Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Great Resort

- Beautiful hotel and very well maintained - Always clean - Great for kids, many activities to keep them busy and happy including a water park and a well run mini club. - Great resort for snorkeling right off the beach. Equipment is free to use each day from the water center right on the beach. - Staff were always attentive and friendly, especially when your friendly to them, unlike many arrogant people we saw on this trip. You get the respect you show! These people work hard to make you happy,  [... read more]show a little appreciation by being polite. - Rooms were very nice, we had a large room so not sure what the standard looks like but heard they are nice as well. - Food is what you expect in the buffet, average, it is a buffet after all! If you want high end 6 star meals then go to a high end 6 star resort. - A la carte restaurants we tried were great, especially the Brazilian. The other we tried was the Italian, better than buffet for sure. They also have seafood and gourmet restaurants. Easy to get reservations, was never much of a line up. - Never much of a line up anywhere for anything, staffed well everywhere. Again, if your expecting immediate service all the time then go to a resort that has a personal butler. Might help if you tip once in a while. - Hotel is only 30 minutes from airport and it is a beautiful drive to the hotel with fantastic views. - We did not do any off site excursions. Overall this hotel was great and we would go again. Sorry for all the angry comments but it drives us crazy how many people travel with unrealistic expectations and arrogant attitudes. If your a friendly person who just wants to have some fun and relax then you will enjoy yourself. Stayed March 2015, travelled with family

The Eurostars Grand Cayacoa: Beautiful Resort!

My friend and I were both very pleased with this resort. Beautiful facilities, VERY clean, excellent service, friendly staff. The food was great, especially the Al La Carte restaurants...that food was a cut above! There are lots of steps and things are spaced out, but our room was in a great location, so it was convenient and spectacular ocean view!

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Great trip during March Break

A truly beautiful place to holiday!!! Food was very good with a wide variety to choose from at all meals. Room was comfortable and clean.....in fact the entire resort is exceptionally clean. Shaded seating areas were more than I have ever seen anywhere. Didn't have any problem getting lounge at beach or pool....but I did it within reason...not hours before. Women in the telephone kiosk were amazingly helpful and supportive of me during a family emergency when I needed to make daily calls to Cana [... read more]da!!!! My only comment that would be on the negative side would be the nightly entertainment..........it needs upgrading.

The Eurostars Grand Cayacoa: breath taking resort

The views from this resort were breath taking from every room . The staff were always smiling and attentive and kept the grounds amazingly clean . The food from morning to night was great with a French touch every restaurant you went into . With a lovely beach and great pools to sit by and soak up the sun and enjoy the entertainment and cold beverage to great shows at night or relax in the huge lounge bar overlooking Samana . The tours proved to have everything from fun to breath taking views to [... read more] educational views on the local culture . Everthying about this resort was amazing and we will return.

Wyndham Alltra Samana: Winter Holiday

The hotel was awesome, the lobby and washrooms were beautiful when you walked in! Rooms were clean and nice, good size. Includes a mini fridge with unlimited pop and water bottles which was awesome! The bar tenders were very friendly and gave excellent service. The food was also amazing! I ate so much everyday and was never disappointed! Beaches and pools were also very clean, fun games and activities going on, the only problem was trying to get a beach chair so go to the beach early if the reso [... read more]rt is busy! Very quiet and relaxing resort. The weather in February was awesome, 25-30 degrees Celsius everyday!

The Eurostars Grand Cayacoa: AWESOME RESORT

This was our second year visiting this resort. Our first year was all adult and enjoyed it much better than the second. Don't have a problem with kids at the resort but would suggest that they use the pools without the pool bar. The staff was amazing and rooms were always very clean. The food was awesome and not sure from other reviews what the complaints were but found lots to eat. Entertainment staff were amazing and unless you volunteer to join the games will find it quiet. Suggest leaving ti [... read more]ps but not expected. We went on the whale watching excursion which was a amazing experience and lots of fun. We brought another couple with us and they enjoyed the resort as much as we did. The views from our rooms were breath taking we were on the 4th floor, which we had the first year. We had asked for the same floor again and the resort made sure this happened. Would like to go back again. They had a mixture of ages and the blend work well.

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Nice resort

Spent two weeks early March travelling with six adults. Staff were great. Rooms were average. Resort was bigger then we expected. The buffet and specialty restaurants were amazing except for the sea food which was very disappointing. The grounds and cleanliness of the resort was excellent. Although we were told the snorkelling was good and is the main reason we went, truth is snorkelling is poor with very little to see plus water is usually cloudy. Took three day trips which turned out to be not [... read more]hing more than money grabs. Nice place to vacation, but not for two weeks.

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Lovely Resort

The El Portillo is a lovely resort. The professional pictures are accurate. The staff are wonderful to the guests, hard working and very friendly. The food at the buffet restaurant and the 4 a la carte restaurants is very good, above expectations. The beach is great, but not at all good for snorkeling. The only negative was there were not enough beach loungers for all the guests and unless you get up very early to reserve, you are out of luck.

