Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: amazing place!!

Hello!! The resort is amazing.There are still some employees (like Oscar) who were vey rude to us since day one upon arrival.He incisted on my (autistic) son to wear the wrist band.We have been to several destinations in the carebean and no one has ever asked us to forcehim to wear it!!! The "a la acrte restaurants" were all good except for the brazilian and the french. Santo was amazing to our family.He would keep a table reserved for my son for breakfast lunch and diner knowing about his [... read more] disability.He was friendly and super helpfull. The food was very good at the buffet. The rooms were big but a little off style,could take a renovation...the extra bed built in the wall is too small for anyone to sleep in... in general,the trip was great!! The only really negative point I have to talk about is the trip on our way back on west jet flight.The attendant was really uninformed about my son's diagnosis and uninformed about their policies.There were 2 seats empty on the premium class and I asked her if my son could sit on one of them and my husband because my son is not independant.She totally refused and eventhough I gave her my son's disbalitity case number on westjet,she totally refused.Her name is Virginie.I have never seen a person so mean and arrogant in my life!!

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Great Resort and Amazing Beach

We stayed at the Grand Bahia El Portillo in August 2019. Hotel is perfect for families and seniors small enough everything is so close. Food was great at the buffett and a la carte. The beach is amazing on either side of the resort, long enough for walks, when at the beach you must walk to the left it's so nice. kids loved the snorkelling Rooms were

Cayo Levantado Resort: Amazing resort!

Everything was 5 star. The staff, rooms, beach, restaurants all exceptional. I enjoyed every minute of this resort and would recommend it to anyone interested in heaven at a reasonable price. I even had a health issue that the resort took seriously and got me to exceptional medical attention. This is a little piece of heaven on earth!

The Eurostars Grand Cayacoa: Great resort.

Food was great and the staff was super nice. Well kept and extremely accommodating. The view was also quite nice. The shows were enjoyable and I would definitely recommend my friends and family to attend in the future.

Cayo Levantado Resort: Tropic jungle paradise on an island!

Beautiful resort, Very well appointed rooms, either in the main 5 floors hotel or villas The villas are better option , bigger rooms, most of them with ocean view The resort itself is an amazing tropical jungle like setting 2 large pools are well surrounded by lots of beds There are 3 beaches 1 is very wild and windy, great for jumping waves 1 is shallow and calm , great for kids And one is an amazing beach- Bacardi beach, large , with plenty of shades and beds The food excellent qua [... read more]lity and well cooked and served The liquor is plentiful, but they stop serving at 11 pm...and guests have to pay extra for top shelf liquor. Everything about this resort is top notch, but the evening entertainment ment is very poor and the nightife non existent The local disco is dead....no one there..

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Amazing, beautiful clean esort

Stayed at “El Portillo” Grand Bahia Principe resort for 7 nights last week of June 2019. The most amazing beach with calm turquoise crystal clear water with refreshing ocean breeze.Food and service amazing, entertainment fabulous some nights. Housekeeping very loud and chatty in the hallways at all times during their working hours, however I would definitely consider coming back to this resort since the service was always done with a smile and great disposition.

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Super Nice!

If you love food, and don't mind putting a few pounds this is the place! I've never seen so much good food and varieties in all my travelling, especially if you love fish! You'll find all types of fish everyday! I went for the first time with my parents and 2.5 year old daughter, I wanted water like Cuba and food like Punta Cana and this has both. The resort is very clean and well kept, the rooms definately need updating but the beach is to die for. It's clear was, no waves, Luke warm water, per [... read more]fect for little kids. I loved that I didn't have to worry about her running In the water. Wifi only in lobby kinda sucks...lots of activities for everyone to do throughout the day, and the kids waterpark was great too! Only downside is they barely speak English..

Bahia Principe Escape Samana: Nice but noisy

The hotel is lovely but because it is small you can hear the entertainment in your room. Really loud in fact. If you don’t enjoy watching it and like to go to sleep before 11:30 this is not the place. The beach and pool areas were not crowded The food was good Took four hours on a bus to get there

Viva V Samana by Wyndham: viva Winham

Beautiful beach, clean water,small, modern and quiet, everything we were looking for. Food and drink very good, no need for a la carte reservations, although main restaurant has always interesting choices available.Money well spent.

