Bahia Principe San Juan Hotel, Puerto Plata
Hotel Information
Hotel Class:
Hotel Description:
The Bahia Principe Dominican Republic San Juan Hotel is located 18 km along the Gaspar Hernandez-Rio San Juan road, on the north coast of the Dominican Republic. The Bahia Principe San Juan Hotel was opened in July 1995 and stands on a private 5km long beach sheltered by a coral reef. The Bahia Principe San Juan Hotel covers an area of over 1.5 million sq m and is surrounded by lush tropical vegetation, with myriad mangroves all over the area surrounding the Bahia Principe. The Bahia Principe San Juan Hotel also has two lake-type swimming-pools with children section, one of these with jacuzzi, and one activities pool, a large sundeck, sunshades, sunbeds and a towel service at the swimming-pools and beach. loading...
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Bahia Principe San Juan Hotel Reviews
" Be Careful! "
Submitted By: Chipkiss001
Just got back from a 2 week holiday in the dominican republic.
We arrived to Bahia Principe on Saturday 2nd May.
We was upgraded to the diamond club part of the hotel which entitled us to our private pool and resturant (we paid for this)
Couldnt fault the place after having 3 amazing days here. Best food ive ever had, staff very friendly, lovely pool, great beach and very quiet which is a bonus!
After booking lots of excursions after the Welcome meeting, we was due to pay for these on Tuesday morning, only to find on opening the safety deposit box, all our spending money had been stolen!
We immediately reported this to the hotel reception who passed us onto guest services who then basically told us that this was impossible!
With further arguements, they then sent a security guard to our room who turned our room upside down and searched through every pocket of my clothes and the girlfriends underwear bascially accusing us of hiding the money!
I was very angry with how the hotel delt with the matter but we both agreed to get on with our holiday.
Only to find later the same day, we was informed the diamond part of the hotel was closing and we had to move rooms! ... but they called this an upgrade as we would get bath robes and a coffe machine and room service (whoooo)!
After speaking about this with other couples staying in the same part of the hotel, we phoned thomos cook who after alot of arguing, arranged to move us 8 couples to another hotel.
We ended up finsihing our holiday in the Barcelo hotel in Costa Dorado.
Very nice hotel and we was ungraded to the private section with premium drinks and our own jacuzzi etc.
I really enjoyed the holiday even with what happenend but i think next time i would consider taking no money and just my bank card.
One week on and we are still trying to claim our losses back as the hotel never helped in any way.
We arrived to Bahia Principe on Saturday 2nd May.
We was upgraded to the diamond club part of the hotel which entitled us to our private pool and resturant (we paid for this)
Couldnt fault the place after having 3 amazing days here. Best food ive ever had, staff very friendly, lovely pool, great beach and very quiet which is a bonus!
After booking lots of excursions after the Welcome meeting, we was due to pay for these on Tuesday morning, only to find on opening the safety deposit box, all our spending money had been stolen!
We immediately reported this to the hotel reception who passed us onto guest services who then basically told us that this was impossible!
With further arguements, they then sent a security guard to our room who turned our room upside down and searched through every pocket of my clothes and the girlfriends underwear bascially accusing us of hiding the money!
I was very angry with how the hotel delt with the matter but we both agreed to get on with our holiday.
Only to find later the same day, we was informed the diamond part of the hotel was closing and we had to move rooms! ... but they called this an upgrade as we would get bath robes and a coffe machine and room service (whoooo)!
After speaking about this with other couples staying in the same part of the hotel, we phoned thomos cook who after alot of arguing, arranged to move us 8 couples to another hotel.
We ended up finsihing our holiday in the Barcelo hotel in Costa Dorado.
Very nice hotel and we was ungraded to the private section with premium drinks and our own jacuzzi etc.
I really enjoyed the holiday even with what happenend but i think next time i would consider taking no money and just my bank card.
One week on and we are still trying to claim our losses back as the hotel never helped in any way.
21 out of
27 readers found this review helpful
-
- Date of Holiday:May 2009
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:Thomas Cook
" Fabulous!! "
Submitted By: SSmith84
My partner and I returned from a 7 night stay at Bahia Principe San Juan Yesterday. I wish we'd gone for 2 weeks, the place is amazing!! I couldnt find anything to complain about
The airport is quite quick paced and confusing if you've never travelled to the dominican republic before. On the plane you are asked to fil in a small form which you hand in at the airport along with $10 tax (this is per person), in return you are given a smaller tourist visa which you also hand in through customs, you are them given another form to fill in per party. The bags were unloaded very quickly so ther is not much waiting time although do be careful of the airport porters, they will take your suitcases to the correct coach for you in return for a tip. They are quite insistant and pushy however if you dont want their help just tell them you have no money and they will soon leave you alone.
It is about a 90 minute trip to the Bahia Principe over roads that leave a lot to be desired. On arrival at reception you are greeted by the hotel porters who will help unload the cases and direct you to the receiption. Check in was quick and easy, you are given a wristband, the colour depending on whether you have upgraded to gold or diamond club. You are given a welcome pack and a welcome cocktail. The staff at the reception desk were very helpful and the cocktail was lovely. The hotel has ramps all over the place so is very good for diasbled/pushchair access.
After we had checked in the porters loaded out suitcases onto a 'Taxi' (like a golf buggy but have the capacity to take suitcases and a number of guests. On arriving at our room the porters carried our cases to the room for us, it is polite to tip, usually only $1 but it is personla preference whether you tip or not. Our room was really nice, quite big and very clean with a huge bed and towels arranged in the shape of a heart with flowers in the middle, a very nice touch! the bathroom was a fair size and terrace was also a nice size with chairs and a table. all in all the room was nicely decorated with air conditioning, a ceiling fan and a fully stocked mini-bar (this is included as all inclusive and restocked every day. We did have a TV in our room which worked fine (although we didn't really watch it as there was so much to see and do, i just noticed that some peoples reviews on here complained about them not working and wondered what all the fuss is about, there's not a huge choice of channels and they are mostly in spanish but who goes on holiday to sit and watch tv eh?)there was also a phone in the room, which again worked find although we were warned by the rep that it can be expensive to use them, phone cards are available to purchase from your rep and are a lot cheaper! I tended to use my mobile!
The grounds to the hotel are really nice, well kept and very clean. There are staff cleaning or gardening almost everywhere you look! Some of the apartments at the far end of the resort can be around a 15 minute walk back to reception but it is a nice walk among the grounds, palm trees and nice walkways or you could always walk down the beach! If you dont fancy walking they do have a 'taxi' service whioch are constantly driving round the complex so you can usually hop on one without much of a wait.
There are 4 swimming pools, one is only for people who upgraded and is at the far end of the complex, it is a nice size and definately for people who want a bit of privacy. There is another smaller swimming pool just left of the main swimming pool with a baskerball stand at either, i never used this one myself but it was, like everything else in the hotel, well kept and tidy, it was never very busy either so worth a look. The main swaimming pool was lovely, it gets deeper gently and at most is 5 and a half foot deep. The swim up bar is very nice, a large variety of drinks and, althought it does get busy, there is usually room to sneak in and get a drink! Around the main pool is where you will find the animation team who are always looking for people to get involved in the many activities in and out of the pool, Aqua Arobics is available once every day and water polo is a favourite. There is a childs section in this pool also. There is another pool to the right of the main pool too, i think is is layed out like this so people at the far ends of the complex dont have to walk to far to get to their nearest pool, also these pools are a bit quieter and ideal if you want minimal noise and fuss.
The Bars aroung the complex are well kept and clean and the saff very friendly and helpful. The drinks are served in plastic cups, and the juice tends to be served slush Puppy Style, which is actually really nice as it gets so hot over there! I assumed the drinks were watered down a little as drinking all day we did not get drunk, although we did chat to a group who asked for neat spirits and assured us that they were not (the facial expression when he drank it made me believe)! There is a big choice of drinks and cocktails.
