Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Very nice, clean, amazing stuff. Great food choices. Good organization.

Hotel, rooms and all amenities great!!! very happy to stay there, had a good time with friends. weather great, food great, amazing and friendly stuff. we will recommend for sure and come back in few years.

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Third visit to El Portillo!!! Love it here!

I would say our 3 favorite things about this resort, is the proximity of ocean to pool and buffet..lol! The incredible , friendly staff, which means everything to me! The entertainment and relaxed, family inclusive activities on site!..I said 3 but the selection of good food probably should be number 3, atmosphere 4.

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Beautiful resort

Beautiful resort grounds amazing beach we had a good vacation .. The food was very good the only down side is the rooms need a face lift ! Walls of the building we stayed in needs to be painted we could see the scratches and dirt on it...I wasn't too happy with the room.. entertainment and staff was amazing the people are very warm.and helpful .. the weather wasn't the best as it was in January but for sure the beach is a beauty by itself. I for sure will return

Bahia Principe Escape Samana: Be aware and read all reviews check date posted

What a disappointment Advertised 4 restaurants 3 bars etc etc. No there is one place for breakfast and one for lunch. The dinner is either buffet or al a cart only available 2 times a week. The buffer was disgusting, please look at pictures. The same items all the time . Brown lettuce floating in water is the norm. And only one bar., open at any time. No choices.

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Best week

This hotel does not lack for anything. The food was incredible. The rooms were quite comfortable. The beach, the beach is absolutely amazing with lots of chairs and lots of shade. As well, the beach you can walk for miles either way. There is not more you could ask for from this resort if you want a relaxing holiday where you are greeted with smiling faces whether it’s morning noon or night this is the place to be.

Bahia Principe Escape Samana: Beautiful resort

The room was spacious with lots of storage and cupboard space. The ocean view balcony was the highlight! Loved sitting out in morning enjoying a coffee. Food was good but we were disappointed that the Italian restaurant is no longer operating. Also the Sunset bar has been closed. The beach seemed smaller than it appeared on YouTube videos that we had watched. We found the days to be long as there were no activities offered. Lots of different areas on the resort to relax and read. Staff are extre [... read more]mely helpful and friendly. Lots of stairs which might present a difficulty for some. Perfect resort if you just want total relaxation.

Bahia Principe Escape Samana: A nice relaxing destination

This is a very nice resort. Small, only about 150 rooms, very close to the ocean so you can have the surf lull you to sleep if you choose. It was an hour drive from the Sumana airport. Our room was in the smaller separate building. Our room was well appointed and clean with a balcony looking out over the ocean. The elevator was out of order for the first few days but the staff brought our bags up for us and it really wasn't an issue. The grounds are lovely and nicely landscaped. The prope [... read more]rty has several stair cases and would not be suitable for people in wheelchairs or with severe mobility issues, although there were folks with walking sticks and canes who seemed to manage. The pool area was very nice with lots of lounges so it was never necessary to "reserve" or "hold" a chaise lounger. There was music playing at the pool and was not too invasive most of the time. I expect if I had asked it would have been turned down to a lower volume. There was no animation or games around the pool side and it made for a relaxing atmosphere. There really is little to do at the hotel, but relax in one of the seating areas or around the pool, or on the beach. I might have enjoyed a game of bingo or something in the afternoon to break up the day, but it would need to be somewhere away from the pool area as to not disturb the other guests. There were musicians playing at the lobby bar most evenings from 8-10pm and some of the guests enjoyed some spontaneous dancing to the music. There was a small gym on the premises with some good universal weight machines, treadmills, boxing stuff, and yoga mats. I would have liked a thicker gym mat to do exercises on but there was enough stuff there to get in a work out. We were warned not to walk out of the property on the road, and we were disappointed as we like to explore. There was good reason for the warning as the road has no sidewalks or even shoulders and the traffic is busy enough to make it dangerous to walk. We saw no one walking on the road, not even the local people. For $20US each way you could order a cab to the nearest town, which was the port for cruise ships and geared to tourists. The road can be noisy, as it is a main road with all types of traffic during the day, including large trucks, but we had an ocean view room and it was not an issue for us. The wine included at the buffet was quite bitter/sour to me and I wouldn't recommend it. The wine in the a la cart restaurants was very nice. There was one bar open all day, either near the pool area or in the lobby. These were never too busy. The biggest concern we had was with the temperature of the food on the steam tables in the buffet. For the first 5 days most of the food was not in the safety zone where bacteria cannot grow."Hot foods should be held at 140°F or warmer. On the buffet table, keep hot foods hot with chafing dishes, slow cookers and warming trays. Cold foods should be held at 40°F or colder." We noticed that most of the guests were keeping away from the cooked meat dishes on the buffet and this could have been the reason. The was a grill at all times and so you could get freshly cooked omelettes at breakfast and cooked to order fish and meats at dinner. Except for the concerns above, there was a good assortment of nice food at every meal, and we never had any stomach issues. We enjoyed our stay, as I said it is a very nice, quiet hotel. The staff were attentive and nice to deal with. There were no drunk or obnoxious guests, there were people who were seniors and younger people as well. It was quiet at night, and a nice to place to chill out.