Wyndham Alltra Samana: OK resort

The Hotel was Ok, the room was nice and very clean, service was nice too. Food was very good, but lack of variety in the morning. Not enough bowls and cups in the morning. Same for some fruits. The pools are ok but no ambiance, no animation during the day, it was all at the beach. The beach is very small and not much of sand, most of the chairs where on the grass. Not much to do around. Small shops downtown, but most of them closed or open at specific hours only. Will not go back to Samana (Las  [... read more]Galeras), we were very disappointed.

Wyndham Alltra Samana: Not a bad resort .

It is not a bad resort . The food selection was just right. The room was clean and spacious. The service was good . There was no delay of getting what you want . The check in and check out was fast. When we checked in our room was ready not like the other five star resorts that guest have to wait before they can get in to their rooms . The only thing that I can say that it needs improvement are the chairs on the beach. They should have more and probably get new ones coz some of them are broken a [... read more]nd good ones are taken early . The other issue is the stairs . They do not have elevators. If you have difficulty climbing up then request the villas. The person that should be commented for their hard work are the housekeeping and Carlos the bellboy. If you want a quiet place to go, this resort is for you. The only thing it is quite a distance from the airport but it was ok for the drive.

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Fantastic resort

Only disappointment was the italian restaurant,service was terrible, they had non-chalant attitude.we waited forty -five minutes between courses.we were served coffee but dessert was never brought,just left

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: beautiful resort

grounds are lovely and well kept. the beach is beautiful but there were not enough beach chairs . the dining was excellent and the service was excellent. Junior Sanchez and Ysabel Payano of the Gourmet resto were very welcoming and knowledgeable. not enough pools.

The Eurostars Grand Cayacoa: Amazing Resort !

Alex and his entire animation team were amazing ! Never a dull moment, always had you smiling! The food, service, including , and especially the house cleaning team (Rooms) were second to none. And the view.... Absolutely breathtaking. We will be back for a third visit.

Wyndham Alltra Samana: Very nice, clean with an amazing beach

Very cozy, beautifull ground, awesome beach & food. The stuff is friendly, polite & do the job properly. Some incovenients: the theatre is near to the buffet and some lights missing on the paths......

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Beautiful Samana

After a very smooth check in and friendly greeting from the staff we anxiously made our way to bldg 10 to have a look at the junior suite we had booked. We were pleasantly surprised, our home for the next 7 days was bright, spacious and beautiful. We overlooked the quiet pool and surrounding gardens. Although wanting to get unpacked we couldn't wait to tour around and get our bearings. The lobby at El Portillo is at the back of the resort, closer to the ocean as opposed to the entrance of the re [... read more]sort, we loved this layou, so nice enjoying a cocktail at the piano bar, in the lounge or enjoying a delicious meal on the outdoor patio at the buffet. We would highly recommend Grand Bahia Principe El Portillo to anyone whether travelling as a couple or as a family.

Cayo Levantado Resort: Very Quiet, Clean and Relaxing

Really nothing wrong with this resort. It's approximately a one hour drive from Samana airport to the private dock and then another 10 minute boat ride to the resort. We stayed in villa 01, room 01201. Very large room and clean. Food was very good at all the restaurants and they never seemed crowded. Pools were warm and also never seemed crowded. Beaches are just great! The grounds are well kept and mature. Lots of walking/jogging trails. It was a perfect vacation!

Bahia Principe Grand Samana Roulette: Great escape from the Canadian cold!

Very nice, well maintained resort. The beach was beautiful and long with fine sand and shallow water. There was a great selection of food at the buffet, but we enjoyed the Brazillian Restaurant best. We would definitely go again.

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: very pleased with the whole resort

especially great food at the buffet especially great service at the Gourmet Restaurant from Junior Sanchez and Ysabel. The food in all the A la Carte restaurants was amazing. all the facilities were first class.

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Great small resort

Easy to access all areas. Rooms very clean. Older sections need upgrading. All employees friendly and very accomodating. Resort is growing with two new buildings this year and two more planned for 2016. This makes for crowding at the pool and buffet. We are assured that they will take this into account this coming year. More chairs needed at pool and beach areas. Food is really great and lots of it.

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Great resort but getting too busy.

Our third visit....great location, beautiful quite beaches to explore. Excellent restaurants with a wide variety of well prepared and tasty dishes....you will gain weight! We love the many trees that provide shade at the beach and pool. The resort added rooms this year and it is noticeably busier making it hard to find a lounge chair at the beach or pool. The resort added a sheltered seating area and patio areas providing extra space to enjoy an evening cocktail. We heard there are more expansio [... read more]n plans and hope the plans include an additional pool (an adults only pool would be nice!) and dining areas. We continue to recommend this resort but suggest you keep an eye on future reviews.