BlueBay Grand Esmeralda
BlueBay Grand Esmeralda
Carretera Federal Chetumal Puerto Juárez - KM 300, Playa del Carmen 77710 Mexico
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C$293
Fully refundable before Thu, Jul 18
Breakfast included
No prepayment needed
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About
4.0
#35 of 38 all-inclusives in Playa del CarmenLocation
Cleanliness
Service
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Ideally located in an area of 445 acres in a prime position on the beach on the Riviera Maya, BlueBay Grand Esmeralda combines elegant Mayan features with contemporary design and a wide range of service to suit the most discerning traveller. BlueBay Grand Esmeralda provides a relaxed atmosphere for holiday makers. The hotel features 979 elegant and well-appointed rooms and suites with the option of a sea or garden view.
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Property amenities
Free parking
Free internet
Pool
Fitness Centre with Gym / Workout Room
Free breakfast
Beach
Tennis court
Babysitting
Parking
Wifi
Paid internet
Pool / beach towels
Outdoor pool
Private pool
Fitness / spa changing rooms
Fitness classes
Bar / lounge
Restaurant
Breakfast available
Breakfast buffet
Kid-friendly buffet
Poolside bar
Aerobics
Entertainment staff
Evening entertainment
Table tennis
Children Activities (Kid / Family Friendly)
Kids club
Kids' outdoor play equipment
Airport transportation
Shuttle bus service
Car hire
Taxi service
Business Centre with Internet Access
Conference facilities
Banquet room
Meeting rooms
Spa
Couples massage
Facial treatments
Foot massage
Full body massage
Head massage
Massage
Salon
24-hour security
Baggage storage
Concierge
Currency exchange
Gift shop
Shops
Sun loungers / beach chairs
Sun umbrellas
ATM on site
Butler service
24-hour front desk
Dry cleaning
Laundry service
Room features
Blackout curtains
Air conditioning
Private beach
Housekeeping
Private balcony
Minibar
Refrigerator
Cable / satellite TV
Room service
Safe
VIP room facilities
Flatscreen TV
Room types
Ocean view
Non-smoking rooms
Suites
Family rooms
Good to know
HOTEL CLASS
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Park View
Bay View
Languages Spoken
English, French, Spanish
Location
Carretera Federal Chetumal Puerto Juárez - KM 300, Playa del Carmen 77710 Mexico
Name/address in local language
Getting there
Cancun Airport
39.8 km•
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Aerodromo de Playa Del Carmen
11.2 km•
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Rental Cars
783 Restaurants
within 10 kilometers
16,924Reviews2,586Q+A100Room tips
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Detailed Reviews
My family and I spent two weeks at BlueBay in December. When we arrived after our 45 minute transfer, we were offered a complimentary drink and only had to wait a couple of minutes to check in. We paid the eco resort tax which worked out to be approximately £14, and I was ready to give a polite but firm no towards any sales pitch, but this never came.
We were given a room in block 6 on the top floor, facing towards the quiet pool (although this cant be seen). We walked to the room and our suitcases arrived a short while later. The room was a decent size, with two double beds which were made up daily with towel art. There was a flat screen TV although it was poor quality, as the screen only showed images in pink and green, but still useable for the kids to watch cartoons. The bathroom was a reasonable size with a walk in shower and two sinks, although both plugs tended to get stuck if we tried to use them. The room is showing some signs of wear, but was fine for our stay. The only real downside was the noise from the corridor outside, be it either the maids trolleys, noisy guests late at night or the fire alarm going off one night for no apprent reason!
All pools have been recently resurfaced (the quiet pool only opened on our last day), and were fine to use; there were plenty of sun loungers available, althouhg as others have mentioned they could do with more shade. The pool/beach bar was great, with all staff being pleasant and attentive. We also found the staff at Jaal-Ha to be lovely, making a fuss of our kids and recognising us by bring our drinks over without asking. One thing to note: they no longer offer single use plastic straws, so we took our own reuseable ones and some sterilising tablets with us, which we used for the kids and cocktails.
The beach, as mentioned by others, is disappointing; they are clearly doing everything they possibly can to try and rectify this, but we didnt venture into the sea at all. However, a ten minute walk to the left brings you to a small lagoon with clear water which was perfect for swimming in.
The entertainment was great, you could join in with as little or as much as you wanted, with no pressure from staff. The shows in the evenings were generally good, and the kids clubs were great, with the kids getting to join in with lots of games. Only thing I would say is that it can sometimes be a little late for the younger ones, but ours enjoyed staying up for it.
