All You Need to Know About the Laundry Service
at BlueBay Grand Esmeralda
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Laundry Service review highlights
... on laundry services. When we did get the bag the laundry service was very efficient with quick pick up from our room...
... is an extremely long walk. Problem #4, we requested laundry service and we are in day 3 of them not picking it up. Do not...
... had a light sewage smell when you opened the water Laundry service: We were overcharged because they decided all our...
Most popular question about the laundry service
Is there a laundry service at this hotel
Answer from Joe J
Nov 2022 |
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Reviews that mention laundry service
Write a reviewWe had a wonderful 10 day stay. A beautiful resort with lovely swimming pools.
The beach was overrun with seaweed, We’re not really into beaches or sea swimming anyway so it didn’t bother us but probably something to keep in mind if you are big into the beach. It was lovely to be so close to the beach for a nice walk in the evenings.
The rooms are a little dated and could do with some maintenance and repair (leaking toilet, patio door was really stiff and difficult to open and close, smell of mildew in the room) but naturally the hotel industry has struggled financially throughout the pandemic. The rooms were clean and comfortable otherwise and the grounds and pool areas were really well maintained and clean.
There were shuttle carts available to jump onto to to travel around the resort.
There was a great choice of food in the restaurants, being a veggie I generally don’t have a big selection of choice in most hotels but there were plenty of veggie options in the buffet and the food was delicious. There’s 3 speciality restaurants, Mexican, Italian and a steak house. We ate once in the Italian, the food was good but as veggie options are limited on a la carte menu’s I preferred the variety of the buffet so we didn’t try the others.
The mini bar in our room was stocked daily with soft drinks and water bottles.
The hotel shops are extortionately expensive. $8 for a bag of skittles! As there are no shops close by it would be best to bring snacks with you if you don’t want to pay an arm and a leg for crisps and treats.
There was no laundry bag in our room, I asked for a bag for 5 days in a row before one was brought to our room. I wasn’t in a rush for the laundry as I just wanted my heavier travel clothes cleaned ready for heading back to colder climates so it wasn’t a big deal for us but I’m sure it would have been frustrating for any families who are trying to travel lighter and are relying on laundry services. When we did get the bag the laundry service was very efficient with quick pick up from our room once we called them and our clothes were returned within a few hours.
The staff throughout the resort were all really friendly and helpful, from the waiters to the maintenance workers. No one passed you by without an ‘hola’.
We were able to get a Covid test in the hotel to travel into the US for our connecting flight which was really convenient.
Overall we throughly enjoyed our stay at BlueBay and would definitely return again. Mexico is such a beautiful country and a visit should be on everyone’s bucket list, there are loads of excursion options with some stunning places to see. Be sure to book a trip to swim in one of the cenotes and visit Xcaret park.
Thank you to the BlueBay team for making our trip so great, we look forward to coming back some day.
The beach was overrun with seaweed, We’re not really into beaches or sea swimming anyway so it didn’t bother us but probably something to keep in mind if you are big into the beach. It was lovely to be so close to the beach for a nice walk in the evenings.
The rooms are a little dated and could do with some maintenance and repair (leaking toilet, patio door was really stiff and difficult to open and close, smell of mildew in the room) but naturally the hotel industry has struggled financially throughout the pandemic. The rooms were clean and comfortable otherwise and the grounds and pool areas were really well maintained and clean.
There were shuttle carts available to jump onto to to travel around the resort.
There was a great choice of food in the restaurants, being a veggie I generally don’t have a big selection of choice in most hotels but there were plenty of veggie options in the buffet and the food was delicious. There’s 3 speciality restaurants, Mexican, Italian and a steak house. We ate once in the Italian, the food was good but as veggie options are limited on a la carte menu’s I preferred the variety of the buffet so we didn’t try the others.
The mini bar in our room was stocked daily with soft drinks and water bottles.
The hotel shops are extortionately expensive. $8 for a bag of skittles! As there are no shops close by it would be best to bring snacks with you if you don’t want to pay an arm and a leg for crisps and treats.
