TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

THIS PROPERTY SHOULD NOT BE OPERATING We paid ~$600 for an “upgrade” after staff promised broader access to hotels, buffets, and amenities. That was false. We were denied access based on wristband status. No substitutions, credits, or remedies were offered. The “upgraded” resort (Esmeralda) was worse than our original booking. The room was unsafe and poorly maintained: broken bathtub handle for days, exposed jet inlet that repeatedly pulled in my girlfriend’s arm, intermittent hot water, fridge that does not cool (staff said this was “normal”), loose sink fixtures, toilet door that does not close, and sliding door with no exterior handle. The property felt unsafe. Individuals wearing hotel employee badges openly offered illegal drugs. Badge-wearing staff repeatedly harassed us to buy items and would not take no for an answer. Golf carts speed through pedestrian walkways, forcing guests to move to avoid being hit. Service was unacceptable. At the only buffet we were allowed to use, staff often failed to offer drinks until meals were nearly finished. Staff were dismissive when issues were raised. When leaving, no one would transport us to the front, forcing a half-mile walk to meet our Uber. Avoid this property.

Very well laid out resort, everything is close which is great for families. Pool was very dirty the first few days, it cleared up day 3 so not sure what the issue may have been. Caution around the pool, there is a strip of marble around the pool that is very slippery, saw several kids and adults slip on this area. MOSQUITOS!!!! They are brutal, little guys that you don't see until you observe the damage around your legs and ankles, maybe due to the fact its end of rainy season but they are nasty at dusk, no problem during the day. The hotel does try to control them with smoke bombing but not sure it helped. Food was good, Italian needs a menu refresh, most of the dishes were seafood related, Mongolian is very good and fun, buffet I would say a solid 7 out of 10. Overall, a very good resort.

This trip was meant to be a memorable one to celebrate my mother’s delayed birthday after she had gone through a very difficult surgery and was finally able to travel. Unfortunately, our experience at this hotel was extremely disappointing and stressful. Before our trip, I contacted the hotel multiple times via email, Expedia, and phone calls to make sure everything was arranged properly for 3 rooms, 5 adults, and 2 children. I specifically confirmed that the rooms would be close to each other, restaurant reservations would be made, and that transportation/shuttle service would be available between the airport and the hotel. Although restaurant reservations were eventually confirmed after many follow-ups, once we arrived, some restaurants had no record of our reservations at all. As for transportation, the hotel provided no assistance whatsoever, stating that because our group was more than 6 people, they could not help us. Another major issue was the internal transportation. Upon arrival, we were not allowed to be taken directly to our building by taxi or hotel transportation (something that was never mentioned anywhere on the website) and were told to wait at least 30 minutes for a golf cart. When we asked the bellhop why it was taking so long, we were rudely told it was “not their problem.” The restaurants at Esmeralda itself were decent, but the restaurants at the other sister hotels were dirty, poorly maintained, with low-quality food and very weak service. The most serious and unacceptable incident happened one night when we returned to our rooms to find that the glass shower door in my mother’s bathroom had completely shattered, leaving broken glass all over the bathroom floor. When we called the front desk, several staff members came in visibly annoyed, acting as if we were bothering them late at night. They did not even vacuum the glass, did not offer a room change, and told us to wait until the next morning so housekeeping could clean it—despite the obvious danger, especially considering my mother’s condition. No one came to clean the room until after noon the next day. When we spoke to the manager, we were told that this had happened before due to temperature changes and that we needed to be patient. His attitude made it seem like this was a normal, insignificant issue and that we were overreacting. We followed up again later that day, but no one ever came to clean the room for the rest of our stay, nor did we receive any response. Another disturbing experience occurred when we were waiting for a golf cart after returning from a tour. After waiting about 20 minutes, we finally got on a cart. A few minutes later, a Spanish-speaking family arrived, paid the driver, and the driver forced us to get off and wait for the next cart. Overall, this hotel showed a complete lack of organization, safety standards, professionalism, and basic respect for guests. I would not recommend this hotel, especially for families, elderly guests, or anyone with medical needs.

It’s a hotel chain that I really like. This was my first time at Esmeralda, and I enjoyed it very much. The room is very comfortable, the food is very good, and the entertainment is good, overall. I only had a small inconvenience: when we went to an à la carte restaurant, we were not allowed to complete our reservation because my husband was wearing a short-sleeve shirt. I didn’t see this rule written anywhere, and there was no notice about it when I made the reservation. Other than that, everything was very good, and I will definitely return.

14 family members went and things went ok till last day. I pulled my tablet out of my bag to put it in suitcase. Accidently left behind. Crew showed up as we were boarding the bus to leave and said someone left their cell phone behind. We all checked phones. We all had our phones. Long story short tried to get my tablet back after I got home. They made it impossible for me to retrieve it. We contacted our personal Butler. Who was amazing. He could not help and they fired him for trying to help us. I told security to gift it to our butler as I was not able to get it back home. They stopped communicating with me and again fired our Butler. This is how security dept treated guests and employees. We will never return and we have had over 75 family members visit Bahai Principe facilities over the last 5 years. Won't happen again!!@