Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Great location, amazing beach, good food

We loved the fact that this resort is isolated, that you can walk down the beach for a long ways in either direction and be all by yourself. If you want to go into town, it's just 10min by taxi. The beach is gorgeous, with lots of chairs, lots of shade if you want it, perfect sand, and crystal clear water. There is a reef right off the beach, so if you want to see some fish, just stick your face in. The pool is nothing special, but the beach is so nice we didn't even dip our toes in the pool [... read more]. The food was as good as any resort I've been to, and the a la carte meals were truly special, not just re-presented buffet food. A lot of French speaking guests here, and the resort staff seem to be more comfortable in French than English, which wasn't a problem for us. The room we had was nice - everything worked (though the AC was a bit noisy), and it was kept spotless throughout the week. Highly recommended.

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: what we like

Hotel was a little larger than we like, about 600 rooms. Although this did not make it seem crowded. The beach was great with good snorkeling close to shore. We had a lot of wind the week we were there which caused the water to be a bit cloudy in some locations. The outer reef area protected the swimming area from large waves. The food was good with lots of variety, the main buffet had a different theme each night. We went to two of the four ala carte restaurants the Brazilian and the sea  [... read more]food. Both were good. We had booked a royal golden superior Jr. suite. The room was large well furnished and the bathroom was high quality with a jacuzzi tub, separate large shower. The location of these suites is in quite location with a separate pool with bar. The rooms were kept very clean, lots of towels. We did not attend any of the nightly shows that started at 9:30pm but did enjoy the musical entertainment in the outdoor lounge next to the lobby from 8:300--9:30. All the staff we dealt with were great. Over all had a great time.

Viva V Samana by Wyndham: Will Definitely Go Back!

This is the first resort my husband and I have visited that we can't wait to go back to. We have nothing but wonderful things to say about the Viva Wyndham Samana - it is kept spotlessly clean inside and out, perfectly laid out with a view of the ocean no matter where you are, delicious food, fun and friendly staff and a beautiful beach. The rooms are not large, but are all you need with a lovely shower that was always hot with lots of water, the pool is gorgeous with so many places to tuck aw [... read more]ay and relax, no issues finding a lounge whenever or wherever we wanted one and even they are scrubbed daily. The staff always had something going on in the evenings - beach party, stage show, bingo ... it's not a big resort, so mostly low-key, but lots of fun. We traveled with another couple and can't wait to go back next year with more friends.

Bahia Principe Escape Samana: Amazing resort!

Recently we stayed at this amazing resort. The staff were very friendly and accommodating. We enjoyed watching the ocean from the balcony of our junior suite ocean view room. The cleaning staff kept our room spotlessly clean, and we enjoyed the nightly turn down service. The food was delicious (excelente). The drinks were great. The hotel and grounds were continuously being cleaned and groomed. This small resort was quiet and we could always find a chair whether on the beach, pool, bar or restau [... read more]rants. It is the perfect resort for some R & R.

Viva V Samana by Wyndham: Great resort for relaxing

The staff are always smiling and very quick to help. The grounds are very well kept and there always maintaining the pool as well. The team ask if you wanted to join in the games everyday but did not push. The food was hot in the a la carts with good service. The beach buffet was good, pizza, but always ran out, not replenish a lot. Thanks, we had a great week.

Cayo Levantado Resort: Really really great

Everything was wonderful we enjoyed our stay we were well looked after and the staff people took great care and were great. The food was excellent the rooms are very very nice the beaches and pools are beautiful and clean with many lounges and seating