Bahia Principe Escape Samana: Beautiful resort

The resort is small, but very beautiful everything is close by, only problem is there is alot of stairs to go to the beach, the restaurants the pool, you can't avoided,but that's how the resort is built, great for people with no health problems,while we were there on our third day l got very sick, from something l ate, it was terrible, we have been going away every year for 12 years, and never gotten sick,3 days later l had to see the doctor since l couldn't eat or drink much,and right awayl was [... read more] told there was going to be a extra charge, if it was their food that l ate, why did l have to pay,good thing we always travel with insurance other wise the doctor would not treat me, that's something they need to improve on, taking care of their clients should be top priority especially if the're at fault.

Cayo Levantado Resort: Experience of a lifetime!

My wife and I stayed from June 17-24th in Villa 1, room 1104. It was an amazing trip from start to finish thanks to all the amazing staff! Pedrito and Wander were absolutely amazing throughout our stay and we can't thank them enough for their kindness and friendship. We had a great time talking with Rafael Gomez and Josue from management everyday, they seemed to connect with everyone and loved talking baseball and the Toronto Blue Jays with me, my Vladdy jr shirt might have helped with brea [... read more]king the ice. Manuel our security guard at the public beach access was always smiling and happy to see you. The beach and pool servers Angel, Eduardo, and Erickson were all excellent and funny guys to talk with while making sure you were always being attended to. The lifeguard Yoemarvin was very impressive and extremely helpful and kind with all the guests at the beach pool, and was especially focused watching the children. Our room service staff Jennifer, Alexandra, and Santa were amazing and always cleaning and bringing fresh towels. The butler Jose was always available if needed and didn't impose. The lobby bartender Walky made some of the best drinks I've ever had, and servers Manuary and Gabriel were very fun, courteous guys that had great personalities. We loved the location of Villa 1 since it was centrally located and allowed us to enjoy every inch of the island including Barcardi beach for amazing snorkeling, the beach pool, and the resort's 2 private beaches. We enjoyed that Barcardi beach's bar was only open to hotel guests after 11pm and although not many people were able to stay up after so much fun and sun, we got to know how amazing Wander and Pedrito are and they made sure that we couldn't wait to go back every night we were there! Our room was amazing. We preferred the privacy that the balcony had to offer from Villa 1. The air conditioning was working great and there were 2 separate controls, one in the bathroom and one in the bedroom. We had as much hot water as needed! The food was always good at the buffet and the restaurants. There was always a wide selection to choose from even for the pickiest of eaters. Jose working the grill was willing to make anything for you just the way you wanted it done. Excellent service from all servers and a special smile for Omal who explained he wasnt following us we were following him around the island from restaurant to restaurant. The trip was a memory of a lifetime. Romantic, relaxing and fun! We can't wait to return to spend time with some of the nicest people we have met in our travels. Cheers to all the staff at the resort as there were many I know I forgot to mention. I look forward to seeing all our new friends again in June next year. Thanks to all from Cayo Laventado!

The Eurostars Grand Cayacoa: Amazing location

Beautifully located with a gorgeous view of the bay and islands from the balcony of our room and practically from all other places in the hotel, including the restaurants and the buffet. Nice decor throughout the hotel. Friendly service . If there was a problem it was promptly taken care of. I definitely want to recommend that hotel to anyone.

The Eurostars Grand Cayacoa: Amazing view and beautiful resort

The hotel was immaculate. Staff friendly and helpful and courteous. We were surrounded by the ocean and we could see the ocean from our room. The food in the restaurants were very good with great presentation. The food in the buffet was good as well. The entertainment was great and presented in a professional way.

Viva V Samana by Wyndham: Pleasantly surprised

Absolutely stunning. Grounds well kept. Felt like a 5 star. True meaning of all inclusive, cabanas, sun huts were all included. The view from the lobby was breathtaking. Friendly helpful staff. Pleasantly surprised by the seafood restaurant

Cayo Levantado Resort: Absolutely The Best!

Amazing, amazing and amazing. The staff are brilliant they make you feel very comfortable, always pleasant and helpful. The gardens are very well maintained. The rooms are so clean. Food so much selection and great. We will be back!

