This was our first trip to a hot destination.
After reading some of these other reviews we were a little hesitatant at first. BUT....OMG it was amazing!!!
Yes it is a big resort and there is alot of walking...but with all the food and drinks the extra walking sure helped out.
The food was absolutly the best I have ever had. If you leave this resort hungry in any way you have a problem! The buffets and A la cartes were amazing. Always clean, organized and never once had a problem. The French a la carte was amazing. Very formal and well done.
The drinks and night life is unreal.
You do as much or as little as you want.
The staff are amazing. They are always smiling, and are there to help in any way they can.

First of all do not let my title, scare anyone off of this resort. The resort was very spread out which was nice if you want to be around roughly 2000 people all the time. I found everything was a little too spread out, and very long walks to get to anywhere. They did an ok job on the shuttles but could have done more. We stayed in building 8 which is commonly known as the travel agent building so if you want something close to everything take building 5 or pay the little extra for the rooms with the pools attached.

Another thing I didn't like was the fact that you had to put your towels on the chairs the night before or get up at 5 am to make sure you have a spot to lay in the sun close to your rooms, was almost stressful to be honest.

I really like the service of staff. I found the right girl and gave her a tip, from then on I was not disappointed.

The inlaws came the same day from Ontario, and us from Alberta. What I found was discouraging was the fact that we were given different tour operators, us Sunwing, them Air Canada/air transat. They were so unorganized they didn't even have shuttle to and from the airport. They had a vip room and we didn't so they went cheaper and got treated better in the rooms then we did......Overall the food was great, make sure you check out the steak and seafood places out they put on the best meals.

We just returned 2 days ago from a week at the Bluebay Grand Esmeraldo. We stayed from feb 3-10. If you have already booked this, don't worry, you will have a great time. I have nothing really bad to say, but probably won't go back. The beach was not that great, lots of seaweed etc. but we knew that going in. Not a huge deal and we walked along the beach to many lovely spots and a beautiful lagoon about 15 min to the left(when looking at the water)

The grounds were SO nice and beautifuly kept. Amazing really. The place was spotless and they never stopped cleaning. Even at night if you went for a walk they were cleaning the pools and scrubbing the cement. Lots of walking and we didn't like that so much. It was great at night after dinner as it was lit up and gorgeous, but if you just wanted to head to the beach or pool you had to pack everything and there was no running back quickly if you forgot something as it was just too far. We had to get up at 5:30 to get a spot, but a few days we didn't and we were still fine, we just had to be a little more creative and find spots togethter or move chairs etc...

The food was pretty good and i know some have said there was no eating after 10 but there is a buffet from 10-1 am with some eats for you. Room service was included in our package for free but we never used it once. There is so much food available all the time that we just didn't need it. We reccommend the italian and the french restaurants, but all were good.

The rooms were clean and staff sooooo super nice. Our package included turndown service each night, but we only received it once, again, no big deal to us but why say it if they are not going to do it? Rooms felt cool and damp though and we hung shirts to dry but days later they were still damp. Ladies...forget about your hair!

The drinks were definitely watered down. Do they do this at all resorts? I don't know but we could drink ALL night and not feel a thing. In fact we started asking for doubles and prompting for more booze in the drinks but we just could never get a buzz....

In all it was ok...pretty good but too loud and too big. The sports bar area was big and loud not enjoyable really hanging out there. The free internet in the sports bar area was not that reliable and very slow but yes, it was free so that's good.

The best part was the beach swing bar but it closed at 1 am. We were tired by then anyway. The shows are so-so.

Lots of excursions available and Nolitours was great. No problems with travel and it's a short cab ride to Playa Del Carmen. We went in for the day and had a great time. The shops on the resort were nice and had a nice selection of souveniers, sandles, dresses etc and very reasonable.

So all and all its too big, loud and too much walking but certainly you could have a good time. It's not like we are saying we hated it, we just know what we want for the future.
Again...don't worry if your booked, you WILL have a good time!! Take a look at the pics I added if you like.

Blue Bay was fabulous. There were 10 of us who took my mom for her 65th birthday. Seh has never travelled before. We all had a wonderful time. The Resort was clean, the staff was friendly and the food was good. We did some activities and had a blast. Would stay at Blue Bay again in a heart beat.