Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: FIRST CHOICE AUG 2007
Opinion submitted in August 2007 by : NICKY N NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 38,38,12,8
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Sorry to disagree with previous review just returned from blue bay and we were very dissappointed with the staff, they were all extremely grumpy and not happy to help unless a couple or hd babies the rest of us were treated and the children treated like a bit of a nuisance. we found the owners of the hotel extremely rude and obnoxious to ourselves and their staff.
The hotel has a lovely location and fantastic views,food good and plenty of unusual dishes,drinks ok although not a great choice,what really made our holiday were the fantastic people we met and the entertainment staff who were always happy to help they were always smiling and they did work long hours!thankyou to morris ,albert,mike and anita the evenings were short lived, music and noise has to stop at 11 which was very dissappointing but you can always walk down to molo s 2 min walk extremely pleasant staff ps2 for kids disco pool table and large screen tv s showing football and other child friendly programmes just b careful the gate shuts at 1am and it is a long walk round.
would return when some of the restrictions are removed and under new management.shame you need to go elsewhere and pay for entertainment after 11.
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: First Choice - August 2007
Opinion submitted in August 2007 by : Lisa & Grant James - Romford (38, 30, 9 & 4)
Resort Rating: Average
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
I was determined to write my own review when i got back as i read lots before i went and arrived at this destination with an open mind......
I'll start off with the good points about the place... the views are stunning and everywhere is spotlessly clean and was for the whole of our holiday. Our rooms were spacious and comfortable, the air conditioning was a god send on the very hot days and evenings we encountered!! The food was nice and plenty of it, my kids are not the most adventurous eaters but they never moaned once about the food!! The pool was big and not too deep for my 4 year old who felt too grown up to go in the baby pool!! Plenty of sun beds, but my husband was gettting up before 7 to save us ones with a parasol.
Now for the bad points.... the one massive problem that everyone has mentioned is the mossies, and for this reason alone we would not come back to this reort or recommend it to anyone, they were even worse than i imagined, my kids are covered in big bites all over as am i and my husband, we went with friends and my friend got such a bad bite on the sole of her foot she coudln't walk properly or wear shoes for 2 days! no amount of repellent, candles, shouting or swearing made any difference to the amount of bites we got, also another thing we hated was the wild cats that surround you when you are trying to eat by the pool bar, one of the cats even bit my friends 3 year old son as he tried to shoo him away.
Another bad point is the evening entertainment, terrible!!! Kids loved the mini discos every night and my 9 year old tried her hardest to win bingo but after that it was not good, although my friend and i mamnaged to show ourselves up with a few careflly chosen songs on the karaoke nights!!! My final bad point is the limited drinks available on the all inclusive, spirits, wine & weak beer are all that is available, no cocktails - childrens cocktails - milkshakes (these were all extra and not cheap either). My husband was even having to shell out for an espresso coffee every day!
We did have a really good day out to the water park, The Hydropolis which is really good for younger children as well as older children and we booked this in a local travel shop just outside the gates by the pool bar which i would recommend for good value!!
I would also recommend the bar outside the gates to your right for reasonalbly priced genorously measured cocktails which we took advantage off on more than one occassion!
The bad points aside we did have a really good holiday, mainly because we went with friends so we made our own entertainment, had a good laugh and let the ouzo flow!!!
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: july 2007
Opinion submitted in August 2007 by : phill and deb (46 44)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
We were told about this hotel 2 days before we were due to fly to corfu as our original hotel closed due to operational reasons, we were very nervous on arriving as we did not know what to expect. To our relief the hotel was excellant.
Very clean, good food (never went hungry, put on a few pounds around the middle)!!The owners and staff were extremly polite and could not do enough for you. The apartments were cleaned everyday, in fact i dont think cleaning stopped the whole time we were there. The staff work extremley long hours and yet still have time for their guests. Please talk to the staff, they were wonderful people. Yes remember the mozzie cream, with Deet in it! however if you go to a humid island like corfu or any other country you will always get mozzies. We would recommend this hotel to all. One tip ask costa's or anthony for special coco cola!!! (brandy and coke) or coffee or drinking chocolate!!!!! the beach is 5 mins away and is very safe for children. The entertainment needs some work, however the entertainment staff were great. We did not have any children with us, however the children seem to have lots of fun with the childrens reps and were looked after very well.
we had 2 weeks all inclusive met some wonderful people had a great time and did not want to come home.
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: First Choice - July 2007
Opinion submitted in July 2007 by : David Tuckey Reading 53 and 52
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Opinion:
What a place , the views, the cleanliness , service, food variety, excellent staff , could not do enough.
I would highly recommend this resort , the variey of food in the restuarant, by the pool and the snack bar . All the staff were excellent, but do make conversation as they have a lot of guests to look after , so make the effort you find them all great from the ownner Mr Thomas , Spyros his son and Niki Spyros's lovely wife . The apartments were very clean and spacious fridge kettle and air conditioning, daily maid service very freindly .
Pool area like the rest of the resort, was cleaned doen every day , with staff collecting all the empty plates , cups etc from around the pool all day long , spotless everywhere.
mosquitoes only a problem at night by the poll area , put on spray or use candles this should keep them away , by the resort is near a lake , but with any hot climate with vegetation you will get some of these little pests .
The weather was in the high 30's sunshine every day .
I cannot recommend this resort enough go and relax and enjoy the wonderful scenery and visit Kassiopi .
Once again I would like to thank the owner Mr Thomas his wife , and of course Spyros and Niki who really made the holiday for myself and my wife .
This was our 1st time in Corfu and we will be going back next year
A little crampt on the plane as I am 6 2 there was no room to move , so more seats with leg room for taller passengers please .
July 2007
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: Airtours- July 2007
Opinion submitted in July 2007 by : AJ -38,36,15,10
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
BBE, was fab, spotlessly clean, gorgeous views over Albania, massive pool, lovely food. lots of sport, games ect in the day football, vollyball, waterpolo water arobics, pool games to keep everyone happy. night time entertainment usually mini kids disco, bingo, show dancing by entertainers or audience doing men v women, mr and Mrs Etc not the best ive ever had abroad but something to look at while having a few drinks in the evening till about 11.30pm/12am. theres another terrace bar if you dont want to watch this. mozzi's are around as been reported before, i only got 3 bites- less than in other places ive been, my husband and kids had a few more, but we didnt really notice them.
rooms are large and great air con. loads of sunloungers around the pool, not all have parasols for shade though, but theres a terace to sit under for shade if you wish. i personally couldnt fault this place and would recommend it. i was nervous about going after reading some of the reviews but i suppose its what you want from a holiday! clean tidy, friendly, good pool, next to beach, good food, some entertainment?
i would recommend it.
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: First Choice - July 2007
Opinion submitted in July 2007 by : John & Liz - Mannofield (45, 45, 14, 13, 3)
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
Pleasant week, good weather, stunning scenery, quiet location, one week was more than sufficient time at this location.
Accom: Good but basic (no curtains on one of the windows), cleaned everyday and comfortable.
Food: plenty of it but of variable standard.
Hotel staff: very helpful and friendly despite difficult working conditions (being abused by visitors for not understanding english!)- a little bit of greek goes a long way in smoothing the path.
Gardens and setting could not be nicer. However location adjacent to the lagoon meant that squadrons of mosquitos arrived every night just as the sun went down and maintained constant attacks throughout each night - except when very windy or on the nights when they appeared to use great quantities of "mist" on the nearby lake from both helicopters and planes! Previous comments about Mosquitos are not understated. One of our teenagers now has what appear to be gunshot wounds covering his back! Although I am confirmed Mozzie bait from previous experience, was able to survive this visit fairly unscathed by liberal application of AUTAN - this seemed more successful than all other defence methods (available from Boots).
Seems like there is a lot of entertainment for under tens but the fare for teenagers is repetitive and limited.
Nearby towns are both welcoming and can provide entertainment, dining and shopping to divert.
Can thoroughly recommend the bar out of the gate at the bottom, to the right with the swimming pool in the front yard (after the shop). Ok you have to shell out but you do feel like you are being looked after - not expensive, great views and very friendly family run establishment.
Beware you may be asked to pay 60 Euros to allow a late check out on your final day - why don't they just ad this to the price?
The two little beaches are good but the water sports are actually only a selection of inflatables that get dragged along behind a boat. Pity as this would be an excellent sailing location.
Finally the compulsory blue wrist bands denoting "all inclusive payment" make you feel like you have been tagged for the week! Surely there is a better way of doing this.
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: June 2007
Opinion submitted in June 2007 by : Craig & Lynn (32,30)
Resort Rating: Average
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
This was our first all inclusive holiday, and it exceeded our expectations. The food was of a high standard, and there was always a sufficient and constantly varying selection. The quality/presentation could have been improved upon, however for a 4 star, it was good enough. Personal highlights were the BBQ lunch and the chocolate crepes which were available for dessert one night! Delicious!
The pool area was excellent. There were plenty of sunbeds, and even on the busiest days, you could still always find one. There are activities throughout the day, and the water polo is worth watching even if you don't fancy partaking as the guy organising it is very loud and quite funny. The weather was extremely hot whilst we were there due to a heatwave, which made it a bit too humid for us. It left us too drained to do anything other than relax, which was fine as that's all we were looking for.
The staff were all friendly, particularly at the shop at the front of the hotel where they were extremely pleasant.
The view from the hotel was picturesque. You can see the sea at the bottom of the hotel gardens, and there are hills, a lake, and Albanian mountains all around. St. Spyridon itself has a couple of small beaches and rocky coves which are ok for snorkelling, though the fish aren't very colourful. There are also pedalos and watersports available at extra charge. There are a couple of bars/restaurants and a supermarket, but nothing much else. We didn't go on any excursions due to it being too hot to want to be active, but if you fancy somewhere a little busier, we drove through Acharavi en route to the airport and it had nice looking cafes, restaurants and bars etc. The hotel runs a bus daily so this would be a good option.
