Great resort

Great rooms with a lot of space with a huge balcony. Great food with a lot of options. Great people, who working there. Love all of them. A bit rough water, especially on the left side of the beach. Could not even imagine to see small kids there as now the resort is not adults only. Amazing huge area with a lot of place to walk around. I would suggest to add may be a piano bar or something else like that to have more options for clients to do during evening time.

Great vacation

We travelled in May 2018. Everything went smooth and trouble free. The resort is absolutely beautiful. The villas are surrounded by tropical vegetation. The grounds are well kept. Rooms are very large and balconies are proportionally huge. The beach is rather small but just enough. There’s a lot of natural shade from the trees on the beach. There are 2 large pools for those who prefer to spend their time poolside, and while there will always be those guests that occupied the sun be [... read more]ds at 6 am , you will still find plenty available for “normal people”. Main buffet is gorgeous and it has 3 section, one indoor (absolutely beautiful) and 2 outdoor sections one for smokers. Which really is accommodating everyone. Food is great and desserts are so good that you have to put an effort in “controlling your intake”. Service is absolutely 5 stars. I interacted with various staff and everyone from the bellboys to managers will bend over backwards to fulfill all your needs and wants. Not too many kids (hopefully their numbers will not increase). Overall great resort, great vacation

The most amazing resort!

My husband and I had a 2 week vacation at Luxury Bahia Principe Cayo Levantado! It was by far the most amazing vacation. We were there to celebrate my 50th birthday and our 10th anniversary! We were blown away, with the incredible service, most beautiful grounds, fantastic food and our beautiful room! Geury, who is the manager of customer service was simply the best! He went beyond anything we expected. I suffer with post concussion syndrome and he learned about my disability, so he coul [... read more]d service us to the best he could. And he did. He made special arrangements to surprise us for our special days! Our butlers too were so amazing, kind and so very thoughtful. We were grateful to have Gabriel, the manager for the butlers. Gabriel help me surprise my husband with a heart on the beach, filled with rose petals. So beautiful! He also prepared our room with champagne, balloons and chocolate on our anniversary! Natanael was our other butler who prepared a romantic Jacuzzi with champagne, scented candles and rose petals. He also went beyond expectations and was fabulous! Edgar, Fernando, Lice and Jose were there every day serving us at the pool and beach. There service was greatly appreciated and their kindness was very thoughtful. I have worked in the service industry for over 30 yrs and I can't say enough about the service we received. Outstanding! And the best part of this, is that everyone of our servers were genuine and true! THANK YOU ALL! We can't wait to see you all again! Cheryl and Neil

Great resort

We were really excited to stay at the resort. When we arrived we were treated to a refreshing beverage and taken to our room. So excited to see our view and our beautiful room. We found the short cut from room 28102 beside the spa through the hotel to lobby. we used it all week. loved the beach and the ability to get a chair anytime of day. the good was excellent and really enjoyed the a la carte don pablo . so delish.

Excellent!

Just got back from a week in April/18. All Great! Excellent food, super clean, Can’t think of too much negative things to say about the resort. Just some things that I would mention: You really need to have lots of $1 US bills ready for tips, from the baggage handlers at the airport, bus drivers and guides, boat helpers, tour guides, butler service at the beach and pools, waiters, waitresses etc. Some of these people, especially those not affiliated with the resort sometime will even reques [... read more]t a tip. It’s better to buy rum and cigars in the hotel gift shop then the duty free at the Samana airport when leaving. Prices are much better. Also, at the departure airport in Samana, other than the $25US lounge, there is only one restaurant available which is very expensive, (example: a hamburger and fries is $16.50 US) . I would suggest possibly making to-go sandwiches at the resort, as long as it will get through airport screening.

Almost Perfection

This resort met and exceeded my expectations. It was very clean and the staff was always eager to please. The grounds were beautifully manicured, the private beach was small but always found a sun lounger. The pools were very clean, no bird dropping on any chairs. We enjoyed both buffet restaurants and the a la Carte, especially Don Pablo restaurent. We didn't participate much in the nightlife but nightly shows were available. I would definitely return. The reason why it wasn't perfect: I  [... read more]would order a cappuccino in the mornings - in Spanish, but somehow they kept forgetting about it, not a big deal but a little frustrating.

