This was our 6th time to the Mayan Riviera, first time to this resort. We stayed here for 5 days during the last week of February. I can’t say enough good things about this place – it really is a great deal for the price! I’ve been to 4 other resorts, have paid more, and find everything quite comparable.

First thing is first – I’ve found that a majority of places that I have gone to in this part of Mexico have had lots of seaweed along the beach, or rockiness – this resort is no different. Do your research, know what you are getting into. The staff work really hard at clearing everything quickly in the morning. There were mostly red flag beach days, but on the yellow flag day – we were in that ocean! The left side of the beach is less rocky – the bottom is a bit squishy, but if you are swimming you won’t even notice. I think a lot of people didn’t go in just because no one else was going in, but it was great! Just mentally prepare yourself to expect lots of pool time! (which was also lovely and clean by the way)

The rumor about the beach chairs was true – you have to get up early to find chairs in the shade. On one morning, the resort actually collected and cleared all towels that people had set on chairs to save them before 7am (they were getting up at 5am) – there were over 150 collected and a lot of cranky people! My advice, if you need shade - get up, grab a coffee, find your spot and stay there! The mornings are so quiet and relaxing anyway, its not a big deal.

The food was excellent, we did a mix of the buffets and a-la cartes and were not disappointed. I have yet to find a resort with bad food in Mexico. Even if there were some dishes that didn’t blow my mind, there was lots of variety so I was happy, and full. You can always rely on the omelette stations for breakfast. Try the dessert cakes and coconut ice cream!!! Men require pants and closed-toe shoes at the restaurants (Jeans that weren’t ripped and runners seemed to be fine)

Rooms were pretty standard, a bit dated – but not unlike other resorts. There were large bottles of water left every day in the room – don’t forget to take a bottle with you to the beach – its hot hot hot in the sun. The bathtub in the room was really tall – there was even instructions on how to enter it on the wall. This may be a bit difficult for someone with mobility issues.

The grounds were really lovely and upkept. This is a big resort meaning there is lots of walking, 10 – 15 minutes from one end to the other. Enjoy the walk, they put so much effort into maintaining the path!

Overall, we had a great trip – we would return to the Blue Bay! We did not have any issues with time-share people (just say no thank you) and there were no issues of theft as others have reported.

TIPS:
- Bring towel clips – these help distinguish your blue towel and beach chair from the hundred others.
- Bring a sarong to hide yourself from the sun if you need to (there is little shaded areas) or use to warm up in the cold air-conditioned restaurants
- Bring American dollars for tipping, and Peso’s for purchases. You’ll get the best exchange rate for pesos from your own bank at home. A cab to Playa del Carmen is $20-25 USD.

Our trip was a simple winter getaway from cold Canadian winter booked through WestJet vacations. Overall our experience was great, the service and staff at the resort made up for the minor flaws common in all-inclusive resorts.

Arrival -
Upon arrival we were greeted with Shirley temples and the staff took care of our baggage from the bus. Check in was smooth and quick - probably took 5 minutes - where they took scans of our passports (we don't know why..) and have us our all-inclusive bracelets, as well as small information about the resort. The staff then took us along with out luggage to out room on a golf cart. Our luggage was pretty much with us all the time, which was nice so we didn't have to wait for it to be delivered.

Room - Deluxe Garden View (King Bed) Ground floor
Mattress and Bedding very comfortable, pillows ok. Mini-Fridge in the room was stocked with Coke(regular and Diet), Beer, Crystal (water), and mineralized water everyday. We only drank the water so our housekeeper noticed and would leave a few extra bottles for us each day. Coffee machine, teas and sugars all available in the room.
We never had an issue with the safe on our room and were able to fit all our important documents and devices inside. One day we did accidentally leave our safe open and when we returned there was a notice from security that they had came and locked it for us upon the housekeepers notice. Nothing was missing and we greatly appreciated their attention to our mistake. They came immediately upon our call and unlocked it for us to gain access with a new code.
TV in the room had about 50 channels, most of which in Spanish however many in English. Had a strange red hue when you turn it on but it goes away.
Dresser had lots of space for those who like to unpack on vacation, and an attached desk with hotel information on it.
Housekeeping comes around 8am everyday to clean or schedule to clean the rooms, so be aware or put the do not disturb sign on the door.
Because the floors are all marble, noise reverberates tremendously, this is only an issue to light sleepers, and those that want to sleep in in the mornings. We could hear people in the hallways as if they were standing on our room.
We had a very nice little walkout area as well facing the "garden" which was adjacent to the pool. It has a table and 2 chairs, very nice for morning coffee and watching the animals.
The room also has air conditioning and a ceiling fan which worked very well. We keep our room very cool at night and the air con and fan did the trick.

