TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

We stayed at this huge resort over New Years, which is part of 6 different resorts on same property in the Bahia Principe family. You have access to only certain parts and restaurants on the other properties. The resort is easy to get around with the regular trollies that run the length of resort. We had an upgraded “premium” junior suite which allowed us to stay closer to beach. Our initial room was in Villa 10, which backed onto the very smelly Mangrove, which we quickly renamed the Poopgrove. After complaining to front desk, they quickly accommodated us by moving to a new Villa section which was terrific. Pros: 1) Super clean resort - staff is continually sweeping, cleaning and mopping resort. Seaweed promptly raked up 2) Food is very good at both ala carte restaurants and at the buffet. The New Years Eve buffet was spectacular! The Gourmet and The Flame restaurants were excellent. The Takara and Maiko are very similar, thus only choose 1 unless doing the Teppanyaki at Maiko. 3) Renovated rooms are good, although a little bit of a sewer smell present in bathroom 4) Ocean is beautiful and warm 5) Staff (except bar tenders) from the front desk, trolley, cleaners and servers are excellent and friendly. Special shout out to Suleika and Marienella - amazing individuals! 6) Trolley system is quick and easy, with clearly marked stops Cons: 1) Beach chair section is chaos! Not enough loungers for so many people. Lounger section is relatively small for a big resort and is also partially on a hill, which contributes to the chaos. Most disappointing was the lack of enforcement of the handicapped section, which was occupied by able-bodied individuals. There were multiple instances where we had to help people in wheelchairs find spots or ask people to move over in a clearly marked section. 2) Beach bar constantly had line ups with long waits and surely bar tenders. 3) Beach restaurant and snack bar food is horrible! Better to take a trolley to buffet. 4) The Mangrove (aka the Poopgrove) looks great, but the smell is overwhelming. 5) Lobby bar also had long waits with bar tenders who looked like they wanted to be elsewhere All in all we enjoyed our stay, but the size of resort is too big for our liking.

As soon as you arrive, it looks fabulous! Grounds are beautiful, its huge ( you need the gold cart for going from place to place) The room was ok, but they had a tiny hand soap that we had to ask a million times for more as we are a family of 4, they don't change the towels or bedsheets. I dont know what they cleaned the buffet area with but eveytime I walked into that place it instantly turned me off of the whole place The food at the buffet was horrible, cold tastes bland, feels like eating cardboard. The food at the restaurants where you have to book in advance was relatively ok. I thought all of DR food was horrible because of that hotel, but then we rented a car and ate outside of the resort and it was wonderful! I even had decided that I wouldn't let any of my friends go to DR because of my experience with Bahia resort. But then we spent a day at Westin hotel and it was wonderful, all the people that work there are very friendly, they all spoke english, food was delicious. So I will give the island another chance but never Bahia Principe Grande Punta Cana. I really dont understand how other reviews are saying its a wonderful place, feels like we were on 2 different planets. I usually never write reviews, but I felt I had to so no other family has to go through this. I literally ate bread and cheese just because everything else tasted bad. We travel a lot and all around the world, so we have tn of hotel experience.

Everything was excellent, was a fantastic Christmas experience all my family loved ?? thanks ?? I really recommend you all to join Bahia Principe Puntacana.

If I could give this resort zero stars, I would. The only reason it gets one is because the pools and beach are decent, but they are not nearly enough to make up for the "abysmal" experience we had everywhere else. The Room (Pest Issues): This was the biggest dealbreaker. Upon arrival, the room smelled of mud and was incredibly muggy. By the third night, we were sharing our space with giant red cockroaches and a large grasshopper. When we brought this to the staff’s attention, they were completely dismissive, telling us it was "common" and not to worry about it. We had to resort to stuffing towels under the door just to feel like we could sleep. Hostile Service & "Silent Strike": The staff at this resort make you feel like a total burden. We overheard other guests discussing a "silent strike" where workers were intentionally providing poor service to hurt the resort’s ratings—and based on our experience, I 100% believe it. Staff frequently rolled their eyes at us and ignored us. I sat at the guest services desk for 30 minutes while three employees chatted and refused to acknowledge me until they eventually just wandered off. The Reservation Nightmare: Booking the three included à la carte meals was a nightmare. The kiosks didn't work, and guest services flat-out lied and said there was zero availability. However, when I went to a sister resort’s lobby, their kiosks worked and I was actually able to find a reservation—proving that the staff at our lobby were simply refusing to help. We ended up having to "shmooze" and tip our way into earlier slots just to eat at a reasonable hour. The Food: The food is some of the worst I’ve had in the DR. The buffet was chaotic, cold, and nothing was clearly labeled. The poolside "food truck" was gross—everything tasted freezer-burnt and came out cold. We tried it once and didn't go back. Management needs to take immediate action. This resort is suffering from a massive service collapse and hygiene issues. Save your money and book somewhere where the staff actually wants you there and the rooms are bug-free.

We are finishing our week now. It has been an awful experience— the service was awful and the food inedible at times. There were 23 of us but we were always willing to break into smaller groups. The employees were rude at best. We often had to ask for a drink or water at dinner multiple times. Rooms were dirty and not appointed (lack of hangers, towels, etc) we would request more multiple times and those went unanswered (in person and through the app). The food at the buffet was poor quality—omelettes burned, burgers raw, etc. my husband has celiac and other than a couple packages of gluten free packaged rolls that smelled like fish, he did not have a lot of options. The alcohol appears to be watered down. One of our rooms had a water leak and another had ants. We went on an excursion and the front would not store my MiL’s wheelchair. The driver commented that this resorted is the most unkind-unfriendly in the area. They seemed to overbook the resort for the amount of staff they had. There were a few bright spots at the Indian and Italian restaurants, but generally I cannot recommended this resort to anyone. This is the last Bahia we will ever stay at anywhere.