We had a great time!

We had a great time at this resort! As we read in many reviews it is not a "party" resort, if you truly want to relax by the beach then this is the place to go. Our room was fantastic and huge. The resort is very clean and well maintained. The food is good and the beach is fantastic. There were shows almost every night out on the patio that were very interesting to watch. Our only complaints were that when we arrived at the mainland resort we had to wait in line to receive resort armbands and th [... read more]en we took a boat to the island to wait in another line to find out our room was not ready and we could not book any dinner reservations until we checked into our room. After 2 hours at the resort our room was finally ready but now all the dinner reservations were booked. We expressed our concerns to our butler and by day 2 he had reservations for us. The other thing that we noticed was that if you do not speak Spanish, not many hotel staff interact with you, on the other hand some tried really hard to interact in English. We stayed away from the public beach as we found the sales people very pushy. Overall we really enjoyed ourselves and had a very relaxing week.

Amazing Resort

Amazing on all levels. From the food to the picturesque setting it was all perfect. It didn't disappoint. Am already planning out trip back because it was that wonderful. Would highly recco this place

I finally found my favorite place...

This is a beautiful quiet resort that has everything I was looking for...Good food, nice pools, a walking path shaded under lush tropical trees. The service is extraordinary and everyone makes you feel very special. The animation team is fantastic and there are activities if you would like to do them. I loved it so much, I went twice this spring! A word of caution: this resort will change from an adults only to a family resort in May 2018. The atmosphere will definitely change and the beac [... read more]h area is not particularly suited for children.

Great, but not perfect

We have stayed at numerous resorts throughout the Caribbean, and this was definitely one of the best. The grounds are absolutely beautiful. How they maintain them to look so amazing, and with such varieties of plant life, is beyond me. The island is not flat, so be prepared to walk up and down some small hills from your room to the other parts of the resort. Nothing unreasonable, just something to be aware of if you have mobility issues. We booked a Superior Junior Suite, and the room [... read more] was huge, with a beautiful 2nd floor view of the ocean. It appears that all rooms surrounding the property were equally big and luxurious. There are also smaller rooms in the main hotel area, so I am happy that we booked the Superior Junior Suite. We had a few issues during our stay, but they were dealt with quickly. No air conditioning when we arrived, but that was fixed the next day. The safe did not work at all, but that was fixed within an hour. There was no hot water one day, forcing us to take cold showers, but that was resolved by early that same evening. We were assigned a butler, but only saw him on the first day, when we arrived. This is in contrast to the Chic Resort that we stayed at in Punta Cana, where your butler is always checking in on you, booking your dinners and massages, dealing with any room issues, and making sure everything is perfect. Our butler at Bahia Principe was invisible. We had to deal with everything ourselves. Not a big deal, but a bit of a disappointment after having a completely different experience at another 5 star resort. Food was very good, at the buffet as well as at the 2 restaurants we tried: Don Pablo (French) and Rodizio (Brazilian). I especially liked the welcome drink that was available at the buffet every morning at breakfast (mimosa) as well as a unique drink every dinner that was tied to the buffet theme of the night. There are effectively 3 beaches: 2 next to each other by the activity pool, and the public beach. The beach by the activity pool gets quite windy in the afternoon, making it a bit uncomfortable. But it is possible to find some shelter further down the beach. The public beach has boats coming and going during the day as part of their excursions, since it is a beautiful beach. It was fun to hang out there one day, although you will get kicked off of the lounge chairs, since you did not pay for an excursion. Every night, the hotel uses the public beach as a disco party area, which is always a fun experience. My wife and I just loved hanging on some lounge chairs by the ocean sipping on some drinks under the stars, with music playing in the background. My biggest issue is that the resort does not have a true "adult" vibe. It just seems to be a standard family-friendly resort, with no kids running around. The shows were all the same shows you would see at a standard family Dominican resort (Micheal Jackson show, Dominican show, Vegas show, etc.). Contrast that to other adults-only resorts we have been to, where the atmosphere is more like a club, with go-go dancers, more adult-oriented humor and games, pool parties with foam, etc. None of this was to be had at Bahia Principe, which was a disappointment. I understand that the resort will become family oriented later this year, so maybe that is why. It just could have been much more fun than it was. Overall, I would say this is more of a 4 star resort than a 5 star resort, since we have been at other 5 star resorts in the Caribbean where they treat you more like royalty (eg. bringing ice cream to everyone on the beach, replacing your wet towels with dry ones throughout the day, etc.). Still a nice resort to go to, which I summarized in the title of this review: "Great, but not perfect". It might do better as a family friendly resort.

