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.
Did you already book this hotel?
About
4.0
#34 of 38 all-inclusives in Playa del Carmen
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Value
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.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
We 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.
Read more
Date of stay: May 2022
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 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
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Traveled 1/26 -31 2020. We have done about 30 All-Inclusive and this time it was just for relaxation and no excursions so we stayed the whole time on the resort. Some construction still continuing on a building but was not a hinderance or any noise that caused issues. The buffets were pretty typical for this price range but could have added more choices. The restaurants were of good quality. We tried the Italian, Mexican and Steak. We had no issues getting reservations but they needed to be made 24 hrs ahead of time so plan on the buffet the first night. The sand beach was nice but the water was cloudy and lots of pebbles/shells near water that hurt to walk on. We didn't swim in the ocean but we knew this before going so it wasn't a big deal for us. The resort is BIG. I was having back issues but they do have the golf trolleys that make the rounds. You need to be at a trolley stop to be picked up. I wish they ran a little later. Seemed they stopped right after the show at black and white. Drinks were good. Room was good. Only issue with noise was a group of young men (French / Italian??) in the quiet pool after hours VERY loudly singing team fight songs from my guess. I don't mind people having fun and was OK at first but after an hour of this it starts to get a bit annoying. This is where I think management and security could have stepped in after a half hour to be considerate for both parties to have them tone it down without impeding on anyones fun. I usually don't go to the same place twice but if got another good deal then I would return to this property.
Read more
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, Thank you very much for your visit and for sharing your positives and feedbach, See you soon, Sincerely
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Went to the Blue Bay Feb 2020 as a group of 9 adults.
Pros Clean room We had no water issues in our room, we were in building 8. Room was cleaned daily, bar stocked daily. Steakhouse was good. It if you like your steak well done you must stress that! Resort was clean and tidy. Food at buffets were pretty decent. Mexican and Italian a la cartes were very good If you are at the pool be sure to give Alex a shout. He was awesome to us all week!!! Drinks are great!
Cons The people travelling with us in building 6 did have some water issues, nothing terrible. But just letting you know it could happen. We had to get up at 6am to get chairs around the pool. Not that big of deal since there were 9 of us we were all delegated a day. The pool could be cleaned a bit more as a lot of people utilize it due to the fact they are still working on making the beach better. Big resort! Lots of walking (which isn’t a deal breaker for us) but just letting you know. Sewage smell is pretty well a constant around the lobby area.
In my opinion it was fine, nothing was so tragic as to us not to recommend. Will we return? Likely not as I think there are a lot of 4.5 - 5 stars that would be a better option.
The wild life is not as bothersome as some people make it sound.
All in all a great vacation especially when you choose to not let the little nit picky things get to you.
Read more
Date of stay: February 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 Mar 10, 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 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!!
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
The resort is advertised as a 5 star and it is a 4 start at best! The resort is very run down and in need of renovation. We paid $1700 per person and got put in a room in bldg 8, very run down and far from the beach. A free bottle of wine that was already opened and refilled, gross. Dirty bathroom and musty smell. I was able to get a transfer to bldg 5 the next day after complaining but it is still not worth the money. The staff are not friendly, especially the front desk! We found two great people who really made the stay great…Daniel at the beach buffet you are a wonderful man and the warmest, most welcoming smile! Moche, you are also a hard working kind man and we appreciate your spirit, thank you:) You have to book dinner reservations ever morning for the next day and get a good time slot if you are early enough. Bldg 6,7,8 don’t have concierge so you have to walk to the lobby every morning early to get your dinner reservations the next day. There is no food poolside, just at the buffet spots and no take out. The only take out spot was the black and white bar and the food was terrible. The beach was full of stinky weeds and under renovation so there were no beach days.
On the plus side the lagoon was a 7 minute walk down the beach and a public spot, amazing mangrove swim and clean fresh water. Must see! The staff at the main pool really work hard to entertain everyone with an activity board and lots to do! The craft lady was great and my family loved pottery painting!
