TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

My first all-inclusive experience, and I was a little worried. However, I couldn’t have been more delighted. My room was just lovely, the food was superb and could not be faulted with excellent choices every day . I chose to go to a smaller pool which was quiet., there were always beds available and towels . The shuttle surface up and down to the restaurants and beach was superb and worked perfectly.. the staff were exceptional and as helpful as possible. There was evening entertainment every night if you wished to join it. My only slight criticism, was that I found the à la carte restaurants acceptable but not as good as the buffet.

This is an excellent place to visit, guest services are great entertainment is outstanding and food is beyond expectations. Madeline is great with entertainment, all staff great with dining and the bar staff makes excellent drinks……….but you have to come and visit yourself

Firstly, this was our second stay at this hotel. You can book here and enjoy yourself. The weather here is fantastic and the beach is beautiful. The grounds are well kept and easy to get around. Ample shuttles if you need them. It was busy while we were here, but you can find places that are calm if that is your thing. Our room was recently renovated and very nice. Great AC, Ceiling fans and lots of lighting. Very clean and housekeeping services were good too. We paid 1600 CAN for our week, and feel good about the value. Not sure I would pay much more though. We brought teenagers with us and there was lots for them to do and see. They had a great time. Bars and restaurants were really nice. Staff were great, but not overly engaging. Went to the Nomad, the mongolian restaurant, and the staff there did the best job engaging our family. Kids loved it. Most of the main buffet staff were a bit dull and less interested in us and service. A big difference from our trip three years ago. Buffets were good. Lots of selection and variety. Only complaint is that they don't name anything. Tough if you have allergies or dietay restrictions. Staff at the pool bars were very fun. The smaller pool (the one not under renovation) was well staffed, and Ramon and Juan made kept no lines and were very friendly. The main pool near the beach is done well. lots of space so you can play and not be crowded. But, ...there is a huge shortage of shade around and in the pool. Especially in the pool. Most of our social time was spent in the pools and its tough if you are burning. Wave rider was fun - bit pricey, but kids had a blast. Things to consider - breakfast buffet by the beach. Not crowded - open air and nice view. We only found out about it day 5. Worth the walk.

