This was our first trip to the Dominican Republic & we were unsure of what to expect but we hoped for a relaxed,refreshing fortnight.Following a very easy airport experience & a quick transfer (15mins) we were impressed with the Bluebays first impression.A beautiful lobby area & a cocktail in hand within minutes was a good way to get started.The check in was quick & although the rooms are basic there is everything you need & they are very clean.
There were heavy showers for our first few days but due to the animation teams efforts there was no need to be bored & the hotel offers loads of activities from yoga to cocktail lessons.When the sun did come out it was hot & we were grateful for the breeze on the beach of an afternoon.We didnt really spend alot of time around the pool but this was just because we are beach lovers.The beach sellers on the beach added abit of local colour & a polite "No Thankyou" was all that was needed.We found them to be friendly & a good laugh who can forget Cheapy Willy!!!!
Likewise we had no problems with the timeshare guys who were all pleasant & friendly.One in particular,Frank, was a lovely man who supplied a hat & enquired about hubbys sunburned forehead daily.Everyone has to make a living & being polite costs nothing.
I admit to being picky when it comes to food but I never had any difficulty finding anything to eat in fact there was so much choice I had trouble choosing.We had read before going that the a la carte restaurants were hard to book & not worth the effort.Well let me tell you that the food was great & the service excellent from deep fried ice cream & Micheal Jackson impressions in the Asian,steak with an ocean view & "my love" at the grill to the seafood & Francis with his nothing is too much trouble attitude( advocado shrimp salad without the shrimp senora?.......no problem) he makes everyone feel like family.
The Spa is well worth a visit & not expensive.I would definately recommend the chocolate delight bodywrap & massage very relaxing & you smell yummy afterwards!
The very best thing about this hotel is the staff from Oscar the General Manager to the guy who brings your drinks to your sunbed they are friendly,smiling & customer service is the focus.
We rarely return to a resort more than once as we believe the world is a big place but we will be returning to Bluebay Villas Doradas for sure!!!!

We just reurned from a stay with 8 friends on the beaches of playa dorodos in the dominican. It was an excellent experience for all, with some minor down falls. If you are going away looking for a great bed you may be disappointed as they were quite un-comfortable. The staff was absolutely fantastic. Our sunquest representative Helen was cheerful and entertaining as well as knowledgeable.The food was on the whole good with some dishes i chose not to try... thats just me. The Beach although not white sand was clean comfortable with plenty of lounge chairs. At no time did any of us feel unsafe. The people of the Domincan are extremely polite and willing to assist with out pestering. This resort is part of a 14 resort type combound with miles of beach, plenty of activities (on and off the beach). The employees are active both in the up keep of the resort as well as the making sure that everyone is comfortable and entertained. I would re visit this resort again with out hesitation.... PS If you choose to visit a differnt resort in this compound, dont pass up a day of snorkelling and sailing on the Freestyle cattermeran it is fantastic

We truly had a wonderful time. The resort is well cared for. The staff are wonderful and eager to please. We got everything we expected based on the past reviews for the resort. I knew once I had used TripAdvisor I would need to write my own review upon my return to ensure others could benefit from my experience. We did travel with another couple so that helped keep us all occupied and have a good time. What follows is my honest and detailed experience of what was good, what was not so good and some general comments about our visit.

~-The Good Stuff-~

1. The chicken at the 24 hours beach bar is VERY addictive. We called it Dominican KFC! It is very tasty and the supply is unlimited!
2. Our room was very clean
3. In room coffee is a bonus you do not get at most resorts
4. The food is amazing! The buffet always had something tasty (even though some things were a little unusual and poor in taste). You could always find more than enough to eat. No one that we talked to while we were there complained - everyone loved the food as much as we did.
5. The a la carte restaurants were good too but I recommend the Oriental (Jade Garden) the most. The service and food there were incredible.
6. The beach is very good, they work hard to keep it clean.
7. The resort in general is very good, clean and quiet.
8. The spa is nice. We used the sauna and had a couples massage and it was wonderful.
9. Even though most resorts you have difficulty finding chairs at the pool or the beach we usually lucked out and found some.
10. Pedro, Welvin and Jose at the beach bar are awesome people! Especially Pedro. He loves to share his stories with you. He will tell you about his family and life in the Dominican. Once he knows you be sure to ask him to share some mamajuana with you. Trust me!
11. Juan at the swim up bar makes the best drinks on the resort period. The pools always have nice cool water as well - regardless of how hot it is outside.
12. The entertainment is pretty good. International night was the best night by far! What a show. If you don't watch anything else make sure you see this show.
13. Book your excursions with the white shirt beach vendors. They will dicker with the price. Push hard (trust me) and you will get a very good deal (I am talking close to half what they will originally ask. Louis and Nelson are best for this.
14. Walk the beach. Go out to the beach and walk to your left - this takes you past all the other resorts.
15. Make sure you go to the market (not the plaza) way down the beach (although it is much faster to walk down the street and cut through the golf course. The difference in time is significant (45 mins vs. 20 mins). Anyway, the market (orange buildings) is a great place to buy souveniers. Trust me when I tell you to go to stall # 40 where a nice man named Joe works. Tell him some Canadians told you to shop with him and that you heard he has the best prices in the market. He will give you such a fair price you won't even need to dicker with him.
16. The resort is only 15 mins from the airports.
17. Both check in and check out were excellent and very fast (they are prepared well in advance for their arrivals and departures.

