Bahia Principe Explore Esmeralda: Great resort with a little unpleasant last day exp

In general the hotel and the service were pretty good. The food was diverse and we were offered drinks at any time. Some days though it seemed like the food served at the buffet was from the leftovers from the previous day. We paid attention to that after one morning the pancakes we picked for breakfast were very hard to chew on. Our favorite from the restaurants where we made reservations for dinner, was the French one at Amber- amazing food, presentation and service. The Japanese restaurant wa [... read more]s also good. However, on our last night we made a reservation at the Mediterranean restaurant. First we waited for an hour for our food during which we experienced ants and a cockroach crawling on our table. Then we saw two more huge cockroaches- one coming out of the wine cupboard at the restaurant and one outside our room. Besides the unpleasant last night experience, we spent a pretty good one week over there.

Bahia Principe Explore Esmeralda: Victor the Butler

beautiful hotel and the food was good but not great. We had Victor as our Butler who met us at the front desk just after checkin. He quickly told us what he could do for us including bringing us pillows and a daily paper. We thought this was great and gave him 20 dollars to start the week. After two days and no paper or pillows I went to the desk to ask for a newspaper to read, only to be told our Butler would look after us. Well I wasn't going to wait for over two days for pillows or papers and [... read more] told the desk person. The pillows finally showed but when we saw Victor he wouldn't even acknowledge us. Guess he got his money and that was enough. As far as Air Tran I would never book with them again, we paid extra for Options Plus for priority baggage and my bag was the last bag to come off the plane go figure, At the airport in Dominican they left us between the gate and plane for over 30 minutes in the heat awaiting plane problems.

Bahia Principe Explore Akumal: Excellent Resort.

Beautiful resort on the ocean, everything is kept exceptionally clean the staff are friendly and very helpful. The staff go out of their way to make your stay a good one. The rooms were excellent and in good condition. The grounds around the resort are kept pristine. We booked with the Golden Package and I would highly recomend it as it gives you a special check in desk and lobby. Extra al a cart dinner reservations and access to 3 of the 4 resorts for both use and dinner. We booked all our excu [... read more]rsions with the Scuba shop. We did 3 snorkel tours and a Scuba dive, all excellent. I would recomend the snorkelling with turtles, as we saw huge turtles and some stingrays. Snorkelling in the Cenotes (caves) was excellent. Snorkelling in Cozumel was also an excellent trip. The resort is huge and they have little trains to move you from place to place. The food was excellent especiially in the al a carts. The beach ranged from rocky to sandy as the resort covers atleast 2km of coastline. CONS.. Its a short list but worth mentioning the steps in the resort are made of beautiful granite. They are really dangerous when wet, as you will find out when your in a hurry or not paying attention. Also they turn out all the lights in the resort around 5 -530 am. I doesnt matter unless your flight leaves early in the morning and you need to get to the lobby and its really dark. I did address this with the manager so hopefully this has been corected.

Bahia Principe Explore Jamaica: Amazing Resort

The hotel was beautiful, clean, well kept, the service was excellent, the grounds immaculate, pools awesome, we were well taken care of and speedy for food in all areas, the entertainment was very good and most of all ..... the people were the best, very friendly, kind, caring happy and do anything they can to make your stay the best and they did that for us. We will definatley be back. 

Bahia Principe Explore Coba: very good for family

we just came back from this resort on 26 Sept, 2014. It was our fourth visit there. With better prices, this place is excellent place for families. Only thing i do not like this time was, Time sharing people. So be careful from them.There way is very tricky.

Cayo Levantado Resort: Luxury Bahia Principe Cayo Levantado is wonderful

The grounds are extremely well kept and nicely done. The rooms were large, very clean, well appointed. Butler service was good and helped to get what you wanted. Staff was very attentive. Food was great with a large variety. A lot of vegetarian as well. Excellent beaches and pools. No problem getting lounge chairs at beach or pool. All round an excellent place to relax and be pampered.

