Blue Bay Getaway Villas Doradas Hotel, Playa Dorada, Dominican Republic
Hotel Information
Recent Price: £113
Hotel Class:
Hotel Description:
With a 24 hour all-inclusive atmosphere this new adults only hotel is exclusively for guests over 18 years old, and appeals to couples and singles looking for an altogether outgoing holiday in the Caribbean. Positioned right on the ocean front, the Blue Bay Villas Doradas offers a tropical paradise of palms, swimming pools, themed restaurants and endless sporting activities, plus access to the glorious golden sand beach and clear blue seas. loading...
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Blue Bay Getaway Villas Doradas Hotel Reviews
" Nice Relaxing Holiday "
Submitted By: lukin2chill
Before we went to Blue Bay Villas, my husband and I read a lot of the reviews, some of which are quite scathing (particularly on tripadvisor). Nonetheless, we decided to keep an open mind and would judge for ourselves.
We went with Thomas Cook and the airline was very good for a package deal, but we didn't think much to the Thomas Cook reps. at the hotel. When it came to our departure, nobody knew what time we were supposed to be being picked up and any information there was was all conflicting. It was a bit of a sham and no apology was offered when they did finally arrive.
The hotel was lovely, very clean and comfortable, although we did have to change our room on the second day as we'd paid extra for a balcony and when we initially booked in, the room we were given was pokey, no air.con, top floor and no balcony. The bed was hard and the pillows were lumpy. We were lucky when we did get moves as the room we were then given (after we kicked up a fuss) was much better and in a quieter part of the hotel, not near the night time entertainment.
Food was quite good at the buffet restaurant, but nothing amazing, and if you do like a nice glass of wine, you may very well be disappointed. We didn't rate the a la carte restaurants at all, the Jade Garden being terribe and if you want to buy a half-decent bottle of wine with your meal, you can buy it in the a la carte restaurants, but you'll pay through the nose for it. I didn't think much either to the food at the 24 hour beach bar ... it's pretty much the same thing every day, burger and chips and fried chicken (which was usually rock hard)!
All round, the service was very friendly and efficient and our room was kept lovely and clean by the daily maids. Our maid was very attentive and nothing was too much trouble.
Pool areas were lovely, though usual scenario with the beach towels out at 5.30am in the morning, which was quite annoying, particularly around the chill out pool/bar as there aren't that many loungers to begin with. The beach was where we spent a lot of our time and it was clean, safe and a great place to chill out. With the sea breeze it was also more bearable than being around the pools, which were intensely hot at times (and we like the sun). The only draw back again was the battle you had sometimes trying to get a parasol at the beach, with people getting up at unearthly hours to hog them and then going off again for hours at a time, presumably back to bed!!
We didn't really do the excursion thing ... was put off by some of the reports we heard about the places we wanted to go. By all accounts, the catamaran trip was a total rip off; there was no way on earth I was going on the Monster Truck Safari after I saw the actual vehicle you travel on and the amount of people they pack on it and the Amber Museum is apparently a waste of time, being nothing much other than a collection of stalls and shops selling Amber. Sosua had also been on our list of places to go, but it threw up bad reports from a lot of people we spoke to and it would seem its the place you go to if you wanna pick up a prostitute, with the girls blatantly touting for business wherever you go. Our friends went into Puerto Plata in a cab and were glad to get back ... said it was really rough and the journey was a bit touch and go. So it was a shame we didn't get to do a bit more, but as the weather was fantastic (low to mid 30's) I was more than happy to do some sun worshipping on the beach and just relax.
My hubby played a lot of golf also while we were there and loved the Playa Dorada Golf Course which is just across the road, although it did work out quite expensive.
The main shopping plaza in Playa Dorada is about 5 minutes walk from Blue Bay Villas. I would have liked to have browsed a bit more and had a better look around, but we were put off with everyone trying to hussle and hassle you in the Plaza. You also have to really watch your change in that place ... if they get the chance, they'll try to rip you off really badly. One shop attendant attempted to short change my husband by $33 and became quite defensive and rude when we demanded to speak to the manager.