Cayo Levantado Resort: Perfect for an utterly relaxing vacation

This resort is a one hour ride from the small Samana airport. We were delivered by bus to a check in building on the mainland and after the quick, pleasant check in, we were escorted to a small ferry which took us to the resort in approximately 10 minutes. Our room, which had two double beds as requested, was in one of the larger buildings and came with a massive balcony with a distant view of the water between the trees. The bathroom had a separate shower and jet tub and there was a minibar in  [... read more]the bedroom. The beach was great, with plenty of shade, but because it is on a point, it is really windy on one side and still fairly breezy on the other. The three pools are nice, none are particularly noisy which is great. The average guest age seemed to be 55+ and the resort is set up for handicapped people with elevator service down to the beach and some wheelchair accessible units. The service overall was good, spotty in places...I was constantly in bathrooms without toilet paper and getting coffee in the morning was a hassle. The food at the buffet was ok. There were a few meals where it was difficult to find food that we wanted to eat, so I stuck to fruit, salads and plain chicken when that occurred. I tried a few drinks, but found that I just couldnt get them made the way I like them, so I stuck to soda water with lime. I found that the majority of staff simply couldnt speak English beyond the basics and that made it difficult to communicate any issues. There were the usual problems with people reserving seats around the pool and beach early in the morning and then not showing up all day. There were complaints made by other couples to management and although lip service was given, there was nothing done. We didn't go to any of the restaurants nor did we watch any of the night shows, so I cannot comment on any of those things. Overall, we foun the resort pleasant and relaxing.

Bahia Principe Grand Samana Roulette: Great Holiday

The food was great. Resort very clean! Staff friendly! Beach lovely. Slight musty smell when using a/c in the room but we used the ceiling fan most of the time. Second time to Grand Bahia Portillo and very pleased both times.

The Eurostars Grand Cayacoa: Amazing Week

Just came back from this amazing resort. We had a great time! The food was great and the service was fantastic especially Douglas and Junior. The staff keep everything so clean and make sure that you are comfortable. Can't wait to go back and see everyone again!

Wyndham Alltra Samana: Very nice resort.

The grounds were well kept and quite lovely. Rooms were very clean. There was hot water in the sink but only pool temperature water in the shower. The fridge was kept well stocked with water & pop. There was a good selection of food and it was all very good.Staff was friendly and helpful. Beach was very nice. There was a short walk into the town.

Cayo Levantado Resort: Fantastic, peaceful, beautiful ahhhh love this resort

This resort is simply lovely right from the moment you pull up on the ferry. Think Fantasy Island. It is located on its own island and away from all the noise and hub other resorts have. The entire resort is beautiful and so well maintained. There are small touches all over the resort from flowers, to landscaping, to romantic Jacuzzi tubs they set up with rose petals and candles, to the greeters in all the restaurants where they always have greeting drinks and somebody giving you a squir [... read more]t of hand sanitizer. The food is fantastic. They mix it up well at the buffet. I enjoyed the ala carte restaurants. Also although this resort is spread out, it is very much wheelchair accessible. they have a shuttle that runs all day - very convenient . But if you like to walk as I do, I enjoyed walking all over the resort. They even have this awesome water chair that allows an individual with mobility issues to enjoy the beach and ocean. Speaking of the beach, this is also wonderful. You actually can enjoy both sunrise and sun set the way the land naturally is. There is ample space everywhere and you feel like you are on your own little resort on your own little island. Chairs are always available. Well done. I can't say enough great things about this resort

Cayo Levantado Resort: Almost perfect

Beautiful place. Great attention to detail. Scrupulously clean and well-stocked. Friendly, attentive staff. Very good food: fresh, abundant, beautifully presented, excellent variety. Gorgeous beaches.

The Eurostars Grand Cayacoa: best surprise!

Booked this resort, with pretty low expectations as we were trying to go south and not spend much. Spent only a few days at Gran Bahia Principe Caycoa and the views are spectacular! The view of Samana and the bay are stunning. The best surprise was we got offered to upgrade for free to Luxury Bahia Principe Samana....wow! Adults only, butler service and amazing restaurants! Also, spectacular views. Fell in love with Samana, quiet low key place compared to Punta Cana....would highly recommend thi [... read more]s destination.

