Nice resort

Second visit to El Portillo, also been to GBP Cayacoa and Luxury Samana and four other GBP locations. Not pleased that that they no longer offer differentiating bands for VIP guests (we had a white band last time around). They stated the new rule is 10 visits for a gold band - hardly a positive experience for past travellers having perks taken away). We felt this impacted the degree of service we received in a la carte restaurants and was challenged when we visited the golden club room just t [... read more]o sit down and use our cell phone. Nicest thing at this resort is the beach allowing for very long walks into Las Terrenas in one direction and to quiet beaches in the other end. This time around, we encountered a lot of noseeum bites maybe because of 2 days of rain. Other than that good value and very good experience overall.

Samana is my favorite!

I don't like lazy Cuban service and arrogant Jamaican customs, so out of all mid-priced Islands DR is my 1st choice. Punta Cana is really overcrowded, from the airport to the beach. Samana, on the other hand is less high-fed with tourists, more peaceful. We've been to Bacardi Island before we had kids (Adults Only GBP Cayo Levantado), and it was our one and only worth-to-come-back place. Now El Portillo made its way to our favorite spots list. Canadians fly in to Samana directly, so the bus r [... read more]ide for us is fairly short and really entertaining - those views worth the bus ride. Check-in could have been faster, as there was only one guy distributing the keys and bracelets to our crowd, and when I asked why no one is helping him, he answered - I like to work alone. Really? Tell this to people standing in the line. Folks at the reception were all nice and helpful. Jr Superior Suite was fine, GBP's standard, all functioned well. The guy with a crib showed up 5 minutes after we came in the room which deserves a high-five, even though my toddler doesn't like sleeping alone, and we had to waive. Unfortunately, we've been given 2 double beds instead of a king as per my request, but I didn't want to waste time trying to change the room. Maid's service was good, yet she has taken off the pillow covers from the couch and never brought them back. Puzzle here. They have put us in villa 27 on the edge of the resort which is close to road, so we could hear all the motorcycles at night and workers chatter from the service buildings nearby. Despite of my preliminary request for QUIET location. And it was a long walk in the heat with a toddler who has to nap after lunch, so we had to ask for a ride which was never a problem to the drivers - always with a smile. Main buffet was good, selection was fine. Usual menu, nice fruits variety, grilled/stewed/sautéed food. One thing I don't understand though, why the hell they put out the bananas peeled? Out of sanitary reasons leave them unpeeled maybe? This way I'll have one not visited by the flies, and my child might enjoy it later as a snack, and we'll put the peel in the garbage, I promise. Their cheese and fresh bread - AWESOME! Bakers and chefs deserve a huge THANK YOU and big tips, if only we could meet them. Beach restaurant offers less variety, but there's very good nachos/quesadillas option, fresh fish, and THE VIEW. We went there for the last night of our stay for Brazilian dinner, and it was so very good - the service, the wine, the whole meal was fantastic. Kids splash park is nice, quite, and secure - the guard does watch the place closely. Main pool was good, yet it gets slippery around, even though workers do their best to keep it clean at all times. Quite pool was relaxing, too bad some guests there acted like they own the pool or we disturb them personally - it's not an adults only pool guys, read the signs. There's a Jacuzzi for adults only, and there I have seen kids, which is not cool, for sure. Finally, the reason we will come back - the BEACH! Protected by the reef it is indeed calm and shallow, pleasant to just float or play with kids. Plenty of fish to watch even if you don't snorkel. Snorkeling was just perfect - we have even spotted an octopus and a barracuda. Perfect beach walks in both directions, no other hotels there, which is wonderful. Vendors at the beach are a bit annoying at times, even though they are polite and "no, gracias" was usually enough, one guy did frazzle me out. Won't say anything about the kids club as we like to spend our time with both our kids. Animation team is hardworking and devoted. They work their butts out at the beach and by the pool. Their most loud guy talks non stop, no wonder by the time it's mini disco time he is exhausted. Then he participates in the night show, which is another puzzle for me - how on Earth he does that everyday. Won't say much about night shows, I've only watched the beginning of MJ show (kids bed time), and it was decent. A word for the management - don't waste your money on imported salmon. Majority of your guests eat it back home, fresh and much better cooked. Including the smoked salmon. Stick to local fresh fish, that's what we come for, really. Overall it was a great stay! Thank you very much!

Fantastic resort

Hotel is very clean and grounds are well maintained. The restaurants are great and the food at the buffet was awesome. Great beach for snorkelling as there are a lot of reefs and you can walk on the beach for miles. It is a small resort so everything is very close so doesn't matter which villa they put you in. We are definitely going back to this one and we travel a lot, rate it 9 out of 10. Thanks Bill at trip Central for the recommendation!

Amazing resort!