Wildlife was great! We loved seeing the coatis, iguanas, deer, raccoons and all sorts of other wildlife. The coatis are clearly quite domesticated as people often feed them, but left you alone if you ignored them.
Overall we had a great holiday, there were a few small issues, but nothing that would stop us from returning for the right price.
We were given a room in block 6 on the top floor, facing towards the quiet pool (although this cant be seen). We walked to the room and our suitcases arrived a short while later. The room was a decent size, with two double beds which were made up daily with towel art. There was a flat screen TV although it was poor quality, as the screen only showed images in pink and green, but still useable for the kids to watch cartoons. The bathroom was a reasonable size with a walk in shower and two sinks, although both plugs tended to get stuck if we tried to use them. The room is showing some signs of wear, but was fine for our stay. The only real downside was the noise from the corridor outside, be it either the maids trolleys, noisy guests late at night or the fire alarm going off one night for no apprent reason!
All pools have been recently resurfaced (the quiet pool only opened on our last day), and were fine to use; there were plenty of sun loungers available, althouhg as others have mentioned they could do with more shade. The pool/beach bar was great, with all staff being pleasant and attentive. We also found the staff at Jaal-Ha to be lovely, making a fuss of our kids and recognising us by bring our drinks over without asking. One thing to note: they no longer offer single use plastic straws, so we took our own reuseable ones and some sterilising tablets with us, which we used for the kids and cocktails.
The beach, as mentioned by others, is disappointing; they are clearly doing everything they possibly can to try and rectify this, but we didnt venture into the sea at all. However, a ten minute walk to the left brings you to a small lagoon with clear water which was perfect for swimming in.
The entertainment was great, you could join in with as little or as much as you wanted, with no pressure from staff. The shows in the evenings were generally good, and the kids clubs were great, with the kids getting to join in with lots of games. Only thing I would say is that it can sometimes be a little late for the younger ones, but ours enjoyed staying up for it.
Wildlife was great! We loved seeing the coatis, iguanas, deer, raccoons and all sorts of other wildlife. The coatis are clearly quite domesticated as people often feed them, but left you alone if you ignored them.
Overall we had a great holiday, there were a few small issues, but nothing that would stop us from returning for the right price.
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Date of stay: December 2019
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from SOPHIEBBGE, Director de Relaciones Públicas at BlueBay Grand Esmeralda
Responded Jan 8, 2020
Dear shoefanatic, Thank you for sharing your honest comments, both positives and the ones that need improvement. We are glad to know that you had an enjoyable stay at the BlueBay Grand Esmeralda hotel and that you consider coming back. We will continue working on constant improvement and hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back. Kind regards,
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
The description boasts hundreds of acres but we found no nature trails or welcoming interaction with the jungle during our stay. It was a lot of cement sidewalks with steep ditches on either side. Coming from a different climate I love to see the natural plants growing in their natural form, and the landscaping here fails to showcase these fascinating tropical species. I think it takes special lack of skill to make nature in such a beautiful location look so uninteresting. Filling those acres with nature trails would be a nice addition.
We liked the tequila bar at the Mexican restaurant on the night we were allowed to dine there, and the food service was okay. I would suggest that if the servers do not wish to make the “Mayan Coffee” drink, that it be removed from the menu and not given to anyone. To have a server decline making it for us when we see another table having it was upsetting. It didn’t feel very all-inclusive, with the listings in the room for all the extra up charges like for bottled water, but one variety was provided free and it was fine. We would never buy a timeshare /club so we declined the (overly aggressive) invites.
We are nature lovers, this resort seems more geared to spa treatments and shorter stays, or perhaps people that just want to spend the week sitting at the pool, which was nice but again not nearly as memorable as other resorts in the area. I keep Blue Bay on the list to watch, hoping they make something of all this land they say they have. The rooms were okay, white cement and not memorable. The bar and lounge areas were pretty with some neat features, a nice hotel for the ‘gram, I guess.
We liked the tequila bar at the Mexican restaurant on the night we were allowed to dine there, and the food service was okay. I would suggest that if the servers do not wish to make the “Mayan Coffee” drink, that it be removed from the menu and not given to anyone. To have a server decline making it for us when we see another table having it was upsetting. It didn’t feel very all-inclusive, with the listings in the room for all the extra up charges like for bottled water, but one variety was provided free and it was fine. We would never buy a timeshare /club so we declined the (overly aggressive) invites.