Read more
Date of stay: April 2022
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 DIRECTOR GENERAL, Director General at BlueBay Grand Esmeralda
Responded Apr 28, 2022
ear Friends, On behalf of all the BlueBay Grand Esmeralda staff, we thank you for your preference and for sharing your comments. We are sorry we did not meet your expectations. We will make sure that your comments reach our executive committee to improve our service and we hope to see you again in the future. Feel free to contact me if you need help with your next reservations. Sincerely,
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I have nothing but good things to say about this resort. Everything from the staff to the cleanliness of the resort was an experience in itself. Every inch of this resort show attention to detail and pride of the people that maintain it. They should be very proud. The food was so good at the buffets and of course we over ate , we didn’t do the A la Carts as we tend to stick to the buffets. I did t give it a 5 star only because of the beach. The water wasn’t fit to swim in even tho the beach sand was beautiful. A 10 minute walk to the left of the resort Had us swimming in a river that flows out to the sea and the beach there was beautiful and water was so clear you could watch the fish swimming around. It’s to bad Blue Bay couldn’t get the beach situation fixed. It was that bad. You just couldn’t swim there. Also the lack of shade at this resort hurt my rating as most of the shade pagodas where taped off You couldn’t use them. No shade umbrellas so if you didn’t get to the pool by 7 to reserve your lounge chaise in the shade it sucked to be you. Resort is also huge, lots of walking but if you didn’t feel like it they had a shuttle cart that went round the resort picking up and dropping off so wasn’t to bad. Would I go back, in a heartbeat! Stayed Feb28-March 6,2020
Read more
Date of stay: February 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 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
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Our family of 4 stayed at BB the New Year's Eve of 2020 for a week, and we had a good time. We stayed in building 4, which I would recommend, being close to the pools and the beach, and a smaller buffet lunch restaurant that converts into a steak house and seafood restaurants for dinner. While the lobby and other restaurants including the main buffet are a 10 minute walk away, as it is a large resort, we did not miss that at all. The staff is very friendly and helpful, Chino from the Scuba place easily the best scuba diving instructor we have had a pleasure of dealing with, helped our two kids get a PADI certificate in the most friendly and yet professional way. Lots on coattis, pelicans, raccoons, iguanas, so if you love animals it is a place for you. Very nice landscaping. Suggested improvements - the music is way too loud and there is nowhere to keep away from it. Pool, beach areas are close together and whatever is being played by the pool pretty much all the time is loud everywhere. Our room could use some fretting up. Buffet food is rather boring and monotonous, while restaurants are better. The beach is not the best. There are numerous wave breakers erected, that look very unfinished, and are. Obviously plenty of storm damage. All in all a nice, relaxing visit, thank you.
Read more
Date of stay: December 2019
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 Jan 8, 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
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Amazing staff at bluebay grande esmeralda, Pedro at member services wjla always willing to go the extra mile to ensure my stay was the best it could be. Making reservations and giving me untold information about what to do in town, made my stay memorable. Every evening my wife and I would go for drinks at the beach bar before the disco opened. Antonio made every evening memorable and created great conversations between guests, Including ensuring guest safety at all times.
Read more
Date of stay: February 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 24, 2020
Dear Friends, Thank you for your visit and your kind comments, We hope to host you again soon, Sincerely,
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We stayed at the Bluebay in December 2019 for 2 weeks. Upon arrival of the hotel all seamed good, from the outside, this hotel looks good and we were hopeful because we thought we had picked the nicer hotel compared to other hotels we had passed. We checked in nice and quickly and walked to our room, which looked okay, not the best but okay. After two days of being in the room, a light fell down and slit my eyebrow open. my partner immediately went to reception and complained, we were offered a different room upstairs, which baffled me. After moving rooms we found some disgusting things that led to us complaining again, broken sink, taps not working and no hot water. We were then moved to a different room by the beach, with a hot tub. yet again upon arrival all seemed fine. Until water started running through the ceiling and onto our clothes in the wardrobe. The aircon was broken so the room was 40 degrees constantly, The hot tub only pumped through freezing cold water and when turned on filled with hair, we didn't use it. We did bring these things up with reception, maintenance people did come to fix it but they failed and we were left with no explanation because they didn't speak English.
The restaurants are limited and staff CAN be friendly. In the A la carte restaurant long trousers and needed but should be changed, walking around in Mexico with jeans on is not ideal. Some members of staff would completely ignore you when walking into the restaurants, even after tipping they would walk past and ignore if you needed anything. there was one lady in the main restaurant that was amazing, I didn't manage to catch her name.
The beach at this hotel is awful, I know this is no fault to the hotel but if you're looking for a nice Caribbean beach as we were, then please don't go to the hotel ( I do recommend the Grand Sirenis) the beach is very sharp and the water is unswimmable (Black and stunk!)
We met a family that sat behind us on the plane to Mexico and they also stayed at our hotel. Upon speaking we had exactly the same problems they also would never return to this hotel. Like many other people, we spoke to. We travelled with TUI from Gatwick and they were wonderful! the crew on the aeroplanes and the reps in the Bluebay were fantastic, they actually helped us to get a partial refund on our holiday.
