We (1 26yr male, 1 27yr female)arrived back in Cancun from the 5-star RIU in Playa Del Carmen, to check into the Blue Bay Getaway. Out first impression was not great. The front desk staff was less then friendly, and before we even got to our room we were thinking about not staying. I’m glad we did though. The desk clerk gave us a meal coupon to use to reserve our one a la carte dinner, arbitrarily we were given the Italian restaurant. We actually had to convince him to let us look at the restaurants before choosing which one. (Note: since returning home I’ve been told that it’s possible to ‘buy’ additional a la carte dinners from the reservations girl in the morning.) We got to our room, where we had been told to wait for someone to come turn on the safe-deposit box. I liked the fact that the box was electronic, with a code chosen by me, as it meant either of us could access the box, not just whomever had the key. However, after waiting almost an hour, I tried the box and it was working. Nobody ever came. The room itself was large, had a small patio with a view, and was overall just fine. Tap water is not drinkable. They provided full bottles of shampoo, which was nice, compared to the packets at the other hotels. Yes, there is a 24-hour porn channel. We had checked in on a Friday, so after dinner in the buffet we attended Anything Goes Night. It’s a lot of fun, I’m not going to give it away but it’s worth the stay at BBG. The bar in the Nice Shoes Disco closes during the activity so get a few drinks, or more, before it starts. Following that is Ms. Hot Legs Contest (which my girlfriend WON by the way!!) Saturday we hung around the pool, drinking and enjoying the sun. There had been a card on our door Friday night asking us to come to the "Blue Bay Premier desk" to get our welcome gift. We did this Saturday morning, expecting a high-pressure sales technique to get us to buy in. We explained that we weren’t interested in buying, and that was that. The lady explained to us a but about the property, the restaurants, the way the different colour wristbands work, a bit about Cancun itself, asked us about tours, gave us some information on getting to Costco and Wal-Mart, etc. Quite polite and friendly, not the dreaded sales pitch. Blue wristbands are for first-timers like us; return visitors get green which basically means better alcohol; and people who book direct with the hotel get gold which means better menus and better alcohol. On Sunday we did our shopping and got back to the hotel for afternoon activities and dinner at Bella Vista which was the best a la carte dinner food we’d had our entire trip.
Pictures etc.: There are photographers throughout the hotel taking pictures of you at the activities, at dinner, etc. You can buy the pictures from them. We missed them the morning we left, and I regret not buying the pictures. Leaving we got a cab to the airport and were charged more then the posted amount at the hotel. Be prepared for them to try that. any questions or to see pictures, email me sparky4@telus.net Websites: http://www.bluebaypremier.com/premieren.html http://www.bluebayscancun.com/ http://www.hotetur.com/Hotetur/listahotelessd.aspx? ListaZonas=10MEXICO
(Sorry there are so many ‘official’ websites. There have been company changes, as the company that owned Desire owned the Blue Bays, but seems to have sold them to Hotetur)
Food:
Buffet was average, late-night buffet below average, snack bar buffet good, a la carte good.
Drinks:
Good. Excellent menu selection. Returning guests get a different colour wristband that gives access to better alcohol. I was annoyed that at our a la carte dinner, no alcohol was offered other then wine to purchase. Not even house wine.
Staff:
Entertainment staff are friendly and very energetic. Service staff in the restaurants, bars, and front desks leave much to be desired.
Beach:
They don’t really have a beach. Most of the hotel has what is almost concrete along the water’s edge. The hotel also has a marina, soThere are photographers throughout the hotel taking pictures of you at the activities, at dinner, etc. You can buy the pictures from them. We missed them the morning we left, and I regret not buying the pictures.They don’t really have a beach. Most of the hotel has what is almost concrete along the water’s edge. The hotel also has a marina, so I wouldn’t really be comfortable swimming there.
Pools:
Several. A sports pool, a quiet pool, and a sexy pool. Sports pool and quiet pool have pool bars. Strangely the quiet pool bar is open till 930 and the sexy pool bar is open till 7 (it seemed to close earlier) so if you’re in Bella Vista for a romantic dinner after 7, you’ll have noisy partiers right outside that have come from the sexy pool.
