Some Things Good, Some Things Not So Good.

We stayed for two weeks and upon checking into our room (superior upgrade) we were greeted with no hot water at 11 pm. The next morning there was still no hot water with which to shower and I reported it to the reception desk. During the two week period I found myself reporting no hot water in our room on no fewer than eight times. They reset the boiler and once done it was fine until it went awry again. The first couple of days were rainy and we noted people had the use of blue umbrellas so [... read more] we asked for one but were told if there was none in our room we would get one when someone checked out. Four days later no umbrella but the weather was sunny so we didn't need it. Other rooms had a small table outside on their balcony/terrace so we asked for one which we didn't get until my girlfriend raised the issue with them once again and also about the umbrella. She told the desk she was very disappointed with our small requests not being addressed but later that day we received a small table and an umbrella. Often the cleaning staff did not get to our room until 5 pm when were were wanting to have a shower and prepare to go out. The cleaning staff seems to be overworked and I believe the resort lacks sufficient staff to do the cleaning of rooms. Not too much to ask in my view. The pools were clean and the swim up bar was good with local drinks and local beer a plenty. There were lots of poolside games and events which were fun and the activity staff was great. The evening entertainment at the theater was excellent with us having taken in four shows put on by a local dance troop that was fantastic. Great music and great dancing. From 11 pm to 1 am the DJ moved to the beach area where music consisted of some hip hop/pop music but was mostly latin/Dominican flavoured. Fun stuff if you can dance to it. The food in the buffet restaurant was quite good with a good variety but lets face it you can't expect breakfast pancakes and French toast sitting in a warming tray to be good and it wasn't. I stuck to fruit, croissants (excellent) and scrambled eggs and the occasional prepared egg dish. The sausages were always dry and hard. Bacon was served only occasionally if you like bacon. The breads and rolls etc were excellent though. We found the coffee quite strong and bitter but we were able to ask for a cappuchino which was very good. There are a few machines throughout that dispense it or regular coffee. There are three a la carte restaurants one Asian, one seafood and one grill for steak etc. The food at all three was excellent and the service was prompt and courteous except for on our last night at the El Pescadore seafood restaurant. Reservations are a must and proper attire is required. A few days prior to our last night we made reservations at the seafood restaurant for 8 pm. Being our last night we got dressed up and were looking forward to a nice last dinner together on the beach. Upon our arrival at 7:55 pm I presented our reservation card to the server at the door and he told us they were not ready yet for us and that we could wait outside on the patio. We noted there were three empty tables the we waited outside. Over the ten minutes that followed three couples arrived and they were all seated quickly. My girlfriend asked last couple what time their reservation was for and they said 8 pm. Now well after 8 pm we had no table so we departed. The server only then came running out to tell us they were now ready for us and that we should come back in. We declined and departed after telling him it was not right to have had us wait while seating three other couples who arrived well after us. The incident was reported to the assistant manager who agreed that what he did was rude and improper. That said, everyone else we encountered at the resort was very kind, helpful and pleasant. On a scale of one to ten I would give Blue Bay Villas Doradas a 6 and no more. The superior room was less than that with no hot water, the lack of clean, fresh towels occasionally, few amenities in the room, things in disrepair etc. and inconsistent room cleaning. It has a price point and you get what you pay for. I have been to much better beaches. I have been to DR several times now and most other times I stayed at a higher end resort which is what we should have done this time around. It was okay but a bit of a disappointment.

Good resort

If you are looking for huge rooms and marble everywhere, this isn't the place. but if you want great beach, clean rooms and a good variety of food for a good price then this is the place. We stayed for 10 days starting on the 17th of February and were impressed with this resort. Smaller resort everything close, very friendly staff. Having stayed in some that you need a trolley ride to the beach this one was perfect. From our room which was in building 7 near the spa it was less then a 5  [... read more]minute walk to the beach or the main lobby. One thing odd was the mini fridge wasn't restocked. Not a big thing but nice when it is.

Great Vacation!

We stayed at the Blue Bay Villas Doradas from February 9 to 19, 2017. The resort is on the small side which is one of the things we look for when planning our vacation. The grounds are lovely but we found the rooms a little on the small side and slightly run down -- even though we purchased the Platinum upgrade. They were, however very clean. Food was very good in the a la carte restaurants. We didn't have a great experience at the Asian restaurant on our first visit but decided to give it  [... read more]another try and had a much better dinner the second time around. The entertainment crew were amazing and very interactive! Other staff were also very accommodating but seemed to work on Dominican time :) We had a couple of days of rain and didn't have an umbrella in our room so went to the front desk to request one. We were told that it would be put in our room shortly -- it arrived 2 days later. All in all it was a good vacation at a good price. As we always say, the vacation is what you make it and unless something goes terribly wrong, we always make the best of any situation.