The Eurostars Grand Cayacoa: AWESOME Hotel, Staff and Scenery! June 1-8 2019

The 5 STAR reviews we read before we booked were correct! We read about the great staff, the cleanliness, the gorgeous views and they were right! We would definitely go back again. We have told all our friends to go here! The scenery is so lush and beautiful! We could not get over how beautiful the property was. It was like Fantasy Island! The rooms are lovely, we had an ocean front room of the main hotel, which are slightly larger than the standard rooms in the same building. The views from ou [... read more]r balcony were gorgeous of the beach, pool, elevator and the bridge to no where! The rooms have a stocked bar, but only pop, beer and water, which was fine by us. The King beds are very firm, but we loved ours. The room has a safe and large closets, but not many hangers. There is a TV, but we never used it. The bathrooms are roomy and very elegant with a bidet. Our room was cleaned twice a day, as they have a turn down service. Everywhere you looked was clean or being cleaned. We enjoyed a beautiful and very romantic couples Spa treatment. We had a romantic Jacuzzi and then a massage and facial. One of the best ever! The Beaches were well maintained and very clean, especially the big one out front. There were always more than enough chairs and umbrellas or trees to sit under. The water was cool and refreshing and just enough of a wave, not overpowering. The bar was convenient and had a few table and chairs around it along with washrooms. On the other side of the elevator was the sports and equipment area, I never went, but I saw people having fun with the Banana boat rides or equipment they had there. The main pool is beautiful up on the lush cliff and very clean, with a pool bar and access to washrooms. This is where you get your soft large blue beach towels. They have a water fall there and games are played on the pool deck, like Bingo. Lots of lounge chairs and no one saves chairs here or at the beach, so you can always get one. The elevator to the beach was intriguing and we loved the views from the bridge of the elevator. There are windows and its a glass elevator, so you watch the ocean as you ride the elevator. The elevator in the hotel is the same and you watch the pool while you ride it. The nightly entertainment had a great variety and you had a lovely view of Samana while you watched. I have been to resorts where its the same entertainers, but different dancing, this was so much better, with different entertainers every night, like a Circus, or Latin dancing, Karaoke, lounge singers, bands and International dancing. They also bring in some local people to sell their wares. Nothing is forced on you and you are not bothered by the staff to participate in the shows. We loved attending these nightly shows. The breezes were so cool coming off the land and the setting under the tent or on the patio with white wicker furniture was beautiful. The main restaurant closes breakfast at 10:30am so you must go to the Snack Bar, down the hill, which is okay, as the large golf carts were always going back and forth. We never had to wait for one, especially if you asked for someone to call them. The snack bar was beside another pool, more Jacuzzis than pool and some Cabanas and the natural beach and back-bay, which we enjoyed one day chatting with some other Canadians, who also loved the resort. The specialty restaurants - Le Pescadar -seafood, and the Viva Dolce- Italian - were delicious, we had the seafood lasagna and then the seafood saute and we were very pleased each night. The Snack bar had delicious pizza, salad, fruit and hot dogs. The main restaurant was hit or miss, we could always find something to eat, but not everything was great, also we are not in Canada, so we had made to order omeletes for breakfast, stayed away from any meat, and enjoyed the rest of the food. In the restaurants the staff was very attentive and our glasses were never empty. The Staff are awesome and made our trip even better because of their friendliness and big smiles - A shout out to - Front desk - Eduard and Laura, Concierge - Juan Shepherd, Lobby bar - Manuel, Spa - Lairilyn, Elsa, Yively and Sara, Restaurants - Dady, Ramon, Aneury, Junior, Erik, Mercedes and Barbara, Entertainment - Lewis. These people shined very bright and made a difference in our holiday, but ALL the staff were amazing! Only three things happened that may have been an issue anywhere else, but we were so happy with everything we couldn't imagine being upset, beside we aren't in Canada, these things can happen: (1) The A/C didn't work for the first 3 days and when it did it wasn't chilly, but it cooled us off, I enjoyed listening to the waves crashing on the beach and the breeze coming in our room these few days: (2) A part of the pool deck needed renovation half way through the week, but the pool was still used and the work was quiet after the few hours one late afternoon, where they had to use a jack hammer, and (3) We didn't have hot water one day, I like cool showers! But again these are one offs and can happen anywhere. I hate to say it again, but we aren't in Canada! FYI - The bridge to nowhere was built many years ago to facilitate the people watching the Canadian Humpback whales that migrate there every mid-January to mid-March and frolic in the bay outside the hotel. I will be back to see that. A shout out to Westjet Premium service on board, we truly enjoyed the experience and the Tapas type of meal, along with the little extras. It also included our baggage fee and seat selection fee, so it was a good deal. A shout out to Luis, the Westjet representative in Samana, he was very helpful as we called him later one night and he helped us, saying call anytime. He always had a smile. He sells the tours at your meet and greet. We really enjoyed our tour with RL Tours - Raffi was our guide and he was awesome. We took the Playa Rancon and Safari tour which we loved. We had children sing their national anthem to us, in their classroom, and then we visited a lovely family farm and ate mango and passion fruit off the trees, bought some cheap local honey, coffee, Mamawhana, rum, cocoa etc. Then a lovely lunch looking over the bay of Rincon Beach. We spent two hours on the beautiful beach, we rented an umbrella and chairs for $8.00USD total, soaking in the crystal green-blue waters on the whitest beach - 6Km- National Geographic says its the 4th best beach in the world, then down the other end of the beach for a dip in the natural fresh water pool. The tour was $90.00USD each and worth it. They had a somewhat professional photographer with us and we were able to get some great shots of us for $60.00CAD prepaid and we got the email with the pictures the next day. They were actually very good of us, but I thought we would also get the pictures of our surroundings, so I am working with them on that. We will always remember this awesome week and the friendly people!