The restaurants are very big serving a huge amount of different food. Breakfast is available 7 - 10.30am and have a massive selection of fruits, pastries, cereals and hot food. lunch is served 1pm - 3pm and dinner is 7pm - 10:30pm. You have to wash your hands with anti bacterial handwash before entering at all times. The food is very tasty and you always get a huge variety of foods to choose from. They always have certain dishes cooked in frony of you to arder (omlettes in the morning, and steak/ribs and fish for dinner) the food was always warm and well cooked, my partner is a very picky eater and found lots of things he liked, there are different themes everyday from italian, mexican, dominican, spanish etc There are always staff offering to fetch drinks for you and serving ice water, the area is kept very clean. there are four al a carte restaurants, meditteranian, italian, mexican and seafood, They need to be booked as soon as you get there to make sure you can get in there. We went to the Seafood restaurant and it was gorgeous, quite limited choices but the service and food was amazing! The snack bar is open all day every day so food and drink are always available if you miss the main restaurants.
The Amimaion team were there all day, organising fun and games round the pools in the day and hosting a mini disco for the kids in the evening before turning their attention to the adults. The mini disco was the same every night so did get a little repetative but the kids up there seemed to enjoy it, the evening entertainment starts off with dancing, the team get people up on stage dancing before they launch into a show, It is different every night and always a lot of fun. the team are really good who involve everyone and make a fantastic effort, they are there all day every day and still have so much energy and seem to be enjoying themselves too. The shows stop at 11pm but you can walk to the 'Strip' where they have a disco, karoke bar, 'hard rock' cafe and a casino until 2/3am (everything except the casino is all inclusive).
There are a lot of excusrions to go on, we did the Laguna Jeep Safari and the trip to ocean world. Both days out were amazing, definately worth the money and very very enjoyable. Tennis, table tennis, mini golf and non motorised water sports are also available throughout the day!
The only thing that i woud mention is the differences between the guests, there are British, French, German, Dutch, American and Canadian so lot of different types of people around. I did notice that a small number of Canadians did come accross as quite rude and complained about almost everything although i could not find fault. I think this is possibly just a clash of cultures and didnt make a huge amoumt of difference.
The hotel wasnt overcrowded when we got there, i would say definately check when 'Spring Break' is before you book though as i heard it does get quite full and quite noisy.
On the whole i cant find fault with the hotel at all, it's spotless, the staff go out of their way to be helpful, it's good fun with lots to do throughout the day and night! I give this 10/10 and am definately going back next year with my parter. My family are so impressed with our reviews and pictures that they're coming too! definately a worthwhile trip!
The airport is quite quick paced and confusing if you've never travelled to the dominican republic before. On the plane you are asked to fil in a small form which you hand in at the airport along with $10 tax (this is per person), in return you are given a smaller tourist visa which you also hand in through customs, you are them given another form to fill in per party. The bags were unloaded very quickly so ther is not much waiting time although do be careful of the airport porters, they will take your suitcases to the correct coach for you in return for a tip. They are quite insistant and pushy however if you dont want their help just tell them you have no money and they will soon leave you alone.
It is about a 90 minute trip to the Bahia Principe over roads that leave a lot to be desired. On arrival at reception you are greeted by the hotel porters who will help unload the cases and direct you to the receiption. Check in was quick and easy, you are given a wristband, the colour depending on whether you have upgraded to gold or diamond club. You are given a welcome pack and a welcome cocktail. The staff at the reception desk were very helpful and the cocktail was lovely. The hotel has ramps all over the place so is very good for diasbled/pushchair access.
After we had checked in the porters loaded out suitcases onto a 'Taxi' (like a golf buggy but have the capacity to take suitcases and a number of guests. On arriving at our room the porters carried our cases to the room for us, it is polite to tip, usually only $1 but it is personla preference whether you tip or not. Our room was really nice, quite big and very clean with a huge bed and towels arranged in the shape of a heart with flowers in the middle, a very nice touch! the bathroom was a fair size and terrace was also a nice size with chairs and a table. all in all the room was nicely decorated with air conditioning, a ceiling fan and a fully stocked mini-bar (this is included as all inclusive and restocked every day. We did have a TV in our room which worked fine (although we didn't really watch it as there was so much to see and do, i just noticed that some peoples reviews on here complained about them not working and wondered what all the fuss is about, there's not a huge choice of channels and they are mostly in spanish but who goes on holiday to sit and watch tv eh?)there was also a phone in the room, which again worked find although we were warned by the rep that it can be expensive to use them, phone cards are available to purchase from your rep and are a lot cheaper! I tended to use my mobile!
The grounds to the hotel are really nice, well kept and very clean. There are staff cleaning or gardening almost everywhere you look! Some of the apartments at the far end of the resort can be around a 15 minute walk back to reception but it is a nice walk among the grounds, palm trees and nice walkways or you could always walk down the beach! If you dont fancy walking they do have a 'taxi' service whioch are constantly driving round the complex so you can usually hop on one without much of a wait.
There are 4 swimming pools, one is only for people who upgraded and is at the far end of the complex, it is a nice size and definately for people who want a bit of privacy. There is another smaller swimming pool just left of the main swimming pool with a baskerball stand at either, i never used this one myself but it was, like everything else in the hotel, well kept and tidy, it was never very busy either so worth a look. The main swaimming pool was lovely, it gets deeper gently and at most is 5 and a half foot deep. The swim up bar is very nice, a large variety of drinks and, althought it does get busy, there is usually room to sneak in and get a drink! Around the main pool is where you will find the animation team who are always looking for people to get involved in the many activities in and out of the pool, Aqua Arobics is available once every day and water polo is a favourite. There is a childs section in this pool also. There is another pool to the right of the main pool too, i think is is layed out like this so people at the far ends of the complex dont have to walk to far to get to their nearest pool, also these pools are a bit quieter and ideal if you want minimal noise and fuss.
The Bars aroung the complex are well kept and clean and the saff very friendly and helpful. The drinks are served in plastic cups, and the juice tends to be served slush Puppy Style, which is actually really nice as it gets so hot over there! I assumed the drinks were watered down a little as drinking all day we did not get drunk, although we did chat to a group who asked for neat spirits and assured us that they were not (the facial expression when he drank it made me believe)! There is a big choice of drinks and cocktails.
The restaurants are very big serving a huge amount of different food. Breakfast is available 7 - 10.30am and have a massive selection of fruits, pastries, cereals and hot food. lunch is served 1pm - 3pm and dinner is 7pm - 10:30pm. You have to wash your hands with anti bacterial handwash before entering at all times. The food is very tasty and you always get a huge variety of foods to choose from. They always have certain dishes cooked in frony of you to arder (omlettes in the morning, and steak/ribs and fish for dinner) the food was always warm and well cooked, my partner is a very picky eater and found lots of things he liked, there are different themes everyday from italian, mexican, dominican, spanish etc There are always staff offering to fetch drinks for you and serving ice water, the area is kept very clean. there are four al a carte restaurants, meditteranian, italian, mexican and seafood, They need to be booked as soon as you get there to make sure you can get in there. We went to the Seafood restaurant and it was gorgeous, quite limited choices but the service and food was amazing! The snack bar is open all day every day so food and drink are always available if you miss the main restaurants.
The Amimaion team were there all day, organising fun and games round the pools in the day and hosting a mini disco for the kids in the evening before turning their attention to the adults. The mini disco was the same every night so did get a little repetative but the kids up there seemed to enjoy it, the evening entertainment starts off with dancing, the team get people up on stage dancing before they launch into a show, It is different every night and always a lot of fun. the team are really good who involve everyone and make a fantastic effort, they are there all day every day and still have so much energy and seem to be enjoying themselves too. The shows stop at 11pm but you can walk to the 'Strip' where they have a disco, karoke bar, 'hard rock' cafe and a casino until 2/3am (everything except the casino is all inclusive).
