Bahia Principe Grand La Romana reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

4.0 Very Good

  • Cleanliness 4.4
  • Location 3.6
  • Rooms 4.1
  • Service 4.1
  • Value 3.9

6074 TripAdvisor reviews

TripAdvisor users rated this property 1 out of 5

Terrible Stay

Sabrina L on Jun 02, 2026

After returning home and reflecting on my stay, I can confidently say that this was one of the most disappointing resort experiences I have had, especially considering the amount of money spent on what was expected to be a relaxing vacation. From the moment we arrived, problems began. The first room assigned to us was not up to standard, and we immediately encountered ongoing issues with our room key. Staff had to be called multiple times because the key repeatedly failed to open the door. Although we were eventually moved to another room, this was an inconvenience that should never have occurred at a property that advertises itself as a luxury resort. Unfortunately, the room change did not resolve all of the concerns. Throughout our stay, we noticed several cleanliness and maintenance issues, along with an overall lack of attention to detail. The resort itself is in need of significant updating, as many areas appeared worn, dated, and not reflective of the quality being advertised. To make matters worse, we discovered a live cockroach in our room. While a housekeeper kindly assisted in removing it, finding a cockroach in a guest room is completely unacceptable and raises serious concerns about cleanliness standards. The dining experience was equally frustrating. Guests are encouraged to make restaurant reservations, yet we were never informed at check-in that guests staying four nights are limited to only two restaurant reservations. This important information should be clearly communicated upon arrival. Instead, we learned about the restriction after the fact, which negatively impacted our ability to plan our meals and enjoy our vacation. The pool area was another source of frustration. Every day, numerous lounge chairs remained occupied by towels for hours without anyone actually using them. This left many paying guests unable to find seating while resort staff appeared to take no action to address the issue. A more effective policy should be implemented to ensure fair access to poolside seating for all guests. Before departing, I followed the instructions provided by the resort and met with Guest Services to discuss these concerns. I spoke with Yadeul and explained the issues we experienced throughout our stay, hoping management would acknowledge the problems and offer a meaningful resolution. Instead, I was essentially told that nothing could be done. The only gesture offered was a small bag of coffee. Given the number and seriousness of the issues we encountered, this response felt dismissive and failed to demonstrate any genuine concern for guest satisfaction. What is most disappointing is not simply that problems occurred, but how they were handled. Most travelers understand that occasional issues can arise. However, when multiple concerns affect a guest’s stay, management should take those concerns seriously and make a sincere effort to address them. Based on my experience, this resort did not deliver the quality, service, or accommodations that were advertised, nor did it justify the considerable expense of the trip. The property is in need of updates, communication with guests needs significant improvement, and greater attention should be given to cleanliness and customer service. Unfortunately, I would not return to this resort, nor would I recommend it to friends or family.

TripAdvisor users rated this property 5 out of 5

Bahia principe explore la romana 2 week stay

Kerrypearce2018 (Runcorn, United Kingdom) on May 31, 2026

Amazing resort amazing pool and beach but the sea lets it down it is murky but is swimmable Buffet restaurants are great and à la carte restaurants are amazing Entertainment staff work hard to give great shows but is repetitive kids club could be great if it was advertised better and ran better issue we had was lack of info to where things were on and a silent disco that was put on in an out area full of smokers and a few people that had to much to drink which wasn’t a great place for kids to Be Resort/Bar/Waiting staff and Gardeners were all amazing Guest services and management not great Security staff not good English and very aggressive shouting at our child and her news friends for being in the pool with no adults Issue was with hotel rule over no child in the 1.4m main pool without an adult in the pool too was a joke as Dominican temp child is till thy turn 18 I refused this rule as our 9 year old can swim it’s only 1.4m deep and as a real parent i watch my child enjoy the pool with new friends made while there and we’re in the pool most of the time but give her freedom to make friends and be a good person As for guest services security staff can’t speak English and aren’t aggressive (really I was there) Management listened to what I said and contacted there legal dept and told me if I take full responsibility for my child she can swim the pool without us my answer was really so I just do as a good parent does thanks I got up and sat on the subbed every morning from 7am till around 8am everyday but before that I flew a drone around filming the resort legally from around 6am dawn On my 4th day I needed to toilet after setting our towels down at 7.30am never having an issue for the previous days I left a power bank on the bed with full intentions of getting back to the sunbeds at 8.30am I returned to find the guest services had taken the towels so up to reception to get my towels and power bank to find guests services didn’t take the power bank and left it on the bed not knowing it was there the power bank wasn’t with the new people siting on the sunbeds I was on so I lost out £50 power bank with guest services messing around telling me it wasn’t on the cctv cameras then telling me to fill out a form so the can look at the cctv for it So which was it did they lie and look and not look Anyway resort is a little tired Needs a little old to poor repairs do you in rooms painting was going on while there and really management should schedule the works to not effect guests and it would have been cooler for staff painting at night not cutting services to the activity centre for three days leaving the kids with less to do during the hottest parts of the day not table tennis table football the large chess set Very poor of management to do that Same for the poor information about closing the main pool for 5 hours not letting guest know when it maybe ready for use again Leaving guest not knowing is yet again poor management Management need to learn guest keep the hotel in business and pay not only there wages but all the staffs It’s not much to ask

