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| Gran Bahía Príncipe Cayacoa |
Gran Bahía Príncipe Cayacoa: Gran Bahía Príncipe Cayacoa Reviews |
| Total User's Score 3.7
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By Occasion... |
By Traveller Type... |
| Based on 7 reviews |
| Excellent |
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5 |
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| Family |
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2 |
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| I was not pleased |
| Gran Bahía Príncipe Cayacoa |
User Rating:
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gisela >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Jun, 2010 | Leisure | Family
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| The hotel scenery was great, the room was very roomy poor lighting, the toilets kept backing up for 3 days. upon our arrival of 7 family members we all had to carry our luggage to the room. The food was not very pleasing in the Dalia buffet, everything was repetitive, the food was just missing taste and texture. Two of our servers Luis and Edwin were really rude to us seems that if we don't tip they didn't like to serve us and we didn't even get a chance to tip he catered with much better attitude to the Europeans.I complaint to Marcos the Front Desk Manager and expressed his staff rudeness including the lady in the pool bar she was very rude and spoke very nasty of her customers and proceeded to tell my father we were a bunch of animals drinking. I also asked that he speaks to the chef in regards to placing some type of Dominican food since I am Dominican and there was not one thing Dominican on the menu and it was cold also. The next day i saw one new item added. They also have A La Carte restaurants however you cannot enjoy all of the three restaurants unless you stay more than five days and they do not tell you this information until you go ask not when you pay for the hotel, i don't agree with this i think they should let their guess know or when they sell the package is very deceiving. The guys that do the entertainment Jhonatan,Leiny,Johan,Yubi,Araceli and Bernanrdo they were great they did a great job and also Emmanuel @ El Pescador restaurant. I wouldn't go back the hotel is extremely quite and entertainment is limited @ night. |
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| Rooms |
| 3 rooms were rented and we were separated we asked that we were kept together and I booked the hotel with 4 weeks out. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| El pescador, Dalia buffet. We actually took the ride down to the town to eat because the food at the buffet was aweful. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| beach staff was really nice, not enough activities for the beach and guest |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
| activities were good. |
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| Other Comments |
| Entertainment staff was great really pleasant and friendly jhonatan, leiny, Johan, yubi, Araceli, Bernardo. |
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| Photos: http://bahiaprincipecayacoa.com |
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| Disappointed |
| Gran Bahía Príncipe Cayacoa |
| User Rating:
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David >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Apr, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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| Your Arrival |
We flew directly from Halifax arriving early and was immediately confronted by the requirement to fill out an additional form by Dominican Customs.
We received our Hotel packages with our Key & Towel Cards, Hotel Map & Schedule Wrist Bands & registration forms prior to getting on the bus.
Upon arrival we were informed that our room would not be ready until 3 PM and were directed to the Buffet Restaurant for lunch. When we returned to the Front desk at 3 PM we were informed that our room was was not ready and to come back in 1/2 hour. This delay extended until 4:30 when we finally got into the room. |
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| Rooms |
The delay getting into the room was the first of many issues that we had with our room.
When we finally got into the room there was no water pressure. When I went to the desk to inform them of the problem I was informed that the hotel was experiencing issues with water pressure because of the upgrading of the water service in Samana. A quick phone call was made and the water was restored.
I had to continuously lift the cover on the flush box and push the flapper valve down to stop the toilet flushing. Numerous complaints from the Head of Housekeeping, the maid & myself didn't seem to get the problem solved during our stay. The pressure fluctuated through out our stay and the hot water temperature rarely got above lukewarm.
After paying the $28.00 deposit to used the safe I was unable to enter the access code into the safe and a service code kept coming up on the screen indicating bad batteries. A Font Desk employee tried resetting the safe without success. The safe was dismantled a couple of batteries shifted and one was able to program the safe. The safe was loaded and locked and when the door was pulled to verify the door opened. The deadbolt mechanism had fallen off the door shorting the safe electronics and overheating the batteries. Three other people tried and failed to make the safe work to our satisfaction without changing the batteries! We demanded and received a refund of our deposit and was warned that the Hotel would not be responsible for any valuables stolen from our room.