I guess you get hassled most places you go to these days on holiday ... if you're a tourist, and an English one at that, your immediately a target. You also have to remember that it is the Caribbean and it is a poor country, so you can't blame them to some extent, but at the same time, it was a down side to the holiday. We didn't mind the lucky-lucky guys on the beach so much, they weren't too bad and if you said no, they'd usually leave you alone. Some of them were quite funny and entertaining and would welcome the chance to just have a chat and a giggle with you. But, it has to be said, what we really did object to (and I know this has been said many times before in previous reports) ... is the timeshare touts within Blue Bay Hotel. In the complex I can accept it is going to happen, but not when you are trying to enjoy the sanctitude of your hotel. They were there constantly trying to hassle you wherever you went, coming over and making false conversation to draw you in .... we gave them a wide birth and tried not to let them get to us, but we saw other people being badly pestered. I am surprised at the hotel allowing it to go on so blatantly .. although I realise they are working on behalf of the hotel in any case.
Another draw back we found was there wasn't an awful lot to do at night time .... the hotel entertainment wasn't our thing at all ... pretty much repetitive and annoying to be honest.
So, all-in-all, in our experience, we found there is good and bad points to Playa Dorada and Blue Bay Villas. You don't expect it to be like home and you wouldn't want it to be, but we were a bit disappointed with some aspects of the holiday. However, they do say that Dominican Republic is the 'Paupers Caribbean', so for the money we paid, we were generally pretty happy with the gorgeous weather and the relaxing, restful time that we had when we were there.
We went with Thomas Cook and the airline was very good for a package deal, but we didn't think much to the Thomas Cook reps. at the hotel. When it came to our departure, nobody knew what time we were supposed to be being picked up and any information there was was all conflicting. It was a bit of a sham and no apology was offered when they did finally arrive.
The hotel was lovely, very clean and comfortable, although we did have to change our room on the second day as we'd paid extra for a balcony and when we initially booked in, the room we were given was pokey, no air.con, top floor and no balcony. The bed was hard and the pillows were lumpy. We were lucky when we did get moves as the room we were then given (after we kicked up a fuss) was much better and in a quieter part of the hotel, not near the night time entertainment.
Food was quite good at the buffet restaurant, but nothing amazing, and if you do like a nice glass of wine, you may very well be disappointed. We didn't rate the a la carte restaurants at all, the Jade Garden being terribe and if you want to buy a half-decent bottle of wine with your meal, you can buy it in the a la carte restaurants, but you'll pay through the nose for it. I didn't think much either to the food at the 24 hour beach bar ... it's pretty much the same thing every day, burger and chips and fried chicken (which was usually rock hard)!
All round, the service was very friendly and efficient and our room was kept lovely and clean by the daily maids. Our maid was very attentive and nothing was too much trouble.
Pool areas were lovely, though usual scenario with the beach towels out at 5.30am in the morning, which was quite annoying, particularly around the chill out pool/bar as there aren't that many loungers to begin with. The beach was where we spent a lot of our time and it was clean, safe and a great place to chill out. With the sea breeze it was also more bearable than being around the pools, which were intensely hot at times (and we like the sun). The only draw back again was the battle you had sometimes trying to get a parasol at the beach, with people getting up at unearthly hours to hog them and then going off again for hours at a time, presumably back to bed!!
We didn't really do the excursion thing ... was put off by some of the reports we heard about the places we wanted to go. By all accounts, the catamaran trip was a total rip off; there was no way on earth I was going on the Monster Truck Safari after I saw the actual vehicle you travel on and the amount of people they pack on it and the Amber Museum is apparently a waste of time, being nothing much other than a collection of stalls and shops selling Amber. Sosua had also been on our list of places to go, but it threw up bad reports from a lot of people we spoke to and it would seem its the place you go to if you wanna pick up a prostitute, with the girls blatantly touting for business wherever you go. Our friends went into Puerto Plata in a cab and were glad to get back ... said it was really rough and the journey was a bit touch and go. So it was a shame we didn't get to do a bit more, but as the weather was fantastic (low to mid 30's) I was more than happy to do some sun worshipping on the beach and just relax.
My hubby played a lot of golf also while we were there and loved the Playa Dorada Golf Course which is just across the road, although it did work out quite expensive.