The accomodation was quite basic, but acceptable. It was a blessing having air conditioning, and useful having a fridge and kettle in the little kitchen area. The worst thing was probably the shower which you have to hold as it's attached to the wall really low down. We managed to attach it higher up by tying it to the towel rail above with a carrier bag and angling it as best we could!! Sounds silly, but it made a huge difference not having to wash with one hand whilst holding the shower with the other!!
The worst thing about Corfu was the mosquitos. We weren't really interested in the entertainment at the pool bar in the evening so probably faired better than others by staying in the apartment but, even still, we ended up with bites. We used a plug-in, citronella candles, and a spray-on repellent, but found that we still got bitten. I don't know if St Spyridon is worse than the rest of Corfu, but be aware that the Blue Bay is home to an unexpectedly massive mozzie population. I'd say the constant mozzie paranoia certainly reduced our enjoyment.
All in all we had a lovely relaxing holiday, although we were starting to get a bit bored by the end of the week. Had the weather been slightly less humid, we would have broken the week up by going out for the day somewhere, but it was still enjoyable.
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: First Choice - June 2007
Opinion submitted in June 2007 by : David Forrest - Newcastle (52, 50)
Resort Rating: Average
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
First I'll mention the plus points. The weather was fantastic and the scenery was stunning.That's the end of that category.
Now the bad points. The beer was served in glasses that had just come out of the dish washer, making the beer very warm. The food was cold and on a number of occasions could be seen covered in flys, especially in the snack bar by the pool.
The maid would throw the covers over the bed and walk back out of the apartment, that was the maid service.
Mozzies:We took every precaution known to Boots and others that weren't. I am one of those people that you will hear say "I never get bit". Not any more, I came home with over 30 bites. My wife had more that that, including two on her eyelid, making her eye swell and she couldn't open it. She had to go to the doctor and one injection later and 70 Euros she was told to stay out of the sun and avoid a long list of food such as pork and chicken, which were the only things on the menu. I spoke to one man who I thought had a boxing glove on, but it turned out to be half a dozen mozzie bites. BE WARNED: the mozzies are a serious problem at this resort and are about the only topic of conversation between all the holiday makers staying here.
One last point, do go to Kassioppi, it's really nice there with some great Tavernas serving good hot food. The bars serve beer ice cold. My wife and I would have preferred to stay in Kassioppi in a self catering apartment rather than stay at the Blue Bay on the all inclusive.
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: First Choice - May 18th 2007
Opinion submitted in June 2007 by : Sue & Mat - Devon (30 & 23)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
We have just got back from spending a week at the Blue Bay Escape resort and have to say that we had a fantastic time!
We spent most of the week soaking up the sun which was our main intention. This was around the pool where there was absolutely no problem getting a sunbed, with or without a parasol (granted we DID go down to put towels on a couple just incase) but there would'nt have been too much of a problem if we didnt.
The views from this place are absolutely amazing it has to be said!... What with the mountains of Albania to your front and the hills of Corfu behind. There are also 2 small beaches which we walked along each morning, one being more popular than the other with pedalos for hire. There was also watersports from a spot in between the 2 if you fancied it.
I read some reviews of Blue Bay Escape on this site before we booked and am glad that I didnt let the negative ones influence our decision... all the staff we found to be very friendly, some more than others. The whole resort was kept very clean and tidy! The rooms were also very spacious & the air con, which was in both rooms was bliss after a whole day of toasting in the sun!
The food was good. Maybe not as good as it could be for 4 star accommodation but nice, and a fair choice just the same! There was not really a lot of choice however on the all inclusive drinks but we still found something to satisfy our taste buds, & 'wobbled' back to our room feeling well on our way each night! :oD
Entertainment through the day seemed to be frequent for those who wanted to join in. We just enjoyed chilling to the max but they managed to get my boyfriend up one day near the end of the week to play water polo! Unfortunately the evening entertainment wasn't very good. The best night was the rep night though, which was a laugh.
I would recommend a visit to Kassiopi, a nice little Greek town which you can get to on the courtesy bus which runs from outside the main entrance a couple of times in the morning & again in the evening. We spontaneously decided to go one morning after the 2nd bus had gone, so we ordered a taxi from reception which only took 5 minutes to come, it took approx 10 mins to get there and cost us 10 euros which was ideal. We also went out to a traditional Greek night on the Wed night which was through the reps and this was thoroughly enjoyable! The reps are excellent by the way, especially James & Ashley!
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: First Choice may 2007
Opinion submitted in May 2007 by : 28, 23, 10, 7 , 4 & 6 months
Resort Rating: Below Average
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
There is no resort just two beaches, both ok.
Evening entertainment a joke.
Not the best food, we actually paid to eat out more than once.
Swimming pool nice, but if it rains like it did when we were there, you are stuck. No where to go, nothing else to do.
Apartments clean, gardens lovely.
Kids enjoyed it. Would not reccomend or return.
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: first choice may 2007
Opinion submitted in May 2007 by : gordon rigley 41 33
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Where do i start. What a fantastic time me and my wife had.
We went to Blue Bay to celebrate our wedding anniversary to basically chill and unwind. However you cannot help but get involved with the various activities that are taking place through out the day. The entertainment team were absolutely brilliant !! Chico is so funny and albert is so weird but in an ammusing way. The girls on the team were also excellent, bearing in mind this was the first week of the season they gelled together really well. Having read previous reviews and between the lines you have to go with an open mind. You will never satisfy 100% of the people 100% of the time. If you want to enjoy yourself then this is what you will get. I did find the food a bit repetitive but as they say when in rome and all that, try and be a little adventurous. The rooms were spotless and cleaned every day. Do remember a plug if you want to take a bath. The scenery all around you ia absolutely breathtaking, with the albanian mountains in view from the pool area to the hills of st spyridon and beyond behind you. I agree with alot of the reviews that if you are courtious to the staff then they will be as nice to you.
The entertainment was quite good but some more cd,s are required! i am sending chico some different types of music to cater for all. Sunbeds were not a problem but bear in mind this was the first week of theseason. Saying this ther seems plenty enough to cope when in busier periods. Slight mozzie problem but easily counteracted with sprays and candles on your table. No bites for either of us. I think we saw two wasps and a couple of black flying things that were so big i swear they had a jockey on thier back but we were told they were harmless.
All in all we loved it and already going back this sptember. Its down to yourselfs to make your own mind up but give it a go. You wont be dissapointed if you just left yourselfs go a bit.
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: first choice - 2007
Opinion submitted in August 2007 by : sami-jo holmes and liam blades -manchester 18/19
Resort Rating: Average
Accommodation Rating: Below Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
well i will start with the mozzies: i didn't get bit for the 8 days out of 10 but on the 9th day i got about 40 bites all over me, so be well prepared!!.
the food was good but it was quite repetetive. the entertainment team was brill!! the bar down at the beach was really good and cheap.we also went into kassiopi, we had to get a taxi down which was 14euros, which wasnt bad but there was only one taxi stop, so basically you had to wait till a taxi came, you could ring the number but it ment that you had to buy a phone card for 4euros. we waited for 2hours in total then went up the road to a travel guide shop and she was very helpful and got us a taxi in a couple of mins, so do book with the shuttle that is free!!the rooms were generally clean, apart from they didnt sweep in your bedrooms, and we didnt have a brush in our room, so we then had a ant invasion, plus there was a gap under our door. the tv, well they say standard channels but we got 3channels and one of them didnt have sound??
the beer was good, but try the cum quat and lemonade,its not spelt like that but its pronounced like that. oh and when they say the drive is only 1hour away be prepared for a 2hour drive!! the resort overall was quite a nice place but the reception staff were very rude to me and my partner.
on the last day we left some suverniers in the room, and we relised, so we asked at the reception if we could pop back and get them,she took along time to answer and at first said no because the cleaners have been in. so then i asked her if the cleaners have been in they should of found them and put them in a lost and found? wouldnt u?very rudely said that there wasnt anything in there without even looking!!! so then we had to wait for a holiday rep, which was about an hour before we were leaving and she said that all she could do was take my address and if they did turn up that they would send them to us??? i wasnt happy with this so i spoke to the manager and he said the same, but apparently they should of given me a crime number? so that i claim my money back off the insurance.its not about the money but we spent pretty much of our money on them and money isnt going to justify that, i am not happy how they have delt with the situation and you might think im a fussy so and so but i wont be going there again and wont be booking with first choice again, it was ment to be mine and my partners first holiday together and the last day really spoilt it!! thanx x
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: First Choice 2007
Opinion submitted in June 2007 by :
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Fantastic, like other reports am so gland we ignored the negative comments on your website. Staff and Reps great, very helpful. Food great, we went all in. Can not wait to go back again.
All round a fantastic weeks holiday, went on a coach trip around Corfu, guide very good. Coach drivers deserve medals for getting the coaches around the narrow bendy roads.
Enjoy....
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: First Choice - 2007
Opinion submitted in June 2007 by : Gill - Surrey (40, 59)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
After reading some of the comments written by others, we were slightly concerned prior to arriving at the Blue Bay - we needn't have worried though, we had an absolutely fantastic time (in fact would jump at the chance to go back tomorrow). The appartments and grounds were immaculate, the staff never stopped! If you look at the First Choice web site, at the photographs of Blue Bay, well they do it credit, but not enough - the place is absolutely georgous!
We went there to have a rest, and that is exactly what we did, however, the entertainment staff are on hand from 10.00am every day for those who want to join in in the daily activities. Night time entertainment, not fantastic, but again, the entertainment staff work their sox off to look after you. Outside the resort, are a couple of bars and shops, Valentino's bar - excellent. Yanis knows how to look after is customers.