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| Restaurants and Bars |
There was a wide variety of food in the main buffet and for the most part was well prepared. There also seemed to be suffering problems with the infrastructure in the Buffet because they seem to have problems keeping the food warm in the serving trays especially around the main grill.
The chefs out did themselves when it came to the desserts and their food presentation.
We ate at the Gourmet & Italian A-La-Carte Restaurants. The service was excellent and the entrees seemed to better than the main courses.
The most popular bar by far is the Lobby bar where Angel looked after our every need.
The pool bar was also a popular spot. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| The Resort is built on the side of a hill which means a lot of climbing up and down over stairs or ramps. This is not a resort for a person with mobility problems.One unique feature is the elevator to the main beach which is well used. The grounds are well manicured are kept very clean despite the guests who insist on dropping their garbage everywhere. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
The animation staff work very hard to keep everyone happy, Jonathan the lead is a real live wire and a lot of fun.
We did not take any excursions other than the shuttle to the shopping plaza. Surprisingly the prices in the plaza were as good as or better than prices in the local shops. |
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| Other Comments |
| The hotel seemed to be suffering a lot of infrastructure problems which should be addressed. I find this difficult to accept after staying in Bahia Principe resorts in the past |
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| Wonderful vacation!!!! |
| Gran Bahía Príncipe Cayacoa |
| User Rating:
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Ginette >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Feb, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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My spouse and I, along with another couple, stayed at Bahia Principe Cayacoa from Feb. 25 to March 22,2010 and had a wonderful 2 week vacation. This resort is very nice, very very clean, and well looked after. We were in the main building and therefore didn't have a lots of stairs, although, there is a trolley for those who are further and don't want to walk. A beautiful place to relax and enjoy the sun and the beach, not a noisy spot, probably not recommended for people looking for a party atmosphere till all hours.
Cruiships anchor across the bay on certain days and you have them in sight from the beach and also when you go eat at the buffet. |
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| Your Arrival |
| We got our room assignements and bracelets on the bus which is great; when we got to the resort we went directly to our room instead of waiting in line at the reception desk. This was definitely a plus for us. |
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| Rooms |
| The rooms are big, with a balcony, very clean, mini fridge stocked daily with pop, water and beer. The staff do a great job cleaning the rooms as well as the resort in general. |
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| Restaurants and Bars |
| The food was very good, even at the end of 2 weeks, we still weren't tired of it. The buffet had a wide variety and everything was very tasty,the deserts were delicious and so were the salads. The atmosphere at the A la carte restaurants was remarkable, the food good and the service was excellent. We enjoyed the Italian and the Gourmet, but the seafood restaurant was not to our liking, but that's our opinion only. |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
| We enjoyed the beach very much, its smaller than what we usually like, but we knew it was small before we went. Water is warm and very nice for swimming and lots of chairs on the beach, no problem. There is a bar on the beach to you don't have far to walk for a drink or restrooms. The pools were very nice, a large one and a smaller one, but we didn't use them at all since we're beach bums. The grounds are very, very well kept, clean, very green,etc. |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
The entertainment staff work hard and are very pleasant; they ask you to participate but don't bug you. They have music on the patio in the evenings until 10 o'clock at which time the evening shows begin at another location; these were good.
There are shops on the resort and also in the town of Samana, which is a 15 minute walk away, the "Pueblo Principe" is a small shopping strip for souvenirs, jewelry, etc.
