TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

The hotel is really beautiful, with a very old-fashion and natural vibe. There’s quite a bit of distance between the beach and the room, but we actually loved the walks and if walking isn’t your thing, there are golf carts available, which is great. The food is very good at all three restaurants. The facilities are nice and clean, although some areas could use a bit of fresh paint.That said, we totally understand how hard it is to fight against nature with so much greenery, humidity, and salty air, it’s understandable. Even so, the team does a great job keeping everything comfortable and well maintained. As for the construction, it was hardly an issue for us. We barely noticed it, only a little while walking back to the room, and it was never too bothersome.

We spent a week at the Blue Diamond Luxury Boutique Hotel near Playa del Carmen. A place that we really wanted to love. Alas, it was not meant to be. It is also a great example of why you cannot let designers be in charge. Everything looks great, but many things are just not functional.  TLDR: We won't be back, but there are bright spots. The food and staff are awesome. The quiet retreat side they push, not so much. This hotel might be for you if the bright spots outshine the weaknesses for you. About us: We are regular travelers and have stayed at multiple resorts in Mexico. We are comparing our trip to other trips in a similar category of hotels. The hotel was at 42-50% capacity when we were there, and I would not want to be here at full capacity. What is great: Staff: pretty much everyone is awesome. Friendly, smiling, waiting to help, and making it feel like they care. Staff like our waiter, Antonio, who we had a few times, make it fun to be here. Fabian, who really takes care of you. And many others. Food: the food makes the place. Almost everything is really good, and a couple of exceptional dishes. Only the junk food is terrible, which is a pretty good thing when you think about it. The pastry chef deserves mention. And also kudos to the executive chef for the menu and the consistent execution. They will struggle if it gets a little busy, but we only had two real misses at breakfast. The poached eggs were more like hard-boiled eggs. What is OK: The room: spacious, quiet (except for construction, more later), well kept overall (with some notable exceptions). We enjoyed the room. We had a Laguna room. You can hear your neighbor a little bit, but mostly if they slide the massive doors or rearrange the furniture. It is mostly quiet. The bicycles: they are nice to have since the resort is a long 1.5 km line. Many have under-inflated tires and need maintenance. Plus, people are hoarding them so hard to come by. One bar: Yes. You read that right. There is only one bar, near the pool. They claim to have another one near the Amber restaurant. It is a corner for a couple of sofas (that are atrocious to sit in), so it's not really a bar. Activities: We knew they had very few activities, and it is OK with us. The cocktail class with Leopoldo was the best; he is just awesome. However, the number of spots is extremely limited and are released on Sundays. So, if you fly in mid-week, you are likely screwed. Spa circuit: We went twice. The first time was great. Everything was hot (sauna, hot pool, and hammam). The second time, not so much. The sauna was OK, but the hammam was turned off and cold. The pool was lukewarm. Very disappointing. What is terrible: Construction of a mega hotel next door: no one told us this, so it is very frustrating. A massive hotel is being built as close to the property line as possible. Noise from 8am to 7pm. Cannot enjoy the pool unless you love the sound of a jackhammer in the morning. Yes, it will eventually stop. But it likely will be replaced with loud music and pool parties these place tend to have. I fear that the quiet side of the hotel is gone forever. What's worse is that they have another property nearby and probably does not suffer from the noise. We don't allow access during the day, even though the day pass system is already in place. Pro tip: change your policy during construction… Music from the Rosewood: construction on one side of the resort, and yes, by disco music on the other. It was an issue on Saturday night. Music is going until 3am. The problem is that the Rosewood has the disco facing toward the North, and there is a bit of undeveloped land, so the sound travels. Plunge pool: some rooms have a plunge pool. They should call them Cold Plunge Pools. No hot water. It was a selling point for us, and we did not use it once. Plus, you can see the hot water tap. It has been disabled so management made that decision at some point. Terrible. Oh and the spa at the pool? Cold and non-functional. Lighting in the room: the lighting decisions are terrible, particularly in the bathroom. Not enough light and all yellow warm lighting. That is not the type of lighting for a bathroom. The bed: rock hard. If you like sleeping on rocks, you will be well served. No handles: No handles anywhere! It's like the designer decided that minimalism meant removing all handles. Try to operate a heavy sliding door without a handle...This is just one of the many terrible design decisions throughout. Like a 6-inch counter at the bar, you can thoroughly bang your knee on the concrete. The chairs: I am almost 6'3" (188 cm), so I am tall. I am not tall enough to comfortably sit in almost every chair or sofa on the property. The backs are metal bars cutting into your very flesh. My solution was to borrow cushions for other chairs or sofas to make it bearable. The sofas are insanely bad and uncomfortable. Many things are broken: yes, I know, it is typical to have broken things in this category of hotels. But when the door to your awesome patio cannot be opened, it is frustrating. Plus, the sliding doors require superhuman strength to open.