The two beeches are very clean, and plenty of water sports for those who choose.
What can I say about the First Choice Reps - just like the entertainment staff, they works really hard and always have a smile for you - no matter what time of day or night it is.
The food - again, the staff work really hard - we couldn't complain about any of it - the all inclusive drinks, well they are limited, but there is something to suit everyone - the beer is lovely on a really hot day - just the job to cool you down, even if it is in a plastic cup - but that is understandable, as it is served around the pool area - which is georgous - and no you don't have to fight for a sun bed!
If you go to the Blue Bay with the same attitude that we did - you will love it - especially if you get good weather like us.
For those of you about to visit the Blue Bay - have fun - I wish it was me!
One bad thing about the resort - and this is absolutely no reflection on the hotel, make sure you take pleanty of mozzie protection - they are out in force!
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: First Choice October 2006
Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : Dot and Ritchie - Northumberland ( 50)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Just returned from 2 wks AI at the Blue Bay Escape Resort. We have had a wonderfully restful holiday and would recommend it to anyone who wishes a chance to wind down in beautiful surroundings just a stone's throw literally from the beach. The hotel, pool and grounds are kept spotlessly clean and the staff are extremely helpful and friendly. Mostly they speak excellent English so communication is easy if you make the effort.
We booked through First Choice (for the first time) on a late deal. We were very pleased with the friendly helpful reps, the flights were good and on time and all in all we had a good experience with this company.
We had read the reviews previously posted about Blue Bay Escape Resort before we booked and so we had the advantage of knowing for example to take a bath plug if you need to use the bath (they don't supply plugs!), use Tanja Travel (located just outside the complex)to book your trips as the lady there is so helpful and considerably cheaper than those sold by the reps at the hotel, and make use of the courtesy buses to Acharavi and Kassiopi for shopping etc or just a change of scenery. You can walk to Acharavi through a nature reserve and along the beach - about 4 miles return.
We would say that this hotel is definately not for those who want a lively nightlife. The hotel's evening entertainment did not appeal to us (bingo, Mr and Mrs, magic show etc) but families with children did attend and the children seemed to be having a whale of a time. We were quite happy to sit quietly in the reception bar most evenings having a quiet drink and chat.
There was TV in the rooms but not many English speaking channels and for footy fans there was a big screen TV in one part of the bar which was switched on when required.
I am aware that there was only one week of the season left when we came home and I have to say that things did seem to be winding down as we left. We were lucky as the weather was fantastic for the whole 2 weeks and we were swimming in the sea on 19th October 2006! As we left though you could tell it was getting cooler and clouds were appearing as the season changed. I believe good weather is essential to a happy stay at Blue Bay as there would be nothing much to do if you couldn't use the pool and it's facilities, beach etc.
The food was good, although after 2 weeks it did get a bit repetetive, but this was rectified easily if one tried new experiences - just stay open minded and try new tastes - yummy!
Local spirits, wine, beer and soft drinks were included in the all inclusive deal. They were acceptable but obviously not as good as branded makes. I heard several disappointed people complain that Baileys was not included - but all branded makes were available for an extra charge should you wish.
The mosquitoes were HORRENDOUS and the little ******'s absolutely bit me to distraction. Go well armed with all the protection you can find plus after bite creams and potions! The wasps, and there were many, were nothing more than a nuisance as all they were interested in was sugar, fizzy drinks, sweets etc. With care one can avoid annoying them, but the mossies are out to get you, so be warned!
All in all we had a great time at Blue Bay Escape Resort and would go again, although you do need the weather so end Sept early Oct may be the latest we would go next time.
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: First Choice
Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : David-Lindsay (Lanarkshire)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
We have just come back from the BlueBay Escape in St Spyridon and if you are looking for a 1st class holiday then this is the place to be...
seriously the hotel was excerlent very spacious apartments, very clean and ice cold A\C in both rooms. The hotel staff were fantastic and all guests were allowed 4 drinks per visit to the bar and the bar is all inclusive up to 1am.
Personnally I got fed up with the free local drinks and ended up paying between 3&5 euro's for whiskey's.
The Mossies are really bad and no matter how much you try to put up with them you cant avoid them, I came home with 50+ big bites on my legs and arms (although my kids and my wife only had a few small bites)and we were all wearing the Jungle formula and lighting the mossie candles at night, the locals said there had been a bad storm a couple of weeks ago and since then the mossies have multiplied...
Also the wasps were a pest but they weren't really stinging, in the full week I think two young children got stung (probably trying to catch em) If you dont bring food back to your sunbeds then you will be OK, but be warned there are literally 100's of wasps around the pool bar. er-indors is terrified of wasps but even she got used to them and unless she was eating they didnt bother her much.
We had six sunny days and one cloudy day so cant complain about the wheather at all.
I would definately go back to this resort but not in October. The first choice reps are EXCERLENT you couldnt honestly fault them (hi, Dan, Andy and the crew) even on the plane my son (who is 6ft 5") was offered the extra leg-room seats travelling both ways.
If you can put up with the beasties then give this place a try YOU WONT BE DISSAPOINTED...
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: First Choice - Sept/Oct 2006
Opinion submitted in September 2006 by :
Resort Rating: Average
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Just got back from a weeks holiday and I was so pleased to be back home. The wasps and mosquitos were unbearable and I cried on the first day and wanted to come home. We arrived at 10pm after the bus journey to the hotel took 2 hours. This meant that we missed our evening meal but there was toasties available once the restaurant had closed.
Room - The room was very pleasant and clean. There was air conditioning in the room which was great. The rooms were cleaned daily and linen changed 3 times a week. The TV had only the world news channel available in English. There is a safe in the room but this costs 4 euros a day, so works out quite expensive. The maids were pleasant but they did leave our bathroom window open a few times which meant mosquitos and other insects could get in.
Pool area - Plenty of sunbeds available and not too over crowded. Kids loved it but I thought the pool was a bit cold. My husband states it was nice when you got in. The pool area itself was nice but the rubbish that people left was not tidied away which attracted the wasps. The wasps were unbearable. They would hover around your drink and while you ate. I dont mean a few wasps, there was hundreds of them. I had to take my food and drink back to the room as there would be approx 10 wasps wanted to land on your food.
Meals - Very poor choice of food. Only one side of the restaurant open but this was fine as the resort was not very busy. Im a vegetarian but the rice and pasta dishes had meat in them so I had salad everyday and the odd day some vegetables or potatoes. For the kids either fishfingers or chicken nuggets as main part of meal everyday. I actually lost weight when I got back. Eating by the pool was disgusting due to the amount of wasps hovering around wanting to land on your food.
Entertainment - Kids mini disco my son enjoyed but we left after that as there was bingo on and we never stayed for the night entertainers. This started at 10pm and was a bit late for my 3 year old son. We also could not stand the amount of mozzies that wanted to eat you on the night-time. I left with approx 60 bites and they are horrible.
Kids club - This was fantastic and my son enjoyed himself. The girls were lovely and friendly and always spoke when they saw you. I would definately recommend the club as it gives you a rest, unless you're battling with the wasps.
Due to the amount of wasps by the pool we decided to try the beach to escape. This was better for the wasps but it was still a problem if there was litter thrown on the beach. If the beach had not been there I would have come home on the next available flight. We had to pay 8 euros a day for the sunbeds on the beach but this was worth it to escape the wasps. I would not go to this resort again due to the amount of wasps, mozzies and quality of food.
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: Sept 2006
Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : John - Bradford (40, 36, 16, 10, 5)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Just got back from 2 very enjoyable weeks at Blue Bay resort and I would echo most of the sentiments already written about it. Spotlessly clean, food excellent (again, you do have to be willing to try something other than Egg & Chips) and pool great, not much of a problem getting a sunbed even at about 11 0'Clock. Despite what some have said, the beach is very close by....unless you class a 5 minute walk as a hike!
The entertainment on a night is a bit limited but then again we don't go on holiday with this in mind anyway, so it was no loss to us. Try using the free bus service to Kassiopi & Acharavi, they are lovely ....just don't look as the driver flies round the bends ;-)
The staff work very hard and if you can be bothered with a little courtesy they are very friendly. Always someone cleaning up and the maid service is very good.
One slight moan was that for the last 2 days they closed half the dining room(when a lot of guests had left) which made it a bit of a squash at dinner & breakfast..not too horrendous, but I wouldn't like to have had that for the full 2 weeks.
Another bonus was the lack of typical 'brits abroad' and drunken youths throwing up, it WAS quiet so if you do like a more nightclubby type place, maybe it won't be for you. But we loved it.
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: First Choice Aug 2006
Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : Sarah-Northampton
Resort Rating: Below Average
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
I Have just returned from a week in the Blue Bay Escape and I am glad to be home.
The Hotel food is not as bad as most of the reports make out however it is often cold.
Every member of the hotel staff bar a couple are rude and a smile is certainly out of the question.
The hotel managment should be allowed no-were near any public place let alone a hotel they are rude, self centered and couldn`t care for any guests concerns at all, if it wasnt for the amazing first choice reps this place may as well close, without Dan and andy running the show and pulling all the strings to ensure every guest has an excellent stay the place woud be worse than a prison sentence, These are infact the best reps we have ever encountered and do a fantastic job.
Its a two hour transfere to the hotel, its in the middle of no-were and the drinks are very limited.Dont do it to yourselves pick another hotel
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: First choice - aug 2006
Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : Marie - Derby (34,35,16,11,9)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
This was our first time doing all in and I was a little worried about it because of reviews I had read on here so I thought I will do my own and tell you the absolute truth and hopefully this will make you decide weather to go there or not.
On arrival we were greeted at the door and didn't see our cases until we got our room, on entering the building we first noticed how clean it looked, we were greeted at the desk by a lovely friendly Greek man who mad us all feel very welcome.
