Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Great Resort but beware of the bus rides

This resort was great overall. The room was clean, the food was good (although the "alcohol" in drinks is watered down significantly), and the beach was nice. As with other resorts, though, the "reserving" of chairs is a pain to deal with. We had to be on the beach by 7 to get a chair. Resorts have to come up with a different system. They either have to increase the number of chairs significantly or remove everything left on sets of chairs that are left empty for a while. If no one reserved thei [... read more]r chairs, there would be ample places to sit for everyone as people come and go. The bus ride there was scary, the driver repeatedly passed in bends in the pouring rain near cliffs. The bus on the way back had transmission issues to the point that it could barely make it up a small elevation and took twice as long to arrive at the airport as it should have.

Viva V Samana by Wyndham: Disappointed

Just returned from this well manicured property. The beach is beautiful and the pool area is nice. The food quality and service was lacking attention and organization in the buffet, especially in the morning. We waited 45 minutes one morning for coffee. The service in the buffet in the evening was much better. The snack bar food was good if you managed to get there when the food was prepared otherwise it was left there for hours. The bar tenders provided great service and drinks. The daily a [... read more]ctivities were great , but the nightly entertainment was lacking. There was diffently a language barrier in just about all areas, except for the viva club recruiters. They had no problem speaking English and would constantly harass you.

Viva V Samana by Wyndham: Relaxing and Intimate

We are regulars at this resort and love the feeling of coming home every time we visit. From Edwin and Adonis and Henry in reception to David & Patricia in lobby bar - you are treated like family. Of course you have Gabriel and Carlos and Alexander in the Fusion to make every meal special. Ariel and Michael and Raphael in the Animation team are always there to entertain. Rooms are great - food is amazing and drinks are perfect.

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Amazing resort.

Third time visiting this resort in the past 8 years. First visit (2018)as a couple. Second visit (2023)as a family of 20. Third visit (2026) with a group of friend (15). Pool area is excellent and located adjacent to the beach, resort grounds are well kept along with the common areas. Buffet and restaurants are very good. Rooms were kept clean by the maids and never short of room amenities. The beach is amazing and so scenic with very little visitor traffic if you choose to walk the beach. If  [... read more]you are energetic and have a 1-1/2 half , you can walk to the town of Las Terrenas for lunch or shopping , Done this a few times during our stays. Don’t know of any other place that can offer this. Love the resort layout. Everything is so central or just a couple minute of walking. This visit was the first time we experienced room issues. Friends on ground floor had their room flooded and a second couple water also leaked down the walls in villa 23. Both were relocated after a persistence request. Rooms could sure use some renovations or à face lift.This seems to be a common complaint by many visitors that would make the stay even a better experience.

Viva V Samana by Wyndham: Great place to stay!

Short ride from the airport! Which is great in the heat. Except for the small bus! Too cramped. Very clean and comfortable rooms. A couple of power outages but they only lasted few seconds. Friendly, hard working staff. Big thank you to Yocairy!! She rocks! Food was excellent with a wide variety. Resort is the perfect size! Easy to get around. Pool is clean, and well maintained. Beautiful beach and view of the ocean. Will definitely go back.

Viva V Samana by Wyndham: Great experience!

We are so happy we chose Viva V Samana by Wyndham for our vacation and would absolutely return. The resort is only a few years old and very up to date. The beach was gorgeous and well maintained by staff. Our room was new and felt clean and fresh after housekeeping. We were also pleasantly surprised by the little lounge pool in our patio. We had read some negative reviews about the resort food, but we were honestly pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed it all. The restaurants were good too [... read more], but you had to book them quickly. We didn't do any excursions, but we took a taxi to Las Terrenas one morning and shopped and wandered and it's absolutely worth doing. We loved this resort and met several people who had returned many times (one couple said it was their 7th visit!). We can see why and would absolutely come back again if we come back to the Dominican.

The Eurostars Grand Cayacoa: Very interesting location

This hotel has it's uniqueness: there is an elevator with glass wall to enter the beach, very nice views from hotel windows, balconies, and terraces. Also there is a bridge nearby, where someone can walk for a long distance, going from one little island to another.

The Eurostars Grand Cayacoa: Great Discovery

What a great hotel! So many walkways and places to see. The view from our Junior Suite was Ocean view and it was spectacular. Pretty cool to take an elevator to get to the beach. Food was good. Coffee was hot. Drinks were cold. All were served with a smile and a “Hola”. No issues at all and would definitely go back.