We had the best time! Staff were amazing, resort was beautiful, always something to eat. Third time in the Bahia principe chain and I highly recommend it! Will be returning in the near future. Thanks !!!

Beautiful beach!

The beaches at this resort are stunning! You can walk for miles on the bright white sand, admiring views of the turquoise waters, boats and kite surfers. The reefs were easy to access and fishes were plentiful. Much of the coral is dead due to high silt levels but still lots of neat things to see. Food was great. Lots of choices at the buffet and the a la cartes were a a visual and culinary delight. Rooms were comfortable. Staff always had friendly smiles.

Great Resort

lovely small resort. Food=very good Beach= great but not enough thatched sunshade umbrellas reserve at 6am can be brutal. Snorkelling within ft of beach Off the resort sadly has lots of garbage which seems typical in the Caribbean.

Fantastic food, staff and employees

Dining 5 star everynight, food was excellent - staff very pleasant, beach beautiful. however 1 downfall, not safe to wonder off premisses during daytime or evening. One elderly man was attacked during the DAYTIME AFTERNOON @2pm on the beach for his cell phone, he was ambushed by a gang of locals and hit on the back of the head - bleeding enough to get 9-10 stiches. Then, during an evening after dinner a couple was sitting on the beach chairs and no security around was approach by 1 masked man [... read more] with a GUN. NO SECURITY - NO SECURITY !!! the Govt needs to get involved and clean up their act around the beach area and guard the tourists or the hotel needs 24 security like other tourists islands. I would recommend the hotel but if you wonder off to the local town or beach area - NOT SAFE for tourism.

Awesome!

The Grand Bahia Principe El Portillo was amazing. The staff was very friendly and helpful; the grounds were beautifully kept; the food was great. We had great fun engaging with the Animation Team. I would definitely recommend this hotel.

Beautiful Resort

First time to Samana and to anywhere in the Dominican Republic. Would certainly go back again. The Grand Bahia Principe El Portillo is beautiful. Clean rooms, food was good, loved the pool and the beach. The staff were entertaining. Lucked out with the weather, no rain. We had a little mix up with our room but we were upgraded to a junior suite after they corrected the issue. Would definitely go to this resort again.

Would definately return!

Hotel was clean, comfortable and grounds were beautiful. They take great care in the appearance of this resort. Food was fantastic in both the buffet and the restaurants. The beach was amazing - only downside is people reserving chairs at the beach.

Amazing Resort

Everybody there is very friendly. The food is amazing. My boyfriend and I had such a great time as this was our very first vacation together. We both loved the entertainment shows and the a la carte restaurants. We went during the March break. The beach and pool is very clean and nice. We only did one excursion and that was zip lining. There were a total of 12 lines and the views are just breathtaking. We were so sad to leave but it was definitely a trip to remember! We will for sure be back!!!! [... read more]! :)

Cayacoa resort is better!!

Beach is beautiful, however many cats and dogs walking through the resort. Entertainment was a little boring and inappropriate at times. Food was good. Need to wake up very early to get a chair both by the pools and or at the beach. Lots of French Canadians at this resort. Not worth paying the extra for Royal Golden as we were not in prime location, and only got turn down service 1 night. The room service menu is nothing much either. Staff were not all friendly nor were they appreciative of tips [... read more]. If going to Samana I would strongly recommend staying at Grand Bahia Principe Cayacoa.

Great location, amazing beach, good food

We loved the fact that this resort is isolated, that you can walk down the beach for a long ways in either direction and be all by yourself. If you want to go into town, it's just 10min by taxi. The beach is gorgeous, with lots of chairs, lots of shade if you want it, perfect sand, and crystal clear water. There is a reef right off the beach, so if you want to see some fish, just stick your face in. The pool is nothing special, but the beach is so nice we didn't even dip our toes in the pool [... read more]. The food was as good as any resort I've been to, and the a la carte meals were truly special, not just re-presented buffet food. A lot of French speaking guests here, and the resort staff seem to be more comfortable in French than English, which wasn't a problem for us. The room we had was nice - everything worked (though the AC was a bit noisy), and it was kept spotless throughout the week. Highly recommended.

What we like

Hotel was a little larger than we like, about 600 rooms. Although this did not make it seem crowded. The beach was great with good snorkeling close to shore. We had a lot of wind the week we were there which caused the water to be a bit cloudy in some locations. The outer reef area protected the swimming area from large waves. The food was good with lots of variety, the main buffet had a different theme each night. We went to two of the four ala carte restaurants the Brazilian and the sea  [... read more]food. Both were good. We had booked a royal golden superior Jr. suite. The room was large well furnished and the bathroom was high quality with a jacuzzi tub, separate large shower. The location of these suites is in quite location with a separate pool with bar. The rooms were kept very clean, lots of towels. We did not attend any of the nightly shows that started at 9:30pm but did enjoy the musical entertainment in the outdoor lounge next to the lobby from 8:300--9:30. All the staff we dealt with were great. Over all had a great time.