There was no laundry bag in our room, I asked for a bag for 5 days in a row before one was brought to our room. I wasn’t in a rush for the laundry as I just wanted my heavier travel clothes cleaned ready for heading back to colder climates so it wasn’t a big deal for us but I’m sure it would have been frustrating for any families who are trying to travel lighter and are relying on laundry services. When we did get the bag the laundry service was very efficient with quick pick up from our room once we called them and our clothes were returned within a few hours.
The staff throughout the resort were all really friendly and helpful, from the waiters to the maintenance workers. No one passed you by without an ‘hola’.
We were able to get a Covid test in the hotel to travel into the US for our connecting flight which was really convenient.
Overall we throughly enjoyed our stay at BlueBay and would definitely return again. Mexico is such a beautiful country and a visit should be on everyone’s bucket list, there are loads of excursion options with some stunning places to see. Be sure to book a trip to swim in one of the cenotes and visit Xcaret park.
Thank you to the BlueBay team for making our trip so great, we look forward to coming back some day.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Response from DIRECTOR GENERAL, Director General at BlueBay Grand Esmeralda
Responded May 19, 2022
Dear Friends, Thank you very much for your visit and your extensive 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.
Terrible experience, one thing after another.
To begin with our stay we were located far away from the pool beach food etc. They have EXTREMELY hard to get golf carts to move you from one place to another. When we were walking and asked where it was going they said everywhere drove off and LAUGHED. With children and an elderly person we moved to another area a bit closer after talking to management.
Problem #2, 1 out of 2 rooms had no working AC. It is too hot sleep without in this weather.
Problem #3 the same room had an exposed outlet where a 7 year old and 12 year old were staying. Problem #4 and biggest problem if you don’t reserve a transportation service with them they will NOT let them through to pick you up. We were leaving to go take the ferry to Islas mujeres and they made us WALK all the way from the front desk to the road. They did not have any golf carts to take us and made our drive wait outside the gates. Take note this is not a small place and from one place to another it is an extremely long walk.
Problem #4, we requested laundry service and we are in day 3 of them not picking it up.
Do not come if you are looking for a family friendly easy place to relax. Much better hotels out there, this his been the worst stay out of any place I’ve been to. Management honestly doesn’t give two cents either about making it right or trying to fix the problem.
To begin with our stay we were located far away from the pool beach food etc. They have EXTREMELY hard to get golf carts to move you from one place to another. When we were walking and asked where it was going they said everywhere drove off and LAUGHED. With children and an elderly person we moved to another area a bit closer after talking to management.
Problem #2, 1 out of 2 rooms had no working AC. It is too hot sleep without in this weather.
Problem #3 the same room had an exposed outlet where a 7 year old and 12 year old were staying. Problem #4 and biggest problem if you don’t reserve a transportation service with them they will NOT let them through to pick you up. We were leaving to go take the ferry to Islas mujeres and they made us WALK all the way from the front desk to the road. They did not have any golf carts to take us and made our drive wait outside the gates. Take note this is not a small place and from one place to another it is an extremely long walk.
Problem #4, we requested laundry service and we are in day 3 of them not picking it up.
Do not come if you are looking for a family friendly easy place to relax. Much better hotels out there, this his been the worst stay out of any place I’ve been to. Management honestly doesn’t give two cents either about making it right or trying to fix the problem.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
2 Helpful votes
Helpful
Response from Director General, Director General at BlueBay Grand Esmeralda
Responded Nov 6, 2023
Dear Friends, We appreciate the valuable time you took to share your recent experience at BlueBay Grand Esmeralda. Your opinion, as well as that of all our guests, is very important to us as it gives us opportunities for improvement. Without a doubt, we will take the necessary measures to improve our services offered based on all the comments that you have kindly made to us. We regret not having met your expectations during your stay. Thank you again and we hope to welcome you again at BlueBay Grand Esmeralda in the future. Sincerely, BlueBay Family
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Room: Standard, nothing fancy; bathtub had a few hairs and small bugs the first day; the A/C was always ON and made a vibrating noise - it was fixed until the 4th day; the bathroom had a light sewage smell when you opened the water
Laundry service: We were overcharged because they decided all our clothes required "Express" service which is additional 50% cost; we only wanted 1 shirt in "Express"
Restaurants: Food was generally good. Service in the "reservation" restaurants was generally very slow; the buffets are okay, sometimes good and sometimes average
Service on the beach/pool: There is basically no waiter service anywhere in the pool or beach. A waiter would pass once an hour at the beach and take 15 minutes to deliver any drink. It was much easier just to go get the drink ourselves.
