Great vacation!

For the most part, really enjoyed the food and service was exceptional! The showers however, aren't the greatest and the beach water is quite cloudy and lots of seaweed. Loved the long walks on the beach and availability of lawn chairs! Volleyball was very fun as well... great size of resort...would recommend!!

.....Get what you pay for

I am the easiest going, patient traveller and have no problem accepting some bad with the good when doing the all inclusive thing. Stayed at bahia principe in punta cana before and LOVED IT. I was hoping for a similar experience here, but I Was very disappointed with this resort for a few reasons. It was an all around "classless" "cheap" and "basic" holiday (for lack of a better description). Upon arrival we were met with mass confusion and staff screaming instructions at us over the extremely l [... read more]oud band in the front lobby. My first view of the jam packed lobby and people packed like sardines at the pool right next to it, turned me off immediately. The resort is in dire need of an overhaul. Although it was clean, it is a little run down looking. Rooms looked old, very small bathroom sink counter area, beds like cement, no water pressure in shower with was luke warm all week. Water dripped from the "rain shower" head. Brutal to try to wash hair! Bar fridge never got cold. Ac stopped working and we were told we had to wait for the technician. 3 hours later, we had to argue that we wanted to leave to have dinner and were told "no, you have to wait" Two small bars are definitely not enough for a resort of this size! Alcohol was the cheapest you can get, which I was prepared for. The gym was brutal!!!! We were exited to get up early each morning to spend 30 mins in there before each day, but one visit and we never returned. No ac....sparse, OLD, unsafe, broken equipment. Entertainment (which was unavoidable anywhere as it was ridiculously loud) was embarrassingly awful. Very tacky. For those who enjoy loud, tacky music at the poolside, you'll love it! But anyone hoping for a peaceful, relaxing time by the pool or beach, will not. Good points: the staff was generally fantastic: polite, friendly and helpful. The food was FANTASTIC! (Not the a la carte restaurants.....although the effort was there I suppose), but the buffet was great. Something for everyone and massive selection of fresh, good food. The beach was lovely! We heard complaints about darker sand and sandy water that you couldn't see through.......really!?? It was long, for nice walks and had an abundance of mature palms and tiki huts. Never an issue finding a spot. Always a nice breeze which made it comfortable to sit for a while in the sun. Staff worked hard at keeping it seaweed free each morning at 7am, which was impressive. Shops/markets at one end of the beach, but other than the odd shop keeper walking the beach to ask people to come and look, we weren't bothered by sales people. They were genuinely friendly and respectful. We definitely will not return, as other than beach and food, this resort seemed to cater to Those looking for very basic with no bells or whistles. I give this a 5 out of 10. Should be rated 3 stars at best!

