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I want to write a review for everyone skeptical because of some of the negative reviews that are out there.
I just came back from the most AMAZING trip I have ever had. The rooms- perfect, no issues with whatever- beds- or anything. The food is good! Standard for resorts and people who complain honestly should just stay home. The people--- the entertainers like Andy made our trip. Everyday they had the most amazing activities by the main pool. They put in 100 percent every time. I laughed and had so much fun. The beach- Okay that's the only part that's true. Its not something that's amazing and I didn't go in right in front of our hotel. BUT--- walk 10 minutes to the left and there's the most beautiful Lagoon, with a natural Lazy River with Tarzan vines you can swing from.
Also if beach is really your thing I recommend just doing the day trip excursion to Isla Mujeres. We got our beach craving filled there on North Beach and honestly the rest of the time you're going to want to be by the pool anyway.
They have a pool foam party, the most amazing beach fire show and a beach party. It was honestly so great for night life but I mean go back to your room if its not your thing.
Every day we saw wild deer, coati, amazing birds, and Iguanas. Okay so by the beach under some steps by one of the room buildings is the coolest Iguana. He loves Banana"s and we have named him Banana because of it. We've been trying to pass it on to people coming so he always get's at least one banana.
We went to Coco Bongo. It was absolutely amazing and I don't think Ill get an experience quite like that anywhere else. There is a line to wait in it can take 45 minutes but I promise its worth it.
Also be sure to check out a cenote. One of the coolest things we've ever done.
Please don't be stressed booking this resort. The people complaining are really just the most entitled people. You get a lot at this resort, the staff is amazing, please don't focus about what the lobby looks like because really is that where you are going to be spending your time anyway?
We had no issues with getting into the a la cartes. Even when they said it was full we went and asked politely if they had room and the accomodated. Also the buffet is good.
I just left and honestly I can't wait to go back.
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Date of stay: February 2023Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Response from DIRECTOR GENERAL, Director General at BlueBay Grand Esmeralda
Responded Feb 27, 2023
Dear Friends,
Thank you very much for sharing your lovely comments, We hope to have the opportunity to host you again soon,
Sincerely,
BlueBay Family
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We returned yesterday from a two week stay at this hotel. Prior to visiting, we saw a couple of reviews which worried us about our trip, however I honestly have no idea what they were complaining about as the hotel was fantastic and we had a fabulous time.
First of all, the food at the hotel is incredible, one of the best I’ve experienced at an all inclusive hotel. Food was readily available all the time as the meal windows at the buffet restaurants are really wide, there’s also a snack bar in the Black and White bar, room service available, and by the main pool, there’s a BBQ a few times a week where you can have a hot dog or a burger (there’s also pickles, onions, fresh lettuce, sauces, cheese etc to accompany them). All of the salad seemed really fresh and clean (no limp lettuce!) The a La carte restaurants are also very nice. There’s a Mexican, Italian, Seafood, French and Steakhouse restaurant. The burritos in the Mexican are super and the T-Bone steak in the steakhouse is a monster!
Secondly, the staff are excellent. It’s the little things such as staff smiling and saying hello to you as you’re walking around the resort. There’s waiter service around the pool if you don’t fancy getting up to go to the beach bar or pool bar. There’s also staff members who bring cans of beer/pop around the pool every so often. In the restaurant, you won’t have to wait very long to be brought a drink.
Furthermore, the rooms were very nice and the maids do a great job and work very hard! The minibars in the rooms have a variety of fizzy pop, there’s plenty of bottles of water, four beers put in there daily and sparkling water if that’s a bit of you.
When looking at previous reviews, I saw a few reviews which complaining about similar things. One of the popular complaints was the seaweed on the beach and yes, there is a lot but that is in no way the hotels fault. It’s a problem along all the beaches across the Riviera Maya. I visited Mexico around 9 years ago and there was no seaweed. Apparently, it is something that appeared 4/5 years ago and as you will see, they work really hard to clear it. I believe that you can visit some beaches where they put nets out to catch the seaweed, allowing you to swim in it. That being said, it didn’t bother me as I’m more of a pool swimmer anyway and the pool is lovely and tended to very well.