Bahia Principe Grand Bavaro: Great vacation but a bit misleading

It's not 2 resorts in 1 like we were told. It's actually 4 resorts all together Bavaro, punta canta, Esmeralda and ambar. Bavaro and punta Cana are mirror versions of each other but they are not beach front properties like described by west jet on trip central. They are the first resorts as you pull up to the properties and then ambar and Esmeralda are the resorts that sit right behind them on the beach. This was very disappointing as it made for a super long walk to the beach from Bavaro becaus [... read more]e it was not beachfront/directly on the beach. They had shuttles, but there were a few times where we had to wait for 15-20 min for it to pick us up. Travelling with a 7 month old and a stroller made getting on and off the shuttles difficult. Had we known that the resort was that far from the beach we would not have booked this resort. My parents also booked with us but not through trip central. We each emailed the resort prior to book our a la carte restaurants. When we got there they did not have the correct reservations for my husband and I and didn't have any at all for my parents. The lobby shuts down promptly at 11pm, they even turn off all the lights. There is also a LOT of smokers in this area which is unpleasant if travelling with a baby. A lot of Mosquitos in our room every single day. My parents had 2 cockroaches in their room, we had connecting rooms on the ground floor. Initially we were on the 3rd floor and after we checked in and got to our rooms, my parents room had a flood and maintenance workers were in their room. Not sure why they would allow us to go to the room if it wasn't ready. Then our room keys didn't work. It took a while before we were able to get into our rooms. Food was decent. Lots of selection with the buffet and a la carte restaurants were good. Service was great, staff are very prompt and friendly. There is absolutely no difference between Bavaro and punta Cana. Punta Cana was much cheaper when we booked but we didn't realize this. Overall we had a good time but the resort not being directly on the beach was very misleading and disappointing. Grounds are beautiful, beach is beautiful (a lot of sea weed), pools are great.

Bahia Principe Escape Ambar: Incredible resort, a very relaxing vacation

The resort was very close to the ocean, the grounds were maintained very well at all times. The staff were very helpful in providing advise on activities and excursions that can be done. The food was outstanding, there was a large selection of items at every buffet, and each meal had a different assortment of food. I would definitely recommend this resort to anyone looking for a tropical vacation.

Bahia Principe Explore Esmeralda: Amazing Honeymoon

I just finished my trip at this resort last week. I have been to Jamaica and Cuba. This resort is the most comfortable and enjoyable among all the resorts I have been to. the steaks were incredible. My tastebud is spoiled by the high quality and wide selection of the food availlable. The interesting thing is that the staff don't seem to expect tips when they provide room services or other extra services. I still gave tips but it is just more pleasant when it is not expected. The only downside is [... read more] the TV is not as updated. It would turn on and off by itself. But this is a very small imperfection that didn't spoil the trip at all. I am impressed that the beach chairs were maintained on a regular basis so I never have trouble finding clean seats no matter what time I go to the beach. If the pools can be open at night that will be great. The circus and Michael Jackson shows are AMAZING. A must see. I am impressed at the quality of the shows within a resort. Also there are always some small surprises here and there. One day there are staff offering beach BBQ. The Lamb chops were to die for. You only get that quality of meat in 5 star hotel in Canada. The room was just lovely. Very spacious, comfortable, and nicely decorated. The staff come clean the room twice a day, which is impressive. I just cannot say enough good things about this resort and will definately recommend friends and family to try out.

Bahia Principe Escape Runaway Bay: Awesome time

My boyfriend and I really enjoyed our stay. Friendly staff combined with awesome weather made our stay amazing. We were greeted with dancers and taken to our room with a smile. Wishing I was there each day I've been back.

Bahia Principe Grand Bavaro: Disappointed

I stayed at the Grand Bahia Principe chain before (Jamaica) and I had really liked it. Having recently stayed at the Punta Cana Bavaro location I was Not impressed. The food options were horrible, service was poor, beach had too much seaweed which was annoying. Pool was great and the location was close to airport about 20mins so not too bad. You would think for a hotel that boast of being a 5 star they would maintain that "image". it was not fun going to eat and not enjoying. Hotel was way too h [... read more]uge!

Bahia Principe Grand Bavaro: Very enjoyable!

Had a very enjoyable week at the Bahia! With the multiple pools and the beach, there are lots of options. There is an animation team who keep everyone entertained (Jhonny & Cowboy). Food is good, lots of options. Definitely would return.

