Blue Haven Hotel Review 14th – 18th November 2004

55-room luxury boutique hotel in Bacolet (listing)
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Graham Jones
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Location: Bournemouth

Blue Haven Hotel Review 14th – 18th November 2004

Post by Graham Jones »

The Blue Haven has a superb location, above Bacolet Bay, on the Atlantic side of the island. Rooms in the original building and the East wing overlook the bay, while the West wing has views across the ocean towards the Hilton and the Lowlands area of the island.

Our room was very good, with a very comfortable king-size bed, a balcony and of course the signature bathroom arrangement, where a large glass partition allows you to shower while looking through the room and balcony doors at the bay. Buildings on the other side of the bay are far enough away and there is a movable blind for those of a modest disposition.

The swimming pool would be very safe for younger children, as it shelves gently. Half way along the pool, the water had reached waist-deep. This does restrict swimming ‘laps’ along the length of the pool.

The beach is accessed from a path and steps from near the pool area. The beach was rather a surprise to us, in that for some period of each day we were there, the sea came right in covering all of the sand. At no time was it more than about 20 yards wide. Looking at some of Steve’s pictures and comparing them with mine suggests that quite a bit of sand may have disappeared over the last few months. The bay slopes very gently, so it is quite possible to go a fair way out from the shore and still be within your depth. We found the water to be warmer than on the Caribbean side.

Behind the beach is a low, grassed area, where the beach bar and the sun loungers are located. The area is well shaded by palm trees, though no umbrellas. There were always plenty of loungers available, despite the hotel being full. If necessary, more were brought out from the store on the beach, without us needing to ask. Kayaks and body boards were also available to hotel guests. Certainly the bay is the ‘jewel’ in their crown.

The clientele during our stay were predominantly German-speaking, (about 75%), with the remainder English-speaking. I think that Lauda Air’s arrival on the island had brought some new trade.

We found the staff to be very friendly and service came with a smile! This was a considerable improvement from our previous location.

The restaurant belonging to the hotel is called ‘Shutters on the Bay”. We were on the hotel’s ‘Platinum All Inclusive’ package. We found breakfast to be very acceptable, with the usual collection of cooked items, along with fresh fruit, cold meats, cheeses and freshly made pastries.

Lunch was only available at the beach bar. The menu included chicken & chips, burgers or toasted sandwiches. There were also some salad options. The food was cooked to order, well presented and served in the shade on the deck adjacent to the bar.

Afternoon tea was rather a surprise. It consisted of serve-yourself hot water, instant coffee or teabag and nothing else! At other times, drinks service in the Terrace Bar was excellent.

Dinners were very nicely cooked and well presented, but the lack of choice was a major disappointment. Generally the main course had a choice of one meat dish and one fish dish only. On the first three of our four nights, the meat was chicken. When a hotel offers half board, full board and AI, it really needs to offer more choice. The house wine was palatable, but a bottle of sparkling wine would have been £25. I would also advise anyone using room service to check prices in advance.

In summary, we enjoyed the hotel and would recommend it, though probably not on the All-Inclusive basis. If you are travelling on that package, ensure that reception is aware on check-in and that you receive the printed sheet outlining what is included, as members of staff are sometimes confused!!
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