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Playa del Carmen
Great for a Vacation!
This is a review of:

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda All Inclusive

Detailed Ratings
Accomodation Value:
5.0
Communication:
0.0
General Location:
4.0
Wedding Sites:
3.0
Wedding Value:
0.0
CanadianLindsey

By CanadianLindsey, · 545 Views · 0 Comments

Pros: Food, decor, staff, no reservations needed for dinner, rooms(clean, modern and a/c)
Cons: only 2 pools, beach/ocean water was not swimmable at resort, not great for groups, lacking nightly entertainment

We did not get married here, but did spend a week on vacation here in 2008 with my FI, brother and SIL.  There are no reviews on this resort yet so I thought I would throw out some things I noticed/liked about the resort for you future Blue Bay B2B's!  I don't know if I would recommend it for a wedding or large group.  The resort is big enough for a group, but the amenities do not match the size of the resort and amount of guests.  We were there when some of the villas were still under renovation so guest numbers were low.  Even then the pools felt crowded.  There was no good location for a wedding ceremony that we saw, other than the beach a few steps away from the steak/seafood restaraunt which is right by the big, busy pool.  Keep in mind though that this was in 2008.  The vibe was relaxed and we felt well taken care of over our stay so overall I would recommend it for a family trip or small group/couple.

 

*Rooms/Resort in General:

Very modern, big and clean.  A/C was so nice to have for afternoon seistas!  Villas are scattered among the resort and it is a large propery, but we were able to stay just one floor below our travelmates.  We loved the large resort with the natural landscape but some may not like the distance to and from the beach/pools/restaurants.  Also the resort is close enough to Playa del Carma and Xel-Ha that you can cab for a better price than most of the bus tours.

*Pools:

Only two, which did seem odd for such a large resort(especially w/ beach conditions).  Beach loungers were hard to come by after 8am, however they were the kind that sit an inch or two in the pool...awesome idea!  We lounged there most days, joining in with water aerobics and pool volleyball somtimes.  Bocce ball, beach volleyball, life sized chess board and other games were near the big pool too.

*Beach:

Two years ago, when we went, the beach itself was ok-windy and bit small-but the ocean was pretty hard to walk in without stepping on tree roots or rocks.  Luckily, just a short walk up the beach there was a nice sandy beach area that stretched into the water.  Hopefully, conditions have improved since then! 

*Food:

Having never been to an AI before, my FI and I thought the food was pretty good(Our seasoned AI travelmates agreed it was better than other resorts they had been to).  Portions are small, but being Canadian we were used to that, it was the USA guests that complained lots about it.  My suggestion is to order every course offered at the a la carte restaurants and you'll be full.  Buffets for breakfast and lunch were my favorite!  Fresh omelettes prepared in front of you and lots of variety.  (The lone buffet for dinner was themed each night with a differnt cusine-mexican, italian, etc.)  No reservations were needed, and we never waited long,but the resort was not at full capacity and we went during the end of the renovations.

Room service had a small menu and took a long time. 

*Staff:

A US dollar bill on the bed and in the drink fridge went a long way!!  We had new towel scuptures everyday and a full fridge(we always emptied it out in the morinings to take to the pool/beach!) They also cleaned our room twice a day which was nice because we napped before dinner often and would come home at night to a clean room! 

The entertainment staff and bar staff were great too.  Waiters for dinner were ok, bit slow, but it's a vacation so we didn't care.  Tip the pool waiter and you'll always have a cold drink!  He also made us crazy and unique shooters when we told him it was my Birthday!

*Giftshop:

Overpriced and sell the same things you can buy in Playa markets.  Sunscreen is so expensive so bring extra! Once a week they had a "market" of local artists and vendors set up in the spotrs bar.  No "beach vendors" existed otherwise which was a relief for us.  We don't like to be bugged to buy stuff while on vacation.

*Entertainment:

A bit lacking, mostly due to the fact that there was only one area that served drinks or had entertainment at night.  It got pretty crowded and smoky so we ended up going to bed early most nights.  The live shows put on were quite good, but ended at 8pm and we were usually finishing dinner then. Day time entertainment was minimal too, but just enough for us. We liked to lounge and sleep by the pool!

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