Blue Bay Villas Dorada
4th - 18th July 2009
Arrival day - Arrived late afternoon, just went to dinner in the buffet and went to bed early, we were all shattered with the time difference.
Up early the next day, was at the pool for 7am! Went to our Thomas Cook welcome meeting that morning - Hipilito was great throughout the 2 weeks.
Booked some trips through Thomas Cook - yes I know they are cheaper in the plaza, but my husband just wanted to book with the rep (he listened to the health & safety talk they gave too much!), I have added the prices on too"¦
Freestyle Catamaran ($79)
I was looking forward to this trip, but it was awful, I have found out I don't have ‘sea legs' after all LOL. It was quite bumpy and fast when we left and it really scared me! I wanted to get off so badly. Luckily one of the staff - the lovely Esperanza calmed me down and then we seen dolphins swimming along side the catamaran! That was a lovely sight :o)
We stopped off Sosua beach, you could get off and swim / snorkel. We then went round to the 3 rocks for more snorkelling and lunch (salad, meats, bread, cheese etc) Soft drinks and alcohol available too. Snorkelling equipment were supplied also.
The sails were up on the way back, wasn't as ‘scary' but a few people were sea sick. It was a good day but never again! (until I find my sea legs) Remember lots of suncream for this trip and some sea sickness tablets ;o)
Megatrucks ($87)
I loved this! We made our way out into the countryside, the views were beautiful all around. Gave local children some small toys, pencils etc at the side of the roads. Stopped at a few places to see local families and seen figurines made from petrified wood (cheaper to buy these in the plaza at Playa Dorada! So beware) Found out about coffee and cacao and had the chance to purchase some also. Horse riding was next, not for me though, my husband enjoyed it.
The drink started flowing from the bar on the megatruck, it was fun trying to drink from a plastic cup whilst driving over rough terrain LOL Lunch was quite nice, rice, meats, salad etc. Stopped at a ‘cigar factory' to see how cigars were made, you had the chance to buy some if you wished. Stopped at beach for an hour, it was quite nice with hammocks to lie on too. The drink was still flowing here ;o) Then it was time to head back to the hotel, which took an hour or so.
It got very hot on the truck as it has an open top, take a tshirt and plenty of sun cream. It was more comfortable sitting on a towel as well"¦.and it is very very bumpy if you sit near the back of the truck! You had a chance to buy a DVD at the end of the day's trip.
Puerto Plata (full day) ($57)
Mixed feelings about this trip. I wanted to see more of the town (Puerto Plata) but I felt it was all very rushed. First stop was the Brugal rum factory, seen the bottling plant and had the chance to buy some rum which we did (it was the same price if not a little cheaper at the airport POP duty free, so leave it until then and it won't add onto your case weight!) Seen Parque Central, La Glorieta, San Felipe Cathedral, this part was very rushed and we did get locals trying to sell us items on the streets. The Amber museum was next, not very good at all, we were not really told much about it all, so left to our own devices to walk around.
We also stopped at an ‘Amber factory' really it was another sales push for jewellery of Amber and Larimar. I did buy a lovely ring though, but beware as 2 of the larimar stones have fallen off my ring, luckily I noticed and found them (at home) and there was another guest at the hotel who's stone fell out of the setting too. The cable car was good, I was a bit apprehensive about this but it was perfectly fine. It was a bit cloudy at the top so didn't really see much (its better to go first thing in the morning for better views) There were some shops at the top but no ‘proper' souvenir shops. It would have been nice to have purchased something with the statue of Christ on it. There was also a café for food and snacks at the top. Down to San Felipe Fortress next, some lovely views from here but the guide did not tell us much about the history of the place or even about Dominican Rep. We were only here for ½ hr at the most and again hassled by vendors getting on and off the coach.
We went onto Sosua next for lunch, it was just ok, you had a choice of meats (hot lunch) then we went to Sosua beach, we were really hassled here by shop vendors and people selling wares on the beach. It was so bad a large group of us all stayed together on the beach, none of us felt comfortable at all, I was very disappointed as I was looking forward to seeing Sosua and more of the area. This tour would have been better if we had spent more time at each site in Puerto Plata and left Sosua out. I don't think many of us on the coach really enjoyed this day out, though it was good to see a bit of the town.
Dune Buggies ($94 solo)
Loved these! Make sure you wear old clothes and shoes as they will get dirty & muddy. This was a ½ day, we went in the morning (cooler than the afternoon) The buggies are very bumpy over the terrain but it was fab! Went through some large ‘puddles' of water, got soaked and I was covered in dust. We bought bandanas for $3 each which you do need with all the dust off the tracks. We stopped somewhere up the mountain for a drink and a rest then back down again. Could have spent all day on the buggies! You had the chance to buy photos and a DVD at the end.
Ocean World ($55 + )
This was one of my favourite things. We only paid for the admission $55 each. Our friends were doing the dolphin swim and shark encounter. Even though we were not taking part in any of the swims/encounters we still filled the day in and were not bored, there were plenty of things to do and see. Food was a bit overpriced for what it was. We got our photo taken with the dolphin for $22 and I got one feeding the tiger for $10, I thought these were very reasonably priced.
Pub Crawl ($10)
Thomas Cook pub crawl around the pubs in the Playa Dorada plaza. I didn't go but my husband and friends did, they liked Hemmingways the best but did not like Coco Bongos. There were special drink prices but check the bill a few people were getting overcharged.
The other days we spent around the main pool with the swim up bar, got involved with the activities that the crew organised. We were invited to Oscar's cocktail party one Wednesday evening at the spa pool, it was lovely and we won the draw for a couples massage! It was bliss, would highly recommend a massage treatment at the spa. Thanks Oscar! We did walk to the plaza a few times, the first time we felt really hassled by staff in the shops to buy etc. The next few times were not as bad, some of the prices were quite reasonable too for gifts and souvenirs. We also used the wee horse & carts a few times.
I have posted a review on the Blue Bay hotel separately. If anyone has any questions ask away :o) I would go back to the Dominican Rep. I would also get out and about more to see other areas and the local way of life.
