Great week

Hotel was really clean and the staff was awesome and the food was great. kids waterpark the pool and the ocean was all excellent. The entertainment at night was excellent. Weather for the week 28 deg and sun every day

Great place to go

We really enjoyed staying at this resort. Everything was central. There was transport around the resort which is very important to us. The beach was very calm so easy to get in and out of. Food was good. Needed more bartenders. Certainly would recommend this resort to everyone and we will be returning.

Rude staff

The hotel was fine. The rooms were not cleaned properly each day. Dirty towels and face cloths were left on the floor for the staff to change out but instead, they just left them there. The front desk staff were shady. When a ground floor room was requested, they said they would do it for a 50$ fee. When the woman produced her CC, they told her it had to be cash only. They turned the lights off in the lobby at 11pm even though a group of us were playing cards. When we asked them to turn them bac [... read more]k on, they were very confrontational saying they were on a timer, but the night before when they went off, they turned them back on when we asked (different staff). They rolled their eyes at us when we asked for a Trolley lift to the water park, they made no accommodation for us getting zero a la cartes all week, and they completely ignored the kids when they went to the swim up bar for a drink. The sand fleas were bad and the beach is open to locals so you get zero time to relax because you're bombarded by solicitation.

Amazing Resort

Our week at the Bahia in Samana was an excellent experience. We especially owe a gratitude of thanks to Jairo who minds the gym daily. He was very kind and added a Smile to the start of our day. Lidia at client services was outstanding in assisting us with reservations for a la carte dinners and booking a special dinner on the beach. Management of this hotel were exceptional in delivery of client services and any questions or needs we requested. This is an excellent all inclusive trip and  [... read more]we would recommend you try it.

Very nice, clean, amazing stuff. Great food choices. Good organization.

Hotel, rooms and all amenities great!!! very happy to stay there, had a good time with friends. weather great, food great, amazing and friendly stuff. we will recommend for sure and come back in few years.

Third visit to El Portillo!!! Love it here!

I would say our 3 favorite things about this resort, is the proximity of ocean to pool and buffet..lol! The incredible , friendly staff, which means everything to me! The entertainment and relaxed, family inclusive activities on site!..I said 3 but the selection of good food probably should be number 3, atmosphere 4.

Beautiful resort

Beautiful resort grounds amazing beach we had a good vacation .. The food was very good the only down side is the rooms need a face lift ! Walls of the building we stayed in needs to be painted we could see the scratches and dirt on it...I wasn't too happy with the room.. entertainment and staff was amazing the people are very warm.and helpful .. the weather wasn't the best as it was in January but for sure the beach is a beauty by itself. I for sure will return

Best week

This hotel does not lack for anything. The food was incredible. The rooms were quite comfortable. The beach, the beach is absolutely amazing with lots of chairs and lots of shade. As well, the beach you can walk for miles either way. There is not more you could ask for from this resort if you want a relaxing holiday where you are greeted with smiling faces whether it’s morning noon or night this is the place to be.

No Complaints

There was an ample selection of food, whatever your diet might be. If you are a vegetarian, you might not enjoy the Greek restaurant as they have a very limited vegetarian menu. The other restaurants were great. The grounds were immaculate. Everywhere, employees were raking, cleaning glass and tending to customers. On either side of the resort were long stretches of beach, perfect for walking. I chose this place because I wanted to snorkel off of the beach. There were many rocks, and one cou [... read more]ld see brightly coloured fish. Unfortunately, the water was often silty, which blurred the view through my mask. There are strong currents within the protected swimming area, so one needs to be careful. The entertainment crew led a variety of fun activities. The music was almost always on, but if you wanted a quieter area, there was another pool, much smaller, where one could have a quiet escape. I discovered a lovely little park with swinging chairs, a small pond with waterfalls and then a boardwalk across the creek. The hotel doesn't own most of this creek, but it would be to the hotel's and the environment's advantage if they cleaned it up and developed it as a walking/hiking area. The creek must attract all sorts of interesting wildlife. It was fun to spot the different types of birds and vegetation. Some of the tall trees were labelled as perhaps they were unusual. The small cats running around were enjoyed by many children and adults. Here, I think it would be very helpful if they caught the male cats and sterilised them.

Best resort I've been to

This resort is one of the cleanest resorts I've ever been to great selection of food at the buffet ,,staff great ,customer service go out of their way to keep you satisfied had a issue with room to far from amenities due to physical limitations it was rectified quickly plenty of seating at pool and beach ⛱️ going back soon

Excellent experience

El Portillo(Samaná) is a little piece of paradise! Beautiful beaches, great food, lovely staff. Atmosphere is vibrant and joyful. Staff work hard to keep visitors happy. The entertainment team is outstanding. Rooms could use a bit of touch up. Overall, an amazing experience! Highly recommend this resort! Can’t wait to be back ….

Nice resort

The resort is small and some of the rooms are dated but we preferred to be closer to the beach rather than having a new room. Lots of mosquitoes but it is Caribbean after all. Food was very good . The beach is beautiful and all personal very nice and attentive. Good value for the money.

Wonderful Stay

Stayed May 30th -June 6 2024. Highly recommend this resort. Approx 45 min bus ride from airport. When you get past the town the mountain side views are Beautiful. Resort is very clean. You can see the pride they take in their resort. Food and Dessert there is a lot of variety. Walking on the beach is very relaxing. Very quiet. No resorts beside there you can walk and enjoy. We stayed in building 26. Not far at all from lobby.