There are a lot of excusrions to go on, we did the Laguna Jeep Safari and the trip to ocean world. Both days out were amazing, definately worth the money and very very enjoyable. Tennis, table tennis, mini golf and non motorised water sports are also available throughout the day!
The only thing that i woud mention is the differences between the guests, there are British, French, German, Dutch, American and Canadian so lot of different types of people around. I did notice that a small number of Canadians did come accross as quite rude and complained about almost everything although i could not find fault. I think this is possibly just a clash of cultures and didnt make a huge amoumt of difference.
The hotel wasnt overcrowded when we got there, i would say definately check when 'Spring Break' is before you book though as i heard it does get quite full and quite noisy.
On the whole i cant find fault with the hotel at all, it's spotless, the staff go out of their way to be helpful, it's good fun with lots to do throughout the day and night! I give this 10/10 and am definately going back next year with my parter. My family are so impressed with our reviews and pictures that they're coming too! definately a worthwhile trip!
Advice: I cant find fault with anything, staff were so helpful and the complex was so pretty.
Activities: Laguna Jeep Safari and Ocean World
Good for: Beach
10 out of
10 readers found this review helpful
-
- Date of Holiday:Mar 2009
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:Thomas Cook
" fantastic "
Submitted By: pugh
no way could you fault this holiday it was wonderful
my husband and i went for 2 week last year last week
of june 1st week of july had a lovely time every thing
was great,from the bell boys to management i would
recommend this hotel. caroline from wales
my husband and i went for 2 week last year last week
of june 1st week of july had a lovely time every thing
was great,from the bell boys to management i would
recommend this hotel. caroline from wales
1 out of
2 readers found this review helpful
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- Date of Holiday:Jun 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:First Choice
" Very Lively Resort! "
Submitted By: Mrs_A_Bucks
We stayed at the Bahia Principe San Juan from the 5th March for 1 week. A full synopsis below:
Weather:
Apparently the best time to go (Dry Season / Winter) is between November – Mid April – we were a little concerned with the weather on the run up to the holiday as they were mostly reporting a lot of rain. All I can advise is not to listen to the 10 day weather forecasts as when we were there, we had great weather. It was a little overcast on a couple of days, but came as a welcome relief to be honest – don’t forget you also tan on overcast days and can even burn! The rain came in short sharp spurts and it was soon dry again.
Flights:
We flew premium class with First choice – well worth the upgrade fee. You get a lot of extra legroom (with my 6ft 4ins husband able to swing his legs around! You enjoy a great 3 course meal (with choices of main course), with comp drinks (throughout the flight) – all served on china and in glasses (makes a big difference!). You receive a secondary meal (unlike standard class) later in the flight – variety of sandwiches with a full cream tea and cheese/crackers in the afternoon and cereal, croissants and jam in the morning – with all the tea/coffee/hot choc you can drink. You also receive “pamper packs” on both legs of the journey, comprised of eye masks, aloe vera gels, hand creams, flight socks and a mini toothbrush and toothpaste. The service is fantastic, fast and very personal. The flight is very long for the flight crew but nothing is too much for them at all, even happy to chat at all hours when your partner is asleep!
Transfer:
The outbound transfer was on a large coach with a couple of drop offs, before you set off to the hotel – this took approx 90 mins. On the way back we had a small minibus without drop offs and it took approx 65 mins – a big difference. The traffic can sometimes contribute to a long transfer, so make sure you have a big bottle of water and a book to occupy your time.
The Hotel:
Check in was fast and easy and accompanied by a cocktail (yum!) – the staff are welcoming and friendly.
Everywhere you look there are cleaners and grounds men tending to their gardens / areas – the hotel is immaculately maintained.
The Rooms:
I can only comment on the standard double bedroom – and we found this to be suitable for our stay. It was a little on the small side – but the bed was huge, with a small dining room table and chairs. The bathroom was large as was the balcony. The rooms are in need of updating, but just remember you aren’t going to the Caribbean to stay inside your bedroom! It was clean and did the job.
If you are located in a ground floor apartment, do not leave any shoes / clothing / any valuable items on the floor. If the rain does come down heavily, the ground floor rooms are prone to a little flooding, so don’t chance it, as the hotel will not take responsibility for any ruined goods.
The Pools:
We ventured to the main pool most days – very large with hundreds of sunbeds around it. If you want to get a sunbed, I would suggest that you get up VERY early to go and lay a towel down – there are signs stating that sunbeds cannot be reserved, but no-one pays any attention to these. We were up around 7.30am most mornings and had trouble every single time! A tip – grab 2 sunbeds from the beach (usually a few free) and drag them to the pool area.
The Beach:
The beach is lovely – its not white sand and snorkelling water, but its very clean and there are usually alot of sunbeds free. The waves can be quite strong and I would advise you to stay well away from the sand bars that have been created not too far off shore. Very slippy and very dangerous. The week before we arrived a young lad dived off one and ended up breaking some vertebrae in his neck as he didn’t realise how shallow the water was. But don’t be put off swimming though! Just be careful.
The Restaurants:
Upon entering the buffet area, you must wash your hands in the bacterial gel provided – if you do not comply with this, you will be refused entry. (I did hear that the hotel had a few health problems a couple of years ago, but its good to see they are making a conscious effort to keep the bugs at bay!) The main buffet restaurant is huge and the queues can be a little overwhelming at times. It opens at 7pm each evening, we tended to go around 8pm and could usually get a table without having to queue. The variety is good and if you aren’t too much of a fussy eater, you shouldn’t have any problems. I am quite fussy and did get a little sick of its repetitiveness by day 5. There is a little bit of everything on offer and the salads are washed in distilled water, so no problems with tap water. The water and ice cubes in the restaurant are also distilled water – so again, no tummy worries! The soups (chicken noodle, minestrone, lobster and tomato) and puddings (all sorts of lovely fresh fruits, sponge cakes and cheesecakes, were always fab!
The A La Carte restaurants are a little over rated in my opinion – there are 4 restaurants and you get 3 visits per week of your stay. We visited the Mexican (4 choices of each course and the food tasted over cooked and under seasoned/spiced), the Italian (Pizza and pasta…which is exactly the same food from the main buffet) and lastly the Seafood restaurant (surprisingly good – we had lobster smothered in garlic butter amongst other things). The service in each was good, but the food quality in the first 2 restaurants really let the experience down.
The Bars:
There are several bars to choose from, ranging from the main pool bar, the 2 lobby bars, the beach bar and a couple of others in the Caribbean village (more info below). Each of the bars serves cocktails, draft beer, wine and spirits. The drinks are a little on the weak side, so ask for a double and the very cheerful bar staff are more than happy to oblige. The ice is also safe from each of the bar areas. All drinks are served in small plastic cups – so if you would like larger measures, before you leave home, buy a couple of large thermos type cups to take with you.
The Caribbean Village:
A street of shops, bars and a casino amongst other things. This area of the resort comes alive after 11pm – drinks are still all inclusive here – except in the casino area. So if you do fancy a flutter, go across the street to grab a couple of drinks first. Be warned though – if you are winning, they may shut before the normal closing time – they don’t like to lose money!
The Animation Team:
These guys work very, very hard! Entertaining from 11am - 11pm. From pool games, to sports, to watersports, to dancing lessons, to fire breathing / magician shows, looking after the kiddies etc. Absolutely superb and full of energy!!
The Gift Shop:
Seems to have a little bit of everything which can be handy – although most items are very expensive! We bought an English newspaper, normally priced around 30p in the UK – they charge $8…!! Suncream – around $20 per bottle, Pringles - $3 per tub, flip flops/vest tops – around $10. Cigarettes are very expensive – around $60 for 200! Take some with you and buy some at duty free on the way out - $25 for 200.