We are nature lovers, this resort seems more geared to spa treatments and shorter stays, or perhaps people that just want to spend the week sitting at the pool, which was nice but again not nearly as memorable as other resorts in the area. I keep Blue Bay on the list to watch, hoping they make something of all this land they say they have. The rooms were okay, white cement and not memorable. The bar and lounge areas were pretty with some neat features, a nice hotel for the ‘gram, I guess.
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Date of stay: December 2019Trip 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 as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Sophie Murguia, Atención al huésped/Recepción at BlueBay Grand Esmeralda
Responded Dec 6, 2020
Dear MrBsWifey, Thank you for having chosen the BlueBay Grand Esmeralda for your deserved vacations and for posting your comments. We are very sorry to learn that your stay, unfortunately, did not meet your expectations and that our services and some of our facilities were not of your liking. We sincerely look forward to have a second opportunity to welcome you back and improve all the points mentionned in your comment. Best regards,
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
The hotel was nice but needs some renovations. The rooms were clean, the beds comfortable but the service was lacking. We stayed in Building 1 (Tulum), room 1216. We had an issue with the bathtub which didn’t drain correctly. When you took a shower, you could expect to have water up to your ankles in just a few minutes and it took a few hours to drain. It’s not very appealing for a second person to get in the tub. We reported this twice to the management without anything being done. Also, the bathtub is hard to get into unless you have long legs as you have to climb over the structure. The shower should also be replaced as water was coming out from the showerhead as well as from the bath spout.
It takes about 5 minutes to walk from the lobby to the pool and beach. There are vehicles to shuttle guests around but they come every 15 mins. We walked most of the time. The grounds are nice and clean.
We tried most of the restaurants which were good but nothing special. The variety of food at the main buffet was good but the lineups were crazy. They should rethink the layout so that you don’t need to get in line at the start when you only want what is at the end. The layout at the buffet near the beach is much better so we went there for breakfast.
The beach is not clean and you can’t swim. The water is murky and there are a lot of small seashells which hurt your feet. Due to this, the pools are very crowded. However, they were clean with lots of activities next to the big pool. You have to get up early if you want to reserve a chair.
Entertainment is not the greatest. The bar at the Black and White cafe has pool tables. 9:30pm shows were not really amusing and the sound system was so loud that you couldn’t hear the music or songs. We left after 10 minutes.
You have only one wifi username per room which can work on only one device. You have to pay $3/day for an extra device.
Most of the staff had good customer service but others, especially at the lobby, had attitude problems. We tried several times to get change without success. Some of the staff near the lobby were really annoying trying to sell us everyday all kinds of excursions or products.
I would consider this hotel a 4 star at the most and I don’t believe I would stay there another time.
It takes about 5 minutes to walk from the lobby to the pool and beach. There are vehicles to shuttle guests around but they come every 15 mins. We walked most of the time. The grounds are nice and clean.
We tried most of the restaurants which were good but nothing special. The variety of food at the main buffet was good but the lineups were crazy. They should rethink the layout so that you don’t need to get in line at the start when you only want what is at the end. The layout at the buffet near the beach is much better so we went there for breakfast.
The beach is not clean and you can’t swim. The water is murky and there are a lot of small seashells which hurt your feet. Due to this, the pools are very crowded. However, they were clean with lots of activities next to the big pool. You have to get up early if you want to reserve a chair.
Entertainment is not the greatest. The bar at the Black and White cafe has pool tables. 9:30pm shows were not really amusing and the sound system was so loud that you couldn’t hear the music or songs. We left after 10 minutes.
You have only one wifi username per room which can work on only one device. You have to pay $3/day for an extra device.
Most of the staff had good customer service but others, especially at the lobby, had attitude problems. We tried several times to get change without success. Some of the staff near the lobby were really annoying trying to sell us everyday all kinds of excursions or products.
I would consider this hotel a 4 star at the most and I don’t believe I would stay there another time.
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Date of stay: January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Frederic C, Director General at BlueBay Grand Esmeralda
Responded Feb 11, 2020
Dear friends, On behalf of all the staff of BlueBay Grand Esmeralda 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!!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I'm a travel agent from Australia and very rarely right negative reviews for hotels, however I have to say I am very disappointed with this resort. I booked this hotel on the premise that it was a 5 star resort, however after being here for one night already it is clear that this is not the case. I read a few reviews before arriving here and was a little bit apprehensive about staying, however I know that not everyone has the same expectations and decided to give the resort a chance. (We even looked at staying elsewhere prior to arriving).