We did the whale watching tour and we enjoyed it. |
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| Other Comments |
| Samana has a different scenery from Punta Cana, everything is greener, more vegetation and mountains. We liked it very much. |
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| Old Reviews - Gran Bahía Príncipe Cayacoa |
| Gran Bahia Principe Cayacoa Samana |
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Country: Dominican Republic
Area: Samana
Hotel: Gran Bahia Cayacoa
Rating: 4 stars
Meal Plan: A/I
Wholesaler: Conquest Vacations
Airline: CanJet
Date of Visit: July 2008
Background:
I have been wanting to visit the Samana peninsula for quite some time, but it hasn’t always been the easiest spot to get to. Now that there is an international airport serving this area, it has become much easier. Otherwise it is a 4 hour bus ride from Puerto Plata.
I spent two nights at the Cayacoa, and then the rest of the week at the sister resort of El Portillo (see my other review).
The Area:
The peninsula is simply gorgeous. I have previously been to Punta Cana and La Romana but Samana is thus far my favourite spot in the D.R. The scenery is simply beautiful; lush vegetation, rolling hills and mountains, spotless creamy sand beaches and a turquoise ocean all add up to stunning natural beauty. The Cayacoa is located near the town of Samana, about one hour from the airport.
The Resort and Clientele:
The Cayacoa is perched on a cliff with breathtaking views all around. The resort is made up of one main 5 storey building, and a few villas near the second beach where the Club Golden suites are located. The grounds as well as the common area were always spotless, the vegetation well cared for and lush, and I couldn’t get enough of those stunning views.
The clientele during my (July) visit was a real mixed bag of families, friends and couples. The visitors seemed to be mostly European, especially British, Spanish and Portuguese.
The Room:
I booked a junior suite (rather than a regular room) and I was delighted with the room I was given. I had a wonderful large, high ceiling room on the 4th floor with an amazing ocean view. My room had a king-sized bed, lots of closet and drawer space, a large balcony with chairs and table, a stocked bar fridge, coffee-maker, safe in the closet (extra charge) and a beautiful marble bathroom. The maid service was wonderful. NO complaints here whatsoever.
Beach(es) and Water:
There are two beaches at the Cayacoa; the main one with all the palapas, and a smaller beach down by the Club Golden. There was plenty of shade at both beaches; I never ran into problems finding shade for the day. The ocean at the main beach was a bit rough, and as such the water was not very clear. It certainly did not work to snorkel. The ocean at the smaller beach, while rocky at the shoreline, was much more calm and therefore clear and while the snorkelling wasn’t fantastic, the star fish were abundant. The ocean at this area of Samana is definitely not as crystal clear and turquoise as around Las Terrenas, but it was nonetheless clean and warm and fun to swim in. I liked the fact there were no ropes limiting the swimming area, and also no smelly and loud motorboats to spoil the peace and quiet. The beach itself was always kept clean and while beaches in the D.R. are public, I was never bothered by vendors.
Pools/Jacuzzis:
The hotel map shows 3 pools. I only visited the main pool and the pool/whirlpool by the Club Golden. The main pool was OK, albeit a bit small for the number of rooms. IT was usually packed with kids and people playing water sports. There is a swim-up bar that was constantly packed with people.
The Jacuzzi pool by the second beach was very nice and relaxing, although again, by the afternoon it would fill up with young kids and became too noisy and busy. Too bad this area hasn’t been turned to an adults only spot.
Food/Drinks:
The food was as good as one would expect from a 4 star resort. The thing that impressed me the most was the vast selection of veggies. It was nice to be able to load up on all sorts of veggies prepared in different ways. I had no complaints about the food, and I did not experience any tummy troubles. I was able to book one a la carte supper, but then I left the resort before I was able to try it out. The a la carte spots go very quickly, so if you want to try them, be sure to book early in your stay. You can book with the customer relations desk near the lobby. The buffet can also get extremely busy. During my last nite at this resort people were lined up just to get a table, and I was given a table right by the door. When it was that busy, the service, as you can imagine was pretty slow and spotty. I just felt sorry for the staff because they were all running off their feet. I think hotel management needs to re-think the staff requirements for busy times.