Activities:
Watersports activities available until 3 or 4. Fun activities all day centred on the sexy pool and sports pool.
Entertainment:
Tuesday and Sunday there is a show in the theatre, which wasn’t very good. Also, the open-air theatre is above the "utility" area (garbage bins, etc.) so it doesn’t smell good. Most of the entertainment is at the "disco" almost every night.
Great things about Blue Bay:
Wild entertainment, or at least a degree wilder then other hotels. Adults only. nice, big rooms. Return guests get better privileges. Even more so for return guests who book directly through the hotel. The sales pitch for "Blue Bay Premier" time-share wasn’t high-pressure.
Not-so-great things:
Staff could be friendlier. Food could be better. Beach would be nice. I’ve heard there’s a shuttle to their other hotel, which we didn’t see, and someone said they have bikes available but nothing was apparent to us.
Restaurant info: Embarcadero Buffet: breakfast 07:00-12:00 daily, lunch 13:00-15:00 daily, dinner 18:00-21:30 daily nightly dinner theme: Monday – International, Tuesday – Mexican, Wednesday – Italian, Thursday – Argentinian, Friday – Spanish, Saturday – Caribbean, Sunday – Oriental Bellavista Snack Bar: daily 12:00-16:00 daily Las Margaritas Patio: Continental Breakfast 06:00-07:00 daily, snacks 16:00-18:00 daily, Mexican buffet 19:00-23:00 daily, late snacks 23:00-05:00 (often leftovers from the main buffet) Village Wok Oriental Food: 18:00-21:30 closed Sundays BellaVista Seafood: 18:00-21:30 closed Tuesdays Il Piaccere – Italian: 18:00-21:30 closed Thursdays
a la cartes are by reservation (08:00-11:00) at the patio. Dress code is no sandals (only flip flops not accepted) no sleeveless t-shirts, no pool shorts (bermudas accepted)
Bar info: Diego’s Pool/Swim-Up Bar: 10:00-19:00 daily at Sexy pool Margaritas Patio Bar: 16:00-00:00 daily L’Alternative Bar (sports pub) 19:00-01:00 daily Theatre Bar: open Tuesdays/Sundays during show. This is a bar area, that the bartender brings some bottles of alcohol, a cooler of ice, and some glasses to. Not fully functional (ie. no blenders) Nice Shoes Bar (disco): 21:30-01:00 daily (closed during some entertainment)
Bikinis Pool/Swim-Up Bar: 10:00-21:30 daily at Quiet Pool, closed at 17:00 on Tuesdays
Amenities info: Both sexy pool and quiet pool have mini-hot tubs in them gym spa watersports
Entertainment info: Nightly: After the later entertainment, there is a bus to one of the discos (no return trip) Monday: Karaoke 21:30 (Nice Shoes Bar) Tuesday: Live Music 19:30 (Las Margaritas Patio); Mexican Music show 21:30 (Theatre); Kissing Contest 22:30 (Nice Shoes Bar) Wednesday: Casino 21:30 (Nice Shoes Bar); Live Music 22:30 (Nice Shoes Bar) Thursday: Fantasy Trivia 21:30 (Nice Shoes Bar); Dance Contest 22:30 (Nice Shoes Bar) Friday: Anything Goes night 21:30 (Nice Shoes Bar); Girls Hot Legs Contest 22:30 (Nice Shoes Bar) Saturday: Live Music 20:00 (Nice Shoes bar); Mens Hot Legs Contest 22:30 (Nice Shoes Bar)
Sunday: Latin Show 21:30 (Theatre); Beer Drinking Contest 22:30 (Nice Shoes Bar)
General information: 1) When shopping, catching a taxi, etc. You will usually be given the opportunity to pay in US dollars or in pesos, and for simplicity most people use a 10 to 1 exchange rate. ie. 100 pesos, $10 US. Since you should be getting 11 pesos to the US dollar or more at the exchange house (the best rate I got was 11.28 at Scotiabank in Playa Del Carmen) by paying in pesos you’re getting about a 10 % discount. Whenever possible, use your pesos instead of US cash or even instead of credit cards. In chain stores like Plaza La Fiesta (a tourist shop) you’ll notice on the price tag they’ve factored in a proper exchange rate. 2) Tours: unless you are rich or really need the guided package, everything is more affordable to go on your own. Some examples: Bus tour from Playa Del Carmen / Playacar resorts to see the Tulum ruins is US$49 per person including lunch. On your own: round trip taxi from hotel to bus terminal, first class bus round trip to tulum, shuttle train to the ruins, entrance to the ruins, total for two people $28 US. Similar prices apply throughout the region. 