Very good

Every think about this hotel was exelent thanks good food service was very good too nothing bad about this hotel just like home I will go there again and again and again and again very warm I'm winter too staff very good booking was very help full my needs were taken care off by the lady that booked my trip too

Somewhat disappointed

Staff was pleasant and courteous. Food unless a la carte was very mediocre. The restaurant on the beach served the same meal every single day....hot dogs, hamburger, chicken and pizza. Entertainment was average and often very loud if your room was booked nearby. We had to change ours. Place was ok for the money but not worth returning.

Great Resort

Vacation was January. Went with a group of 16. A couple of friends had a few minor hicups with initial room assignemnts, and receiving housekeeping services, also getting beach towels was a bit of a challenge. (Avoid the headache and just bring one with you.)However, once things were sorted out we all had a Fantastic Vacation!

Great mid-scale hotel

We were a couple seeking respite from Montreal's cold winter climate. The result was a week at Puerto Plata's Blue Bay Villas Doradas (Feb 6-13, 2017). Our experience there was extremely positive. The food was varied (for a hotel this size) and good. Our room was clean and quiet. So were the grounds and beach front. The guests were 60% 45 or older. The rest were young couples with no children. The hotel has 3 pools: 2 mid-sized, 1 small. There were shows every night after 9:30 pm which  [... read more]were too late for us, so we cannot comment on their quality. Building 2 is next to the show area and should be avoided if quiet is a priority. The quietest part of the hotel are buildings 5-8 which make up a courtyard of their own around the small pool. Buildings 2-4 have a side facing the courtyard (better view) and a side facing the outer fence (quieter, but no view). We stayed in 4 (second floor). Overall second floors are quieter, more private, and offer better views. The hotel also has 3 specialized restaurants, apart from the buffet hall. These restaurants offer variety, but are still unpretentious. At the beach and on the grounds, Blue Bay has made a great effort to decorate the furniture and buildings in its own distinctive style. Our vacation photos reflect this. We also took 2 tours of Puerto Plata, which we enjoyed. The hotel, however, was not responsible for this. Overall then, Blue Bay offers great value for price. We gladly recommend it.

Blue Bay Villas

The entertainment staff do a great job and try to get everyone involved. The resort staff are very friendly. The beach and pool areas are OK. There is no shade on the beach and not a lot of shade around the pools. They need a lot more umbrellas round the pools as there are very few and most of the pool loungers need replacing. The rooms are basic with very old furniture. There is not a lot of storage and no storage at all in the bathroom. The bed linens are old and should be replaced. The walls  [... read more]are so thin you can hear everyone in the adjoining rooms. The food in the buffet and a la carte restaurants is good and varied. The breakfast buffet is not very well organized - no cups, saucers, glasses on the tables most mornings - and minimum staff serving. I would classify this resort as a 3-star - definitely not up to the standards of a 4-star.

BlueBay Villa Doradas

The resort was nice the food was great no issues with having drinking water supplied.Entertainment excellent ,lots of activities to do daily Beach was good . Although I gave good comment the service was not that good for use First day they had us in an undesirable room when I complained that we had upgrade to supreme the came and changed us ,(we selected this resort for the adult factor) The next room was much better, but with all the confusion we did not realize the welcome meeting was the n [... read more]ext morning at 10 a.m.and we missed it . Our room was to cold with the air on so we were told that if we went out to conserve energy by pulling the card up to shut off the air while out of the room so we did. When we returned to the room our keys did not work, walked back to change them, returned to room we had no lights the outside light also was not working ,I went to call the desk and we had no phone . that meant every time I needed something I had to walk a good distances to solve the problem. we never did get a phone The coffee machine could not be plugged in from where it was and i could not move the counter to heavy. I contacted the manager after complaining to the guest service manager , he suggested they do something to make up for it . this was Tues. or Wed. they offered to move us again I said no that we had moved enough being elderly and handicapped we were against the move so they offered us a special bottle of wine or an a la cart dinner , amazing !! I told we already get all that included now why would that be any better. I demanded to see the hotel manager I was told I would have to have an appointment so I said tell me what time and I'll be here, couldn't give me a time so I said thy could find me at the top part of the pool where arobics are done that was approximatly 9 a.m. still by 11:30 a.m. I had no responds to my request so we went down and told the guest services that i want to see the manager When the Manager of the Hotel came she took us into her office and i explained everything .she asked what they could to make up for it ,I told her what had been offered and that we already had all those features available To us, but we thought a fair offer would b a nice bottle rye for my aunt and set of towels with the BLUE BAY logo for me she said that sound o.k. She asked if she could come to the room with me and I said certainly.no one had told us that info she made me feel very stupid she walked through everything and Entertainment was the thing that kept us going entertaining staff excellent NEVER DID GET ANYTHING FOR OUR TROUBLES I I GUESS THEY THOUGHT TWO OLD LADIES WOULD JUST EXCEPT IT AS THERE PROBLEM ' NOT GOING TO BE i am sure spreading the word will give me some satisfaction.