The main shopping plaza in Playa Dorada is about 5 minutes walk from Blue Bay Villas. I would have liked to have browsed a bit more and had a better look around, but we were put off with everyone trying to hussle and hassle you in the Plaza. You also have to really watch your change in that place ... if they get the chance, they'll try to rip you off really badly. One shop attendant attempted to short change my husband by $33 and became quite defensive and rude when we demanded to speak to the manager.
I guess you get hassled most places you go to these days on holiday ... if you're a tourist, and an English one at that, your immediately a target. You also have to remember that it is the Caribbean and it is a poor country, so you can't blame them to some extent, but at the same time, it was a down side to the holiday. We didn't mind the lucky-lucky guys on the beach so much, they weren't too bad and if you said no, they'd usually leave you alone. Some of them were quite funny and entertaining and would welcome the chance to just have a chat and a giggle with you. But, it has to be said, what we really did object to (and I know this has been said many times before in previous reports) ... is the timeshare touts within Blue Bay Hotel. In the complex I can accept it is going to happen, but not when you are trying to enjoy the sanctitude of your hotel. They were there constantly trying to hassle you wherever you went, coming over and making false conversation to draw you in .... we gave them a wide birth and tried not to let them get to us, but we saw other people being badly pestered. I am surprised at the hotel allowing it to go on so blatantly .. although I realise they are working on behalf of the hotel in any case.
Another draw back we found was there wasn't an awful lot to do at night time .... the hotel entertainment wasn't our thing at all ... pretty much repetitive and annoying to be honest.
So, all-in-all, in our experience, we found there is good and bad points to Playa Dorada and Blue Bay Villas. You don't expect it to be like home and you wouldn't want it to be, but we were a bit disappointed with some aspects of the holiday. However, they do say that Dominican Republic is the 'Paupers Caribbean', so for the money we paid, we were generally pretty happy with the gorgeous weather and the relaxing, restful time that we had when we were there.
Good for: Beach
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- Date of Holiday:May 2009
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:Thomas Cook
" good and bad bits "
Submitted By: les call
First the good bits. Excellent hotel excellent food great service nothing is to much trouble for them the rooms are clean and new looking ,if you like the quiet life E mail them before you go and ask for a room in the 7000 numbers this will get you in the quiet part of the resort next to the chill out pool and bar,if we got put in the main pool area i would have asked to be moved as its really noisey and lots going on for the younger lot.
So now the bad bits. If like me you dont get alot of sun and need to get under a parasol at some point to stop getting burnt then you will need to get up really early 6.30 am to be in with a chance of getting your towel on a sun bed next to a parasole before they are all gone the problem is that there is'nt enough of them so every body gets up early to try and get one once they have got there towel on the sun bed they go off either back to bed or for breakfast and come back later its really annoying but there is nothing else you can do!!! this problem could easyley be fixed all the hotel would have to do is put some more parasols on the beach and a few more around the pool area. the only other bad bit, If you go to the beach from the hotel you cross over a wooden bridge when you get to the end the is a building with BLUE BAY written on it on the right! AVOID this at all costs its the hard sell time share team trying to sell you more blue bay holidays if you are silly enough to go in its a devel of a job to get out with you check book intact be warned Thats all the bad bits apart from that its all good. Have a good holiday
So now the bad bits. If like me you dont get alot of sun and need to get under a parasol at some point to stop getting burnt then you will need to get up really early 6.30 am to be in with a chance of getting your towel on a sun bed next to a parasole before they are all gone the problem is that there is'nt enough of them so every body gets up early to try and get one once they have got there towel on the sun bed they go off either back to bed or for breakfast and come back later its really annoying but there is nothing else you can do!!! this problem could easyley be fixed all the hotel would have to do is put some more parasols on the beach and a few more around the pool area. the only other bad bit, If you go to the beach from the hotel you cross over a wooden bridge when you get to the end the is a building with BLUE BAY written on it on the right! AVOID this at all costs its the hard sell time share team trying to sell you more blue bay holidays if you are silly enough to go in its a devel of a job to get out with you check book intact be warned Thats all the bad bits apart from that its all good. Have a good holiday
Advice: Take your own parasol unless you like getting up really early
Activities: diddent go on any
Good for: Beach
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- Date of Holiday:Apr 2009
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:Thomson
" Dont do it... "
Submitted By: jsf
If your expecting 5 star hotel, you'll be sorely disappointed. this is Butlins for the over 18 swingers! i was ill with food poisioning for over half the hoilday. the excursions that frist choice tell you need to be booked through them are a rip off. 20 minutes snorkel and a pasta salad hardly warrants the £50 each the catamaran trip was.