The Safe:
$22 per week of your stay – you are strongly advised to get pay for this upon arrival, which is a little disconcerting! They state that anything that goes missing from your room is your responsibility as you shouldn’t leave it lying around. We also heard that all the safe keys have the same lock – so any safe key can open another! We took to padlocking anything valuable in our suitcase during the day. No one has the combination for this and you can feel safe in the knowledge that all your money / jewellery etc is safe.
Excursions
Stick with the reps with the excursions – there are a lot on offer, ranging from snorkelling and catamarans trips – to jungle jeep safaris! If you choose to go with another excursion supplier outside of the resort, your travel insurance may not cover you.
Tips and Info:
With just under 1000 bedrooms, the resort can hold more than 3000 people at one time. The hotel is constantly overbooked, so you may be offered the opportunity to go to another hotel with some compensation money. You may also be approached in the hotel lobby by “representatives” of other hotels, offering you a break at their 5* plus hotels rather than staying at the Bahia Principe – if you choose to do this, your original rep will wash their hands of you and your travel insurance may also not be liable. Its up to you!
Speak a little Spanish and the staff will really appreciate it!
Leave a couple of dollars in the mini bar on a daily basis. All mini bar drinks are included in your all inclusive package, but a little tip goes a long way and you will get extra beer, soft drinks and big bottles of water.
The Maid – we tipped every day and didn’t receive any extras (bed and towel art), we actually found that things got missed if anything – floors unclean / towels not changed when requested. I would suggest not tipping at first – and see how it goes.
If you run out of water, keep hold of an empty bottle and take this out with you during the day – you can refill this with ice cold distilled water at the water dispensers. Much easier than filling up small cups every time you want a drink! And also cheaper than paying out $5 per bottle in the gift shop!
Weather:
Apparently the best time to go (Dry Season / Winter) is between November – Mid April – we were a little concerned with the weather on the run up to the holiday as they were mostly reporting a lot of rain. All I can advise is not to listen to the 10 day weather forecasts as when we were there, we had great weather. It was a little overcast on a couple of days, but came as a welcome relief to be honest – don’t forget you also tan on overcast days and can even burn! The rain came in short sharp spurts and it was soon dry again.
Flights:
We flew premium class with First choice – well worth the upgrade fee. You get a lot of extra legroom (with my 6ft 4ins husband able to swing his legs around! You enjoy a great 3 course meal (with choices of main course), with comp drinks (throughout the flight) – all served on china and in glasses (makes a big difference!). You receive a secondary meal (unlike standard class) later in the flight – variety of sandwiches with a full cream tea and cheese/crackers in the afternoon and cereal, croissants and jam in the morning – with all the tea/coffee/hot choc you can drink. You also receive “pamper packs” on both legs of the journey, comprised of eye masks, aloe vera gels, hand creams, flight socks and a mini toothbrush and toothpaste. The service is fantastic, fast and very personal. The flight is very long for the flight crew but nothing is too much for them at all, even happy to chat at all hours when your partner is asleep!
Transfer:
The outbound transfer was on a large coach with a couple of drop offs, before you set off to the hotel – this took approx 90 mins. On the way back we had a small minibus without drop offs and it took approx 65 mins – a big difference. The traffic can sometimes contribute to a long transfer, so make sure you have a big bottle of water and a book to occupy your time.
The Hotel:
Check in was fast and easy and accompanied by a cocktail (yum!) – the staff are welcoming and friendly.
Everywhere you look there are cleaners and grounds men tending to their gardens / areas – the hotel is immaculately maintained.
The Rooms:
I can only comment on the standard double bedroom – and we found this to be suitable for our stay. It was a little on the small side – but the bed was huge, with a small dining room table and chairs. The bathroom was large as was the balcony. The rooms are in need of updating, but just remember you aren’t going to the Caribbean to stay inside your bedroom! It was clean and did the job.
If you are located in a ground floor apartment, do not leave any shoes / clothing / any valuable items on the floor. If the rain does come down heavily, the ground floor rooms are prone to a little flooding, so don’t chance it, as the hotel will not take responsibility for any ruined goods.
The Pools:
We ventured to the main pool most days – very large with hundreds of sunbeds around it. If you want to get a sunbed, I would suggest that you get up VERY early to go and lay a towel down – there are signs stating that sunbeds cannot be reserved, but no-one pays any attention to these. We were up around 7.30am most mornings and had trouble every single time! A tip – grab 2 sunbeds from the beach (usually a few free) and drag them to the pool area.
The Beach:
The beach is lovely – its not white sand and snorkelling water, but its very clean and there are usually alot of sunbeds free. The waves can be quite strong and I would advise you to stay well away from the sand bars that have been created not too far off shore. Very slippy and very dangerous. The week before we arrived a young lad dived off one and ended up breaking some vertebrae in his neck as he didn’t realise how shallow the water was. But don’t be put off swimming though! Just be careful.
The Restaurants:
Upon entering the buffet area, you must wash your hands in the bacterial gel provided – if you do not comply with this, you will be refused entry. (I did hear that the hotel had a few health problems a couple of years ago, but its good to see they are making a conscious effort to keep the bugs at bay!) The main buffet restaurant is huge and the queues can be a little overwhelming at times. It opens at 7pm each evening, we tended to go around 8pm and could usually get a table without having to queue. The variety is good and if you aren’t too much of a fussy eater, you shouldn’t have any problems. I am quite fussy and did get a little sick of its repetitiveness by day 5. There is a little bit of everything on offer and the salads are washed in distilled water, so no problems with tap water. The water and ice cubes in the restaurant are also distilled water – so again, no tummy worries! The soups (chicken noodle, minestrone, lobster and tomato) and puddings (all sorts of lovely fresh fruits, sponge cakes and cheesecakes, were always fab!
The A La Carte restaurants are a little over rated in my opinion – there are 4 restaurants and you get 3 visits per week of your stay. We visited the Mexican (4 choices of each course and the food tasted over cooked and under seasoned/spiced), the Italian (Pizza and pasta…which is exactly the same food from the main buffet) and lastly the Seafood restaurant (surprisingly good – we had lobster smothered in garlic butter amongst other things). The service in each was good, but the food quality in the first 2 restaurants really let the experience down.
The Bars:
There are several bars to choose from, ranging from the main pool bar, the 2 lobby bars, the beach bar and a couple of others in the Caribbean village (more info below). Each of the bars serves cocktails, draft beer, wine and spirits. The drinks are a little on the weak side, so ask for a double and the very cheerful bar staff are more than happy to oblige. The ice is also safe from each of the bar areas. All drinks are served in small plastic cups – so if you would like larger measures, before you leave home, buy a couple of large thermos type cups to take with you.
The Caribbean Village:
A street of shops, bars and a casino amongst other things. This area of the resort comes alive after 11pm – drinks are still all inclusive here – except in the casino area. So if you do fancy a flutter, go across the street to grab a couple of drinks first. Be warned though – if you are winning, they may shut before the normal closing time – they don’t like to lose money!
The Animation Team:
These guys work very, very hard! Entertaining from 11am - 11pm. From pool games, to sports, to watersports, to dancing lessons, to fire breathing / magician shows, looking after the kiddies etc. Absolutely superb and full of energy!!
The Gift Shop:
Seems to have a little bit of everything which can be handy – although most items are very expensive! We bought an English newspaper, normally priced around 30p in the UK – they charge $8…!! Suncream – around $20 per bottle, Pringles - $3 per tub, flip flops/vest tops – around $10. Cigarettes are very expensive – around $60 for 200! Take some with you and buy some at duty free on the way out - $25 for 200.
The Safe:
$22 per week of your stay – you are strongly advised to get pay for this upon arrival, which is a little disconcerting! They state that anything that goes missing from your room is your responsibility as you shouldn’t leave it lying around. We also heard that all the safe keys have the same lock – so any safe key can open another! We took to padlocking anything valuable in our suitcase during the day. No one has the combination for this and you can feel safe in the knowledge that all your money / jewellery etc is safe.