I would avoid this hotel at all costs and would NEVER return and would not recommend that anyone does. This hotel states that its a 5-star but I've stayed in 3-star hotels that are 100x better than this place.
Read more
Date of stay: December 2019
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 Ceglarski, Director General at BlueBay Grand Esmeralda
Responded Jul 20, 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!!
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
When we booked the trip 3 weeks before departure, I was concerned given how awful the reviews were. We chose to book anyways due to traveling with family that had booked their trip during a Black Friday sale back in November.
The resort is a 50 minute bus ride from the airport which is a shorter distance than other resorts in Playa del Carmen. However, like many others mentioned, the beach is not swimmable due to large amount of seaweed. However, there are workers consistently removing the seaweed off the sand so guests can walk along the beach still. There's in a lagoon 10 minutes away by walk on the beach which has absolutely clear turquoise water, refreshing for swimming.
The check in was smooth. No welcome drink, but that's okay because as soon as they gave you your keys, you were whisked off with your luggage in a golf cart to your room. The building you get will determine your in room experience. We were originally put in Building 8, which had a modern waterfall shower and double sink but was the furthest from the main pool and beach. The next day we moved closer to Building 3 which did not have as nice of a bathroom, but everything else worked and was less of a walk to the pool - little sacrifice to make.
The food at the buffet was good! They tried to incorporate a few new dishes every day to add a bit more of a variety. The a la cartes were fantastic! It's not the same food from buffet presented in a different way like what you may see in Cuba or other parts of Mexico. French, Steakhouse and Mexican restaurants are a must to try! The resort has an app that you can download for making dinner reservations, book early because spots get taken quickly and it's rare that there are cancelations.
Now, on to the people and tipping. It's important to set expectations based on the culture and customs in the country you're in. In Mexico, it's very customary to tip when service is provided. Unlike in Cuba, where a $1 tip will earn you above and beyond service... in Mexico, this is expected and part of the service culture. So if the worker you are tipping at the bar, in the restaurant, driving the golf cart, isn't jumping up for joy and treating you differently because of your $1 tip. This could be the reason why. However, the Mexican people are very hard working and kind.
The nightly shows are average. There was more excitement and crowd engagement during the live music beforehand starting 8:30pm in the Black and White bar. The resort doesn't do a great job at advertising what kind of entertainment is happening during the day or theme nights so you have to seek our the information from the animation team.
The animation team is amazing! Super fun and energetic.
Set realistic expectations and you will enjoy yourself at this resort!
Read more
Date of stay: January 2023
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 DIRECTOR GENERAL, Director General at BlueBay Grand Esmeralda
Responded Feb 5, 2023
Dear Friends: We appreciate all comments and we are truly very sorry that there were aspects that you did not enjoy on this vacation at BlueBay Grand Esmeralda. We apologize for not reaching your expectations during your stay., your opinions, as well as all of our guests, are very important to us as it brings us improvement opportunities. Thank you again and we hope to welcome you again at BlueBay Grand Esmeralda Hotel in a future. Sincerely, Bluebay Family.
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
This was our second time at this resort, after a great first holiday here 5 years ago. The same high standards were in place: friendly staff, nice rooms, well kept/maintained resort/grounds throughout and a massive choice of food (all good, including buffet) and drinks.
We travelled as a family (x2, party of 10!) which wasn't a problem for dinning in the evenings with the staff accommodating a table large enough to keep us all together (thank you!). They even catered in making me a birthday cake, which was a nice touch.
The entertainment team our superb, work so hard to keep everyone occupied with lots of activities on offer daily (which get varied daily to keep it fresh). All superb, but a special mention for Alejandro who really did go above and beyond ensuring we all had a great holiday - genuinely a lovely guy who just kept on smiling. A real asset to the team at Bluebay.
Our only negative is the Black & White bar. This is where the evening entertainment is held, along with game machines, TV's for sport etc. It just feels tacky and doesn't fit the mould of Bluebay at all - very outdated and uncomfortable (no AC!). Despite this, the staff members who work in this environment do superb, credit to them. We also felt the evening shows were poor this time round, the sound system didn't help. If this was improved the resort really would be fantastic.
Highly recommended resort, you won't be disappointed.
Read more
Date of stay: February 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 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
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
45 minutes. All are American funds. $70.00 each way if you use the resort taxis. They will be waiting for you with a sign. Saves having to find a taxis .
Also shuttle bus, but not as comfortable.
New Orleans, Louisiana262 contributions137 helpful votes
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.
There are more places to choose from in the Playa del Carmen area.
PRICE RANGE
C$203 - C$297 (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.
Is This Your Tripadvisor Listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