We stayed in a partial ocean view room on the top floor of building five. The rooms are dirty, only surface clean if that. The rooms smell damp and feel grotty. The cleaners make an insane amount of noise in the hallways and other rooms in the mornings and come into the room at 8am to clean. I wouldn't mind if the rooms were spotless but they really aren't and we were sleeping inside as we arrived late the night before. The rooms also feel very damp, floors are wet from the condensation all day and rooms are dimly lit. The buffets are poorly presented and serve basic, plain and lukewarm/cold food and the line was extremely long last night (it took us about 30 minutes to get through the line).
The pool area was very busy and loud. Beach is not a swimming beach, which is obviously outside of the resorts control, but just a heads up if you want to relax on the beach or by the pool this is not the resort for you.
We just came from Cancun where we stayed at the Paradisus (Melia) and can't believe the difference in quality despite the price tag being the same. This resort was exactly what we were hoping for, so we were very disappointed after arriving at Bluebay.
Despite this the staff are very friendly, accommodating and attentive. The concierge called us in the morning to make sure we knew what time to meet our organised tour in the lobby (which was not even organised by them) which we really appreciated.
Overall, I would not recommend this resort to people wanting a 5 star, all inclusive stay in Playa del Carmen. This resort is more suited to young families and people looking for a more budget friendly alternative. By Australian/UK standards I would rate this resort a 3.5 star.
This is a completely honest review and I would seriously reconsider staying at this resort if any of the things I have mentioned are of concern to you. Whilst some travellers seem to have enjoyed their stay at Bluebay I would not stay here again.
We stayed in a partial ocean view room on the top floor of building five. The rooms are dirty, only surface clean if that. The rooms smell damp and feel grotty. The cleaners make an insane amount of noise in the hallways and other rooms in the mornings and come into the room at 8am to clean. I wouldn't mind if the rooms were spotless but they really aren't and we were sleeping inside as we arrived late the night before. The rooms also feel very damp, floors are wet from the condensation all day and rooms are dimly lit. The buffets are poorly presented and serve basic, plain and lukewarm/cold food and the line was extremely long last night (it took us about 30 minutes to get through the line).
The pool area was very busy and loud. Beach is not a swimming beach, which is obviously outside of the resorts control, but just a heads up if you want to relax on the beach or by the pool this is not the resort for you.
We just came from Cancun where we stayed at the Paradisus (Melia) and can't believe the difference in quality despite the price tag being the same. This resort was exactly what we were hoping for, so we were very disappointed after arriving at Bluebay.
Despite this the staff are very friendly, accommodating and attentive. The concierge called us in the morning to make sure we knew what time to meet our organised tour in the lobby (which was not even organised by them) which we really appreciated.
Overall, I would not recommend this resort to people wanting a 5 star, all inclusive stay in Playa del Carmen. This resort is more suited to young families and people looking for a more budget friendly alternative. By Australian/UK standards I would rate this resort a 3.5 star.
This is a completely honest review and I would seriously reconsider staying at this resort if any of the things I have mentioned are of concern to you. Whilst some travellers seem to have enjoyed their stay at Bluebay I would not stay here again.
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Date of stay: January 2020
Location
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Frederic C, Director General at BlueBay Grand Esmeralda
Responded Feb 1, 2020
Dear friends, On behalf of all the staff of BlueBay Grand Esmeralda 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!!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Just returned from an amazing 7 nights here celebrating two 50th birthdays. This place is just simply amazing. There is so much choice of food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. On our first day at breakfast Fernando UC, was exceptional and every day after that, as soon as we walked in for breakfast he knew who had tea and who had coffee and we had the same table every day. He was a lovely, friendly man. The buffet restaurants have so much choice that there will always be something you like. There are also the Al la carte restaurants which you book on the morning the day before you want to go. But we got there in the afternoon on the first day and still got booked into one of the restaurants for the next day. Our favourite restaurant was the French restaurant and Benjamin Rest Francis, gave an exceptional outstanding service to us. He recommended great food and gave a great service.
Alex round the large pool bar was also great and gave great personal service right to your sun beds.
The rooms are spacious and cleaned everyday, your personal mini fridge is also refilled everyday with beer and soft drinks as well as water.
The sun beds round the small pool got towels put on them very early, but you will find a sun bed round the larger pool or even on the beach. There was 6 of us and we always got beds for us all. If you go on the beach, go up near the swing bar as it’s a great atmosphere. Also walk in the opposite direction and go and swim in the lagoon, it’s so clear and beautiful.
