Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda

Where do we start:

Checked in on the 7th July 2026 and the check in process was seamless. from there things just went downhill.

Stepped outside to get into our buggy to have a lift to our room and it appears to have taken the wrong turn and left us in a part of the hotel which looks about 10 years outdated, weather damaged and worn. originally booked into rooms 5341 and 5342, we walked into our rooms to find many faults which could simply not be overlooked. There was a safe which had been tampered with, a door which was one knock from falling apart, and had been held together by thread. Mugs for the coffee station which had cracks down them for a long time as they had already been greyed and discoloured from the usage and the oxidisation of the inner materials, Fossilised animal poo which needed to be chiselled off the balcony and a broken toilet seat. Also not to mention that the roofs of all buildings are patchy, and severely damaged.

Once we saw these rooms we thought, oh this cant get any worse... we were so wrong

A few hours into our stay Room 5341's toilet decided to have a 3 day long session of karaoke every twenty minuted from where there was air trapped in the toilet. immediately after discovering this we spoke with reception and the gentleman didnt care and didn't want to know.

To resolve all of these issues it took the hotel approximiately a week to change our rooms. Since changing rooms weve had neighbours slamming doors, screaming up and down hallways and banging on walls. This has got so bad that security was passing by knocked on their door only to discover 2 10 year olds left by themselves in the room. This issue the hotel cant do anything about and we respect that but with the issues mentioned before and also the issues im going to mention, didnt leave us very happy.

Also was never mentioned that the hotel was undergoing building works so to our surprise coming in and seeing gutted rooms above the gym and concrete foundations and pillars of new buildings by the pool we were not best impressed

Now moving onto the food.

At this point i feel like its fair for me to mention, I have worked as a Hotel Manager and General Manager across many brands including 4* and 5* names such as fairmont, Best Western Premier, Crowne Plaza and also first class Airport lounge Plaza Premium.

The food here is abysmal, there is either a lack of food, The food is cold, the food is raw or the food is tasteless. I've never once had an issue in an all inclusive resort where i have struggled to eat for the full duration of 2 weeks as i have had here. Also to mention that not once did i ever witness food temperatures be recorded.

At the time of writing this review, my party has dealt with 3 bouts of food poisoning, and at 12:30pm today we were once again served raw chicken. For a claimed 5* property this is not on.

My personal verdict of this disaster-class of a hotel is as follows, get new management who will make a change, all these pushovers you have hired are not doing you, your brand or your working environment any good. Then change your food offering as the quality and selection is poor. Ensure you check if foo is hot and of a satisfactory standard, ask yourself, would i eat this food? if not why are you expecting others to.

The potential for this hotel is massive but it is lacking in so many areas. I can confidently say that i would not return even if i were paid not would i invite any of my friends, family or professional connections in the hospitality to visit. The only point i would invite people to visit is if were were making a point of what not to do.

I visited BlueBay Grand Esmeralda for a much-needed moms' vacation. We stayed in Building 5 on the 4th floor. Here's my honest review.

Arrival & Check-In

The transfer from the airport took about 2 hours. The resort itself isn't that far, but we had to stop at several other resorts first. Because of the highway layout, the driver couldn't simply make a left turn to get back on the highway and had to continue to a U-turn, which added even more time.

When we arrived, we were greeted with welcome drinks and waited a short time to check in. The lobby was extremely hot—I really wish they offered cool towels to help guests cool down.

We asked if there were any swim-up rooms available. The gentleman at the front desk enthusiastically told us we were in luck... until he mentioned it would be an additional $180 USD per night, so we politely declined.

Our room was surprisingly ready when we arrived around noon. We also had to pay the environmental tax of 250 pesos before being taken to our building.

Resort Grounds

The grounds are absolutely beautiful. There is wildlife everywhere, which was one of our favourite parts of the resort.

Unfortunately, the buildings themselves look tired and in need of maintenance.

The Room

We stayed on the 4th floor, and only one of the two elevators worked. Even worse, there wasn't even a button for the 4th floor! The poor bellman had to ride the elevator with us, then run up the stairs to press the button from the hallway so we could reach our floor. He was absolutely drenched in sweat by the time he got there.

The room itself was... fine. Not beautiful, but acceptable.

When we first arrived, we had no running water. We called the front desk, and to their credit, it was fixed within about five minutes.

Unfortunately, on our second-last day, while getting ready for an excursion, the water stopped working again. We ended up using bottled water just to wash our hands before leaving.

The beds were okay—not what I'd expect from a 5-star resort. I'd personally rate the accommodations closer to a 2-star experience. The beds came with four very small square pillows.

The air conditioning was also strange. It seemed to only run at one temperature. We even set it to 30°C, hoping it would warm up because the room was freezing, but it never changed. Some nights we simply turned it off.

The rooms also show a lot of wear and tear. The shower pressure was weak, and there seemed to be fresh caulking everywhere, almost as if they were constantly patching problems instead of properly repairing them.

Safety

Since we were two women travelling alone, we purchased portable door jams for extra security.

Unfortunately, they didn't work with these doors (see photos).

Instead, we locked the deadbolt, pushed the closet door against the entrance, and wedged a chair against everything. It definitely helped us sleep better knowing anyone trying to enter would make enough noise to wake us.

Wildlife

One of the best parts of the resort is the wildlife. There are coatis, raccoons, iguanas, and other animals roaming freely throughout the property, making the resort feel very tropical and unique.

Beside our room was a staircase leading down to the ground floor. The first time we used it, there was animal feces all over the stairs from the local wildlife.