Bahia Principe Escape Samana: Not amazing

Clean hotel/Always hot water/Tub and shower combination/Would have preferred walkin shower/Lush gardens/Friendly staff/Noisy road beside resort/No activity staff/Very quiet resort/Many stairs/Anyone with mobility issues this resort is not for you/ Food was never hot always lukewarm/Definitely not 5 stars

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: No Complaints

There was an ample selection of food, whatever your diet might be. If you are a vegetarian, you might not enjoy the Greek restaurant as they have a very limited vegetarian menu. The other restaurants were great. The grounds were immaculate. Everywhere, employees were raking, cleaning glass and tending to customers. On either side of the resort were long stretches of beach, perfect for walking. I chose this place because I wanted to snorkel off of the beach. There were many rocks, and one cou [... read more]ld see brightly coloured fish. Unfortunately, the water was often silty, which blurred the view through my mask. There are strong currents within the protected swimming area, so one needs to be careful. The entertainment crew led a variety of fun activities. The music was almost always on, but if you wanted a quieter area, there was another pool, much smaller, where one could have a quiet escape. I discovered a lovely little park with swinging chairs, a small pond with waterfalls and then a boardwalk across the creek. The hotel doesn't own most of this creek, but it would be to the hotel's and the environment's advantage if they cleaned it up and developed it as a walking/hiking area. The creek must attract all sorts of interesting wildlife. It was fun to spot the different types of birds and vegetation. Some of the tall trees were labelled as perhaps they were unusual. The small cats running around were enjoyed by many children and adults. Here, I think it would be very helpful if they caught the male cats and sterilised them.

Viva V Samana by Wyndham: Very Nice

We just recently came back from a two week trip to Samana at the Viva V. We picked it because we were interested in checking out the town of Las Terrenas and it was the closest hotel. Unfortunately when we got there we realized that despite it only being a short 3-4km distance, to get there is a big up and down hill trip. That's okay. We took a cab to check it out. The hotel itself is really pretty. The grounds are beautifully landscaped. That really makes it special. You can see that the gar [... read more]deners take great pride in their work. The bay by the beach is amazing. It's so big! You can walk and walk and walk for hours and barely see anyone. There are some people surfing, but it's really quiet. The only downside is that when we were there it was a bit rough if you wanted to swim. But if you walked about 20 minutes to the left there was a really nice calm area for swimming. The food was also really good. We loved the buffet. The a al carte restos were okay. I preferred the atmosphere and food in the buffet. There was always something tasty. We were there over New Years and the spread was incredible! They had hundreds of fresh shucked oysters and bubbly at midnight. The party was so much fun. There was a show/entertainment every night. The animation staff are adorable and you can see that they are working hard to entertain the crowds. Really, overall, we had a great holiday. The only small thing that is that you can't flush the toilet paper. That's not uncommon in the Caribbean but a lot of the guests weren't following the rules so the public toilets were often plugged. That was nasty. The staff were quick to fix, but it was a mess anyway. I don't know how you would fix that. It's too bad that people don't follow the rules. Thanks for a great stay! We look forward to visiting again!