Cayo Levantado Resort: Good Time

First of all, let me say that the staff are truly what make this resort. My partner was pregnant and they really did all they could for us. It was hot. Very hot. No AC in the restaurants. The AC struggled in our first room and we ended up moving rooms which had better AC. But the first night was a struggle. Resort grounds are spectacular. Spent a lot of time at the quiet pool trying to stay cool. Our butler Anasacio was so attentive. He was great. Shout out to Gregory too for getting  [... read more]us moved into a better air conditioned room. Finally to Lizairi...thanks for taking such great care of us and making sure we got to try all the restaurants.

Bahia Principe Grand Samana Roulette: Decent resort

The resort was pretty good. I think we both felt that the food was so so. The staff were lovely and helpful. The resort itself was slightly dated but clean. I would not go there if you have mobility issues.

Cayo Levantado Resort: Super Location, Great Hotel and Staff

We had the pleasure of staying at this great hotel for the past week and it was really great and lived up to our expectations! One of the most relaxing hotel and location ever. We are frequent travelers to this great region of Samana and it was our first stay at this really beautiful island hotel. The hotel, beach and most of the staff are really great...just take a look at the pictures... Our butler Jose really made our stay super enjoyable and a really great person who was always one though [... read more]t ahead of us and it was like he knew in advance what we wanted during our stay... really special person and a real valuable asset and person to this hotel! Thank you very much Jose for making our stay so enjoyable. Another person that really stood out was Eduardo the main bartender at the beach bar. Really nice guy, very professional and he really knew how to make great drinks and take care of his customers. Thank you Eduardo! And let's not forget his great team of Erickson, Martin and Angel! Really great team and I hope the hotel recognizes their potential for their organization. Best drinks and service hands down! Now let's get to the only issue we had at this truly unique and beautiful hotel during our stay which was very surprising and even frustrating on some days...some of the staff at the main buffet (evening), terrace (evening shows) and beach restaurant (lunch) was very unprofessional in their service (Important to note it’s a small but very visible minority and not the majority of the great and hard working employees). No eye contact, hiding at the terrace during shows and not serving drinks or taking orders...honestly sometimes I had to give up on drinks! We are frequent travellers and have never heard so many times after placing an order that “we forgot" when asking where are our drinks. And the worst part is that we tip but it seems some staff was just happy goofing around or hiding rather than being active and making tips! We won't name names since it's not our job to ruin people's livelihoods but management should really get on top of this issue and even demote some of these people from direct interaction with guests or re-train them properly...other reviewers refer to this issue as a language issue but it's not....it's a training and people skills issue... This being said we will be back and we hope that management will fix this issue.

Bahia Principe Escape Samana: COUPLES RETREAT WITH LUXURY

This hotel is small only 149 rooms so if you want to reconnect decompress be treated and pampered this is a place for you. Food was great the hotel was beautiful. Recommend the junior suite ocean view.