You will love this place and I would certainly recommend it.
Alex round the large pool bar was also great and gave great personal service right to your sun beds.
The rooms are spacious and cleaned everyday, your personal mini fridge is also refilled everyday with beer and soft drinks as well as water.
The sun beds round the small pool got towels put on them very early, but you will find a sun bed round the larger pool or even on the beach. There was 6 of us and we always got beds for us all. If you go on the beach, go up near the swing bar as it’s a great atmosphere. Also walk in the opposite direction and go and swim in the lagoon, it’s so clear and beautiful.
You will love this place and I would certainly recommend it.
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip 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 as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Frederic C, Director General at BlueBay Grand Esmeralda
Responded Feb 28, 2020
Dear friends, On behalf of all the staff of BlueBay Grand Esmeralda I wish to thank you for your great comments and for your preference. We will make sure to share your kind comments with all our staff and it will be a privilege to serve you again in a near future. If you need any help for your future reservations please feel free to contact us anytime. Best regards!!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I did the deal of fortune and thought it was a good idea not so much..the rooms have a very strong and mold odor the air condition hardly pumps any are you have to rely on the ceiling fans I tried to sit outside at night on the patio and was never informed that I would have friends try to run up on me to get my food which were raccoons I had a open can of beer in my refrigerator and some black stuff floating around in my toilet we express to them that it was our birthday and to do special things for us and nothing was accommodated we were even promised a birthday cake on our last night of dinner with our name on it and the server forgot but instead when we mentioned it he brought out a square cake with a writing on the plate that says congratulations the food accommodations for Americans is horrible we did find a happy medium the last night of dining with a piece of salmon and mashed potatoes this day was my most challenging. We were trying to be sold a timeshare left and right and even when we opted out of the free massage that they offered once we realize it was for us to do a timeshare tour the tour dest agent snap at us and said next time don't book something if you're not going to do it in a very demeaning manner I will never ever recommend anyone to this Resort however the grounds are Immaculate very clean and they had golf carts to get around the resort which was very nice because the resort is huge I'm not saying that this is a bad bad Resort but it's just not from me at all and I will not be returning
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Date of stay: January 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 as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Frederic C, Director General at BlueBay Grand Esmeralda
Responded Feb 1, 2020
Dear friends, On behalf of all the staff of BlueBay Grand Esmeralda I wish to thank you for your preference. We regret that your experience with us was not at the level of their expectations, We are at your service anytime and thank you again for your comments, Best regards!!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
The grounds were beautiful and there were always staff trimming and tending to the landscape. This resort is spread out and there is a bit of walking to get from the lobby to the beach. Took only 5-10 minutes but if you have limited mobility or medical conditions there were golf carts that would go back and forth carting people around. Personally we found the walk nice. We did use the shuttle when we first arrived and at the end when we had our luggage.
Room - We stayed in Building 5. It was a great location down by the beach/large pool. We did use the wifi and it was fine. Wasn’t perfect but we were still able to be connected if someone from home needed us. We had a spacious room with a King bed which was VERY comfortable.
Beach - We always sat at the beach. We did manage to get loungers every day. Typically we would move our lounger around to get more sun as the shade would shift thoughout the day. We did buy some towel clips and it made it much easier to fine our beach loungers when coming back from the washroom. Servers also came around and delivered your drinks to you at the beach. 😊 Yes there was seaweed BUT we walked down the beach and there was seaweed at the Secrets and the H10. Its just the way the wind blows in the Mayan. Sometimes the seaweed is a struggle. The staff were out at 7am with their rakes and wheelbarrows cleaning up the beach. If you wanted to snorkel you could walk down the beach to the left and there was a lagoon that people were snorkeling in. You could also go for a stroll down the beach to the right.
Food – There was plenty of options including custom omelets. There were a couple of breakfast buffet locations. One up by the lobby and one down by the beach. There were 6 a la carte restaurants that were available but they required reservations. Reservations had to be made the day before and the concierge started to take them at 7:00 am. If you wanted a specific a la carte you had to be early. We ate at the Steakhouse, French and Italian. All were fantastic and our servers were amazing. Kudos go out to Alfredo at the Italian restaurant, Eddie at the Steakhouse and Benjamin at the French Restaurant.
Would I come back or recommend this place? Yes. The staff are polite, helpful and are there to help.
Room - We stayed in Building 5. It was a great location down by the beach/large pool. We did use the wifi and it was fine. Wasn’t perfect but we were still able to be connected if someone from home needed us. We had a spacious room with a King bed which was VERY comfortable.