Great food and staff, but hard bed and dirty beach

My Husband and I stayed at the Grand Bahia San Juan, Dominican Republic from April 10 - 17, 2017. This resort is very well maintained, and from what we hear it is one of the first Bahia's to be built, but, you wouldn't know it, as the grounds and buildings are very well taken care of, with nice manicured lawns, lobby, service, etc.. as well as the staff that work here are all Amazing!!! The food at the Buffet is very good as well, with a different theme everyday " American, French, etc", bu [... read more]t there is always something for everyone. It has one of the better choices of food for all inclusives that I've been to. They have three a la cartes as well. The Mediterranean (which requires men to wear long pants to access), and two others that have no dress code, the Italian (which is not that good- everything is a little too salty), and the Japanese (which is really not Japanese food at all, with the exception of few sushi rolls at the salad bar) - but, that one is a lot better, with a nice view of the ocean. The complimentary house wine that you get everywhere is disgusting, So, if you like a decent glass of wine, spend a little and get a bottle, and you can take it back to the room with you or the lobby if you wish. They also had a lot of fun free activities on the resort as well. Like the mini-put course (which usually I find to be boring, this was actually quite a fun set up), they had bikes, basketball and tennis court, soccer nets, archery and a bunch of other daily activities. Also, they put on shows with the kids at night, and had their own Michael Jackson, and acrobatic shows which were well done and entertaining), they also had kayaks (single and double), as well as ski doos (should you wish to pay for a ride). The only major cons, that I would say for this resort, which are also the main reasons that I wouldn't go back or recommend this place are for one: the beds. They were, even after a few drinks, the most uncomfortable pieces of furniture that I have every had to sleep on. Like sleeping on concrete for 7 days. Let me tell you I was soooo looking forward to coming back home and sleeping in a comfortable bed, I was counting the days, lol! Another reason, is the beach - its awful. One of the worst beaches I've been too (and I've been to Dominican several times, as well as Cuba, Mexico, and Jamaica). I liked that it was long, and you could go for a nice walk, but it was pebbly, even further out, and I had to wear water shoes the whole time. Also, they have these huge concrete boulders further out, that prevented the waves from getting to high - but, you couldn't swim or walk very deep, or ride the waves, so that's a bit of a disappointment. Also, the sand is dirty, with lots of sticks, and debris in it, so the beach volleyball court never got any use, which is too bad cause I love beach volleyball, but it was like a death trap, with sharp sticks and rocks.. Also, the ocean water is dark and murky, not really what you would expect at a resort. People also said that there were sand flees on the beach, but I didn't bother to sit around long enough to find out. At least the pools were nice - they have three of them - and it is where we spend the predominant amount of time. They have a big, centralized one, medium and smaller, rectangular more private adult one. All in all, it was nice vacation, and I enjoyed getting away. Though there were many pros to this resort, unfortunately, for me the cons were ultimately deal breakers, and I wouldn't return for a vacation here.

Amazing resort

This was our first trip with our kids (6 and 7 year olds). Food was great, service was outstanding, friendly staff, amazing entertainment for kids and adults. fun pool. overall, very satisfied. Definitely thumbs up. keep in mind that the beach isn't the greatest in that area so we stayed in the pool.

Very Relaxing

This was our 4th stay at a Gran Bahia Resort and it was exactly what we expected. Clean, Comfortable, and Relaxing with Great Service and Friendly staff. Luis at the Main Buffet is amazing and deserves a promotion. He should be training everyone on how to treat guests, it wasnt only us it was everyone that crossed his path. Jennifer, Yuliesi and Mayellin were also exceptional bartenders/servers. the Meditteranean restaurant is excellent. The Main pool is very small for the amount of pe [... read more]ople and the seats are filled w towels very early, that is really the only issue that I had. Usually i love the pool and the swim up bar at resorts but it was next to impossible to find a decent seat. we kept to the beach which was cleaned every morning and we had no issues w sand fleas as ive read in the past. Service on the beach would be a huge plus!!! Other then that we got exactly what we expected.

Wonderful place!!

The hotel is older but in good repair. The staff are more than willing to assist in any way possible. The 3 pools are well maintained. My favorite was the second largest pool, it had two smaller pools for relaxation. It had its own bar area and just two steps from the beach. There was lots of night shows, beach parties for us to enjoy. There was some place open where you could get food almost all the time, even in the middle of the night. We did find that food was better at the first  [... read more]of our stay than towards the end. It was always the same, a change in menu would have been nice. Over all I would suggest anyone wanting to go somewhere for a beautiful vacation, this would be a great place to pick. Fun in the sun, friendly people and very relaxing, with lots of activities for everyone to enjoy.

Good Resort, Good Food

Girl's trip !!! We normally cruise but decided to try an all-inclusive resort for a change. We had a great time and thought the food was good, not the fine dining we were used to but acceptable. This resort is great for Spanish speaking or French speaking people, not so great if English is your language of choice. You would think with the resort being around for awhile and many travelers from Canada going there that their English would be better instead of just looking at you when you ask them s [... read more]omething. The resort is a long drive from the airport, so if you don't mind sitting on a bus for 90 minutes or more to get there after the flight it's for you. For the value I would go back with my family or husband but not with a bunch of girls looking for a party atmosphere because that was lacking.

