Love Dominican!

I had only been to Varadero twice before going to Puerto Plata this month. Although Cuba has nice beaches, we found Dominican to be a much more enjoyable trip for several reasons. The most notable of which is the food and this may be partly due to the fact that we stayed at Grand Bahia Principe. This hotel had fantastic food that was available any time of the day or night. I think that this is partly due to the fact that the hotel is part of a chain and works hard to maintain the reputation  [... read more]of the chain as a whole which is clearly seen. If you are unsure about where to book, I would suggest a reputable chain like this. Although we tipped regularly, we also did not feel pressured for one. For example, on the excursion that we went on in Cuba, the guide made us put something in his hat based on how we liked the trip but in Dominican they didn't even mention a tip at all (most people gave one anyway). We also found that there was a great deal of family friendly activities and games during the day and night that often would result in a prize if you went to the evening show. One of the evening shows was a Michael Jackson tribute which was incredible especially for the acrobatic display of a couple of the dancers. There was a small group of the staff that was involved with entertainment and were there almost every day. They do a great job at connecting with the guests and encouraging them to get involved in the many activities (dancing, beach games, pool games, bingo, evening show, etc, etc, etc.). We usually wouldn't get involved in many of these activities as we have young children but because we were able to leave the kids with grandparents we got involved in most of them and had an awesome time. The only possible drawback would be that the beach on the east side of Dominican (Punta Cana) is nicer. That said, there was 4 great pools at this resort and the beach wasn't too bad. We will be going to Dominican again someday (hopefully)!

Very nice resort

Everything was fantastic except for the beach area which we were very disappointed and one of our friends got bit on her legs by something when on the beach area. Also the TV had all Spanish stations and I could not get on the Internet in the lobby.

Nice Resort

Just got back from Grand Bahia, we found it to be a beautiful clean resort, excellent service with a smile through out the complex, rooms were very nice, food was good, only disappointment was the beach it was not what we expected, water is quite murky doesn't compare to Playa Dorado Beach

Not a 4 star.

Food was terrific, rooms and bathrooms are small and very dated. We were Bit by a lot of bugs and spiders in our room. We had a spider crawling on our bed and beds mattresses are very hard. Pool was fine. Overall resort is old and dated. Water pressure totally sucked if you could get water to have a shower and just warm water, never hot water. We never got clean towels or wash clothes replaced. Overall rating a 2.5 - 3 star.

Great Weather!!!

A very good 4 star resort! Staff was very friendly and the resort very clean. Service was excellent although wifi, television reception and dinner reservation process very frustrating at times. The purchasing of a keyed lock for room safe was an additional charge of $4 per day. "Stocked" room bar fridge consisted of two beers, bottled water and soda.

Excellent Service, However

A slightly older resort, in fact it's Bahia Principe's oldest resort. The rooms are tired, food is average to better than average. The staff are awesome, always saying hello and wanting to serve. Our A/C stopped working everyday and we had to call and have it fixed each and every day. The TV only had 2 English stations and didn't work for half the weeks trip. The price was good which would bring me back and as one might expect some issues with a reasonable price. The beach is great, service  [... read more]was great but don't expect much. The resort is listed at 4 stars, the resort shows 5 on their wall behind the main desk, but is a 3 to 3.5 stars in my humble opinion. This has been my 2nd time to this resort and had a horrible sewer issue.

Grand bahia principe San juan

My friends and I had a good time. We met a lot of nice people and made friends that will likley be future travel buddies. The food was great and enjoyed the a la cartes very much. The rooms were certainly good enough though our refrigerator did not work, but they replaced it immediately. Drinks were very good and the pool was a bit cool, which is my preference. The only complaint I would put forth was the beach. The shoreline was very dirty and sand flees bit my legs many time. Some did not get [... read more] bitten but myself and my friend were absolutely attacked so if your a beach lover this may not be the spot for you. Though that is an issue for some overall we enjoyed the trip very much.

Just great resort

The resort was great very nice lobby, grounds very well kept, public bathrooms super clean I was very impressed with it all. My room was very nice staff very friendly.I would go back again and would definitly refer my friends . I was near the beach and the beach restaurant which made it very handy. The weather was just perfect. Holiday was to short should have gone for 10 days.

It was pretty good

The place was good , beach was pretty dirty. Food was pretty good for the most part. Overall experience was good, I would recommend it to my friends .one thing I was disappointed with Was is that we had no one in our buss on our way in to explain or talk about the resort or the country.

