Paige and David were celebrating their 10th anniversary and — with three small children at home — they really needed someplace they could relax and unwind. When they described their ideal all-inclusive resort as small, non-touristy, authentic and with great food, the Blue Diamond Riviera Maya jumped to the top of the list.
Hi Ann,
We are delighted to provide a review of our trip to Mexico. Our experience was so ideal we can’t imagine how it could even have been improved.
As you know, for this trip we were looking for a quiet, unhurried escape from our busy lives as parents of little children. Blue Diamond was absolutely perfect. We were greeted at the entry with cold juice and truffles while we waited to check in. Because we arrived in the morning, our room wasn’t quite ready, so the bellboy took us by golf cart to the oceanfront restaurant where we had an incredible made-to order lunch brought to us by kind, personable staff we’d continue to see all week. Here are the features we most loved about Blue Diamond:
- The size. Blue Diamond has about 125 suites, so even at full capacity not too many guests are around. The resort itself is not large, but its design makes every part feel uncrowded, quiet, and serene. The pool and beach areas are not expansive, but the spaces are comfortable and welcoming.
- The design. The resort is built into a jungle with a long, winding stone boardwalk providing one route from the lobby to the beach. Rooms are tucked off to the side of the boardwalk all along the way. Suites overlook either a cenote, which boasts native crocodiles, or a laguna. No ocean views except for the fanciest suites, but we didn’t mind as we actually didn’t spend a ton of time lounging in our room. The style is simple, calm, and elegant – no faux-thatched roofing or bright Mexican decor – it looks classic and minimalist, while still being very comfortable.
- The service. One of our favorite things about the resort is that we got to know the staff throughout the week because we saw the same people working in their areas. Almost daily we had the same breakfast and lunch waiter (Pedro), the same dinner waiter (Juan David), and the same pool waiter (Jorge). We also worked with one concierge and enjoyed getting to know the water sports director throughout the week. It was really enjoyable to chat with the same staff throughout the week and to be remembered by them. As the week progressed the staff knew how we like our coffee, whether to bring lime for our water, the answer to ‘more champagne?’ is always yes, and that we love sailing even when it’s windy.
- The extra touches. We loved having bicycles to ride from our room down to the beachfront and back; we also were offered rides in the patrolling golf carts anytime we were walking. The concierge was extremely helpful when we told him we couldn’t sleep at night because our room was too warm – we eventually problem-solved this with a few extra fans in our room, and for our troubles they brought us chocolate covered strawberries and champagne one evening. Alex, the water sports director, took us sailing a couple times and connected us with the parasailing crew. We tried out the temezcal, the Mayan ritual sauna, which was an amazing experience. They also had wine tasting and cocktail making classes and a free snorkeling trip in a group of only four guests, so it was personally guided by Alex. We loved playing ping pong next to the beach, and whenever we asked for cocktails they were unfamiliar with, they spent quite a bit of time looking up the recipe and trying to capture what we had in mind.
- The food. One of the things that appealed to us about Blue Diamond was that all the food is cooked to order so we would not be eating any buffet meals. We were not disappointed by the quality of the meals! The only limiting factor was that we got full too fast. Our favorite meal was usually lunch because we loved their sushi offerings and their seafood soup. We were also lucky to get seats at the Friday night barbecue, which they only do occasionally, where we enjoyed grilled scallops, lobster tail, crab, salmon, and more delicious seafood I can’t even remember. Breakfast for us was usually an omelet, fresh fruit juice, and a side of smoked salmon – not to mention the roving tray of pastries. And dinner was always delicious – steak and seafood were our top choices, and we always started with an order of the steamed mussels. I could go on and on about the food …. Another draw for us was that the restaurants do not require reservations, and we never had to wait for a table. I loved the freedom to eat whenever the mood struck!
- The room. We loved the comfortable king bed, the huge closet, the double shower, and the floor-to-ceiling windows. Everything was beautiful, wonderfully cleaned by housekeeping each day, and so serene.
In summary, I would highly recommend Blue Diamond for anyone seeking a peaceful, restorative vacation. It has a few evenings of entertainment, but is not a resort for those looking to mingle, dance, and party. This is a great couples resort, an excellent place to escape from hurried life and to be pampered. We would return in a heartbeat! Thank you so much for helping us find Blue Diamond.
Thanks,
Paige
