BlueBay Grand Esmeralda - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

19062 reviews

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  Jan4-18/26 Two weeks in paradise

  When we arrived at the hotel, we were greeted by David. He gave our luggage to the bellhop took us to the front check-in desk. There was no lineup they let us check in around noon . then he explained tomorrow he would give us a bottle of tequila and a $50 resort credit and he would give us a tour tomorrow morning at 9:30. They took our luggage in a golf cart to building six and they had one working elevator. 915 the following morning we got a phone call that the golf cart and David was coming to pick us up and we politely declined and that was the end of that. ( we have no interest in club 21 or RCI. We are cruisers. We have our 17th cruise booked for May 27 out of Rotterdam and have travelled extensively around Europe. ) We liked our room. It was on the fourth floor overlooking the small pool which I had sent an email and request it. We had hot water every day. There was no mould the AC TV and refrigerator and plumbing all worked. there is a chair problem, but we brought our own portable chairs to eliminate that problem so we could sit at the beach or at the small pool, which we preferred or in the shade or the sun . We went to the breakfast buffet three times once having a cheese omelet second time pancakes and the third time French toast all with some bacon and a mimosa but the most mornings we went to the coffee shop which opens at 10am great coffee, muffins, or croissants and different pastries. We went to the festival buffet most days for a light lunch . The evening buffet was your typical buffet. I liked the pasta station and the barbeque ribs were good also the chicken wings. We went to the Italian restaurant three times. It was our favorite. The anti pasta was good first time I had lamb chops, second time lasagna and third time shrimp with Alfredo. My wife liked the spinach and cheese ravioli . The seafood restaurant we had the salmon which was good. The steakhouse we went twice and I had the New York strip first time was really good. The second time not so good. I guess it depends on the cook. We went to the French restaurant. It was good. The presentation was nice. The only problem is they should heat the plates because the food was cold by the time you get it. Checkout time is at noon, but they held our luggage so we got to hang around in the lobby until 6 PM.

  Jan 27, 2026
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  Not 5 stars

  We came to this resort after seeing photos and thinking it looked lovely…. As much as the grounds are absolutely beautiful there are some issues, this is our honest review based on how our 10days were here. The bad… The resort is absolutely massive and depending on what building you’re in you can end up having quite a walk to the beach or restaurants, there are golf buggies that you can get but only if you’re in the right spot at the right time. There is nowhere near enough sun loungers for everybody here! Which is absolutely ridiculous because there’s heaps of space to put more. Everybody reserves sun beds early by putting towels out but one day we had our towels actually “moved by security” and taken to reception as we hadn’t been down to sit there yet… we don’t know of anybody else who had this issue and yet we spent days at the pool where sun loungers were reserved yet nobody sat there all day but their towels stayed put. There is also no moveable umbrellas just some built in cement poles with linen across the top- if you get a sun bed here you’re in the shade all day but if you get a sun bed in the sun you’re in that all day which is a bit of a pain. Our room was ok, not of a 5 star standard, our fan is broken but luckily air con is ok, the mirrors are all wearing away and there are some black marks all round the room. There is a 50 or so inch tv yet no mugs for coffee, we asked for 5 days before we got one even though there was 2 of us here. We also had no hot water one of the days we were here. The walls are paper thin so you can usually hear your neighbours and it’s particularly noisy throughout the night when people are returning to their rooms. The food is so repetitive, it’s nearly always the same things on offer and it’s not a lot of variety, it’s a struggle if you’re a fussy eater or have any allergies/ intolerances. The food has often been cold as well in the main restaurant. The good There is a coffee house which is amazing! The coffees are always delicious with loads to choose from hot or cold and they’re made with love! The staff are all lovely and will try to help if they can. The wildlife you’ll see around the resort is awesome! We saw something new nearly everyday. There is a shop on the resort that has everything you need, we bought the wrong plug adapter and found one here which was so convenient. The hotel may have been 5 stars when it first opened but I wouldn’t say it’s retained it, it misses the mark on a lot of little things that do add up and given how big and busy it was there must be some money to give it a bit of a freshen up and rectify some of the issues.

