Blue Sea Beach Resort

Overall we had a good time at the Blue Sea, but there were some issues which mean we would not come again. Not all things the hotel could change though.

Room: We arrived late at night, and were given a room which was a bit of a walk from reception and up a spiral staircase with no lift. This wasnt necessarily a problem for the rest of the holiday but carrying 3 heavy suitcases up a spiral staircase after travelling all day was not easy! The room was clean and we had water bottles left for us. View of the sea was lovely and the room was cleaned well during the stay. I have seen some comments about the showers being small but it seemed standard to me. They also left us loads of toilet roll. Only 2 pillows which were very flimsy but we requested more and they provided 3 more. Overall we were happy with the room.

Hotel grounds: Pool area was lovely, nice and clean and plenty of beds. You can also use the pool in the annexe over the road which is super peaceful. Beach is nice too although the beds fill up quickly. Multiple bars, and there is lots of space for sitting and having a drink. Indoor pool and jacuzzi available in the spa, although the tiles get very wet and slippy and are not dried during the day from what I could see.

Food/drink: We didnt eat much in the main restaurant as we prefer to eat out. When we did the food was average all inclusive food. We preferred the beach bar for lunch as it was more fresh. The main restaurant is fine seating wise but the food area is small so it can get crowded. Cocktails were fine and you could help yourself to soft drinks etc. In the main restaurant you can help yourself to beer, wine and coffee etc. Never had to wait too long at the bar.

Staff: Overall 90% of the staff we met were so friendly, from reception, to bar, to the shop. In particular the barman at the pool bar has so much energy and always smiling which was really nice. The main chef in the beach bar was also really friendly and constantly checking the food. The staff clearing tables etc at the beach bar were also lovely. Entertainment wise there were some great singers! Unfortunately the staff in the spa give off more mean girl vibes, and on our last day my fiance saw them pointing, talking about and laughing at me (I am a plus size woman who was in a swimsuit and tentatively walking around the indoor pool as the tiles were so wet and slippy) - I expect staff to have more self control and that was really nasty and inappropriate. We faced a lot of nastiness from other guests through the week and so to see it from staff too was really upsetting.

Other guests: There is a mixture of nationalities at the hotel which was nice (a lot of german and dutch people), and some were lovely. However we found that some of them were openly rude about us/to us. I am plus size and my fiance is black. He was stared at, given dirty looks and openly talked about with distain. I faced people openly staring at me and looking me up and down like i was disgusting. Whenever we entered the bar or restaurant it was particularly bad and made us really uncomfortable which is one of the reasons we used the beach bar where possible instead. We also spent a lot of time outside the hotel anyway which was always the plan and we took ourselves to the annex pool when we wanted to get away from it. This is obviously not the hotels fault but im putting it here so others in our position can get the full picture of what they will face.

Overall despite the other guests we enjoyed our stay and i dont think some of the negative reviews are fair. For what we paid we were happy and if it wasnt for the other guests we would probably come again (and just avoid the spa)

A Pleasant Stay, but I Wouldn’t Return

We stayed for 6 nights and overall had a lovely time, although there were a few things that could have been better.

Room and cleanliness: The room was clean, and the towels were changed daily, which was appreciated.

Staff: All the staff were lovely, friendly and welcoming, which definitely added to our stay. They were one of the positives of our holiday.

Food: The all-inclusive buffet was okay. We were always able to find something to eat at every meal. We are not fussy eaters, so we were happy enough with the food selection.

Activities and entertainment: There wasn’t a great deal of activities that appealed to us, and we didn’t particularly enjoy most of the evening entertainment. However, the highlight for us was the four ladies singing at the pool bar on Tuesday evening. They were fantastic and provided the best entertainment of our stay.

Smoking areas: One of our biggest issues was that smoking was allowed in most of the outdoor seating areas. As non-smokers, it was difficult to find somewhere to sit outside and enjoy the fresh air without being exposed to cigarette smoke. Even during the evening entertainment, some guests were smoking, which made it unpleasant for us. It would have been nice to have more designated smoke-free outdoor seating areas.

Overall: We had a pleasant 6-night stay, and the lovely staff, clean room and Tuesday evening singers were definite positives. However, the limited activities, entertainment that didn’t suit our tastes, and lack of smoke-free outdoor seating affected our overall experience. Unfortunately, although we enjoyed parts of our holiday, I wouldn’t choose to return.