The drinks that I had were just fine. I stick to rum based drinks when I travel to the West Indies so I am usually not disappointed. The lime daiquiris, rum punches, and just plain ole anejo rum with pineapple/orange juice was just the ticket. The only complaint I would make is the house wine. It was pretty awful. I’ve had much better house wine in the Spanish resorts in Cuba.
The Staff:
They were all hard-working and wonderful! I cannot say enough about the lovely staff that work at this hotel. Everyone from the front desk to the maids, to the bartenders and the water sports staff were helpful, friendly and simply terrific, period.
Tne HotelBeds rep Anthony was very helpful and knowledgeable.
Things to Do:
If swimming and relaxing aren’t your thing, there are lots of excursions you can book thru the hotel; horseback riding, jeep tours, catamaran tours, and many others. You can hop on the ferry (right at the hotel dock) for 15 dollars and spend the day at Cayo Levantado. You can walk or take the shuttle to town and walk around and shop.
Shopping:
The hotel has one small shop for sundries, and there is a continuous shuttle that will take you the Pueblo Principe for extra shopping. You can be a bit more adventurous and simply walk or take the shuttle to town. There are lots of banks in Samana town including Scotiabank. Prices are cheap when compared to Mexico for example. The things to buy are Haitian art, carvings, rum, mamajuana, amber and larimar jewellery as well as the usual souvenirs like T-shirts and pareos.
Climate:
The weather in July was fantastic! I was lucky that no hurricane hit during my visit. The entire week was hot, sunny with no rain. The humidity was bearable; so much so that I was able to turn off the A/C at night and sleep with the balcony door open.
Insects:
I am sure the hotel sprays for mosquitos because I didn’t see any. I didn’t see any other insects.
In Conclusion:
A lovely 4 star hotel and an incredible value. GO see Samana before it gets over-run with tourists and mega-resorts a la Punta Cana.
If you still have questions, email me at: Ivona_Lancaster@hotmail.com
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| Gran Bahia Principe Cayacoa Samana |
RSM
Ontario, Canada
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| March 2008 |
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Arrival: My husband, I and 7 year old daughter travelled on the direct Toronto-Samana flight with Skyservice rather than do the long bus ride from Puerto Plata. In talking to others that came via Puerto Plata, we made the right choice. As it was late at night (~11:30 pm), hotel did everyone’s check-in (not just Royal Golden) on the bus ride to hotel so we got room keys, wrist bands etc. Signature rep also did the welcome briefing on the ride so we didn’t have to get up and attend one in morning. This was great! The snack bar (Italian restaurant beside disco) was open with a limited menu so we were able to get a midnight snack when we got settled as we were starving.
Rooms: Great size – balconies are glass walled so your view is amazing. We ended up with a full oceanview suite. Hotel is 5 stories and very accessible as long as you are in the main building with easy elevator access to buffet level, pool level and then another elevator to beach. From what we saw, upgrade to Royal Golden area not worth it unless you liked a lot of walking/steps to get everywhere (or waiting on a golf cart shuttle). My only suggested improvement (if the hotel reads this!) is that in this caliber of hotel, the additional cost for the in-room safe should be ‘buried’ into the room cost. Don’t make me make an additional trip to the front desk to pay/arrange for this.
Restaurants: Buffet was fine – lots of selection, you never starved. Pasta bar, salad bar and fruit selection with each meal. A la cartes (Italian, Gourmet & Seafood) were typical of other resorts. Favorites were the Gourmet or Seafood. For some reason, Gourmet had alot of seafood dishes on the menu which seemed strange when you also had a seafood a la carte. Book reservations with guest services at the front lobby; there was never a line up to do this as they are there long hours.
Bars: Typical of any resort; bartenders at some (especially beach bar) not the friendliest but hey, as long as I get my drink! Lobby bar had indoor/outdoor seating area and was great for the pre- and post-dinner hangout.
