Good ROI (return on investment)

This resort never fails to satisfy. Very consistent in their service, food, security and entertainment. We were pleased to see ongoing maintenance being done-painting, repairs, deep cleaning. We left comments for food to be updated in terms of health value-more zoodles, lower calorie, more nutritious with less cream sauces. Rooms could stand updating but overall well-worth the money. This was our 4th visit and we are going back.

Amazing Family vacation

Our 3rd time at this resort. Food-The steak house, (a la carte) amazing, 5 stars here. Oriental Fusion (a la carte) amazing, 5 stars also We did not do the seafood a la carte. The buffet was just okay. My husband and I agree that it was just okay. Love fish, however it was seemed to be under cooked at times. As well as some of the red meats. Yes I like my meat well done, personal preference perhaps. The beach-Beautiful warm water. Plenty of space. No need to come early to claim a sp [... read more]ot. Private beach bar. Downside, the vendors. Although there were quite a few, on the first approach from vendor I would say no thank you loud enough that I was not approached by other vendors. (That's all it took). The bridge-had to say something about this. This bridge(on the property) takes you to the beach. Look carefully and you will see turtles , chucks, and amazing birds.This bridge goes through what appears to be natural jungle. Truly amazing. The staff-Amazing, go beyond to make their guests comfortable. The animation staff, 5 stars here. We were a family of 6 travelers, as the parents of middle age adult children, the animation kept them busy, always came over to us, (parents,) just to say hi and do the High 5.

Never again!

The resort needs some major work done such as tile in the pool is missing and also on the decking. The mattresses need to be replaced as ours was rock hard. Door keys were probably fixed daily which was aggravating. The food was not good, there wasn't a variety. The worst we the 2 cockroaches we found in our room. Because of this we would not go back.

Impressive resort

Just completed a weeks vacation at this resort. Superior room was excellent food was great staff very pleasant and helpful shows were great grounds well kept I would return to this resort and recommend it to others.

Looks good.....