Excursions
Stick with the reps with the excursions – there are a lot on offer, ranging from snorkelling and catamarans trips – to jungle jeep safaris! If you choose to go with another excursion supplier outside of the resort, your travel insurance may not cover you.
Tips and Info:
With just under 1000 bedrooms, the resort can hold more than 3000 people at one time. The hotel is constantly overbooked, so you may be offered the opportunity to go to another hotel with some compensation money. You may also be approached in the hotel lobby by “representatives” of other hotels, offering you a break at their 5* plus hotels rather than staying at the Bahia Principe – if you choose to do this, your original rep will wash their hands of you and your travel insurance may also not be liable. Its up to you!
Speak a little Spanish and the staff will really appreciate it!
Leave a couple of dollars in the mini bar on a daily basis. All mini bar drinks are included in your all inclusive package, but a little tip goes a long way and you will get extra beer, soft drinks and big bottles of water.
The Maid – we tipped every day and didn’t receive any extras (bed and towel art), we actually found that things got missed if anything – floors unclean / towels not changed when requested. I would suggest not tipping at first – and see how it goes.
If you run out of water, keep hold of an empty bottle and take this out with you during the day – you can refill this with ice cold distilled water at the water dispensers. Much easier than filling up small cups every time you want a drink! And also cheaper than paying out $5 per bottle in the gift shop!
Good for: Beach
14 out of
15 readers found this review helpful
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- Date of Holiday:Mar 2009
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:First Choice
" ill "
Submitted By: laverne
We went there on our Honeymoon that was the worst desision ever. Got there every thing looked nice to start of with good first day then on day two we were both very ill vomiting and everything else that goes with that. Then by day four i was rushed to the doctor cause i could not breath and we were in alot of pain it was very scary. There were people collapsing and ambulances cued up out side the doctors. The hotels answer to this was to send everyone a free basket off fruit and a bottle of rum the was really going to help considering no one could keep any food down. That was the last straw we got the first flight home the next day so we cut are honeymoon a week short. The flight on the way home was then quarintined in gatwick because everyone on the flight was from are resort and were sick all the way home. When we got home we found out that this had been going on long before we got there and the cause was contaminated food samonela, ecoli ect and they were still taking people in too the resort it was even reported on the tv. Very very angery ruined our honeymoon and we have had nothing but health problems since.
Advice: dont
Activities: none
Good for: Beach
2 out of
3 readers found this review helpful
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- Date of Holiday:Jun 2007
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:Thomas Cook
" Definitely not a 4 star - pretty mediocre "
Submitted By: atanasoff
Definitely not a 4 star!!!...despite the hotel's own rating (?). some other sources had it as 3.5 ). Don't go if you expect a 4-star experience or higher!!! The place is mediocre and has absolultely no character.
Feels crowded around the pools as it's got 900 rooms. The beach is quite narrow and long with plenty of beach chairs. The many palm trees are a nice addition. However, the sea was always muddy - I suspect it's like that all year around !! - (there are several very large artificial barriers 100 yards in to break the waves but it may have been due to recent rains/ storms). and because of those don't expect any wave fun..... Water sports are decent and the dive center instructors are great (PADI offered)
Food covers the basics and offers some choice but since it's pretty much the same you exhaust the choices by the 3-4 day. You won't go hungry but don't expect any great meals...the daily meat /fish grills is probably as good as it gets and with many other Carribean places don't expect any great salads. Dessert stand offered some good choice but fruit was exclusively the 3-4 tropical choices. The wine is outrageous!! (both the red and white) and there's only one type of each - can't even buy anything else.
Rooms are probably the worst part of the resort. Small, pretty basic, very dark, bathrooms are ugly, TV sets are circa ealy-1980, which means you can't hook up a video game or DVD for the kids, and as only 4 of the 60 channels are in English, there's nothing much for the kids to do!!! So, speaking of kids, the Child Center exists as a "room" but don't expect any service. They made no effort at all to get our kids engaged so the kids never wanted to go. The rest of the resorts is pretty with great landscaping but nothing really cozy.
Staff are very friendly & helpful and everyone does their job quietly but you don't get a sense that anyone is in charge and you don't feel as an appreciated guest - it's all pretty mechanistic. The daily/nightly entertainment is the basic mediocre, repetitive stuff you get at many other places except perhaps in Cuba. The kids liked the nightly kids entertainment on the stage. The crowd is almost exclusively Canadian and almost exclusively couples/larger parties and I would say the majority was later 40's and above - for some reason, didn't feel like meeting any new people.
Finally, the really annoying things: i) mosquite/small flies infestation - never quite found out what these bugs were but 50% of the people on the beach had very extensive bites / rashes. I am still scratching mine 2 days later!!!! Never had this anywhere else I went. I regret not taking pictures of one guy as a proof. It is pretty bad!! Secondly, the alleyways around the entire property are narrow and nicely hedged but the problem is they are also the delivery routes....any time you go out you would have to stop and let the little delivery vans pass!! (they're courteous but it's actually quite annoying) Thirdly, I don't think there's anything in the area within a 2 hour drive that's worth leaving he resort for ....so bring plenty of books or prepare to be drinking a lot if you're not into water sports. Four, despite an 11am arrival rooms are not ready until 3pm??
Feels crowded around the pools as it's got 900 rooms. The beach is quite narrow and long with plenty of beach chairs. The many palm trees are a nice addition. However, the sea was always muddy - I suspect it's like that all year around !! - (there are several very large artificial barriers 100 yards in to break the waves but it may have been due to recent rains/ storms). and because of those don't expect any wave fun..... Water sports are decent and the dive center instructors are great (PADI offered)
Food covers the basics and offers some choice but since it's pretty much the same you exhaust the choices by the 3-4 day. You won't go hungry but don't expect any great meals...the daily meat /fish grills is probably as good as it gets and with many other Carribean places don't expect any great salads. Dessert stand offered some good choice but fruit was exclusively the 3-4 tropical choices. The wine is outrageous!! (both the red and white) and there's only one type of each - can't even buy anything else.
Rooms are probably the worst part of the resort. Small, pretty basic, very dark, bathrooms are ugly, TV sets are circa ealy-1980, which means you can't hook up a video game or DVD for the kids, and as only 4 of the 60 channels are in English, there's nothing much for the kids to do!!! So, speaking of kids, the Child Center exists as a "room" but don't expect any service. They made no effort at all to get our kids engaged so the kids never wanted to go. The rest of the resorts is pretty with great landscaping but nothing really cozy.
Staff are very friendly & helpful and everyone does their job quietly but you don't get a sense that anyone is in charge and you don't feel as an appreciated guest - it's all pretty mechanistic. The daily/nightly entertainment is the basic mediocre, repetitive stuff you get at many other places except perhaps in Cuba. The kids liked the nightly kids entertainment on the stage. The crowd is almost exclusively Canadian and almost exclusively couples/larger parties and I would say the majority was later 40's and above - for some reason, didn't feel like meeting any new people.
Finally, the really annoying things: i) mosquite/small flies infestation - never quite found out what these bugs were but 50% of the people on the beach had very extensive bites / rashes. I am still scratching mine 2 days later!!!! Never had this anywhere else I went. I regret not taking pictures of one guy as a proof. It is pretty bad!! Secondly, the alleyways around the entire property are narrow and nicely hedged but the problem is they are also the delivery routes....any time you go out you would have to stop and let the little delivery vans pass!! (they're courteous but it's actually quite annoying) Thirdly, I don't think there's anything in the area within a 2 hour drive that's worth leaving he resort for ....so bring plenty of books or prepare to be drinking a lot if you're not into water sports. Four, despite an 11am arrival rooms are not ready until 3pm??
1 out of
1 reader found this review helpful
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- Date of Holiday:Dec 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" Find somewhere better! "
Submitted By: vharil
When we arrived at Bahia Principe our 1st thoughts were: Beautiful, classsy, it was huge and had high hopes of a great holiday and would be well worth the money.... Were we ever so wrong....
