Bahia Principe Grand El Portillo reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

4.5 Excellent

  • Cleanliness 4.5
  • Location 4.5
  • Rooms 4.2
  • Service 4.4
  • Value 4.3

8826 TripAdvisor reviews

TripAdvisor users rated this property 3 out of 5

Not a Five Star !

Eleanor R on Mar 22, 2026

The beach was lovely and a hop skip and jump from the pool. Service staff were friendly and helpful. But, they should have staff that understand and speak abit of English. Food was plentiful and good. Drinks were diluted - Evident by taste and strength of the mixes. The rooms were a disappointment - not what is shown in the advertisements. Lighting in room is dim, low, dark - I think every light fixture has a 10 watt bulb in it. We felt we could not see! That is to hide the shabbiness of the room. TV did not work, neither did the phone to lobby. If you had an emergency -you were out of luck!! None of the phones in the rooms were connected! The batteries in the TV controller were corroded and when replacement was requested - NEVER replaced. The bathroom was horrid. After a shower -there was more water on the bathroom floor than in tub. Shower doors were useless. Maid service was not daily - they came at 4:3opm -when we were returning to our room after a day on the beach and needed to shower! We found sand in the the dresser drawers and on mattress. Obviously they don't vaccum the rooms or the beds! Pillows are non existent! - they are pillowcases with cotton batton in them. We had a group of 32 people attend and all complained about the pillows. Closet space is pathetic - only one person can hang up their clothes! Rooms are in desparate need of renovation and update.

TripAdvisor users rated this property 5 out of 5

The staff was engaging, friendly and attentive to our group throughout the entire meal. Thank you Jose Manuel & team!

Christine C on Mar 21, 2026

Our group of 10 had dinner at Portfino’s during our stay at El Portillo hotel. The staff were engaging, friendly and attentive throughout the evening. We appreciated the staffs patience in answering our questions (in French and in English) regarding the menu which allowed us to make perfect meal selections. The level of service that Jose Manuel and his team (Nauri, Julian, Auri, Bernabe, Nicolas) offered stood out to us and made for a memorable evening. Muchas gracias!

TripAdvisor users rated this property 5 out of 5

Great resort.

M9950SBnancyb (Montreal, Canada) on Mar 18, 2026

This was our fourth time at this resort and loved it as usual. Great customer service, goof food, clean rooms and nice pools. Also have water park for little kids. Beach is beautiful too.Buffet has so much variety.. Everything you could ask for.. Joander is bartender who goes around the pool with a cart serving drinks. He is amazing. Danny and Gabriel at front desk are fabulous. If u need anything go see them.Also Erixckson... Yodelis and Abis also give great service...

TripAdvisor users rated this property 3 out of 5

Bahia principe el Portillo not what it used to be.

Lori M on Mar 18, 2026

This is our 5th visit to this hotel - first time since Covid. We have sent at least 20 of our friends and acquaintances to this resort over the years. The beach is still beautiful. The resort needs some fresh paint and maintenance The service in the restaurant is-lacking as many times after waiting 10 minutes we have gotten up and poured our own water and obtained our own coffee as we are unable to find someone who will provide that for us Front desk staff helpful. Food is good, usually on the cold side. Today my husband went to the beach at 6:30 AM. Had a nap on the beach lounge woke up went to the sports bar obtained a club soda sat down in the patio and drank it. when he returned to the beach all of our towels and towel clips were gone. I called the lobby to report the incident. Apparently, this is something the resort does to provide chairs for people. I do know that some guest have chairs at the pool and chairs at the beach fortunately, we’re not one of those guest we stay at the beach all day. It is the resorts responsibility to provide chairs for the people. So they removed towels that clearly belonged to people. Removing all towels and belongings is not an appropriate way to manage the issue of people not having a lounge chair. The resort needs to provide more chairs. We have been here 6 days and have 8 more to go. I will not be recommending this resort in the future. I’m sorry this resort has implemented these rules. Front desk and air Transat rep say make a comment. I hope this comment is read by all

TripAdvisor users rated this property 3 out of 5

Not a 5 star stay, the beach only deserves 5 stars.

LanaKofCanada (Toronto, Canada) on Mar 17, 2026

So, this is our second time at this resort. We were here as a family 2.5 years ago and back as a couple. The reason we returned is because of the beach/ocean/snorkeling. This is fantastic - still as beautiful as ever. The rooms, unfortunately, we’re in need of facelift then and I’m more so now. Definitely not a 5 star stay, not even a 4-star stay - so be ready to see old tile, old faucets and peeling tubs. Housekeeping is good. Food is decent, but for the most part nothing to write home about. Again, not a 5 star experience but more of a 3.5/4 star at most. Staff is good. Check in was easy enough. Booking restaurants a La carte is also east and no line up at the guest services, but you can do it online also - when the app isn’t glitchy. One thing to point out is that there are currently a lot of Quebecois here and A LOT of them smoke. Wishing that the beach had a designated no smoking section as there seems to be a constant lingering smell…. Of course, this has been noticed in other resorts also, and the suggestion for a no smoking beach section would be applicable across board. At the moment, as we are here right now, this is a pain…. Additionally, we requested for a birthday celebration ribbon for a door in advance of our stay and that wasn’t done. Disappointed.

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