Perfect family vacation!

This was our 2nd family vacation. Our 3yr old & 7yr old had a great time. We stayed from Apr 3-8 and the weather was perfect everyday. The resort was about an hour drive from the airport, but my husband & I enjoyed the scenery. The resort is huge. Lots of beautiful landscaping. Our room was average, mattress a little hard, but decent. Our room was very close to the pool, beach & main lobby & buffet which we enjoyed. The beach is so long, not white sand, but my kids loved searching for sh [... read more]ells & rocks. So many palm trees & tons of beach chairs. We never had a problem finding somewhere to lay. Also, the water not so clear, but not the hotels fault. Luckily we found an area of the beach where the water was clearer. We also stayed at the main pool which my kids also enjoyed. We never had a problem with the staff. Everyone always greeting with a smile. The main buffet staff all so friendly, despite being so busy. We very much enjoyed the food. Overall, a great experience. We would love to go back!!!

The ultimate "ALL-INCLUSIVE EXPERIENCE"

RESORT WAS EVERYTHING MY WIFE AND I,PLUS OUR FRIENDS, COULD HAVE HOPED FOR. IT WAS CLEAN, ATTRACTIVE, WELL APPOINTED, & LAID OUT. THE STAFF WERE FRIENDLY, COURTEOUS,AND OBLIGING IN EVERY WAY. THIS WAS OUR 8TH TRIP TO DOM.REPUBLIC BUT THE 1ST TO THIS RESORT. WE WERE SO IMPRESSED THAT WE ARE CONSIDERING RETURNING NEXT SPRING FOR TWO, OR MORE, WEEKS. MAY I ADD THAT THE FOOD,AND SERVICE,WAS VERY GOOD & THE SPECIALTY RESTUARANTS EXCELLENT

Really good resort

Everything was very clean and put together very nice. Excellent service all around, definetly would go back. Awesome entertainment and pool/beach areas. Food was the best I've ever had by far. Thank you!

DISSAPOINTING RESORT.BAD MANAGEMENT

After being at this hotel 5 times now and my traveling companion 3 ,I can say this was the first time I have been very disappointed. in the room mostly. the first room we were given was not the cleaniness,i had grown to expect from this resort, .we only had one electrical plug and that was in the bathroom. one side of the double bed had an extension cord coming from behind the headboard to plug in a charger .that was all except the tv in Spanish. behind the headboards WERE A MASS of electri [... read more]cal wires with no mar connectors on the end. since this is where the extension cord was coming out off it. we assumed they were live. we went to desk to complain and ask for another room said we couldn't get moved till next day. I asked for an upgrade to a vip room which was what we requested ,even if I had to pay more and we were not even taken seriously. the room we were given was a downgrade not upgrade .there were Robes and Towels in the first room. when we asked for them back for the second room we were told that they were for VIP only. After returning to this resort many times .I expected better service than this. They gave us Silver bracelets instead of green BIG DEAL. they didn't mean anything except advertising for the resort that we were returning clients .after two days of our vacation being ruined trying to get what we requested. we realized they were catering to the first timers. hoping they would come back. not us after many times we were there .very disappointing vacation..we have recommended this resort to many friends since I started going there 10 years ago. but will not recommend it again to anyone..............

Great resort, but...

The rooms and the food were excellent. Because of heavy rains the previous week the beach was inaccessible. I arrived on Tuesday and couldn't get in the ocean until Saturday. Silt, muck and debris washing up on shore. No English speaking TV at all...problem with the cable company they said. I don't go on vacation to watch TV but do enjoy news channels early in the morning and maybe a movie late at night.

Great trip at an ok resort

Incredible food, awful beach, great entertainment staff and ok grounds best sums up this resort. While the grounds are nice and clean, there's really nothing grand about the resort. Theres also not much for entertainment during the day other than your standard water aerobics, dance lessons and a quick game. Huge shoutout to Noel and Rinalli who worked around the clock during our entire stay, The worst part is how secluded the resort is. Beach scene is a ghost land because it's that bad.  [... read more]You get tired of spending all day/everyday by the pool yet there's nowhere to really venture to. The night time set up is great with the disco and Kareoke bar combo but again, you get tired of doing the same thing each night. No major complaints as we still had a great vacation but it will largely depend on the crowd you get and your ability to make your own fun.

