BlueBay Grand Esmeralda resort Playa Del Carmen Mexico detailed review

I want a good deal. I want the most for my money! If you're anything like me, you want to know exactly what you are paying for when you get a "good deal" on a hotel or anything really. I search and search for the best price and then I pour over the reviews and decide it sounds awful because, let's face it, there are ALWAYS going to be at least some bad reviews. 100% of consumers are never going to be 100% satisfied... So I roll the dice finally because I can't look at the computer screen for one more minute. After spending hours scouring through Groupon, TripAdvisor, Expedia, etc...  My husband and I settled on BlueBay's Grand Esmeralda Resort which we found on Sam's Club Travel. (We used my sister in law's membership.)   I thought I would write this detailed review for those of you, like me, who want as much information as possible.  This is an all inclusive resort and we spent $524.79 for 4 days and 3 nights in an "ocean view" standard room. We chose Playa Del Carmen because we heard it was more private.  We didn't want a "party" hotel in Cancun. Just a relaxing vacation.

The room was nice. It's an old hotel and so there was some wear and tear I noticed.  The walls were a little beaten up, but other than that it was nice. It was very clean. The shower was luxurious.  The air conditioner worked fabulously, which was awesome because it was so hot! Our view was disappointing though. We purchased an "ocean view" room.  Our view of the ocean was blocked by a huge tree.  It was still beautiful though.

The grounds were lovely. I had never been to Mexico and din't realize just how dense the forest is. It's beautiful.  I felt safe there too because it's a gated resort with security.

 The pool was gorgeous as well. It was spacious and had plenty of seating. 

 There was a board of activities they would hold at the pool each day. They also had a different type of show each night. We went to the Circus show one night and it was pretty neat.  Nothing too spectacular but entertaining.

The beach was nice.  Unfortunately for us we arrived just after a big storm and so the water wasn't clear at all. I was pretty murky.  Also, there was quite a bit of seaweed on the beach. It's not the big, beautiful, sandy beach they advertise in their pictures.

 There were 2 different types of raccoon running around.

There were iguanas EVERYWHERE.

There are a few different restaurants on site. I thought the food was very good at all of them.  The buffet was great!  The desserts were wonderful. They had a new variety of foods each day.  My favorite was the flan. I can almost taste it now!  Fresh fruit every day.  I had "street tacos" at lunch once that were amazing. It was all very fresh. Their drinks were great. I don't drink liquor, but they had a virgin option for everything.  Great Mojitoes! My husband wasn't as impressed with the buffet. He thought is was just okay, but he's pretty critical on a daily basis.

You have to make reservations for anything other than  the buffet. We ate at the Steakhouse one night. It was delicious. The presentation could have used some work. The French Restaurant was excellent. I forgot to take pictures of our meals there. They are strict on their dress codes.  I don't think people were prepared for that. I saw a few people get upset when they were turned away due to their attire.  I thought it was a good thing. They want to maintain a certain atmosphere. 

My biggest complaint is the concierge.  You have to make the reservations with them one day prior.  Each time I would go to their desk they would actively ignore me until I actually asked them if I could make a reservation.  They seemed annoyed to have to do their job. 

Other fees included the transportation to and from the hotel and anywhere else we wanted to go.  Also any gratuities we felt were warranted.  They say tips are included but we still would leave a little something at the dine in places and to our drivers.  We paid $6 per person to be taken to the shopping area on 5th ave.  They offered us two $50 gift cards to use on activities outside of the hotel if we would participate in a 90 minute presentation to get us to join their travel club. They weren't pushy about it at all.  We did the presentation. It sounded good but we couldn't afford it and we told them that.  They didn't try to keep talking us into it.  They were extremely polite and we received $100 in gift cards that we used on an excursion. We chose one that included a visit to the Mayan Ruins at Tulum, snorkeling in the cenotes, and snorkeling in the ocean.  It also included lunch and transportation.  The original price was $149 per person. With our gift cards it was $99. It was absolutely worth it.  The Mayan ruins were amazing.  Our guide was actually raised in a Mayan village and was knowledgeable on the the history of it all.  The cenotes were indescribable.  I mean just... wow!  I did wish we could have stayed there longer. We then went to the beach where we saw all kinds of sea life just there in the bay from huge sea turtles to sting rays and eagle rays... It was very neat. I took my phone to take pictures in a underwater case, but it didn't work as well as I'd hoped.  My hands were too cold to get the touch screen working.  I had to start a video above water and then go back under as it was filming and it ended up all very blurry.  

Overall, in conclusion, I would definitely recommend this resort to anyone planning a trip to Mexico. The staff were all extremely friendly.  It was a great atmosphere. We had a lot of fun there!  I wish we had stayed longer! 

P.S. Don't even try to straighten your hair during a trip to Mexico!!!