Had a Great Week at El Portillo

First of all, the drive from and back to the airport was fabulous, amazing views, mountains and beautiful vegetation everywhere. I normally just tolerate the drive to the resort but I enjoyed this transfer so much. The resort is very pretty and yet elegant, loved the open air concept in all the additional places to the lobby, restaurants, seating areas. There were so many places to go and sit if you wanted to get away from everyone. Rooms were great, everything replenished on a daily basis.  [... read more] Restaurants are really nice, loved the buffet outdoor seating on the beach. Food was good to really good depending on the dish. Tons of selection at every meal, fantastic fruit, yogurts, breads, salad bar, lots of flavourful dishes, some of the highlights for me were the pork tenderloin in prune sauce, the oxtail stew, the goat stew and the octopus stew. I know that these are not to everyone's taste but I loved them and there are plenty of delicious chicken, pork, seafood and beef dishes as well as lots of vegetarian. Rodizo, the Brazilian restaurant was a great experience, the most amazing chicken and pork although the service was poor, especially to two women. Dishes were replenished regularly at the buffet and those desserts were too good, especially the small squares of cakes, so light and delicious. Staff very friendly and helpful, slow to serve at the bar so you need patience but this is the Dominican so slow down. The beach was beautiful as expected, lovely bay with spectacular views to the right side. Lovely soft, fine golden sand, clear, calm water. You could walk for miles. My only disappointment and for me this was significant was that the beach was so crowded. There are not enough palapas and beach space with chairs for this size of a resort. I felt that people were on top of each other all the time. The only exception was if you got a front row palapa, otherwise you were looking at a sea of beach chairs and bodies. Lucky for me is that my sister is an early morning runner, so she was able to get a decent spot most days. We had great weather, one really overcast and windy day so we took a taxi into Las Terranas. Interesting town. lovely beach side promenade and restaurants and stores. The cab driver offered to wait for us for 2 hours but if not, there are plenty of other cabs. I loved Samana and would like to try one of the other smaller Gran Bahia resorts in this area.

The resort is lovely

The rooms were clean and comfortable. The resort is small and quite intimate and the food delicious as it is at all Bahia resorts. The buffet had plenty of options so there was always something good to eat. The only special restaurant that I tried was the Brazilian and the food was good but be prepared as it is a slow way of eating. The water was very shallow quite a way out which is good for families with little children. There is some coral in the water which was good for snorkeling. This [... read more] is a good hotel to go to with your family or for a relaxing vacation. The town of Las Terenas is a good place to go for a look round the town, there are some nice restaurants there too.

Beautiful place!

What can I say...great food, great service, beautiful beach and cold drinks! we really enjoyed our stay and did not want to come home. The staff was friendly, although they did not understand much English, but they got want we meant with a few hand gestures and pointing..

Great vacation

Fabulous trip, just one complaint, I didn't go for 2 weeks. Food, beach and staff were amazing, absolutely no complaints. Easy check in and out. Pleasant trip from airport, check in on bus, so when you get there you are ready to go to your room. It is very relaxing, slow paced vacation. We did go whale watching through the hotel and it was great. Saw quite a few whales, amazing!

Beautiful Resort

The staff was very friendly although there English was limited they were helpful and happy. The resort was clean and well kept and with beautiful surroundings very lush and tropical. There was lots to do with activities always on the go. The food was very good with lots of variety.

Relaxing escape from Canadian winter

This hotel was everything we wanted - gorgeous beach, beautiful hotel, and a relaxing atmosphere for a week long escape from the cold Canadian winter. The beach was definitely the highlight: you could walk for miles in either direction and barely run into anyone else. Soft sand and some really cool coral/marine life to go snorkeling. The hotel keeps the beaches very clean and there are a good number of loungers if you go early in the day. Lots of sun but not a problem to find shade if you want i [... read more]t. Lots to do at the resort: bocce, shuffleboard, badminton, ping pong, tennis, kayaking were all things we tried out and enjoyed. Some fun evening entertainment: michael jackson show, fire show on the beach, and a big super bowl night for those who were missing the game back home. There's some nice piano and jazz sax performances as well. This isn't a big party resort so don't expect much to be happening past midnight, but that was exactly what we were looking for. The food at this resort was great - really exceeded my expectations. The buffet has different themes for dinner every night so they do try to switch up the food. I highly recommend the restaurants - all four were good but the Brazilian steak house on the beach was a highlight. Staff are all very friendly and the hotel is clean and beautiful. Very nice landscaping / gardens. The grounds are not too big and my boyfriend and I were able to walk from our room at the far end to the lobby in 5 minutes max. Suites were spacious with a well stocked mini bar and a beautiful big bathroom. Would definitely go back!