The animals are adorable and often hang around that stairwell, but please don't feed them. Once you feed one, they'll all start following you—and apparently they'll tell their friends too!

Also, don't leave your food, drinks, or snacks unattended. These animals are incredibly smart and surprisingly bold. My friend actually had to fight one off after it climbed into her beach bag, stole a sealed bag of Skittles, and somehow managed to open it. It was funny afterward, but it definitely caught us off guard! Keep your belongings close whenever you're relaxing by the pool or beach.

Transportation Around the Resort

The resort is huge, and the main lobby can be quite a walk.

There simply aren't enough trolleys running for regular guests. The majority of the carts we saw seemed to be transporting VIP guests.

Food

The beach buffet was our least favourite. It was extremely hot inside, and it looked like ceiling fans had once been there but had been removed.

The main lobby buffet was much better.

If you're expecting gourmet food, this probably isn't the resort for you. It often felt like every meal included hot dogs, hamburgers, and mashed potatoes.

Our favourite restaurant was the steakhouse—it was excellent.

The Mexican restaurant unfortunately made me sick, so I can't recommend it based on my experience.

The Italian restaurant was okay. The lamb was undercooked and very fatty.

Pools

There are three pools:

• Two beside the beach
• One near Buildings 7 and 8

Ironically, we only discovered the third pool and its buffet on our last day, so I can't fully review it.

We spent most of our time at the beach pools. There were always plenty of chairs available, and we often moved around depending on whether we wanted shade, music, or a quieter atmosphere.

Our favourite was the pool beside the buffet. The loungers were noticeably softer, and the bar was much less busy.

Hidden Gem – The Lagoon

One of the best parts of our trip was discovering the lagoon about a five-minute walk from the resort.

Face the ocean and walk left.

It has gorgeous white sand and no seaweed. The water is cooler than the ocean, but it's crystal clear.

The current can be strong, so keep an eye on younger children.

We saw lots of families catching fish and crabs.

The Membership Presentation

If you're travelling as a couple or two women, expect to be approached about the vacation club presentation.

We agreed because we were promised it would only take 90 minutes, and we'd receive $150 in excursion credit plus beach bags.

The presentation lasted 2 hours.

We were actually interested at first, but the salesperson avoided answering our questions directly. Every answer seemed to go in circles.

The price started around $29,000 USD, then dropped to a "Black Friday" special of $8,900 USD, with lots of additional promises.

We told them we'd do our own research before making any decision. We never went back, but we did receive the promised gifts.

Excursion – Isla Mujeres

We used the excursion credit toward a catamaran trip to Isla Mujeres, and it ended up being the highlight of our vacation.

We booked through Air Transat for $151 CAD plus a $10 port tax.

Our boat didn't have the large netting at the front, but it was still fantastic.

We snorkelled and saw lots of fish and even a stingray.

Lunch on the island was actually better than much of the resort food, with pasta, tacos, rice, salad, and fresh fruit.

If you're renting a golf cart, don't rent the first one you see.

The rental beside the restaurant wanted $65 USD per hour.

We walked closer to the 7-Eleven and rented one for $40 USD per hour or $90 USD for the full day.

We only rented it for an hour and immediately wished we'd taken it for the whole day. There is so much of the island to explore.

Later we relaxed on the beach, where two chairs and an umbrella cost $30 USD for two hours.

On the return trip, the captain stopped in the middle of the ocean and let everyone jump into the water.

That was easily one of the best moments of the trip.

One tip: while drinks are included on the boat and with lunch, bottled water on the island is expensive, so bring your own if possible.

The Beach

The beach was probably beautiful at one point, but during our visit in July, it was covered in seaweed.

There was so much that birds were literally walking across it, and the water barely moved.

Check-Out

If you're staying in one of the buildings farther from the lobby, make sure you arrange a trolley to pick you up with your luggage before you check out.

We booked ours for 6:00 a.m., but it didn't arrive until around 6:20 a.m. Thankfully, we had allowed ourselves extra time.

Also, if you have an early departure, don't expect many food options. The restaurants and coffee shop don't open until 9:00 a.m. The only place available was the black-and-white building, where there was an espresso machine for coffee and a small selection of pastries. It's enough for a quick bite, but if you want something more substantial, you may want to plan ahead or bring some snacks.

Final Thoughts

If you're looking for:

• Beautiful tropical grounds
• Wildlife everywhere
• Strong drinks
• A relaxed atmosphere that isn't overly busy
• Lots of walking
• Decent pools
• Acceptable food (but not gourmet)
• A resort where everyone feels comfortable in a swimsuit, regardless of body type

...then BlueBay Grand Esmeralda may still be worth considering.

As a mom of three, I genuinely appreciated seeing guests of every age, shape, and size enjoying themselves. I never once felt judged wearing my little bikini, lumps and bumps included, and that alone made me feel more confident and relaxed.

Would I return? Probably not. While we still managed to have a wonderful vacation, the beautiful grounds and wildlife couldn't completely make up for the aging facilities, inconsistent maintenance, and overall value for what we paid.

Overall rating: 2/5 ⭐⭐⭐

Today 15 July we are still at the resort until 23 july.

We are group of 8 , 4 adults and 4 kids , Rooms are not that good too tight . Lobby no AC, few places to sit , no bar at the lobby Everywhere you are at the resort there is a bad smell. Beach : no access at all, you will die from the smell The theatre area there is a small bar but no ventilations no AC , we regret that we reserved here The food : 1/10 no variations , no sea food, Buffet service 1/10 Coffee shop fits for 5-6 people not more Entertainment for kids during the day 3/10 We didn’t try yet the À la carte resto … We regret coming here