Bahia Principe San Juan Hotel

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.

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.

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.

2 of us travelled to this resort, my boyfriend and myself, and although initially being a little concerned after reading a large number of negative reviews, on arrival the resort appeared to be super. The pool, surroundings, bar staff and food were all great.

On arrival we immediately purchased a safety deposit box at a charge of $50usd and stored all our important belongings in here from the first night we stayed.

Our first week was fantasic and we began to wonder why so many people had reason to complain in reviews we had read prior to arriving. Unfortunately, during our second week we quick to find out.

We were due to go on an excursion on the Wednesday of the second week, leaving at 7 am. At 6.30 that morning i unlocked the safety deposit box to get some money to take on our trip only to find it was missing. I searched through all of our belongings in the safe but it was nowhere to be found ($80). I then panicked and opened my purse to discover that my bank card, driving licence and student card had been removed from it. The safe had been locked by me the previous morning (Tues) after we needed some money that day, and the key had been with us at all times since then. We were totally shocked as I had had to unlock the safe to enter it, therefore whoever had been in it and taken our stuff had locked it behind them and left the rest of our documents (tickets etc), clearly in the hope that we would not notice for a while and they could get away with it!

We immediately went to the reception and complained about what had happened and we were given looks of disbelief, no apologies or concern, and told to go to guest services. We did so and this was when our holiday went even further downhill.

Guest services stated that 'it was not possible' for my belongings to have been taken from the safe and were very rude. I had eyes rolled at me, told that we were the only ones with a key, even although we had been informed by another member of staff that the only other person with a key is the room manager, and the security guard stood with a smirk on his face the whole time. As i waited for the security guard to accompany us to inspect our room another guest approached guest services also complaining of items being stolen and was treated in a similar manner.

We were told to go and see the manager the following day which we did. Unfortunately this day was our holiday reps day off & when we called her as we were told we could and she would come to help with any situation, she also demonstrated no concern or shock towards the situation and simply said she would spek to us the following day when she was in the office, leaving us to deal with a very unhelpful and extremely rude guest services and hotel manager on our own.

The guest service manager refused to accept our situation and again stated it was not possible as there did not appear to be any sign of forced entry. On us suggesting that surely this means it was an inside job he again said it was not possible. Meanwhile the on site security "police chief" interrupted me repeatedly and spoke over me in Spanish.

I demanded to speak to the hotel manager and after much shouting on my part he eventually agreed to come and speak to us. He is quite possibly one of the rudest and arrogant men on the planet. He refused to refund the $50 we paid for the safety deposit box stating that there was no link between this money and the theft of our belongings!!! He refused to call outside police, even although by this stage there were another 7 rooms reporting items stolen. Eventually we obtained a a letter stating the items we had reported stolen and it had the cheek to state that the hotel will not accept responsibility for the loss of the items even although we are told on the bus and at the welcome meeting that it is very important that we purchase a safe. I refused to accept this letter.

Our First Choice travel representative, if you can even call her that, was merely another member of the staff stating that it wasnt possible and actually stated that we ALLEGEDLY had our safe broken into and that we and other guests were lying about our situations. She appeared very two faced and seemed to be reluctant to offer us any valuable assistance so as not to damage her relationship with the hotel.

We are making a formal complaint and strongly advise anyone who is thinking of travelling to this resort to think VERY carefully about it as if you any problems you are on your own.

We arrived back from this resort on 7th June 08 and what a fabulous holiday we had...there were no creatures in the room and the drains we all covered, the grounds were immaculate.

This holiday is one of the best I have had with Thomas Cook from checking in to landing home..Check in took less than 5 mins at Manchester and on arrival at the Dominican we were greeted by the rep. Water was available on the transfer bus and we also checked in on transfer so no waiting around at the hotel. The rooms were basic but clean and tidy. We found if we left the mini bar guys a $1 tip every day you got extra beer, coke etc. We did have trouble with the air conditioning which kept leaking but once we contacted guest services it was fixed straight away.

The restaurants were clean and well staffed, staff were always polite and helpful and nothing was too much trouble. We tried the Mexican, Med and Italian restaurants which you have to book in advance (make sure you do otherwise you will miss out), out of all the Mexican was the best and they did lush Strawberry Margarita's. The buffet restaurant was also nice, although the food was the same everyday almost, the meats were cooked in different sauces but then that's what you would expect in an AI holiday. The omlettes for breakfast were mmmm.