Viva V Samana by Wyndham: lovely resort to vacation at

A very clean resort, food was good and fresh, drinks were typical sweet sugary fruity with alcohol. worth the upgrade for the premium alcohol selection and the fresh fruit juices. the beach and ocean are nice; there is a sandbar and while I stayed the red flag was up for 5 days, due to the ocean undertow, its rough water to swim in. There is one large pool- clean but extremely busy for a smaller resort. Theme nights and entertainment were great. 3 a la carte restaurants were also good. Friendly [... read more] staff and there is an Excellent medical facility on site. I had to use due to an allergic reaction I suffered mid week.

Bahia Principe Escape Samana: Good enough but not 5 stars

As officially in our senior years, we chose this resort because of its size (149 rooms), being adults only and 5 star rating. However, this is not a 5 star resort, more likely a 4 star. While the whole experience was quite satisfactory, there are a couple of things because of which we will not be back: We chose a room without a balcony, as it was a bit cheaper. The hotel has three floors with elevator access. The fourth level is attic, accessible by two flights of stairs only. The hotel  [... read more]gave us a room in the attic, at the very end of the last building (room 429). Every day we had to walk to the end of the world and use these stairs at least a couple of times. The hotel was clearly not at its full capacity, and they do have rooms without balcony on other floors which have elevator access. The fact that they gave such room to two women 65 years old just shows a blatant lack of care and respect. While the room itself was generally clean and comfortable, there was constantly a trace of some chemical smell, which was absorbed by all our clothing and even luggage and followed us back home. The second thing is that the lobby bar opens at 4:00 pm only. During the day, there is no place on the beach or by the pool where you can have an espresso or cappuccino, and there is no place on the beach to get drinks or even water. However, the grounds are beautiful, and the staff was very pleasant.

Cayo Levantado Resort: A very amazing resort

Everything was perfect. No complaints at all. Very clean hotel and the employees were very polite and friendly. Choices of food and portions were perfect. It was a very relaxing holiday. Hope to do a family vacation next year.

The Eurostars Grand Cayacoa: Eurostars in Samana

Great resort, breathtaking views, food was amazing and authentically Dominican. Staff was friendly and helpful. I would go back in a heartbeat. Beach was small but very nice and can always find some shade. Thank you to super Manbo, very entertaining and funny.

The Eurostars Grand Cayacoa: Great Hotel - Fantastic Views

Hotel was great. It is worth the extra money for a Deluxe Ocean View Room. The views are extra ordinary. The beach was nice, maybe small for some, but for me great. Being in the bay, the water was calm while we were there. The food was fine.

Viva V Samana by Wyndham: Small, beautiful resort

Grounds are well maintained, a lot of plants and flowers. Room was big, with large balcony. Food was very good, different every day. Nice concerts were every evening. They have clean water stations on the first floor. Don't forget to bring diarrhea medicine.

Viva V Samana by Wyndham: Great resort and the best beach!

If you are looking for the best beach this is it. The water and surf are safe and fun to boogie board. No sharp coral or yucky seaweed anywhere, just pure sand. The amount of palm trees at the beach allow for shade with dappled sunlight so you don’t feel like you are baking in the sun. The pleasant breeze and view of the ocean was the highlight. The food is ok and has a variety. We all did get sick with some food bug for one day.

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Just plain amazing !

We just spent another wonderful week at this amazing resort. We have been back many times all due to the excellent staff. From the welcome of Samuel to the general manager Albis to the friendly efficient housekeeping staff and great attention service of the dining staff. Deomedes,Omar,Omero,lewin and Ariel just to mention a few. The food is excellent. Always fresh and plentiful. Trays are replaced promptly and kept clean and beautifully displayed. The alacarte staff excel at making d [... read more]ining a beautiful special experience. The grounds are very well maintained along with the pools and lobby. Always chairs available whether at the beach or pool. Overall a beautiful resort if you are looking for a relaxing vacation at a great price.

Viva V Samana by Wyndham: We enjoyed this resort

This is a smaller resort, but the beach is completely amazing. You can walk for hours! We had a room on the main floor and were happy to note that it had a very nice patio with a lounge bed and 2 chairs as well as a small plunge pool. The food was ok. There are 3 a la cartes but I did not enjoy any of them and would have preferred to just go to the buffet. The staff was great but be prepared to not get what your ordered. There is also a wood fired pizza oven so pizza is always available  [... read more]for lunch or dinner. Unfortunately, both of us contracted Norovirus and were quite sick for 2 days. There were more people at the resort who were also sick.