Get comfortable because this review is gonna be thorough description of our stay. My wife and used WestJet to get from Canada to the resort for a 5 day stay. The trip was pleasant and as expected. Upon arrival we were greeted with very friendly desk staff. We were given our wrist bands(lowest tier). They explained everything we needed to know for our stay. One of the concierge told us if we needed anything to let him know (He ask that we look for him specifically). Day 1(1/4day)  [... read more] Hotel staff showed us our standard room and explained the tv wasn't working (not a problem as we don't watch television). I was under the impression from the discription on the website that our room would have a balcony or terrace, however this was not the case as our room had neither. We didn't complain because it was around 7:30pm and we weren't overly concerned about it. Our room also had no chairs to sit on, the bathroom had only one towel and the climate control had one setting(freezing). This also didn't bother us because of the 30°c temperature outside and there was no problem getting another towel. We sat on the bed and enjoyed the two beers that were inside the mini fridge. People we met later in our stay said they were unhappy with their original room and when the complained were upgraded/unhappy again and upgraded again. We left our room and went and enjoyed the buffet. The food was well cooked and presentation was good. We found out the hard way there is no bathrooms in the buffet area. (Bathrooms at the front desk, pool area and our room were about the same distance). We walked around the resort and found the guest and staff to be polite and friendly. We returned to our room and attempted to go to sleep. We could hear the music coming from the entertainment area and people enjoying themselves. Day 2 In the morning (9:30) housekeeping arrived knocked once and came right in. We quickly let them know we were still sleeping. We planned to be out of the room after 10 because that's the time the lunch buffet opens otherwise we would have hung the do not disturb sign(didn't expect housekeeping that early). We left our room around 10:30 without hanging the sign. After lunch/breakfast we went to book dinners at the 3 ala carte restaurants. We asked if it was possible to book more than 3 restaurants(Asian, seafood and steak) but we're told other guests had to have a chance to visit them(fair enough). After this we went to the beach. We were almost immediately greeted by a tour salesperson and a woman who insisted on giving my wife and I one braid in our hair for free(This happened every time we went to the beach throughout our stay by the same people, despite repeatedly rejecting their offers). The beach itself was clean, the water was warm and the view was the best I had ever seen in person, in my life. Also worth a visit, is the snack bar(seafood ala carte at night) at the beach. Good food and a bathroom close to the dining area. For dinner we were booked at the Asian restaurant. This was a pleasant experience. Food was delicious, the presentation was delightful and staff was quick and courteous. We returned to our room to and discovered housekeeping had not returned. Afraid they would wake us up at 9 am we placed the do not disturb sign on the door and fell asleep to music from outside. Day 3 I got up early 5:30 to get a photo of the sunrise at 6 over the ocean. The mosquito are very bad before sunrise but during the day are not bad at all. I returned to my room after I got the picture and went back to sleep. At 9am I woke up to the housekeeping staff yelling at eachother about toilet paper. My wife and I woke up at that time and on our way out I asked housekeeping if we could get another towel and gave them the room number. They seemed to understand. We went to the breakfast buffet. We were greeted at the door with a tasty breakfast shot. The breakfast buffet was average but there was no bacon. This was the only day we went to the breakfast buffet so I'm not sure if this was normal or if I just got unlucky. This day we spent most of the time in the pool enjoying the swim up bar. I was drinking the cocktail of the week called an ice tea. This drink looked like a sunset in the photo and when made by the right bartender tasted delicious and looked like the photo. Unfortunately there were some bartenders who for some reason claimed they don't make it or couldn't make it properly. For these bartenders I would just order a beer (Trial and error). Dinner was at the seafood restaurant. Everything I tried was delicious and the presentation was good. Staff here was quick and courtesy also. We decided to check out the entertainment with people we had met in the pool that day. The show was very entertaining. During the show wait staff brought us drinks. I was drinking water and after a few rounds the waiter said no water so I ordered a rum and coke. They returned with a rum and diet cola. We finished our drinks and returned to our room at around 12. We noticed the housekeeping brought us another towel but did not stock the mini fridge (this was not a big deal to us as the resort is all inclusive but still worth mentioning I think). We fell asleep to music from outside. Day 4 6:45am we are awakened by maintenance staff knocking on the room across from ours and started using tools on the door banging and scratching at the door. I asked that he return in a couple hours. At 8:30 he returned again and began working untill around 9. My wifeand i were upset but were determined to have a positive vacation. I attempted to use the tv and found that it was working. We watched TV untill 10 and went to the snack bar at the beach. There was an artist there teaching tourist to paint free of charge. My wife partook and painted a beautiful apple. We donated to the artist and bought some of his work. This was our last day so we decided to leave the resort to do a little shopping. We went to the front desk and one of the concierge (different one than the one who asked us to look for him) greeted us. We asked where the shopping off resort was and he pointed us in the right direction(2 minutes walk from the resort). He also put us know if we needed anything to look for him. Just him. Similar to the first concierge. This concierge requested we meet him after shopping so he could show us around the resort (we didn't feel this was necessary). At the shopping area tour sales people try to get you to buy a tour. They are respectful when you just say no thanks. Some of the shops don't have prices so look around at all the shops to find the value of what your looking for. Return to the shops without price tags and you can get souvenirs for a good price. Some shops may try to sell you drugs so be prepared. One shop keeper called me a cheapskate because I knew exactly what I wanted and bartered him to my price. The shopkeeper was very friendly and smiled while calling me this. I had fun. We returned to the resort. That night we went to the steak restaurant. Again the food was delicious and the presentation was good however the wait staff was busy with other guests and we waited a little longer than the other restaurants. We went back to the room and watched a movie before falling asleep to music from outside. Day 5 7am we are again awakened by a car alarm followed by 10 seconds of solid horn from the parking lot. We return to sleep untill 11 undisturbed. Buffet. Checkout and travel home was as expected. Overall I expect if we would have complained earlier we could have got a better location away from the entertainment area. Food and guest services were very good. We still got more sleep for the 5 days than a normal 5 day work week.

Great relaxing resort

The staff were great. They did everything they could to make sure things ran smoothly and everyone was doing what they came to do. The excursions through the resort were reasonably priced, could book almost last minute, and very enjoyable. All around, great place to go, whether to relax or have fun.