The bar staff were always smiling and helpful, although the drinks are of a poor quality for an AI holiday we tried several times to get inebriated to no avail, so we bought some 151 rum from the shop and that did the trick ! (Its also good for bites if you do get bit, burst the top and put some rum on, it will sting like hell but it works - only 151 though)

The entertainment staff worked extremely long hours from about 7am-3am yet they still managed to entertain both the adults and kids every day all day. The night time shows were not really our kind of thing but if you have chance to watch the 'Fantasy Show' then its one not to miss !!

The trips were good too. We did the Laguna Jeep Safari, Puerto Plata City Tour which included the Rum Factory (if you are going to bring Rum home buy from here it was the cheapest out of all the shops on the resort and trips) and Amber Museum and of course Paradise Island - oh not forgetting the Reps night out on Saturday. The best was the Laguna Jeep Safari - it was fun, interesting. The guys who organised the trip were friendly, informative and full of fun. The reps night out was also good, drinking from 5.30pm till you get home about 11ish, we saw a voodoo show, had a meal and lots of fun.. Paradise Island was a bit dissappointing but only due to the time we spent on the bus, 2.5 hours to get there, 25 mins on a speedboat, 1 hour on the Island and then another 25 mins speedboat to lunch then a further 4.5 hours back to the hotel !! Wear and take plenty of suntan lotion even if it is cloudy, we were there 1 hour and I got burnt ! the Island was beautiful and ideal place for lovers - shame about the travel time (the reps won't tell you how long it takes they will give you an approx time of 2 hours!)

The only down side to the holiday was the sand fleas that ate me alive and we also think that they were in the bed although it was only me who took a liking too ! My advice is to inform the rep and reception and they will fumigate your room. I have since been informed if you take Vitamin B 4 weeks before you go this will deter any creature from having a nibble on you !! or a garlic supplement.

I would defo go back but only for 10 days if we weren't doing any trips as the hotel was so isolated. The shops on the resort aren't badly priced for clothes and gifts although they are a much of a muchness.

Fab holiday all round and a really good place for kids !

I have just got back from a 7 night stay with my wife at this resort and what can i say it was fabulous. I wish we had gone for 2 weeks. The food was fantastic and plenty to choose from and the staff were very helpful and friendly. The cleanliness of this complex is top notch, rooms cleaned daily, pool was cleaned daily and there was always a members of staff cleaning up around the pool and beach area during the day. Before entering the buffet and restaurants you had to rub anti-bacterial liquid into your hands.

The entertainment during the day and night was very enjoyable, the entertainment team were crazy but it was never too much and they didnt get on your nerves. If you wanted a break from the poolside you just had to walk a few yards to the beach which was out of this world and was very peaceful, also i would like to point out that the water was very shallow which i thought was good, as my wife doesnt reall like swimming in sea water but she swam in this every day.

The accomodation was good and we never had any problems with our room, the grounds surrounding the complex were beautiful, and are maintained superbly.

During the evening once the entertainment had finished at 11pm they would open up the bars and disco on 'The strip', which was on the road leading upto the hotel but still on the complex and this was really fun and laid back and not too rowdy at all, children were also aloud but not into the disco, and there was also a casino if you fancied a little flutter.

I could go on all day about this complex so i would like to say that overall this was a fantastic holiday and dont be put off by the negative comments you may read. My wife and I are looking to go back and i would reccomend this holiday to anyone.

What can we say? We were expecting a relaxing, high quality/service holiday (as we had previously stayed at another Bahia Principe resort and that was how it was). The first week in the San Juan resort was pretty much how we had expected, it was a little rowdy from about 20 or30 (at a guess) university students, but c'est la vie, we thought. We heard/saw one all night party from one room, but we did not complain, we were there on holiday and was not going to let them ruin our mood.

