TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

As a DR local: Decent for the price but anything in Puerto plata is not touching anything in the bavaro-punta area. Pros: - lovely beach - Good wifi all around - not many people Cons: - poor licor service - no disco - poor rooms - limited food options Check in at 3pm sharp Bottom line: if you get a nice deal you can come as a casual experience/vacation if not skip

My wife and I traveled to Bluebay Villas Doradas in June 2025 for vacation. We understood when booking this resort, that it was very budget friendly and did not have unrealistic expectations. First issue we had when checking in at 2:15 pm, we were told there would be an early check in fee if before 3:00 pm. I understand if that was their policy, but we were not aware ahead of time for this. Resort was well below capacity and our room was ready but they still insisted on charging extra. We typically only travel with a limited amount of cash and most of that is reserved for tipping staff. So unfortunately this early check in fee came at the expense of tips for staff. Our room was fine. Very clean. Had all the necessities we would need. No complaints with room. Alcoholic drinks were not good at all. We don't need top shelf but definitely prefer not to have bottom shelf either. We tried multiple combinations of drinks throughout the week and never found one we could tolerate. Beach was absolutely beautiful. Water was amazing. No complaints here. All the facilities were kept extremely clean. Staff worked hard to keep it this way. With the resort being extremely low capacity, the restaurant options were limited to one or two open per night. Food choices were not great but not terrible either. The main issue we had was both of us getting sick from dinner one night. We have traveled a lot over the years, multiple to Dominican and all over the carribean. We have had occasional stomach issues before that normally got better in a day or so. Not this time. My wife was so sick and dehydrated she had to visit the clinic on site for medication. We spent 4 of our 7 days mostly in our room due to not feeling well. We spoke with several other couples that experienced the same issues within days of us getting sick. We never determined exactly what made us sick but suspected the salads or fruits and vegetables. Entertainment staff worked extremely hard to try and get crowd participation. It was difficult with such low numbers here. All staff was extremely friendly.

My stay at BlueBay Villas Puerto Plata was disappointing overall. The rooms were outdated with windows that didn’t close properly, letting in constant outside noise. The bathroom was cramped, and a thin connecting door to the neighboring room offered no sound or odor privacy. The resort itself was poorly maintained, and I was told there were only five umbrellas for the entire property — a serious issue for guests seeking shade. The food lacked flavor, was repetitive, and meats were consistently dry. Cleanliness in the dining area was unacceptable: birds flew freely inside and ate from buffet tables, flies were in the cheese, and I witnessed a cat jump onto a table and eat a guest’s food. However, a few staff members truly stood out and deserve recognition. Aracelis, Antonio, and Victor in food service were kind and attentive. Lisselotte, Alfredo and Yoly from the entertainment team brought great energy. And Carlos at the lobby bar helped keep the atmosphere both social and relaxed. Despite the strong efforts of these individuals, the resort needs major improvements in maintenance, food quality, and sanitation before I could consider returning or recommending it.

Having stayed at Blue Bay's resort in Mexico and at both VH Gran Ventana and Viva Heavens, this is a tired resort. Stayed in the 8000 building block in late May, being the shoulder season, it was very quiet; about less than 100 guests, thus not all the facilities wasn't available. Besides the above average service as disclosed on previous reviews, allow me to go over the small cons: 1) from the previous reviews, the lauded Asian restaurant was closed for renovations, but the food was available once a la carte and once at the buffet. 2) that in mind, besides your room, there's no air conditioning, except for the Italian restaurant. 3) showed up for the scheduled bicycle tour and asking 2 staff what happened, left after an hour. 4) difficult to get toiletries, shower gel. 5) service at reception for both checking in and especially checking out was with poor attitudes and frowns.

The hotel is most definitely not a 4 stars, it could make it to 3, no more. The facilities are outdated, the hotel feels run down, the room was old and when I arrived, I went to use the bathroom and there was no water in the sink or the shower, the mini fridge was not on, I had to go to reception to complain, and then they fixed the issue. The pool area is nice, the beach is nice, the the villas look and feel old, the staff is attentive and friendly. Overall is a budget accommodation, not a 4 stars, there was only one dining option, no premium bedding, in fact, the very thin and worn out bed cover had a patch, I think it was bought decades ago :( The door in my room had no lock, I made a complain in reception and nothing was done about it, the safe in the room is not included. Being a woman alone I did not feel safe in the property, I had to carry all my valuables with me at all times. I only stayed one night.