Beach & Pools: Glass elevator to pool level and then to beach fabulous. Nicely designed. Never had problems finding a chair at pool or beach and this was high season. One side of pool gets more shade in afternoon. Lots of palapas on beach. Sure, beach is smaller and not as nice as Punta Cana but we were expecting this and found it just fine. Our daughter had fun digging for/finding lots of shells on beach and had fun playing in the waves. We enjoyed the “desolate” feeling compared to being on a beach strip with hotel after hotel side by side.
There is a bar/washrooms at beach level. One improvement to suggest would be a lunch time snack bar – even if only limited menu (salads, wraps, grill or something) so you didn’t have to dry off and go up to the buffet or down all the steps to the snack bar at the 2nd pool (which didn’t have that great a selection).
Never swam or hung out at the 2nd pool … seemed to vary in how busy it was and not much of a beach area there.
Grounds: nicely kept, always staff working on them.
Activities: Guests were of all age ranges and mainly Canadian, Dutch, German, Spanish. Animation staff were a great bunch, and, like other resorts, they work long days… around the pool and then the show in the disco at night. Shows were hilarious and typical of other resorts we’ve been to. They do some “pre-show” games etc. in the courtyard outside the lobby bar before the real show starts at 10 pm. Disco continues after that.
Golf cart shuttle runs regularly to/from Pueblo shopping complex in Samana. Best prices on coffee and some rums? Go down the street from there to the grocery store. There is a Scotiabank in Samana and I’m told the ATM gave pesos to Canadian cardholders! Beware the motoscooters everywhere and look both ways twice before crossing the street!
Tours: We booked whale watching with Victoria Marine (Kim Beddall—a Canadian) and had a wonderful day and saw lots. Great experience. We also rented a private taxi one day to travel to Playa Rincon (#4 beach in the world). Breathtaking location, almost the only ones there on a Saturday! Interesting to see the villages on the way. Once you got higher up into the mountains, it became more agricultural (pineapples, potatoes etc.).
Conclusion: Can’t wait to return. Would recommend this to anyone looking for a relaxing, carefree getaway. If, however, you’re looking for the white sand beaches of Punta Cana to go for long walks on, know up front, this is not the place. We’ve done the “mega” resorts, as well as smaller ones, throughout Mexico, the DR and the Caribbean and this one only helped to confirm our decision to continue with the smaller resorts – better vacation, less stress, meet more people etc. (Questions: shaybaby@rogers.com but please put GBPCayacoa in subject line)
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| Gran Bahia Principe Cayacoa Samana |
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We went to the Bahia Principe Cayacoa in Samana for 1 week at the end of March. Although the weather did not cooperate, we had a great time and were very happy with our choice of hotel and location.
Location/weather: Samana is gorgeous. From the moment you step off the plane you are surrounded by lush vegetation. The ride to the hotel (from Samana airport) was about 45min and was fascinating to see the coconut plantations and glimpses of the ocean, as well as the homes along the side of the road, albeit a bit hard to see coming from Canada and being accustomed to the luxuries of home. The condition of the roads was “interesting”, but it was a very comfortable ride nonetheless. The hotel is beautiful and its private beach is great. The only complaint we heard from ppl was that they couldn’t go for long walks along the beach as it’s small, but we enjoyed it and liked having bar and bathroom nearby. There was a daily shuttle to Cayo Levantado beach which was bigger and beautiful light sand and turquoise water. Pools and grounds of the hotel are really nice, though walkways were still under construction. The town of Samana appears charming, though we didn’t have the opportunity to walk around. It rained every afternoon like clockwork. One expects that in a lush tropical location like this it would rain, but we felt this was a bit much – we only had 1 sunny afternoon. It was difficult to get a clear answer from those who work and live there, most said that it was an unusual amount of rain (and indeed there was even flooding in other parts of the country). Rooms were great and clean, and I don’t think any would have bad views unless you’re on the first or second floors.