TripAdvisor users rated this property 4 out of 5

Pretty good week if you are a pool person

Ayers01 (St. Catharines, Canada) on May 14, 2026

Enjoyed our week here for the most part. Most of the staff were great. The buffet staff, the lady and gentleman at the beach bar, reception all need a special mention. Didn’t go to any à la Carts so can’t comment on them. As we are beach people disappointed in not being able to go in the ocean due to jelly fish. Few people got stung while we were there. Missed this on the reviews before we booked, so my fault at that. Won’t return due to the ocean murkiness and jelly fish.

TripAdvisor users rated this property 4 out of 5

Bahia vs Secrets and overall review

Jamie A on May 14, 2026

We stayed at Bahia Principe La Romana for 7 days. This was our 3rd time in Dominican Republic. The previous two stays were at Sectets or Dreams. We found this location to be a wonderful stay. The property was very well maintained and beautiful. Our room was good and was typical for a room in a high salinity environment. The rooms at Dreams and Secrets were in a different category of nice though. It was cleaned daily and we had clean towels and restocked water and beverages daily. The room fridge had coke, orange fanta and Presidente beer in the can. The staff here was excellent and always friendly. I would say the staff, and grounds were very close to Secrets or Dreams. The rooms were much nicer at Dreams and Secrets. The food at Bahia Principe was excellent. The quality and variety were 5 stars. The restaurants had good food and the buffet as well. The food at Bahia was considerably better than the food we had at Secrets and Dreams. The coffee machine at Bahia was outstanding. It gave you a choice 24hrs a day of coffee, cappuccino, expresso or chocolate. We especially enjoyed this. Dreams and secrets make it for you which is more luxurious, but I almost prefer the machine coffee. The bars themselves at Bahia were very comparable to Secrets and Dreams. They differed in Spirits. The primary liquor was "Classico" brand. It cost extra to get Jim Beam, Jack Daniels or Barceló Rum. I don't view this as top shelf but they are at Bahia. The primary beer is Presidentle which is very good. They had Corona and Heineken for a fee also. The beach was very clean at Bahia with very little weeds. The pier was a nice touch. The water was very calm and the waves were relaxing. The water color was dark but the view was stunning. The only reason I did not give Bahia 5 stars was the water color and lack of premium spirits. Overall for the cost compared to Secrets, you can't go wrong with Bahia

TripAdvisor users rated this property 1 out of 5

Disappointment

Alla V on May 06, 2026

Our 2-week stay at Bahia Principe Grand La Romana was a major disappointment and did not meet the expectations of a resort of this level. Throughout our vacation, we experienced constant technical problems and a very poor level of service. The room keys regularly stopped working, which meant we had to visit the front desk almost every day. The bathroom faucet was leaking, there was no hot water at all, the air conditioner constantly malfunctioned, and the electricity periodically shut off and came back on. We were traveling with two children, and because of the heat and the broken air conditioning, the children could not sleep properly in the evenings. One evening, my daughter called reception because the air conditioner in our room was not working. Unfortunately, the message was never properly passed on, and no assistance arrived for more than an hour. During that time, the room became extremely hot, and my young grandson was crying because he could not fall asleep. As a family traveling with children, this situation was very upsetting and should have been handled much more professionally. Only on the last day, around 12:30 a.m., were we offered another room. However, that room also initially had problems with the air conditioner. Staff came several times to repair it, and although the issue eventually seemed to be resolved, by that point our vacation had already been seriously affected. I would also like to mention the front desk service. Instead of receiving real assistance, we were often met with indifference and contradictory information. Our interactions with Ada at the reception desk were especially disappointing and unhelpful. Even on the day of departure, the service remained extremely unprofessional. The evening before our flight, I requested luggage assistance for 5:10 a.m. because we needed to leave for the airport early in the morning. Nobody arrived. When I went back to the reception desk, I was told that staff had supposedly already come, which was simply not true. In the end, we had to carry all of our luggage ourselves. The biggest disappointment was the beach and the ocean. There really were jellyfish, but even without them, I still would not recommend this hotel for a beach vacation. The water itself was unpleasant for swimming and looked nothing like the photos and promotional materials shown by the hotel. During our stay, we noticed that most guests preferred spending their time at the pools rather than in the ocean, and now we completely understand why. After we mentioned that we intended to leave a review, sweets and a small bottle of rum were brought to our room on the last day. Unfortunately, this did not change our overall impression or compensate for the many problems we experienced during the two weeks. Honestly, it is better to choose a shorter vacation in a place with truly beautiful water, good service, and comfortable accommodations. Based on our experience, I cannot recommend this hotel.

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