TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

I had good and bad experiences at this hotel. Firstly the good - The public areas are beautiful and well maintained. Lots of places to eat, the beach is beautiful. However we did struggle to find a place with shade on the beach as these areas were already taken by the time we got on to the beach. Entertainment, the energy seemed to be a lot better on the family side. Probably because there were not as many guests on the adults only side when I visited. I did feel sorry for the entertainers on the adult side trying to encourage people to do activities. It was the total opposite on the family side! The bad - we had a standard room, the space, the decor would have been amazing however it needs upgrading. There is no ventilation in the bathroom so the floors are dangerously slippy after showering. The tiling looks old, they have been regrouted but the finish is poor. the ceiling was in cheap laminate again not what you would expect in a 5 star hotel. Not what you would expect especially when you opt for 'Bahia Luxury'. However the public areas made up for it and that was where I spent the majority of my time. Make sure you check charges to your room especially if converted from USD to JAD!!! - I booked 2 tickets for the Xayamca show a cost of 15 USD each with the entertainment guy at reception. I got 2 confirmation email notifications, each email confirming 2 tickets. I queried this with him and he assured me that I had only booked 2 tickets and not 4. You don't actually pay when you book the tickets, it is charged to your room. The tickets are advertised in USD however when I checked the charge on my room account, the cost is converted to JA dollars. Had it been in USD I would have immediately spotted that I had been charged 60 USD instead of 30 USD. Was this done deliberately? It wasn't until I was checking out and the receptionist asked if I booked 4 tickets that I realised I was overcharged. So something to watch out for - make sure you know the JA dollar against the USD

A very nice family hotel, the twin rooms have 2 double beds. They have a coffee percolater so if you want tea you have to use that by pouring water in top and it comes out boiling. It may sound like a stupid thing to add, but some people were just leaving the water and hoping it would boil. Lots of restaurants for dinner and a few choices for lunch. There is a pool area also beaches. Live bands in the evenings. Near to Dunns River a Ochi Rios. Kimone, the pasta chef in the NYAM restaurant made excellent fresh seafood pasta

I stayed at the Grand Bahia Principe Hotel in Jamaica this past weekend with my husband, and we were extremely disappointed with our room experience. We were assigned room 23600, which was located close to the elevator and directly beside a utility room. Every morning, we were awakened by loud noises, including talking, banging, and things being shuffled around. This made it impossible to get proper rest. Additionally, the air conditioning unit in the room was very loud, further disrupting our sleep. The bathroom was equally problematic. The shower floor was dangerously slippery, and there was a significant amount of mold and mildew, particularly in the shower area. (See photos) We had high hopes for the jacuzzi, but that was a complete waste of time. The water pressure was so low it took nearly an hour to fill to a level where the jets wouldn’t spray water all over the bathroom. When we finally turned on the jets, a disturbing amount of black particles sprayed out into the water. Maintenance came to address the issue while we were out at dinner. So the following morning, before checking out we tried again to use the jacuzzi, however the problem still persisted. The water pressure remained inadequate/very low taking an hour to even half the tub, and the black particles appeared again, making the jacuzzi unusable. We left the hotel feeling frustrated as we weren't able to use the jacuzzi and felt exhausted from insufficient sleep. This experience fell far below our expectations, and we will not be staying here again.

I want to preface this by saying that everyone will have their own opinion about their stay. People will have good experiences and bad experiences. During our trip in November, we had a very pleasant experience. We are not particular about having the fanciest things. Our room was on the sixth floor facing the ocean and the pool and we couldn’t have asked for a better view. We weren’t too far away from the restaurants. Our room was cleaned every day. Our fridge was stocked every day. We ate well every day. We loved Don Pablo and dolce vita and the knife was just okay. We liked the roundhouse buffet but preferred the main buffet. The elevator took a while because extra people used it to get from level 1 to the lobby and vice versa. We only saw one cockroach and it was on the lower floor close to the outside. I was terrified by all the negative reviews. I saw none of the main issues. No mosquitoes either. The service was fine. The weather wasn’t great but that has nothing to do with the resort. The music outside ended by 11 so if you have little ones that might be a problem in the location we were. The shows weren’t high end. The shows in cancun and Punta Cana are much better. I do wish there was a bit more to do, but we enjoyed ourselves very much. We were there also for a wedding. The wedding was lovely but the food provided for the wedding was lacking. Overcooked pasta in a sickly sweet pasta sauce and chicken and risotto that was weirdly seasoned. The wedding cake was Devine tho. The deserts at the buffet were awesome. Especially the fancy cupcakes. I gained weight by eating desserts two meals a day! The tv in our room worked but we just had static so we didn’t end up using it. I do recommend this resort as long as you aren’t like this one guest we met who would only eat food freshly cooked and took one look at the food in one restaurant and walked back out. If you are that person don’t come here, it’s not for you. Spend more money and go to a fancier place. In the end this was the smoothest trip we’ve ever had.

I came here to do my scuba certification with Scubaquatics Jamaica. They provide scuba, snorkeling, and water sports for most of the resort. They are all fantastic, especially Richard (Ghandi). Having spent most of my time doing my scuba cert with him, I am incredibly appreciative of his fun, thorough education, and guidance on multiple dives. Runaway Bay has beautiful reefs, Spanish Anchors, Wrecks, and more to explore. The rest of the scuba and water sports staff were just as kind, funny, and experienced. I was pleasantly surprised by this hotel and all it offered. The rooms and grounds were impeccably clean. I regularly smelled the cleaning liquids throughout the buildings. A good marker for me is how clean the in room coffee pot is and this one was spotless! It is notable that as a beachfront property during the rainy season mold and dampness are inevitable. The staff do an incredible job keeping it all at bay. The buffet was fantastic, with generous options. I wasn't a huge fan of the non-Jamaican dishes as they were decent quality but didn't hold a candle to the impressive Jamaican fare. My advice is to skip the pasta and such and go for the traditional Caribbean foods like dasheen, mackerel, curry goat, rice and peas, bananas, and yams. The charcuterie at the buffet was also lovely. The meats and seafood were fresh. The breakfasts were hearty and hot ranging again from full-english fix-ins to ackee and saltfish. I did not do any a la carte dining (it wasn't needed!). I did eat at the Jerk Shack poolside which got incredibly busy but was very tasty. The live musicians and DJs were excellent. There's a disco/party from 11pm-2am in the Village that I didn't attend but heard great things about. I however thoroughly enjoyed the cellist, singers, bands, and steel pan each evening during my stay even as a young person (late 20s early 30s). The bars are excellent with heavy pours and balanced cocktails all around that keep the vibes high. The staff were lovely. I have no complaints and will most definitely be back.