Beach - We always sat at the beach. We did manage to get loungers every day. Typically we would move our lounger around to get more sun as the shade would shift thoughout the day. We did buy some towel clips and it made it much easier to fine our beach loungers when coming back from the washroom. Servers also came around and delivered your drinks to you at the beach. 😊 Yes there was seaweed BUT we walked down the beach and there was seaweed at the Secrets and the H10. Its just the way the wind blows in the Mayan. Sometimes the seaweed is a struggle. The staff were out at 7am with their rakes and wheelbarrows cleaning up the beach. If you wanted to snorkel you could walk down the beach to the left and there was a lagoon that people were snorkeling in. You could also go for a stroll down the beach to the right.
Food – There was plenty of options including custom omelets. There were a couple of breakfast buffet locations. One up by the lobby and one down by the beach. There were 6 a la carte restaurants that were available but they required reservations. Reservations had to be made the day before and the concierge started to take them at 7:00 am. If you wanted a specific a la carte you had to be early. We ate at the Steakhouse, French and Italian. All were fantastic and our servers were amazing. Kudos go out to Alfredo at the Italian restaurant, Eddie at the Steakhouse and Benjamin at the French Restaurant.
Would I come back or recommend this place? Yes. The staff are polite, helpful and are there to help.
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip 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 as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Frederic C, Director General at BlueBay Grand Esmeralda
Responded Mar 10, 2020
Dear friends, On behalf of all the staff of BlueBay Grand Esmeralda I wish to thank you for your great comments and for your preference. We will make sure to share your kind comments with all our staff and it will be a privilege to serve you again in a near future. If you need any help for your future reservations please feel free to contact us anytime. Best regards!!
Read more
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Very large resort with 8 buildings. There are 2 pools, plus many rooms with a pool right outside your door. The quiet pool is closest to buildings 6, 7, and 8 with the main lobby, a buffet, shops and the Black and White bar ( which is your main entertainment location) only a few minutes away.
The action pool is down at the beach, which they say is a 7 minute walk, but it took me about 12 minutes. on the way you pass the remaining buildings, that all have the pool around the building. The pool itself it beautiful. large enough, and with enough bridges to get across. There is not enough shade however, so if that is something you need, you have to get there EARLY. We took our towels down at 6:30 every morning and The trolley doesn't start to run until 9 am, and there is only 1, so you could wait quiet a while. We like the pool so spent no time at the beach other than walking.
You can book you Ala Carte every morning starting at 7 am for the next day.
There is a lady that runs a little pottery shop right there at the pool, where you can paint your own souvenir. once you are done, if you wish, she will repaint the black lines (which most of us needed) and put a glossy finish on it. you then collect it the next day. Great way to get out of the sun for a while.
The action pool is down at the beach, which they say is a 7 minute walk, but it took me about 12 minutes. on the way you pass the remaining buildings, that all have the pool around the building. The pool itself it beautiful. large enough, and with enough bridges to get across. There is not enough shade however, so if that is something you need, you have to get there EARLY. We took our towels down at 6:30 every morning and The trolley doesn't start to run until 9 am, and there is only 1, so you could wait quiet a while. We like the pool so spent no time at the beach other than walking.
You can book you Ala Carte every morning starting at 7 am for the next day.
There is a lady that runs a little pottery shop right there at the pool, where you can paint your own souvenir. once you are done, if you wish, she will repaint the black lines (which most of us needed) and put a glossy finish on it. you then collect it the next day. Great way to get out of the sun for a while.
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Date of stay: February 2020
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip: Ask for something near the beach if that is your intended destination. If you don't want...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Frederic C, Director General at BlueBay Grand Esmeralda
Responded Mar 10, 2020
Dear friends, On behalf of all the staff of BlueBay Grand Esmeralda I wish to thank you for your great comments and for your preference. We will make sure to share your kind comments with all our staff and it will be a privilege to serve you again in a near future. If you need any help for your future reservations please feel free to contact us anytime. Best regards!!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Room was spacious, front desk quickly responded to our needs when we asked, comfortable bed, drinks in the refrigerator were included and refilled daily.
Pool was clean and expansive. No swim up bar, which I think is a positive because people aren't spilling their drinks or dropping their glasses in the swimming water all the time so it was always a very clean pool. Many shaded areas all around the pool (good for me because I burn so easily in the sun) and even these neat areas at the pool's edge with "chairs" in the stone of the pool to lie on (hard to explain but was nice). Beach was clean and well maintained.
