Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda

DO NOT STAY HERE!!!! Everything is wrong with this resort! It’s birds and raccoons in the restaurants eating off the same serving spoon that is used to serve food! The rooms are a disgrace leaking ceiling , mosquitos everywhere due to the swamps right outside the room. Rooms needed to be changed multiple times and it was in worse condition! DO NOT LEAVE PATIO DOORS UNLOCKED! Raccoons know how to open your door to get inside! They also will go inside of your bag while at the pool! They will drink your alcoholic drinks if you put it down! Definitely a jet 2 holiday instead of a vacation! Somebody entered the room at 3am and nobody did nothing about it! The staff HOUNDS you to buy the time share! For the health and safety of humanity this place needs to be disintegrated!! I’ve never been so happy to end a vacation until this. I can’t understand how this resort is categorized as a 5 star resort somebody obviously can’t count.

I stayed at BlueBay Grand Esmeralda September 16–21, 2026, for a wedding. If you’re considering booking, I strongly recommend reading recent reviews and looking at current photos. The resort is undergoing construction, which was not communicated to the bride beforehand, and parts of the property and amenities do not look like older photos.

My issues started at check-in. I paid the resort directly to upgrade and consolidate two reservations so I wouldn’t have to change rooms, but was initially given a downgraded room. After going back to the front desk, I was eventually given the room I paid for in Building 5.

Within minutes, I discovered the toilet didn’t work. I called four times over several hours. On the fourth call, I was told no maintenance staff was available until morning, and the employee hung up when I questioned how I was supposed to spend the night without a working toilet. I called back, was transferred to concierge, and maintenance arrived about 10 minutes later. The toilet stopped working again that same night and required a second repair.

The most concerning incident happened around 5:15 the following morning when I woke up to someone using a key to access my room while I was sleeping. I was traveling alone. After more than 48 hours and repeated written follow-up, management confirmed through the electronic lock records that an overnight employee had accessed my room. According to the resort, the employee entered the wrong room due to “human error.” When I asked what corrective action or preventive measures were taken, I was told those details were confidential.

The property itself needs significant attention. The lobby was extremely hot with very little air circulation, employees were visibly sweating, landscaping looked neglected, and water features near the entrance were barely operating. The elevators in Buildings 4 and 5 were also out of service. My room was on the fourth floor of Building 5, so I had to take the stairs every time.

Wildlife was another major issue. Coatis were in guest hallways, around pools, on balconies and throughout buffet areas. I watched one get into a guest’s bag near the lobby and another tug back and forth with a guest over a bag of Cheetos. I also saw one eating from a trash can while staff were nearby. There was animal waste on my balcony, and I didn’t use the balcony at all during my stay. There were also two incidents during our stay involving coatis getting into guest rooms in Building 3.

I stopped eating at the back buffet after personally seeing wildlife moving through the dining/buffet area near the food. The front buffet was better, and breakfast was the most reliable meal. The specialty restaurants I tried were also disappointing.

During a five-night all-inclusive stay, I could not secure a single independent dinner reservation through the resort’s app, nothing Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Management eventually offered to help after I escalated the issue. We ultimately started leaving the resort for food, and I spent more than $200 on taxis, coffee and meals off-property.

The spa is also under construction and does not resemble older photos. The indoor pool and hot tub that were previously part of the spa are no longer there. Trolley service around the large property was inconsistent, while VIP trolleys were frequently operating.

The rooms also vary significantly. Some are more updated than others, and the nicest room I saw was a Building 3 swim-up suite. Even so, based on what I personally experienced and saw, this did not feel like a five-star resort.

Even checkout came with an issue: despite the resort knowing I was traveling alone, I was charged taxes and fees for two guests. It took about 20 minutes and a manager to correct the bill.

Would I stay here again? Absolutely not.

If you’re considering booking, read the most recent reviews and look for current photos rather than relying on older information about the property. If you already have a trip booked, go into it with realistic expectations.