Hotel Review – Bluebay Villas Dorados

Hotel Review – Bluebay Villas Dorados

I booked to stay at Bluebay Villas Dorados in Puerto Plata as part of a multi-centre trip to the Dominican Republic.

Bluebay Villas is an adults only hotel and one of 2 hotels run by Bluebay Resorts, the other being Bellevue Dominican Bay in Boca Chica. It has 245 rooms, 4 restaurants, 4 bars and 3 pools as well as a spa. It is located on the Playa Dorada beach.

THE FLIGHT

The closest airport with flights direct from the UK is Puerto Plata. The flight from Gatwick to Puerto Plata took over 8 hours.

THE TRANSFER

Flights from Gatwick arrive at Puerto Plata airport in the early afternoon and transfer to Bluebay took less than 30 minutes. It would have taken much less time, but we made multiple stops at other hotels to drop off other passengers along the way. If you are coming on your own by taxi, it will only take around 10 minutes.

THE HOTEL

It seems to be the thing for guests to be welcomed at hotels in the Dominican Republic with a cool drink, which was a nice gesture considering the long flight and afternoon heat.

The reception area was pretty impressive with an open plan area laid out with comfortable sofas and a very high ceiling creating a very fresh and airy atmosphere.

Walking through reception to our room we passed the main restaurant and pool complete with swim up bar. For a hotel that had so many rooms, it didn’t look massive, in fact, it looked quite homely.
The lawns appeared well tended to, the walkways were very clean and the place general looked alright.

OUR ROOM

Our room was a Superior room which was a double room with a king sized bed, bath, shower and toilet and a little front porch area. It had a minibar, safe (at extra cost), iron and ironing board as well as tea and coffee making facilities. There was a plasma TV and although there was wi-fi (again at an extra cost), the signal didn’t reach our room.

The room was clean and pleasantly decorated, although it did look a touch dated. The wardrobe space was sufficient enough for two people.

THE FACILITIES

With 4 restaurants, each having a different theme, there was plenty of choices when deciding where and what to eat. There was a restaurant serving oriental cuisine, an A la carte seafood restaurant, an A la carte restaurant with grilled meat and the main restaurant with a different theme daily. There was also a snack bar on the beach serving mainly fast food.

The food was mostly fine although the oriental restaurant wasn’t exactly my favourite as their take on Chinese food was definitely not what my taste buds are used to.

The pools are OK for a little dip and just chilling by the poolside bar, while the one nearest to the reception hosts afternoon water volleyball games which is fun. There is also a little relaxation pool that is next to the spa.

There are various water sports that are available at no extra costs like snorkelling, windsurfing and kayaks, as well as bicycles, tennis and table tennis.

The spa offers many treatments, all chargeable and we had a massage with essential oils which was a bit expensive at $150 for the two of us. There is also a tiny fitness centre with some cardio equipment and some free weights.

The beach is across a little walk bridge and is private. It’s a nice relaxing beach and you can walk a long way in both directions if you just feel like a stroll.

You get the normal local vendors selling their stuff, be it t-shirts, hats or offering to plait your hair, but they are polite and not over pushy. I always remember that I am a guest in their country and they are only trying to make an honest living.

Anyway, I know a few Spanish words like “muy caro” when I want to barter or “No tengo dinero” when I am tapped out.

FINAL VERDICT

Bluebay Villas Doradas in Puerto Plata is great if you are looking for an adults only hotel that is not super expensive. I had no problems with any of the staff whatsoever during our stay and found them to be attentive and very pleasant.

The food was generally to a good standard and the animation team always made sure that you were up for a laugh.

While the wi-fi connection didn’t reach our room, we could still get a connection at the reception area, and with very comfortable sofas, it wasn’t much of a minus. Anyway, who goes on holiday to spend all their time on the internet anyway.

Would I go again? A resounding yes.