Not a Resort for English Canadians

This is by far a 5* resort. A 5* food resort however the service and English staff would rate this a 1*. We spoke with our Air Transat rep who let us know La Romana because it's in the middle of nowhere has the lowest paying staff wages on Dominican Republic. All staff are trainees and do not speak any English. Service was awful. Plates would stack up on your table at buffet and had to ask manager to have someone remove them. Ordering a drink at a bar would take 15-20 mins every time. If they co [... read more]uld up the service this would be a 5 star all the way around.

Awesome resort

Hotel was spectacular. Great amenities. Rooms very nice and great variety of foods at buffet. A la carte restaurants were excellent also. Nightly Entertainment was good and daytime pool entertainment was a lot of fun. The beach was beautiful. The only drawback was the water at the beach was murky so you couldn't see the bottom which was too bad. We had a blast here!!

Fun place

We were a family with 2 young kids and we spent christmas at the hotel. The beach was very nice though people claim its murky. Its simply because of the sand. Kids had an amazing time with the figferent shows they have. Staff are very nice and room clean. Food was good too.

Beautiful, clean and well maintained resort

The resort itself is beautiful. Rooms are clean, food is incredible, beach is meticulously raked all day. Water is not as blue as you may be expecting, and all excursions require a boat ride or a bus ride out for more than one hour. It is the only resort that is on the beach so quite private. Great for couples or families.

Beautiful resort

The resort was of medium size very nice and clean the rooms were very spacious and the staff were very pleasant. The food was mediocre at the buffet but the food at the LaGourmet and the steak house was exceptional. I had no problems at all to complain about just did a lot of drinking and relaxing. The guys at the pool bar were great, tip them well and you will never go thirsty the lobby bar was a little "stuffy" if you know what I mean but all was well. They had 9 holes opened up at the golf [... read more] course a little rough but working on a champion 18 hole coarse. $20 us after 1 to play 9 that includes cart, clubs,balls and transportation pretty cheap for a fun afternoon. the bay was very nice to walk on if you go to the left not much to look at if you go to the right only vendors that hound the hell out of you bought a few things from them, do not pay what they ask you can talk them down to a third of their asking price. was a little far from punta cana airport about hour and a half give or take straight highway.

Nice Resort

We liked the hotel.The grounds were beautifully maintained.The restaurants were extremely nice,although the service in the main buffet restaurant was seriously below standards .We loved the beach restaurant ! Staff there were very attentive.During our stay they removed the wicker tables and chairs and painted them white.It smelled absolutely horrible during the last few days of our stay.The entertainment was also not the best. We loved the beach and the food and our room.

Clean resort

The hotel is clean but difinitely lots of room for improvement. I was VIP with a royal golden package and feel that this upgrade didn't really make any difference. At the bar in the lobby the selection of drinks were minimum or hardly no selection what so ever. In the lounge for Royal Golden members the selection was hardly anything. As for room service , their was no menu in our room to choose for room service and the menu was basically salads, nachos , hot dogs or hamburgers. Definitely need t [... read more]o change their menu to a better selection. It seemed that when you ask for something or any help what so ever , the staff would always say give me a few seconds and thrn you would be waitingmore thsn minutes. They certainly were in no hurry to be prompt with customer service. I have tried this resort and will never go back there again!

Very very good resort from foods to accomodation

they are good in very ways from staff to foods to accomodation only just small items that is not great, the serving bars they should have a number for each customers because some of them is just come in and they are served it should be first come first serve by the numbers for fairnees. and some restaurant like the le gourmet they need to be up-graded in service but it is okay for me by now. thanks

Relaxing Vacation!

This resort exceeded our expectations. The people were so friendly and helpful, the grounds were kept very clean and the food and dining was outstanding. Could use more bars and experienced bartenders.

Wonderful resort!

Clean clean clean!!! This resort is very well taken care of and the rooms, bedding, bathroom, towels were always clean. The king size was very comfortable. Pool was also very clean and water clear. The staff are amazing!!! Can't say enough about the staff!

Beauiful resort

the grounds were picture perfect the washrooms were very clean the hotel rooms were nice over all the resort was in excellent shape and well kept the only thing I can say that was bad they ran out of rum in the pool bar and beer

Great Resort

My girlfriend and I had a wonderful time at this resort. The food was fantastic, the pool was beautiful and the beach area quiet and peaceful! We had some problems with power outages (3 times) but who cares, you're on vacation!! Overall I would reccommend this resort to anyone!