Six A La Carte restaurants at the resort, all of which were lovely; Seafood, Mexican, French, Steakhouse, Oriental, and Italian. I think my favourite meal was at the French restaurant where I got a delicious steak. Make sure you get your reservations for these A la Carte restaurants!
I went with my girlfriend and my parents. Usually I don't end up doing any of the poolside activities, but the entertainers at the resort are excellent. Big shout out to one of the fellas in Animacion (entertainment) at the pool, Alejandro! This guy was so damn funny. Every activity he was hosting, I went to. Archery, rifle shooting, water polo, aquasize (water aerobics?), dancing, volleyball, water balloon fight, this weird water balloon-catching game, and another weird rope-and-basketball game; all great fun! And this Alejandro guy made every activity 10x better than it would have been with his charming personality, funny jokes, and inclusive mentality. I did a couple of the activities with the other staff guys, and it was fun, but I had so much more fun whenever Alejandro was running the activity. I hope that if you're going to this resort, Alejandro is working at the same time you're there. This man needs a raise or promotion!
Pool was clean and expansive. No swim up bar, which I think is a positive because people aren't spilling their drinks or dropping their glasses in the swimming water all the time so it was always a very clean pool. Many shaded areas all around the pool (good for me because I burn so easily in the sun) and even these neat areas at the pool's edge with "chairs" in the stone of the pool to lie on (hard to explain but was nice). Beach was clean and well maintained.
Six A La Carte restaurants at the resort, all of which were lovely; Seafood, Mexican, French, Steakhouse, Oriental, and Italian. I think my favourite meal was at the French restaurant where I got a delicious steak. Make sure you get your reservations for these A la Carte restaurants!
I went with my girlfriend and my parents. Usually I don't end up doing any of the poolside activities, but the entertainers at the resort are excellent. Big shout out to one of the fellas in Animacion (entertainment) at the pool, Alejandro! This guy was so damn funny. Every activity he was hosting, I went to. Archery, rifle shooting, water polo, aquasize (water aerobics?), dancing, volleyball, water balloon fight, this weird water balloon-catching game, and another weird rope-and-basketball game; all great fun! And this Alejandro guy made every activity 10x better than it would have been with his charming personality, funny jokes, and inclusive mentality. I did a couple of the activities with the other staff guys, and it was fun, but I had so much more fun whenever Alejandro was running the activity. I hope that if you're going to this resort, Alejandro is working at the same time you're there. This man needs a raise or promotion!
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Date of stay: February 2020
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip: I'd ask to be in either building 3 or 4 because close to pool, and far from beach party. That...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Frederic C, Director General at BlueBay Grand Esmeralda
Responded Feb 19, 2020
Dear friends, On behalf of all the staff of BlueBay Grand Esmeralda I wish to thank you for your great comments and for your preference. We will make sure to share your kind comments with all our staff and it will be a privilege to serve you again in a near future. If you need any help for your future reservations please feel free to contact us anytime. Best regards!!
Read more
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We stayed at Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda from January 24-Feb 2nd.
The resort is very large with golf carts that will stop and pick you up at the posted stops. We found the resort to be very well maintained and all of the staff to be very friendly.
Thankfully we stayed in building 4 which is closer to the beach, main pool and most of the activities.
Check in was easy and everyone was friendly. We were approached by Super Mario to attend one of the information sessions about the timeshares and were bribed with $200 per couple in USD to be used on the repsort. Needless to say we went listened to the sales pitch and were given $200 for both the couples to share when we declined. We could care less about the money but didn't appreciate being lied to and when asked about it he assured us we misunderstood.
The beach was clean with minimal seaweed that was quickly removed each morning. We were not able to go into the ocean as they were blowing sand in to build up the beach and twice heard of people being stung by jelly fish so we decided to utilize the pool. That being said in 10 days we did see a drastic difference in the beach size in the time we were there.
The pool was clean, offered lots of lounge chairs and entertainment. There was always someone coming around to get you a drink and the activities team worked hard to make sure everyone knew what was going on.
We spent most evenings at the swing bar where Ivan and Jose were sure to offer shooters and your drink was always full.
The main buffet at dinner always had a line up, this was our biggest complaint. If the set up was different it certainly would make things much smoother.
We ate at two of the a la cartes - the italian and steakhouse and both were amazing.
Great resort, great value for your money.
The resort is very large with golf carts that will stop and pick you up at the posted stops. We found the resort to be very well maintained and all of the staff to be very friendly.