the superiour rooms that first choice sell you the rooms at, are a complete lie, the hotel staff will tell you that they are only for blue bay members and first choice shouldn't be seeling them like this.
you are pestered every second to join in the crap entertainment daily and nightly, if your room is near this block, you wont be sleeping!
first choice are total scammers and if you had any sense you wouldn't touch them with a barge pole!
the superiour rooms that first choice sell you the rooms at, are a complete lie, the hotel staff will tell you that they are only for blue bay members and first choice shouldn't be seeling them like this.
you are pestered every second to join in the crap entertainment daily and nightly, if your room is near this block, you wont be sleeping!
first choice are total scammers and if you had any sense you wouldn't touch them with a barge pole!
Advice: there is nothing outside you resort
Activities: The fish bar made me ill
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- Date of Holiday:Sep 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:First Choice
" Thank you "
Submitted By: michellecole
I just came back from my first carribean experience and I loved it. It was the first time being away without no children. Everything about the island and the people on it were fantastic. I got engaged out there and we are definitly going back for more next year.
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- Date of Holiday:Oct 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:First Choice
" me and my girlfriend went to the blue... "
Submitted By: Mr B Barratt
me and my girlfriend went to the blue bay on july 2008 for two weeks, she was a bit worried it was going to be a rowday because it was "adults only" sh e actualy thought it was going to be a swingers hotel lol, but it was one of our best holidays, the staff were first class the hotel must be the cleanest i have ever been in they are constantly cleaning, painting and renewing any thing that looks worn or tattered, the best thing i would say about it was the anamation team "the crew" they are the funnyest people you will ever meet, the shows they put on is slap stick comedy but you will be falling about laughing they'v all got mad names like; james bond, tony montana pinnapple ect. the food is great but u get board with it after a while same stuff usualy at the buffet but their are three a la carte resturants they are good also. the beach is to die for when the sun comes over it turns pure blue/ green. dont go to the flee market its the same stuff in every stall, u will get it bettet price on the beach any way, and if your doing any excursions do it with your rep its safer, the outback safari was amasing get to see the country and culture. well 10/10 from me, enjoi your holiday.
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- Date of Holiday:Jul 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:First Choice
" Stayed at this hotel for two weeks.... "
Submitted By: Miss A Smith
Stayed at this hotel for two weeks. The food was amazing... beached was a mazing weather was brilliant.. until the day we left... as we left just before the hurrican season. ach day had a different food theme. The best was the American lunch (hotdogs burgers chips) and the mexican Dinner. Breakfast was good and ulimited drinks all night. The beach restaurant was FANTASTIC! When we first arrived we had fied chicken and chips right by the beach.. an amazing start to the holiday. Always somehting to dowith all of the entertainers. Sports on the beach fun by the poolside and in the pool!
Amazing holiday
Definetely recommend it!
There was two downsides but didnt affect me or many people.
One person woke up with a man holding a gun to their head! not sure if it is true.
Also this is truee... a women went to the toilet and can out and got grabbed by a Greman man she got away and he got arrested.
She was fine.
But apart fromt hat Best holiday ever! x
Amazing holiday
Definetely recommend it!
There was two downsides but didnt affect me or many people.
One person woke up with a man holding a gun to their head! not sure if it is true.
Also this is truee... a women went to the toilet and can out and got grabbed by a Greman man she got away and he got arrested.
She was fine.
