We stayed at the Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda for our anniversary. We were very impressed with the check-in. We were greeted with welcome drinks, a rose, and a very helpful manager who explained were all the bars and restaurants were located and how to make reservations. Our room was actually ready for us even though we arrived at 1 pm. Our room was very nice..comfy bed... clean, modern shower...flat screen t.v. with some English speaking channels....great ocean veiw. The breakfast buffet was good and the dinner buffet was pretty good as well. They do a very nice job at the ala carte restaurants, but be sure to make reservations a day ahead to get a spot, and not all of the restaurants are open every day, so you need to plan for the week if you want to eat a certain ones. We tried the Mexican, Italian, and French. We had no complaints about any of them. The beach itself is very nice... great sand which thet rake daily. The ocean part isn't good...lots of seaweed. If you want to swim the pools are very nice...the nicest we have seen. The activities crew does a great job. There are a lot of things to do during the day. We were also impressed with the fitness center if you are someone who likes to workout on vacation. They have a good variety of nice cardio equipment and a nice weight training area. The night time entertainment was sometimes cheesy. The band is good, but they just play too loud, so that you can't hear the singers. The shows weren't the greatest, but they were something to do. Drinks were hit or miss. I had some that were water down, but more were good than not, so I can't complain. The resort is spread out, which we didn't mind because we like to walk, however it may be difficult for some people. They do have numerous carts giving people rides though. All the staff was very friendly, and most spoke pretty good English. We rarely past a worker without having them greet us in some way. If you do have any issues with anything the front desk and the conciere on the front lobby seemed to me the most efficient at getting things done. Don't forget to take money for tips. They are expected, but they are appreciated. We forgot to take small bills and it was difficult to get change so they we had money to tip. The lobby can only give change in pesos. They also have complimentary internet, which we found convinient. The mosquitoes weren't bad anywhere, except in the computer room at night. That is the only time the we got bitten. We did see them fogging for mosquitoes a few times. Overall, we found this to be a very nice, relaxing vacation. We would love to go back to this resort!!

My husband and I stayed at Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda in April in playa del carmen.
The checkin slow and the recepcionist (claudia) rude and bad-mannered.
It was typically humid out and the room they gave me was damp and had a strong mildew odor. I was moved to another room. Same problem. It was now 2 A.M. and I was too tired to change rooms again.
I was a VIP guest and I never got help from my concierge, she doesn't speak english.
The next morning I told them I was going to cancel my remaining three nights and change hotels. They offered me another suite and I said that I would try that room out. Well same damp air but no mildew odor. We figured I might as well stay since it wasn't that bad and I had a good rate.
We made reservations at the french restaurant, our waiter (jesus) was nice but the food frozen.
This is the worst hotel we've ever experienced in our 18 years of traveling together. This resort, even though it is considered a "soft opening" pales in comparison to other 5 star resorts that we have stayed. Presently, I would argue that it is no more than a 2-3 star resort.
Cancel now if you have a reservation or you'll waste your money.

My husband and I stayed at this hotel for our honeymoon (two weeks) To cut a long story short....We arrived and were not on the register, we were downgraded to a smaller room. Later in the day we were moved into the room we had paid for...on departure they said it was our fault (even though we booked with first choice) Thay wanted us to pay an extra £250!! The rep at the hotel was rude and unhelpfull. Food was good. Beach was so bad you couldnt go in it for all the crap (dont be fooled when they tell you they have 'cleaned' it up)!!!Rooms are lovely and very clean although we had to wait three days for the loo to be unblocked! Hotel trips are ok but when you arrive at your destination they charge you 'Insurance' (£20-30) if you dont pay all hell breaks loose! I would go to Mexico again but NOT WITH FIRST CHOICE AND NOT THIS HOTEL. Please be warned, I would hate your holiday to be as bad as ours, it was our honeymoon and we both ended up in tears...

This resort left something to be desired. From the poor service and food quality to the dirty public space, I was not impressed. My friend and I stayed at here because her company took everyone on a trip for making their budget in 2007...so it was free. That being said, I feel bad for the guests who paid hard earned $$ out of their pocket to stay. There are so many places in Playa which are much more desirable with great service that chosing Blue Bay is silly.

The rooms are nice and large with beautiful views and spacious patios. Be prepared for housekeeping to be non-existent. The TV, safe and AC were broken and not repaired, even after numerous requests to the front desk, for the duration of our stay.

The adjacent beach is very rocky and full of seaweed, but you can walk about 5 minutes and enjoy the resort next door's beach very easily. The cocktails were totally watered down, all the bars close VERY early and, besides taking a taxi into playa for nightlife, the resort pretty much shuts down around 10pm...boring!

If you are planning a trip to Playa, stay in town, NOT at one of these resorts, you will be glad you did!