Rooms:- The rooms were clean spacious and bright with air con which is free, rooms are cleaned every day and linen every 3 days
Staff:- we arrived at the hotel 11:30pm and although there was no food at this time we could have a cheese and ham toasty and the staff didn't mind having to do it with the exception of 1 member of staff they were all friendly and welcoming , if you are nice to them and give them a smile then they treat you the same they may not have a long chat with you because of the language barrier but can you speak Greek and a smile is a smile in any language, even the gardeners speak and small at you if you cant be bothered to be nice to people when on holiday don't expect them to be nice to you.
Pool:- lots of sun beds but be warned the saddos of this world (German English or Italian) put towels on them and if you are lucky enough to get sun beds with parasols watch for people who put their sun beds around you to get some of your shade we have never resorted to the ritual before but with having young children with red hair we had to do it to get the parasol, pool is salt water but clean and again cleaned daily.
Food:- breakfast is cereal, meat, cheese, salad, bacon, egg, sausage, beans and toast or bread with jams marmalade and honey then the Greek breakfast corner, lunch at the pool bar was a buffet lunch with salads, cold pastas and rice, a choice of warm pasta and sauces rice chips nuggets or fish fingers 2 or 3 meat dishes fish and veg also pizza hotdogs burgers toasties and kebabs then pudding was a choice of fruit or cake evening meal was much the same but more of it in the restaurant with theme nights every week so a good choice of food is available, if you or your kids only eat nuggets and chips or fish fingers and chips then yes it is repetitive but if like the 5 of us there are lots of choice but then again my family are used to eating foreign foods as I cook them at home but if I had only ever given them fish fingers and chips and never encouraged them to try different things then I suppose this is all they would eat, again the staff were fab and friendly.
Entertainment:- this is not the best but it was good enough to entertain my kids they played bingo and enjoyed the magician and singers reps put on entertainment once a week which was funny and worth going to during the day they do children's activities and volleyball and water polo so you can get a couple of hours peace from the kids
Kids clubs:- well worth putting the kids names down because when it comes down to it is their holiday to and they want a break from you as much as you want from them and gives they a great opportunity to meet new friends the reps in the kids clubs are fantastic and all trained to level 2 or 3 in child care
Reps:- Dan and Andy ( brothers) are great funny and lots of fun all reps are friendly and welcoming they always said hello to us and they are there most of the time and if you have any props they will try to sort it out the best reps I have ever met.
Tips:-Tania's travel just down the road out of the gates down by the pool and turn left she's next to the gift shop and is lovely and also half the price of first choice, mother ad daughter run it and are both really very nice and kind.
Hydropolis water park is worth a visit all the big slides are together and all the baby slides are together wed is a little more money but is barbeque day so well worth it
the beach barbeque also worth it but watch out for the randy little Greek guy on the boat he is brilliant but a bit naughty.
You can also drink the water because it is filtered
Drinks are only beer ouzo vodka koum quat and soft drinks you have to pay for others plastic cups are used for all drinks by the pool a bit of a bug bear but I would rather that than my kids cutting themselves on broken glass
Take lots of mossie repellent and watch the kids hands when getting out the pool because it is rough and my kids scrapped theirs but if it was smooth they would slip and bang their self.
We only went on the beach to the left it was 8 euros for 2 sun beds and 1 parasol, don't worry just sit down and they guy or lady there will come to you. The other beach looks a little messy.
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: first choice aug 2006
Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : A patrick - 34,39,42,15,13,9,9,5,3
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
we traveled in a group of 9, the hotel was nice and clean. rooms were spacious and had air con. the food was ok, breakfast was always the same which got boring. The lunch was better than evening meal, and the snacks need to have more choice instead of kebabs every day.
The location of the hotel is very remote it is in the middle of nowhere and is impossible to travel out at night. This made the evenings very long and the kids were bored. The hotel staff were ok, found the cleaners and gardners the friendliest. Would not reccommend this resort if you like to venture out, but if you like to lounge by the pool all day then you will be ok. Blue Bay escape made me want to escape after a week
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: First Choice August 2006
Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : Emma O'Connor - Ruislip (42,42,40,39,37,35,27,25,14,11,10,7,7,5,1,1,)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Just got back from two weeks at the Blue Bay and maybe I'm just easily pleased but I really didn't want to come home.
I think that alot of the reviews on this website are very accurate especially the one prior to mine, but I think we all have to try to relax and make the best of our holidays and not just moan all the time.
The hotel is lovely and clean and the staff on the whole do a great job keeping it lovely. My only complaint was that the same attention was not paid to the rooms. Surfaces were not wiped in my room over the entire holiday, and the bed covers were literally just thrown back over the bed and not made properly, which I think was a chame considering the efforts made everywhere else.
Th pool was fantastic but a little bit cold for my one year old not to mention me!!! Didn't bother the kids though. Kept really clean and sunbeds were never a problem. I used to get up at about 7.30 to get some beds with a parasol but there were beds available all day long which made a nice change. The only thing that I want to complain about was that they didn't provide you with towels for the pool and didn't let you use your room towels either! When I've been to 4* hotels before, they have always provided pool towels there.
The food was lovely and varied but I didn't think much of the breakfasts. The scrambled egg and bacon was horrible and they never changed the breakfasts much. I just had toast every morning and that was lovely though!! The pool snack bar was great and all the other children in our party took advantage of the hot dogs, burgers, kebabs, pizza and ice-cream all day. They loved the freedom of being able to get whatever they wanted whenever they wanted. My only complaint is that they should have done chips there too as my 5 year old used to have to joim the lunch queue and wait for sometimes 15 minutes just to get some chips!!! The woman on the snack bar should also learn to smile more!!
The aqua-park is definately worth a visit but don't book it thru first choice as they will charge you 37.5 Euros per adult when down the road at Tania's Travel you will only pay 25. That's the same with all the trips. I think it's absolutely disgusting that first choice are ripping off their customers like that. Tania's travel off all the trips they do plus more at a fraction of the price so go and see them. Kathy, Tania's mum really put her self out for us and I would highly recommend them.
Evening entertainment was a bit naff but there was so many of us it didn't bother us at all. Mossies and wasps are a bit of a problem but take repellant and don't let it ruin your holiday.
All in all we had a great time. Lovely hotel and lovely island. Millions of mossies can't be wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: Eclipse/First Choice - August 2006
Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : Reeve Family ( 36, 33 ,7, 6)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Quiet, serene, beautiful scenery. Resort overlooks Albanian coastline which is stunning to view from poolside. This is a resort to chill out at and not one for thrill seekers. We had a fantastic time.
Food great, although the snack bar by the pool is limited in it's choice of snacks, hotdogs, pizza, burgers and ice-cream all served from a grumpy assistant. We found out on last day that toasted sandwiches were available but no where was there a list of food available. Kebabs are available between 12.30pm and 3pm and are tasty, but like a lot of greek food, salty,so ask for no salt!
Other staff I have to say were great and on the whole friendly, they worked hard keeping everywhere clean and tidy. Gardens/grounds were impressive and well kept.
Beware of Mosquitoes at sunset, use tropical repellent and citronella candles. The problem was worse by the pool bar in the evening.
Evening entertainment was non-existant. The children's disco that First Choice put on was good for an hour and the First Choice entertainment on Tuesday night was tops, but the hotel run stuff was useless and boring or non-existant.
Rooms are clean spacious and more than adequate with large balcony.
A place to go for a holiday of rest, sun, good food and to keep children amused in the fabulous pool.
Would visit again, but not yet.
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: First Choice - August 2006
Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Dave,Lisa & Jack Wheeler - Essex (46,37,12)
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Below Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
Just got back from staying at the Blue Bay Escape Hotel, and to be honest i feel like i have escaped !
This is very remote although set in a very nice bay you have no where to go.As i drive for my job the thought of hiring a car does not appeal.
There is a free courtesy bus to run you to the two local towns but you are limited to go in the morning or evening and can only have one time slot, no flexibilty.
We stayed all inclusive the breakfast menu was excellent, as was the lunch menu but the evening meal was always themed and if you dont like you food "sauced up" there was always chips !!
Room was ok, but had to ask for extra pillows, had a fridge,kettle and sink so purchased milk and tea bags from on site shop , happy days.
swimming pool was excellent and floating toys were allowed but you had to get up early to beat the Germans to the sunbeds and there was a lot of them.( Germans that is )
The beach is very close and clean,plenty of sea weed but they do clean it off once a week.
Went with First Choice, all excellent as always, but transfer from airport is one/half hours.
done a couple of excursions, water park worth a visit as well as the Paxos trip.
would we go again ?, Corfu yes, but will no doubt stay elsewhere.
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: First Choice - Jul/Aug 2006
Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : Dawn Greenwood - Nottingham (6 adults, 10,6,4,2)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
We have recently returned from two fantastic weeks at the Blue Bay Hotel, and we really enjoyed it.
Upon arrival at the hotel we were impressed by the overall cleanliness of the place, the reception and grounds were spotless. Our party consisted of 10 people and we each had our own apartments. These were spacious and clean. The cleaner staff came in every day and changed towels when you needed them changing.
each apartment had air conditioning which was lovely, it kept the apartments nice and cool.
The Blue Bay is isolated as there isn't much else in St Spyridon, but the views from the poolside were fantasic, looking over to the mountains of albania.
The main restaurant served breakfast and the evening meal. Both seatings had a variety of choice for all the family. Whilst it did seem repetitive over the two weeks, the food was lovely and the restaurant kept very clean. The staff were extremely busy, catering to your needs.
Lunchtime food was served poolside at a self-service counter, again the food was lovely. There was a snack bar as well which enabled children to obtain snacks and ice cream throughout the day.
The poolside bar was okay as well.