But apart fromt hat Best holiday ever! x
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- Date of Holiday:Aug 2005
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:MyTravel
" just came back from bluebay in... "
Submitted By: Mrs B Gordon
just came back from bluebay in dominican it was fantastic,weather very hot even though it is their rainy season, the hotel was lovely the rooms were clean maid service everyday animation team never stop from early morning till well after midnight i dont know where they get the energy from ,but they cannot do enough for you they were brilliant and very funny,my husband and i upgraded to the vip suite for our last week
of a two week stay and it was pure heaven you were treat like royalty it was amazing
i would recommend this hotel to anyone it was brilliant
of a two week stay and it was pure heaven you were treat like royalty it was amazing
i would recommend this hotel to anyone it was brilliant
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- Date of Holiday:Jun 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:Thomas Cook
" what can i say? excellent!!!!!!!!
what can i say? excellent!!!!!!!!
the hotel operates a 24 hour all inclusive policy. over 18,s only.
food was very good. staff were very friendly and very helpful. the animation team were tireless with fun from 10 am till 12. then they took you to a casino if you wanted. the beach bar was open 24, food and beer at your request, plus entertainment as well.
the trips out are very good. the dolfin encounter is excellent, all day there so it was a long day.
only one downer. that was the blueshirts!!!!. these people swear blind that its not timeshare that they are selling. you find out when they get you to the meeting so beware. just say no straight away.you will see them hanging around the pool area
we will be going back soon
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- Date of Holiday:Sep 2007
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:First Choice
" We stayed at Blue Bay at the start of... "
Submitted By: Mrs G Clark
We stayed at Blue Bay at the start of May 2008 and had a fantastic time. The room was lovely; fresh towels and beach towels every day, bed sheets changed every day! The food was excellent in the buffett, a fab choice and great service. The al a carte restuarants were good; the seafood being the best and the service there was exceptional. The pool areas and bars were very clean and the provided great service (a waitress attending the pool area so you didnt have to get off your lounger for a beer!!!!)
What made the hotel extra special was the entertainment team "animation" friendly, fun and genuine nice guys. They were always ready to involve everyone in the activities, get you up to dance etc but all with no pressure - super!!!
Can highly recommend the Outback Safari adventure and the Paradise Isalnd trip for snorkelling - had a really great time.
If you stay here you WILL have a GREAT time!
What made the hotel extra special was the entertainment team "animation" friendly, fun and genuine nice guys. They were always ready to involve everyone in the activities, get you up to dance etc but all with no pressure - super!!!
Can highly recommend the Outback Safari adventure and the Paradise Isalnd trip for snorkelling - had a really great time.
If you stay here you WILL have a GREAT time!
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- Date of Holiday:May 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:First Choice
" The food here was excellent. There... "
Submitted By: Ms R Blackburn
The food here was excellent. There was a good choice at the buffet and the grill and particuarly the oriental restaurant were also very good. We did go to the seafood place once, and I have to say that the food and level of service there was very poor compared to the other eateries. PLEASE BEWARE THE MEN IN YELLOW T-SHIRTS (they are hotel time share sales people)!!! Please also be wary of people ofering welcome packs and free gifts. This is a timeshare sale, nothing else. They will tell you anything to get you in the door. We were totally disgusted at this. It is something you expect from outside the hotel, but not from the staff inside the hotel. There is a little hut just after the bridge before you get to the beach. DO NOT GO IN! We were told that we would go in there to recieve out welcome packs, free T-shitrs etc. We went inside and were given a presentation on the other Blue Bay hotels and they tried to sign us up to a 25 year time share membership! They are very, very pushy and lucklily we are very strong minded people and are not persuaded easily, although I can see how people would sign up because of how push they are. We did not even recieve our so so called welcome pack or anything else from them. The animation team are full of energy and try very hard, although they too can be a little pushy and won't take no for an answer when you do not want to participate in their games. We ended up staying on the beach instead of sitting by the pool so as to avoid being harassed by them. The linen on the beds were holey and stained some nights and we had to request that the sheets be changed. I wouldn't even expect this from a B&B. Despite these issues we did have a fabulous time. I took my partner for his 40th birthday and we were very happy. The grounds are lovely, the beach is lovely, especialy the 4 poster beds on the beach (get up early to catch these). The staff are very warm and friendly and helpfull. The weather was fabulous and there are excellent day trips and excursions available. I don't think I would go again, but we did enjoy our time there.