Hotel layout: It is a long walk from the beach zone to the restaurant zone. There are carts that pick you up but they are once every 20 minutes and get full pretty quickly
There are animals "tejones" and "mapaches" all over the hotel. The staff says they are friendly but I know these animal are usually very agressive. There were also cats strolling around one of the buffets near the beach as well.
This hotel is definitely one step below the Now Jade, Secrets or Dreams.
Laundry service: We were overcharged because they decided all our clothes required "Express" service which is additional 50% cost; we only wanted 1 shirt in "Express"
Restaurants: Food was generally good. Service in the "reservation" restaurants was generally very slow; the buffets are okay, sometimes good and sometimes average
Service on the beach/pool: There is basically no waiter service anywhere in the pool or beach. A waiter would pass once an hour at the beach and take 15 minutes to deliver any drink. It was much easier just to go get the drink ourselves.
Hotel layout: It is a long walk from the beach zone to the restaurant zone. There are carts that pick you up but they are once every 20 minutes and get full pretty quickly
There are animals "tejones" and "mapaches" all over the hotel. The staff says they are friendly but I know these animal are usually very agressive. There were also cats strolling around one of the buffets near the beach as well.
This hotel is definitely one step below the Now Jade, Secrets or Dreams.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Response from Frederic C, Hotel Manager at BlueBay Grand Esmeralda
Responded Jan 11, 2017
Dear Friends, On behalf of all the staff of BlueBay Grand Esmeralda I would like to thank you for your review and for selecting our resort. Thank you also for sharing your positives and your feedback with us. We are always improving our resort on the aspects that are in our hands. We sincerely hope to have another opportunity to serve you all again so you can experience our BlueBay five stars service. Warm Greetings and Happy 2017 Frederic Ceglarski Director Residente
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
This was our first trip of this kind, and we liked it so much, we'll probably go back. I will speak to various points that people have raised in previous reviews, and add a few of my own.
The resort is rather spread out and though they have golf carts to carry guests to various destinations on the property, the timing may not always work out. If you have difficulty with physical mobility, the waiting may frustrate you. If you are bringing kids, bring a stroller if they are still youngish. Personally, it was not a problem for us as we were there to relax, so walking was ok.
The resort is accessible to those in wheelchairs, with ramps and elevators. The showers have a tiled ledge/seat and a hand held shower to accomodate those who have difficulty standing.
This facility has a LOT of staff, they are super nice and helpful. The place is spotless. So are their uniforms, there must be a laundry service.
Our travel company representative told us that the staff at the Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda (BBGE) would try to sell us timeshares, and advised us to not speak to them! This is probably because the travel reps wanted to sell us tours and didn't want us to buy any from the resort staff. No one at the BBGE tried to sell us a timeshare. Each building has at least one concierge, and I encourage you to speak to him/her to get information on the resort and make reservations at the à la carte restaurants.
The food is good. I'm not a big fan of buffets because many foods just don't hold up well under heat lamps (like the deep fried stuff). The resort does a good job of providing tasty buffet food. They also have an in-house inspector who checks on them to make sure the quality is acceptable. I noticed him on our second day there, and he was not happy with some items on the lunch buffet that we were eating from. Funny, because I was impressed with the food! The buffets have standards that kids like such as pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken nuggets and fries. They also vary the buffet foods each day. The dinner buffet has a different theme every evening, including Asian, seafood, Mexican, etc. We never got sick from eating at the BBGE. In the evenings, there is sometimes a waiting period for the dinner buffet. The staff offer drinks to the waiting diners outside. For example, you could enjoy shots of tequila or champagne, etc. (depending on the buffet theme) while waiting outside.