The pool and surrounding area was also lovely. Kept tidy by staff regularly walking around to collect cups etc. The pool was an ideal depth 5 foot at the deepest. The children's end was great, you knew the kids would be safe.
Whilst there were plenty of sun beds available, you did have to get up early to get an umbrella as there were fixed to the ground. By 7.30 am most had towels on them. They probably need to introduce policies like some spanish hotels have.
Entertainment - there was a variety of entertainment both throughout the day and evening. Our children did the first choice kids clubs - the reps were excellent. There was soccer school for our two older boys and swim club - both chargeable.
evening entertainment was mixed. Due to the international nature of the hotel, the hotel's reps european and able to speak about 3-4 languages. This did get on your nerves abit, but it was fun listening to it. The best nights entertainment was definitely the first choice reps night.
the htoel did offer a shuttle bus to local towns. Kassiopi was lovely, plenty of shops and restaurants, if you got bored with the Hotel complex.
Overall, this resort is definitely for families with children. I would expect you would get bored if you were a couple.
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: First Choice July 2006
Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Edwards 36,35,8
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Opinion:
We have just returned from the Blue Bay after a 2 week holiday with 7 others. We had an excellent time. Have to agree with other reviews about the night time entertainment. It was poor but when there are 10 of you, you tend to have a laugh anyway.There are a lot of mozzie's but use repellant and you'll be ok. We only had a few bites between us.
About the staff being miserable, try talking to them! When they work as hard as they all do you can't expect them to have a smile on their face all the time. We all made great friends with 2 of the barmen. Sunbeds weren't really a problem although brollys were. Pool area was lovely but one of our party had an ear infection so maybe the pool could be cleaner. Food was great. We all ate well including the children. We were impressed with how clean and tidy everywhere was. people cleaning and gardening all the time. Apartment was very good, spacious and modern. Didn't feel like you were on top of each other all the time. Don't go here if you like a lively holiday. It is a lovely, peaceful, relaxing resort.
Overall a beautiful place and would definitely go back.
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: First Choice - July 2006
Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Dave Slack - Nuneaton (33, 30, 12)
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Opinion:
Just returned from Blue Bay Escape and it was a great place to take a holiday.
Food was fantastic if you tried all of the available dishes. Chicken nuggets and fish fingers are repetitive if that's all you have at home.
The kebabs in the day were great but ask for no salt! Wednesday is BBQ day by the pool and again, excellent.
The whole place is kept spotless by an army of cleaners and gardeners and the staff are friendly, if you are friendly to them. If you are rude to them (remember your manners) they will take an age to serve you. If you make the effort to get to know them there are no problems with them. Kosta and Tony in the lounge bar are good guys. Just by smiling and saying hello to the staff helps you out a lot.
Entertainment is a bit naff but we were in a party of 10 so we made our own entertainment.
Soccer school is great for the younger kids but is a bit pricey for what you get.
Went to Hydropolis which was ok as a water park. It was big enough to cope with a lot of people but not as big as others elsewhere we've been on holiday. Booked it though Tanya travel, which is just down the small road.
Trips to Acharavi and Kassiopi, day or night, are recommended, even if it's just for a change of scenery.
The apartments are big enough for 4 and they are good enough for what you use them for. Sleeping and getting ready for the day or night. What do people expect, full satellite tv to watch all day instead of doing something??
Went to Molo's one night to watch the football and he was fine whilst taking your money but don't even think about sitting on his sunbeds if you are just passing by the beach or just there for a quick dip in the sea!!
Valentino's is much better but the Lagoon café is pretty poor. Overpriced and not a lot of food on your plate.
We were lucky enough to go to a Greek festival by Valentino's one evening and that was very busy. Stalls selling jewellery, cds, food and crappy souvenirs. Owners didn't hassle you though and this was the same in all of the shops that we visited in the different resorts.
Tried the water sports at the bottom of the hotel, and it was 15 euros per person on whatever ride you wanted. Went out for about 15 - 20 minutes on the 'Big Mable'. (Inflatable sofa!). Good fun and worth every cent.
Pool was great with plenty of sun beds but be warned, that the once German trait of reserving sun beds is now fully English. People were out after the pool bar shut at mid night putting towels out and getting the parasols.
How sad are you people?
It was the same people who rushed their dinner (on 'their tables' of course) to make sure that they got 'their table' in the pool bar. The very same people who walked away from the meeting about the foiled terrorist attacks the day before they went home because the restaurant was about to open!! Muppets.
There are mozzies flying about but not really a problem if you wear repellent and / or have the citronella candles from the shop. Only wasps we saw were flying around the soft drink dispenser in the pool bar.
The transfer is 2 hours and can get a bit hairy on the tight roads but it is worth it once you are there. You quickly forget it.
Overall, a great place to take a holiday and is definitely worth its 4 star plus rating.
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: First Choice - July 2006
Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Carol - Oxon (40,40,16,12)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Just returned from a very good week at Blue Bay. Accomodation is excellent and staff friendly. Food is also excellent provided you are willing to try different food. It was a great pity to see a fair few adults choosing food from the kids selection (Chips, Fish Fingers, Nuggets etc). We never had a problem finding loungers around the swimming pool, however, if you want to be near a parasol then you need to get towels on the loungers by 7am!!!
We had absolutely no problem with wasps at all but did get bitten by the mossies despite using insect repellent.
Definitely use Tanya's for any trips as she is alot cheaper and you get more of a personal service - Tanya's mum, Kathy, even took us to a Greek Village Festival one night which we all thoroughly enjoyed at no extra cost.
Entertainment in the evening is not brilliant but they do try.
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: First Choice - July 2006
Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Ian - Slough (37, 31, 8, 4)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Opinion:
Having read the reviews I went with an open mind, and have to say that I was pleased with what I found.
The accommodation was excellent - a good sized apartment with two bedrooms and two bathrooms (we had to book early and pay a premium for this, of course). No real noise from the neighbours (at least no more than in many business hotels I have stayed in). It was kept spotlessly clean, with a maid service every day.
I did not consider the food to be as repetitive as some people have suggested (although you do of course need to be willing to try different things... as one other reviewer has already mentioned, if you insist upon sticking to "English" food every day then your choices will be considerably more limited).
I also found the hotel staff to be very pleasant - if treated with the respect and courtesy they deserve they were all most agreeable and approachable.
The entertainment is indeed limited, unless you are a bingo fan, and the more adventurous of you will need to pay a bit extra to get your kicks. If you do, there are water sports, snorkelling and scuba diving all within walking distance, and plenty of excursions if you want to go a bit further afield.
On the subject of excursions, I must give a HUGE thumbs up to Tanja's travel. The prices were in some cases half of those charged by First Choice for similar excursions, and both Tanja and her mum Cathy were extremely flexible and helpful. Cathy in particular was very honest and actually recommended against us taking one or two of our intended excursions, as she felt they would not be much fun for the kids... a most refreshing change from operators who try to sell you their products regardless of their suitability. (Be warned though, Tanja is currently setting up another office further down the coast, and I am not sure how long she will keep the current one open).
I must also sing the praises of Dee, the Swim Kids coach. She has the patience of a saint and really helped our 4 year old, even allowing me to help her with the sessions as he was clingy. She also took the time to explain the theory behind the techniques she uses, to allow us to better help him develop further now that we are back.
Our eldest enjoyed the soccer school too, although I do feel it is highly priced for what is effectively 4 two hour training sessions and a free t-shirt. This is not however the fault of the trainers, of course, both of whom were great with the kids.
The Bugs Bunny club also allowed my wife and I a few precious hours of relaxation time, and both boys enjoyed each of the sessions they went to. The Bugs Bunny reps took the trouble to remember all of the children by name (a tough task!) and always found time to chat to them if we bumped into them on the complex - and even amid the hustle and bustle of the airport on the return transfer.
We had no problem getting sunbeds, although umbrellas were at a premium. (I did notice however that in a lot of cases, unless you moved the sunbeds several feet from the brollies, they did not offer much shade until the sun had moved around in the middle of the afternoon. In practice therefore, we all ended up sharing each others' shady bits anyway!)
All in all it was a very agreeable holiday... Was I ready to come back after two weeks? Yes, but then I usually am anyway. Would I go back? Probably, although I am in no geat rush to do so, primarily because there are so many other destinations still to try!
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: First choice - July 2006
Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : The Welbos 35,31,11,9,6 Lincoln
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
We have just come back from the blue bay we all had a great time allthough we thought its more of a 3* than a 4.
The veiws are fantastic the pool is nice and clean the rooms basic but clean the maids where in every day.
The food was ok but very repetatve. The rooms are named after bond characters ours was called jinx! and i smacked my head on the bottom of the pool on the first day and needed stitches!!! the staff where very helpfull though.
If its evening entertainment your after give the blue bay a miss as it is rubish. If you get chance get the free bus to Kassiopi it makes a real change and its a lovly town.
All in all we had a great time kids loved it but take plenty of mozzi spray or you will get eaten alive!!!
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: first choice june/july 2006
Opinion submitted in July 2006 by : james thorley-erskine 37.33.11.6.5.
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
all the reports are spot on entertainment was in german the second week.lots of problems regarding this. bit of a fued with hotel owners and first choice BEWARE;;;
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: june 2006
Opinion submitted in May 2007 by : r jay- 36, 30, 9, 6, 3
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Quite simply one of the best holidays ever dispite some of the poor reviews & comments we have read the two weeks we spent here were amazing.
our 3 little boys loved every minute, the food is superb, the pool is beautiful the room we had was cleaned every day. The whole complex was kept in immaculate condition. We loved it all. A holiday is what you make it we met loads of people my wife & i & the kids made loads of friends. Linda & roody did the entertainment & included our boys & all the other children in everything they did. Outstanding.
You will not be disappointed in this holiday, honestly we had a truly amazing time...enjoy.