3) Transport: At Cancun airport, you’re pretty much stuck paying 90 pesos per person for a shared shuttle to your hotel, unless you leave the airport and get out to where the taxis are or beyond that to where the city bus runs. I didn’t see any other option for that part of the trip. In the hotel zone, the city bus is 6.5 pesos (only 4.5 pesos if you’re not in the hotel zone) or around 60 cents US. The R-1 and R-2 and I think R-27 go almost everywhere you’d want to, and the destinations are listed on the front of the bus. Wal-Mart, plaza Las Americas (big mall where the locals shop, including Chedraui market) and the Terminal Del Autobuses can all be reached by city bus. The Wal-Mart bus says Wal-Mart. For the bus depot, take an "Av. Tulum" bus and get off at Av. Uxmal. To get to Costco, get a taxi on the street from Wal-Mart for 15 pesos. Getting back to the hotel zone should be around 50 pesos. Returning to the airport from the hotel will be around 180 pesos. Taxis in the hotel zone, and shuttles at the airport, are fixed rates (each of the hotels will have a price list posted by the door). If the doorman summons the taxi for you then you should pay exactly that amount (again remember to pay in pesos to save money) but if you grab the taxi then it might be more. If you get a taxi in the city, or in Playa Del Carmen, or anywhere else, be sure you and driver agree on the rate before you go anywhere. It is negotiable, but not much. Tip is built in, you don’t tip the cabbie. The intercity bus system is great. Service is provided from the bus terminal by ADO (1st class, A/C, etc.) and Riviera/MayaB (second class, more stops, etc.) There’s also playa Express that is a shuttle and is cheaper. Sample rates: ADO 1st class, Cancun to Playa Del Carmen 32 Pesos every 20 minutes, same price returning every 10 minutes. The MayaB is about 12 pesos less, but less frequent. Playa Del Carmen to Tulum or Coba 32 pesos each way by ADO, less by MayaB. Playa Express should be less but I couldn’t find their depot and didn’t really care at these prices. 4) Alcohol: If you’re buying alcohol, start at Costco, followed by Wal-Mart. Example prices: 1 litre Kahlua. At home about C$45. In the tourist stores and mini-marts, around 90 to 200 pesos. At Chedraui 81 pesos, At Wal-Mart, 73 pesos. At Costco 61 pesos. Likewise, Tequila starts at around 65 pesos per litre and goes up.
What to bring: Things to bring: Lots of sunscreen. We took 3.5 250ml bottles for 1 week, and went through 3 of them. I’d suggest taking a mix. We took SPF45 normal, SPF30 sport sweat proof, SPF30 eco-friendly (needed if you’re going to one of the eco-parks.) Caution: Don’t forget a hat, even in the pool, and sunscreen lip balm. If you put sunscreen on in the morning before dressing for breakfast, put more on when you take your shirt off at the pool. That’s the only way we got burned was having our t-shirts absorb all the sun block off our shoulders. Also take after-sun gel and bug-bite cream just in case. Disposable waterproof camera for pool, ocean activities, and snorkelling. Thermal mugs for drinks at the pool. They hold more and keep things cold, and keep the sand and crawlies out of the drinks. A backpack for carry water and stuff if you do a tour of the ruins. Immodium, Tylenol, Pepto Bismol. Especially the tylenol! Instead of taking pepto or immodium every day as a precaution, start eating yoghurt every day 2 weeks before you go. You can continue this when you’re there. Lots of shorts and shirts because you’ll sweat a lot. At least one pair of long pants and closed shoes for the men for dinner. Chargers/spare batteries for any electronics, like digital cameras.
Any Questions, or to see pictures, please email me sparky4@telus.net