Beautiful resort

The room We had was lovely. I was with 4 other people (2 suites). Unfortunately the maid service could not understand that 3 beds meant 3 people and every day we had to request 3 towels ,3 cups, 3 glasses, extra tea, coffee, WATER etc.. We had to ASK for our umbrellas (only received 1 per room for 3 ladies), Robes, Rum, never received our slippers, All part of our upgrade... Two pools: 1 is a quiet pool no music, no laughing loudly, you have to be very very quiet. So we had to leave the pool th [... read more]at was below our balcony and walk 15 minutes to the other pool to just TALK. There was not a decent type of (rye) whiskey except at (the only inside bar) lobby bar. If you wanted Canadian Club that was an UPCHARGE. I have been to D.R. many times this was the worst for accommodating an upgraded package. The resort CLOSES at 11:00 pm Lights out in Lobby. The only Bar closed AT 11:00pm. NO TRANSPORTATION back to your room from the bar. Sorry to be negative but I don't work all year to go on vacation to have to turn in at 11:00pm. We were informed that there was entertainment (and with the rainy weather we couldn't figure out where it was. The Theater was in the total opposite direction of the outside stage (disco area) the front desk didn't know where the entertainment would be either. We had a good time because a vacation is what you make of it, come rain or shine..

Grand Bahia Principi El Portillo

Very clean well run resort loved the pool and the food was delicious !, Staff was excellent and rooms were comfortable , more english stations on Telly would have been nice watched the Bluejays with a Spanish announcer !

Best vacation

It is perfect . The rooms are very big and clean , the restaurant and bars are always on the point the staff are very nice. the trip from the airport to the hotel is breathtaking with beautiful view . The pools are clean . Everything was amazing

Really good resort!

Hotel is good, staff's friendly, beach - awesome, scores of pretty fishes right at the edge of the water. Internet is only in the lobby and really slow, but otherwise - it is a fantastic place to stay!

Perfect destination

Every positive review you read about this place is true. I cannot remember anything negative. All the bars close at 11 pm, but if you want to party more the disco opens then. Book a la cartes early, they are worth it.

Food (5 Star) Room (Superior?? 1 Star)

The grounds and pool areas are beautiful and well maintained. The buffet and restaurants (Italian and Brazilian recommended) were exceptional, offering a variety of foods (highlight of our trip). The pools were wonderful as well as plenty of chairs and shaded areas. We spent most of our time at the "relax pool" which had spotless restrooms and a bar (Franco the bartender - highlight of our trip as well). Only had 4 to 5 couples there everyday until the beach people started coming in around 4:00  [... read more]for their happy hour before supper. If you are a beach person, this is the resort for you as the pools are not large enough to accommodate the size of the resort. The accommodations and front desk day manager was a whole different story. We arrived at the resort about 1:00 pm Thursday to find out that we had no room. They could not seem to find a room for a full 2 week period. He asked us if we were there for 7 or 10 days and we responded that our reservation was for 14 days. He apologized and said that he did not have an available room but we could check back with him after we had lunch. We heard later from the WestJet rep that the resort was overbooked and they were asking people in the lobby if they would consider relocating to Bahia Cayo. We were finally assigned a room at 3:30 pm and realized that we had to be shuttled there as it was at the far end of the resort. When we initially booked this resort we were told we would be close to the ocean (Building Three) as the Tripcentral agent indicated that there was no oceanfront rooms due to layout of the villas. We ended up at Building Eleven on the 3rd Floor (no elevators). My husband has a knee injury (torn MCL) which was a concern at the time of booking but we were told that Building 3 was only two levels and we could request bottom level if we needed to. By this time it was so late in the day, we decided to see if this was feasible and try to make the best of it for now and enjoy what was left of the day. Went down to the pool area at the other end of the resort to get towels (15 minutes walk) only to be told there was no towels available. Instead of making the trek back to our room, we waited 1/2 hour at the towel booth for our towels. No chairs available at the large pool so we trekked back to the "relax pool" by our building and finally relaxed in the pool with a drink before it closed down. After spending a full day at Building 11 we realized this was not doable (due to stairs and walking distances to restaurants and facilities). We decided to request another room which is a first for us. The day manager indicated he would try to find a room on a lower level and closer but did not expect to have one until late afternoon (Saturday). He asked that we check back with him after lunch on Saturday. They found us a room but could not assign it to us until the day Manager was available. We were finally assigned a room 4:00 (building 7 - lower level) and told we need to relocate immediately if we wanted the room. We said we needed to pack up our belongings and would be moved out in 1/2 hour. We then trekked back to Building 11 to pack and received a call from the day Manager as soon as we entered our room asking if we were ready to move. He also threatened that if we did not do this quickly, the room would need to be re-assigned to someone else that was waiting. We were out of the room within the promised 1/2 hour only to arrive at a lower level room where 1) the patio door lock was broken which affects the sensor for the air conditioner, 2) they were still cleaning and setting up the room, 3) they were replacing a leg on the bed and 4) the housekeeping supervisor was indicating that the room was for three people and could we wait for another day for a different room. More accommodation highlights: 1. 20 to 30 flea like bugs in our bathroom daily 2. Could not shower, bathe or go to the washroom without coming out with a welt or spend 20 minutes killing them off so we were not swatting them while we slept. 3. Blood smear (assuming from a dead bug) on the floor for our entire stay 4. Decaf coffee only (4 days of our stay) 5. No creamer or sugar (6 days of our stay) I could go on but I am tired of typing. In my opinion, I will never return to a Bahia. We made the best of the situation and have never experienced this type of service in any of our travels (and there are many).