Perfect Vacation

We visited Blue Bay Villas Doradas in May 2017 and I'm writing this view in Oct 2017. The very fact that I can't recall a single negative point and smile when I recall our vacation is a good sign. The food was fresh and plenty with a more than adequate amount of variety for different tastes. The rooms were well kept and clean; linens and towels were replenished regularly. The grounds were tidy and pristine. Their was a good mix of different age groups and people were friendly. The  [... read more]staff were spectacular and always helpful with a good command of English. The beach was as beautiful as any other and finding a lounge chair or towels was never a problem. Being a smaller hotel the night time entertainment wasn’t like the larger over-the-top resorts but we had fun nonetheless. We walked over 6km into town and visited the local department store and a well known fish and chip spot on the ocean called Big Lee's. This was a pleasant break from the massive resorts with hundreds of people and provided the rest and relaxation we were looking for.

Ok resort, with potential

Very nice small-medium size resort with 3 storey cottages. Nice grounds, nice beach bar and restaurants, the beach is fantastic, although sand is not as white as Cuba's Cayo Largo or Santa Maria. Beach was cleaned from seaweed by workers daily . While front desk management was very accommodating and helpful, we found service elsewehere was the lowest point in the resort. Food was not too many choices but very good and fresh. Drinks selection is terrible - only "house" wine included, seafood [... read more] restaurant had no white wine even for purchase, possible to buy Dom Perignon at cash bar but not even normal orange juice - all "juices" offered are syropy drinks. Daily room refill consists of 4L large canister of water which cant be taken to the beach and no glasses available in the room ( no cola or beer) - looked in redibly cheap. Extremely noisy around the pool- management goes extra mile to make activities going non stop. Which seemed contrary to resort size and looks.. We had to change room after loud party until 3 am. Overall we still enjoyed our vacation, some good some bad we give it solid 3 stars.

A bit disappointed

Sorry for taking so long to send this review on Blue Bay Villas Doradas Resort I stayed between June 2-9 (for 7 days)..I have a mix feelings as I would not have a good thing to say if I would have done this review right after my arrival in Canada...but here we go.. First walk-in into the hotel, I was surprised that our files to check-in was outside Front Desk and we need to find our files and check-in, this is out of the ordinary for me, due to my experiences travelling (Cuba, Mexico, St Luci [... read more]a just to name others) this kind of checking in is a bit odd to me..I travel alone and to mingle & mingle after a flight delayed arriving very late at night and was accommodated in a "chaotic" checked in situations, was not a good impressions at all. I finally found my check-in files and handed in to one of the personnel and literally I have to do all the check-in papers filling in and put my wrist band. I said am alone and tired and want to see my room pls..they called their porter but cannot assist me as he is very busy cutting all wrist band of other visitors, before taking us to our room, I waited until his done and finally he took me to my room which just few feet away from the swimming pool :( He showed me how to use my keys in a hurry, I was very hungry and need something to eat..this is around 12:am I saw a tray of cold-cuts, fruits and crackers, that's now stale and look not edible...I tried to eat the soggy/soft crackers due to fruits juice contamination and went to sleep...I woke up and have to program myself to a good start. I don't want to ruin my vacation just because of my first impression that check-in night...so here are my overall resorts impression: Food: almost the same dish everyday - all hot/cooked dish are very salty (they must really love to salt their food) Pool: are very clean and since I am just 10 feet away room from the pool I cannot rest in my room as I hear everything going on around the pool. Beach: clean/clear beach, I cannot say anything more about the beach, I love it..so this is a plus, and I stayed at the beach mostly, and went on excursions away from the resort the best as I was not happy with my room surroundings Entertainment: they are mediocre shows...I guess because maybe Iam use to Cuba/Mexico, etc entertainment, they showcase their cultures and has Pool shows as well...Blue Bay just sticks to their own and no variation...I find a contest for Ms Blue Bay esp very boring. Entertainment team only sticks to returners (I guess cause they've known them already) they have no interest in adding new comers? that's how I see it..they are not very friendly to newcomers at all. Front Desk: I have a lot to say here...they are NOT very friendly at all, but somehow they seems to NOT know anything when you ask for help, they keep on pointing to their next person beside them and that person also seem to NOT know how to assist with your inquiries...they will tell you to come back and see another person who could assist my need and or request...names I remember cause they are first person you see and greet when you come in and out of the resorts..and their gestures and expertise on customers and visitors can affect how you view and evaluate how good the resorts/hotel are...they failed to do that for me...Jonathan Guerrero, I requested to help me in extending my stay in my room as my flight not till 9:45pm and bus to airport will not pick me till 6:30pm...he said he does not know how to extend my time and have to come back, several times I came to before I finally found Yudi Liz Gomez, who finally knows how to extend times for $35.00 US and gave her $40.00 she has no change, so I said find a change for my 40..I realized ok then keep the change..she was very happy and I got my extended times..It made me feel like maybe if I would have given Jonathan a tip I would have not wasted my time to come back and forth and wait for someone to assist with my request. I will never ever forget Manolo Hernandez, a smile less person, he was the first person I went to ask when we're checking why our files were outside Front Desk, he looked at me and said, "its not our fault" we don't have enough personnel cause your flight was delayed and it's almost midnight, so find your files and check yourself in!...huh!! I did not argue, am far from arguing, I am documenting that's what I am...so here I am..I saw him again the next morning and was requesting for a help me find a local phone so I could call my friend from Tubagua..he looked at me and says..he'll help pointing his pout lips to the front desk person next to him it was Johnny Garcia, Johnny Garcia smiled at me and we share the same last name, so I was very happy with him, very professional and accommodating, we joked about being related maybe? and when he asked me "how was your stay so far at our resort"...I guess I was waiting for this question and I blurted out everything of my experience to him with this resorts, he said I will inform our Supervisor and will let him know how you felt..this is not right...so I was called to the Superhead of FrontDesk..he talked to me, and gave a complementary dining at one to of the A la carte restaurant, of which I went but there again..it was very cold treatment dining but thanks anyway. Overall...I think, there's room for improvement, my expectations was not meet, but I am not crossing this resorts out yet...I like Puerto Plata, my first time but with my experience in Blue Bay will not stop me from going back and visit again. They are not the only resorts around and might try again as returner..I'll see. Overall, I will give the resorts a score from 1-10 a 3 cause at least there's one Johnny Garcia who can make the difference...Johnny also found my iPhone 6plus, I accidentally left behind on the sofa of the FrontDesk..this a long story, so I'll cut it now by saying Johnny you're the best and keep up the good work..Thank you and hope to see you again! Cheers!

