Bahia Principe Explore Akumal: Amazing Resort

Everything that we expected and more! From the rooms to the Beach it was excellent! Food was tasty lots of variety at the buffet! The grounds were always being looked after, from glasses/cups to garbage colection, I was impressed how many people work at this Resort! The rooms where always cleaned and we never ran out of towels. I recomend this Resort hands down!

Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Love this resort!

The grounds are beautiful, the food is excellent, the beach is amazing, the rooms are a good size and very clean, staff were very friendly and went out of their way to help. Good value for the money. We will definitely be going back.

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Luv this place!

This all inclusive is the best.. I've been to 45 to 50. My room was immaculate.. The beach was wonderful and the staff are great. Second time and not the last. A wonderful quiet piece of heaven. Can't wait to go back.

Bahia Principe Explore Akumal: Magnificent......

The Fabulous well layed out resort. The best resort we have been to in the past 4 years The restaurant food was excellent as was the service by all staff maids, barmen, waiters & gardiners - they could *nt do enough for us--

The Eurostars Grand Cayacoa: an amazing experience for my first all-inclusive

grounds were very well maintained and the staff were so welcoming. Everyone wanted to everything to make the vacation so enjoyable. I'd go back tomorrow if I could but hopefully next year will be good.

Bahia Principe Explore Tulum: Excellent family vacation

Resort is very large and spread out. Trams run every 5 minutes taking you from your room to lobby area, shopping areas and Coba resort. Not one complaint from our group of 16 about the food or drinks. At at 3 a la carte restaurants (our favorite was La Gran Tortuga- best beef I've ever eaten in the Caribbean). Mini fridge filled every day with beer, water and pop. No problem getting loungers under the Palapas at 8 or 9 a.m. at the Coba beach area. A little disappointed in the coral and stones in [... read more] the water and the amount of seaweed at the beach, but the staff worked continuously all day raking it away.

Bahia Principe Explore Tulum: Bahia Principe Tulum

What a great resort this is. Very large, clean and friendly. Not much to complain about other than the beach is not the greatest, lots of coral. The pools are clean and always lots of entertainment every day. Entertainment staff work very hard to keep everyone entertained. Shows at night were OK, same at most resorts. Food was EXCELLENT. The rooms were clean and always cleaned in a timely fashion. Grounds were beautiful. The ride from the airport was between 2 2-1/2 hrs but went quickly. Would d [... read more]efinitely go back here again. You can never go wrong choosing a Bahia Principe property down south. We have been 4 times and were never disappointed at any of them. If you look on the map and choose a specific area where you would like to have your room, never hurts to send off a nice email a week or two before your departure date. I have always done this and almost always end up with an ocean view(If available) and often get a few extras in the room like champagne and fruit baskets. They really aim to please at these properties. We had a few little hiccups during the week we were here like the toilet running and the safe not working properly but with a call to the service desk they were quickly fixed. It is a very large resort and you have to expect that things will break but it certainly is not going to ruin your vacation.

Bahia Principe Explore Esmeralda: This resort lives up to its accolades.

