Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Beautiful Resort and beaches, fantastic trip!!

The Resort Bahia Principe El Portillo in Samana, Dominican Republic was fantastic. Absolutely no complaints with the facilities or the food .... and the beaches were very impressive! The staff were all very friendly and work very hard! This is our second time at a Bahia Resort and they have high standards which is noticeable. Thank you Laura Mulvihill Spry from Trip Central for another amazing experience! You know your stuff and nailed it once again for us!

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Great Resort

Amazing: corals and fish right at your finger tips Food: great, quality and variety Management:good Beach and chairs: good Entertainment: very good Potential improvements:1.tennis court lights (not working) 2. Depending on resort count, increase number of tables for breakfast and lunch (many times tables were hard to find, they can use some of the "have a drink" type of tables which were in excess) Ion, Toronto

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Lovely Spot

Rating 1- 10 (high) The hotel, - 8 Cleanliness - 10 Check in ...too long, - 7 staff, - 9 beach and water, - 10 grounds were lovely and so clean. - 9 Food was good, - 7 restaurants even better but we could not get reservations at all of them. - 8 We did request a king bed but got 2 doubles! 😆😕 not good! - 5 We requested a lock off room for easy babysitting with the grandchildren and only got it after much nagging. (2 days later this much more unpacked and more inconvenient. We [... read more] had also asked for a building close to main facilities as we had a special needs child with braces, ended up with building farthest away. -5 Activities - 8 Staff are Amazing - 9 Shows were very good. ( saw only 2) - 9 Over all, nice place but now know how to proceed Maybe a bit better. Check out should be co-ordinated with plane flight times, this would be a huge plus.

Wyndham Alltra Samana: Beautiful Resort

Stayed at Grand Paradise Resort in Samana Dominican Republic for one week, the resort was very nice. Our room was perfect 1st villa which was a plus hubby had a wheelchair, the shower huge , two double beds with a beautiful ocean view and coffee machine to have our coffee each morning also the refrigerator was full with water, pop and beer which was refilled very day. The food was good variety, three a la carte Italian, Japanese and Seafood . The grounds are always clean, very organized. The [... read more] staff are friendly and helpful. Great place for children lots of activities also they have a kids building no parents allowed. Always a security guard at pool which is very good for small children. The beach is beautiful very clean but not long to walk. It’s a great place for families. There are excursions, you can walk to La Galaras to the market , very expensive I find , you can pay in US Dollars or DR pesos. Overall lovely resort bus ride 1.5 hours from airport to resort. Very clean , great food.

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Well staffed, family-friendly resort

The room was spacious and immaculately cleaned every day, There were staff everywhere to carry out all of the various jobs to keep the resort clean and well-stocked. We only ate at the Italian a la carte restaurant, which was very good. Options were fairly limited for times at the a la carte restaurants for the Air Canada vacations customers, they probably save the good time slots for Bahia Principe customers. The staff were all very friendly which is hard to get used to, coming from Canada wher [... read more]e people don't say hi or make eye contact. The beach seemed to be cleaned almost hourly, there would be someone coming around with a rake and wheelbarrow to pick up the reeds washed ashore. I've never seen anything like it. In terms of souvenirs we found the beach vendors to be much easier to deal with, and willing to negotiate. The local shops at Las Terrenas would not negotiate and were pricier.

Viva V Samana by Wyndham: Very Zen Resort!

Very clean everywhere & well maintained; rooms, restaurants, toilettes, sidewalks , grounds, pool & beach! Relaxing resort; soft, music at the pool / no loud music at the beach. We always choose an all-inclusive / adults only resorts the week between X-Mas & New Years so we have a great party to attend! This one was no different; it was a great party! Great food; langouste / filet mignon & much much more at no extra cost. Very good (upgrade) Bubbly + dance floor at the pool, live music.  [... read more]The only thing missing was the fireworks like you get in Punta Cana. but that's it.. Points to improve; staff at lobby should be more knowledgeable /aware of what's happening in their resort. ie: New Year's Eve party - on the 30th NO Lobby Staff knew what kind of party it was going to be, where, how , start of festivities.....Finally on the morning of the 31st they put up a board with menus ...but that's it....huuummm! asked for activities & if the TV/Screen wasn't working no one knew or had the info ...you finally figure it out if you happen to pass by - good thing this resort isn't big! Aside from Lobby staff in need of being more in tuned with their facilities, everyone was pleasant, polite and respectful with smiles! p.s. I would recommend the Person in charge of room cleaning take time to check their staff work. EVERY DAY in our room either a glass was missing on dirty! if you have a coffee machine, it needs coffee & not 2 cups & 1 saucer ??? sometimes we had 1 face*towel & sometimes none. We asked for the patio screen to be fix 3 times - each time they came right away to fix it BUT never check what happens when you open the glass door!.......it didn't fit! and last, the cleaning lady NEVER broomed the patio - she would place the couch pillows but nothing else.... Doesn't need much for this resort to become a 5 star ! simply better follow-up with staff!

