Hotel H10 Ocean Blue Sand

Located in Punta Cana, (the tourist epicentre of the country with its 25 mi of beach), encircled by the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean on the south-west coast of the Dominican Republic, the Ocean Blue Hotel is situated on the northern end of Bavaro beach. It is close to White Sands golf course, some 37 mi from the bustling town of Higuey (1 hour) and a three hour and a half drive from Santo Domingo, the capital city of the Dominican Republic. Punta Cana international airport is 15 mi from the hotel (35 min).

This hotel is one of the friendliest places in Punta Cana. Ideal for families, the Ocean Blue is reputed throughout the region for its festive ambiance. It offers a wide range of services and activities, which are ideal for families. Guests get one free hour of bowling. The beach has a climbing wall and a trampoline. It is also ideal for children, as the kid's club is large and well-equipped. An advantage: the staff is very friendly. Ocean Hotels and Resorts is part of the Spanish Group H10. Cigar enthusiasts will find a cigar cellar. The Elite Club guests, accommodated in superior rooms, have free access to the Internet and a 24 hour snack-bar in their own area at the reception.

2Accommodation tip:

However, the rooms located near the beach are far from the restaurants, bowling, reception and amphitheatre.

Built in 2004, the Ocean Blue has five buildings painted in splendid pastel colours (blue, orange, yellow, purple, mauve, red and green) on two floors without a lift, dedicated to the accommodation: a total of 346 suites. It shares the facilities of the resort with its neighbour Ocean Sand, the five buildings of which are located on the other side of the swimming pool. The whole complex of the Ocean Blue and Sand houses 708 bedrooms. Half of the ten buildings of the complex correspond to the Ocean Blue and the other half to the Ocean Sand, located on either side of the huge lake-shaped swimming pool and tropical garden, embellished with traveler's trees and ponds with pink flamingos. The two hotels are separated by a long flower-filled path lined with lamp shades and palm trees in a musical ambiance created by discreet loudspeakers. If you are facing the sea, the Ocean Sand is on the left and the Ocean Blue is on the right. The large swimming pool and its bar, the superb beach and the quality of the amenities, everything is here to satisfy lovers of the Caribbean. However, like many of Punta Cana's resorts, the hotel is large, very large. Numerous motifs of fish and seashells bring to mind the theme of the ocean. 4.90 ft deep, the swimming pool, which has an island with coconut trees is open from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm. It is quite warm, so it is difficult to cool down. The solarium terrace has showers, parasols and deckchairs (blue or sand-coloured according to whether they are on the Ocean Blue or the Ocean Sand part). Health fanatics will be able to relax at the Metamorphosis spa from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm. It is very well arranged in tropical gardens with a bucolic ambiance (fountains, waterfalls, white stone benches, statues...). The spa has 9 massage booths (the cosmetic brand Babor is used), Vichy showers, a relaxation area, a sauna, a hammam and an outdoor whirlpool bath.

The rooms of the Ocean Blue are stylish and well decorated with yellow walls adorned with a beautiful naive art painting. Fitted with marble flooring, they have a satellite TV (numerous channels), a fridge and a mini-bar included in the price and stocked every day (except for beer), tea and coffee facilities, an umbrella, an ironing board and an iron, air-conditioning, a telephone and wireless Internet access (available for a fee), a free safe, a single sofa-bed, a wooden coffee table and a huge balcony (furnished with a clotheshorse, two plastic armchairs and a table). The marble bathroom includes a bubble bathtub fitted with a flexible shower head, hospitality products, a hair-dryer, a double sink, a magnifying mirror, a telephone, tissues and a toilet.
The guuests of the superior rooms (Elite Club) have 30 minutes free Internet access in an area dedicated to them at reception. The decoration is richer (numerous paintings), the balcony is furnished with bamboo furniture, the ceiling holds a pretty palm leaf fan, the bathroom has a separate shower, the bubble bathtub is larger and you also have slippers and bathrobes. The mini-bar also has rum and red wine.

The food is very good at the Ocean Blue. With a capacity of 1,200 guests, the main buffet El Carey is delicious and varied, with show cooking. You get to it via a footbridge which goes up to the middle of the lake. At the entrance door, you'll see an authentic chest which seems to have just come out of a pirate's ship. Sweet-toothed guests will not be able to resist the pancakes, their preparation before your eyes will leave you dumbstruck! The place for the Chinese food is not bad either! Breakfast, lunch and dinner can also be taken at La Cana Beach buffet, with its wooden bar and terrace. In the evening, dinner is an à la carte Caribbean grill. But that is not all: To satisfy your culinary cravings in the evening, the hotel has two à la carte restaurants, which have to be booked the day before. A seafood restaurant directly on the beach, 33 ft from the sea (with the unavoidable star dish: lobster), an Italian restaurant, a Dominican restaurant and a Mexican restaurant, without forgetting the Bodegua, where you can enjoy Spanish tapas. Each restaurant has the necessary typical decoration - Mexican, Italian or Spanish. The American restaurant "Route 66" serves hamburgers in the company of Elvis Presley, James Dean and Marilyn Monroe, in a "Hard Rock Café" style atmosphere with objects like a "route 66" registration plate hanging on the walls. The restaurant is guarded by a 1950's American policeman, next to a period Ford. It is also pleasant to meet up at "Mike 's coffee and tea" to have a hot drink and cakes (there is a wide choice of coffees, ice tea and cakes), or to read a newspaper and have a chat in a superb decor of coffee bean bags, with a bookshelf in one corner. The sport bar welcomes you from 5:00 pm to 6:00 am where you can play pool and watch sports events on TV in an appropriate setting (boxing gloves, a kayak, motorbike helmets and golf clubs).

Bavaro beach really is exceptional, and it is protected by the coral reef. The turquoise blue lagoon, with its 28 C° crystal-clear water, the sand as white as flour, fine and soft, a few sparse coconut trees used as natural parasols, it is difficult not to be seduced by it all! A water sports centre offers numerous activities from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. It is possible to play beach volley, do trampolining and practise rock-climbing. Massage huts with palm leaf roofs are available on the beach, which is itself equipped with showers, deckchairs and palm leaf parasols. Some pelicans fly around above the beach and sometimes dive into the water to get some fish. Further away on the far left, you can make out the Arena Gorda beach, characterised by a rusty shipwreck on the coral reef following a hurricane. It is said that it's a pirate's ship! Feeling peckish? The beach bar serves snacks and various drinks.