Blue Bay Villas Doradas: 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!

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: Great Resort!!

I found that the grounds were very well maintained Rooms were very clean and modern Air conditioning worked fantastic Food was fantastic Pool service requires improvement for supplying refreshments. No swim up pool bar. No 24hr snack Bar Cool wildlife around the resort Beach was good. rough when we were there Great zip lining, ATV, cave exploration Huge resort, round the clock taxi around the resort Dont buy the booze at the resort. Duty free at airport on the way out is 1/2 the pri [... read more]ce.

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: 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.

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: Perfect Getaway for Family

Everything was clean and immaculate, staff were friendly, resources helpful in trip planning excursions - if you want to come to a resort where everything is taken care of Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda is the place. This is especially a great place for vegetarian diets - both me and my husband are vegetarians and everything food-wise was to our liking.

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: Good resort

We are a retired couple who went to relax & we did just that. Wasn't busy at this time (Nov. 8 - 18th) so there was plenty of spots around the pool area or beach area to hang your hat. The buffet had a variety of different foods to choose from & the other restaurants at the resort were also great. Rooms were big. Trollies came around every 10 minutes to take you to different places at the resort which was very nice. The only thing that was annoying were the raccoon type animals that were runnin [... read more]g around everywhere looking for food/drinks.

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: Beautiful Blue Bay !!

Hotel. WEll kept grounds .. larger resort so the larger pool and beach is a five minute walk or you can wait for the carts. Be aware sometimes it is frustrating waiting for them and you might as well walk Bars. Beach bars..No swim up but no worries you really need to get out of the pool occasionally to go to the washroom and get yourself a drink or you do have waiters and waitresses serving you as well! The swing bar is by the beach is so fun!! not just sitting but swingging. Cool idea and  [... read more]it's open until 1 am. Large pool also has two more bars ! Beautiful pool !! Beach. lots of lounge chairs and go early to put your towel down. I think there should be a time limit on towels however this is a problem with all resorts. It is a respect thing..if you aren't going to use the chair don't put your towel there. Mabye until after you eat but then come get it . the water is murky and the bottom is rocky and roots however if you go a little further down you can find a sandy bottom. there is a lagoon further down the beach about ten minute walk. Rooms .. very well kept and beautiful showers~ no problems with water !! Third floor was much preferred for musty smell which you will get in most resort due to the climate . Safe worked perfectly ! well stocked fridge and lovely balcony ! Bed was too hard for me however I need a softer bed with my back issues. my daughter had no issues. NO disco but the Black and White bar/lounge area is open 24 hours. Yes you can get a drink anytime however the music stops at 1 so you can bring your own if you want to listen to tunes. I still think they need a disco. Things go quiet and then dead at 1. A disco would help for sure. WE didn't take in excursions as we have done these in the past but instead went to Coco Bongo as Gloria and Jorge had recommended this and though we were very hesitant with the cost considering the exchange we were both so happy we did~ What a night ~~ absolute blast and we were not disappointed with the show and our staff !! We did Italian, Mexican and Oriental a la cartes. We were not disappointed in any .. I was so impressed with Italian having gluten free hot bread. Careful though I don't think sometimes the fish is cooked enough

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: Good time

We had a great time, grounds are very clean and well kept. Service perfect ! Lobby excursion hassle, too much. The Grease (vasalina) show was the worst !! Left my dinner early to watch it, thought I'd be singing Grease songs but for some reason Ganga Stile song was played :( THE WORST SHOW ! I would go back in a heart beat !

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: Great resort

Food : 10/10 Everything I ate was awesome both buffets always had something I wanted and sometimes I didn't have enough room for more! Rooms: 9/10 Clean rooms, great room service, awesome shower , bed was suitable, elevator on one end of the building we were in was broken for a couple days. But it wasn't much of an issue. A la cart : 9/10 Always had selection, amazing service and delicious food, I've never had better steak than at the Italian ! Bars: 7/10 Had a the 24hr "black and whit [... read more]e bar" always people to integrate with and lots to do. Beach: 5/10 Water on the beach was below par, cloudy, clay/mucky "sand" in the water. Although the actual beach sand was great with lots of lounger chairs to choose from . Pool :7/10 Quiet pool at the upper end was slightly less maintained than the larger busier pool by the lower. Each end of the resort. Lower pool was clear and great design. Good selection of music at the busier pool with kids section as well. Entertainment: 8/10 Show we're average for down south I didn't go much, but that's just me. Resort is large but the shuttle service that looped every 10 minutes worked well for moving easily around. Spa: AMAZING that's all lol

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: AMAZING RESORT 5*

We were greeted upon arrival with cocktails. We requested King Size on the 4th floor and that is exactly what we received. The room was amazing. Some of the best food. We had the romantica package on the beach for dinner, very delicious! Beach was small but who cares, there were many pools. If you wanted to go swimming, there was a lagoon with a really strong current 7 min walk to the (north east). Entertainment was poor... kind of wish they had a disco. Waiters were not pushy with the tips. We  [... read more]would only tip tops.. a dollar or 2.

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: 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. .

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: Fantastic!

Great staff, amazing food, and all around amazing experience. I have suggested the resort to many friends! The drink list was great, would like to see more variety in regards to beers. Many good things to say about Blue Bay.

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: Pleasantly surprised!