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- Date of Holiday:Apr 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:Thomas Cook
" I got a last minute deal as single... "
Submitted By: Miss S Singh
I got a last minute deal as single traveller, a bit nervous about the accomodation as i read mixed reviews, was a 9.5 hr long flight, upon arrival the staff were friendly, the hotel exceeded my expecations, i was on ground floor but asked for a top floor which was changed easily, the pools were lovely, the food was great, nice beach, lookey lookey men got a bit annoying, very chilled out, not a busy in your face hotel, glad it was adults only, Ofelia gives a great massage, was very happy and had a fab time, nice bars, shopping centre 2-3 mins away, i dont know what people moaned about, if you want 5 star pay for it!
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- Date of Holiday:Mar 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:Thomas Cook
" Definitely not the place you want to... "
Submitted By: Mrs C Evans
Definitely not the place you want to be if you are not a drinker. Our biggest complaint is the very uncomfortable beds. As our flight left our city at 1:00 am and we did not arrive at the hotel until after 4 in the afternoon we were understandably very tired. We tried to have a nap before dinner and found that the bed was hard and lumpy, the pillows were very lousy and there were only a total of 3 in the room. Before we were able to fall asleep we would both have to shift positions as our limbs would go numb or ribs would ache. We were unfortunate enough to arrive as sub-tropical storm Olga blew in, so we were pretty much confined to the room. Even though the room was quite spacious the only thing other than the bed to sit on was a backless desk-type bench-chair.
So there we were stuck in this room with rain blasting down, winds blowing like crazy, and sitting on a very hard and lumpy bed watching TV. Dinner is served starting at 7:00 pm so we waiting for a small let-up on the downpour and ran to the main building to eat. The dining room is quite nice but you sit on whicker chairs with no padding so not comfortable there either. As exhausted as we were I really thought we would be able to sleep through anything but as it turned out, the bed kept us tossing and turning all night, as neither one of us got any rest.
The next day we asked reception for some padding for the mattress. Later we did find a regular mattress pad on the bed, I'm not sure if it was there before or not but it made no difference anyway, we called and asked if there were better beds in any of the other rooms so that we might switch and were told all the beds were the same. My husband then called room service and requested 6 blankets! (I laughed as who would use blankets in the DR) anyway, it took a couple of hours but someone eventually showed up with 3 fleece type blankets that looked brand new so I guess they sent someone into the city to buy them. We tried doubling up these blankets to cover our torso areas to hopefully pad it well enough that we could sleep; I think we were able to get a couple hours here and there that night.
As for cleanliness, not bad but as we've seen those hotel expose's on cleaning of drinking glasses in the rooms....bring some dish soap. The room was otherwise cleaned quite well, except for the lump of mud/grass stuck to the bathroom wall that was there when we got there and there when we left.
Anyway besides the very uncomfortable beds, we found that this type of hotel is not for us as we no longer drink and there is absolutely nothing else to do. We have never done the all-inclusive thing before and didn't expect to get our money's worth because of the drinking but we didn't realize that if we slept in (as we like to on holidays) that we could not get any breakfast and pretty much no food until lunch was served.
The 24 hour snacks they claimed to have are only at the beach bar and what my husband said consisted of a 1 inch square of bread with a tomato slice and a piece of fish or something on it. When I went to see, it appeared they were setting up for dinner and there was nothing available. Trying to get a coffee or something other than an alcoholic drink was difficult. Staff seemed irritated by it. We found that even only after a couple days of eating in the main dining room the food was too much the same and far from wonderful. Lunch often appeared to be dinners left over’s, served in a different sauce or gravy.
I am the type of person that tries to make the best of any situation but as my husband does not do well without sleep and was extremely unhappy with the way things were going he was on the phone with the airline begging to have our flight moved to the soonest one out. We arrived Tuesday afternoon and left Friday afternoon. We did not get a chance to try any of the 3 restaurants so we can't vouch for them, but we learned that this was not the place for us.
My husband thought we should stay in the adult only resort so we wouldn't be woken up early by kids, but instead we got to listen to doors slamming during the wee hours of the night and phone calls in the morning asking us about the problem with the toilet that we had to tell them on 3 separate calls that we never called about a toilet problem.
