BlueBay Villas Doradas — Hotel in Puerto Plata

I feel it's necessary to highlight the many negative aspects of this place and the bad experience I had. Let’s start with the welcome upon arrival—cold and rushed. The reception staff explained everything very quickly, as if they just wanted to get rid of us. However, they didn’t forget to remind us of all the things that were not included in the “all-inclusive” package, such as the lobby bar with better cocktails, laundry service, the safe, and Wi-Fi. What kind of resort charges for a safe? I’ve never seen anything like that before... We were taken to room 5107 in block 5. The room was old (see photos), and the bathroom was so small that you had to close the door to take a shower. The ceiling was damp and damaged… honestly, a motel room would have been better in comparison. I also noticed that the beach towels weren’t in the room, so I asked for them. I had to wait two hours and remind them three times before finally getting them. But the worst thing about this room was its location—right next to the road outside the resort. I didn’t sleep at all due to the constant noise from cars and motorcycles. It was a nightmare. The next day, I asked to speak with a manager. The reception told me to speak with guest services first. I insisted several times, but they kept saying I had to go through guest services before talking to the manager. The problem? Guest services didn’t open until 9:00 AM, so I had to wait. Eventually, I requested a room change. They told me I had to bring my luggage to reception at 11:30 AM and would get access to the new room at 2:00 PM. I agreed, even though it meant losing my entire morning. The new room was better and in a quieter area. However, after two days, the air conditioning stopped working. It took them a full day to fix it… The beach is spacious, but the loungers are old and damaged (see photos). People wake up early to reserve loungers and cabanas with towels and then go back to sleep. By 8:00 AM, all the shady spots are already taken. The beach is generally dirty, full of cigarette butts, and no one from the resort cleans it. There are also stray dogs wandering around (see photos). The color of the ocean is not clear at all—the sand makes it murky. If you walk about a kilometer west along the shore, the water is much clearer and more pleasant. The beach bar is always open but has only one bartender, so there’s always a long wait to get a drink. The cocktails are mediocre, made with cheap ingredients. There is an international restaurant for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, plus three à la carte restaurants that must be booked on Sunday for the entire week. The reservations are limited, so there’s a chance you won’t get a spot. Not that it matters—the food quality is terrible in both the international buffet and the à la carte restaurants. I’ve never eaten so badly in a resort before. The food is low-quality and lacks variety. Even in the à la carte restaurants, some dishes require an extra charge, but paying more doesn’t improve the quality. I saw a table near me leave an entire steak, which they paid an extra $20 for, because it was inedible. I got food poisoning at one of the à la carte restaurants (the Chinese one). I was sick for two days. I tried to get help from management, but they didn’t care. They just sent me to the on-site doctor, who only wanted money to see me. A ridiculous experience. If you get sick in this resort, prepare to spend a lot of money on medical support—even if it's due to the resort’s poor hygiene. Reception and management do not provide any support. If they decide they don’t like your request, they simply stop responding and ignore you. You’re completely left on your own. At night, they organize some shows that are just embarrassing and depressing (karaoke, a magician, etc.). The resort is full of elderly people—to the point that I felt like I was in a retirement home (I’m not joking). It’s dirty, the staff is unhelpful, the food is awful, the beach is filthy, and the ocean isn’t clear. Would you go there? I certainly never will again. Let's...

Staff The staff are generally friendly and helpful. A special thanks to Empress for being a great guide. However, some individuals try to push their own interests, steering guests toward their friends for tours. It’s up to visitors to use their judgment when choosing who to rely on.

Transportation One major concern is the hotel’s association with a dishonest taxi service. Despite Uber being available and safe in the Dominican Republic (as confirmed by my experience and discussions with others), the hotel discourages its use. Instead, they promote their own taxi service, which operates as a "taxi cartel" charging nearly 15 times the Uber fare.

For example, I booked an Uber to go downtown for DOP 175 (approximately CAD 4). However, a hotel-affiliated taxi driver picked up my ride and demanded USD 30, claiming Uber underpays them. I refused, exited the vehicle, and rebooked an Uber just outside the hotel, where I successfully completed my trip for the original fare.

According to an Uber driver, this scam is common—they accept Uber rides near the hotel, then demand extra money, leading guests to believe Uber is unreliable and pushing them toward overpriced taxis. The hotel appears complicit, with staff even recommending their taxis over Uber.

I have escalated this issue with Uber, and they assured me they would investigate.

For alternative transport, if you're comfortable driving, consider renting a car from Alamo or National, which offer rentals for as little as CAD 45 and provide pick-up directly from the hotel lobby. Unsurprisingly, the hotel does not promote this option.

Food & Drinks The food is average and lacks variety, especially in fruits and juices. At breakfast, the juice selection was limited to a single option each day. That said, the buffet staff were fantastic.

Among the à la carte restaurants, the Italian restaurant stood out as the best.

Regarding drinks, if you enjoy fruity and sweet cocktails, you’ll be fine. However, for premium spirits like whiskey on the rocks, expect to pay USD 6 per shot of JW Black or USD 80+ per bottle. If you’re particular about your drinks, I recommend taking a taxi into town to purchase a bottle at a more reasonable price.