Wyndham Alltra Samana: Amazing!

This hotel is just the right size! The grounds are so clean and tidy, ample chairs by the beach, the rooms are clean and well stocked and most importantly the staff… kind, helpful and attentive! Food allergies are top of mind and handled professionally. Chef Apolinar (not sure I spelled it properly) was very attentive and aware of my daughter’s Celiac needs and was always there for us! Can’t thank him enough!

Bahia Principe Escape Samana: Peaceful

The campus was small but peaceful if that is what you seek. Not a busy or eventful place. If you seek solitude over a busy resort, this is a great spot. Small beach but decent. Limited to one bar open at a time regardless of time of day. Super friendly staff. Clean and spacious rooms. Beware when booking excursions. The Transat rep let us down more than once.

Viva V Samana by Wyndham: Beautiful property but....

This is obviously my own personal observations and thoughts: Viva V is a beautiful resort on a wonderful stretch of beach where you can walk either direction for hours and a lovely 25 minutes (bus) drive from Samana (AZS) Airport (a still quaint and small airport). The layout of the resort is easy to navigate and the low rise buildings have rooms that are clean with comfortable bed and clean, decent bedsheets. The rooms that have the pools, these pools are very rarely used and they are rea [... read more]lly cold. Bungalow area (across the drive from main building) are nestled nicely in gardens with a small sitting are with bar of their own. Amenities for shower in the rooms are minimal, so bring your own and the bathrobes are ready to be used more as rags than as robes. The towels are good but housekeeping tend to limit the numbers and which towels they will provide (very inconsistent)...and that's where it ends! Our biggest concern was the food / buffet. Although the al la carte restaurants were decent it could be hard to get a reservation at an early time so the buffet was a good alternative for many meals. The service at the specialized restaurants was good and efficient however, beware the beef (throughout the resort actually), ensure it is cooked.! The Buffet; the floor was deadly slippery, didn't look like they cleaned it, food was not kept at correct temperatures and left out longer than what IMO, would be considered safe, also repetitive and a bit dull. Granted, I think they try. There never seemed to be enough dinnerware / glassware and what was being used was often cracked, chipped or dirty looking. There was a constant battle for locating tables that were set (unless you line up when buffet first opens for the meal), and then the tables were often not set in their entirety. I actually saw staff reusing some table sets that didn't look like they had been used ?‍♀️. There does not seem to be enough staff, training, supervision etc. or hygienic practices in general (even with the availability of hand sanitizer). Drinks were good as was the coffee. I even found the wine rather pleasant! As for the water; this resort does NOT use plastic bottle so make sure you bring your own. They use a system called Vevo throughout the resort that allows you access to filtered and good water. I did not find this an issue... except when the system lost power and there was no water to be had. They do have cartons of water should you require. We did lose power off and on throughout the week, electrics, water, WIFI etc. but the generators would pick up the slack fairly quickly. The pool would be considered small by many but IMO it was not an issue. It was kept clean and there were no real issues in finding loungers unless you wished a pad for the lounger, then that was an issue. The loungers are not comfortable so the pad was extremely beneficial (more of these would help the situation). The outside towels were always available. In general; I would not classify this as a 4 star resort. ? This resort has great potential but with not enough resources and IMO poor hygiene practices I would not be returning. That said, I would recommend this location but be prepared, and if you have a sensitive stomach / gut, I would not recommend. While we were there my self and many others fell prone to gastroenteritis. This is NOT pleasant albeit the onsite Doctor and Nurse were great and were being worked off their feet with these illnesses.?‍♀️ The whole resort seemed to be a bit disorganized and at times felt chaotic (again could be lack of staff) The staff in general were very pleasant and helpful however, this is a very TIP based resort, more so than many others I have been to even though we do tip. Here, without the tips, one didn't receive consistent quality of service. If you wish to exchange USD, they will for pesos, and they won't even give smaller USD in exchange for a larger denomination of USD?‍♀️(hotel policy)!! Also, there is a high percentage of French Canadian who visit this resort compared to English speaking. This was a a first for me. So, be prepared to try and speak more than just Spanish. ? An issue I do have are the smokers. Most were very courteous however, please stop butting out in the grass, beach ground etc. The remnants are not biodegradable and it is filthy making the resort look nasty! ?