Bathroom -
Private (no glass walls) bathroom which is sometimes hard to find in Mexican Resorts. Very spacious 2 piece shower with built in bench, 2 sinks, some damage to the mirror (minor flaws); Common hotel toiletries replaced each day; Hairdryer

Wifi -
Free for one device per room; You may pay to add an extra device or to upgrade to the high speed wifi. The wifi was sufficient enough to watch Netflix at night after a day in the sun, I even downloaded a few episodes which. No complaints about this service, more devices would be nice but its a vacation! Put your phone down!

Pools -
There are 2 main pool areas, a smaller one and a large one adjacent to the beach. Pools were clean and comfortable, although a little chilly even when the weather was reaching 30 Celsius. Maintenance was seen cleaning all the pools as well as the pool decks and areas every night. Each pool had a bar but no swim up bars (but lets face it, we know what's happening when people sit at a swim up bar all day and never leave..) The main pool also had a little shop to buy beach/pool toys and amenities. Would advise bringing your own inflatable if you have one or they were around 45 USD for one, however they did have an air compressor to inflate them! No lazy river, but extensive pool in the main area.
Animation staff facilitated fun games/events everyday for those guests interested in participating at the main pool. Even gave out prizes often. Very energetic and polite staff!

Buffet / A La Cartes'-
There are 2 main buffet areas as well as a few other "snack" and breakfast and lunch huts around the resort. The food was okay and in large quantities, but like many other resorts, the buffet gets old quick. Luckily they make up for this by allowing you to book an a la carte every night at NO EXTRA CHARGE! The a la cartes were fantastic, quite a large contrast to the buffets which was fantastic. Styles available were Italian, Mexican, Seafood, Steakhouse, Oriental, and French. We love food and the presentation, service and over all quality of the a la cartes was fantastic. We looked forward to our dinners every night.
For those with food allergies, the resorts was very helpful while booking dinners. My SO has a severe peanut allergy so the concierge they made note of this, while booking our meals and at every a la carte the waiter would address the allergy and look into what he could and could not eat while also informing the chef. This was comforting as no one wants to deal with an allergic reaction, let alone in a different country. Note that the resort did offer medical services, however we did not look into their protocol for allergic reactions.

Beach -
The beach area was nice, with many chairs and umbrellas and a great view, though you could not swim in the ocean. This is not a resort you want to stay at if you are looking to snorkel or prefer swimming in the ocean over the pool. The water was a little murky, and while we were there quite choppy and did not look very conducive to swimming even on a good day. You could definitely go for a walk along the beach with your feet in the water but I do not think I saw 1 person actually swimming in it during the week we were there.

Atmosphere-
The overall atmosphere was great. Many people were there with families and kids, as well as couples there to relax and enjoy some nice weather. Many people there also to party but it was an even mix of everything. The staff were always very helpful, professional, and happy. Most spoke English well for those who don't speak spanish.
We never had anyone approach us about timeshares or trying to persuade us to buy anything.
Having booked through WestJet, the sister company that does excursions called BestDay has a desk their everyday for you to book anything with ease. Would recommend.

Nightlife-
We did not have much experience in this area as we are early to bed but the resort had a different show every night at 9:30pm at their Black and White Bar. This seemed to be the main area for night entertainment and was quite busy in the evenings with people enjoying some drinks and entertainment.

Our stay at the resort was great, not a 5 star resort but good nonetheless. Our only complaints were the noise in the rooms and the smell of the water they used to water their landscaping. Neither of which are deal breakers by any means just things we noted during our stay. Like another review said, if you are looking for flaws you will find them, otherwise enjoy the resort and all the great services and experiences it provides!