Great Resort

Very clean, very friendly staff, very good food. The beach is very nice, but the water is murky, and not good for snorkeling. We really liked that we could walk either to the left or the right and get nearly a half hour walk in either direction. Spent most days at the beach under the shade trees rather than at the poolside. Stayed 14 days.

Another great week at the Bahia in La Romana!

The resort is gorgeous, clean, upbeat and friendly. It was a great 'vibe' and the best lobby bar at any resort we've ever stayed at. When it closes, you can head to the disco or the awesome courtyard entertainment. Lots of fun!

Bahia Principle La Romana

Grounds: This resort is exceptional in the way the property is maintained, beautiful pathways with lush greenery, well lite for night walking. Public Areas: A major problem is the beach which is separated by a rope for the general guests versus the VIP Don Pablo guests. The lounges are different in each area which creates a division of customers. The water is murky and has jelly fish which resulted in only a few people using the ocean. Rooms: We were in the Golden Garden section and have only go [... read more]od things to say about the rooms, the cleanliness , the daily and night attention given by the staff. Dining: A 5 star to the food, presentation, the greeters and servers. Overall: This resort is more for those guests who enjoy the pool, the music and partying, but less attractive to the older group who prefer the quiet beaches, clear water and a relaxing atmosphere.

Health Inspector Required ASAP! Food poisoning!

We stayed at this resort from December 25th - January 1st/16. We were in a group with my parents, my husband and our toddler. We came from Vancouver, BC so it was quite a bit of money and time to get to this place. To give you a little bit of background, we travel frequently, about 5 times a year and stay in all-inclusive luxury resorts in the Caribbean about twice per year. We have previously stayed at Grand Bahia Principe in Runway Bay, Jamaica and Grand Bahia Principe in Punta Cana which are [... read more] actual 4.5-5 star resorts. This place has nothing to do with the Grand Bahia Principe name which we experienced before. It is generous of me to give this a 2 star rating. There is absolutely nothing 5 star about this place. If luxury and five star experience is what you are looking for, this is not the place!!! I'll start from our arrival. We arrived at the resort in the evening around 11:00pm. After nearly 12 hours of travel we were exhausted and starving. I should also mention that I am PREGNANT. While checking in I asked the employee if there was room service, as I had thought there was but he said "NOT FOR YOU" (referring to our particular package, I suppose). After 12 hours of travel, pregnant, and exhausted with a toddler the answer should have perhaps been "unfortunately not for the particular package you purchased, sorry" instead of “not for you". He told us that there is a snack bar where we can grab something to eat. As a pregnant woman I am very restricted with what I can and cannot eat and have to be very careful for obvious reasons. All that was available at the buffet style snack bar were hot dogs (which by the way were sitting in a pool of water), sandwiches with deli meat, and burgers. No fruit, no French fries, no pizza, no nachos, no dessert. I am not allowed to eat deli meat and hot dogs as a pregnant woman, therefore I had one choice left, burgers that were sitting in the heat. You can imagine how happy I was at this supposed "FIVE STAR LUXURY" resort from the start. We got to our room, which looked like we went back in time to the '90's. Everything was worn down and falling apart. Our room was on the ground floor and our balcony door did not lock properly and could easily be opened. Also, the chain lock on the main door was missing and my toddler was able to open the door without hesitation. So there we are, still hungry and now feeling unsafe and very much so irritated. We had to put the couch on the balcony door and chairs on the front door so that we could somewhat sleep. Food and safety are basic needs, there is nothing luxurious about that. The next morning we were woken up around 8:00AM by the housekeepers who scream at one another to communicate right in front of your door. Absolutely zero consideration for the fact that guests are there on vacation to REST and RELAX. This continued for the duration of our trip. That morning our safe also started breaking down. It basically just stopped working. We called the front desk who sent someone to fix it. He told us the battery was out and he needed to change it. In total 4 people came by to fix the safe which was very, very strange that a simple battery needed that many people. They also "fixed" the balcony door and eventually added a chain link to the front door after I had to convince the employee that my child could open the door. He thought it was fine as is!? The tub in our washroom did not drain properly, so every evening when we would shower we would literally be standing in a foot of filthy water (with sunscreen, sand and salt, trust me its FILTHY) Five stars right?! (Y) Often we did not have enough towels in our room and had to call the the front desk for more, who would take an hour to bring them while we waited to shower. The ones that were there half the time had strange yellow and orange marks on them. We took our toddler to the kid’s park area to play. It was the biggest joke of a play area that I have ever seen at any resort. It’s basically a bunch of plastic swings and slides that were half broken and completely unsafe all placed on top of sand, also not a good idea as it got in her eyes as she crawled around for 5 minutes. The pools are nice but dirty. There are always random things floating around in murky sunscreen water so we spent most of our time on the beach. 90% of the staff could care less that you are there. They will ignore you for as long as they can to avoid having to do their actual job. We sat at the lobby bar area, there was nobody else but us at the time and the waitress just would not come over to ask us what we wanted to drink, just ONE example. On the third day I woke up nauseous. I assumed that it was just pregnancy sickness but unfortunately I was wrong. My symptoms quickly worsened. On the third day I woke up nauseous. I assumed that it was just pregnancy sickness but unfortunately I was wrong. My symptoms quickly worsened. I developed a low fever, vomiting, loose bowel movements, chills, aches and all the works that go along with food poisoning! Did I mention that I am pregnant???I was so, so, so careful. I avoided all deli meat, salad, hot dogs, anything that sat there for a long time, made sure to have everything fresh off the grill and made in front of me and well done. I even brushed my teeth with bottled water. My symptoms persisted for 48h and I was confined to my room, more precisely the bathroom. We had to cancel our trip to Catalina Island and considered going home early. Please, do not ignore all of the reviews regarding food poisoning, they are not a joke. Wish so many complains, if this were a hotel in Canada, it would have long ago been shut down by health inspection as it is completely unsafe. My husband developed food poisoning symptoms on our last day and had diarrhea the entire flight home and still two days later. I have never, ever had food poisoning in the Caribbean and I have visited over 20 times. This is a first! We were only given half of our money back, for the Catalina cancellation. There was zero understanding. The only employees who will give you attention at this resort are the ones who are aggressively trying to sell time shares to the point of harassment. What part of we are on vacation trying to relax and not interested is so hard to understand? Also on the beach, if you have any length to your hair you will be asked if you want it braided at least 5 times daily. As for the drinks, they ran out of mint leaves for the mojitos on the 2nd day and for the duration of the trip. How is that even possible, honestly? Again, five stars? There is wifi available, you get 1 hour a day and you have to go to the reception for them to log you in and it’s only available in the lobby, how convenient? Every 5 star resort that I have stayed at thus far had 24H free wifi even on the beach. The shows were really fun and our toddler really enjoyed them. The entertainment team is really energetic and does their job well. For breakfast they have delicious donuts which we really enjoyed! There is also a nice selection of fresh fruit and fresh fruit juice. The girl who makes the fruit juice was super nice and stood out. There was always room on the beach and the pool and we easily found chairs. The beach is clean but is not as turquoise and crystal clear as other Caribbean destinations. The new year’s eve party was amazing. Tonnes of champagne, live music, an overall great party. Karaoke was great too! Overall, despite the few positives, this resort was a big, big letdown. I don't know if I can trust the Grand Bahia Principe name after this experience. The 4.5-5 star rating is a complete lie. I would never go to this place again and would absolutely not recommend it to anyone.