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: June 2006 First Choice
Opinion submitted in July 2006 by : Tracey Bollands 36,34,4
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Wow what can i say !!!!Just returned from 2 fantastic weeks.
The hotel was wonderful, views were breath taking.
The food is great you get a great choice,The deserts are fab, the only thing that was repetitive was the children's food as it was either chicken nuggets or fish fingers and only chips.
The drinks is a little limited, Brandy,Ouso,Gin, kumquot,vodka and beer served in plastic cups.
The kids club was great my son had a really great time.
The evening entertainment was OK kids disco,bingo and every other night the hotel entertainers put a show on.
The best night was mr&mrs which first choice reps put on it was very entertaining.
The beach to your right of the hotel was great the water is lovely and clean and you can walk out a long way before it gets deep ideal for children.
The water park Aqualand is a great day out its takes a while on the bus but well worth it.
Valentinoes bar is great for a change of scenery they have a Greek night on a Sunday what is well worth going to and its a nice change to drink out of a glass.
The only thing that was annoying was the mosquitoes i think they used us all as pin cushions make sure you take plenty of repellent.
You can get candles out of the shop to put on your tables at night which helps a lot.
We made some great friends there Hi to Mark,Ange,luke and Owen hope to catch up soon.
We will definitely be going back on holiday again.
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: First choice - june 2006
Opinion submitted in July 2006 by : Andy - Herts (53, 46, 10, 6)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Returned from BBE end of june- 2 of us and 2 boys - had a fantastic holiday.
The rooms are great and the food is about the best we have had on A I in the past 7 or 8 years. (If all you want is pie and chips go to Bognor).
A car is the cheapest way round, see Tanya, cost me £100 for 5 days. The trips from the reps are expensive, again see Tanya, shes much more helpful and a lot cheaper.
A day at corfu town and another at aqualand are a must but for a more relaxed day at a waterpark go to Hydropolis at Acharavi.This park is with a complex mainly for germans and as saturday is their turnround day the park is closed so be careful. We went on a wednesday when they have a family day. 2 euros more each to get in but a show from a magician/juggler and a free barbecue which was well worth it.
If you have a car you must go up th the top of Island the views are amazing.
Finally the staff were brilliant, if you trear them with respect they are all very friendly and helpful.
Entertainment in the hotel is limited but the kids reps were very helpful and the hotel entertainment crew worked hard to get eveyone involved around the pool in the day.
All in all agreat place to explore from and have a relaxing holiday.
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: First Choice - June 2006
Opinion submitted in July 2006 by : Emma - Southampton (37,36,4,17,21,19,19,14,42,47)
Resort Rating: Average
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Well, what can I say really? Most people have said it, the hotel and pool area were lovely, however the daytime and evening entertainment were absolute rubbish, and the food was very repetitive. First Choice did a Mr & Mrs night when we were there, and it was the best night of the 2 weeks that we were there! The kids disco was fantastic and kept my cousin entertained, but this was only when First Choice were doing it, not the hotels entertainers. They actually involved the kids more.
However, give the hotel entertainers their due, they did make a huge effort during the day with people of all ages, however being english, it was very difficult to understand them sometimes!
Then of course, you had to fight for sunbeds everyday! People were leaving towels on them and not arriving until after lunch, which was really frustrating!
All in all though, we had a good two weeks, and did venture out to Aqualand (waste of time!) and Kassiopi (the bus driver was sat in the pub drinking whilst we were shopping), and they were the worst journeys of my life!!!!
If you want to go, make sure you have a good sense of humour and a sense of fun!!
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: Eclipse - June 2006
Opinion submitted in July 2006 by : Karen Griffiths - Lymington Hampshire, 39. 44. 9, 7
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Just returned from a really enjoyable 10 nights. The Hotel is spotless. The view from our Balcony over pool, sea and Mountains of Albania was beautiful. The whole surrounds for the hotel was lovely.
The food was very good with plenty of choice, what a shame too many people head for the nuggets and chips, try something different, after all your arn't at home! Much more choice of food at lunch than we expected. Wasps not a problem and mosquitoes ok provided you put on cream.
Thought the beach was lovely especially for children as it shelves out so gently. (8 euros for hire of parasol and 2 beds. Try the little cove after the beach on the right for snorkelling.
Don't book your trips through First Choice use Tanya travel done by the beach, really helpful(and cheaper) and so nice to meet friendly people as most of the staff aren't friendly.
Evening enterainment is poor, good job we had the football to watch!
All in all great holiday.
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: FIRST CHOICE -MAY 2006
Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : 40, 35 ,12,9
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Opinion:
hi i thought that the blue bay escape was wicked, we went in may for 10 days,,
i met lots of great, funny people and the reps at the kids clubs are great!!!! (go to wavelength, its the best!!!!)
the reps were very helpfull. damian (the wavelength rep) was the best!!!!!!!! i still speak to him now!!!!!!!!
on the first day of the holiday my sister became ill so we asked the reps to phone a doctor, the doctor came striaght away and spoke very good english, the doctor said she had toncilitus and she needed antibiotics. so me and my dad were going to get a taxi to the next town but the doctor gave us a lift in his car.
i thought the hotel was very clean and the pool was cool. the hotel was good because it had internet access. and the rooms were very nice with a frigde, hair-dryer, kettle, table, 1 double bed and 2 single sofa-beds, tv, shower and bath.
st spyridon had very nice scenery but there was not much to do outside the hotel but there was funny entertainment with bingo every night some times the people were hard to understand but it was still very fun.
overall i thought the holiday was fantastic and would go back again anyday!!!!
i would recommend this hoiday to familys with children and wanting a quiet holiday.
written by shannon (12)
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: First Choice - May 2006
Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : Sue Steve & Charlotte - Staffs 45,42,6
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
we went to Blue Bay for 2 weeks on AI and had a great time. we had read the reviews and were a bit wary but we found everything to our liking.
the views were fabulous, there was varied choice of food so we all found something that suited. the kids entertainment was good but not much to do for the adults except relax.
we used Tanja travel to book a couple of trips, she was very helpful and a lot cheaper than booking through the reps. The reps were great and encouraged to kids to join in. Some of the bar staff were a bit grumpy but did smile at times.
We would definately go back there again for another holiday.
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: First Choice - May 2006
Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : Pugh - Wolverhampton (39, 35, 9, 8)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Wow......what can I say? A beautiful, quite resort with this fabulous Blue Bay complex.......
The complex - caters for everything, food was fantastic, the drinks are great, my son is diabetic so we were really pleased to see they had 'Diet' Coke on draft.
Snacks available all day till 6pm.
The views and tranquility surrounding the complex were out of this world!!!!!!!!!!!
A few bars, and shops in the resort, but nothing much else apart from the complex....didn't need anything else.
A free courtesy bus to the local towns every day.......
Apartments superb, very clean........
A MUST for families, we were so pleased with our holiday.........
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: first choice may 2006
Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : 33,34,6
Resort Rating: Average
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
we have just returned from a week at this boring hotel now i have to say that i read all comments before we went and took the good with the bad but actually going there i have to agree with the bad.
The hotel itself is very modern and clean but thats where the nice bits end. The rooms were large but very sparce and the walls were so thin that the occupants in the adjoining room kept me awake most nights you could even hear them when they went to the loo. The food was very repetitive and we lived on pork and chips all week the kids menu was very over cooked and my daughter only ate chips and beans all week. The staff are so sour faced no matter how polite you are to them they never smile the only person we saw smile all week was the gardener. The beach is a good 5 minute walk from the hotel and its littered with cigarette ends and bits of rubbish. We had a walk through the nature reserve and that was also strewn with rubbish.
The daytime entertainment was boring to say the least but the night time was even worse. We have stayed at 3* hotels all inclusive and got a better service and warmer welcome than at this hotel. We wont be returning to this hotel and we were glad to get home
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: First choice May 2006
Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : Howsham- Sheffield 38, 32, 6, 4
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Just return from two weeks at the Blue Bay, read all the reviews before i went and had a rough idea what to expect, none of the told of the breath taking views that are everywhere that you look.
The hotel is very clean we had a two bedroom room that was huge, had two bathrooms.Was placed at the top near the main bulding so as a way to walk to the pool, but once you was there all drinks and food was down there. the food was good varied over the two weeks that we was there, drinks are hard to get only one bar open in the day and waiter service in the resturants, so order loads at once.
The Evening entertainment was not much but the kids where so tired by nine that did not matter, the first Choice kids reps where the best i would go back just to see them again, thanks to all.There is loads of sports put on during the day by three german reps. hardly left the site did'nt feel the need to, if you want a quite relaxing time where the kids are very well looked after and entertain then this is the place to be.
Would recommend and go back.
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice may 2006
Opinion submitted in May 2006 by : 43 , 46 - Cheshire
Resort Rating: Poor
Accommodation Rating: Poor
My/Our Holiday Review:
we went here in the middle of may 2006. I spent hours with the agent making sure that it would be suitable for my disabled husband, it definatly was not we were told that there was 9 steps down to pool and there were actually 26 so please if you have walking difficulties I would not reccomend this hotel it is also sold as a 4* far from it.
they were self catering and now gone over to all inclusive however the transistion is really bad for 4* A I The people there are not freindly the reps were excellent though and moved us within 24 hours after the final straw came when the food was served cold. I would definatly say if you have walking difficulties then please do not go here as apart from all the steps the reception area is miles away from the rooms and is all up hill. the hotel also charges an extortionate exchange rate you get more at home. it is also approx 50euro's in a taxi into corfu town and don't expect 4* really dissapointed. The beach is supposed to be 50m away be warned that is how the crow flies.