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Best resort I've been to

This resort is one of the cleanest resorts I've ever been to great selection of food at the buffet ,,staff great ,customer service go out of their way to keep you satisfied had a issue with room to far from amenities due to physical limitations it was rectified quickly plenty of seating at pool and beach ⛱️ going back soon

Viva V Samana by Wyndham: Meh..

I have been to 10+ resorts in the caribbean, I would rate this hotel a 2.5. Pros: -clean -Great Christmas buffet -clean rooms daily -night entertainment was provided on some nights -good games during the day at the beach -no sellers at the beach like there are in Punta Cana -AMAZING animation team members!! So fun and sweet! Cons: -found a live cockroach in my sleeping mask -humidity in room TV would not work, nothing to do on rainy days -no vegetarian food available in room ser [... read more]vice (not even any accomodation) -nothing to walk to outside the resort -low level customer service -music was so repetitive -scammed into the VIP tour, do not waste 2 hours of your time. They want $14,900 US for you to invest in a package of 50,000 points. Get away! The spa certificate and the tshirt is not worth it. -Bees all over the beach bar. Gross and they don't do anything about it. -the beach walk-in bar has miserable staff and it's so depressing-looking -the theatre is not used so why not do something with it? -some staff are so friendly -Great cigar guy named JJ! -Was not ready for a half-naked show where they obligate these young girls to dress in tiny underwear-like skirts in front of a mature crowd. -Disco suxks..only a handful people at any one night, including the animation staff -nothing else to do after 1am.

Viva V Samana by Wyndham: Fabulous stay

We stayed with family for a week and totally enjoyed our stay. The rooms were clean and comfortable. The food was amazing. We had no complaints. There was so much variety. We all absolutely loved the Fusion a la carte and would have eaten there every night if we could have. Only thing my husband was not a fan of was plastic glasses from the bar in the evening and some inconsistent drink mixes. The beach was stunning and you could always find chairs and loungers. Also loved the pool. The entertai [... read more]nment team was fantastic. It was a nice quiet relaxing time.

Viva V Samana by Wyndham: Very Chill Boutique Resort

Smaller boutique resort. Food was excellent, rooms were great, and the entertainment team was very good. Very pretty grounds and beach but the waves can get quite big. Loungers are easy to get even mid day. All of the staff were great.

Bahia Principe Escape Samana: Amazing Resort, NOT

I had high expectations when i was tasked with booking our holiday I chose this resort because it looks good from far nestled in a picturesque mountain the waters looked so calm in this picture the beach looks also like it continues let me stop here because I'm making it sound incredible I also watched a video from the general manager saying how it was your choice how you wanted to stay here "Bed and Breakfast", A lacarte or all Inclusive which was the more expensive option we chose all incl [... read more]usive Well all inclusive didn't even include your basic liquor. I will say that all of the staff was amazing front desk, dining room staff, bar tenders, maids, lifeguards, grounds crew Food was ok buffet was repetetive not many choices but always found something to eat It reminded me of Cuba only more expensive

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Excellent experience

El Portillo(Samaná) is a little piece of paradise! Beautiful beaches, great food, lovely staff. Atmosphere is vibrant and joyful. Staff work hard to keep visitors happy. The entertainment team is outstanding. Rooms could use a bit of touch up. Overall, an amazing experience! Highly recommend this resort! Can’t wait to be back ….

