BlueBay Grand Esmeralda - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

19134 reviews

• 

  Beautiful resort

  This resort is absolutely beautiful! Grounds and pools were immaculate, rooms very clean but dated. Old curtains and no screen on the patio door ( which is a shame as there is a wonderful breeze in the evening). There is a musty smell in the rooms, as in most warm destinations, but we had taken 2 "damp trap" that we picked up at the dollar store which neutralized it after a day or so. In room safe worked well, mini bar restocked daily- pop, water, beer. Food at the buffet was very good, Mimosas were available every morning while you waited to be seated. The line to get in moves fairly quickly. For those in the end of the resort near the quiet pool, you can also get breakfast at the little restaurant at the pool. Basic breakfast items, egg station, french toast, pancakes, fruit etc with rarely a small line up.The a la cartes were easy to book thru guest services, with unlimited bookings. We ate at the steakhouse, mexican, seafood and festival grill around the quiet pool. The steakhouse and Mexican were outstanding as was the festival grill for a more casual dining experience. The seafood restaurant was o.k. but a bit disappointing with few actual seafood items available unless you paid extra. The Coffee House is a little gem and Alejandra makes the best cappuccino. The resort staff were good, always smiles and greetings for guests. The tropical gardens are gorgeous and the wildlife and birds provided a spectacular backdrop. A 5 minute walk down the beach to the left is a lovely lagoon/grotto to swim in and enjoy the small fish and scenery in crystal clear water. We took an excursion into Talum and swimming in a Cenote and was amazed at the sights. This excursion cost approx $115 US pp. Worth every penny. We also took advantage of the free shopping excursion (book thru your travel rep) to the silver jewellery store, tequila brewery and store and a few hours in Playa del Carmen. Great fun. Our vacation had only one issue that would make us hesitate to return - at no point in our entire week could we spend time at the pool or beach without sitting on cement or down in the sand. This is not an option for us, or for the seniors that were at the resort. As wonderful as we found this resort to be, its a bit of a deal breaker. But for this, we would be planning our return.

  Feb 23, 2026
• 

  Horrible, horrible, horrible….

  Serious Food Hygiene Failures and Misleading 5-Star Positioning We stayed at BlueBay Grand Esmeralda from 15–22 February as a group of 9 adults occupying rooms 5444, 5445, 1220 and 6327 across four separate buildings. We were celebrating my wife’s 60th birthday, a milestone occasion that should have been memorable for the right reasons. Instead, the experience exposed serious operational and hygiene concerns. The check-in process was slow and visibly understaffed. After a long international flight, there was minimal communication and no sense of urgency. It did not reflect the standards expected of a hotel claiming to operate at a premium level. The property appears to be running beyond sustainable capacity. The shortage of sunbeds is extreme. Guests are effectively forced to get up at 5am to secure one. Failure to do so means placing a towel on bare concrete. That is not consistent with a 5-star environment and suggests occupancy is being prioritised over guest experience. The most serious issues related to food hygiene. At breakfast, my wife found a used cotton bud in her food. On multiple additional occasions, members of our group found what appeared to be human hair in their meals. These are not matters of taste or preference. They are basic hygiene breaches. Such incidents raise legitimate concerns about food handling procedures, kitchen supervision, hair restraint policies and overall hygiene governance. In any hospitality setting, particularly one positioning itself as 5-star, these controls should be robust and non-negotiable. Equally concerning was the response. No meaningful apology was offered. No senior manager took ownership. We were passed between staff members with no formal resolution process. The absence of accountability compounded the original failures. Food quality more broadly was inconsistent and frequently substandard. Bar service was similarly disappointing, with poorly prepared cocktails and little consistency, pointing to inadequate training and oversight. Taken together, these issues suggest systemic management shortcomings rather than isolated mistakes. Given the nature of the hygiene incidents, it would be reasonable for the relevant local health authorities to review food safety practices at this property. Guests should not encounter foreign objects or repeated contamination concerns in a resort marketed at this level. Based on our experience, the 5-star positioning is difficult to reconcile with the operational reality. This was intended to be a landmark family celebration. Instead, it highlighted serious weaknesses in hygiene control, service leadership and overall quality management. We would not return. Prospective guests should consider very carefully whether this property genuinely meets the standards it claims.

  Feb 22, 2026
• 

  Great time and everyone should try it once!

  The staff at this place is above and beyond, always helpful and the rooms are super clean! That said, there are some very minor complaints. The lobby is way too hot with no airflow, waiting for checking in or for your shuttle will be miserable. The wifi on our phones also kept kicking us off and we would have to sign in constantly. Finally, like any place with such a huge staff, there are some you can't trust. I had asked for change for a larger bill as I frequently leave tips for the services. When getting change, I'd always tip the waiter extra. However, in one instance, I was shortchanged by $2 USD...not a huge deal as I'd tip extra anyway so I just tipped my regular amount. I feel like it could have been an honest mistake as well, so it wasn't enough to negate all the positives from everyone else.

  Feb 21, 2026
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  Would not recommend!

  We went to this resort for a 2 week vacation. The first week was good other than the check in. I’m not sure if the hotel has trained their front desk to lie, but while I was trying to pay the environmental tax that was a surprise. The man checking us in kept trying to tell me that I had to pay by card. My answer over and over was no to the card. I had pesos so no need for the card. He insisted that there was no change and I must use the card. I insisted that this was his issue and not mine and he needed to find change. Right behind this person was a metal change box and guess what was in there? Yes that’s right change. After the crapy check in, things did get better. The grounds are beautiful. The rooms need updating. The wildlife amazing. The staff is so nice and does the very best with what they have. The food was good until our entire party as well as many other guests ended up with diarrhea and a nausea. This ruined our second week of travel. It really sucks not being able to leave your balcony when you are on vacation and as well have paid allot of hard earned money to end up sick with something completely avoidable if the resort followed proper food safety. We have been to the Caribbean multiple times and never felt this bad. My goodness we have been to Cuba multiple times and had a much better trip without being ill. First and last trip to Mexico as I now understand that this is all over Cancún.

  Feb 21, 2026
• 

  Nice Resort and Good Value

  I have stayed at Blue Bay 9 times and I like it very much. It isn't perfect but it is a terrific value. The a la carte restaurants are great, especially Mexican and French. You need to make a reservation one day in advance. Only a couple of negatives: I got sick once, out of about 90 days. Do bring loperamide, even if you don't use it. And my last visit there was no hot water. Not sure if I'll go back, but if I do it will be for a swim-up room.

  Feb 21, 2026