However, nothing prepared us for the gradual daily onslaught of more and more and more Canadian 14 to 18 year olds that eventually saturated the whole resort, I was officially told by their rep that by the weekend there were over 750 of them and when we left, more were arriving, they were there to celebrate their Spring break/graduation break, and so they did. Unfortunately any small children or adult over 18 had their holiday ruined. What we saw was apalling behaviour; 'children' drunk and disorderley from lunchtime throughout the dayand evening and we could hear them all through the night, all night parties, vomiting anywhere (including on the buffet), urinating in public areas, sexual behaviour in public areas, security people everywhere watching and waiting for the next bit of trouble, they grouped by the hundreds, often chanting disgusting words, they were intimidating to be next to, they were rude, bad language, disrespectful in so many ways (even the professional shows were at risk,3 nights that we saw, where drunk students just got on the stage during their performances, I have a long list of comments and complaints that were registered and signed for from first choice and the hotel guest manager...and we were definately not on our own We had to wait two and a half hours in the complaint queue and were still not near the front so we made an appointment with the rep for later that day. The hotel did then open a piano bar that had a sign saying adults only (which meant no students - which is an admission in itself that they new they were serving children/underage alcohol. oh, and classy...we were served drinks from polystyrene cups!!! I may also be over 40, but no disrespect to the piano player..but I'm not dead yet. Also they shut the adult bar at 11pm.. I go to bed later than that at home. Anyway, bottom line here...check out any Canadian holidays (american too, we were told they do the same in Mexico?) and DO NOT GO AT THE SAME TIME. PS our rating was based on the obvious market they sell to, I would not agree with there rating for the time we were there, but it does happen every year. The management shoud be ashamed of them selves for disrespecting their staff and allowing them to be serving these students with animal behaviour. I felt sorry for them...especially the dancers during their shows, that could have ruined their careers with their antics. Disgusting.

I've just today returned from a week long holiday at the Bahia Principe in Rio San Juan in the Dominican Republic. This is my review for all of you to read ad I hope you find it useful...please make sure you read the very last paragraph. Very important.

Flight: Standard First Choice charter flight from Bristol to Puerto Plata. This went via Manchester to refuel which we were only told about once we were on the plane so make sure you ask when booking or checking in. This wasn't really a problem as it was only a half hour stop.

Transfers: Easy peasy. Out the door at airport, you give the hotel name to the rep at the door, and she tells you which bus to get on. Bahia Principe is about an hour and fifteen to thirty minutes from the airport, and you are checked in whilst you are on the bus so there is no waiting around. It seems like a long distance, but the bus is air conditioned, and it is just fascinating to watch the people and the countryside if you havn't visited before. It will fly past.

You will be given your room key, and a map showing where your room is situated. The porter will bring your baggage, so on arrival you can go and get settled.

Accomodation: The rooms were wonderful. Spotless. Each is between 50m and 150m from the beach, and all have balconies or terraces. The rooms are cleaned daily (in the morning) and the mini bar is also stocked daily (this is also A.I). We had a fan in the ceiling as well as a very efficient air conditioning unit on the wall. It was usually kept quite cool in the room, although if you go out and leave the air con on, the maid will turn it off. Would suggest closing the curtains to stop the sun coming in if you will be out. The bathroom was excellent, I was expecting not being able to have a decent shower all week but it ended up having a better shower than I have at home! Plenty of complimentary shampoos etc so no need to bother taking your own.

Food and Drink: The Bahia has several different bars and restaurants, all serving at different times of the day. If you read older reviews, you will see people complaining of food poisoning etc, but this really is not the case any more and not something to worry about. You are more likely to throw up or get diorreha from sun stroke. The food was all well cooked and tasted fantastic. The main buffet area has a different theme every night so you won't be eating the same thin twice. Bahia also has 4 a la carte restaurants, which you can vist up to 3 times per week. These require booking in advance.

Many people worry about the water and ice etc. You really don't need to. The ice is all made from purified water, and any water you have in the restaurants is also purified. Just don't drink the tap water. Bottled is provided in the mini fridge in your room. Drinks from the beach bars are in plastic cups, although you are welcome to take your own mug if you wish and they will fill it. You may get a drink in a glass from the bar bar in the evening, an you should hang on to the glass if you get one...there arn't many!!

Mosquitos: Personally I used Jungle Formula, and it worked for me. My boyfriend insisted on buying 95% deet based stuff from eBay that really wasn't needed. It was just paranoia I think. We saw very few mosquitos and neither of us received any bites. Keep doors shut in the apartment though just in case. All the outside areas of the resort are sprayed early morning with proper heavy duty repellant, and it seems to work. I went out on many occasions with none on, and it wasn't a problem. If you have a plug in mossie killer, you can take it with an adapter, but with the voltage changes it may not work very well.

Money: Many people are unsure whether to take Dominican Pesos or US Dollars. We took Dollars and this was fine. Infact, if you are English, it is a lot easier to take dollars as the exchange rate is easier to work out (roughly £1:$2 at the moment). If you take travellers cheques in Dollars, they will only be cashed in Pesos, and you will get a poor exchange rate, so take cash and credit cards. The place is all inclusive, so you will only need money for tipping and excursions (if you do any). Excursions can be paid for easily by card if you book with the tour operator. We found may places that would even accept the Sterling Pound, but this is at a poor rate and should be as a last resort only.

