BlueBay Grand Esmeralda

Sarah Bartol

We stayed at the BlueBay for several days while on vacation. We had an enjoyable stay and can comment on some of the points made by other reviews: Pros: -Room was nice, clean, comfortable, not dated. -Good AC -Wifi was pretty good across the hotel -drinks were good and were not watered down. - employees were lovely and very helpful - clean resort, everything was within reasonable walking distance. - food was decent at buffets, omelet station was great. A la carts were very good. Cons: - very limited sun loungers, and the ones they did have people would 'reserve' by 6 or 7 am. I went out at 7am every morning for breakfast and almost all had towels on them with no actual people in sight. - very limited shade on beach or by pool - food at buffets was repetitious, same things every meal Overall decent stay, nothing that would ruin my vacation.

Marko

The resort is beautiful, the beach and pools are great, but what really made the experience special was the people who work there. Everyone was incredibly friendly, welcoming, and always smiling. You can really feel how much effort they put into making guests have a great time. A special thank you to the animation team for all the fun activities and good vibes every day. Big shoutout to Pedro from the animation team — such a positive and fun guy who really keeps the energy up! And also Alex from Coco Bongo — the best man! What an amazing experience and unforgettable night. Thank you to all the staff for making this vacation so special. I would definitely recommend this resort to anyone visiting Mexico!

Michal Strzembicki

Our stay at Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda was absolutely fantastic and truly memorable. We would especially like to thank Alex and Yulissa for their exceptional help and professionalism. They organized a beautiful private dinner for us with a private Mariachi concert, which was an incredible experience and showed a very high level of care and attention to guests. The food throughout the hotel was delicious, with a wide variety of options. The themed restaurants are on a top world-class level, offering excellent quality and great atmosphere. The service across the entire hotel was friendly, professional, and always helpful. The hotel offers a very rich evening entertainment and animation program, so there is always something enjoyable to do in the evenings. The rooms are very clean, comfortable, and well maintained. Garden-view rooms are a real highlight — they offer beautiful views and the unique opportunity to observe wildlife directly on the hotel grounds. We saw coatis running along the pathways, as well as deer, raccoons, and many other beautiful animals, which made the stay feel very special. Electric golf carts run constantly around the resort, making it easy and convenient to get to restaurants, the beach, and other areas of the hotel. Beautiful hotel, excellent food, and warm, professional service. Highly recommended!

Stan Club

Just returned from Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda and wanted to share an honest review of our experience. We arrived around 9pm, and unfortunately the first impression wasn’t great. The lobby was quite dark and the central fountain wasn’t working, which immediately gave the feeling that the property wasn’t very well maintained. Throughout our stay, that initial impression proved fairly accurate. Since we arrived late and haven't eaten any food, we went to the only late snack bar in the Mexican restaurant, which opened at 11pm (runs from 11pm to 1am). We went right at 11:05pm, and had a burger (which was tasty), and wanted a second. Unfortunately, by the time, we went for second, which was around 15 minutes later, the server said the burger patties were run out. We booked two rooms in Building 7. One room on the second floor was decent in size but had a very strong, unpleasant cleaning smell upon arrival. The second room, on the first floor, had a loose doorknob that wouldn’t lock properly and we even found a large cockroach crawling across the floor. We requested a room change and were moved upstairs. We had also asked in advance for rooms side by side or at least on the same floor, but that request was not accommodated. Housekeeping and basic service were inconsistent. Both rooms had to call multiple times (3 to 4 attempts) just to request water or cleaning service. Response time was slow. Breakfast was offered in three different locations, but the selection was nearly identical at each. The omelette stations were disappointing, presentation and preparation felt rushed and sloppy. Overall, the food quality throughout the resort was underwhelming. It did not feel like the standard we expected in Mexico. We also met several fellow Canadian guests who experienced food poisoning during their stay, which was concerning. There is only one coffee shop on the property and it doesn’t open until 10am, which resulted in long lineups every morning. The pools are large and visually appealing, but there were no umbrellas available, which made it very difficult to escape the strong midday sun. There are limited shaded canopy areas, and guests were reserving chairs as early as 5am to secure shade. Additionally, the pool surfaces are extremely rough — several of us ended up with scratches simply from getting in and out. At the main pool, only one or two staff members were circulating for drink service, which wasn’t enough for the size of the area. The nightly entertainment had effort behind it, but shows often started late and the overall quality was not impressive. One of the women’s washrooms near the beachside restaurant was missing a toilet seat and toilet paper for the duration of our stay, and it was never addressed. On a positive note, most of the staff we encountered were friendly, and the resort grounds are very large with plenty of space to walk around. We went in knowing this was marketed as a 4-star resort, not 5-star, but our overall experience felt closer to a 3-star standard in terms of service and upkeep. At first glance the property looks nice, but the details tell a different story. Unfortunately, based on this visit, I would not return or recommend it. Picture attached shows the " 1 " was missing, and we couldn't even press the button going down, and needed the help with one of the staff members in the building. I really hope this review will lead to REAL CHANGE by the management in this resort, and not the generic, cliche response to every 1 or 2 star reviews. Because BlueBay does have potential, but not there yet.

S F-W

We spent a week at this resort with our family of 20 in February 2026. Many of us got sick unfortunately which ruined our vacation. The check- in took at least an hour which was (Only about 8 of us in line at that time) The room in block 8 smelled like a sewer/mold. No hot water for the week in our room. Family members travelling with young children had a fridge that did not work. They had to use our fridge to keep their kids formula cold. The coffee shop was nice but did not open til 10am. No shade around pool and not enough chairs for guests. Food at buffet was average at best. Resort has potential but needs work. Their beach looks like Lake Ontario. Staff are very friendly and helpful. We have vacationed in Mexico at least a dozen times and this resort was not one we would return to. More like a 3 star. Please read the reviews and go elsewhere where you can enjoy Mexico without getting ill and enjoying food that is properly prepared and not causing illness. Glasses were not washed well at the bars. This resort is very large and they do have shuttles that will drive you around. This is not a resort for people with mobility issues. Very disappointed with this resort. Many people had complaints about this resort while we were there. Mexico has so many wonderful resorts but this one is not one of them. I have never felt the need to leave a review for any vacation spot but with this resort I felt compelled to share the concerns and illness we encountered.