Almost perfect

Luxurious, well-maintained, scrupulously clean property. Wonderful staff. Food is plentiful, varied, and beautifully presented. Ranges in quality from superb to not-so-great, but is mostly quite good. Definitely no worries about bacteria or parasites. Pools and beach are terrific. Beds are a little on the hard side.

Heaven on earth!

This place was heaven for us. Great food, great pools (beach was small with big waves), rooms were super clean and big. Lots of lounge chairs at the beach and pools. But what stood out the most was the service. Everyone had a smile on their face and worked very hard to please us. This was our second time there. We never go anywhere twice, but heard that it was going to become a family resort this summer so wanted to go again when it was adults only. It is quiet, serene and a great place to [... read more] go to relax and restore. Loved the jungle feel with a semi shaded walking path all over the island.

Amazing resort

Thank you for a wonderful week long experience. 1. We found the all Staff & happy to look after us through out our vacation. 2. The Animation Team especially Paulina & Jesus encouraged us to participate in the activities throughout the day and evening. eg Bocce Ball, Stretch, Aerobics, Spanish lessons, Bean Bag toss, Bingo and the Coconut demonstration with Monkey Boy climbing, The Acrobatic agility at both evening entertainment was amazing. 3. We appreciated the wide se [... read more]lection of food offered in main Grill restaurant. The Brazilian dining experience was #1. Pool side restaurant was handy throughout the day. 4. Nice touch with the evening essential oil lamps, beverages and chips in the mini bar, comfortable Bed and great view of the bay. 5. Great Birthday cake and staff singing Happy Birthday at Don Pablo restaurant for daughter's birthday. 6. A wonderful and enjoyable experience. Sincerely, Corry and Edwin Chow

VERY QUIET

This hotel is on a beautiful island . It is very windy and not much opportunity to swim in ocean but amazing to look at There is no swim up bar, no music and very little going on All hotel bars and restaurants are closed at 11:00 pm so if you like to stay up and party on your vacation, this is not the place

Beautiful scenery and grounds

Staff were extremely courteous and accommodating. Food was outstanding with a large variety. Beverages were well prepared. The grounds were absolutely gorgeous. On the negative side, our arrival was horrible. After travelling in a mini van with not enough seats for all the passengers for well over an hour and then being deposited at the check in on the mainland, we waited almost another hour for the ferry transport to the resort. The staff at the mainland handed us a bottle of water. Th [... read more]ere isn't even a bar on the mainland. After a very rough boat ride we finally arrived at the resort. We left our home 12 hours earlier. With a later than anticipated arrival we didn't receive the welcome drink, hot towel or even an explanation of the resort that all other guests received. After being dropped at our room in the dark neither of our keys would open the door and we just waited at the door for our luggage to arrive and someone to assist us. We attempted to order a drink and some food from room service and were told that the bar was closed and room service would arrive in 45 minutes. After an hour and a quarter we called and they made excuses that they were busy. When the food arrived, it was not what we had ordered, was extremely cold and old (reheated hamburger on a dried out bun) and not edible. Obviously, our first impression was not good. On the second last day of our vacation, service was almost non-existent. We didn't receive our turn down service and evening room tidying with fresh bath towels for the morning (our last day). Food at the buffet was not replenished more than an hour before closing and staff was much less attentive to the guests. It seemed that most of the guests left on Friday and therefore the resort was understaffed (perhaps many had the day off). This resort is a considerable distance from the Samana airport and requires transport via ferry which adds additional transportation time. We were required to leave the resort on our return more than 5 hours prior to our flight time.