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: firstchoice
Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : chris + pauline 50
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
the food is rubbish curried fish or sheppards pie is not 4 star all the meals are cold the drinks are rubbish went to the local shop and paid for my beer in the end when we left over 26 people were ill this is a poor hotel the bin in the bathroom was left for 2days in the end i put the used tissue in the bin out the building could not wait to get home
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook - 2006
Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : Fiona Kavanagh 36, 34,8, 9mths
Resort Rating: Below Average
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Well where do I start... having gotten back from the Blue Bay my husband and kids haven't stopped eating. Prepare yourself for the food it is rubbish. More 3* than 4* limited choice repetitive lookwarm and bland. Whatever you do not under any circumstance try the Chinese soup on Asian buffet night!
The hotel has a rather tacky James bond theme to it in which we were allocated an apartment in 'jaws' which turned out to be very apt cos after two weeks staying at the blue bay I would have eaten anything even the horrid blue bay all inclusive blue band that your given to wear for the whole fortnight( I must say when the holiday ended nice to remove the blue band it felt as if I had been released from the compound)
The rooms were spacious and clean. The maid service excellent.
However, the hotel staff were obnoxious, rude and obviously been informed by the management
not to speak to the holidaymakers.
On more than one occasion we noticed the Hotel Manager being rude to waiting staff and as for the restaurant manager...
I do have an open mind... honestly I do First Choice Reps were excellent.
Blue Bay mmm... maybe should be renamed Blue Bore. Entertainment bad!
Ah one good point to make they have a film channel on 24-7 so when the hotel food, entertainment, watered down drinks or even rude staff are getting on your nerves then watch a film.
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: First Choice - 2006
Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Dawn Greenwood - Nottingham (2 x 50 +), 3 x 35, 10,6,4,2
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Having read plenty reviews on this hotel from last year, we hoped for an excellent holiday. Well we certainly got it. The Blue Bay Hotel was fantastic, it is simply laid out, but spotless with a most efficient cleaning staff. The restaurant was also well kept and staffed extremely well.
On the matter of food, whilst it was repetitive there was plenty of choice for both adults and children, with cold salads, soups, a variety of hot food from local dishes to even curry night!
The accommodation - Firstly I would say that if you are used to Spain, you will find Greece very different. Having visited quite a few Greek islands over the years, I was expecting basic. However, I was quite pleased with the rooms, extremely spacious, cleaned everyday by the cleaners, good size bathroom and air conditioning, which assisted in keeping the mosquistes away - you did need to have the doors all closed for it to work.
The overall grounds of the hotel were well maintained by friendly gardeners and the pool area was excellent, freeform pool which was no deeper than 5 feet at the deepest. ideal for children.
On the entertainment front, our children were kept busy by the Bugs
Bunny Club - excellent to the first choice girls and boys. Our two older
boys attended soccor school - again well done. The evening entertainment
was limited. It was difficult to understand the german reps, but the
hotel is now international with Thomson Holidays
s offering holidays to germany,
austria etc. The reps employed by the holiday however did an excellent
job.
There was not many mosquisites and the bee problem that was reported last year was not apparent. We did discover that bins that used to be around the poolside last year had been removed, and staff regularly walked the area collecting cups and plates etc.
As the views from the hotel these were fantastic, you could see the mountains of Albania which were across the med, about 20 miles approximately. the shuttle bus to Kassiopi was also convenient and gave a night out to tour the shops.
Overall we really enjoyed it and I would recommend this holiday to anyone wanting a family holiday. However I wouldn't recommend it for people without children, as there is limited to do.
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: first chioce - 2006
Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : mandy mcelwee perth. 35 ,30, 5,
Resort Rating: No rating
Accommodation Rating: No rating
My/Our Holiday Review:
in a word BORING not much to do but sit at pool. kids club ok my 5 yr old enjoyed it. but when that wasn't on there was only the pool to entertain him. food very repetative, kids buffet was chick nuggets or fish fingers so after 2 wks with that he was sick of ir think the chef likes spag bol as it was on everyday along with pork. mossies and wasps r awful i was eaten alive. i dont like birds so this was awful as birds in thier dozens nest in the roofs of the pool bar and top terrace. not many drinks to choose from on A1.i did get a bath plug as i had a small child. bed linnen didnt get changed had to ask after 1 wk it got done but that was the only time.
could go on all day but i will now just say i wouldnt go back. o i will also say that if there are not more than 5 kids turn up for kids club it gets cancelled. definately not suitable for families also entertainment is complete rubbish.
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - 2005 / 2006
Opinion submitted in May 2006 by : 64,44,41,12,8
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
if you are looking for entertaintment then this place is NOT for you it has very very limited entertainment. although you can get the free shuttle into kassiopi but the last shuttle back is at 10oclock when all the fun starts so a taxi is needed which is 10/12 euro which becomes expensive when your there for a fortnight. my fav was kostas bar in kassiopi great fun late night for kids thou. the food at blue bay seemed ok the first week but it became very repetitive after two weeks also the LOCAL drinks very weak .
saying all that the hotel is very nice. rooms large, nice staff, first choice reps were very good worked hard big up to dan and andy and all first choice reps. wish first choice had control of the entertainment it would have been much better.
overall would we go back there sorry NO. ok for kids but our 12 year old got bored. there is nothing outside the hotel grounds to do. we found yannis car hire from "bridget" in the foyer very helpfull. money saver tip drive to places of interest rather than book a coach. do put in more effort to see if this is the right location for you. happy holidaying mark&deb
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - Oct 2005
Opinion submitted in Nov 2005 by : Christine Brown- Tyne and Wear (35,36,5)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Just spent 2 weeks in BBR. I checked this site out befor I went so I had a good idea of what to expect ie the wasps and mosquito problem and the lack of adult entertainment. because I was prepared with repellant etc.
I had a fantastic holiday and fopund the comments on this site very accurate. My husband however did'nt enjoy it as much as he was still eaten alive by the mozzies! and he isn't a fan of wasps. The veiw is fantastic and the grounds very well kept, the food was great and i never found it a problem finding something to eat. it would have been better to have the kids ice cream and snaks somewhere other than the pool bar as the poor bar staff at times were dizzy. Tanya helped us with our licence when we had forgotten it and wanted a car to hire. she also helped us hire a boat from Kassioppi from Phillipos. Well worth it for the day just to go down the coast to Taverna Agni. Arrive at the mooring, have a drink, then laze on the beach or snorkle then back onto the taverna just steps away for the best meal I have had in Corfu.
The kids club was great and staff nice. although if you diddn't catch on to ask every time if the next session needed to be booked in advance you may have very unhappy kids! One word of advice, do not go at the end of season which we unwittingly did as on out last day the staff were packing up. And I mean packing up! sign posts taken down, bins taken away, pool drained, pool bar dismantled, soccer pitch chained and padlocked! we felt as welcome as bird flu at a poultry farm. And we weren't getting picked up until 10.40pm! This left a bad tast in our mouths after a fantastic 2 wks.
All in all good value for money although a few things could be tweeked.
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice october 2005
Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : Lee Wilson 37 35 15 13 12 07
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
absolutey brilliant you could not fault it.food was great nothing fits now were home, rooms were great very big very clean take your own bath plug though they dont supply them.all staff were very friendly and polite reps were brilliant didnt stop working all day kids loved it didnt want to come home would go back but first choice are pulling out half of their allocation for next year so there will be dutch and german there.also be aware that there will be no kids club there next year although it doesnt say that on the internet.overall we had a great time thanks to everyone at first choice.
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - Sep 2005
Opinion submitted in Dec 2005 by : Wendy Lacey - Brighton
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
We had a really great time at this hotel which was nicely situated near secluded beaches, coves and nature trails. On the north east coast of Corfu it avoids all the tourist-tack and is a very pretty area. Kassiopi is up the coast via a free bus if you fancy a more lively evening in a harbour town.
The food was very good particulary at lunch time - although not if all you want is pie and chips. Its fresh fish with ginger or chicken with local sauces etc.
The First Choice reps did a good job and also kept the kids occupied. Its very much a family hotel.
The owner of the hotel has named the blocks after James Bond characters which is different! The ground were immaculate and swimming pool kept clean.
Good all round. The only thing was that its fairly new and so the rooms lack character - large but could do with some colour / paintings.
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice Sep 2005
Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : Dave,Lorraine Paddock 47,47
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Corfu great--people great,staff at hotel great! stayed 1 week at BBE--great Hotel,food ok, Apartment the best i've ever stayed in [ours was [M], all apartments are named on a Bond theme] a view to die for-the sea and mountains of Albania! plus singing rocks!. Don't be put off by the mossies--if the mossies were not there you would relax to much!! yes they are a pain but you soon learn to cope and anyway it gives you something to talk about at the bars and swop remedies etc - hi phil,dion,hanna,dave,emma,janet and all other top bar drunks! -Gin/Tonic works well!
Advice time -use the free bus service from hotel but book in advance --Kassiopi is wonderful!- go horse riding etc with Tanja travel--great bargains to be had! -- have a drink at Valentinos! watch the sun set at Molos! -- eat out 1 night at the Taverna near the front of the Hotel! Give the local trades a try--I think the BBE upset a few when it was built!!! We will be going to Corfu again, same area but not AI.
One major word of warning be prepared for english monday when you leave Corfu-the Airport was a nightmare!
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice September 2005
Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : Irene Tunnard - Sheffield (56,57)
Resort Rating: Average
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
After reading the reviews of this hotel I booked this hotel.
The hotel/grounds/rooms/cleanliness were highly satisfactory, my main complaint was the food... no way can this be classed as 4* or even 3* each day there was only 2 choices of meat!! e.g. meatballs/chicken drumsticks. sausage or kebab. cottage pie/mousaka, bolognaise sauce or cheese sauce with pasta every day. the deserts were either 5cm sq gateaux (1 choice) or 5cm tartlets filled with mousse.The fresh fruit was poor quality and limited choice.
The lunch time buffet was served outside with wasps and flies.
