Great experience

We had a great experience at the Grand Bahia Prinicipe. The food was excellent, the room was beautiful and clean, the hotel grounds were beautiful. Very large resort, with lots to do. Lobby area was very nice to enjoy the evening, it would be nice to have refreshments available later into the night.

Good Resort, but would not return

The resort was good, family had a great time. We tend to spend most of our time at the beach and learned the beach at the Grand Bahia is a man made beach. Lots of rocks, seaweed and the sand was rocky and filled with crushed seashells. Overall great family experience staff and food was great but would try another resort on the island.

Great value - luxury treatment

Overall, a great vacation for either young or old. Martine Reid of Trip Central took care of all the details, making the booking easy. Lots to do at Bahia, and a vast selection of food to suit my sensitive dietary needs (good quality healthy food selection and preparation was my priority and that was thankfully met). Royal Golden option is worth it - you get your own concierge, your own check-in office where you sit down with drinks and check in and book all your reservations, your own beach  [... read more]towels, robes & slippers in your room, lots of drinks all the time, and a discount at the spa. The only thing I would nitpick right off the bat is the room cleaning & restocking was strangely inconsistent (we were in the royal golden ocean view section 18, 5th floor). Examples: We booked two rooms in this section. Room A received the complimentary bottle of rum, Room B didn't; Room B received coffee daily, Room A didn't until the very last day; both rooms were without any floor bath mat and/or hand towels/face cloth at least one day out of the week; Room B had the toilet cleaned, while room A didn't for two consecutive days! Who knows what else wasn't done, but I didn't dare dwell on that thought...and we did tip in US $ every day for both rooms. Now, with that awkward part out of the way, I will say this: The wraparound pool is great, I joined the aqua-aerobics, which I enjoyed. Note the pool is not heated, so you need to work up a sweat to stay warm. Tip: bring a small beach ball to play catch. The grounds are very pretty, with well cared for gardens to offer lots of perfect family photo ops. The beach is so close, you roll out of bed and you are there (tip: go out early before breakfast to pick the perfect lounge chair spot in the shade). Note: in Jan/Feb, the ocean water in Runaway bay is cold (if you are used to the warm Cuban waters), so it's best btwn. 10am-12. Tip: wear water shoes and enter the ocean water from the west side of the beach closer to the far beach bar where the sand is smooth with no rocks upon entering the water (there are too many little jagged rocks at the mouth of the water along the east side towards the water park). The a la carte restaurant La Dolce Vita was the best, for location (it's on the beach), greatest service & top notch authentic food. Don Pablo had great fish dishes and appetizers, but their steak wasn't up to par, and they didn't have the flambe banana dessert, so we settled for the apple dessert - I have never been served a tougher more rubbery apple core in all my life (that is the part we toss away/feed the squirrels). Orquidea main buffet restaurant was grand, with great service & great food & great coffee (exceeded my expectations, and I am a picky eater). Tip: go to meals early when they first open (7am, 1pm, 6pm) and be the first in line at the grill station to get whatever they are cooking, it's always good no matter what they put on the grill. Tip: try the local Jamaican fruit (Jamaican apple, star apple, papaya, pineapple, soursop), some taste like bland lichees, but it's the island taste and packed with vitamins, and goes great with the drinks. Tip: for water, we were still careful to drink only bottled water, just to be safe. The nightly entertainment is good, go see the Michael Jackson tribute show if offered, catch the real steel band, and do some dancing at the beach party / lobby party / night club at the village for that real Jamaican vibe. With all this plus excursions, the week went by fast.

Great place

We went 2 adults and 2 children age 3 and 5. Beach was fantastic, pool fantastic, waterpark great too. The staff were awesome. We had a wonderful time. Lots of night activities for the kids. We never made it to a show though since the kids are young and it starts later.

Amazing resort

We absolutely love this resort. We have been twice now and highly recommend staying here. The first time we stayed on the Don Pablo adults only side and it was fantastic and so worth it. So many added perks and the pool party was bumping. The private beach with butler service was a nice touch. This time we went with family and the water park is incredible. It kept the kids busy all day. The beach access was extremely close and made the view extra beautiful. The buffet on the beach serves the  [... read more]best jerk chicken I have ever had. It’s a gorgeous spot to enjoy a tasty lunch. The outdoor pavilion with the theatre stage and souvenir shops was ideal. Every night they have an event going on. The beach party was incredible and one of the best evenings we had was there. The staff are welcoming and so nice. The staff took time to interact with my nephews and by the end of the week became friends with them. This was a family hit with all that came. We will definitely be back to the Bahia!

Great resort

The grounds were well kept, staff was friendly, security always walking around and very polite, food was good, pool was crowded but very clean and bartenders great. The beach area was amazing...shallow roped in area and calm. Plenty of space between the chairs so you have your space. Cleaning crew very thorough. Overall it was a great vacation and would recommend.