Rooms Room quality varies. The hotel, nearly 40 years old, is in serious need of maintenance. Many rooms have peeling paint, broken TVs, and non-functional phones. However, since most people don’t spend much time in their rooms, these issues might not be deal-breakers.

Entertainment & Atmosphere The entertainment crew is great, and many guests speak highly of them.

However, the hotel lacks a proper sports bar. The only option is a small, poorly maintained black-and-white-themed sports bar in the lobby, equipped with outdated 32” TVs—one of which is so broken that the LEDs are fully visible. Again, maintenance is clearly lacking.

Another thing to note is that the hotel mostly attracts an older crowd. It seems more suited for retirees than younger travelers or families looking for an active and vibrant atmosphere. If you’re looking for a lively resort with a mix of age groups, this might not be the best choice.

Location & Beach The beach is beautiful, with nice water, but not the best I’ve seen. I’d rate it a 7/10.

A common issue at this and many other resorts is chair hogging. Guests place towels on chairs early in the morning and don’t return for hours. Unfortunately, the hotel does a poor job of enforcing a two-hour no-show policy for removing abandoned towels.

Final Thoughts While the hotel has some positives, particularly its staff and entertainment team, it suffers from poor maintenance, lack of variety in food and drinks, a dishonest transportation system, and an older crowd demographic.

If you plan to stay here, be aware of the taxi scam, consider alternative transportation, and manage your expectations regarding the facilities and overall vibe. It’s a quiet, relaxed place—ideal for older guests, but not the best choice if you’re looking for a lively and modern...

I’m not quite sure how this resort is rated so well on Google and trip advisor. The overall experience fell short compared to other resorts we’ve been to.

Check in: While the check in process was smooth, they didn’t offer to bring our bags to our room or even show us where the rooms were. I carried my bag up to my room on the 3rd floor—up a very dimly lit stairwell.

Smoking: Smoking is allowed on the resort, which wouldn’t typically bother me aside from the fact that the people downstairs from me would smoke on their patio and the smoke would drift up the stairwell and area by my room. There were lots of cigarette butts on the beach as well. It would be nice if they grouped the smoking/non smoking rooms together.

Service: Some staff were great but others seemed kind of unfriendly, or almost bothered by our presence. I’d like to think I’m fairly polite (and yes, we tipped) so I was surprised at the staff’s attitude. The a la carte restaurants are open randomly (you have to check day-of) and have to be booked same day, between 9-12 and they’re done at the front desk. The process is very manual and outdated…literally a lady with a notebook. There is no beach wait service; food is self serve and you have to order drinks from the bar.

Food: Hit or miss. Italian restaurant was awful- skip it, trust me. They wouldn’t let us order more than 1 entree per person. The Asian restaurant was much better, both in terms of food and service. We didn’t get a chance to go to the seafood restaurant. The beach buffet was alright but wish they had more variety…it was the same stuff everyday: burgers, hot dogs, fried chicken, beans, chips and queso, fries. The buns were dense and stale. Birds kept flying in and munching from the buffet bar. The main buffet was okay…we had a friend receive a raw chicken kebab though. The Mexican buffet night was by far the best. We also heard that the Dominican food was good!

Bar: Probably the worst tequila I’ve ever had. I know DR doesn’t specialize in it but it was all truly bottom tier liquor, all from the same brand. The lobby bar has more selection but at a premium charge. They almost never had limes cut up. The only soda is Pepsi zero and 7 up. They don’t have a big selection of juices or other mixes either. Pina coladas were a hit.

Rooms: Rooms were outdated but clean. Cleaning staff were excellent. There are not enough outlets; we had to unplug our bedside lamps to charge our phones. The mini fridge is free the first time but then you’re charged for refill requests. They will restock your water bottles daily with no charge. Our toilet wasn’t flushing at one point and the staff came to fix it promptly, so we appreciate that! The best thing about the rooms is that the air conditioning is super strong!

Nightlife and Entertainment: There’s no discotheque/club on site. The beach bar party was pretty fun but not many people danced. Karaoke night was fun except the host would sing a lot…wish he gave more time for the guests to sing! The daytime staff that were dancing and coordinated activities in the pool area did a wonderful job keeping guests engaged.

Beach: Some seaweed, but it was seaweed season when we went in April. Cigarette butts in the sand…which btw, is not as white as it looks in the pictures. If you walk about 3 minutes to the left when facing the beach, you’ll find much clearer water with no seaweed. My biggest issue with the beach is that there are SO MANY PEOPLE TRYING TO SELL YOU SOMETHING- towels, excursions, jewelry, braiding, clothing, pedicure, massages…omg and they wouldn’t leave us alone to just relax! Really took away from the beach experience.

Overall: I think this was closer to 3 star than 4, and certainly not 5. The clientele at this resort is more senior (50s-60s probably). Mostly Canadians.

We understand that it’s a 4 star resort and that we wouldn’t be getting a luxury experience, but I think it’s worth while to explore nearby areas and pay a bit more for a better resort. We will not be...