Another complaint that I have seen is that there’s a lot of locals being allowed in and that they are noisy. This is in no way true. Mexico is a huge country and some Mexicans holiday in Mexico (just like British people do!) All of the Mexican holiday makers were so lovely and friendly. Some do sometimes play music by the beach bar but you will find them asking you to put songs on, and this is not something that can be heard from hotel rooms so it will not keep you awake. My advice to some is that if they don’t want to see Mexicans, don’t go to Mexico! Also, if you’re reading reviews, you will see some Brits complaining that they were treated different by staff. Again, this is not something that I experienced. Tipping isn’t massively in our culture, but the staff work very hard so please tip them. It is very appreciated by them and it goes a long way in the service you receive! This could be why some Brits feel that others are receiving better service, they’re probably tipping! Trying to speak a little Spanish also goes a long way. It doesn’t need to be perfect but have a go at the basics - you are in a Spanish- speaking country after all, it’s only polite.
All in all, the stay was excellent. Staff, food, services all of which were great. If I was going to pick something to improve, I would say that a touch of paint is needed here and there. It’s not bad but the entrance to the hotel is lovely with little water falls and mosaics but some of the stones in the mosaic have fallen off which does take away from it a little. A little guidance when you first arrive would be appreciated too. We arrived to no welcome drinks, which would have been great after a long flight and a delay and we weren’t really given much direction to where our rooms were. I think this was just unfortunate as I saw others getting a little more guidance and receiving welcome drinks. This was literally the only negative from the staff.
A little travelling advice if you haven’t visited before, DON’T USE TAXIS! Playa del Carmen is only a short drive (15mins) and they will charge you $25 one way. The hotel has a shuttle bus that leaves the hotel at 11am and will bring you back later on. If you want to go at another time, get a Collectivo (research these online). They’re like a bus service but a minivan and they’re very safe. You will only pay 30 pesos which is a little over £1 as opposed to $25! It feels a little strange standing at the side of a busy dual carriageway waving to get them to pull over for you, but it’s well-worth it. Watch out for some bars/restaurants in Playa del Carmen as they can rip you off and add service charges at the end. It can be a bit of a tourist trap so have a good idea of your £ to pesos conversion.
Finally, avoid the hotel shop as it is ridiculously overpriced and the only place with rude staff. Hotel shops always charge a little more but I’m talking £18 for Imodium and £10 for Paracetamol. £8 for crisps!! I think they just make it up. Not too sure if the hotel set the prices or not but buy things in Playa del Carmen instead as it will be a fraction of the price. I wouldn’t pay those prices just out of principle.
However, if you’re thinking about booking, I urge you to do so as you will have a fantastic time and Mexico really is a beautiful country with great people and brilliant food. The country is packed full of history, particularly in this area. You can visit Chichén Itza where you will see one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. You can also swim in Cenotes - incredible! Enjoy your visit!
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Date of stay: August 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Response from DIRECTOR GENERAL, Director General at BlueBay Grand Esmeralda
Responded Aug 20, 2022
Dear Friends,
Thank you very much for your stay and your kind comments, We hope to host you again soon,
Sincerely,
BlueBay Family
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
This is not a five star resort. Left 2 days early. Our room leaked in several places and when I plugged in my phone, it shocked me. When I called the front desk to speak to a mgr, the fml said she was a mgr and threatened to call security. I went to the lobby to meet the mgr rather than wait for security where I was told they didn’t know who I spoke to because there was no mgr on duty. Lobby had buckets and towels everywhere too. Another of our group had no AC. Worst vac experience ever! Arturo of Apple vac said they’d get me a bus back to the airport but didn’t so had to get a taxi at my expense. Customer service non-existent.
