BlueBay Grand Esmeralda

Jack Gostling

Good value for the price, but hit-or-miss Overall, this was a pretty good stay considering what we paid, but it definitely has its pros and cons. The highlights were easily the pools and the drinks, which were great. What really made the stay comfortable was the amazing staff—everyone was incredibly friendly, attentive, and helpful throughout our trip. On the downside, the accommodations and dining need work. The rooms are slightly dated, and the bathroom was looking a bit rough. The food was definitely the weakest point—there wasn't much selection, and the quality wasn't good (it really wouldn't be ideal for kids either). Also, keep in mind that if you travel in June, the beach is essentially unusable due to the heavy sargassum seaweed buildup. If you get a good deal and go in with the right expectations, it's an amazing budget-friendly option.

Makena Van Horn

We are about halfway through our two week stay, and in this first week, all I'm wondering is. What hotel are the reviews talking about? Room: Our room has several lights that simply don't work, the AC works half of the time, and the porch has many holes in the thatching caused by the coati running around. Cleanliness: We have seen cockroaches running rampant around Festival. The rooms are kept clean, but the public spaces are being neglected. Food: The food here is incredibly limited. They have four restaurants for dinner and you only have the option of one per day. We've been here in Mexico a week and I haven't been able to have any Mexican food, only Italian and French. The French restaurant was great. The snack bar and bar by the smaller pool (as well as the towel service) has not been open once, which is disappointing since that means you have to walk all the way to the black and white in order to grab a drink, and then all the way to the other pool (which is a trek) in order to get a towel. Inconveniences: There was no warning that the spa would be entirely under construction, which is partially why we booked here in order to have a relaxing spa getaway experience. The staff is a mix of friendly and apathetic, not attempting to make the experience unique at all. This hotel is inconsistent. I wish I was at the hotel everyone else has seemed to experience in these reviews. This has been a very disappointing honeymoon :/

Zdenka Jovic

Long story short: We were there recently with a 3 and 5 year old. 1. No use of the beach as the sea weed is insane. Basically only months where it is ok are from Oct-Dec we were told. 2. In 10 days, there were 2 occasions where there was vomit in the pool. One time it was there for 3 days where noone cleaned it up. 3. Privacy is questionable as we had staff enter our room at 1:30 am due to an AC problem next door. Our kids were sleeping and we were in pure shock that this happened. 4. There was racoon poop on our balcony for 3 days. Noone cared to clean it up until we complained. This is a 5 star hotel. Cleanliness shouldn't be an issue but our room was in need if a deep clean! 5. Photographers are way too expensive, around 600$ for 39 photos. I wouldn't go here again as I've been in Cuba who is a way lesser standard than Mexico with way better experience. We were expecting for a 5 star hotel and amount of money we paid a better service and standard. Very dissapointing.

Joaquin Allen

I was supposed to stay a week here but only lasted 24hrs. It took almost two hours to check in and there were only two people in front of us. When I got to my room it was very dated and unsanitary. I feel it wasn’t turned over just cleaned and not cleaned well. There was open sugar packets on the counter and a used towel hanging from the shower door. The pillows smelt of body odor bad. There was mold behind the bathroom mirror photo added. The other guest were very loud and extremely inebriated. It was like spring break on a Monday night. The staff was not very friendly and accommodating, but I don’t blame them because of obnoxiousness of the clientele, this resort caters too. I’ve stayed in many resorts in the area and this is by far one of the worst. Not only did I immediately check out and move to a different resort. I left that resort with food poisoning. The buffet was extremely unsanitary. They serve hotdog and hamburgers for dinner. The alcohol options seem to be mostly well alcohol. I did not drink. The grounds are nice and the wildlife is abundant. It seems that this resort at one time must’ve been nice in the early 70s. An employee walked into our room without knocking and by the time I made it to the door they said nothing just stared at me. I do have to note that upon checking out the manager did apologize.

Matt Kwan

Never stay at this hotel. My room and the entire block smelled like sewage and to move rooms we had to upgrade which cost us an extra $1000. The person next door had a joining door to my room and my 6 year old son walked into the room next door and saw a man (the door didn't lock). My wife, my 2 kids (ages 6 and 8), and I all got sick either with food poisoning or Norovirus... we never got checked officially by a healthcare professional, but we all experienced diarrhea, vomiting, or both. Every meal was stressful and dissapointing, and aside from poor hot and cold holding food practices, the selection of food was the worst I've ever seen at an all inclusive resort (I am a retired Red Seal Chef). Things tasted off on a regular basis, and we went several meals without finding a single thing we wanted to eat at the buffet. The food quality basically made the trip a write-off. When asked to speak to a manager about my experience, I was told that would not be possible and to just come back later. They didn't even apologize or offer any kind of gesture to fix the problem. When your entire family is sick, it is very angering and frustrating, and everyone was exressing their desires to go home. The hotel was not well maintained in general. The beaches were also covered in seaweed and this made the use of the beach impossible for everyone at the resort (we were told this was a seasonal thing). The one thing that was done well at this resort was the service staff was generally friendly, our kids enjoyed the kids club, and the evening entertainment was surprisingly very good. We will never go back to the Blue Bay Esmeralda; save your money.