Excellent resort and location

Everything was great. Staff couldn’t do enough for you especially around the pool and beach area. Not that other staff members in other areas were any different. Buffet had everything you could want and Don Pablo restaurant was fantastic. Excellent vacation and would return even though it’s going to go as a family resort unfortunately. One minor problem though our travel agent advised the resort that it was our wedding anniversary. Nothing materialized although we had observed several units  [... read more]throughout the resort with door saches etc for birthdays and anniversaries. Just not us

Very nice resort

The resort is beautifully designed and well-kept. The food is excellent and staff are friendly. Not so much to do on this island, the resort is the only structure.... This resort is for you if you're looking for: total relax, with good food, the drinks and the beautiful grounds. 1. Wi-Fi in each room worked well most of the times. 2. Lots of shade on the beach. 3. Food is excellent, drinks are great. 4. Rooms are beautifully decorated, very well cleaned and re-stocked however can be so no [... read more]isy if overlooking staff buildings. We were awoken at 6am every morning by noise from resort staff doing their jobs. 5. Staff are very friendly and helpful.

Very nice resort

Resort is very beautiful. Grounds look like botanical garden. Very nicely maintained. The resort is situated on island. Our transfer from airport was very smooth. The bus was big and comfortable with about 60 min. Ride. Then about 10 min on boat. We had junior suite with ocean and garden view with beautiful balcony. The room is very spacious and bright. Bathroom is nice. No smell in the room or bathroom. A.C works perfectly no noise. No bags or mosquitoes. Resort is large. We preferred walk ever [... read more]ywhere as there is so beautiful and paths have a lot of shade but if we needed ride there is an electric cart that can take us all over the resort. There is a lot of staff with different responsibilities in this resort. Cleaning personal is doing very good job keeping everywhere nice. No shortage towels or toiletries. Mini fridge is stocked daily and bottled water was available. The food in buffet was ok. We are not very picky and that's why we could always find something like fruit or BBQ. I didn't like choice of cooked vegetables there. They were over cooked and very bland. There is also not a lot of fresh veggies. In restaurants the food was better and the staff was very friendly. No waiting for sitting and they always fill your glass. The beach was perfect with a lots of shade and launch chairs. Water is nice and clear and because it's an island there is a different beaches there. Overall it is a very nice resort and I will recommend it. Also thank you to all stuff for doing a very good job. Alice

Simply wonderfull

This exotic Island has a feeling of euphoria . The vegetation and beautiful beach was tranquil and very relaxing. I would return anytime. It is unfortunate that they are going back to a family resort. The entire place screams ADULTS and I see no way they can profit from this decision. We booked through Trip Central and were very happy with the experience. Like I said , I will return ...but only if Adult Only.

10 days in the sun

This was our 3rd time in DR. We only stay in adult only resorts. Before my hotel review please note: 4 hour transfer from Puerto Plata airport to the hotel + 3.5 hour flight from Toronto West Jet airport agents in Puerto Plata barely speak English. Hotel: fairly nice rooms - it was very humid in December and our clothes despite AC felt dump all the time. One annoying feature - every time patio/balcony door was open AC was resetting to 27C. Minibar, especially alcohol rack filled only sp [... read more]oradically not daily as advertised, despite calls to the reception. Wait staff can hardly communicate in English. Service: definitely not 5 stars. Everyone is looking for tips, even for mediocre/poor service. Beach/pool waiters were ok. Food: Good quality in all restaurants as well as in a buffet. Entertainment: So, so. We went to random 3 shows and did not bother after a while. We did not go on any trips except privately to Samana. USD 40 for a return taxi trip.Prices in Samana stores are 60% lower than in a hotel shop. Good security on site.