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Date of stay: June 2022
Rooms
Service
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Response from DIRECTOR GENERAL, Director General at BlueBay Grand Esmeralda
Responded Jun 23, 2022
Dear Friends,
Thank you very much for your visit and for sharing your experience, We are sorry if we did not reach your expectation, We hope to have the opportunity to host you again in the future,
Best regards,
BlueBay Family
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We have just returned from the Blue Bay after a week's vacation. We were greeted well on arrival by (who we thought was) the concierge but turned out to be a member of the timeshare staff who pressed on us the need to attend the 'welcome breakfast' the following day to get hotel information. This is a timeshare scam, so do not go.
We stayed in a swim-up suite in block 2. Rooms were nice but were in need of a makeover. There were cracks in the pool, missing tiles, screws and handles missing from the patio doors. Nothing major but a shame. Our companions in the same room next door had air conditioning issues, which took 5-days to fix!
Room service was a bit hit and miss. It was always well cleaned but some days we had a mini-bar replenish some not. Some days the dirty glasses were taken, some days not.
The staff were very friendly and lovely!
The food was ok but not exceptional. There was always plenty of it.
It is not the best value for money and it would not be our first choice if looking for a 5-star all inclusive but it was alright.
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Date of stay: February 2022
Room Tip:block 2 was close to pool and beach
Value
Rooms
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Response from DIRECTOR GENERAL, Director General at BlueBay Grand Esmeralda
Responded Feb 15, 2022
Dear Paul, Thank you very much for your stay and for sharing your positives and feedback, We will share all your comments to our Executive team to improve our service and property, We hope to have the opportunity to hots you again in the near future, Sincerely, BlueBay Family
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We have been here for hours. These are pictures of three different roaches in the room! Our mini bar was half empty with half empty bottles of water. We called for water after being at the beach and 40 minutes later still no arrival!! Our shower has been plugged up and we asked for a different room and they told me no and that they would send someone to fix it which they did not do. I am a travel advisor and I would never promote this resort. I want to leave tomorrow and we’ve only been here a day! we are leaving no matter how much it cost me to leave.
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Date of stay: March 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Response from SOPHIEBBGE, Director de Relaciones Públicas at BlueBay Grand Esmeralda
Responded Mar 28, 2020
Dear CollNevs,
Thank you for sharing your valuable comments.
We certainly understand your discomfort about these unfortunate situations and offer our sincere apologies. Rest assured that your feedback will be turned to the involved areas with the objective to avoid similar situations with our future guests.
Best regards,
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New Orleans, Louisiana262 contributions137 helpful votes
I have stayed in buildings 3, 4 and 5. My preference is #5. Nice, big walk-in showers; close to the beach, larger pool and the swing bar. There is a good plan of the grounds and buildings at Resortmaps. Buildings 6, 7, 8 surround the quieter pool, if you want to avoid noise. Lounge chair hoarding is a result of rude people, and can't be controlled by the resort. You should be able to upgrade to VIP when you check in. I don't think it is worth the extra cost. Avoid timeshare salespeople. Go to the BlueBay Grand Esmeralda web site and at the bottom you will see a link, "contact us."
Hello ModdyinVermont,
This is a great resort, so be wary of listening to nay-sayers, especially if it's their first review. Anyways, I find those who tip are the least likely to complain about the service, or spend their vactions taking pictures of cracks in the wall or rust in the bathtub. Tip if you can afford it please, it'll do the folks living there a world of good, and it feels good for you too. I buy American $1 bills at my local bank before leaving Canada, usually about 100 to 150 of them, and pass them out over 7 days. We leave 3 for our cleaner, 1 or 2 for each meal, a couple a day for bartenders, and a few extra when needed for drivers, porters, concierge or whoever else you feel like sharing your good fortune with. Enjoy your vacation! Cheers, Paul