The El Portillo is a wonderful resort .

The grounds are extremely well manicured with a crew working diligently each day. Our room was cleaned each day with fresh towels and wash clothes., daily maid service was appreciated. The food in the buffet was well prepared and displayed with a flair. A hostess greeted us, found us a table and a waiter poured tea or coffee. The restaurants that required a reservation were a step up in the culinary world. Very positive comments from other guests who even enjoyed wine service during their meal.  [... read more]There was only a short wait at the beach bars, and the beach restaurant brought drinks to your table. Evening entertainment was quite appropriate for the guests who enjoyed a drink in the evening air. .We enjoyed our swims in the ocean but did not use the pool. The Doctor at the medical clinic tended professionally to our needs and even arranged for the taxi to transport us to the hospital in town. where we were taken care of very efficiently.

Amazing tedort

Staff were helpful, polite, and always smiling. Resort was spotlessly clean. Rooms a little small but lovely new bathrooms and very clean and comfortable. Food was amazing, infact since there were four of with different food likes and dislikes we only went to one elacart ( which was great) as the buffet was great for all of us. The food choices were wonderful and well prepared. There were different theme nights with foods from different cultures each night. The pool was a little small but seemed [... read more] to work fine for us. Most people were at the beach as the water was so warm and you could snorkel right off the beach near the reef. Lots of little places to sit both inside and outside to have a drink in the evening. All in all we hope to return there again.

Very peaceful

Beautiful and very clean resort. The staff were very friendly. Beautiful beach that you could walk on for miles. The a la carte restaurant was very good and the buffet had decent food. The pools were small but i prefer the beach anyway. The only thing about the beach is that the chairs are all pack together so you had to be on the beach very early to get a good spot.

Relaxing Holiday

Very pleased with the beauty of this well kept resort. Th staff were very friendly, particularly the animation team and bar tending staff. The beach was amazing and not too crowed to enjoy. All amenities were in close proximity and easy to access. There were many lovely seating areas inside and out, and in the sun or shade. It helped to make the resort feel uncrowned. There was plenty of varied entertainment offered at the pool, beach and during the evening. The food was excellent both at the bu [... read more]ffet and the al la cartes. The atmosphere was one of relaxation and calm.....great place for a getaway in a beautiful lush setting. My only complaint was regarding the restaurant staff. We often had to wait to get beverages with meals...sometimes seeming to be forgotten in the rush. I am not sure if this was due to the staff alone or a shortage of staff for this job. I have been to other Bahia resorts and there seemed to be more staff to attend to your needs during meal time. The pool is small so be warned if you don't like the beach. Although I would encourage the guests to snorkel right off the beach around the coral which hosts a vast number of beautiful fish. You don't even have to leave the resort for a snorkelling excursion!

