TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Review Where to begin. Let’s start with the airport. Waited over an hour for suitcases. Once getting to Fantasia I remembered why I have not been to the dominicain in 6 years. The staff is not welcoming whatsoever. The rooms are disgustingly. We were in a junior suite and the bathroom didn’t flush. My son slept on the sofa bed and they didn’t have proper sheets to go around the mattress so every night he ended up sleeping on the mattress instead of sheets. I called 4 times for extra pillows even went to the front desk nothing. It took me writing a note to the cleaning staff with a twenty dollar bill to get extra pillows. Let’s talk about the food. So lunch option was an outdoor grill when it was open but they would randomly close for who knows what reason. The pool food restaurant was a choice of a hot dog, a grilled cheese and ham sandwich or pizza. So if you’re gluten free you have an apple or pear as an option. Went to an Italian restaurant where I told staff my daughter was allergic to nuts. She orders a pasta where the waiter says no nuts. Low and behold it’s drizzled with pesto. I ask the waiter if it was pesto he says no. But it was pesto luckily my daughter didn’t eat the dish! Then one of the staff members apologized and says yes it was pesto. Honestly the lack of attention to allergies in 2026 is appalling. The resort was dirty, old, staff was rude. I will never go back to the dominicain republic and definitely not to the Fantasia. Is there a rating below a zero? Oh did I mention I think we got bed bug bites..,.

Nice resort . Food is mediocre . I wanted authentic Dominican food what they serve is not! At least the fruit was fresh and the dining hall attendants were excellent. Beware if you go don’t put any money in the safe !! The cleaning crew stole my money!! I was there after the death of my father literally a week before and that just devastated me further !! Keep your money on you at all times!!!

Check-in & Orientation: Our stay started on the wrong foot with a rushed check-in and no real orientation. We weren’t given basic information such as buffet times, show schedules, or how to book a la carte restaurants — we were simply told to download the app. Unfortunately, the app isn’t designed as an orientation tool and was confusing to use. It often showed different restaurant availability than what the concierge could see, and we later learned we could have booked restaurants five days before arrival — a detail no one mentioned. Room Quality & Maintenance: The room felt outdated and somewhat worn, especially the bathroom. The shower drain clogged immediately, one sink was broken, and the water temperature swung from scalding hot to usable after 30 seconds — not ideal after a long travel day. Dining & Booking Experience: Booking a la carte restaurants was frustrating, with several days showing no availability. The concierge eventually explained that New Year’s menus were the same across restaurants and helped secure spots despite the app showing “full” — something the front desk should have explained. Food handling practices raised concerns — we saw an omelet-station worker handle waffles with a hand covered in raw egg. Service overall felt indifferent and sometimes rude, with limited English and little warmth. We arrived ready to tip generously but quickly felt most service didn’t warrant it. Food Quality: Buffet desserts were generally poor, and the themed restaurants were hit-or-miss. Menus sometimes felt mismatched — for example, the Greek restaurant serving “shish taouk” that tasted more like dry chicken tikka. One positive was lunch at the Garden Restaurant, which featured a charcoal BBQ with freshly cooked meats — a highlight in an otherwise uneven dining experience. Resort Layout & Amenities: The physical resort is well-designed. Pools, slides, and the beach were all easy to access, and we never struggled to find chairs — even later in the day. The kids enjoyed the water areas, and the weather helped make the trip enjoyable. Staff Support: A bright spot was the manager, Gavilin, who listened sincerely and helped secure restaurant reservations when neither the app nor concierge could. Bottom Line We still had fun because the pools and beach were great — and that was our main goal. But for the price, the service gaps, food inconsistencies, maintenance issues, and confusing systems were disappointing. I wouldn’t consider this a true 5-star experience, and we don’t plan to return to Bahia Principe properties in the future.

The food at the hotel was terrible. On the second day of our stay, I saw a cockroach next to the scrambled eggs, which completely disgusted me and put me off eating there for the rest of the stay. The beds and rooms were very average, and on top of that there were bugs in the room that were biting us throughout the entire stay.