There are several à la carte restaurants, for which you need to make a reservation one day in advance. We ate at two, the steak house and the Italian restaurant. They are good. Some people complained about the quality... look, if you want a forty dollar steak, you should go to a place that *sells* forty dollar steaks. We would have eaten at more à la carte restaurants, but our son was too tired and grumpy at the end of the day to sit through a meal like that.
There is a kid's pool in the main area, with water that is 18 to 24 " deep. They also have a kid's club, but we didn't use it for reasons that are completely unrelated to the BBGE. I heard from other moms that they were not always comfortable leaving the wee ones (2 yrs old) there as it could get crowded and therefore understaffed. It's a judgement thing. Positives are that it has its own pool with a slide, and parents can stay with their kids there.
The staff were very nice, and bartenders would give us 1 L cartons of milk for our son. This saved us the trouble of making repeat trips for one glassful of milk at a time. There was a crib already in our room when we checked in.
There wasn't much seaweed on the beach as they have staff who clean it up. I don't know how this beach compares to other tropical beaches, as this was our first trip of this kind. They have their own lifeguards on duty for the beach.
Some complained about mosquitos... I noticed staff fumigating at the resort. I didn't find the bugs too bad. This is a tropical country, with standing water throughout the area (not just the resort), and there are fewer mosquitos there than in Ontario! You know, I expected to see a lot more bugs there, given that it is a tropical area. I don't know for sure, but I'm guessing they are using pesticides to make the guests feel more comfortable.
The poolside wait staff have large areas to serve, so you may find the service a bit slow if you are power drinking. One solution is to order two drinks at a time, or make the short walk to the bar to get your drinks.
Remember to bring lots of sunscreen. I priced a bottle at the shop and it was over 200 pesos. Inflatable air mattresses start at 125 pesos.
A cab ride to Playa Del Carmen was $16 USD at the time of our visit. Apparently you can take the collectivo to town for approx 20 pesos/person.
Also, there is a garbage incinerator nearby, and it is definitely not state of the art technology. You can smell burning garbage outside in the evenings and mornings. A warning to those who may be sensitive to this type of thing.
And remember to bring a flashlight and battery operated alarm clock. There was a power outage on the last night of our stay, and we worried about missing our early morning bus. (We did get our wake up call as requested.) And the halls were pitch black.
That's about it. We loved the resort and are already thinking of returning!
The resort is rather spread out and though they have golf carts to carry guests to various destinations on the property, the timing may not always work out. If you have difficulty with physical mobility, the waiting may frustrate you. If you are bringing kids, bring a stroller if they are still youngish. Personally, it was not a problem for us as we were there to relax, so walking was ok.
The resort is accessible to those in wheelchairs, with ramps and elevators. The showers have a tiled ledge/seat and a hand held shower to accomodate those who have difficulty standing.
This facility has a LOT of staff, they are super nice and helpful. The place is spotless. So are their uniforms, there must be a laundry service.
Our travel company representative told us that the staff at the Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda (BBGE) would try to sell us timeshares, and advised us to not speak to them! This is probably because the travel reps wanted to sell us tours and didn't want us to buy any from the resort staff. No one at the BBGE tried to sell us a timeshare. Each building has at least one concierge, and I encourage you to speak to him/her to get information on the resort and make reservations at the à la carte restaurants.