  Jan 26, 2026
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  Read reviews with a grain of salt

  We just checked out of the Blue Bay Esmeralda after spending 10 days here. Prior to coming, I read the recent reviews which I took with a grain of salt and didn't let it taint my trip. However, some reviews were in my option, truthful. Yes we did stay in building 7. After check in we noticed our room did not have working air conditioning however we did get moved the next day. Mid trip there was no hot water for 24 hours but again, was fixed and we were able to have a warm shower. The resort is well maintained and the staff are all happy to assist and take care of you. The grounds are lovely and there is plenty of wildlife to see. The bigger issue in my opinion was the food that was offered. Let's just say you really need to love pork and zucchini. With ten days here, we found the food below par but again could find something. Unfortunately, there were few we spoke with who did suffer from food poisoning. Stay away from sushi themed nights. This resort definitely had some of the same issues as others. Not enough sun bed loungers but if you put your politeness away and come down early (like 6am,,) then you can do what everyone else does. Lay a towel and walk away, come back hours later and your towels still there. On a plus, there are concrete loungers in the pool that are the last to get "reserved". We did go to the spa for a full body massage and it was worth it. Very relaxing. We also did a snorkle with the dive center which was a great hour seeing the tropical fish and a moray eel. I know this resort was considered top of the line 20 years ago however it is time for a upgrade. With the over 900 rooms and the amount of people they are bringing in, there should be some funds to begin a upgrade. Lastly, shame on Sumwing aka WestJet. After coming to the Mayan Riviera for almost 20 years, there are tons of hotels to choose from when offering vacation packages sadly this resort should be taken off the list until some of the issues can be sorted out.

  Jan 25, 2026
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  Live for the moment, enjoy every minute of your day.

  So, we just returned from a wonderful vacation at Blue Bay. The negative comments about this resort are pretty pathetic. Yes, it’s an older resort and it could use a face lift but for the price the positive out way the negative by far. Check in was smooth, excellent service at the front desk by all staff members. There were 5 restaurant and two buffets. You could go to one of the restaurants every night if you wanted too. Meals at the restaurants were really good. Are favourite ones were the Mexican, Italian and French. The staff are very friendly and accommodating. One particular waiter in the French restaurant stood out from the rest for his professional demeanour, humour and class, his name was Luis Alberto. Thank you sir for the amazing service. The buffets were also very tasty, lots to choose from. A very nice gentleman at the beach buffet by the name of Francisco made sure that we hand everything we needed every time we went in to eat. Amazing service , thank you. Down at the quiet pool there was Jose, Ivan and Paula who kept us happy all day long. Paula’s a gem, such a sweet lady. And then there’s the coffee bar, one of my favourite places to hang out with Angle. Ask Angle for the Angle Special, he makes really good coffee. The beach is OK. Lots of activities going on all day if you want to stay busy. Night shows are good. The Black and white bar is open 24 hrs a day with snacks. All staff members were excellent. To many names to remember. We even did the Circle One presentation and it wasn’t to bad. Met some nice people. A gentle by the name David I enjoyed talking to him after the presentation. We ran into each other a couple of times after and had a great conversation. No pressure, check it out, it might be for you. It’s a big resort but they move you around pretty good with large golf carts. At the end of the day I would have to say I would differently return to enjoy the staff’s kindness and warm hostipality, oh ya, also they amazing dinners, lunches and breakfast. The only thing I would say negative as a lot of other people say is that there’s not enough chairs, especially if the resort is full. Looking forward to returning soon.

  Jan 25, 2026
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  Worst Resort

  Only 3 people on at check in. More than two bus loads waiting well over an hour. The staff were friendly but that kind of a wait in the heat is ridiculous. My room reeked of mould and sewer. The tub wouldn't hold water because the plug was so old and there was no hot water. I asked to change rooms but there were none available. Apparently there are several people asking to change rooms every day. The pool needs at least 100 more lounge chairs or you are stuck on cement. Staff says people are not allowed to save chairs and to just take one. Bad Idea. On a good note the food is pretty decent.

  Jan 24, 2026