Cannot Wait Until I Return

GROUNDS: Immaculate PUBLIC AREAS: Spacious and well equipped with many creature comforts ROOMS: Comfortable and good daily housekeeping DINING: Eloquent presentation and excellent cuisine STAFF: Second to none - always happy and glad to see you BARTENDERS: Wonderful people and so hospitable ANIMATION TEAM: Very personal and engaging POOLS and BEACH: Clean and well maintained FRONT DESK: Friendly and efficient LUGGAGE HANDLERS: Timely and professional INTERNAL TRANSPORTATION: Runs like  [... read more]a well-oiled machine OVERALL GRADE: A+

Better than expected

We were really happy with the Esmeralda. The rooms were clean and spacious. The grounds were beautiful, covered in emmaculate gardens and greenery. We stayed mostly at the quiet pool, which was clean and the swim up bar staff were so friendly and funny. Always made us feel welcome, even when they were busy. The food and restaurants at this resort were very good. The good thing is , if you didn't really like your meal, you always had the appetizer buffet to fall back on. The Buffet restaur [... read more]ant was also good. The beach is incredible in Punta Cana. loved it. The entertainment at night was perfect for us. We really enjoyed it and danced so much. The staff at Esmeralda went out of their way to assure we had a wonderful vacation.overall, this resort was better than expected and We will definately return. thank you.

Relaxing Resort

Wonderful,resort for a week of R&R, gorgeous grounds, beautiful beach you can walk for miles. Lots of activities if you choose to do so or you can simply read a great book under a palapa on the beach.

Very Disappointed

On a good note the Staff was wonderful, food was ok. Very disappointed with the rooms, we had requested a garden view room, and upon arrival we were given 2 rooms with a view of the main road and a fence. Because we arrived only at 6pm we were too tired to complain. The next morning we complained and were given other rooms with a better view but with 2 double beds and not a King. After changing rooms, we proceeded to the desk to book our reservations at particular Restaurants for the  [... read more]week, only to be told that all restaurants (Buffet excluded) were totally booked and the only times we could get were at 9pm or 9:15 pm, which being seniors was too late. We ended up eating every nite at the Buffet. with the exception of our last nite when I made a fuss and they told me to call the Restaurant we wanted directly to see if we could get in for 7pm. Upon arriving at this particular Restaurant there was a fuss at the door, but they finally let us in, only to realize 3/4 of the place was empty and when we left the Restaurant it was still almost empty. We were not very happy. That same day, with some people we met, ,we found out that people booked their Restaurant Reservations at the same time as their trip booking, which we were never told.!!! This is NOT a 5 Star Resort!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So so

resort was a bit dated,received calls from someone at 2:30am three times and with no reason,some of the front dest people were rude when asking questions and having to ask again because i couldnt understand them,beaches were very nice,food was pretty good. Had to request more drinking water for the room as well as bath towels. Flight coming home was delayed 8 hrs and no Air Transat reps around to assist as to when we wetre to leave the resort,us and other passengers had to figure it out,pretty [... read more] poor representation of Air Transat,will not fly them again.

Great time

we had an excellent time at the Luxury Bahia Princpe Esmarelda. From our girl Yenny who served us at the pool our drinks she was an amazing little girl. To sexy chocolate and Pedro the dancers who were at the pool getting people upbeat about the exercises they were awesome and funny. Our room was beautiful, The maids were nice. The servers like Hulioi d Pedro and Mathies they were excellent and hardworking kids, The food was excellent. We only wish that there were more workers that were able  [... read more]to speak English Some were fluent in French also and some of the workers could speak English well

What a great resort in so many ways but what a disappointment in many others!