Amazing Resort

From the first moment arriving at the resort we were truly in awe of how beautiful the grounds were and the majestic lobby. Food was great and plenty of choices at the bufett. The a la carte restaurans were all fabulous. All the staff were friendly and polite. Our AC was not working and once reported maintenance was there within a few hrs to fix. Our room was lovely and our bar fridge was restocked daily. The entertainment crew did a good job of including everyone in the activities. If you are  [... read more]a beach walker this is not the place for you as situated in a cove. The evening show was over at 10pm and the only thing then to do was go to the kareoke bar which was not what we were looking for. The disco opened at 11pm but it was so loud and played music that was certainly not condusive of an island resort. The lobby band finished at 10.30pm. Therfore we found the evening entertainment dissapointing.

Very nice resort

All in all very nice resort. If there was anything I would say was a little disappointing was the fact that if you weren’t by the pool by 9:00 am there were no chairs left. Other than that all in all a very nice resort.

Poorly managed oversize resort

This is my experience and brief personal comments about my stay at Grand Bahia Principe on Runaway Bay where we had a great weather with only one day of rain. The resort is huge and very populated and depending on the day space to the pool is restricted and management will ignore your comments or concerns regarding chair reservation despite this rule being posted everywhere around the resort. The beach area was my favorite area to relax and enjoy the scenery. The free wifi is very unreliable  [... read more]and only restricted to the reception area and the space so you might want to pay for upgrade to get a better connection if you need to contact home without getting frustrated. The technical support for the wifi was very limited and I never got to talk or see the technician in charge. The employees are numerous, polite and very well train to do their specific job. I recommend this resort if you don’t mind the crowds during your holiday; as for me I will be looking for a smaller resort for my next vacation in Jamaica.

Best holiday vacation

Wonderful hotel. Lots to do and fantastic staff. Go on vacation and relax be apart of a Jamaican experience you won't be disappointed. The beaches, the food, the people, the entertainment amazing. The views from this hotel are amazing.

Amazing Resort and a lovely experience

This was our first time in Jamaica and we really enjoyed ourselves. We were celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary and the resort surprised us with a beautiful entrance and champagne in the room. The resort is well maintained and clean and beautiful The food and their jerk dishes are simply delicious The amenities and the a la carte restaurants are great The staff is good.. they can be more friendly and engaging The drinks we were not impressed as there was no mint available for mojitos  [... read more] The shows and entertainment was average and can be improved We went deep see fishing .. it was a great 4 hour experience no fish but we saw dolphins. We also did the Dunn’s River Fall climb and tour and it was the best highlight of the trip. If you ever go to Jamaica.. you have to do the Dunn’s Excursion All in all we have a great time and really enjoyed ourselves.

Great Resort

Great resort for couples and families. Service was a bit slow at front reception but overall good. Resort grounds are clean, maintained and manicured quite nicely. Food is great and tasty with different varieties every day. Majority of hotel employees were nice and friendly.

Great Resort, Great time !

My boyfriend and I visited this resort the week of January 25th. We were very happy with the resort, food, staff and grounds. The only disappointment we had was getting the wrong room upon arrival, but the next day we were moved into the right room. Overall, a very nice resort that we would visit again and highly recommend!

Vaca of a life time

Resort was beautiful! Stunning scenery, very clean and well kept, and very helpful staff. Food was amazing and drinks were endless! Beach’s clean and spectacular, as well as the pools! 100% recommend and would go back!

Wondeful Resort

This resort was in my mind 6 starred. Food was great at the buffets and ala cart restaurants, grounds were impeccable, beach was great as well as the pool area and lots of activities excursions and entertainment throughout the day. Very good customer service and very clean in the room and washrooms and throughout the resort. I loved this resort and certainly will return. i will try the luxury side of this resort next time.

Very Nice Resort

Service was good, food good, rooms clean, staff was pleasant. I had read some negative reviews on Trip Advisor, and I must say, it was nothing like what I had read. We had plenty of hotwater, didn't bother with the A La Cartes as we enjoyed the buffet food, every night was something different. It is rather large resort with some stairs to deal with at times. But, really not that bad, not a place where you need to trolly everywhere. The Beach to the left was very nice, and you were never to far [... read more] away from a bar. Entertainment on the patio was great. Bus ride was about 1.5hrs with a short break about half way.

Amazing resort

The resort is very clean, always being kept up; staff are all very kind and will go out of their way to serve along with a smile. Al a cart were all great food and the steak house restaurant was outstanding. Japanese restaurant also outstanding. Beach had sharp rocks that hurt my feet. You had to find a spot that did not have rocks. Did not like the sand on the beach - was not pleasant to walk on barefoot. Was more like pebbly, rather than soft silky sand. Too many pebbles hurt my feet w [... read more]hen walking barefoot.

Paradise

Hotel grounds is very large, but everything is spread out enough that it didn’t seem too busy. A la cartes were hard to book as they were always full, however the two we got in at were delicious! Beautiful beach areas and lovely staff!

Wonderful Resort

This hotel was excellent. The staff were always friendly and helpful, the food was great (ton's of fresh fruits and veggies) with lot's of variety, the beach was a bit of a walk from our room, but was beautiful!!! There were ton's of drinks for us to try, lots of activities. We had an amazing time!! I would definitely recommend this resort to my friends and family!!

Beautiful resort

Very well maintained,clean,staff friendly and helpful.Lots of shade to get out of the sun in the heat of the day.Food was good and buffet had lots of variety.I had three al le carts the only one I did not enjoy was French,food was okay but service was only fair very slow.The Italian one was fabulous.