We very much enjoyed our stay from April 14th to 21st, and even though rain was predicted on multiple days we only got sunshine. High was 29C. We have been going to Bahia Principe hotels since 2005, and this was our first time at the main Punta Cana hotel, and we have already decided to return in November to celebrate our 45th wedding anniversary. (Have stayed a number of times previously at Ambar, Aquamarine, and Esmeralda and truthfully we have enjoyed them all for different reasons. Package prices were very high when I booked this trip due to issues in Mexico and Cuba with so many booking Dominican Republic.) Both check-in and check-out went fast and smoothly. We took the ACV tour bus so was surprised that the reception counter had no line up whatsoever! Allocated a renovated Junior Suite Premium (sleeps 2 extra people on a roll our sofa) on the ground floor beside the main pool due to my husband’s heart health as he now gets winded going up stairs. Location was perfect for us. We had 2 bathrooms, 2 balconies, and lots of clothing storage. Room was super clean! Very nicely furnished rooms, lots of light switches, and convenient plugs beside the bed to recharge your electronics. (One of the switches in the bedroom’s bathroom right beside the makeup mirror activates under the counter strip lights. Use them at night and close the frosted glass sliding bathroom door. That was the best way to light the room slightly in case you had to get up during the night.) At night I wore light weight pants solely to cut down on mosquito bites and I had a pashmina to cover my arms. Make sure you pack mosquito repellant or you will be regretful! Bites become very itchy. We ate all our breakfasts and lunches at the beach house every day out on the patio. (In the morning you eat breakfast on the lower left side, and at lunch the lower right side.) A number of guests we talked to did not know about that option so they ate lunch at The Truck which was poolside, or they went up to the air conditioned buffet at the hotel lobby. You can eat food from The Truck poolside if you wish. We enjoyed our à la carte choices, food and service was ALWAYS very good! Anduelina took care of our room and she did a very good job. (If you want to leave anything behind for your room attendant like clothing, footwear, toiletries, or edibles then you MUST fill in a form otherwise employees will NOT be able to take these items through staff security at the end of their shift. Using Google translate ask your room attendant for the form to complete.) Majority of housekeeping staff do not speak English so remember that Google translate is your friend! If they are from Haiti you can communicate in French. If you like to swim laps then early morning is the best time as very few people in the pool then. Pool starts to get crowded about 3pm and the fun games start at 4pm. There is yoga and aqua fit in the morning. We enjoyed the saxophonist by the pool late one afternoon. Foam party as always was very popular and the pool really filled up! Fresh pineapple drink with or without alcohol is $5.00US and the lady operating the service gets 50 pineapples a day and sells out so don’t wait too late in the afternoon to get yours or you may be disappointed. (their are 3 self serve juice dispensers at the pool bar. One is called “Chinola” (also known as marcuya, which means passion fruit and it is delicious so make sure you try it!) Make sure to bring an extra bottle of sunscreen as it is very expensive to purchase at the resort. (Same goes for pool floats, bug repellant, beach toys, and “junk food”.) Bring a thermo/Bubba mug to keep your drink cold as ice melts very fast in the hotel’s small plastic cups. We walked slowing up to the lobby to have our dinner to get some exercise and that took us 11 minutes, and sometimes we took a trolly back at the end of the evening if we were too tired to walk. We also did a slow beach walk each morning, alternating which direction we walked. We do bring a bottle of water with us as there is nowhere to get water during the walk. Since this is the beginning of low season the beach was less crowded. Only 4 small things that we didn’t like was which most are fairly easy to remedy. #1 the competing TOO LOUD music at the main pool and The Truck or where ever else the music was coming from. No need for this. #2 unfortunately I was informed that you can not get a Negroni or Aperol Spritz at the hotel’s main bar or at a pool bar which I had been very much looking forward to but never got one so I just had sparkling wine. #3 it was impossible to break large denominations into smaller notes. Never saw a 50 peso note other than the one I had in my wallet from our last trip. This in our opinion means staff are really missing out on tips which isn’t fair to them. If you brought US currency then you were fine with $1.00US but for us Canadians who bring DR pesos as it’s more economical you will have an issue. (I typed out a Spanish message and showed our room attendant explaining the situation, and told her don’t worry we will make it up to you before we leave which we did.) We had a few 200 but mostly 500 and 1000 pesos on this trip. Where did all the 50 & 100 pesos go? #4 in the main buffet they take your napkin when clearing your dinner plate and if you need one when you come back to your table to eat your dessert you have to ask a waiter for a new one. They should always leave the napkin until you finish your complete meal. We would like to thank Alberto Figueroa Ceballos for overseeing our vacation. As always no matter which hotel he is working at he always takes good care of us. We have known him for at least 16 years and he is a true asset to the Bahia Hotel chain. See you again in November!

Overall we were impressed! 4 girls in our 20’s so not too difficult to please I suppose. However, upon arrival check-in was quick, rooms were clean. Only one incident of a cockroach in our doorway and this was an evening we left our drink cups in the room so it likely attracted it and the fact that people left food in the hallways (yuck!). Also tiny mosquitoes were biting especially at night and in the sand so bring bug spray. Otherwise, buffet was impressive surprisingly, just be mindful of what foods were sitting out (didn’t eat raw meats, lunch meats, or raw fish). The beach had sea grass (not the resort’s fault) so we mostly stuck to the pool. It was difficult to get chairs in the shade at the beach pool if you tried after 9am, but usually chairs in the sun always. The wifi cuts in and out at the pool/beach fyi. The bartenders can be hit or miss for getting their attention but all appreciate a tip for sure! We also weren’t made aware that the “disco”/club was closed for renos so that did kind of put a damper on the nightlife as their was only the lobby and the outside dance area in the village. Overall, cleanliness and food were about as good as could be given in the Dominican. Would probably go back to this resort!