We had been to a Bahia San Juan at Puerto Plata 2 years ago and so were familiar with their general layout and operation. We had not been to Punta Cana and so decided to try the Grand Bahia Luxury Esmeralda largely on the recommendation of the travel agent we used 2 years ago. We knew the place was big but had no idea it was SO big. There are 5 hotels on the property and I was told there are over 4000 rooms. First the good parts. 1/ food was outstanding. We ate at several a la cart restau [... read more]rants and always enjoyed our meals. Big problem was in getting a time around 7 pm. Apparently one can book well ahead and for your entire week or two should you wish. This means that late comers are often out of luck. The buffet restaurants were very good and had lots of choice. The Esmeralda offers outside dining at one buffet and that was nice most of the time. We found the indoor dining often to be chilly. 2/ grounds were immaculate both in cleanliness and in landscaping. It was a treat to walk the paths and be surrounded but lovely vegetation always. 3/ building exteriors were lovely and in very good state of repair from what we saw. 4/ Fantasia was a new hotel area which caters to youngsters and it was gorgeous to walk thru at night. Some lighting engineer had done a wonderful job with the buildings being floodlite as well as coordinating lights with the fountains. 5/ pools were immaculate. They always looked and felt lovely. 6/ the help staff were almost always willing to help you with a cheerfulness that was warm and appeared genuine. 7/ the beach was fine sand and felt nice to walk on for as long as you wanted in either direction. So why did we come away disappointed? 1/ SMOKING! No matter where we went, aside from indoor dining areas there were lots of people (largely from Quebec) who smoked. With most generalizations this is not fair but it seemed that every time we turned around the smokers were speaking French. We couldn't escape the smoke on the beach while resting in the chaise loungers nor around the pools. 2/ BUSY. There were so many people who fed on to the beach area from the 5 hotels that one had trouble finding a spot unless you were prepared to go early and "reserve" a chaise by throwing your towel over it. This is a pet peeve of mine because often people will do this and not return to their chair for many hours. The lineups for lunch at the beach buffets were very large and smoking was not controlled in these areas. getting any seating was a problem and woe betide you if the folks nearby decided to light up. 3/ Entertainment....the live music offerings were done by quality singers however the seating for listening to them was limited and once again smokers made the enjoyment less. The acts that followed were done on a small stage area which didn't provide very much seating around the pool unless you were prepared to park yourself very early. The Michael Jackson concert was pretty good but the smoking got to us there too. 4/ We talked to a few other people there who like ourselves found that once you had walked the beach a bit and then lay around the pool a bit you ran out of things to do. The Bahia Village was a bit of a walk and most folk took the shuttle bus to get to it. Once you walked about looking at the typical tourist stuff there was little reason to return. There was no shuffleboard. Bocce was mentioned but we couldn't find it and we aren't really into beach volleyball in the full sun. 5/ NOISE. Our first room was an end unit which happened to be the location of the shuttle bus bringing in tourists at all hours. The first 2 nights we were awakened by these buses at 1:45 am. There were also people who thought they should have loud conversations right outside our door and they didn't take kindly to being shushed even at 2 am! We moved to another building where we encountered the same problems of loud conversations by females who had too much to drink. The noise was so bad that people in an adjoining building came out to find out the source. 6/ VIP Safari...offered by Transat Holidays. A rip off! We had taken a similar trip at P Plata and had a wonderful time. This time we were kept waiting 50 minutes before starting, there were 20 people crammed into a truck-like vehicle with poor suspension and we spent some hours bouncing over rough roads. The guide was good and had no control over the numbers (or so we were led to believe) but the experience of crowding was continued on a boat where we ate lunch. We both flet we spent a lot of time and money for relatively little.

Beautiful resort

We had an amazing time. The grounds were stunning, our room was spacious and clean and overlooked one of the 3 pools. Meals were good and staff were wonderful. High fives to Sexy chocolate and the rest of the entertainment team and to Juan at the main pool for those awesome drinks. We would definetly return but would stay longer next time. Thank you to Diana at Trip Central for recommending this beautiful place.

Beautiful resort!!

We have stayed at this hotel 3 times now. The beach is amazing, beautiful hotel, perfect location, good food, great staff!!!! Love the fact that by staying at the Luxury Bahia Esmeralda we were able to use the facilities at the sister resorts.

Fabulous vacation !!!

We had an excellent stay in Punta Cana at The Luxury Grand Bahia Principe Esmerelda. We visited Jan 20-29th 2017 and will definitely return. It sure is a large resort but we never felt crowded and everyone was happy to help. Tripcentral is a good agent to book with and we were really pleased with our booking.

Great Resort & Amazing Staff!!!

The resort grounds were very well kept, the gardens are beautiful the property is very clean. They work very hard on keeping it so. The hotel itself could use a little more maintenance as far as repairs go. The cleaning staff for the rooms do a great job with the turn around time they have. The food was good, the al carte's were very good. The staff is Amazing, Very Friendly. Although the Resort is going through some changes as far as owners & Management it will take time for them to resolve the [... read more] little problems that they were having as far as the adults only, which in May will be going back to family. The beach is beautiful, clean & you can walk for hours,I would definitely go back❤😎

Amazing resort

The staff at the Esmeralda went over and beyond our expectations. They made our golden anniversary very special. We will be back again. The beach was always kept clean and the landscaping immaculate. Thanks for a wonderful vacation.