One of best resorts we have been to for food and service. The staff were friendly, attentive and hard working. The food at the buffets and the a la carte restaurants was very good. The grounds were well maintained and very lush. The beach was not as bad as many people made out, we spent every day there. The pools are nice, but the one at the beach needs maintenance. The rooms were well appointed and well kept. Our only real complaint were the mosquitoes which we realize are part of an Eco-friend [... read more]ly resort, but bothersome just the same and potentially a health threat.

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: Average resort

Grounds and public areas were well kept Living quarters were average. We paid top dollar but were housed in the older part of the resort away from most of the resort life. Public hallways were dirty and not well kept. I was woken several times (In the middle of the night and in the early morning hrs by rowdy and noisy guests. Food at buffets was average. Staff was friendly and accommodating. Food at specialty restaurants was at a higher level then the buffet. Staff was efficient and friendly. [... read more] Hard workers. Perhaps overworked. Hotel reception not very accommodating when informed that they had assigned us a different type of room than requested. Three families, but we were not housed next to each other even though we booked a year in advance.

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: Good times in Mexico

Pros: This is a beautiful hotel on huge and lush grounds. The rooms were clean and spacious, loved the large stand up shower. Each suite has a balcony or outdoor space. Safe is provided free of charge. There is a shuttle that runs throughout the resort. The food is absolutely amazing! The Mexican fare at the Mexican a la carte is authentic, freshly prepared and delicious! The pool by the beach is busy, full of activities, it is large and beautiful. The pool by buildings 6,7,8 is more quiet and  [... read more]private. There are deer, coati, capybaras and iguanas that roam the resort. Cons: the wifi is not great, cuts in and out and is limited to one device per room. It was really difficult for our family to communicate when trying to find each other throughout this large resort without reliable wifi. if you're looking for a spectacular beach this is not the place for you. The beach was just ok. Quite rocky and not the beautiful turquoise blue you expect from the Caribbean. Really liked the swing bar, where you sit on swings and order your drinks. The resort is really large and requires a lot of walking if you don't want to wait for the shuttle. Also, there is no swim up bar. Highly recommend the excursion to XCaret park.

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: average resort

Resort was average in many aspects.Food was ok, but difficult to find something to eat late at night.Enjoyed the bbq by the pool area.Nice not to have to dry off and cover up for the dining room.Ice cream outside the main pool area would have been nice too.The steak house was unbearably hot, so it was difficult to enjoy the great steak.The Italian dinner was amazing.The best service we got, anywhere on the resort.We were a party of 10 and everyone tried to accommodate us. We were not pleased wi [... read more]th our room.We requested 2 beds but got a queen.They could not find us one till possibly the nexr day.We unpacked and stayed where we were.We had a terrible view of trees, whereas our daughter, who was put away from us, had a pool view.The room was cleaned very late in the day, sometimes at 5pm we had to wait to change for dinner.They were very quick to fix the broken lock on our patio doors.They did not always pick up the dirty towels off the floor orleave us a bathmat. The main pool was gorgeous.The bridges were great for getting some shade while still being in the water.Lounges were always readily available. The beach was nice but the water was not.I did not go in. The animation team was not overly friendly or visible.The shows were amatuerish at best.We are used to a higher caliber of performance, having been on many cruise ships.The clientele at the resort was mostly Spanish.They were catered to much more than the Englidh-speaking guests.They were also very loud and rude. r.

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: Your average all-inclusive.

Everything was average. The food was average. The service was average. The ambiance was average. The rooms were average. The shows were average to mediocre. The sand was lovely but the water was rough, dirty and murky. Gorgeous shower in the room. Issues in our room we cleared up the same day (broken hairdryer, broken bed...). Plentiful a la carte bookings. Front desk was always pleasant and helpful. No real problems or negatives, but nothing really amazing either. Deco was on the mo [... read more]dern side, which lacked the Caribbean feel to it. Animation staff was nice enough but yet detached from the guests.

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: Excellent stay!

Great food, pool options, restaurants, service and a beautiful resort. Room amenities were kept well stocked and rooms clean. Highly recommend! There is also an awesome place to snorkel or swim 5minutes left on the beach.

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: Amazing vacation

We had an amazing stay in Grand Esmerelda. Staff was so courteous and food was simply amazing. Restaurant à la carte were delicious. Beach was ok, we had to walk 5 mins either sides of the resort to get better spot. But since the pool was so ginormous, it's not like we were running out of options. Rooms were nice, but we had an issue with a leaking sealing, the safe and the A/C... Overall, we had an amazing vacation and would go back anytime

Blue Bay Villas Doradas: Wonderful Honeymoon.

Loved the beach and the grounds. We had a regular room, and it was very nice. The food was amazing, with lots of variety. Staff were approachable and kind. Our only complaint is the Circle One staff (vacation club/timeshare). They took 2 hours of our vacation time to try and force us into buying a time share with them. This was not appreciated in the least.

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: Amazing Resort!

Went to this fabulous resort the first week of July. Yes it was hot, but so worth the trip in July. The grounds were very well kept, the rooms very clean, the food was absolutely fabulous and the staff were amazing. Especially Victor and Carlos in the buffet near the beach! Really made us feel welcome. I found the resort to be a bit big for my liking, but there were trolley's that took you around. The beach was not so great only because there was a lot of seaweed and not much of a flat a [... read more]rea for walking, but the view was still spectacular. Not too far down from the beach we found a cold water crystal blue lagoon. It was very refreshing and so beautiful. Only about a 10 minute walk from our hotel down the beach. Overall, we had a fantastic time. Would definitely recommend this hotel to anyone.