Grand Bahia San Juan

Just returned from 1 week. We had a great room which was ocean view that I did not ask for. The resort had a lot to choose from to eat...no one should have an issue with eating. It is kept very clean. Sure the beach is not your crystal blue water, but its a beach. The staff are very friendly and go out of their way to help u. It is a very large resort, but is layed out very well There is lots to do at the resort to keep u busy, or lots of quiet spots. My only complaint was the bus ride. We trave [... read more]lled an hour on a small bus, too many people confined to a small area and the driver drove very fast. I would definitely recommend this resort and return in the future. People need to remember u are in a third world country.

Decent Resort

Good Facilities for adults and kids. The resort has ample space and good activities. Evening entertainment was good for both kids and adults. Some of the infrastructure needs maintenance, however its not very bad.

Great resort for the price

I had a great time with my friends at this resort. For the price we paid I have absolutely no complaints. Rooms were nice and clean , food was good, pool were great , beach was great and long, so perfect for walking 😊

Wow wow wow

Like People - Very friendly and Helpful Hotel Room - Clean , decent size, bathrooms were clean Food - Great food options for Non Veg. Transportation - We were picked up from the airport on time. Games - Animation team did a great job entertaining guests. They had regular sports activities. Can Improve Hotel Room - Toilets were leaking, Back door not locking properly Food (Veg.) - Hotel can provide more food options for vegetarians Sports activities - TT table , Pool table were [... read more] not in playing condition. Tables were dusty and old. There were no hot water tub or whirlpool for the guests.

4 stars for a 4 star resort!

I travelled to the Grand Bahia Principe San Juan Jan 8-15, 2017 as a family of 5 (myself, husband, and boys age 4, 7, 14). I read hundreds of reviews for weeks before we left and was incredibly nervous because the reviews were so mixed-either excellent or completely awful. It's confusing because some websites advertise this resort as 3.5 star, some as a 4, and others as a 5. If you go there expecting a 5 star, I think you'll be disappointed. If you're looking for a solid 3.5 to 4 star with good  [... read more]value for your money I think you'll be happy. Although it wasn't the Carrebian family vacation I had hoped for, our experience was by no means a "jail sentence" as another reviewer wrote. Unfortunately the weather did play a role in our experience, but not the fault of the resort. Our week was filled with rain and wind with some sun. Rain affected the pool side entertainment and our beach party. The wind affected our ability to do any of the water sports they offer. The kids club-The wonderful lady, Dahiana, who usually runs it was away for the first few days of our trip and there was a language barrier with her replacement-I couldn't understand how or where the activities were-or if they were even running. Our kids just ended up tagging along with some of the adult games during that time (bean bag toss, darts, and bingo). My 4 year old really enjoyed the mini disco in the evening and it was nice when they offered a game for the kids on the stage after the dancing. Some of the nightly entertainment was fantastic and other shows were less entertaining. I wasn't expecting a very nice beach based on other reviews and after all the rain and wind it wasn't nice at all (as many beaches would be after lots of rain and wind). Dark, wet sand full of seaweed and some garbage. As it started to dry up the sand at the top of the beach did become lighter and soft and my kids did enjoy playing in it. My kids enjoyed swimming in the ocean and never cared about the condition of the beach or water. There are sand fleas and mosquitoes, but we are campers and came prepared so this wasn't an issue. My 7 year old literally painted himself in sand and the only spots he came home with were ones that resembled mosquitoes on his legs that he never really complained about. 4 pools in total. They were nice. I would rate the buffet as about average. Enough selection for everyone to find something. We really enjoyed the hot meats they served. The cold cuts, cheese, fruit and salad bar was pretty much the same every day. There was an omelet station in the morning and pasta station during lunch and dinner-sometimes there were longer waits than others, but I've experienced this at any other resort I've been to. We did 2 of the 3 a la carts-Japanese and Italian (both twice) and they were great! Buffet appetizers and main served to you. The service at the buffet was spotty. We tipped when we received service but there were many times we had to search for someone to bring coffee or utensils because they tables weren't set properly. None of us were sick. In good weather there is lots to do at this resort-mini golf, basketball, tennis, soccer, biking, paddle boards, kayaks, pool side entertainment including games and activities, bingo, darts, ping pong, ring toss-I'm sure I've missed some. The resort is a distance away from excursions-maybe research this before you go if that's what you plan to do. I found the there was a language barrier with many people working at the resort, but most of them smiled and said "hola" when you past. The resort is older so the buildings look a little tired but the grounds were well kept, clean, and beautiful. We had a suite-it was 2 rooms made into 1-it was perfect for our family! 2 tvs, 2 bathrooms, a king sized bed on one side, a pull out couch AND 2 cots on the other. Most of the people there work hard and often long hours. If your looking for a newer resort with a beautiful white sand beach and 5 star service, I don't think this is the resort for you. If your looking for a good value and can look past some imperfections this is a good resort. We booked through Lisa Selig at tripcentral. She made sure we didn't miss our payment deadline, answered questions I had leading up to our trip, and followed up with us after. Thanks Lisa!