The food is good. I'm not a big fan of buffets because many foods just don't hold up well under heat lamps (like the deep fried stuff). The resort does a good job of providing tasty buffet food. They also have an in-house inspector who checks on them to make sure the quality is acceptable. I noticed him on our second day there, and he was not happy with some items on the lunch buffet that we were eating from. Funny, because I was impressed with the food! The buffets have standards that kids like such as pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken nuggets and fries. They also vary the buffet foods each day. The dinner buffet has a different theme every evening, including Asian, seafood, Mexican, etc. We never got sick from eating at the BBGE. In the evenings, there is sometimes a waiting period for the dinner buffet. The staff offer drinks to the waiting diners outside. For example, you could enjoy shots of tequila or champagne, etc. (depending on the buffet theme) while waiting outside.
There are several à la carte restaurants, for which you need to make a reservation one day in advance. We ate at two, the steak house and the Italian restaurant. They are good. Some people complained about the quality... look, if you want a forty dollar steak, you should go to a place that *sells* forty dollar steaks. We would have eaten at more à la carte restaurants, but our son was too tired and grumpy at the end of the day to sit through a meal like that.
There is a kid's pool in the main area, with water that is 18 to 24 " deep. They also have a kid's club, but we didn't use it for reasons that are completely unrelated to the BBGE. I heard from other moms that they were not always comfortable leaving the wee ones (2 yrs old) there as it could get crowded and therefore understaffed. It's a judgement thing. Positives are that it has its own pool with a slide, and parents can stay with their kids there.
The staff were very nice, and bartenders would give us 1 L cartons of milk for our son. This saved us the trouble of making repeat trips for one glassful of milk at a time. There was a crib already in our room when we checked in.
There wasn't much seaweed on the beach as they have staff who clean it up. I don't know how this beach compares to other tropical beaches, as this was our first trip of this kind. They have their own lifeguards on duty for the beach.
Some complained about mosquitos... I noticed staff fumigating at the resort. I didn't find the bugs too bad. This is a tropical country, with standing water throughout the area (not just the resort), and there are fewer mosquitos there than in Ontario! You know, I expected to see a lot more bugs there, given that it is a tropical area. I don't know for sure, but I'm guessing they are using pesticides to make the guests feel more comfortable.
The poolside wait staff have large areas to serve, so you may find the service a bit slow if you are power drinking. One solution is to order two drinks at a time, or make the short walk to the bar to get your drinks.
Remember to bring lots of sunscreen. I priced a bottle at the shop and it was over 200 pesos. Inflatable air mattresses start at 125 pesos.
A cab ride to Playa Del Carmen was $16 USD at the time of our visit. Apparently you can take the collectivo to town for approx 20 pesos/person.
Also, there is a garbage incinerator nearby, and it is definitely not state of the art technology. You can smell burning garbage outside in the evenings and mornings. A warning to those who may be sensitive to this type of thing.
And remember to bring a flashlight and battery operated alarm clock. There was a power outage on the last night of our stay, and we worried about missing our early morning bus. (We did get our wake up call as requested.) And the halls were pitch black.
That's about it. We loved the resort and are already thinking of returning!
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Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Check-in / front desk
Service
Business service (e.g., internet access)
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Helpful
Firstly let me say if your going to Mexico in the Cancun area, expect rain! There is not much to do so try and go before June or after November!
Concierge
Our concierges Cesar and Eusabio (I know the second names not right) were very helpful and friendly, helping me with my Spanish and a pleasure to deal with.
Reception
Once dropped off we had our cases picked up and put on a golf cart, we were "encouraged to visit" the time share desk but politely refused (don't need that after a 10 hour flight!) reception was quick but not very welcoming (no free drink/champagne as other hotels have done before) we were given two room keys and two towel cards for the pool. We were whisked off to our room in the buggy and the bell boy dropped off the cases.
Room. block 5 room 5408 top floor
Hotel block corridor in block 5 smelt most of the time of stink bombs which was very off putting, luckily this did not seem to go into the rooms!
No complaints about the room,cleaned every day, very comfortable queen size bed, small flat screen tv with some English speaking channels.Room also had large wardrobe (not many hangers!), safe and mini bar/fridge with beer, soft drinks and water. There was a coffee maker and the necessary sugars etc, complimentary fruit and a bottle of red wine with two glasses There was an iron and a small ironing board and a laundry service.