The resort beautiful, the rooms not so much

For the most part, the hotel was great. The room wasn't. Our toilet kept getting plugged and our shower didn't drain. We had 3 women to one room...important to for the tub to drain. The beach was filled with sticks and seaweed and the water had about 10 feet of that also before you hit clear merky water. If you want a nice beach this isn't the place to go. Otherwise, the food was awesome, drinks were ok, karaoke bar and disco was a hoot. If you're looking for an inexpensive trip to just get away [... read more], I would suggest it.

Good time

This hotel is what it is, the buildings, stores and bars are definitely showing age, this resort is older however staff are constantly cleaning, painting and making an effort to keep the buildings presentable, the grounds are nice and kept clean. Pools were clean and plenty of chairs/loungers. The staff were nice and friendly. The rooms are dated but clean. There are little issues all around the resort because of its age. If you would like a warm shower leave water running 5 mins before going i [... read more]n and there is very little pressure, we lucked out and had beautiful weather all week, I do not think I would go back to this resort, we went as a group of 8 so our company also made the trip, I would not recommend this resort just as a couple for a romantic get away. The food was good especially the Mediterranean a la carte it was amazing! All in all a good one time trip to this place

Great value resort. Lots of fun and good food.

Thought the resort was very nice for the price. It showed its age a little but the staff did everything they could to make the most of it. I thought the buffets were well stocked with many varieties of food and I never went hungry. I also found the French a-la-cart to be fantastic, with the other two being OK. Overall we had a ton of fun, with lots to do during the day, including a mini-golf. The nights were also very lively with drinks until 2am, a karaoke bar (tons of fun) and a disco. I don't [... read more] have much bad to say as we went with a group and had a ton of fun. Only negative is the beach, which we knew going in. If the beach is your main thing then stay away for sure but we found the pools very nice.

Wonderful Family Vacation

The entertainment team was exceptional, something for everyone. The facilities were nice and clean, big and bright. Pool was great, everyone was friendly, great service. We met so many people who this was their 5th time going there, so that speaks volumes. Definitely would go back!

Great Resort

We arrived at the resort during a severe rain storm, well over 100 mm of rain. Our first day of our vacation had thunder showers most of the day and evening. The next morning the entrance to the resort, the lobby, the main pool and area, and some of the rooms were flooded with up to 6-8 inches of water. Our room was fine since we had a second floor room. By noon time the staff had the water problem cleaned up in most of the areas although the main pool was still contaminated with surface water. [... read more] The whole situation was a shock to some of the workers who I am sure had their own homes flooded out as well because some seemed to be over whelmed. The beach also took a lot of abuse from the rain. The mud and silt was from the shore out about 80 - 100 ft and the beach was full of sea grass trees and garbage. This problem was also addressed right away although it took almost the entire week to get the mess cleaned up due the lack of equipment. I was very impressed how they handled the whole situation in a timely and organized manner. With that being said the food was great,and there was always bottles of water , beer and pop replenished daily in our mini bar . We even got two bags of chips every day which was an unexpected treat. The rooms were clean and the bed sheets changed every two days. Although I don't go on vacation to watch tv not one of the 54 channels were English speaking. I really liked the lay out of this resort the way everything was close by and not having to walk too far for anything. I would give this resort a 4 out of 5 stars Todd Over all

Amazing first trip down south

This hotel treated us like vips all week long provided us with amazing service and the staff was amazing . I also liked that they kept us entertained they got people involed in activites which was really cool

I didn't want to leave!!!

The resort was big! But everything was central which was awesome.. nice big pool, buffet and lounge with free wifi!! The night entertainment was great, and the drinks were even better!! Can't wait to go back