TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

I'd like to make it clear that this goes for all Bahia Principe in the Punta Cana Region. Bahia Principe Grand Punta Cana, Grand Bavaro, Luxary Ambar, Turquesa, Aquamarine are all in the same property and advertised as different hotels. Since we arrived we received terrible service. the employees are rude and unapproachable. The welcome drink has to be asked for and not given upon arrival. ROOMS: Some of the rooms are outdated and dirty. Our bathroom was not cleaned properly as there was hair stuck on the shower wall. There was also water droplets coming from the ceiling above the toilet. What they DONT tell us is that the balcony door controls the AC. So if the balcony door is open in the slightest bit, the AC will not function as there is a sensor. When I called reception to ask about the AC's function they were rude and then asked about the balcony being open which it is was not. The curtain was blocking the sensor. Food: TERRIBLE, COLD, BLAND The buffet was awful. The entire room smelled like sewer water. If plates or a food option ran out, it was not replaced. If you asked staff to replace it they said they ran out and to get over it. The food did not have flavor and was always cold. Coffee was cold, fried food was cold. Everything was cold. Pool snack bar was awful, cold and disorganized. Maiko: doesn't have AC, the food was served cold INCLUDING FRIED FOOD, the service was not good, they dont take food allergies serious. Garden Grill: had amazing service and food HOWEVER at the end of the service, they ask for a review, many people gave 4-5 starts which goes towards the entire resort and not the restaurant itself which is misleading since the resort was 1 star. Capitán Melvin, Agustína, Francisco Sosa , Esmeralda , Mikol, Arcenides were all fabulous and very attentive! They were the most friendly, helpful, staff in the entire resort. Capriccio: was decent. the food was good but not great. The service was okay, again the food was never served hot. My daughter spilled water on the table. I apologized, asked 3 different times to have the table cloth changed, but they never did it, so we ate on top of piled napkins. The transportation was not good. They only stopped if they felt like it and were always bothered when you asked them for a ride. The pool was clean, the beach was beautiful, the view was beautiful, but the overall experience will be the reason I will not be going back. Save your money and just visit another island.

We just returned from our trip with 12 people. The rooms were all spacious and clean. We stayed in a jr. suit and it was pretty good. Two other couples stayed in premium rooms that were gorgeous and newly renovated. The food and drinks were great.

We’re currently staying at Villa 2 in one of the new two-room suites, and it’s been an incredible experience so far. The location is perfect—just a short walk to both the beach and the pools. The staff here are exceptionally friendly, making us feel right at home. The buffet offers a wide variety of delicious food, and we’ve been thoroughly impressed. The resort’s transportation is very efficient, with frequent shuttles making it easy to get from the lobby to the beach. The entire resort feels like a well-organized, small city with everything easily accessible. One of the highlights for me has been dining at the Rodizio restaurant, where you can enjoy your meal with a stunning ocean view—absolutely love it! The kids are having a blast too! We booked our stay through a Canada Vacation package, which might have added to our positive experience. We even received four vouchers for the restaurants, which I believe are usually three. The package also included transportation from the hotel to the airport, making our trip even more convenient. If you come, try to ask for villa 1, 2 or 3.

We vacationed at Bahia Principe Grand Punta Cana for seven days, from August 12th to 19th, 2024. Unfortunately, despite advertising itself as a 5-star luxury resort, our overall experience was equivalent to a 2-star stay. Resort & Rooms: Upon arrival at the main reception, the check-in process was chaotic and disorganized. We eventually got our rooms at the Grand Punta Cana resort, but upon entering, we were disappointed to find them old, rundown, and poorly lit. Ladies, you'll struggle to apply makeup with the dim lighting in these rooms. After paying nearly $1,600, there was no way we were going to stay in such conditions. Though it was late, we decided to spend the night in the room but immediately went to the reception to inquire about better options. We were told that all the rooms at the Punta Cana resort were similar, but we could upgrade to the Esmeralda Luxury resort for a reasonable price, which was cheaper than if we had booked it through Air Transat. Bugs on the Bed and Pillows: While the rooms at Esmeralda Luxury had a better overall look and feel, they were infested with bugs and flies. Even after the room service staff cleaned the room and changed the bedsheets, we found crawling bugs on the bedsheets, pillows, and headboard. We contacted the reception, but no one responded, so we had to go to the lobby and show them the pictures and videos we took. The kids were horrified, and one of the other rooms even had larger bugs that looked like they had stingers. Eventually, someone from reception came to inspect the bug infestation and informed us that we needed to move again. While we were able to move to a nearby room, we lost a significant part of that night relocating instead of enjoying the live entertainment. Communication Challenges: Most of the staff at the bars, à la carte restaurants, and buffet did not speak English, making it difficult to communicate. It felt like this resort primarily catered to Spanish-speaking guests. If you don't speak or understand Spanish, you'll face many challenges communicating with the staff. We often had to act out what we were trying to say. If you speak only English or French, good luck—having a translation app ready will be helpful. Beach and Pool: The beach was clean, warm, and usually calm—perfect for staying in the water when it's hot. However, the staff at the beach and pool bars also struggled with English, so, again, a translator app is recommended. The pools were clean, and the kids enjoyed them immensely. Entertainment: Esmeralda Luxury offered nightly programs at the main stage, which were enjoyable. However, the staff at the Sports Bar were snarky and inattentive. They often stood around watching the shows instead of serving drinks, leaving guests waving for attention. To get decent service, we found it better to go directly to the main bar, where the staff were friendly and made excellent drinks. The Sports Bar staff seemed more interested in flirting and joking among themselves than serving guests. Overall: We did not receive 5-star treatment for the money we spent, including the upgrade during our stay. We've decided never to visit a Bahia Principe resort again, nor will we return to the Dominican Republic. The resort appeared indifferent to its guests, and service was lacking. That said, we are grateful to the handful of staff members who spoke English, understood our issues, and did their best to help. Overall, this was a 2-star experience. À la Carte Restaurants: We found the Italian and Naan restaurants at the Esmeralda resort to be excellent. The food at the Italian restaurant was amazing. However, the food at the Thali restaurant was disappointing and even caused food poisoning for some of us. Unfortunately, we were unable to secure a reservation at the Mongolian restaurant.

Reception- most unfriendly, miserable, unhelpful and extremely slow people. Messed up our bookings and couldn't give us an explanation. After a long flight we spent 2 hours at reception trying to check in. Hector (receptionist) was very unhelpful and cannot communicate. Wilson (receptionist) is simply rude with an appalling attitude! The rooms were smelling and extremely dirty.The ceiling was leaking(please see image). The food was very cold, expired and NEVER cooked properly. My son was very ill, got E. coli Infection as the hygiene levels in this resort are very poor. THIS RESORT NEEDS TO BE CHECKED BY HEALTH AND SAFETY ORGANISATIONS! The fish and meat are cooked on the same hot plate, therfore if u have allergies, you best NOT eat from there. The FOOD IS STALL, HORRIBLE AND TASTELESS! THE BUFFET RESTAURANT TABLES (PLEASE SEE IMAGE) ARE EXTREMELY DIRTY AND OLD WITH A TERRIBLE SMELL. The train driver used the F word when we asked him for directions. WE WERE TOLD TO THROW ALL TOILET PAPER (INCLUDING POO USED) THE BIN AS FLUSHING THE TOILET PAPER DOWN WOULD GET THE TOILET BLOCKED. HOW DISGUSTING. WE HAD A VERY AWFUL EXPERIENCE AND WILL NEVER EVER VISIT THIS RESORT!!!