Bathroom had hair dryer, large mirror,shaving mirror, twin sinks,shower, toilet and complimentary shampoo, shower gel,body lotion and hair conditioner. Plenty of bath towels and flannels changed every few days and often left in animal shapes on the bed.
There was a balcony with views of the sea, the jungle/garden and two chairs and a table. Air conditioning was very good and it also had a large fan.
Resort and grounds
The resort itself is very large and if you have trouble walking, restaurants , beach, main bar are quite far apart. There are buggies driving around with no schedule and your very lucky if you can get on one! The grounds are well kept and the staff work very hard keeping it. Be careful on the footpaths as when it rains they become slippery in places where it was painted and one lady slipped over when we were there and badly hurt herself. There is lots of wildlife including Deer,cats, raccoons and limas, they will come into the seafood and steakhouse restaurants and pinch you food if your not careful, they also help themselves to your drinks around the poolside so don't leave them on the floor unattended. There are signs not to feed them but stupid people do and this encourages them, beware they can bite and maybe carrying fleas and rabies.
Restaurants
You have to book a table with the concierge every day apart from at the buffet.
Buffet
Food was standard fayre for all inclusive, had slow drinks waiter service and didn't serve spirits,only beer and wine.We weren't over impressed and it was dark and dingy.
Mexican
To be fair, we don't eat much Mexican food, the starter was not so good and the fajita were ok. It lacked atmosphere (because of the booking system, if you go early not many people are in there) and we only went once as we didn't enjoy it but gave it a go.
French
Great service from Eduardo and Daniel, all courses were very good, we ate there three times during our stay.
Italian
I enjoyed the food, but my wife is not a great fan of pasta, pizza, cheese but she had the beef and enjoyed that, good service again but we only went once because of the wife's limited tastes!
Asian
Good service, only tried it once but because of a mixed review from other holiday makers, we left it until last but we found it ok. Once again wife not a fan of Chinese food but she enjoyed hers. (white wine was like water!)
Seafood
Service was good, we had the paella which was full of seafood and very nice, it had a good salad bar with salmon and a prawn and calamari dish in a fruity sauce.
Steak house
good service from Willie or Senior Willie as we called him, they had several steaks which were good and cooked to your choice and if you wanted to change or add to your veg (they didn't all come with chips!) you could. I like mine with fried onions and chips and the waiter got them added for me.
Breakfast and lunch
several restaurants did a buffet style breakfast and lunch and our waiter Juan (in the seafood restaurant) was very good saving us a table if he knew we were coming in. Both breakfast and lunch was a good choice and if you cant find something here you would struggle to eat anywhere!
Gripes
Food
In all restaurants the food could have been a lot hotter and unless you had it straight from the griddle was only warm. I know its hard to keep food too hot when served over a long period but for example chips could be re fried a second time and they put the lunch food out at 11.15 but didn't serve until noon!
We also saw one of the supervisors dip his hands in the chips rather than use tongs and he got reprimanded by the kitchen staff.
Staff
Most of the staff were miserable, we were used to saying "Ola" to cleaners etc at previous hotels and getting a cheery smile back but although they answered back it was glumly.
Waiters
Apart from the waiters mentioned previously most were slow and useless, they seemed to stand around watching rather than looking for things to clean or people to serve. The black and white bar had poor service from waiters and bar staff (one or two were ok) but Joel behind the bar was moody and slow, one barman (I didn't get his name) actually walked away halfway thru serving me! They need training to a level.
Pool
The pool waiters were slow and unless you managed to find one you had to go and get your own drinks (we tried tipping before and after but nothing worked!) Staff were constantly cleaning the pool but until we had five days of rain the pool level was too low for the filtration system to work. This made the pool scummy on top of the water and there were no showers by the pool to rinse yourself before getting in. Often although it was hot I didn't really want to get in the pool and several people had tummy upsets.
