Bahia Principe San Juan Hotel

We just returned from the Bahia Principe San Juan. We were there from December 31 to January 7th.This was our third trip to the Dominican Republic but our first to Puerto Plata. We’ve been to Punta Cana, La Romana, Cayo Coco, Cayo Largo and Puerto Vallarta. We’ve never complained about any of the other places that we have stayed at. This by far was the worst place we have been to.
ARRIVAL
We received our AI bracelets, map of the resort and room key on the bus, which was excellent because we did not waste any time waiting in line upon arrival. When we got off the bus we did not get a drink or a musical welcome. We went to reception to purchase the room safe, waited a few minutes and were told to come back later. We found our room, waited for our luggage, had dinner and then returned to reception to get our safe key. The woman at the desk still hadn’t found the right form. We waited a few more minutes and then purchased our room safe for $28 US. We found the people at the front desk disorganized and unfriendly.
THE ROOM
We stayed in room 2105 (E-I section - Golden Club section), which was located close to the beach, buffet restaurant and two pools. The room furnishing was satisfactory but definitely not something that you would expect to see at a 4+ star hotel. Some bugs and spiders did get in but that is to be expected. The mini bar was not stocked daily although we called the front desk on many occasions. We had to ask for beach towels and umbrella for two days although they were suppose to be placed in our room upon arrival.
THE RESORT
The resort property is huge. 649 rooms in the BP, 136 in the Club Hacienda and 156 in the Club Golden Principe. The resort is surrounded by lush tropical vegetation. Very beautiful. The only issue that I had was with the lack of lights after 11pm. It was difficult to walk in the dark without tripping over something or slipping.
THE BEACH
What beach? I wouldn’t call it a beach. If you have seen Lake Ontario than just add a few palm trees and you have the same beach that is at the BPSJ. The sand is dark grey/black. The water is dark and murky. The sand is infested with sand flies/fleas. There is a creek on the west and east side of the resort that flows into the ocean. If you see what is behind the palm tree leave fence that surrounds the hotel and the garbage dump that is across the street you can only imagine what flows into the ocean.
THE POOLS
The smaller pools were clean but the main pool was crowded and very dirty. It should be repainted, cleaned more often and tiled.
THE FOOD
There are four a-la-carte restaurants (Mexican - okay, Mediterranean - very good, Italian - okay and Seafood) and one large buffet restaurant. We tried to book our a-la-carte dinners the night that we arrived but were told to come back the next day. We tried to make reservations at 9:30am the next morning and were told that the Seafood restaurant was unavailable all week because it was fully booked. The buffet restaurant was pretty good, but nothing special for a 4+ star hotel. The only night that I would say the food was 4+ star qualities was New Years Eve.
THE BARS
The service was too slow. The drinks were watered down. The beer tasted like vinegar. The fruit drinks were slushy type drinks.
ENTERTAINMENT
The show at 10pm was okay, but I have seen better shows in other resorts. The Pueblo Principe (entrance to the hotel) was a great idea. The live band, karaoke bar, disco and casino were a lot of fun. Drinks are supposed to be included on the street except in the casino. They ask you your room number and say that you will not be charged, however, upon check-out we were charged 375 pesos for drinks that we had on the street. We refused to pay for a few beers and pina coladas. We argued with the woman in charge of the Golden Club for over 20 minutes. She was very rude so we complained to our Air Transat representative and she took care of it. Be careful because many people that we talked to had been charged for things they weren’t suppose to be charged for.
BUGS
We were eaten alive. Deep woods off did nothing to protect us from the bugs. I counted 27 painful bites on one leg. Fortunately, we did not get bitten as much as other people who ended up going to the doctor to get medication and shots. Some people complained not only about mosquitoes and sand flies/fleas on the beach but also bed bugs. By looking at people’s legs and arms one could see that the majority of people at the resort were covered in bites.
SHOPPING
The shops on the strip are much more expensive than the shops at the airport.
WEATHER
Rain, rain and more rain and a small earthquake.
I would strongly recommend that people STAY AWAY from this resort. It is in no way shape or form at 4+ star resort. It shouldn’t be rated more than a 3 star. The resort is infested with bugs, the beach is nasty, and half of the staff is rude and unfriendly. If you are planning a trip to the Dominican Republic I would suggest that you look into staying at a 4 star resort in Punta Cana. I stayed at the Grand Paradise Bavaro and it was 100 times better than the Bahia Principe San Juan.