Blue Diamond was an amazing experience! If you are looking for chill vibes, this is the place. It’s not a loud party resort with kids running around and a bunch of drunk people sloshing around. It’s mostly nice couples trying to enjoy the peace provided by the jungle and beach. From the moment you arrive, you are greeted by Diana with Reception/Transport and wild Coatis that roam the property. We don’t drink so they had some mocktails ready for us. The service was impeccable at Blue Diamond! We spent a week there in the Palafitos Suite for our honeymoon. We relaxed for a couple days and did spa treatments. A couple of days were spent on excursions. And a couple more were spent lounging around the resort, shopping in town, and exploring. Taxis, excursions, spa treatments, and almost everything else can be booked directly through the resort. We were referred by a friend who has a Circle One membership. Andrea, Andres, Liz, and Genny from Circle One were very informative and helpful. With the membership, you can have access to multiple resorts and special treatment at each one. There are many more perks as well. Erik and Chris from the concierge were very helpful and our butler John was on top of everything we could’ve possibly needed. He often anticipated our needs and had special treats waiting for us in our suite. All of them could easily be contacted through WhatsApp chats with very quick responses and details. The spa was incredible! We did a yoga class then relaxed in the steam room, sauna, and pool until our massages. One day we did just massage and the other day, we did massages and facials. I went for the deep tissue massage (I need more pressure) and deep cleansing facial (oily skin). My wife did the relaxing massage and relaxing aromatherapy facial. We both woke ourselves up snoring a couple times because we were so relaxed. April did both my massages and exceeded my expectations on pressure, technique, and professionalism. Now, for the restaurants. Delicious food at Aguamarina and Ceviche Bar. Shout out to Luis, Eduardo, Martin, and Fernando on the consistently great service. Breakfast at Aguamarina was my favorite. Usually consisting of the tropical fruit plate, avocado toast, fresh coffee, and a power shot (lemon, ginger, and honey). Ambar is pretty much their 5-star fine dining experience. It is only open for dinner, and you’ll need to make reservations. The food was out-of-this-world. I’ll also mention the soups at all the restaurants. You must try them all! Carlos was our favorite server at Ambar. Super funny guy. Probably due to most of his English speaking was learned from watching King of the Hill haha! Erik has a very extensive wine knowledge, and I could sit there and talk to him for hours about wine and I don’t even drink anymore. Side note on the restaurants without spoiling the surprise: Almost every night, they will have some kind of performance/live music. Make sure to check these out as much as possible. Great entertainment! We also did the Temazcal Ceremony with Diana and Mr. Barcenas. It was one of coolest things I’ve ever done. While Diana is singing and chanting, Mr. Barcenas is prepping more hot rocks for the steam bath. It’s like a meditation and ayahuasca experience without the psychoactive drugs haha. We found a lot of inner peace and gained knowledge about the ancient traditions of the Mayan people. I highly suggest it! There are many things to do at Blue Diamond. You can roam the beach, ride bikes through the property, hit the gym, relax by the pool, take a swim in Cenote Xibalba, and many more. It is a perfect place for a chill honeymoon couple or a weekend getaway to find some serenity for yourself. We will definitely be back!

It's was a quite and relaxing atmosphere. The staff went above and beyond with their services and hospitality definitely 10 stars on that..if u like to just chill at the pool and read a book this is the spot..I myself like a little action and it lacked that for me but that's not the vibe here. The food was excellent but the options were a little limited and if your on a extend stay then u might get tired of eating the same things..the resort itself is a Lil dated and not maintained as others I've stayed at ..me and my wife were here for 8 days and I'd love it a 4 outta 5

Food and drinks were amazing from day one. The place feels super secluded in the best way quiet, private and far from the city noise. The facilities are comfortable, clean and cozy. We even got to enjoy a Mexican show during dinner, which was so good and really interesting. The cenote is absolutely beautiful, full of fish and even turtles.