Not too bad

Staff were really friendly, rooms definitely could use an upgrade. Pools were nice and the beach was amazing. Al a carte restaurants weren't very good but the buffet was usually not bad. All in all a good vacation and I would go back!

Great vacation

The resort was very beautiful and lush. Small but relaxing and quiet. My room was directly in front of the quiet pool area and was relaxing to not hear loud music and noise in the morning or while I slept. The front desk was terrible at accomadating anything you needed. Check in was very disorganized and complicated. They don't provide a hospitality room if you have a late check out. They advised some people I met there to shower at the pool area. I had to argue my way to get a hospitality room. [... read more] The guest services desk was very helpful and knowledable. The Animation team made my trip fun and exciting. I didn't like that they gave away certificates for all the game prizes instead of a bottle of alcohol or a souvenir. I'm not sure what I will do with a beer drinking competition certificate. I didn't like the beach at all. The sand is dark and dirty, the water wasn't clear at all unless you swam very far out and so many vendors selling anything bothering me every 5 minutes Also not alot of shades areas I say in the sun all day sometimes just to enjoy the beach.

Great Time!!

We found BlueBay Villas very easy to find your way around as it is a smaller resort. Great food. .. clean rooms and wonderful staff.. The buffet was fantastic with themed evening selections which were tasty! We would definitely recommend this resort!