We got given out wristbands and roomkeys and were taken on a golf buggy directly to our room with our bags, which was nice. After unpacking (we would have gone straight to the pool but it was torrential rain) we noticed that our AC wasnt working. So we made a call to reception - “someone will be right out” - after dinner it still hadn’t been fixed so we made another call, same reply. No-one came all night and after a morning sunbathing by the next after noon it still wasnt fixed. So after ANOTHER complaint someone finally came. We were happy with that, made getting ready for dinner easier. After dinner, we returned to a flooded bathroom. The AC had caused a leak. We made a complaint and no-one came till the next day. The maintenance person came while we were out sunbathing and when we returned in the afternoon we had a note saying to contact reception asap where we got told we had to move rooms. We packed up our things, moved to a lovely room - only 1 bed but we made do - after we unpacked we noticed the toilet was blocked. We called reception someone was out right away (shockingly), half ano hour later it was blocked again, someone came out, unblocked it and we thought it was fine. Until the next morning. It was blocked AGAIN then someone came out to fix it. We heard him footering about then next thing a big BANG! SPLASH! He’d ripped the toilet off the wall, water aalllllll over the floor and was standing with 2 shampoo bottles in his hand. He’d found them down the pipes and was standing looking at them as if it was us! We then had to wait for a cleaner to come and mop it up.
Having been to all inclusive hotels in Cuba and Jamaica I thought I knew what to expect - Variety of bars, Buffets and snack bars etc. and thought they were of decent standards. In Bahia the drinks were severely watered down - luckily we had stocked up on duty free before leaving Glasgow - the mixers they were using were not draught, bottles of coke, fanta, sprite etc. were left lying out in the warm air, no sign of any fridges or anything so when you got your drink it was warm, flat and lets face it that is pretty disgusting (especially when all you want on a hot day is a nice refreshing cold drink!)
The Buffet was the same thing just about every day - I was only there for 1 week and think I would have been sick if I had to put up with the same for another. The ‘Kids Corner’ area was rediculous - hotdog & chips every night. We tried to go for the a la carte meals but every restraunt was booked up for every night apart from the mexican which was pretty pathetic. The snack bar near the beach served cold, hard pizza and once again flat drinks. Oh and more hotdogs & chips.
The evening entertainment was poor so we spent most nights in the room with our duty free, watching tv. I will admit that the Dominican flavours night is good although be warned it is NOT all inclusive. When you go for a meal you have to pay for that and drinks which we thought was included in the price we paid and had to borrow money.
But we didnt have it quite as bad as alot of other guests - By the end of the week we were hearing from other guests who had valuables and money stolen from their safe ($50 NON-returnable for the safe - I felt I had the right to take it home with me after paying for that) and when they questioned hotel staff they were asked for proof that they actually had belongings in their safe! When they didnt have that they were just told to go away and nothing was done. But this was things like jewellery, money, passports, travellers cheques etc. and they were all stolen from the same block - suspicious!? - I think so! -- The hotel took NO responsibility for the missing items and refused to call in any outside police.
.... We were miserable the whole holiday and were more than happy to get out of there!!!
We got given out wristbands and roomkeys and were taken on a golf buggy directly to our room with our bags, which was nice. After unpacking (we would have gone straight to the pool but it was torrential rain) we noticed that our AC wasnt working. So we made a call to reception - “someone will be right out” - after dinner it still hadn’t been fixed so we made another call, same reply. No-one came all night and after a morning sunbathing by the next after noon it still wasnt fixed. So after ANOTHER complaint someone finally came. We were happy with that, made getting ready for dinner easier. After dinner, we returned to a flooded bathroom. The AC had caused a leak. We made a complaint and no-one came till the next day. The maintenance person came while we were out sunbathing and when we returned in the afternoon we had a note saying to contact reception asap where we got told we had to move rooms. We packed up our things, moved to a lovely room - only 1 bed but we made do - after we unpacked we noticed the toilet was blocked. We called reception someone was out right away (shockingly), half ano hour later it was blocked again, someone came out, unblocked it and we thought it was fine. Until the next morning. It was blocked AGAIN then someone came out to fix it. We heard him footering about then next thing a big BANG! SPLASH! He’d ripped the toilet off the wall, water aalllllll over the floor and was standing with 2 shampoo bottles in his hand. He’d found them down the pipes and was standing looking at them as if it was us! We then had to wait for a cleaner to come and mop it up.
Having been to all inclusive hotels in Cuba and Jamaica I thought I knew what to expect - Variety of bars, Buffets and snack bars etc. and thought they were of decent standards. In Bahia the drinks were severely watered down - luckily we had stocked up on duty free before leaving Glasgow - the mixers they were using were not draught, bottles of coke, fanta, sprite etc. were left lying out in the warm air, no sign of any fridges or anything so when you got your drink it was warm, flat and lets face it that is pretty disgusting (especially when all you want on a hot day is a nice refreshing cold drink!)
The Buffet was the same thing just about every day - I was only there for 1 week and think I would have been sick if I had to put up with the same for another. The ‘Kids Corner’ area was rediculous - hotdog & chips every night. We tried to go for the a la carte meals but every restraunt was booked up for every night apart from the mexican which was pretty pathetic. The snack bar near the beach served cold, hard pizza and once again flat drinks. Oh and more hotdogs & chips.
The evening entertainment was poor so we spent most nights in the room with our duty free, watching tv. I will admit that the Dominican flavours night is good although be warned it is NOT all inclusive. When you go for a meal you have to pay for that and drinks which we thought was included in the price we paid and had to borrow money.
But we didnt have it quite as bad as alot of other guests - By the end of the week we were hearing from other guests who had valuables and money stolen from their safe ($50 NON-returnable for the safe - I felt I had the right to take it home with me after paying for that) and when they questioned hotel staff they were asked for proof that they actually had belongings in their safe! When they didnt have that they were just told to go away and nothing was done. But this was things like jewellery, money, passports, travellers cheques etc. and they were all stolen from the same block - suspicious!? - I think so! -- The hotel took NO responsibility for the missing items and refused to call in any outside police.
.... We were miserable the whole holiday and were more than happy to get out of there!!!
1 out of
1 reader found this review helpful
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- Date of Holiday:May 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:Thomas Cook
" Holiday review "
Submitted By: mutton_chops2007
My fella and I went here on our 1st holiday together in June 2008, we were met our transfer coach by friendly staff, the coach trip to the hotel was approx 1hr 45mins although the coach was fully air conditioned, which made the difference with the heat. Once we arrived at the hotel we were met by friendly staff with ice cold drinks and was booked in straight away and shown to our appartment. The hotel lobby was clean and looking through the pool was full with guests having fun. Once we arrived at our room, we noticed that it had been cleaned very well and the mini bar was filled with bottled water, beers and pepsi/sprite. We were located on the ground floor in room 1329. Our maid came in and cleaned our room every day and the mini bar was filled up to, if you ask the guy who fills this up he will give you extra drinks. We were told that you could not put any toilet roll down the toilet and theis had to be placed in the bins provided.(all of ours went in the toilet), Tea and coffee was available all day and night along with pastries although in the main dinig area there was a different theme night every night ranging from English to Medeterainian nights, with both hot and cold food. There are also resturants located on the site were you can get burgers, pizza, pasta chips etc. personally i would recommend staying to the main dining area, were you getwaited on as soon as you have chosen your meal from the buffet style area to the time you leave the resturant. We never seen any cockroaches but we heard them and being on the ground floor we had no problems, although walking to our room we noticed a few crabs but they were tiny..
We went on a few excursions to get a change of scenery, we took the Laguna Safari(which we didnt think much of although we did have a laff, this Safari was going out to see the various ways the local people lived by walking around there homes and going to their local bars and schools, to be honest i didnt feel comfortable doing this, you were also shown and taught about the various Ruims which you can buy in the Dominican.
