TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Overall it was exceptional. My husband and I truly enjoyed everything there was to offer. Next time we will venture out to see what else there is. The beach was to die for and the water exceptional. We truly truly enjoyed our stay and can’t wait to go back next year.

We just came back from an amazing trip at Punta Cana. We were 2 couples and stayed at this hotel: Aquamarine. We had such a great experience. We felt everyone was giving the best they had to make us feel special. The staff is warm and welcoming and very professional. They truly make a difference. A special mention goes to Rigo at the pool, Luciana (with her precious smile)and the fantastic entertainment team leadered by Walter. All of you are special souls and we made beautiful memories. We already want to be back :) Angie, Alfonso, Claudio and Lorie from Montreal

For anyone interested, here are my thoughts on our recent stay. It will be a long read, and if you choose to do so, it’s at your own risk! We arrived April 9 and left on April 22, therefore staying at the Aquamarine for 13 nights. We were 2 couples, flying in from Canada on Air Transat. My wife and I had been to Punta Cana 4 times previously – the latest being in 2016 – and it was the first time for the second couple. We booked though our go-to travel agent, and she dealt with the issues of generating our e-tickets, parking in Toronto, setting up of hotel transfers, seat bookings and all that other stuff, which we truly appreciate and which, of course, I can’t comment on. The transfer to the airport was pretty easy – around 45 minutes and we made stops at a couple of the Occidentals and at the Bahia Principe Bavaro before getting to our stop. Check-in was quick and painless and when they realized we were 2 couples travelling together, they moved one of us so that the rooms were closer. We had both signed up on the My Bahia App, but the front desk forgot to give us the blue bands that “marked us” as members – didn’t really matter until one of our party went to try and get her 5% discount on a purchase in the Lobby Shop and was told she wasn’t registered. Quick trip back to Guest Services got that fixed. We used the My Bahia App to do the Pre-Check-in and to book all of our a la cartes. It was a bit of a struggle to get checked in, with having to upload passport photos, then trying to match the signatures on the passports as much as possible. However, in the end, everything was accepted as entered.We wound up pre-booking and using 10 of the a la carte options – Takara, Portofino, Maiko, MEAT (twice), El Olivo, Il Capricio, Garden Grill, Mikado and Tequila. The app/website is not the most user friendly, but we were able to manage. If helps to know that you need to wait until 10 days prior to arrival date to do your check-in and that the a la cartes are released one week at a time, but only on the Sunday of the previous week. For example, I had to wait until April 6 to book the a la cartes for the week of April 14 to 20th. We were not able to choose a building and/or floor for our rooms. My wife and I were in Building 83 on the 3rd floor, our friends were in Building 82, 2nd floor. I originally thought I’d want to be in Building 81 (2nd floor), but was actually quite happy with where we were placed. Everything was readily accessible and it was a little quieter than being right in the centre of all the action in Building 81. The room looked a little tired, but there was lots of room, it was clean and it served us just fine. After the first night, we asked Guest Services to provide a foam topper for the mattress – very firm mattresses are the standard offering – and it was provided within the hour. Our room was cleaned, swept and made up every day and the fridge was re-stocked. I did leave a note asking for more beer in the fridge and they accommodated that request. We tipped the housekeeping staff every day ($1-2, 50-100 pesos). We brought a couple of packs of DampRid – one for the closet, the second one within the room – with us and they came in very handy for lessening the humidity. A couple of irritants: 1) our safe broke down 3 separate times during our stay. Guest Services did arrange for Security to fix it pronto – within 15 minutes on each occasion; and 2) our toilet tank stopped filling up twice while we were there. Once again, the issue was addressed immediately by Guest Services and Housekeeping. At the Guest Services desk, Peggy was a great individual to ensure that things got done and issues were addressed! We had breakfast every morning at the Acquario Buffet and it was plentiful in both types and quantities of food. Both of the ladies in our party are cranberry juice lovers, and although not everyone was able to get it for them, one of the wait staff in the outdoor patio area – Jose – was always able to find it for them. He was a very attentive young fellow, always very polite and wanting to help with whatever our needs. Lunches were split between the Acquario Buffet and the Los Olas Beach Buffet. Both were OK. We did also have one lunch at the smaller buffet located on the Nikkei Mashua near the smaller lobby at the Aquamarine. Although we personally never used it, The Grill right by the main pool was always a busy place at noon hour. We also never tried using The Truck down by the beach. My favourite a la carte was the Garden Grill – the Beef Mamina was amazing and the ladies really enjoyed the ribs there too. Both of the Japanese (tepanyaki at both) were very good, with the edge going to the Maiko. The Tankara for asian was surprisingly very good and the Il Capricio, MEAT and El Olivo were also very good. The Tequila Restaurant was ok, and the most disappointing for me was Portofino, which was a bit of a surprise since it came highly recommended. We did have our 2 Tuesday dinners at the Acquario since it was “Gala” night and we also had one dinner (very good) at The Sports Bar. Irritants: 1) people who choose to smoke at the outdoor patio of the restaurants; 2) having kids and sometimes even adults