Thankfully we stayed in building 4 which is closer to the beach, main pool and most of the activities.
Check in was easy and everyone was friendly. We were approached by Super Mario to attend one of the information sessions about the timeshares and were bribed with $200 per couple in USD to be used on the repsort. Needless to say we went listened to the sales pitch and were given $200 for both the couples to share when we declined. We could care less about the money but didn't appreciate being lied to and when asked about it he assured us we misunderstood.
The beach was clean with minimal seaweed that was quickly removed each morning. We were not able to go into the ocean as they were blowing sand in to build up the beach and twice heard of people being stung by jelly fish so we decided to utilize the pool. That being said in 10 days we did see a drastic difference in the beach size in the time we were there.
The pool was clean, offered lots of lounge chairs and entertainment. There was always someone coming around to get you a drink and the activities team worked hard to make sure everyone knew what was going on.
We spent most evenings at the swing bar where Ivan and Jose were sure to offer shooters and your drink was always full.
The main buffet at dinner always had a line up, this was our biggest complaint. If the set up was different it certainly would make things much smoother.
We ate at two of the a la cartes - the italian and steakhouse and both were amazing.
Great resort, great value for your money.
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Date of stay: January 2020
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Frederic C, Director General at BlueBay Grand Esmeralda
Responded Feb 5, 2020
Dear Karla, Thank you very much for sharing your experience and for recommending our resort, See you soon, Sincerely,
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I was on the 3rd floor that had a balcony. Yes all floors except the first floor which is open.
Room service menu has 2 pages. Left side free items; right side items with cost. There is a $12 service fee. And you should tip the server. But with unlimited food at all the restaurants, why order room service?
Yes, all restaurants are included. There is a daytime buffet, a very nice evening buffet. The six a la carte restaurants require a reservation, made one day in advance. Each building has a concierge, so this is easy.
Food is quite good, especially the Mexican & the French.
It does not matter, all the rooms are horrible!
…
"Come visit Bluebay Grand Esmeralda and have an experience of a life time with #Circleone .. the staff and crew were always so friendly. "Read full review
"Don’t go to the beach restaurant! Wild animals are there and smells with no ac to cool you down. Bring bug repellent the area is swampy."Read full review
"The only reason I rated the rooms low is that we happened to visit in a storm season. Be aware of a chance of flooding."Read full review
…
PRICE RANGE
C$198 - C$290 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
blue bay esmeralda, bluebay grand esmeralda hotel, blue bay grand esmeralda riviera maya, blue bay grand esmeralda mayan riviera, grand esmeralda, blue bay grand esmerelda, blue bay grand esmeralda resort, blue bay grand esmeralda beach resort spa, blue bay esmerelda
LOCATION
MexicoYucatan PeninsulaQuintana RooRiviera MayaPlaya del Carmen
NUMBER OF ROOMS
979
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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Frequently Asked Questions about BlueBay Grand Esmeralda
Which popular attractions are close to BlueBay Grand Esmeralda?
Nearby attractions include Social Pubcrawl Playa del Carmen (4.5 km), Tres Rios Ecopark (0.5 km), and Playa Punta Esmeralda (7.1 km).
What are some of the property amenities at BlueBay Grand Esmeralda?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include free breakfast, a pool, and an on-site restaurant.
Which room amenities are available at BlueBay Grand Esmeralda?
Top room amenities include a minibar, air conditioning, and a flat screen TV.
What food & drink options are available at BlueBay Grand Esmeralda?
Guests can enjoy free breakfast, an on-site restaurant, and a lounge during their stay.
Is parking available at BlueBay Grand Esmeralda?
Yes, free parking is available to guests.
What are some restaurants close to BlueBay Grand Esmeralda?
Conveniently located restaurants include Sotavento, Casa Amate, and Taquería Los Compas.
Are there opportunities to exercise at BlueBay Grand Esmeralda?
Yes, guests have access to a pool, a fitness centre, and fitness classes during their stay.
Does BlueBay Grand Esmeralda have airport transportation?
Yes, BlueBay Grand Esmeralda offers airport transportation for guests. We recommend calling ahead to confirm details.
Are any cleaning services offered at BlueBay Grand Esmeralda?
Yes, dry cleaning and laundry service are offered to guests.
Does BlueBay Grand Esmeralda offer any business services?
Yes, it conveniently offers a business centre, meeting rooms, and a banquet room.
Which languages are spoken by the staff at BlueBay Grand Esmeralda?
The staff speaks multiple languages, including English, Spanish, and French.