~-The Not So Good-~

1. The maids service was sporadic at best. We tipped her $2.00 everyday - sometimes she did a wonderful job but everyday something was always forgotten. Either your drinking water, replacement towels or coffee but it honestly was everyday. One good thing though was the front desk ALWAYS made it right and they would call later in the day to check that everything was resolved to our satisfaction.
2. Mixed drinks were VERY inconsistent from bartender to bartender. While some of it might have been the language barrier (as some speak limited English) given that they had a standard drink list you would think they could get it right. Unfortunately they seldom did.
3. The blue shirts on the beach (the vendors) are a little annoying however after you have been there a couple days they recognize you and if you stick firm to your "no thank you" they will leave you alone. Take the time to talk to "Cheapie Willie" just for the entertainment - he is such a funny man! Just beware that you can dicker - get yourself a good price. For example, a necklace they tried to sell me starting at $30 I actually paid $7. A dress my wife wanted they started at $45 and we paid $10. When you walk away or appear to be ending the conversation you will be surprised how low they will go to get money from you. Just so you know, by the end of your trip the words "cheapy, cheapy" will be stuck in your head!
4. BIGGEST complaint was getting tricked by the yellow shirts (BlueBay version of timeshares) that are trying to sell you into the Vacation Club. They literally told us unequivocally that we were getting a "free welcome gift and that it had nothing to do with timeshares." He also said, "no this is not yellow shirts they are someone else, I work for BlueBay and we just want to give you our gift." Then they try to get you to fill out this form and once I saw they were asking for my yearly income we stopped them immediately and left. Their office is right beside the path to the beach so they try and stop everyone on the way by. There tactics were less desirable than the beach vendors and BlueBay should be ashamed of the methods they employ to steal your time for a sales pitch.
5. Music. All I am going to say is they do not play enough and it is not loud enough. This is an adults only resort and we wanted to party but couldn't get the music. Even when we asked it never got turned louder.
6. There is no disco, there is supposed to be a weekly Beach Party which got cancelled in favour of Karaoke which really ticked us off. Even still we managed to have a really good time. If they tell you to go to Coco Bongo (local disco) at the plaza just 5 minute walk down the street - don't bother. We tried and it was DEAD! Six people, literally.
7. There is such limited seating for the nightly entertainment that starts at 9pm every night. We learned quickly to show up early (like 8:30) to ensure we could get a seat.
8. There are only two pools and they are smaller - although they are big enough for a resort of this size.
9. The bed was a little hard but we slept well.

~- General Comments -~

1. Paradise Island excursion was great - although be prepared for the REALLY long bus ride (2.5 hrs each way). Great way to see some of the Dominican countryside.
2. The Super Buggies tour was ok (buggies aren't that nice) but the opportunity to meet REAL Dominican people made the excursion AMAZING. Make sure you bring candies or school supplies or something for the local children.
3. BlueBay is a small resort (only 150 rooms)
4. This is a quiet resort but you can have fun if you make the fun!
5. You have to pay for the the WiFi however anywhere along the Hotel Casa Colonial side of the resort (the resort right next door) you can pick up their internet WiFi for free!
6. We rented the room safe ($3/day) but our neighbours did not (and we later learned many didn't) and they had no problems. I suppose this is a personal choice)
7. Did I mention the Dominican KFC (the chicken at the beach bar) and how truly excellent and tasty it is?
8. Write a letter before hand asking for things like a true King Size bed, any other special accommodations etc. They gave us everything we asked for in advance.
9. They offer a "turn down service" nightly at no extra charge. The make the fancy towel, decorations on your bed with flower petals etc.

Thank you BlueBay for the wonderful honeymoon / vacation

Just returned from a great two week break at Bluebay feeling relaxed and ready to return to normality! The size of the hotel is a real plus, small and friendly is how i would describe it and the lack of children made it even better! Entertainment staff were unbeatable, you could involve yourself or simply relax ... No pressure, your choice, all were made to feel welcome. Special note to 'James Bond', what a star... However I have to add, i am sure that if you lived in the UK mental health services would probably enjoy working with you! Only criticism for us was the pressure to sell the 'vacation club' ... After being led by 'let me show you a VIP room' to 'I will speak to my manager to see if I can release you' when we said we weren't interested in the vacation club still annoys me a tad, yes we were stupid to enter in the first place but are nosy and wanted to see what else the hotel had to offer. Suggestion from us is place more information about the 'vacation club' in the rooms and then ask the question ' have you read the information in the rooms, do you have any questions and then ask are you interested in finding out more' not grab people and try the hard sell!. To end on a real positive the staff across the hotel made our visit perfect, from the housekeeping staff, to the hard working buffet staff (special praise to Rafael) and to the security guy on the beach providing us with sun lounges as soon as we arrived on the beach, everyone we met could not do enough for us. We will be recommending the resort to our friends and family, thank you!