Bahia Principe Explore Jamaica: Great Time but could have been better

We went to Bahia Sept 13 to Sep 20. Weather was great, had a little rain here and there. Resort is huge but laid out very well so not too much walking. Food was amazing at the buffet, the jerk hut, the Italian and the Spanish. Food was ok at the grill but we didn't like the Don Pablo at all. Unfortunately, the Japanese was closed while we were there so we didn't get to try it :0(. The hotel rooms are spacious and quite nice, if they upgraded their linens, it would be 5 star for sure! The staff w [... read more]as very calm - not what I am use to from the Jamaican people, but they were ok. There were two beaches - one sand and one rock - both were nice. We hung at the rocky beach mostly as it is referred to the "cool" beach if you know what I mean ;). The snorkelling there was amazing and we had many fish swimming around us even just going in for a swim. The sand beach is large and beautiful but there were so many people! Lots of opportunity on both beaches for loungers. The staff worked very hard maintaining the grounds, the resort was clean. I was surprised that I had to go get my drinks - no one came around the beach to serve you. Overall, I give this resort 4 stars but it could easily be a five if they stepped up their game a bit!

Bahia Principe Explore Coba: Awesome hotel

We stayed there for a wee and had a fantastic time. Hotel is beautiful, the public areas super clean and tidy, gardens are beautiful. The room was big and very nice. We had the golden package what gave us a very nice location and a few extra perks. Totally recommended. The food at the hotel is delicious. A lot of variety. Drinks are really good too, many brand names not only locals.

Bahia Principe Explore Tulum: Sevice Staff go out of their way for you!

The Bahia is a 90 minute drive from the Cancun airport. The demographic of the guests at the Tulum was about 90% from the UK - and almost all of the staff spoke some English. The hotel complex is made up of 3 hotels, the Tulum (we stayed here), the Coba and the Akumel. Tulum is the oldest of the 3 complexes and is starting to need refreshing which has been started. The property is very well maintained and extremely clean. The rooms are in need of updating - they smell a bit musty due to the high [... read more] humidity and ours flooded during a heavy rain. The hotel did everything they could to put things right as soon as we reported it. The villas have started being renovated when we were there. The food in the buffet had a lot of variety and there was something for every taste. The dining room was very hot though as it is not air-conditioned and the fans are sometimes not enough. The restaurants were nice enough and the food was good - not gourmet - but extremely adequate. No one in our party suffered any stomach problems. The water was fine to drink and bottled water was provided in all the rooms. The bars served primarily domestic liquor, a very good local beer, and a very standard house wine - but you could buy premium wines from their wine list. The staff went out of their way to make you feel welcome - very friendly and very efficient. The beaches the week we were there were very rough in front of Tulum. The beaches in front of the Coba had man made break walls that broke the surf and you could swim in the sea - these were about a 10 minute walk down the beach for us. The pools were always full and the water was warm - almost too warm! The animation staff at the Hacienda Pool were not very motivated and almost aloof - not very friendly at all and not in keeping with the rest of the hotel staff - very strange. They could have done more. I would like to recognize some of the hard working staff that we had the pleasure to have met whose service was exceptional. These folks exemplify the face of the Bahia brand that the hotel is trying to have its staff achieve. They are genuine in their efforts in what can be a thankless job. Iberato - bartender at the Hacienda Pool - very busy location and he did a wonderful job of serving quickly and accurately- very efficient, pleasant and extremely professional and tactful. Alberto, Jose, Delfina - wait staff at the Tequila Restaurant - always made you feel welcome and were extremely diligent about filling your cups, remembering your order and keeping the dining room spotless Alfredo in the buffet dining room - extremely busy place and he never stopped always keeping his tables served, clean and cleared. Always made you feel welcome and appreciated. Eduardo at the Hacienda front desk - Professional, helpful, accurate and a wonderful ambassador for the Bahia brand. Dealt with any issue in a courteous manner ensuring things were with explained to your satisfaction or rectified. Glenys - Manager Customer service - went out of her way to help us when the room flooded. I am sure she had many issues to deal with on that day - but she made us feel valued and heard. Efrain - our housekeeper - amazing young man who made our room spotless daily. Cleaned up after the little flood and went out of his way to put precautions in place until the source of the leak could be found. Extremely hard working and pleasant. I would return to the property.