Heaven on Earth

The hotel rooms are beautiful the resort is big and there is lot's to do. Amazing servers in the main buffet place you will have to go say hi to (breakfast) Natividad Colome and the best very efficient server (lunch and dinner) Wilkin Luis Richardson. The bartenders are super hot and very friendly.

Great resort and the adults only area was lovely.

Only real disappoinment was the ocean-while clean it wasn't that beautiful clear carribean sea that you come to expect due to the massive amounts of dredging of sand for surrounding residential development. But food, service, accommodations and people were lovely and there were amazing caves less than 10 minutes by taxi that are like a hidden treasure.

Definitely a place of pros and cons

Hotel satisfactory, along with the food at the buffet and a la carte (Italian by far the best). Good location for excursions as Santa Domingo etc. is closer (priced better too). Tame water if you like that and thus good for the kayak and pedal boat. Chose this location solely to connect with friends.

Not bad.

We just came back from Grand Bahia Principe La Romana 2 weeks ago. The vacation went well and smooth, in overall the hotel and beach was good, even not clear see water was not dramatically. We enjoined the beach and swimming in the see. There never was a bad day to swim, no matter wind see always was calm, no waives at all. Hotel is clean and well maintained, room service amazing, but service at the lobby bar, buffet and beach buffet was a huge disappointment. Does not matter tip or not we were  [... read more]ignored by staff most of the time. The only good service we got at the beach bar closest to the adults only part and at the bar next to lobby. Kelvin is the best barman in the entire hotel. I would say the hotel is a lot family oriented, all entertainments were shut down at 11 in the evening. Which is basically not bad thing. Royal golden club privileges are a big joke.