poking the food and putting it back at the Beach Buffet; and 3) dealing with a drunken, drink spilling, foul mouthed Knicks/Rangers fan while sitting at The Sports Bar trying to watch a Bruins/Leafs game. The disappointing part was that the “manager’s” way of dealing with the individual, was to ply him with even more drinks after the waitress took them away from him! The Bahia Principe complex is huge! But it is quite easy to walk around between the various resorts within the complex. We managed to make it to all of them, except for the Fantasia. We weren’t allow in to check it out, which is unfortunate since it would/could be helpful to make a decision on future travel opportunities, The whole complex is super clean, and the staff are always doing touch-ups to maintain the place in tip top shape (painting, trimming of trees and flower beds, washing of pool decks, cleaning of hallways, etc.). At the lobby bars, by the pool, at the beach, you don’t have to wait too long before someone is asking you if you would like a drink. The beach area itself is well maintained and the sargassum is minimal – we’ve been to the Mayan Riviera for the last 5 years or so and the situation there is much worse than what we saw at the Bahia Principe (or anywhere along the beach for that matter). The pools are cleaned and maintained on a regular basis. Staff cleans the pool deck every night, wash down and reposition the deck chairs, repair and replace the broken umbrellas, and generally keep everything in good shape. The “chair game” is quite the event. We’re early risers, so we’re normally poolside or at the beach by 7 am, so getting a spot that we liked was not an issue. We would stay in our spot for the bulk of the day, packing it in by 4 or 4:30. We’d go for walks to the buffets, etc, and didn’t have any issues. On a number of occasions, we did see people “mark their spot” and then be absent for the bulk of the day, which takes away other people’s opportunities to enjoy the facility. If you’re not in your spot by 9 am, you’re going to have to trouble finding a spot, especially if you’re part of a larger group. I can’t even begin to imagine what it’s like in peak season to try and get a spot! In my opinion, part of the problem is that there is no accountability for the towels. So, if the “towel police” come by and remove your towels, there are no consequences, other than it being an inconvenience. Give people towel cards, and if at the end of their stay they don’t have towels to hand in, charge them! The entertainment team is always on the go at the middle pool and in the evenings. It was great to be able to attend shows right in our own lobby/pool area without having to go to the main theatre or to The Village. We especially enjoyed the Fire Show and the Circus Show. Bugs are certainly around. Sand fleas, mosquitos (they’re much smaller than the ones we’re accustomed to at home) and ants. But, we did bring bug spray with DEET and it worked. The only time I forgot to spray before we went out in the evenings, I got 4 bites, but on the days that we did spray it on, they stayed away. We found the WiFi service to be quite good, We really did not lose any service access until we were way out at the beach, but at the pools, in the room, in the restaurants, and everywhere else on the resort it was just fine. Can’t say enough about the staff (housekeeping, guest services, waiters, entertainment, gardeners, shop staff, etc) at the place – an OLA is always responded back with a smile and a greeting. Some of them have very little English, but they have enough of it to be able to understand my limited Spanglish! They do appreciate you trying to speak to them in their language too. And some of the things we personally saw them being asked to do would/could certainly try their patience … a couple wanted the housekeeping staff to remove all the ants from around their loungers on the pool deck. Another fellow wanted the pool crew to remove the film (of body lotions) around the edge of the pool … yet, they went about and did their best to satisfy the individual’s requests. The transfer to the airport was easy. Again, about 45 minutes, with all of the pickups being within the Bahia Principe complex. The airport itself can be a bit of a mess – check in, then you go through security and then you have to scan your passport one more time and have your picture taken and then finally make it into the terminal. Lots of places to buy food, snacks, duty free, and souvenirs within the terminal – I can only speak for Terminal A. Our first time at the Bahia Principe was way back in 2011. This time around, we decided to try the Adults Only Aquamarine. Next time – and hopefully it’s not another 13 year wait – we’d probably try for the Esmeralda (we liked walking around those grounds). Hasta la vista Punta Cana(da).

Currently staying for 9 nights. As always good service, food and drinks however… We asked some of our friends who are new to Bahia Principe to join us and unfortunately they got scammed by the Prestige representatives. The hotel actually gave the Prestige folks their room number. What followed was that they received a call to their room stating they were to pick up a gift as a welcome. Very deceiving sales tactic “phishing “ and I wanted to discuss with a Manager however was told they weren’t available. We are regulars at Bahia “Siver” and have never seen such disrespect for potential customers. Very disappointed and sad for my friends as well as ourselves. Honestly disappointed by management

I'm starting with saying thank you to Steven my new friend and Rigo the best bartender, you guys made me feel appreciated. Food is amazing and entertainers are next level they can get the party going from 0 to 100 in no time. Beach is beautiful, sometimes a little hard to find a spot but you always do. I have zero complaints . If you have a problem they will fix it . Everyone works very hard to accommodate you , please don't forget to tip , bring lots of 1$ and 5$ they honest to God earn it well. From Canada we love you all see you soon!