Breathtaking Bahia Principe REsort Complex

Beautiful lush landscaping, clean and well organized. Pools were spotless and well maintained. Service was spectacular. The food was the best at any destination. The meals were well represented and the buffets were endless. Our room was in the 94 block, in between the two pools and close to everything. The Beach was nice, my wife loved it.

"Grand" is right!

Luxury Grand Bahia Principe Esmeralda is one of about 5 resorts combined on this property rooming over 3000 people that all share the same beachfront. If your #1 priority is beach, you will not appreciate this resort as you're packed like pickles with zero personal space. If you prefer a palapa, prepare to awaken around 6:30 a.m. to get one. Rooms are beautiful, spacious and very clean with ample storage. Beds are comfortable with a med-firm mattress. Large pools at a comfortable temperature, ve [... read more]ry clean with pool bar. Every a-la-carte was very good and all restaurants have vegetarian choices.

Amazing location to the beach

Very clean and very close to beach . The rooms are very clean and mini bar was always stocked with beverages. The food at the buffets and a la carts was very good and always fresh .The pool was very good and the pool bartender was great

No surprise, tropical paradise

The hotel was well maintained and well organized. It is styled in the classic Spanish fashion of the Grand Bahia properties. It boasts three pools, with jacuzzi jets and bars at all three. Chairs are plentiful at the beach but can be difficult to secure poolside. Staff are diligent about raking the beach if any seaweed washes up. We enjoyed all 3 restaurants in the Esmeralda part of the property and could have accessed others if we wished. All staff we encountered during our stay were friendly a [... read more]nd helpful. WiFi was available throughout, even at the beach.

Welcome "Home "

From day 1, minute 1 through to day 10 last minute the GBP Esmeralda exceeded my expectations in every way possible. Timely and efficient internal transportation, easy/peasy check in and out with efficient and friendly staff, exceptionally manicured and beautiful grounds, beautiful beach, spacious and well serviced room, clean and sanitary pools with awesome bar service, great entertainment, and scrumptious meals, all of which was only exceeded by friendly, personable a la carte and buffet [... read more] staff who treat every guest like he /she was the only guest in the resort. Kudos and high fives to the Esmeralda staff for making my stay so memorable and enjoyable. I was restricted to a wheelchair for most of my stay and everything was fully accessible, including my internal transportation!

Luxury Bahia Principe Esmeralda

The Esmeralda's location is extremely ideal - as it's close to the beach, pools, and Fantasia. The waves from the beach and current from the water is pretty rough - so my 5 & 3 year olds couldn't go in. We watched the water and I would step in a bit and let the waves hit us. Otherwise, they played in the sand. The pools were great for family and water time. The food was excellent - and what was outstanding and made the time so great was the service. I've read many reviews about resorts bei [... read more]ng understaffed or things being stolen etc. I kept watches and money out in plain site in the room and the people were extremely helpful. Overall, Punta Cana was great and I would have no hesitation in visiting the Esmeralda again. Lastly, our daughter had an ear infection and being able to see a doctor onsite was fantastic. The doctor was extremely helpful and we were able to get antibiotics etc. right away. Get the family medical insurance for sure.- especially if you have little ones. It's really easy to get an ear infection after a flight and a day in the water.

Beautiful Place

Beautiful Property with many amenities. Staff kept busy keeping the property very clean. The property and shared properties are all very nice. Only negative was the hard beds which were only doubles and the room (ours anyway) while spotless (clean) was showing signs of wear. Food was very good. We were not advised that Punta Cana was one hour difference in time (they are ahead) so we missed the welcome briefing and the representatives for Air Transat Vacations seem never to be found on  [... read more]location during the hours stated. Not even a sign on departure date in the lobby, you have to look in a binder sitting on the counter in the basement of lobby. Took us most of the week to figure out where many things were. Very disappointed in Air Transat Vacations for this reason (they should have some type of welcome brochure with tips in it) but only with respect to local representatives not airline itself, we actually got home early on Christmas Day! Very memorable vacation. Certainly would travel there again if the opportunity arises.

Excellent Resort

Bahia Principe Esmeralda is an excellent family resort. Very quiet, clean, access to other resort within Don Pablo complex, very close to the beach and swimpools. The staff is very friendly and always willing to help you. The food is very good with lots of choices to choose.