My husband, teenage son & I went to the Luxury Bahia Principe Esmeralda for the second week of April arriving on the Easter weekend. We’ve been to the Grand Bahia Principe in the Riviera Maya so we were familiar with the quality that this resort chain offers its customers. We were not disappointed. Our stay was nothing less than magical. It helped a great deal that the ocean & sand in Punta Cana along this stretch is some of the nicest beach & swimmable ocean we’ve ever seen. There was a yel [... read more]low flag for the waves all week which I was fine with. My husband & son would have like the waves to have a bit more punch, but I prefer the ocean calmer. Many have complained about seaweed washing ashore. It’s the ocean…that’s what it does. All of the resorts along the stretch of Punta Cana that we walked (we walked for at least 3 miles either direction exploring the beautiful sight) rake up the seaweed first thing in the morning. By the time most people are at the beach, the resort staff is removing the last of the seaweed. We were a bit apprehensive with our weather forecast for the week we were there, because it looked like it called for rain every day. For our first trip to the Dominican Republic, we were pleasantly surprised that the rain came first thing in the morning or overnight & lasted less than 20 minutes. Another thing we were apprehensive about was that we would be arriving to a less than fully staffed resort due to it being holy week. I know the Dominican people are devout Christians. Rest assured, the resort was appropriately staffed, & we never noticed any absence in services. Arrival: The Punta Cana airport is quite nice. It’s constructed to resemble a giant tiki hut. It wasn’t overly busy but we still seemed to get quite bogged down going through customs. Once we were through, everything else was quite expedited. We flew with Air Transat & were directed to our bus without any difficulty. Booking with Air Transat for Luxury Esmeralda, there was no direct transfer mentioned to the hotel. We had that with the Royal Golden option when we visited the GBP Riviera Maya. The bus was a direct transfer to the resort…probably about a 25 minute drive. Check-in: The check-in was seamless. Most of our bus went to the Punta Cana section or Ambar section. There was only one other couple checking in at Esmeralda. We were hoping for a pool view but unfortunately could not be accommodated as the resort was a full occupancy. Santos at the front desk was helpful though & suggested we check with them the following day to see if any rooms became available. The following day, Oscar at the front desk managed to accommodate us closer to what we had requested. We appreciated Oscar’s efforts. Grounds: No one can argue that the Bahia resort chain maintains some of the most beautiful grounds of any resort. The staff are constantly manicuring, raking, watering & otherwise tending to the grounds to maintain them in an almost fairy tale like state. The Esmeralda section feels like its own little resort within the massive complex that encompasses the rest of the resort. The thing we most enjoy about the Bahia resorts is this aspect. The resorts are as big as a small city, but the different section has their own personalities. If you not into exploring, walking, trolleying etc, you can stay in your own section. You are free however to explore the whole resort & utilize all of the pools (except no kids at Ambar pool). Pools: In Esmeralda alone there are three pools. Two have swim up pools bars & one has a pool bar you have to walk up to. The one you walk up to is for adults only & resembles more a giant hot tub with very shallow sections to lie in and sunbathe. There are several pools dotting the different sections of the resort, all available to the Esmeralda guest except no kids in the Ambar pool. The pools are all meticulously maintained. The water feels fresh in the morning, but can get quite warm later in the day. I found going for a swim in the ocean (which was warm itself) made the pool dip afterwards feel even warmer. The Esmeralda pool nearest the beach has a gated area for children to swim in very shallow water. This area seemed to be mostly for very young children or babies with their parents. Next to the gated area is a beach style graded pool entry for kids & adults alike. It was nice to lounge in this area. The pools were never crowded & very much oriented towards a family atmosphere. I much prefer that to the rowdiness in the pool & the pool bar littered with guests drinking all day long but never leaving the pool to use the bathroom. Loungers & Umbrellas: The towel game is alive & well and in full effect at this resort. If you go down in the morning any later than 7:00am, most of the umbrellas & shaded areas were “reserved” with one or two towels draped across 3-4 loungers. During our stay, the staff took the unprecedented step of removing unoccupied towels from loungers & placing personal items on the ground next to the loungers. One couple near us mentioned they’ve been coming to Esmeralda for five years & never saw this happen before. I guess the complaints the resort was getting pushed them to try to curb the “towel gaming”. I’d seen staff the previous day recording the number of unoccupied loungers covered with towels several times during the day. The reactions some people had to the staff doing this was unbelievable. Marching over to the towel hut & tearing a strip off the poor staff member stuck there. I felt so sorry for the abuse the staff had to endure over their efforts to be fair to “all of their paying guests”. Anyone who went to the towel hut & squawked was given a new set of towels (contrary to the resorts policy) after being cautiously re-informed of the resorts policy regarding reserving loungers. After getting their new towels, for the most part all of the guests re-reserved what loungers were still left & then disappeared to return when they felt like it. Enough of my rant on the towel game. This is a guest issue, not the resorts fault. The resorts cannot win this fight. Beach Loungers: Towel game here too, but there are so many chairs to choose from. The ones in front get taken first, but I preferred the ones in behind that are shaded by an abundance of trees. It’s just gorgeous. The Beach: I already spoke to it above. Just beautiful…what’s more to say? The Rooms: No complaints here. Clean & tidy with the necessary amenities. This resort was the first time I noticed that the AC could manage to keep the room cool & reduce the humidity. In fact, on several occasions were turned it down a notch because the room was turning into a meat locker otherwise. Food: The food in general was of a high quality. On occasion it needed to be warmer at the buffets. There was something for everyone. If I had any complaint, it would be the desserts. I’m not a big sweet tooth, but my husband & son are. They said that the desserts had no flavour, no taste whatsoever for the most part. It was suggested on the forums that we go to the buffet on the Tuesday seafood theme night. It was good, but no better than the other theme nights. The A la Cartes were very good, except for the desserts again. The desserts were buffet style. I prefer no buffet options at the A la Cartes, but that’s just me. We ate at Le Pescadore, Bella Italia, Takara, & the Garden Grill. Don Pablo was adults only & Le Gourmet was under renovations. We enjoyed all of the A la Cartes, but Le Pescadore & the Garden Grill was our favourite. If I can give an advice on the A la Cartes…..ask questions about the different dishes or you may be disappointed. At Bella Italia, my husband went with the classic spaghetti with tomato sauce…nice & simple…& he was happy. I chose a prawn & lobster linguini & my dinner arrived with a giant portion of the lobster (body part – no tail & no claws) with its beety eyes still intact staring at me. I was expecting cut up lobster in my pasta, not a battle to remove it from the shell. Had I asked I would have been told what I was getting. Another piece of advice is if possible, the more straight forward dishes will be better. The less complex the better. Entertainment: We did not take advantage of the resorts entertainment nights, but heard they were well done. Just don’t expect broadway. Drinks: Some people complain about the drinks being watered down. My husband & I found them to be just right. No complaints here. Staff extremely attentive to our needs. We were politely declining refills from pool serving staff; they were so efficient….otherwise we would have been loaded. Wifi: Free in the lobby. We opted for the total resort coverage for $49 for the week. It was well worth it for our son. He found the internet signal strength strong. We used it occasionally & found it quite fast. Timeshare Staff: Pushy, but they stayed around their desk in the lobby & were easily avoided. Staff: Awesome. The Dominican people are delightful. Occasionally found a bit of a language barrier speaking English, but if you know French, that appears to be the second spoken language there. A few shout-outs to some of the exceptional staff we experienced while on our holidays. Wait Staff Victor from the Garden Grill. Wait Staff Victor, Hector & Carols from the Los Geranios buffet. Victor was like “The Flash”. He was always on the move tending to the guests needs. Wait Staff Juana from the Jasmine buffet Front Desk staff Santos & Oscar Wait Staff Luis from Le Pescadore Esmeralda Pool Bartender Maximo Esmeralda Pool Wait Staff Robert – such a nice young man. ……And our favourite most memorable staff member was our Esmeralda Pool wait staff member Josefina. She was so endearing, funny & attentive. Ask her for her special cocktail……my husband loved it. We will definitely be returning to Esmeralda.