Cayo Levantado Resort: Great Relaxing Enviroment

My wife and I stayed at this resort over the holidays and very much enjoyed our experience. The location takes a bit of time to travel to once you arrive, but is worth it for the exclusive location. You are on a private island that requires a short boat trip, but creates the exclusive and luxury experience. The rooms are very clean and comfortable. Our room in particular had an ocean view which was spectacular given the oversized balcony with great patio furniture. The only downside to our r [... read more]oom was that there were ants in and around the toilet area. This got pretty bad the one day and when we called down to have the resort assist, there was some confusion given the language barrier. Regardless, a couple hours later the resort staff came into assist. The food and dinning experience at this resort was very good. The different restaurants provided excellent experiences. In addition, the breakfast and lunch buffets were delightful as well. The hotel/island grounds were beautiful and well kept. Could not have asked for a better private beach or cleaner pools. The only downside to this resort is the english language barrier. Some of the key staff who you would expect to have "good" proficiency with the language were very poor. THis being the front desk and guest services representatives. The only other advisory would be to check and plan your excursions carefully, if they end mid morning you are stuck waiting for the boat until noon as only a few go to and from the mainland. I was personally stuck after one from 9:30 am until 11:45 am as they would not send a boat over for 5 of us after the excursion. THis wasted half a day. Overall I would highly recommend this resort to anyone looking for a true relaxing get away.

The Eurostars Grand Cayacoa: Perfect vacation

Hotel was very clean, staff were amazing and friendly. Food was very good with lots of variety and the presentation was great. Room was nice and clean. Five minute walk to town either by the road or the beach. Very easy to book restaurants and excursions.

The Eurostars Grand Cayacoa: Great vacation!

Overall, we had a great vacation at this resort. It certainly isn't overly luxurious but it's nice and clean and great value for the money! The pools are gorgeous and they make the best of the small beach that is available. We loved that it is so close to town and we ventured there a few times during our stay. The food is as good as any all inclusive I have been to.

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Awesome family resort

A beautiful and clean resort that’s compact, well organized and family friendly. The beach is incredible, food is great, service is perfect and everyone is so nice. They’ve got tons of activities for kids and adults, and you’ll never be bored. This is probably one of the nicer resorts we’ve been to. Highly recommended

Bahia Principe Escape Samana: Fantastic Resort

We absolutely loved our stay at Luxury Bahia Principe Samana last week. The food was amazing - we highly recommend the buffet food - everything you could want and more was offered and it was all delicious. I loved the Italian restaurant, but RODIZIO restaurant for Brazilian BBQ was incredible! Book it as soon as you arrive. The staff were so friendly, accommodating, excellent service at the bars especially. Great drinks! It truly felt like 'home' for a week, with a beautiful beach, sun and ocean [... read more] waves to wake up to. Although some negative comments from other reviewers I read prior to booking were on point (ie. room fridge was not very cold, hot tub was not very hot), we found them inconsequential. Overall, this resort was perfect for us and we have absolutely no complaints at all. It was quiet, entertaining, inspiring and so much fun ... and we will definitely visit again!

The Eurostars Grand Cayacoa: breathtaking views and selection of food

So many areas to walk around, on grounds, lots of stairs. Clean, manicured and friendly staff. close to town, vendors too aggressive in town. Excursions were jam packed full of culture. Tour guides were very knowegeable of history and surroundings.

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Another beautiful week in the sun!

