playa esmeralda

Loved the cool white sand and turquoise sea,Lovely and peaceful.Lots of sun beds and parasols available

This beach is in the Top 10 beaches in the Caribbean and deservedly so. It is clean, with fine white sand. If you are looking for a little shade there are plenty of trees under which you are able to set your loungers.

Beautiful beach attached to the resort. Warmer water and a nice stretch of beach for walking. The resort had a couple of restaurants at the beach, including one that turned into the disco. it was so much fun dancing in the sand and one of the highlights of the trip. The beach during the day is also quite pretty but beware of cigarette butts closer to the back of the beach as we found a few when playing with my 2 year old.

I fall on love with playa esmeralda ( we were at Padisus rio do oro) the hotel is romantic and perfect but the beach are also!!! If you love snorkelling you will fall in love tons of fish and Crab :) we will be back for sure and maybe in summer because they said the beach is even more better in that time

Like; natural beach, not to crowded, no sollicitation Disliked; not long enough, need more palapasGreat place to go !

As far as tropical beaches goes, Playa Esmeralda has lots of nice sand, warm water and is very clean. On the downside, however, part of the beach is around a lagoon that smells of rotting vegetation and harbours lots of mosquitoes in the evening, and there are many reefs and rocky areas along the shore, making swimming treacherous. But, for those who like to snorkel, the reefs just offshore are inviting and easy to reach. Those off the beach are dead, a few fish but no life on the reef, but if you swim just a bit further on away from the beach, there is plenty to see. A snorkeller's delight, lots of clean space to suntan, but not so nice for kids or swimming.

Access to snorkeling good from beach, some nice fishys and coral/sponges.Only half mile from side to side, rather busy and will get busier when Luna/mars hotel fully refurbished.Rocky and rough shelly sand after rough waves, so wear little sea shoes - but don't walk on the coral!

Rocky beach, choppy waters and broken shells in the sand. The beach apparently has great coral and a lot of fish. Therefore it is supposed to be great for snorkeling and scuba diving. However the water is not that beautiful crystal clear water of Varadero or Santa Clara. The bottom is rocky so its best to wear water shoes.

Good sands but you need to take care when in the ocean as there are many large sunken rocks on which to stub your toes.

Although it can be a bit tricky getting in and out of the sea at the east end of the beach it is worth the effort. The snorkelling is fab!

A very photogenic beach with pretty good snorkelling just a few yards out. The only problem was access as there are rocks and the sea was fairly rough during our entire stay - but it's not that difficult to find a way through and well worth the effort. I would definitely recommend water shoes but it's still best to avoid standing on the rocks - that way you won't be trampling on any wildlife and you'll avoid a potentially venomous encounter with the Scorpion Fish I found lurking in a crevice.

The staff from Sol Rio de Luna y Mares worked hard each morning cleaning any excess seaweed or plastic from beach. The white sand and turquoise sea was glorious. Access did seem to be limited to hotel guests - no noisy locals obvious during our visit.Do visit La Guana reserve next to Mares hotel for a good view of beach and hotel from a vantage point on a small headland.

One of the most beautiful beaches i have visited - i live in Cornwall so have visited plenty of great ones !!!Perfect - unfortunately on our last visit a passing ship must have deposited some rubbish which was unfortunately washed up which has caused some bad reviews for the Luna Mares Hotel situated on this beach !!! This of course was nothing to do with the Hotel and the mess was very quickly cleared away by the staff leaving the perfect sugary white sand. The beach is combed daily by the Hotel to remove seaweed and leaves - paradise !!!

If you like to snorkel stay at one of the Melias on this beach and you will have a wonderful time!! We have stayed at the resort on this beach many times and each time the fish are always around. It is like swimming in an aquarium. Remember to bring bread in a plastic bag and your underwater camera.

Too noisy for us but we had our own private beach in Royal Service. On our first visit here it was very quiet in June