Relaxed vacation

Standard rooms are typical, suits are very nice( upgrade worth the extra) Overall the hotel and grounds are kept very clean( always staff cleaning) Food good variety and tasty at buffet. Brazil restaurant is a must...excellent

Amazing Resort

The rooms in the Golden club are spacious and nice. The beach is amazing with the water nice and clear. The pool is small but the beach makes up for it. Restaurants are nice and so is the buffet. Enjoy the crepes lady in the buffet every night.

A Great Holiday Destination

We absolutely loved this resort and would go back in a heartbeat. It was beautiful in all aspects. It was clean and we experienced no issues with things not working in our room. The food was great and the beach was amazing. Its layout was easy to navigate and everything was close. Service was perfect.n

Wonderful place

We absolutely loved Grand Bahia in Samana! Everything was great: room, food, service, grounds. The beach is beautiful. There is nothing to complain about, we had an amazing time and can't wait to go back.

Some good! Some bad!

A lot of good features to make this resort worthy of a 5 star rating! The beach is beautiful and like the grounds kept very clean. The food also is great with a lot of variety to choose from. HOWEVER we found the accommdations (bldg.#18) more like a 3 star and had multiple problems. Upon arrival our room had only 1 bed not the 2 requested.We were moved the next day (same bldg.) but in this room the mini-bar,t.v.and door latch did not work properly. One morning water came pouring through the ceil [... read more]ing from the room above. Because we were staying for two wks. we were concerned about mould but they would not move us instead they moved the guests in the room above. A lot of our problems could have been resolved quickly with help from the front desk however there was only one employee who spoke English and he was very rude and unhelpful

Lovely setting!

The hotel room we stayed in was very nice but quite small. There was not much room to move around in the room due to the king size bed. The shower leaked a lot whenever it was used and we had to soak up the water with towels. We did not get any facecloths in our room but others we asked had them in theirs. The buffet was great and had plenty of selection. The food was delicious! The a la carte restaurants were exceptional! Overall, we were pleased with the service, food, facilities and the frien [... read more]dliness of the staff.

Beautiful resort

The grounds of the resort were very well maintained. The gardens were beautiful, the beach was cleared of garbage leaves etc. constantly. The staff were amazing, always wanted to please. The disappointments were the house wine, it was terrible - I can't believe the organization would even consider serving this type of wine at a 4 star resort. The wifi was only available for one hour daily in the lobby, but if you purchaed a $70us card you could have unlimited for the week, and I believe that wou [... read more]ld be from your room. The rooms are large, very musty but it is the island. Great location with a very long beach which leads right into Las Terranas. We were advised not to walk the distance because some of the beach is deserted but we felt safe. Overall is was a great holiday.

Beautiful Resort

Beautiful beach and resort with incredibly friendly staff. Food and buffet was amazing and the excursions made our trip memorable. Our only issue was with cleaning staff who often forgot to give us towels.

Gran Bahia Principe El Portillo

Lovely resort, we had a wonderful time. We were offered a free upgrade to Luxury Bahia Principe Don Pablo Collection which was fantastic as well. Best holiday ever! Portillo resort was family with wonderful beach, Don Pablo was luxury adult resort close to Samana and Barcardi Island. Recommend both.

Amazing resort

Food was great,very professional staff,rooms very clean .Me and my husband did celebrate 25 th wedding anniversary and Joseleiro make our day perfect. We have to thank Josefina,Yohania for their excellent service .Also Carolina from the beach bar was an amazing person ,very polite and always happy to see us .