We also took the excursion to Ocean world in Puerto Plata, this was great were you can swim with dolphins, sharks, tigers, sealions and pirana fish, I swam with dolphins (fantastic).
Back to the hotel at 12.30pm each day all the entertainers would do the Bahia Principe Dance which was funny and you can join in aswell as them playing water polo and aerobics and all the entertainers are really friendly making sure both kids and adults enjoy the fun.
this hotel is a great place to stay and I would recommend to anyone both young and old.
We went on a few excursions to get a change of scenery, we took the Laguna Safari(which we didnt think much of although we did have a laff, this Safari was going out to see the various ways the local people lived by walking around there homes and going to their local bars and schools, to be honest i didnt feel comfortable doing this, you were also shown and taught about the various Ruims which you can buy in the Dominican.
We also took the excursion to Ocean world in Puerto Plata, this was great were you can swim with dolphins, sharks, tigers, sealions and pirana fish, I swam with dolphins (fantastic).
Back to the hotel at 12.30pm each day all the entertainers would do the Bahia Principe Dance which was funny and you can join in aswell as them playing water polo and aerobics and all the entertainers are really friendly making sure both kids and adults enjoy the fun.
this hotel is a great place to stay and I would recommend to anyone both young and old.
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- Date of Holiday:Jun 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:First Choice
" Fantastic! didn't want to leave, all... "
Submitted By: Miss S Brennan
Fantastic! didn't want to leave, all the staff are so friendly and helpful, great with children, child friendly- my 2 year old loved it - so much to do, so much to eat!great for all ages! food is delicious, so much choice and variety - room was lovely, we had an ajoining door to my mum and sisters room which worked out great for babysitting if we wanted to stay out later. Tryed the al'carte returants which were delicious also but was v.happy with the main resturant - will definately be returning - there was also 2 weddings there whilst we were there and what a great place to have them! i got engaged whilst there and am considering having mine there. Few problems with the mosquitos, and sand fleas but think we took the sand fleas to are room, not thouroghly rinsing all the sand off my lil boy - cos the first week we didn't have any it was only the 2nd, and we didn't really go to the beach the first week.
room was lovel, kept clean and tidy by our maid, the mini bar bloke was a bit pushy wanting tips everytime he stocked are fridges, i didn't mind every couple of days but not every. the upkeep of the place was great. reccommend it!
room was lovel, kept clean and tidy by our maid, the mini bar bloke was a bit pushy wanting tips everytime he stocked are fridges, i didn't mind every couple of days but not every. the upkeep of the place was great. reccommend it!
1 out of
1 reader found this review helpful
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- Date of Holiday:Sep 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:Thomas Cook
" This hotel may be 4 star in the... "
Submitted By: A Shariff
This hotel may be 4 star in the Dominican Republic, but I have written to our tour operator, Thomas Cook, and told them that they need to downgrade their rating.
The room we were given only had 1 one working light out of of 6, and the fan was not working either. Thankfully we managed to get another room the following day, only to find that the tv (it looked about 20 years old) was not working.
Surely one would expect a 4 star hotel to check a room before giving it out to guests.
Another problem was that the room was inhabited by ants & sand fleas, and my body was totally covered with bites.I spent the whole 2 weeks scratching my body.
The worst was yet to come,because on our last day, we went to breakfast, and on our return to our room, we found that someone had used our room and deposited excrement all over the toilet without bothering to flush it.The smell was overpowering and we had to check out sooner than we wanted to!!!
When we complained to reception, they could not understand why we were annoyed.
I find it hard to understand why people are giving this resort nine & ten out of ten?
The only reason I am giving them 2 is because the buffet & restuarant staff were so polite and helpful.
The room we were given only had 1 one working light out of of 6, and the fan was not working either. Thankfully we managed to get another room the following day, only to find that the tv (it looked about 20 years old) was not working.
Surely one would expect a 4 star hotel to check a room before giving it out to guests.
Another problem was that the room was inhabited by ants & sand fleas, and my body was totally covered with bites.I spent the whole 2 weeks scratching my body.
The worst was yet to come,because on our last day, we went to breakfast, and on our return to our room, we found that someone had used our room and deposited excrement all over the toilet without bothering to flush it.The smell was overpowering and we had to check out sooner than we wanted to!!!
When we complained to reception, they could not understand why we were annoyed.
I find it hard to understand why people are giving this resort nine & ten out of ten?
The only reason I am giving them 2 is because the buffet & restuarant staff were so polite and helpful.
2 out of
2 readers found this review helpful
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- Date of Holiday:Aug 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:Thomas Cook
" an absolutely amazing hotel! did not... "
Submitted By: Miss H C
an absolutely amazing hotel! did not see 1 cockroach all holiday or any mess, constantly clean, maid comes everyday to change towels and clean the floor. the pool and beach are kept very very clean. the food was just unbelieveable, everything you can think of was there, no upset stomachs at all and the ice is fine as they use purified water. i also read not to even clean ur teeth with tap water, that is complete rubbish it was fine!! the staff are all really friendly constantly smiling! the animation team that does the shows are great they put on a different show every night we were there and they are entertaining all day and night then still go up to the club after it all the hours they work are untrue but they are all still so happy the whole place is gorgeous and i would definately recommend it.
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- Date of Holiday:Aug 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:First Choice
" This was our 2nd visit back to this... "
Submitted By: Mrs N Chance
This was our 2nd visit back to this resort. Our first visit was July 2007 which was our honeymoon. We enjoyed our holiday here on both occasions. When we got home in 2007 we found that the hotel was on the news, we couldnt work out how anything like that could have happened as the complex was kept very clean. (No matter where you walked there was always someone cleaning). We went to Ocean world and had a great time swimming with the dolphins. I would recomend this to anyone, there was even a young girl enjoying herself must have only been around 8 years old.
The bedrooms were spacious and cleaned everyday.
Our 2nd holiday here in July 2008 was just as we remembered it. I was 6 months pregnant this time and still had a fabulous time.
The food, well what can i say 'WOW'.
We decided for our second visit we would up grade our flight first class, simply because my husband is a big chap and he was very uncomfortable on the standard flight the previous year. Again WOW the food was amazing. On the return journey i slept for a good 5hours it was so comfy. I would recommend the upgrade.
The staff here are very helpful and friendly. We will most certaintly return here once our baby is older.
The negative comments which have been left for this hotel, i have only one thing to say, 'are the people that complain about everything and everyone on every holiday they go on!!!!!!'
Please just go even if its just once. You will have a fabulous time.
The bedrooms were spacious and cleaned everyday.
Our 2nd holiday here in July 2008 was just as we remembered it. I was 6 months pregnant this time and still had a fabulous time.
The food, well what can i say 'WOW'.
We decided for our second visit we would up grade our flight first class, simply because my husband is a big chap and he was very uncomfortable on the standard flight the previous year. Again WOW the food was amazing. On the return journey i slept for a good 5hours it was so comfy. I would recommend the upgrade.
The staff here are very helpful and friendly. We will most certaintly return here once our baby is older.
The negative comments which have been left for this hotel, i have only one thing to say, 'are the people that complain about everything and everyone on every holiday they go on!!!!!!'
Please just go even if its just once. You will have a fabulous time.
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- Date of Holiday:Jul 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:First Choice
" have just come back from a fortnight... "
Submitted By: Mrs D Ceelman
have just come back from a fortnight at bihia principe, to be honest we had a great time, quiet and relaxing, with a vast selection of cuisine available to suit any diet, with been all inclusive there wasnt anything we needed to purchase it was all so readily available and served by such friendly people, the rooms were spacious, clean and cool with the air conditioning. The organised trips were well worth the money and we all thoroughly enjoyed them giving us a chance to see the real dominican.
sunshine all the time, temperatures scorching, overall a wonderfull holiday.
sunshine all the time, temperatures scorching, overall a wonderfull holiday.
