BlueBay Grand Esmeralda - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

19076 reviews

• 

  Less than paradise

  I’m at the resort now and I’m writing this in hopes of getting assistance because the concierge hasn’t been helpful. I have food allergies. I emailed the hotel before arriving like others suggested but they didn’t answer me. I went to the concierge to get food allergy. area for the restaurants like other reviews suggest and they told me they didn’t have any allergy cards left to give me. I had printed off my own at home so I decided to try that. I’m having a hard time being understood in the buffet and restaurants. Only one very nice employee at the buffet near the beach helped me today when she noticed I didn’t get to eat much for breakfast. She brought the chef to me and they asked what I wanted for lunch and what time I wanted to come. I came back for lunch at the time we agreed upon and after 45 mins wait I did get a piece of chicken and some vegetables. I asked for rice, that never came. At breakfast they said I could have pancakes and bacon, those never came either. I went to the seafood restaurant for supper. Despite the menu showing gluten free items the waiter told me I could only eat chicken and vegetables. After some convincing they made me salmon with a very small portion of vegetables. I asked for some potatoes to fill me up, I never got any. I’m here for 6 more days. I cannot eat dry chicken with vegetables for every meal. I would like help to book restaurants with the concierge but their system isn’t working and they just keep telling me to come back later. I went twice today. I do have bookings for supper for the next two days but how am I supposed to ensure I get full meals? On top of that, there were no chairs available at the pool or beach all day (went out at 9am) so we had to walk down the beach to the public area and lay on the ground all day. We paid over $300 to upgrade our room when we arrived to partial ocean view and not only can we not see the ocean from where we are we can’t even sit outside because the animals run at us and try to get into our room. Room has mold, shower leaking onto the bathroom floor making it slippery. Bed is uncomfortable. Seeing the swim out rooms we are happy we didn’t book one. No lounge chairs next to the swim out and they don’t actually connect to a pool. We’ve been to Riviera Maya several times and this is by far the worst experience. There are much nicer resorts. I’m leaving you with a photo of the incredible view that $300+ Canadian dollars bought me.

  Jan 30, 2026
• 

  Would recommend just lower expectations

  We had a wonderful time here with our baby. I can see why some people don't like that it's advertised as a 5 star resort it definitely is not but we had an absolute blast with our baby. Shade is limited but you do find it where you can. Food is awesome and check out the coffee shop! Staff are wonderful. Hot water is hit or miss just depends on time of day and everyone using it at the same time or not. Definitely a lower end resort but still so fun and beautiful

  Jan 30, 2026
• 

  Not the Five-Star Experience We Expected

  I don’t usually leave negative reviews, but I feel it’s important to share this while still here, as future guests deserve an honest and balanced picture. Our first nights at the hotel were extremely difficult due to a strong and persistent mould smell in the room. This was present from arrival and became progressively worse. As the issue is related to air quality, it couldn’t be captured in photos, but it affected me significantly, particularly as I am very sensitive to strong odours. I struggled to sleep and had difficulty breathing, to the point where I had to cover my face at night. The issue was raised immediately with both the hotel and our booking agency. Only after returning to reception and requesting a room change did the situation improve. The rooms are outdated, and in our case, bed linen and pillowcases did not appear to have been changed before or during our stay. Some areas of the building are in need of maintenance, and at times elevators were not working, which could be very challenging for guests with mobility needs. The food is varied and plentiful — no one will go hungry, and there is a wide choice available. However, in some restaurant areas, animals such as coatis roam freely, and food can be taken directly from plates, which may be uncomfortable for some guests. Regarding the specialty restaurants, most staff were hardworking, polite, and professional, and they deserve credit for maintaining a positive attitude. However, in one restaurant we experienced poor front-of-house organisation, which led to unnecessary queues and delays. Overall, this stay could have been far less stressful. While there were positive aspects, the condition of the rooms and the handling of serious comfort and air-quality issues fell short of what we expected from a five-star hotel. With improvements to maintenance, cleanliness, and guest support, this could be a much better experience.

  Jan 29, 2026
• 

  Nice, but we wouldn't return

  We chose this resort as a last-minute get-away on a budget. We were content and happy to get into warmth, but wouldn’t stay again. These are our pro’s and con’s of our visit: Pro’s: The resort and our room were clean (and the room well stocked). The pools were in good shape and had room not to feel crowded. The staff were very friendly. They have the cutest little coatis on the resort which were entertaining to watch. If you’re a meat eater, per my husband, the buffet food was great with a lot of variety each night. There’s a pretty little lagoon about a 10 minute walk down the beach (off the resort) for a cool water dip, fish-watching and people-watching. However, not an ideal pro of the resort when it’s off resort. It’s a bit of a walk to the beach, but they have continuous carts driving to and from the buildings to the beach to catch. And if you feel like a walk, the route is pleasant with flowers and foliage. Con’s: Too much pressure to spend extra money (time-sharing, excursions): we eventually found ourselves hiding from the lobby staff as we weren’t interested in excursions on this trip (we’d done that on prior trips) and just wanted to relax. We received the most pressure at this resort than any other we’ve been to in the past. Very limited shade seating: there’s a lot of places to sit in the sun, but not enough shade options for the quantity of guests, which was quite apparent by people (including us) trying to find places every day. A lot of people had brought their own blow-up seats/beds, which we recommend (and wish we had done). I know a lot of resort’s shade seats get taken early, but this resort had the most limited seating that we’ve ever experienced. We didn’t feel like making restaurant reservations (plus having a short stay), so went to the buffet each night. For myself as a vegetarian, I didn’t find as many options to have that were enjoyable (though I understand I’m in a smaller food-preference group). Again, it was a relaxing stay, but if/when going to Mexico again, we would choose another resort.

  Jan 28, 2026
• 

  Good Weather and Great food

  Travelled from Jan 10-17. Ate at all of the restaurants. The food was good. The buffet was lacking and the food was average. For the a-la-carte, mexican was the best. Service at the restaurants was excellent. We had a swim up room, but there wasn't much sun, as it was facing west and there was a lot of bushes. We asked for a different location and they moved us. Pools were good. Service at the bars was long and there was very few wait staff. They did not always replace stuff in the mini fridge. Overall, it was a great vacation. Shuttle service(golf carts) was good. The coffee bar staff was great and beverages were good. The coffee bar was small.

  Jan 28, 2026