The all inclusive drinks were very limited the only spirits on offer were ouzo, gin,vodka,brandy and kumquat, no coctails or liquors or baccardi (not even local brands!!)
It seems the only people who thought the food was good had never been half board or all inclusive before.
I don,t recommend this hotel if food /drink is a main consideration of your holiday.
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - Sept 2005
Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : jane sweeney (35)thomas lowe (39)chloe sweeney (15)jake sweeney (7)demi sweeney (4)
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
we have just returned from 2wks self catering in the blue bay escape hotel and all of us had a great time.plenty of entertainment for the kids and even our teenage daughter made many friends of her own age so she wasnt stuck with us.breathtaking scenery,two lovely bays surrounded by mountains,massive pool with plenty of sunbeds.staff very friendly and anything u ask for,they would tend to straight away.rooms very big,plenty of storage but couldnt really say it had a kitchen,more like a sink with a microwave like oven next to it whc took hours to cook bacon,never bothered after that.,
on arrival,you are offered chance to go all inclusive and for us it would hv been 33euros each for the 3 of us,kids would hv gone free, which is a good deal but tom cannot stand that kind of food,although we ate at hotel 3 times and the price of it is 11euros 50 each for the 3 of us,6euro 50 each for the kids,.restaurant very clean,food lovely but we personally would get fed up eating at the same place every night so we used to get the free bus into kassiope town which also picks u up at 10pm and there is an abundance of shops and restaurants for u to choose from,greek,english,chinese,indian,italian,everthing!!.would defo recommend going to the 2 bars at bottom of hill called valentinos and malos,valentinos hv greek dancing,karaoke etc and the staff wait on u hand and foot so u dont hv to go to bar to get your drinks!!,the lagoon restaurant is nice too..
to sum up,i would recommend goin the blue bay but not if u havent got kids as i hv never seen so many kids in my life but it does state that in the brochure!!!!
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - August 2005
Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : Katie Turner - Chelmsford, Essex (19,22)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
We have just arrived back from two glorious weeks at the Blue Bay Escape. When you arrive at the hotel, whatever time as the reception is obliviously 24 hours, you are given your room key and are given a tag to wear on your arm, blue for all inclusive and red for self-catering. The hotel looks after your passports during your stay.
The rooms are simple but more than enough especially if you are all inclusive, they are more than enough utensils even if you are self catering as we were.
There is a very nice air conditioning unit, which is heaven after a hot day out. The maids come in daily and clean the room, give you new towels etc. Beds are changed every 3 days.
The food at the hotel is fantastic. They cater for all sorts of appetites too, there are traditional Greek dishes at the buffet or more typically 'English' food. All the food is of top quality.
The hotel is situated in a rather remote part of Corfu; there are two or three taverna's as you go either left or right out of the pool gates and a restaurant to the left out the gates called 'Blue Lagoon'
The entertainment is not fantastic for adults or older children, and we found that we didn't spend one night actually watching or joining in with the entertainment. I would say that younger children would be much suited which is great for families. There are also extensive all day clubs for kids of all ages so parents that want to just relax - its perfect.
The pool is very nice and quite a decent size too, really cold but just what you need on a hot day. We never had a problem with mozzies but would advise that you spray every night with mozzie repellent and take out wipes. I must admit after reading reports about the wasps I didn't think they would be a problem but they were quite annoying, especially around food and drink at the pool but to be expected.
There is not much that you can do apart from ignore them, I was stung once and so was a child near me around the pool which wasn't nice but as said there is nothing you can do.
The grounds of the hotel are absolutely immaculate and the views are breath taking with the mountains, the lake and the sea.
There are two beaches just outside the grounds, one to the left is ideal for families with small children as you can go far out and the water is still shallow, it's also very clean. A parasol and two sunbeds is 8 euro's. The beach to the right is a little bit messier with seaweed but tends to be less busy for those adults who just want to relax.
The hotel offers a free bus to Kassiopi or Acharavi which is very good and also picks you up; which we got booked on about 8 times with no hastle at all.
We would also recommend Tanja's travel for cheaper trips than offered with our operator. Aqualand is a must if you go with the family and Corfu town is a brilliant night, absolutely beautiful town. If the chance comes you can get on the Kalypso Star boat trip if most definitely worthwhile! We would say one thing about booking boat trips, do not go if the weather is not perfect, the sea gets very choppy and wrecks the trip. Tanja will give you your money back if you don't go so no worries there. Our only bad experience was a blue lagoon trip, we were plagued by wasps and the trip was very long and the food on the boat made us very ill.
A must is the trip to Paxos and Anti Paxos, the caves and town are fantastic. Well worth the boat ride.
All in all we both thought this was a fantastic hotel and island and would definitely recommend it to everyone.
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - August 2005
Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : Whitelock family - (43,36,12,12,9)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Well..... We all had an absolutely fabulous fortnight at the Blue Bay this year. Have tried to book for next year - but due to childrens ages the price has practically doubled. We have done all-inclusive before as we find it's very good value - especially with children.
Accommodation - We had a very spacious apartment, my husband and I in one room, kids in the other with 3 sofas/beds, balcony running across the two. Maids cleaned the rooms daily and made beds/mopped floors and cleaned the bathroom. Bedlinen is changed about 3 times a week. There is a safety deposit box in the room and the charge for using it is about 50 euros for the 2 wks. Only one pillow supplied per person - but just ask at reception and they will speedily deliver extra ones for you. Towels are changed daily if you put dirty ones in the bath. We were more than happy with the accomodation - it's clean and fairly basic with satellite telly showing music / sports and news channels. One that shows films around 6ish - good for while you're getting ready to go out - they're in English with Greek subtitles. I don't think I would go here self-catering as there are only a couple of bars within walking distance and one restaurant - it's very much a hotel based holiday.
Food - There is plenty of choice of lunch and evening meals - Yes there is always chips but hey remember you don't have to eat them. The snack bar served pizzas burgers,toasties,hotdogs,ice cream and delicious kebabs in pitta with garlicky sauce and salad at lunchtime. Some people queue at lunchtime, where there is always a few main couse choices with salad,bread,fruit and desserts - we didn't .... you're never really THAT hungry because food is so plentiful and they are very good at replenishing dishes and nothing ever runs out - just wait til there's no queue!!! Evening meals had some lovely Greek choices - we always had olives, feta and greek salads - stuffed vine leaves, kebabs, moussaka, meat and fish in sauces, courgettes - battered and fried, lovely greek garlic potatoes. The kiddie menu always has chips and either chicken nuggets or fishfingers every night and yes our youngest did eat them sometimes - I really don't understand how anyone could complain about the food, theres so much choice that there's something for everyone.
Pool - The pool was great for kids although do note there is no lifeguard - keep an eye your kids. Our kids had many hours of fun on the numerous inflatables we bought them cheaply from the hotel shop. Be aware that the non-slip surround is quite rough and if kids don't use the steps they rub their hands raw on the edges.
Beaches - left hand beach is lovely - right hand one's a bit seaweedy. We spent a morning investigating all around the rock pools and found another lovely little cove just along from the left hand beach.
Trips/ bits to do- We are not keen on those organised trips but we did go to Aqualand which was really great - BUT I think I would try Hydroplis another time as the coach journey is quite long to get to Aqualand, although saying that the kids loved it. We went into Kassiopi on the free bus from the hotel which you need to book at reception. We found it to be a lovely little port - kids enjoyed nosing around the little shops for cheap designer fakes - watches, bags, jewellery, football shirts etc - stopped for drinks in the bars - pricewise I found Corfu to be fairly cheap - bought 3 kids icecreams in a bar and it cost 5 euros - a little bottle of water we bought on the way back to the bus from the little supermarket in the square was 15 cents!!! Used the pharmacy in Kassiopi for travel sickness tablets - lovely helpful young lady who although Greek had been brought up in America so no language barrier! Greek people seem to be friendly, laid back and non-threatening - they never hassle you to buy!!!
Book the late check-out - it's worth it, we got to keep our room till 8pm on the last day.
Go to Valentino's for a change - you're getting free drinks all the time so you can afford to pay for a couple to support the locals - we enjoyed their Greek night. John who works there is English and very friendly - we met him in the sea on a rough day and he lent my little girl his body board to ride the waves while he went off to work - which I thought was very kind!
Entertainment - Well it's not brilliant but having said that I'm not sure what people really want. My 12 yr old boy did water polo, killer pool, volleyball most days and enjoyed it. The youngest (9) came second in killer pool and kindly the man who won it shared the cash prize with him - he was thrilled. We don't like bingo much but did participate twice and won the jackpot of 150 euros - not bad. 9 yr old enjoyed the football coaching - although I did think it was expensive at 90 euros for 4 x 2hrs.The evening entertainment was kiddie disco 8-9 bingo every night 9 - 10pm followed by karaoke/ greek night??!!/ bit of singing and dancing by the reps. I never enjoy that sort of hotel entertainment really - it wasn't that good but get a drink in your hand and sit with new friends and have a chat. We did... made some great friends and thoroughly enjoyed our relaxing holiday!
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Blue Bay Escape Resort - St Spyridon
Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - August 2005
Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : Catherine, Rob & Ben (26, 27, 6)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
We have just returned from a week at the Blue Bay Escape Resort, it was our first time to the resort and our first holiday in Greece and we were not disappointed!
We arrived in the early hours of the morning feeling tired but soon perked up when we drew up to the lovely welcoming reception of the Blue Bay! Check in was quick and our luggage was very quickly delivered to our room.
The apartment was really lovely and spacious with a good sized balcony which also linked the lounge and the bedroom. Considering we were all inclusive I was pleasantly surprised to find a kettle, sink, fridge and an oven (although the cutlery ect was very sparse I would hope that apartments of those that are self catering would be better equipped). The air con worked a