If you don't drink there is nothing to do when the weather is bad, as it was. Had we gotten some rest maybe we would have felt up to taking a taxi ride into the city to shop but with the language barriers in the resorts themselves we didn't feel comfortable heading into the general population. When we left the hotel to venture to take a walk up the main road or go to the shopping centre, we were constantly harassed to take horse and buggy rides, taxi rides etc, etc, you were stopped constantly by people wanting you to check out their resort for your next visit, check out their wares etc. We were followed around in the shops like we were thieves and even within the Blue Bay itself we were stopped on our way to the beach by a Blue Bay employee asking us if we were on our way to our meeting - what meeting we asked and we were told that we should go to a meeting about other Blue Bay resorts.
So after taking my holiday 6 months later than I needed it, waiting 6 months to finally get it and having to leave days after getting there I can honestly say this was one of the biggest disappointments of my life.
So there we were stuck in this room with rain blasting down, winds blowing like crazy, and sitting on a very hard and lumpy bed watching TV. Dinner is served starting at 7:00 pm so we waiting for a small let-up on the downpour and ran to the main building to eat. The dining room is quite nice but you sit on whicker chairs with no padding so not comfortable there either. As exhausted as we were I really thought we would be able to sleep through anything but as it turned out, the bed kept us tossing and turning all night, as neither one of us got any rest.
The next day we asked reception for some padding for the mattress. Later we did find a regular mattress pad on the bed, I'm not sure if it was there before or not but it made no difference anyway, we called and asked if there were better beds in any of the other rooms so that we might switch and were told all the beds were the same. My husband then called room service and requested 6 blankets! (I laughed as who would use blankets in the DR) anyway, it took a couple of hours but someone eventually showed up with 3 fleece type blankets that looked brand new so I guess they sent someone into the city to buy them. We tried doubling up these blankets to cover our torso areas to hopefully pad it well enough that we could sleep; I think we were able to get a couple hours here and there that night.
As for cleanliness, not bad but as we've seen those hotel expose's on cleaning of drinking glasses in the rooms....bring some dish soap. The room was otherwise cleaned quite well, except for the lump of mud/grass stuck to the bathroom wall that was there when we got there and there when we left.
Anyway besides the very uncomfortable beds, we found that this type of hotel is not for us as we no longer drink and there is absolutely nothing else to do. We have never done the all-inclusive thing before and didn't expect to get our money's worth because of the drinking but we didn't realize that if we slept in (as we like to on holidays) that we could not get any breakfast and pretty much no food until lunch was served.
The 24 hour snacks they claimed to have are only at the beach bar and what my husband said consisted of a 1 inch square of bread with a tomato slice and a piece of fish or something on it. When I went to see, it appeared they were setting up for dinner and there was nothing available. Trying to get a coffee or something other than an alcoholic drink was difficult. Staff seemed irritated by it. We found that even only after a couple days of eating in the main dining room the food was too much the same and far from wonderful. Lunch often appeared to be dinners left over’s, served in a different sauce or gravy.
I am the type of person that tries to make the best of any situation but as my husband does not do well without sleep and was extremely unhappy with the way things were going he was on the phone with the airline begging to have our flight moved to the soonest one out. We arrived Tuesday afternoon and left Friday afternoon. We did not get a chance to try any of the 3 restaurants so we can't vouch for them, but we learned that this was not the place for us.
My husband thought we should stay in the adult only resort so we wouldn't be woken up early by kids, but instead we got to listen to doors slamming during the wee hours of the night and phone calls in the morning asking us about the problem with the toilet that we had to tell them on 3 separate calls that we never called about a toilet problem.
If you don't drink there is nothing to do when the weather is bad, as it was. Had we gotten some rest maybe we would have felt up to taking a taxi ride into the city to shop but with the language barriers in the resorts themselves we didn't feel comfortable heading into the general population. When we left the hotel to venture to take a walk up the main road or go to the shopping centre, we were constantly harassed to take horse and buggy rides, taxi rides etc, etc, you were stopped constantly by people wanting you to check out their resort for your next visit, check out their wares etc. We were followed around in the shops like we were thieves and even within the Blue Bay itself we were stopped on our way to the beach by a Blue Bay employee asking us if we were on our way to our meeting - what meeting we asked and we were told that we should go to a meeting about other Blue Bay resorts.