Fabulous Resort

We had an amazing time. The resort and the grounds are very well maintained. The food was tasty and the entertainers worked very hard to keep everyone engaged in the evening. We particularly enjoyed the beach and being able to snorkel, we saw quite a few fish, including a sting ray. This resort is a great option for families. We will definitely return.

Beautiful beach

This resort is situated on a beautiful beach. It’s one of the nicest beaches we have ever been to. The food was average and there was a lot of smoking on the property. Jenn is a great travel agent and we always appreciate her help in vacation planning.

Good resort

Excelent food at Buffet, and Brasilian a la carte restaurant. Good room. Pretty narrow beach with not enough palapas, and verry crowded. The sea is very good, no big waves, verry little seaweed, and there is reef in swimming area, so a good snorkeing place. In general friendly personnel. I have to say that I was bitten by sand fleas, or posibly some insect in the room and it was quite bad.

Great Resort

very clean and well kept grounds, staff were always very engaging and lots of fun. Lots of options at the buffet and the restaurants were absolutely amazing! Never any line-ups for meals - very organized!

Great Location, great staff aged facility

Having been an many 5 star resorts that I can compare this one to, this resort overall scored low for something rated a 5 star. Pros: it was clean & well maintained; staff was super friendly but needed some reminders; the location of the resort is at a very clean beach - no jelly fish encountered during our week there; lots of food available. Cons: very small main pool for a resort holding the capacity of people it can (we did not go in it for that reason as the pool bar was in that pool too [... read more]); no elevators for buildings with three floors, so not ideal for seniors or families with small children unless management accommodates people on ground floor; had cockroaches in our room (it happens - but gross!); this resort is not for foodies - 90% of the food was very bland, the meat of poor quality. Desserts were good and a fair selection of cheese. We mostly ate salad and cheese because everything else tasted unappealing. A lot of people to this comment will say “oh don’t be such a hard critic, it’s a 3rd world country” - to those I say, that in Las Terrenas you can eat out fantastically well with well spiced food and good quality meat. In fact there is a restaurant within walking distance to the resort called “Porto” by Mosquito where the food is excellent and the place is very gorgeous as well. There are other very excellent eateries in town as well. We were very disappointed with the food at this resort. The Greek restaurant serves the most bland food ever but the staff was fun and we got to smash plates which was fun. The Brazilian restaurant at the resort was decent and they actually served decent quality beef for this one. The french restaurant we cancelled bc we went to Porto outside of the resort that day, but it’s said to be good. The other drawback of the resort is that each person can only go to a total of 3 a la carte restaurants which speaks to its capacity. We dodged the entertainment that’s hosted at the resort and kept to the quiet part of the beach, so we can’t comment on that. Drinks fairly good, altho the tapped President beer wasn’t very good. Some temporary bars in the evening served President beer out of the bottle which was much better. Premium alcohol was not included. As said, the friendly staff made the stay good and the fact that the resort was kept really clean. The buildings are dated but well maintained. The food overall is bland and not for foodies. The beach is clean and pretty and the main pool very small.

Great vacation, great resort

The check-in process was fast. The grounds are well maintained and our room was fine. The room needed a little TLC but nothing major and really nothing I would complain about. The pools were very nice but sometimes a little warm. The beach was nice and calm, clean with some fish visible near the rock/coral while snorkelling. The buffet food was very good with lots of selection. It gets boring after sometime but that happens at all-inclusive buffets. We ate at the Brazilian, Gourmet, Italian and  [... read more]Fish Market ala carte restaurants … No complaints. All very good food and service. The liquor was not brand name but mixed drinks were still good. The lines at some bars were long and slow. More bars or more bartenders would help. The serving glasses are very small … recommend that you bring your own Yeti or similar larger container. The entertainment was ok. The Circus Show and Pirate Show were very good. My 8 year old granddaughter had a great time and liked the water park. My biggest complaint is the number of people smoking everywhere we went (except at the buffet and restaurants). Coming from Canada where smoking is so restricted, it was very unpleasant. They should have designated smoking areas. I would still recommend this resort.

Amazing Resort - A must visit!

My complete and honest review… Everything about the hotel was exceptional. I have been here twice (once in November 2023 and just recently, February 2024). Location: the hotel is located just outside of Las Terrenas, Samana. Super safe, such a beautiful surrounding atmosphere and fantastic first impression. Taxi into town is $10 usd, one way. The hotel bellman will arrange for you. If you wish to walk along the beach into the town of Las Terrenas, it’s about 1.5 hours (but it doesn’t feel [... read more] like it!). The rooms: if you’re looking for the Ritz Carlton, then look elsewhere. What you will find at El Portillo is exceptional cleanliness, very roomy and airy, very comfortable and has everything you need - Fully stocked mini bar, air conditioning, tv and safe. Food: All la cart restaurants and buffet - FANTASTIC! All are modern in decor. You will not go hungry. They accommodate every palate. The hotel grounds: Very well kept. Lush and green. The workers are always making sure everywhere is clean. The hotel staff: One word, FANTASTIC. The beach: exceptionally beautiful!!! You can walk for miles a miles. The staff do their best to clean the beach. There is a bar on the beach, which is really convenient. If you are an early riser, you will see the most beautiful sunrise every morning over the mountains, simply beautiful. Recommended excursions: without a doubt, the all day buggy to Playa Rincón. You will enjoy a delicious lunch at the top of the mountain, El Monte Azul. Where you will find stunning picturesque views. Lastly, our TripCental travel agent, Wendy. We have been booking travel with Wendy for the past 10 years. She is wonderful, attentive and most importantly it’s always a great pleasure to work with Wendy in making our all travel our experiences AMAZING.