Beach
If you want beach holiday go to Cancun!
The rest of the beaches we have seen in previous visits to Tulum or Riviera Maya are not what you expect from a Caribbean coast. This was no exception, with lots of seaweed on the beach and in the water , it was really smelly even though staff tried to bury it on the beach!
Drinks
poolside the drinks are served in plastic tumblers, they don't seem to be washed up very well smell of the chemical they use. The drinks in the restaurants are served in glasses which taste much nicer.
Summary
This is the cheapest hotel on the Caribbean coast and what you pay is what you get! If you want a Benidorm hotel in Mexico go here, the food is edible the staff are ok. If you want a true luxury experience pay a bit more and go to the hotel area in Cancun. I paid over £3000 for two weeks and this is the worst hotel I've been to in Mexico but could have been so much better if waiters were up to scratch and pool was cleaner. .
Concierge
Our concierges Cesar and Eusabio (I know the second names not right) were very helpful and friendly, helping me with my Spanish and a pleasure to deal with.
Reception
Once dropped off we had our cases picked up and put on a golf cart, we were "encouraged to visit" the time share desk but politely refused (don't need that after a 10 hour flight!) reception was quick but not very welcoming (no free drink/champagne as other hotels have done before) we were given two room keys and two towel cards for the pool. We were whisked off to our room in the buggy and the bell boy dropped off the cases.
Room. block 5 room 5408 top floor
Hotel block corridor in block 5 smelt most of the time of stink bombs which was very off putting, luckily this did not seem to go into the rooms!
No complaints about the room,cleaned every day, very comfortable queen size bed, small flat screen tv with some English speaking channels.Room also had large wardrobe (not many hangers!), safe and mini bar/fridge with beer, soft drinks and water. There was a coffee maker and the necessary sugars etc, complimentary fruit and a bottle of red wine with two glasses There was an iron and a small ironing board and a laundry service.
Bathroom had hair dryer, large mirror,shaving mirror, twin sinks,shower, toilet and complimentary shampoo, shower gel,body lotion and hair conditioner. Plenty of bath towels and flannels changed every few days and often left in animal shapes on the bed.
There was a balcony with views of the sea, the jungle/garden and two chairs and a table. Air conditioning was very good and it also had a large fan.
Resort and grounds
The resort itself is very large and if you have trouble walking, restaurants , beach, main bar are quite far apart. There are buggies driving around with no schedule and your very lucky if you can get on one! The grounds are well kept and the staff work very hard keeping it. Be careful on the footpaths as when it rains they become slippery in places where it was painted and one lady slipped over when we were there and badly hurt herself. There is lots of wildlife including Deer,cats, raccoons and limas, they will come into the seafood and steakhouse restaurants and pinch you food if your not careful, they also help themselves to your drinks around the poolside so don't leave them on the floor unattended. There are signs not to feed them but stupid people do and this encourages them, beware they can bite and maybe carrying fleas and rabies.
Restaurants
You have to book a table with the concierge every day apart from at the buffet.
Buffet
Food was standard fayre for all inclusive, had slow drinks waiter service and didn't serve spirits,only beer and wine.We weren't over impressed and it was dark and dingy.
Mexican
To be fair, we don't eat much Mexican food, the starter was not so good and the fajita were ok. It lacked atmosphere (because of the booking system, if you go early not many people are in there) and we only went once as we didn't enjoy it but gave it a go.
French
Great service from Eduardo and Daniel, all courses were very good, we ate there three times during our stay.
Italian
I enjoyed the food, but my wife is not a great fan of pasta, pizza, cheese but she had the beef and enjoyed that, good service again but we only went once because of the wife's limited tastes!
Asian
Good service, only tried it once but because of a mixed review from other holiday makers, we left it until last but we found it ok. Once again wife not a fan of Chinese food but she enjoyed hers. (white wine was like water!)
Seafood
Service was good, we had the paella which was full of seafood and very nice, it had a good salad bar with salmon and a prawn and calamari dish in a fruity sauce.