Good Value for Money

We booked this resort last minute, but were originally looking to go to Jamaica. We couldn't find anything there for 2 weeks at a reasonable price and then struck out in Punta Cana as well, which we have been to 6 times. We managed to find a 2 week deal at a very affordable price in Puerto Plata at the Blue Bay Villa Doradas. Our first impression was that the resort looks a little tired and dated. Parts of the resort such as rooms, pools and tiles around the pool are in need of updating and  [... read more]repair. When we looked at pictures of the resort on-line it showed that there were palapas at the beach. There were instead Bali beds and pergolas with some white cloth on them. Most of the cloth was ripped and did not cover the pergolas very well, so my wife and I only spent 1 day at the beach. We like palapas because they allow you to be out of the direct sun but still get a tan. Saying all that we still managed to enjoy ourselves during our stay. The food was very good at the resort, we always enjoyed our meals at the buffet. The three a la carte restaurants were exceptional. The wait staff were very friendly and the extra touches throughout the meal made our evening's very special. We read some reviews prior to going down and there were some people that complained about the food. Some people must be extremely fussy. The three a la carte restaurants are the seafood, steak and chinese. The seafood was our favorite. The animation team were extremely busy throughout the day and evening. There were events going on every hour starting at 9AM. We especially liked Chocolatè who always brought a smile to our face. The resort is a small adults only resort so it is a short walk to the lobby and buffet or to the a la carte restaurants at the beach. The beach is very wide and we enjoyed our walks every day. You can walk around the pennisula heading north and west and easily go for a one hour walk. The water was a beautiful green and was nice and warm for swimming. The sand is a different color than the beaches at Punta Cana, but it is still a nice beach. The room was outdated but functional. It could stand to have had a dresser as there was limited space to put clothes that didn't need to be hung up. The bathroom was roomy and functional, unfortunately the water pressure in the shower was pretty weak and there were 3 occasions where we had to shower in cold water. The bed was very comfy and even though I suffer from a bad back, I woke up feeling refreshed every morning. Pretty much everyone we talked to during our stay made the same comment as to why they chose the Blue Bay Villas Doradas, the low price. One couple we met has been going there for more than 20 years and still love going back 2 weeks every year. If you can overlook some of the small issues than this resort is definitely value for your money.

Had a relaxing vacation!,

Blue bay was a nice small resort, the staff were very friendly and helpful. They went out of their way to help. Food was good, always found something to eat at the Buffet, the BBQ night was great but way too much meat, beautiful huge beach great for walking Had a nice stay with friends. Cheers

Just okay

We went on vacation to relax. It was very difficult to relax at this resort. Each morning we had to dodge the "hotel representatives" who aggressively follow you around, trying to sell excursions. Then you get to the beach, and instead of relaxing there, you have to fend off people selling you junk all day. The food wasnt very good, either. The rooms were basic at best. Would not go back. Nor would anyone we talked to. Big disappointment for sure.

A Great Vacation!!

What a great place to go on our first vacation!! The staff at this resort were amazing. The food was great! Everything was clean and organized. There was and had been huge rainfall when we first arrived which led to a minor leak in the roof of our room but the rest of the vacation made up for this small mishap. We will definitely go back to this resort!!

Blue Bay Villas

I would definitely revisit this hotel again. The food was generally good. The beach was excellent and very clean. All staff were friendly and accommodating. We were disappointed that we did not have a balcony - we were under the impression that we would have one - so I will definitely confirm this prior to departure next time. The only other complaint was that our check out time was noon and we were not leaving the hotel until 7pm. We were told we could extend our check out time in order t [... read more]o pack and shower prior to leaving, however when we asked at the front desk we were denied. 7 hours before departure is a long time to not have a room - especially difficult as it rained most of that day.

Great resort

I had a great time at this resort as I always do two years in a row and already planning next year. would have to start by saying that the entertainment crew are very friendly and fun to be around they make even a rainy day fun..special thank you to the entire entertainment crew..other great things would be clean and safe pool area all bars are friendly and happy to serve what ever drink you would like..the rooms are clean and well taken care off. only one issue with the drain, called front desk [... read more] and was fixed asap.the food and restaurants are great the servers are very well mannered and would gladly get you what ever you need to make your life easier during meals..this resort is one of my favorite resorts as I will be returning and look foreward to seeing all my new and old Dominican friends..

Great little resort

The room was one of the nicer ones I've had in the carribean. It was very clean and the service is fantastic. The food is pretty good, not awesome, but pretty good. The pools are nice and the beach is clean and very nice. This beach has waves, which I absolutely love! On occasion you had to wait for a clean towel, but not for very long. The resort its is very clean and quite beautiful. It's a smaller, quieter place which was exactly what I was looking for. That said, there is dancing and ent [... read more]ertainment that goes on each evening, so there's always something to do. There is no free internet at all at this resort and you also have to pay for the safe. But it's worth it!

Great trip!!

Quite impressed with this resort. It is small, has a small buffet and 3 restaurants. Definitely enough selection of various food to satisfy our tastes. The staff in dining areas and animation group are extremely courteous and friendly. Very clean resort. Large rooms. The only complaint/draw back would be the extra cost for premium liquor. Have been to various other all-inclusive resorts and this is the first time I said I would go back to the same resort!