Great time staff was unbelievable

The rooms were clean, food was good, beer cold, grounds well kept, but the pool staff George,Veronica ,Denise ,and Yandra made our vacation we had a blast with this crew thank you so much for being fun keep it up I would come back again in a heartbeat the only thing that might be changed is the fruit drinks could be less sweet.Curt and Irene Anderson

It's a solid 4.5

I grade based on if I would go back and the answer is YES. Staff is excellent and just a great entertainment crew. It's small so you can get to know fellow guests. Restaurants are not 5 star but the buffet has good variety every night with theme nights. Yah you pay for Internet and the in room safe and $10 to refill the mini frig but no biggie. Never a line for anything. All in all a great value for the money

Ladies' Week

Blue Bay Villas Doradas is a lovely place for a vacation. Our room was large, clean and airy as we had windows around a corner. The grounds are lovely and the food is good with the vegetables done to perfection every time. The 3 a la cartes served delicious food and the service was efficient and courteous. Because this is a smaller resort the "animation" team supplied much of the entertainment with professional dancers showing up a couple of times. There a 2 pools - one with lots of activity a [... read more]nd a swim-up bar and another located in a quiet corner with soft music and a coffee machine. We were at the beach most of the time, lounging, swimming and walking. The staff is friendly and courteous. All in all, a very nice resort and a short bus ride from the airport.

Very nice resort

Large, clean rooms Good food - lots to choose from Lots of lounge chairs around pool and at the beach Friendly staff Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Enjoyable stay

It would be difficult to find fault with my recent stay at this resort. We have been to many resorts in the mid price range and this was the best. The food was varied and good. The resort was clean and welcoming. The smaller size meant less line ups and quicker service.

OK but Wouldn't Visit Again

While this hotel looks beautiful in the pictures it is definitely showing it's age. The property is clean but getting run down. The food was mediocre and even presentation seemed to be lacking. We were also greatly disappointed by the number of "Dominican escorts" at the resort. It left the hotel feeling cheap and rather seedy. The shows were very nice but there was a lack of covered seating to view them as we had a great deal of rain. Won't revisit this one!

Beautiful resort fully decorated for the season,

The staff and servers where amazing as usual,this is my 3rd stay at the Blue Bay,our rep Harry is always so welcoming and makes the stay enjoyable.Big festivities for xmas and the whole xmas week.Going back in April and will be staying with them.The food was enjoyable so many choices to choice from.

Very good place to stay Nice people.

Clean good activité good room Nice Beach too Mach seller on thé beach but very good place. Thé employées are very Nice tape care off people .You never wait for a drink Alway a smile.I will ont recommand those trip they Troy to sell you too expansif for what you se.

Had a great time

I was really happy with the resort, food and staff. I would have liked to see a main bar in the entrance that everyone can use - not just VIP. I found it was missing a "gathering" spot in the main area. Also the sales people on the beach were a little much - a closed off area where they don't have access is highly recommended. Aside from that we really enjoyed our time in the sun!

Small and intimate with very friendly staff

This was our first trip to the Dominican and we would use this resort again, because the pros outweighed the cons as far as we were concerned. We had upgraded to 'gold' meaning we had a balcony and king size bed) and our fridge was replenished daily with two beers, 1 pepsi and 1 7 up. We also received a fruit tray and 1/2 bottle of rum. Overcast weather and torrential rain meant that some activities had to be cancelled, but the excellent staff did their best to overcome the adverse weather condi [... read more]tions. The resort is only 15 minutes from the airport which is a bonus after the flight. Pros: nice clean rooms and excellent plumbing. Food was enjoyable and varied, dress code was enforced at the al a carte restaurant although those who arrived without proper attire were generally accepted in a separate part of the restaurant. Cons: An all inclusive resort that stops just a little short of total 'all-inclusiveness' in that premium drinks are served from the 'black and white' bar at an additional cost. The house wine was unpalatable. For those without an upgrade, only the first two beers were included in the standard pricing. Umbrellas were not available in all rooms. I'd recommend that umbrellas be given out at reception and must be returned on checkout. Using a card system for beach towels might also reduce losses. Tours were standard priced, but there isn't really a lot to see in Puerto Plata, so seemed too long for what was there and therefore overpriced.

Amazing resort

This was my second stay at the Blue Bay Villa,what a beautiful welcome l received by everyone,our representative Harry Poter was such a pleasant young man and remembered me even my name.Of course feeling very special at that point.the grounds are beautifully kept,l ilike that there are 3 pools.opening at 8 a.m. until 11.Always something to eat if you missed the buffet.Took advantage of the gym as well as the jaquzzi.Would very much recommend the Blue Bay. .