Cayo Levantado Resort: A Hidden Gem unlike no other

Cayo Levantado Resort blew our minds. We have never experienced a resort like this in all our travels around the world. The transfer bus dropped us at a beautiful villa which featured a stunning bar and well appointed seating indoors and out. While our luggage were transferred onto a private ferry we sipped cocktails as Frantz processed our check-in. The ferry ride to CLR island was beautiful. The island is so magnificent, from the grounds, the main reception lobby and every single amenities  [... read more]available. You are absolutely surrounded in beauty at CLR. Our rooms were immaculate and stunning, our bar was stocked with 3 different types of Rum, bottle of wine, beers, water, pop, tea, coffee. Even though we didn’t opt for a sea view suite the sea was still highly visible from our balcony. Not difficult since this resort is on a small island. We took advantage of the all-inclusive in-room dining service and ordered breakfast 2 days and dinner once. The delivery personnel set up our meals on our balcony dining table in the same manner as you would expect at a fine dining restaurant. The room service menu offers high quality meals with plenty of healthy, nutritious options. Even at the beach you can order lunch/snacks and it’s delivered to your location in a cute basket. The food at every restaurant is high quality, delicious and with so many healthy options. We loved having an ambassador assigned to us 24 hours a day. Whenever we needed a cart to transport us from one location to another, we simply text our ambassador and a cart is sent to us immediately. One night we finished all of our bottled water before heading out to dinner. We texted our ambassador and he arranged for 3 large bottles to be delivered to our room while we were out having dinner. I absolutely loved how worry-free and stress free our vacation was. Everyone, quite literally EVERYONE went out of their way to make sure everything about our stay was excellent. The only regret we had: Yubarta was the primary attraction and reason for choosing CLR. Our goal was to use the facilities daily. We had two amazing sessions with Mahalia who was fantastic. But the mosquitoes feasted on us during those sessions and the aftermath almost ruined our trip. My right knee and calves were swollen and painful from the bites. Yubarta is beautiful, tranquil with many ponds, all enclosed in a lush jungle setting. But sadly that setting makes it a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes. If the huts were at least enclosed in mosquitoe netting or if citronella candles were lit during healing/meditation/yoga sessions we would have definitely achieved our primary goal of going to Yubarta every single day. Special recognition to Frantz, Jeffries, Victor, Mahalia, Adrian and Yorkis who really made every effort into ensuring our experience at CLR was perfect. Thank you to every single cart driver, they’re awonderful and courteous. Also, all the reviews about the lobby bar mixologists are TRUE! They really DO make the most amazing cocktails. It’s very entertaining watching their craft, sometimes using blow torches and other gadgets, like one to create “smokey” bubbles to top cocktails. We cannot wait to return to CLR. It feels like a dream now, having pictures and videos to remind us that we really did experience such a magnificent vacation.

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo: Nice resort

The resort is small and some of the rooms are dated but we preferred to be closer to the beach rather than having a new room. Lots of mosquitoes but it is Caribbean after all. Food was very good . The beach is beautiful and all personal very nice and attentive. Good value for the money.

Viva V Samana by Wyndham: Perfect place for vacation

Spent one week with my wife in the first half of June. It was our first time at this resort and we like everything about the place: adults only with limited number of patrons, well equipped rooms with comfortable queen beds, daily cleaning and towels change (though the cleaning begins usually at 11am and may last till 4pm), fantastic beach and ocean (long chairs are available all day long, no need to take them early in the morning), tasty and healthy food with vast varieties (great assortment of [... read more] deserts), friendly service and entertainment (group of cheerleaders tried to entertain the patrons all day long, invited singers every night), special events at the buffet, quality drinks at the bars with the long list of cocktails, small gym is well equipped and fitness fans may support the form during vacation. The resort is well managed and personnel really tries to provide the best service. Definitely it worth the price and for the next vacation we will not look for something else. Though a couple shortcomings may be mentioned: water supply to the room has been interrupted one day and one night without notice, and 3 last nights were not very comfortable because of the neighbours - not very civilised patrons used to get to the room about 10pm and watched TV with a rather high volume till around 2am. Since the TV sets are mounted on the walls we had to listen to their noise. After the first night I placed a complaint to the Customer service but it seems nobody talked to the neighbours because they set TV at the same volume in the night. On the third night I smacked the wall and only then they surprisingly reduced the volume.

Viva V Samana by Wyndham: Amazing Resort!

Wonderful resort! The beach was fantastic! We had so much fun! This was our first Adult only & it was very quiet & worth it. Very clean. Staff very friendly. The Rep from Air Transat, Catherine was wonderful. She gave us very helpful information. Will certainly return to this resort.