Arrival: We flew from Montreal, and because they can’t fill flights to Samana, we went through Cayo Coco in Cuba to drop people off, and to pick up those finishing their vacation there and headed home. It was done efficiently but made for a long day (our flight back was direct which was much better). Room registration was done on the bus to the hotel, and the rep from our tour operator (Signature) provided useful information for the stay. Upon arrival you are given juice and because of the timing of our arrival, once we ensured our bags were in the lobby we were swept off to the buffet for lunch before it closed. Once finished, we returned to the lobby and a bellboy took us and our bags up to our room. We needed to change rooms in order to be near the person we were traveling with, and although it took a bit of going back and forth, the staff were very friendly and helpful and took care of everything in the end.
Food: The food in the buffet was excellent, we ate there for breakfast, lunch and most dinners. They are closed for a couple of hours in between meals but if you’re stuck there is a 24h snack bar down at the dock (we ate lunch there the day we returned from Cayo Levantado and wouldn’t choose to eat there again unless we had to). The A la Carte restaurants were an experience not to be missed. The food was not great (except for the shrimp at both the Italian and Pescador restos which was excellent) but it’s worth it just to be served at your table with amazing service and for the pleasure you’ll get from making out the items on the menus (they could do with having someone verify the English translations, though that would really take away a lot of the fun). At the moment only one restaurant buildings is being used for the A La Carte with a view on Samana Harbour, and it switches nightly. Normally there would be 2 other restaurants open each with great fantastic view over the ocean but they are currently closed. Our understanding was that there had been a lot of complaints about the trek to actually get to them, so they’re taking this opportunity, while it’s low season, to refurbish.
Service: the service throughout the hotel, and in particular the restaurants and bars, was impeccable. It helped to speak a little Spanish or to try to as not everyone is fluent in English, but they do try. They are extremely friendly people and have a strong work ethic.
Nightlife: rather non-existent. We only caught one show and were impressed given our low expectations. The setup for the theatre (which converts to the disco after the show) is small and not ideal, and there were not many people in attendance most nights (making it difficult for the animation team as some of their shows are interactive with the audience, but they try very hard). The main bar closes at 11 so if you aren’t ready to go to bed, the disco is the only place to go and unfortunately not many people do, so most nights are quiet. There are a couple of discos and bars in town which apparently are busy at weekends (at night you can hear the tempting music across the water), but we did not venture out.
As it is a brand new location, I expect a lot to change and would be interested to return. The hotel was only at half capacity - we are however entering low season, but I don’t think they have handled full capacity yet, and I think the beach and pools will be a bit crowded when that happens. The guests at the moment were 75% Canadians, and most of those from Quebec. The rest were Europeans and it appears to be becoming quite a popular destination for Italians.
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| Gran Bahia Principe Cayacoa Samana |
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Hola,
Back from Hotel GBP Cayacoa in Samana, D.R.
Hotel is one hour drive from the new airport.
It is a new hotel with stunning scenic views.
Rooms confortable. Hotel's golf cart takes you down the hill to Samana city (Santa Barbara), where you are able to walk and explore the city on your own.
Signature has a daily free trip from hotel to Bacardi Island (Cayo Levantado), (others pay $ 15.00) , the trip takes about 25 min one way.
The boats leave at 9:30 and return at 1:30., Reservation one day before.
On Cayo Levantado lovely beach and good swimming, place crowded when cruise ships arrive.
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Cayacoa Hotel's beach is small and crowded.
Swimming is ok. and water warm. (even in January) Diving school and other sports available.
Food in buffet restaurant is good (4 stars) and in a la carte restaurants (3 available) also.
Make reservation one day before. (three per week) During our staying the wine was changed from sweet Italian to a pretty good Spanish one.
Main pool very nice with confy chairs,(not enough) not much shade available.
pictures link :
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com
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