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- Date of Holiday:Jul 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:First Choice
" Cannot believe there are negative... "
Submitted By: Mrs D Wray
Cannot believe there are negative reviews about this resort.
We stayed for 2 weeks at the start of july and it was fantastic.
We were booked in on the bus and our bags were taken straight to our room, there were 3 of us but only 1 bed, when we reported this to reception they had a bed delivered and made up in our room within 20 minutes.
The food is brilliant in the buffet restaurant, you have the choice of 3 al a carte restaurants as well but we didn't go to any of them as the buffet was so good, always something different each time we went plus the usual chips, bugers, steak and chicken.
The entertainment team are great, they work so hard we were tired just watching them and they aren't pushy if you don't want to join in just say a polite no and they leave you alone, there is always some type of activity going on in the main pool or beach,
water polo, volley ball and water aerobics plus bingo and poolside games all day everyday and a mini disco, merengue dancing and a show at night. When the show is over the main street opens where there are 2 bars, a nightclub and a casino all included in your all inclusive price.
We went to ocean world and were a bit disappointed with it as we found Marine world in portugal to be a lot better but our daughter (15) thought it was fantastic as she hadn't seen dolphins before. If you go to Ocean World beware of the people standing outside the restaurant, they will tell you a trip round the resort in a golf cart is included in your entrance fee but they are trying to sell time share so avoid them if possible. We loved the bird sanctuary you can go in and hold all the birds and feed them there were lovebirds, cockatoos, parrots and toucans.
We arranged our trip through the rep at our hotel but we were told later if you turn right on the beach and leave the resort you can book the same trips cheaper.
The staff at this hotel are fantastic and so friendly, they cannot do enough for you to ensure you are well fed and have plenty to drink, no matter if you are drinking water or cocktails they will keep your glass topped up all day and night if you want.
We would recommend you tip them as they have to work really hard to earn $1 for 3 hours work and they are really appreciative when they are tipped $1 which is only 50p.
all in all this is a fantastic resort and we cannot recommend it highly enough.
Be aware that you will have an upset stomach for a few days whilst your body adjusts to the heat and the food. The cleanliness of the resort has to be seen to be believed, you cannot enter an area that serves food without first using an antibacterial sanitiser. They even wash the road and pathways with disinfectant and they spray the plants with insect repellant every evening so there are very few mosquitoes about but do watch the sand fleas at night as they do bite.
We are already planning to return here next year with our extended family and we can't wait so have a great holiday and don't cry too hard when you have to return home like I did.
We stayed for 2 weeks at the start of july and it was fantastic.
We were booked in on the bus and our bags were taken straight to our room, there were 3 of us but only 1 bed, when we reported this to reception they had a bed delivered and made up in our room within 20 minutes.
The food is brilliant in the buffet restaurant, you have the choice of 3 al a carte restaurants as well but we didn't go to any of them as the buffet was so good, always something different each time we went plus the usual chips, bugers, steak and chicken.
The entertainment team are great, they work so hard we were tired just watching them and they aren't pushy if you don't want to join in just say a polite no and they leave you alone, there is always some type of activity going on in the main pool or beach,
water polo, volley ball and water aerobics plus bingo and poolside games all day everyday and a mini disco, merengue dancing and a show at night. When the show is over the main street opens where there are 2 bars, a nightclub and a casino all included in your all inclusive price.
We went to ocean world and were a bit disappointed with it as we found Marine world in portugal to be a lot better but our daughter (15) thought it was fantastic as she hadn't seen dolphins before. If you go to Ocean World beware of the people standing outside the restaurant, they will tell you a trip round the resort in a golf cart is included in your entrance fee but they are trying to sell time share so avoid them if possible. We loved the bird sanctuary you can go in and hold all the birds and feed them there were lovebirds, cockatoos, parrots and toucans.
We arranged our trip through the rep at our hotel but we were told later if you turn right on the beach and leave the resort you can book the same trips cheaper.
The staff at this hotel are fantastic and so friendly, they cannot do enough for you to ensure you are well fed and have plenty to drink, no matter if you are drinking water or cocktails they will keep your glass topped up all day and night if you want.
We would recommend you tip them as they have to work really hard to earn $1 for 3 hours work and they are really appreciative when they are tipped $1 which is only 50p.
all in all this is a fantastic resort and we cannot recommend it highly enough.
Be aware that you will have an upset stomach for a few days whilst your body adjusts to the heat and the food. The cleanliness of the resort has to be seen to be believed, you cannot enter an area that serves food without first using an antibacterial sanitiser. They even wash the road and pathways with disinfectant and they spray the plants with insect repellant every evening so there are very few mosquitoes about but do watch the sand fleas at night as they do bite.
We are already planning to return here next year with our extended family and we can't wait so have a great holiday and don't cry too hard when you have to return home like I did.
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- Date of Holiday:Jul 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:Thomas Cook
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Let’s start with the entrance to the hotel.
CHECH IN AT THE HOTEL
When we arrived at the hotel the entertainment was in full swing (and these guys do not stop from morning to early next morning 24/7) we were given our arrival cocktail it was heaven smooth fruit & cold. we were then booked in & given our bands , e.g.; green for first timers there , blue for under 18's ( for the bars) purple for customers who where there before. After our check in us was given the buggy ride to out room’s rooms 1247/8 interconnecting rooms on the beach front.
Thomas cook rep called Casey was excellent she was always there if you needed her & give some vital information on our first meeting the next morning, you really should attend this meeting.
ROOMS
Very comfortable large with balcony our only concern was in the room very minor, not enough plugs but that didn't affect our holiday, Mimi bar stock up with whatever you need just ask maid service bed changed every day with fresh towels & the maids leave little sculptures with your night cloths or towels on your bed, the rooms are kept spotless clean don’t forget to tip.
RESTURANTS.
there are many restaurants on site , Mexican, medderterain, Italian , large main buffet restaurant , I have never seen so much different kinds of food & desserts , & offcoures there is the little beach cafe open to have snacks from not including the main entertainment area where you can have soft cold drinks including tea, coffee & cakes .
ENTERTAINMENT.
the staff who provide the entertainment are on the go 24/7 and is excellent if you want to join in , we did join in some of them but you don't have to as the beach is large enough to have your own time without the all go. there is also a kids club there and the staff are very good with the kids giving out prizes on the adult stage in the evening around the 8:00-9:00pm time then it goes over to the adult entertainment at night which is also excellent , it starts with the night time show , then after it is finished you can carry on down the strip to the after dark entertainment where there is the disco, hard rock cafe-bar, shops, casino and yet again the staff are there to entertain you .
STAFF
We found the staff here couldn't do enough for you always watching to see if you need another drink or anything you need they are there for you, cannot fault any of them.
Please do not forget to tip e.g.; 100 pesos around #2.00 stg, we give a lot more due to the service.
TRIPS OUTSIDE THE COMPLEX.
we took the trip to Paradise Island and it was paradise , you leave nthe hotle lobby about 6:30am then on the coach for 2 hours , then a speedboat for 45mins to the island , once there we stayed for 2 hours , just lazing on the beach & doing the snorkelling with the instructors it was heaven , then we took the boat again to another island where we had lunch m then the coach to the cigar making plant then to the market and back to the hotel for about 6:00pm just in time to get ready for dinner . we also took the hotel taxi to the next town (this is where all the staff live ) San Juan , we had a guide there when we arrived and thank god we did as he helped us with all the shops & tips on buying goods, he really did look after us.
HOTEL MANAGMENT, all I can say is congratulations on a well organised complex with staff giving as service of 100%
Would recommend this hotel, infect one of my sisters is going back for her wedding anniversary and bringing the kids with her.
If you go say Hi to the 2 waiters in the main resturant called Lori & his brother these 2 guys really looked after us they where there for the evening meals.
Advice: clean beach in the resort
Activities: main buffet resturant in the hotle & paradise island trip.
Good for: Beach