Steak house
good service from Willie or Senior Willie as we called him, they had several steaks which were good and cooked to your choice and if you wanted to change or add to your veg (they didn't all come with chips!) you could. I like mine with fried onions and chips and the waiter got them added for me.
Breakfast and lunch
several restaurants did a buffet style breakfast and lunch and our waiter Juan (in the seafood restaurant) was very good saving us a table if he knew we were coming in. Both breakfast and lunch was a good choice and if you cant find something here you would struggle to eat anywhere!
Gripes
Food
In all restaurants the food could have been a lot hotter and unless you had it straight from the griddle was only warm. I know its hard to keep food too hot when served over a long period but for example chips could be re fried a second time and they put the lunch food out at 11.15 but didn't serve until noon!
We also saw one of the supervisors dip his hands in the chips rather than use tongs and he got reprimanded by the kitchen staff.
Staff
Most of the staff were miserable, we were used to saying "Ola" to cleaners etc at previous hotels and getting a cheery smile back but although they answered back it was glumly.
Waiters
Apart from the waiters mentioned previously most were slow and useless, they seemed to stand around watching rather than looking for things to clean or people to serve. The black and white bar had poor service from waiters and bar staff (one or two were ok) but Joel behind the bar was moody and slow, one barman (I didn't get his name) actually walked away halfway thru serving me! They need training to a level.
Pool
The pool waiters were slow and unless you managed to find one you had to go and get your own drinks (we tried tipping before and after but nothing worked!) Staff were constantly cleaning the pool but until we had five days of rain the pool level was too low for the filtration system to work. This made the pool scummy on top of the water and there were no showers by the pool to rinse yourself before getting in. Often although it was hot I didn't really want to get in the pool and several people had tummy upsets.
Beach
If you want beach holiday go to Cancun!
The rest of the beaches we have seen in previous visits to Tulum or Riviera Maya are not what you expect from a Caribbean coast. This was no exception, with lots of seaweed on the beach and in the water , it was really smelly even though staff tried to bury it on the beach!
Drinks
poolside the drinks are served in plastic tumblers, they don't seem to be washed up very well smell of the chemical they use. The drinks in the restaurants are served in glasses which taste much nicer.
Summary
This is the cheapest hotel on the Caribbean coast and what you pay is what you get! If you want a Benidorm hotel in Mexico go here, the food is edible the staff are ok. If you want a true luxury experience pay a bit more and go to the hotel area in Cancun. I paid over £3000 for two weeks and this is the worst hotel I've been to in Mexico but could have been so much better if waiters were up to scratch and pool was cleaner. .
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Room Tip: block 7 &8 seemed to be noisier, we were on top floor block five (5408) at the back, quiet...
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
Response from Frederic C, Director General at BlueBay Grand Esmeralda
Responded Jul 2, 2018
Dear Friends, I wish to thank you for your feedback and for your preference. We regret that your experience with us was not at the level of their expectations, we will share your comments with our executive team to improve our service and our resort. We are at your service anytime and thank you again for your comments, Best regards!! Frederic Ceglarski Director
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Questions & answers about the laundry service
Voyager11143143860 asked a question Oct 2022
Answer from Joe J
Nov 2022 |
Yes there's a laundry service they pick it up from your door and bring it back to you all clean and ironed, it's also very cheap.
Nomad12274314993 asked a question Jan 2020
Answer from Woody2NiagaraFalls
Jan 2020 |
We were only there for a week, so we did't use the laundry service. Sorry I couldn't be of help.
Answer from ModdyinVermont
May 2019 |
In most rooms, "mini bar" is a small fridge. It is refreshed daily with water, soda, juice and beer.
Answer from Lesley W
Jan 2017 |
Not to my knowledge.
Answer from Fabricevdg
Jun 2015 |
hi there...each room has got laundry bag available, they are the taken to our inhous laundry and returned to your room.
sincerely,
fabrice
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