Tourist Cards: You will be given the appropriate forms on the plane and on arrival you will hand these in with $10 (cash only) on arrival. If you fly first choice, you will probably only pay to enter the country, as the exit fees are included in your A.I price.

Beach/Pools: Many people choose to sit round the main pool. Unsure why as there is a wonderful beach. Head for the left end, its much nicer (and quieter).

General cleanliness: The entire place was kept immaculate, all the time. I could not tell you of a single fault. Paths swept, grass cut, beaches raked, trees pruned, litter picked, bins emptied, ashtrays changed after almost every cigarette. Cannot find fault!

Excursions: We did the Laguna Jeep Safari, Gone Fishing, and Paradise Island. Gone Fishing I think was a waste of money. My boyfriend is a keen fisherman and has been to many countries fishing. Of course a fish isn't guaranteed, but 4 out of 8 people spent the morning throwing up, and we caught nothing. So pointless as far as I was concerned.

Laguna Jeep Safari. This was interesting if nothing else. You go to the mountain villages to start with, you will visit a school, and a church, and a local house. These felt a bit intrusive, but some people didn't mind it. The children will come running from their homes to wave, usually asking for sweets!

Paradise Island. Would recommend to anyone. Its long trip from Bahia Principe, but so worth it. You drive 2 hours on the bus, then you will be on a speed boat for about 25 minutes, then you arrive on the most wonderful island. About 50m x 20m, with 4 or 5 small wooden huts for shade. You are standing on pure soft white sand, and surrounded by a reef, in the middle of the sea. You can snorkel or dive, and see and feed the fish and you will be there for 2 and a half hours. Food and drink is available A.I. Then you get back on the boat and head for the shore where you head back within the mangroves. Its then 3 hours return on the bus. This is an amazing trip, and the best day we had. Although you will do about 30 knots for 25 mins on the boat, so anyone uncomfortable on the water so be sitting near the back, near the edge to hold on. The captain was excellent and very experienced.

Return flight: You can find out all your transfer information from your rep in the second yellow office outside the main lobby area. Our flight was heavily delayed due to a lack of fuel, but I doubt this will be a recurring problem. The transfer reps are lovely and there is always someone around to help you if you get confused.

THE IMPORTANT BIT: Do not book this resort during the Canadian/American spring break. The Bahia will hold around 2200 people in total, after the first two days of our holiday, the place filled up with coach load after coach load of Canadian spring breaks students aged from 16 to 18maximum. They were unsupervised, and at a bar with a A.I drinks, it gets ridiculous. Many had armbands that showed they were underage, but many of the students were paying departing guests as much as $200 for their bands, as well as many choosing to pay the barman to serve them. There must have been 1500 of them by the time we left. It was exhausting. I wont go into detail as i don't want to put you off the Bahia, but my advice, check before you go.

Overall, I would most definately visit again. A beautiful country, with wonderful, happy people. Bahia Principe is a brilliant resort, and well worth the money, just don't visit in march!!

P.S Any questions? Don't hesistate... rosieyz250@btinternet.com

Bahia Principe is a wonderful hotel!!!! It is rated 4****+ but I totally give it *****! We just got home at 4am and I'm still sniffling! The resort itself is in between 2 cities. 18km form Gaspar and 14km from San Juan. The advantage is that it has no other resorts surrounding it so there are no disturbances. The night entertainment is beyond your imagination! Every night they have a different presentation starting with mini disco for kids followed by the best night life u can get. The staff is really friendly and if u need something their services are extremely quick. There is a ton of vegitation. There are 3 a la carte restaurants with reservations needed, buffets and a snck bar open 24/7. The food is great and the services r good too. It is no doubt a resort that is not worth missing!!!!!!!!!Take my advice and GO! Dominican Republic Puerto Plata Bahia Principe

I absolutely love this place. This was the second time I have been. Everything about it is fabulous. Plenty of places to swim because there are about 5 or 6 different pools including a pool with a swim up bar.

You can literally fall out of your room onto the beach. There is always something to do whether you want to just lie there or you can join in the hotel activities. You can go horse riding, mini golf, and bike riding plus there are various water sports available. At night they have hotel entertainment on then after you can go to the disco, go to the karaoke bar or even to the casino where you can play for hours with very little money.

The food is pretty good too as there is plenty of choice. My husband is very fussy about his food but even he managed to find something (it did mean that he spent most of his two weeks eating chicken, pizza and burgers) but for the rest of us there is plenty to eat plus you can visit there 3 ala carte restaurants as well.

Would definitely recommend this to anyone who just wants to get away from it all.