Good service, great friendly staff, staff went beyond to support clients needs. Would recommend this hotel, great value for the price. Plenty of nightly entertainment, and food choices to pick from. Thanks again, Lynne K. Orillia On. Canada

The Eurostars Grand Cayacoa: Great Stay

The hotel was kept clean! We had great service & weather. The bed is hard as a rock & things are quite noisy in the main building! The pool is great & the workers at the beach were working continuously to keep the seaweed at a tolerable level for guests. Both we really enjoyed! We did the zip lining excursion highly recommend! If up for an adventure check out Samana’s Ecological Treehouse ! Such a cool spot ! Also we did a catamaran experience which led us to Cayo laventado ! One of the bes [... read more]t beaches I have ever seen ! White sand & clear water ! We did enjoy the spa but I would not recommend doing their hydrotherapy spa here - i wouldn’t even be saying it’s a hydrotherapy spa... really just a sauna. There is a lot of walking but honestly it’s great especially since you are indulging all week! All staff was great ! Food was decent also ! Great deal for what we paid! Nothing of Grand Bahia Principe Cayacoa - but our airline provider Air Canada Rouge was what I consider ‘subpar’. If you do not have to fly with this company , then do not. Staff was friendly but everything else subpar.

Cayo Levantado Resort: Wonderful island resort

The grounds are a lush tropical paradise. The main building is a masterpiece and tastefully decorated with white on butter yellow...beautiful fragrant flowers everywhere!! The service was impeccable. We did not take advantage of all the amenities like room service or fragrance in your rooms, or special pillows...as we were in our rooms just to sleep. We spent most of our days on the spectacular beach just relaxing. I would highly recommend it for beauty and service and food, but I was [... read more] very disappointed that there was no beach volleyball. Most resorts have it and I just assumed they did as well. So, I sat an inordinate number of hours in a semi comatose (from all the food and drink) daze. A big congratulatory shout out to Eduardo and at the beach bar. He always had a smile for you no matter how busy it got!! The butlers Anthony and Yuri were also very polite and at your service for whatever you needed. The three hour bus ride from the Puerto Plata airport became a 5 hour bus ride due to traffic and delays, so that is something I would never want to do again. It's best to fly in directly to Samana.

Bahia Principe Escape Samana: Perfect spot for a fun but relaxing vacation

The Luxury Bahia Principe Samana is everything you want if you're looking for a relaxing but fun vacation. If you plan to spend time in your room make sure to get one with ocean view (most of them face the water, but the ones with a balcony are worth it). But if not, do not worry, as the view from the various spots in the hotel are breath taking. This hotel has the perfect beach size for the number of guests, not too big, not too small, it is well kept and well service by the staff, bar tende [... read more]rs, and butlers. The food is fresh and delicious. Access to the theme restaurants was easy, we were able to get reservations for every night just by using the hotel app. Buffet has a good variety of fresh options and we were never disapointed. The entertainment was adequate, and events throughout the day (mostly around the pool) gave the feeling that there was always something going on. Although there were some honey-mooners celebrating around, I would recommend the Luxury Bahia Principe Samana to a mature audience (40 and up) whom, I suspect, will be able to appreciate the subtleties this hotels has to provide the perfect balance of a relaxing, fun, and enjoyable vacation.

Cayo Levantado Resort: Expectations exceeded!

Looking through the pictures online and reading reviews we had built the expectations of a good resort with decent food and staff. Our expectations were blown out of the water! From the boat ride to the island to the trip home we were pampered. The staff is amazingly friendly and always trying their best to improve your stay. The facilities are clean and modern. The beach is spacious and inviting. We highly recommend this resort to anyone looking for a relaxing yet entertaining vacation! We will [... read more] be going back next year for sure.

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Nice resort

The report is in a very nice location .. the beach is excellent.. overall the villas and the rooms are clean and spacious but some of them need updating. Room services are good choice for couples and families with babies.

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Everithing OK.

We spend one week in EL Portillo in December. I tried to remember anything negative and could not. Check in was amazingly fast and room was ready. in our unit everything was working, fridge filled with beer, water and softdrinks. And every day it was replenished. Food and drinks were ok, guys in all bars work very fast and you never have to wait long for your drink. No big waves like in Punta Cana but a lot of reefs close to shore so have to careful when swim, but can watch fish around them. S [... read more]ervice's good organized -I have some problems with seif, called "0" and in several minutes guy was at our door. Resort is pretty small, they arranged place outside for shows but everybody sitting on the same level and stage very low. Bar in the lobby closed at 11 p.m. I think its pretty early. And would be good to have big numbers of buildings so you can see it from distance, now there are only small signs close to entrance. This resort is very good for somebody who looking for small, quiet place.

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: 9th Time

Smaller quiet hotel. Everything close by, beach is calm and no big hotels on either side for miles. Great walking beach and very scenic. Been there 9 times now. Food pretty good and staff are super. Drinks on the beach are of middle shelf standards.