Bahia Principe Explore Esmeralda: DISAPPOINTED!

Soo sad, really. The food is substandard. You will not be impressed. We met 5 women travelling from Montreal who also felt the same way so it's not about being picky. The buildings are lovely but the food is no where near the quality of other resorts. Poor but the beach was lovely and also the weather but if you think your're getting 5 star with Butler service (they never present themselves) it's a joke. The icing on the cake was that my new phone was stolen from the room on the first day. It ne [... read more]ver came out of the room but after security going thru my entire room was not found. Three people went thru my safe but somehow the phone mysteriously appeared the nite we were leaving (we were on the beach the whole day and did not return until we were ready to shower and check out. The hotel would not take responsibility and were actually quite rude.They tried oo have me sign some written affadavit to say that I was satisfie d with how the hotel handled the situation which was very far from satisfactory. They assured me that I had lost it. When I threatened them with a lawyer the phone appeared in our LOCKED SAFE!e Needless to say it was all quite shady. DONOT ASSSUME YOU ARE SAFE IN THESES HOTEL. I never thought I woud be the one writing one of these reeviews. It's a sad way to spend your holiday when you don't feel safe in your room. This was the first trip I took with my only daughter to de-stress. No luck! This is the second time I've returned to Bahai Prinicpe and have recommended this property to friends from a previous stay. I will not recommend it to anyone. Save your hard earned dollars or gosomewhere with a good rep.

Bahia Principe Explore Jamaica: Awesome Resort

This resort was like a castle, so beautiful, so clean, so big! The age of the resort is starting to show with the carpets in the hallway and some of the door frames. Paddle boats shoud be replaces as they are in rough shape. But the pool was amazing, the sandy beach was equally as amazing and for September the weather was fantastic. Food was excellent, I highly recommend the Don Pablo the food, presentation and service is next to none. Staff are very friendly and helpful too. The only problem we [... read more] had was in the evening when leaving for dinner, we would come back the bed would be turned down and my husbands sunglasses would be gone, good thing he had a couple pairs, but by the end of our vacation he had none, so note to self, do no leave your sunglasses on the dresser as turndown staff might think they are a gift. But all in all I do highly recommend this resort and plan to go back soon.

Bahia Principe Explore Punta Cana: below expectation

-Maybe it's just our bad luck, but 6 out of 7 days, the beach is full of seaweeds. and because of that the Pools are always full of people. -Beach is not as nice as in Cuba and the water is too deep for swimming. -Except for the Reception desk, service staff does not speak English. -Food is just so so. This is my first time to Dom Rep., and many peoples told me to expect better food than Cuba, but to me it's about the same level as in Cuba, even with a-la-carte restaurants. Overall, it's not too [... read more] bad, it's just below my expectation. -Entertainment is not as good as 4 star or 5 star resorts in Cuba.

Bahia Principe Explore Coba: Great resort. Overall.

This is our 4th time here to the Bahia here at tulum. A very clean and beautiful resort. Staff very friendly and all go out of there way for you. Beaches are pristine with many activities to keep you busy. Food is high quality with different selections each day. Japanese restaurant has a dinner show that is entertaining and tasty. We'll be back next year

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Quiet Getaway

Our 2nd visit to this resort and first with our young daughter (4 yrs). The beach is lovely with soft white sand and great for long walks that can go for miles. The ocean in front of the resort is gentle and great for kids due to the reef not far from shore. The new splash park with a lifeguard for the kids was a wonderful new addition since our last visit. As with most Bahia resorts, the food in the buffet is of good quality and enough variation as to not get boring for a weeks stay. The staff [... read more] in the buffet were always attentive and pleasant. The rooms are simple with not a lot of "fancy" features but always cleaned well. Mattress was firm with plenty of pillows and clean sheets. My only complaint would be that you had to pay an additional fee for the room safe ($4 a day) which should be included in your package so you didn't have the additional hassle at check in. Lots of construction going on with the addition of more rooms but didn't adversely affect our stay in any way. This quiet location won't be our secret too much longer...