understand the seaweed situation is out of the resort's control, but the rest is manageable. On the first day we came, we went for a swim in the ocean and my husband stubbed his toe really badly on a random rock. We found many dips in the water where there was just rocks. I stubbed my toe, but not as badly as my husband (his toe was purple for 5 days [... read more]). I feel like it's either lacking sand, or rock removal is necessary. But adding sand would make it more shallow than it already is... so you can't snorkel unless you go really far out (close to the ropes).

Platinum Yucatan Princess: PRETTY GOOD

This resort is beautifull. The property was clean and well kept. The staff was very helpfull and language barrier was not a big problem. Enrique from the bellboy staff was especially helpfull with all my small enquiries and he always met us with a big smile. The beach was okay with lots of rock on the adults only side but was much better on the family side. Crews worked tirelessly to keep the beach free of seaweed. Kudos to them. The food was very good. No complaints there. My only complaint wou [... read more]ld be the layout. The party pool was at the opposite end of the property from the beach. This resort was very quiet. So if you are looking for a quiet and relaxing vacation, this would fit the bill.

Ocean Riviera Paradise: The good and the bad

First the bad, the beach is just awful for swimming, not at all for children, large rocks everywhere, my 7 year old grandchild cut her foot, easy to stub toes too. We asked for a wake up call on 2 different occasions, the first time they called twenty minutes late the second time they did not call at all. Now the good, I thought the food was excellent at every restaurant we went to, the buffet could get crowded in the morning but it had so many choices of really tasty food. The a la carte rest [... read more]aurants were all very good my favourite was the privilege. The pools were fun. The staff friendly and helpful. All and all a nice place to have a holiday unless you are strictly a beach person.

Akumal Bay Beach and Spa Resort: Hidden Gem

This resort is the right size for us, it isn't filled with wild parties or loud music. It was busy but we never waited for food or drink. The staff are amazing ! We had room 1002 which I think was the best view at the hotel...we lucked out...Building One is the Best. It was a very windy week with lots of seaweed but that did not put a damper on our holiday. Our room was clean and if we had an issue or request it was looked after. This resort could be an "Adults Only". I do wish there was some mo [... read more]re activity..eg: Bingo in the Lobby Bar or Corn Hole ,etc....my husband does not like to just lay around and always joins in the activities at the other resorts we have stayed at...my daughter did do the painting class and we listened to the music in the lobby bar each evening. We loved the restaurants which was a nice change from the Buffet. We were right at the beach close to the bar and the infinity pool so we had all we needed in our little corner.

Paradisus La Perla Adults Only Riviera Maya: Great Resort

Resort was very clean, felt very safe. The staff was friendly and efficient/accommodating. Enjoyed the fact that it was a non-smoking resort and there were designated areas for smoking. We had dinner at an à la carte every night. Would definitely visit there again in the future!

Viva Maya by Wyndham: Good stay

This resort has everything you need . Clean , good food , great entertainment. Rooms are lovely . Balcony are/ were a disappointment. Lots of chairs on the beach but limited shade options . Sea weed was an issue at time of year we were there beginning of April .

Paradisus La Perla Adults Only Riviera Maya: Amazing resort

It started out with a gorgeous upgrade, welcoming staff and beautiful weather! Our vacation at Paradisus la Perla was top notch!! Food was 5/5 and the cleanliness of the resort and friendly mannerisms of the staff was excelled !!

Secrets Akumal Riviera Maya: Very enjoyable stay

The whole place was so well kept. The grounds were beautiful, right in the jungle with tons of wildlife. Food was some of the best we’ve had and the service was really good. Beach was decent but it got busy. Diving was right next door, super dive team and well priced. The only minor niggle was the pressure to hear the vacation club presentation. Other than that, it was a fabulous visit & we definitely recommend it.

Akumal Bay Beach and Spa Resort: Wondering Relaxing Resort!

Great vacation end of March. The resort was full but never seemed crowded. We were in bld 2 not renovated but it was the perfect location, central to everything you need, stunning view and after the live music shuts down nightly it’s very quiet to sleep. Although our room was very dated, i would still pick it over the others that were farther away. This was the cleanest resort we’ve been to, the staff does a fantastic job! Every bathroom is cleaned multiple times a day at the pool/bars/restauran [... read more]ts/lobby. We saw staff cleaning the pool but our only negative on cleanliness would be that the pool just never seemed cleaned even first thing ,it could use more attention and it wasn’t bc of tree debris. Although the beach is close by, no Loungers near the pool was a miss for us. Often our group would be in the pool but we couldn’t get out and dry off close by and still socialize. Cabanas were further back and always wet, but still appreciated having them. Towels were plentiful which was great and no card required to check them out. Pool was brand new and still great to relax in, loved the 3 whirlpools at one end. Water yoga was fun to do, great instructors. The beach was great to lay at, lots of loungers and tons of snorkeling! The buffet had lots of choices. The service there was a bit inconsistent, most times we were well waited on, on occasion we’d be half done or more with no water or plates cleared. The omelette lady was so pleasant and fast but she needs to turn the grill down as most days they were overdone. Restaurants we tried Brazilian, French and Mexican were all fantastic, top notch food and service. Wish they had entertainment at night repeated like dancing more than once a week, we missed it bc of travel times. It was a long ways from Cancun airport but is definitely a great resort one we’ll keep in mind to return to!

Barcelo Maya Tropical: Family Vacation

The resort is large with lots of pools and separate kids water park type pools, the grounds are clean and well kept. The staff were all friendly and attentive. The food at the buffet was very good (for a buffet) and the food at the ala cart restaurant's were excellent. The rooms were decent, clean and generally in good condition except for some of the furniture, it was a little wore out. This was the first trip for our grandchild and we had a great time. If you like large resorts I would defin [... read more]itely recommend this resort. Lastly Monique at Trip Central was great to deal with when we booked this trip, thanks for all your help Monique.

Hilton Cancun: Overall, nice stay and would come back

Stayed here for 7 nights with wife and toddler. Resort is starting to show some signs of wear but overall still nice. Splash pad tiling is quite rough so would recommend water shoes for kids. Do not reserve restaurants on the app since it only allows reservations one day ahead - book entire week through reservation desk instead. Beach is quite narrow and not very usable. Overall, the food, hospitality and amenities were all excellent and we would definitely consider coming back.

The Fives Oceanfront Puerto Morelos: Relaxing Resort

If you are looking for a quiet relaxing resort with excellent fine dining then this is the resort for you. We had the one bedroom suite with a perfect ocean view with 2 (yes two!) private balconies. The perfect setting for enjoying quality time with my husband. The restaurants provided fabulous food, however the one was only open once during our stay. We did miss our buffet however, you could always find food when you were hungry. The staff were very pleasant and tried their best to accommo [... read more]date you. Very clean resort and their beach was fantastic as they were able to remove seaweed. Other than not being picked up by our included transfers it was a great holiday. Love Mexico!