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Had a Great Week at El Portillo

First of all, the drive from and back to the airport was fabulous, amazing views, mountains and beautiful vegetation everywhere. I normally just tolerate the drive to the resort but I enjoyed this transfer so much. The resort is very pretty and yet elegant, loved the open air concept in all the additional places to the lobby, restaurants, seating areas. There were so many places to go and sit if you wanted to get away from everyone. Rooms were great, everything replenished on a daily basis.  [... read more] Restaurants are really nice, loved the buffet outdoor seating on the beach. Food was good to really good depending on the dish. Tons of selection at every meal, fantastic fruit, yogurts, breads, salad bar, lots of flavourful dishes, some of the highlights for me were the pork tenderloin in prune sauce, the oxtail stew, the goat stew and the octopus stew. I know that these are not to everyone's taste but I loved them and there are plenty of delicious chicken, pork, seafood and beef dishes as well as lots of vegetarian. Rodizo, the Brazilian restaurant was a great experience, the most amazing chicken and pork although the service was poor, especially to two women. Dishes were replenished regularly at the buffet and those desserts were too good, especially the small squares of cakes, so light and delicious. Staff very friendly and helpful, slow to serve at the bar so you need patience but this is the Dominican so slow down. The beach was beautiful as expected, lovely bay with spectacular views to the right side. Lovely soft, fine golden sand, clear, calm water. You could walk for miles. My only disappointment and for me this was significant was that the beach was so crowded. There are not enough palapas and beach space with chairs for this size of a resort. I felt that people were on top of each other all the time. The only exception was if you got a front row palapa, otherwise you were looking at a sea of beach chairs and bodies. Lucky for me is that my sister is an early morning runner, so she was able to get a decent spot most days. We had great weather, one really overcast and windy day so we took a taxi into Las Terranas. Interesting town. lovely beach side promenade and restaurants and stores. The cab driver offered to wait for us for 2 hours but if not, there are plenty of other cabs. I loved Samana and would like to try one of the other smaller Gran Bahia resorts in this area.

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: The resort is lovely

The rooms were clean and comfortable. The resort is small and quite intimate and the food delicious as it is at all Bahia resorts. The buffet had plenty of options so there was always something good to eat. The only special restaurant that I tried was the Brazilian and the food was good but be prepared as it is a slow way of eating. The water was very shallow quite a way out which is good for families with little children. There is some coral in the water which was good for snorkeling. This [... read more] is a good hotel to go to with your family or for a relaxing vacation. The town of Las Terenas is a good place to go for a look round the town, there are some nice restaurants there too.

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Beautiful place!

What can I say...great food, great service, beautiful beach and cold drinks! we really enjoyed our stay and did not want to come home. The staff was friendly, although they did not understand much English, but they got want we meant with a few hand gestures and pointing..

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Great vacation

Fabulous trip, just one complaint, I didn't go for 2 weeks. Food, beach and staff were amazing, absolutely no complaints. Easy check in and out. Pleasant trip from airport, check in on bus, so when you get there you are ready to go to your room. It is very relaxing, slow paced vacation. We did go whale watching through the hotel and it was great. Saw quite a few whales, amazing!

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Beautiful Resort

The staff was very friendly although there English was limited they were helpful and happy. The resort was clean and well kept and with beautiful surroundings very lush and tropical. There was lots to do with activities always on the go. The food was very good with lots of variety.

Cayo Levantado Resort: Beautiful setting and great service

This was our first trip to the hotel, and the location was great and facility had lovely manicured gardens. Our room package came with a butler and she looked after us with great attention to detail. (this was over Valentine's Day which she made extra special) The food was good both at the buffets and a la carte restaurants. The only "issues" we had was that as non-smokers it was difficult to eat outdoors in the daytime or evening without having someone smoke near us as there were no designa [... read more]ted smoking sections and the other was that some guests took it upon themselves to reserve beach chairs first thing in the morning and did not show up until early afternoon - which was not fair to other guests. Both of these small issues were discussed with the manager and he advised they are working on a plan to address both concerns. Overall it was a great holiday and a place that we would highly recommend for a more secluded getaway that is not the big hotel experience. Glad we went with our travel agent's suggestion and will be going again someday!

The Eurostars Grand Cayacoa: Very nice resort.

We just traveled to the Grand Bahia Principe Cayacoa in Samana for a week we had an awesome trip. The food was good. The resort was clean. The only problem we had was the air conditioner in our room smelt like mould. Not nice at all. Other than that our room was clean, the resort itself was very clean.