So after taking my holiday 6 months later than I needed it, waiting 6 months to finally get it and having to leave days after getting there I can honestly say this was one of the biggest disappointments of my life.
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- Date of Holiday:Dec 2007
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:WestJet Vacations
" When I arrived at the airport I... "
Submitted By: Miss E Smith
When I arrived at the airport I wondered where the hell I was. It was sheer madness as the locals try and grab your bags to carry them to the coach for money, and they don’t take no for an answer, which is not good.
The hotel was actually lovely, the rooms were pretty big, and they have everything needed to make your stay enjoyable.
I have no complaints about the hotel staff as they were always cheerful and they never moaned if I asked for something. Also the maids do a fantastic job and my room was always spotless with plenty of clean towels.
If you travel here, make sure you sign up for some trips. I recommend the trips that take you upto the hills to see how they live etc. I went on a catamaran trip and if you’re queasy then I suggest you don’t go on this.
The outward trip was fine as it was lovely and the waters were still but we had high seas coming back and there was only 2 people out of 30 that were not sick. It was not a pleasant at all. However I did manage to see some kids aged about 6 or 7 catching fish with spears which was cool.
I don’t think I’d come back here but it was a good holiday.
The hotel was actually lovely, the rooms were pretty big, and they have everything needed to make your stay enjoyable.
I have no complaints about the hotel staff as they were always cheerful and they never moaned if I asked for something. Also the maids do a fantastic job and my room was always spotless with plenty of clean towels.
If you travel here, make sure you sign up for some trips. I recommend the trips that take you upto the hills to see how they live etc. I went on a catamaran trip and if you’re queasy then I suggest you don’t go on this.
The outward trip was fine as it was lovely and the waters were still but we had high seas coming back and there was only 2 people out of 30 that were not sick. It was not a pleasant at all. However I did manage to see some kids aged about 6 or 7 catching fish with spears which was cool.
I don’t think I’d come back here but it was a good holiday.
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- Date of Holiday:Dec 2005
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:Lastminute
" We went to the Dom. Republic for... "
Submitted By: Mrs C Muldoon
We went to the Dom. Republic for Honeymoon and I have to say we were quite disappointed with the place that we had booked.
The hotel Hoteteur Villas Doradas was not as nice as we had expected and we both wished we had chosen somewhere else.
The hotel was fairly clean and the staff friendly, but overall was shabby and in need of overhaul. The food was pretty poor and wasn't to standard that we would have expected.
WE did enjoy the excursions out to the surrounding areas, but to be honest spent quite a lot of time at the beach, which was very pretty.
I would recommend the Dom. Republic to others, but not this hotel. I would also advise that it is very warm and humid here in September.
The hotel Hoteteur Villas Doradas was not as nice as we had expected and we both wished we had chosen somewhere else.
The hotel was fairly clean and the staff friendly, but overall was shabby and in need of overhaul. The food was pretty poor and wasn't to standard that we would have expected.
WE did enjoy the excursions out to the surrounding areas, but to be honest spent quite a lot of time at the beach, which was very pretty.
I would recommend the Dom. Republic to others, but not this hotel. I would also advise that it is very warm and humid here in September.
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- Date of Holiday:Sep 2005
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:MyTravel
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Pushy - Look out for white T shirt wearing staff who trick you into a building to try to persuade you to buy into thier holiday club and make it very difficult to leave even after you have said no thankyou. Other negatives, the gym is small and the machines barely work in it. Although the food is good the sweets are quite poor with a few exceptions. I am sure that some of the rooms are amazing but I had a small basic one - not very impressive. That would be fine if it wasn't for the 3 issues that EVERYONE seemed to have with thier rooms. 1- the key card would regularly fail. 2 - the water would suddenly stop and not come back on for over an hour. 3. Regular, short power cuts.
Otherwise, the beach and location is amazing, with plenty to do around the area. I recommend Paradise island which has the most exotic coral reef I have yet seen.
Advice: Tropical
Activities: Paradise Island and Cable Car tp the top of the mountain
Good for: Beach