Bahia Principe Grand San Juan: Lovely

All was lovely except staff were unfriendly, and the sand fleas were bad. Room was great, food was good, the resort was beautiful. The room was clean. Overall, a lovely place to visit. Wish the staff spoke English, very hard to communicate.

Bahia Principe Explore Esmeralda: Beautiful resort

We had a very good overall experience. When we arrived at Esmeralda we were immediately upgraded to Ambar. The food was excellent. There was a theme night every night at the buffet. Dinner on Easter there was so much chocolate, yum. The staff are fantastic, pool and beach very nice. This was a very clean resort. The only negative was that you had to get up at 6:00 to reserve a chair at the pool or beach which I said I would never do but here you had to.

Bahia Principe Escape Sian Ka'an: Our third time there-returning again next year!

This hotel is the best on the Mayan Riviera. Everything is exceptional, from the staff to the amenities. You have to try the Maiko and Alux a la cartes; nothing can compare. We have never had less than a wonderful experience there.

Bahia Principe Explore Tulum: Amazing resort

Beautiful resort and well maintained. The food was fantastic at all restaurants except I wasn't a fan of the Brazilian because of the food and service. The beaches were great, we had sea weed get washed in on the first few days but that is a natural occurring event not the resorts fault. Overall I would highly recommend this trip to anyone interested in great food drinks beaches and service with a beautiful ocean to look at.

Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Unbelievable Resort

Amazing food, grounds, beach, pool and staff. This was our honeymoon trip that has been on hold for 10 years........it was the best chance for my wife and i to reconnect and enjoy the sun, sand and surf.

Bahia Principe Grand Bavaro: OK Resort (not a relaxing resort)

This resort is extremely large and very busy. The number of pools and long beach are insufficient to accommodate the number of people when the resort is at capacity. Lounging chairs were hard to come by and finding shade was practically impossible; unless, you got up at 0700 AM to reserve the lounging chairs that had shade. The food was ok, though quality protein was non-existent. There were line-ups to enter the buffet restaurant at supper time, which was annoying. Overall, I think this would b [... read more]e a great resort for singles and maybe families with children but not for couples seeking to relax.

Bahia Principe Explore Coba: Our first all inclusive trip

We arrived early and could not check in and were not informed of lockers that we could use to put our carry on luggage and personal items so that we could relax. It would be nice to get sample packets of sunscreen at check in. Was never informed at the desk of the room safe key and lock. Safes should be included in cost of room. Free wireless internet should be available 24/7 in all rooms, not just the lobby (this is the best way to communicate with family at home). There are not enough palapas  [... read more]and loungers around the pool area. This led to fights amongst some guests that made us feel uncomfortable. You have a rule in place about reserving and never enforce your rule. There should also be regular chairs available. The mini fridge in the room was never stocked consistently. Some days they left a chocolate bar and chips and some days they didn't and when they did leave them, it was never for two. Drinks from the pool bar always seemed very weak. Reservations for a la carte's should be done at the restaurant and not Public relations in the lobby. We wasted 2 hours and only got 2 reservations when we were entitled to 3 per week. We never bothered to go back because of the time wasted. It would be nicer for the shows to start a bit later in the evening in order to not have to rush dinner. Automatic light timers in the pool bathrooms need to remain on longer. On several occasions my wife ended up on the toilet in the dark. For the first two days our floors were filthy. Black would run off our feet in the shower first thing in the morning even though we had showered before bed. Towel, face cloth and bath mat quantities were never consistent. Some days face cloths and bath mat were never left. Soap dish was only cleaned a couple of times in two weeks. Drinking glasses in bathroom were not cleaned regularly. We did however, really enjoy our stay. Some of these suggestions could make it better for future guests.

Cayo Levantado Resort: Absolutely first class resort

Beautiful grounds, great swimming options including ocean and large pools, fantastic food, top notch service. Quiet resort, and not the place if you are looking for any wild parties. Clients were middle aged+, but there were a few younger couples. This resort would be extremely hard to beat.

Bahia Principe Explore Coba: Great resort!

We travelled as a couple and stayed in the Royal Golden section. This resort is beautiful, the staff are simply amazing and hard working! We had a very relaxing vacation. There is something for everyone. The food was also very good.

Bahia Principe Explore Coba: Great Resort

My family just got back from this resort ( two kids) and we had s great time. All in all it met my expectations with the exception of a few. The a la carte restaurants were basically all reserved, even though we went the first day to book them. We managed to get our three booked but they were all together at the end of our trip, they were not the restaurants that were our top picks and not the times that we wanted. Basically we were told that they have more people than seatings for the a la cart [... read more]e restaurants. The kids waterpark is great for travelling with young children, because of this there was a ton of families there! Beach access is from the other resort, so you don't have immediate access to the beach! It's about a 5 minute train ride. Having access to the other resorts is a huge plus.

Bahia Principe Explore Jamaica: Very good resort

Hotel was great the food was just slightly above average. Hotel services were inconsistent at best, three days in a row with no coffee in the room after asking twice,to no avail. One day no fresh towels . Relatively minor once I found out how to get the coffee myself. Overall ,staff was very good. Pleasant stay!

Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Very beautiful and charming.Lots to do

Beautiful,Lots of privacy, noise free, service good,Occasionally was difficult to get directions from the staff. Lack of English speaking staff. Directions were quite frustrating. However we found our way around via the very good on grounds cute little taxi wagons. Almost no waiting.