Very Disappointed

We were very disappointed. We had booked a Master Suite and was given a standard room. We were told they overbooked and nothing we could do about it. After getting our transit rep involved we were able to get what we booked. We had the room we wanted for 3 nights out of the seven. We booked two months in advance and they had plenty of time to inform us however they chose not to. We will not go back to this resort, we didn't book a holiday to argue over rooms.

Dated Resort

Rooms were clean bathrooms were updated. Resort just s need a minor makeover, the sand fleas and mosquitoes terrible take lots of bug spray and the food tends to repeat every second day the staff could not be more friendlier or helpful and I know we were there for New Years they made it spectacular from the food to the whole evening.

A great place for what it is!

The pool is great, beach is beautiful, drinks are good, buffet food was as good as you'd expect from a buffet, and the a la carte restaurants were delicious. Our room wasn't extravagant, but I didn't book a trip to the Dominican to sit in a room. Our bar fridge wasn't working, which we didn't notice until 6pm on the day way came. We called the front desk, they came within minutes to investigate, and when we came back from supper there was a new fridge in the room. The showers didn't have as  [... read more]much pressure as I'd get at home (many of the resorts I go to are like this), but the water was always hot enough. The only complaint I will agree with is that the bugs are terrible -- many of us in my group came back with a lot of bites. But I'm not sure how much control the hotel has over this. They spray for bugs daily so, in the end, it is what it is. Overall, I think if you're not a spoiled diva, you'll love this hotel. The people are extremely friendly and helpful and service was always good.

A great place to relax!

The resort was better than expected! We found the staff very friendly and easy to get along with. Although they did not speak much English we were able to get everything we needed sorted out. The grounds and vegetation are lovely; it's a very green, healthy landscape. The beach was peaceful though there were a lot of sand fleas. Bug repellent is a must. The food was good. Buffet had a lot of selection and nothing bothered my stomach. Wine was not great but other drinks were fairly good! The Medi [... read more]terranean restaurant was excellent. We had a suite by the beach - roomy with a nice view. The water pressure is low, but it's workable. Cleaning staff were great.

Good Resort!

This was my second time back to Grand Bahia Principe San Juan and I was satisfied with my stay. Please see my review below on certain aspects. Look & Feel The resort is beautiful - I have always enjoyed the layout and the design. I found the room to be a little outdated, but I don't usually go on vacation to stay in my room! The room and resort always felt clean. Beach The beach is OK - there are wave breakers in the water that make it to look unappealing. I spent most of my time by the [... read more] pool, and went to the beach occasionally. Food The food is OK - not a plentiful variety to choose from, but your staple items are always there. The restaurants were good (specifically, the Mediterranean restaurant). Entertainment The evening entertainment is great! We would always attend the shows and would then follow to Pueblo Principle for some karaoke and the disco. Hope this helps!

Won't be back

The hotel was nice enough and the rooms were clean enough. The mini fridge was stocked with no issues. We arrived after 3pm and it still took hours to get a room. Then they gave us the wrong room and it was another long wait to get the correct one. Very poor English comprehension at the front desk. No money to exchange for a few days. Struggled to get more than 1 key for the room. Beach was infested with bugs and the water was disgusting. Looked like mud. Apparently there is huge run of [... read more]f from the mountains that the travel agent should have told us about. Dining room service was absolutely horrid. Went many meals without being served drinks. Having paid so much with it being Christmas time, I would have expected a lot better. For some reason, there were a lot of injured people and speaking with the other guests, many were extremely unhappy.