Bahia Principe Fantasia – Punta Cana (December 23–30, Family of 5) We traveled to Bahia Principe Fantasia with our three kids (ages 3, 7, and 14) from Dec 23–30 with Air Canada. Unfortunately, travel was a nightmare with constant delays both ways, but that was airline-related—not the resort. Check-in & App Experience Check-in at the resort itself was excellent—quick, simple, and stress-free. You simply give your name and receive wristbands with your room information. I loved how efficient this was. The Bahia Principe app lets you check in 10 days before arrival, which also allows you to book restaurant reservations in advance. You get up to 7 reservations for a week stay. We booked four: Japanese Teppanyaki, Brazilian, Circus, and La Gourmet. I really appreciated being able to plan ahead. Once booked, the app creates a calendar with your reservations, but once onsite the event info wasn’t always accurate and didn’t include maps or clear locations, which was frustrating. Some kids’ activities listed (like slime making) were no longer offered, which disappointed my kids. Room We stayed in room 99211—the first building to the right when leaving the lobby. The location was fantastic: very close to the buffet and main amenities. However, our reservation stated “castle view,” and there was absolutely no view of the castle from our balcony. The room itself was spacious and decent but definitely dated. The beds were extremely uncomfortable and the pillows were rock hard. For $3,000–$3,100 per person, I expected much better quality. The bathroom was very large, but the blow dryer was terrible—bring your own. The in-room coffee machine didn’t work and appeared rusty. Food & Dining Food overall was good, with lots of variety. The Christmas buffet was beautiful with tons of options, but it was insanely crowded. They really should have more than one buffet open at all times to spread people out. One major downside was buffet service, which was honestly awful. Getting drinks was nearly impossible—you barely got water, let alone anything else. Even when asking for drinks, they often never arrived. I wish there were self-serve drink stations. This was one of the most frustrating parts of the stay. That said, we loved the casual food options by the beach and water park—fresh pizza, ice cream, fruit sandwiches, and plenty of easy grab-and-go food, which was great for kids. Restaurants • La Gourmet: Not very “gourmet.” Decent menu, but steak and lobster did not come with sides, and there was no Caesar salad option, which was odd. Kids don’t order from the menu—they get a kids “buffet,” which my kids barely touched (cold spaghetti with a rock-hard meatball). Desserts were creative and good, but we wouldn’t repeat this restaurant. • Brazilian: Our absolute favorite. Located at the Grand resort right by the ocean—beautiful setting. You start with a massive buffet, then servers come around with meats. Everything was phenomenal. 10/10. • Japanese Teppanyaki: Located in the Grand lobby. Plenty of food and the family enjoyed it, but everything was heavily covered in teriyaki and sauces, which was a bit much for me. The show was just okay. • Circus Restaurant: Located beside the water park. Due to renovations, we didn’t get the full dinner-and-show experience we hoped for, but the meal and service were excellent. Service at all the restaurants was fantastic—night and day difference compared to the buffet. Entertainment & Noise Evening entertainment was extremely loud—by far the loudest resort we’ve ever stayed at, and we’ve traveled a lot. If you want to go to bed before 11pm, good luck. The entire resort can hear the shows. This was shocking considering Fantasia is heavily marketed as a family resort with young kids. Pools, Beach & Grounds The resort itself is beautiful, and the pools are great. The beach was stunning and the water was lovely. Kids absolutely loved the water park at both Fantasia and Grand. One thing we did appreciate is that staying at Fantasia allows you to explore other Bahia Principe sections (excluding Luxury Amber & Esmeralda). They tell you at check in that you can use all the other sections along with their amenities just not the buffets (excluding Esmeralda) but We used the Esmeralda pool without issue. The Grand section actually looked nicer overall, but was much busier. We waited about 25 minutes to get drinks there, while at Fantasia we never waited in line for poolside drinks. Kids Club & Family Activities There is a kids club and teen den, but parents are not allowed inside. While I understand the concept, I really disliked that there wasn’t a shared space for families to enjoy together. My 14-year-old is shy and didn’t want to go alone, but would’ve loved to go in with his younger brother. The teen den was under renovations, so only parts were open, though it looks like it will be great once finished. There really wasn’t much to do as a family beyond swimming during the day. Pool tables near the theatre required payment. No shared indoor play spaces or family game areas, which felt like a missed opportunity for a family-focused resort. Overall Impression Fantasia is beautiful, has great pools, a lovely beach, and excellent à la carte restaurants—but the poor buffet service, uncomfortable beds, extreme noise levels, dated rooms, and lack of family-inclusive activities really held it back. This is not a 5-star resort in our opinion—closer to a 3-4-star. The Grand section felt more polished and fancier, despite having a lower rating. We wouldn’t return to Fantasia for $3,100 per person. Overall Rating: 4/5