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 Club Bahia Principe - Rio San Juan  Location: Beach front - 60 minutes from the airport of Puerto Plata, in the direction of Samaná All-inclusive - 941 rooms located in villa buildings Description from resort website: All of the rooms have air conditioning, complete bathroom, telephone, a ceiling fan, hair dryer, satellite TV, a safe (charged for separately), mini bar and a balcony or terrace. Guests can enjoy a wide variety of bars and restaurants offering both national and international cuisine, as well as an extensive range of installations such as lake shaped swimming pools, solariums and gardens with sunshades and sunbathing beds, a marine spa, a fitness center, a mini-club for children, tennis courts, a basketball court and football, mini golf course, a water sports and diving activity centre etc.  ~ Reviews posted on this page — 33  Don't forget to send Debbie your review ~ More Club Bahia Principe Reviews ~ Map of Resort  ~ Reader's Vacation Photos ~ 1, 2 ~ Readers Club Bahia Principe Wedding Reviews Save on All-Inclusive Caribbean Resorts with Travelocity Save on All-Inclusive Caribbean Resorts with Travelocity.ca |
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| Club Bahia Principe | Dianne |
We stayed at the Bahia Principe San Juan (Puerto Plata) and have never been so disgusted with a resort. They have bed bugs that attack you while you sleep.
Not sand fleas, not mosquitoes – we were bitten hundreds of times, without exaggeration, on our legs and torso while we slept. We did not bring sand fleas into our bed; we aren’t even beach people – we relax by the pool and we shop! And we have pictures of the bites.
We have been to Dominican four times: twice to Puerto Plata, once to Punta Cana and once to La Romana. We know what to expect in that part of the world but bed bugs have never been an issue before.
My husband still has the scars from the bed bug bites 4 months later. In fact, he is embarrassed to wear shorts.
Just don”t go there. Spend your money with another tour operator. Transat Holidays told us that we pretty much got what we paid for and that they would not do anything for us. They said we had to expect that sort of thing.
We travel extensively and will never book another trip through Transat Holidays.
| Club Bahia Principe | Julia |
Being a single parent of two young daughters, ages 10 and 12, it was important that we felt safe and secure in the resort that we stayed at. Not only was the Bahia Principe that it was so much more! From the moment we drove through the front gates and we saw the resort we knew that we had found a gem in the rough.
We were given a lovely room with an ocean view complete with three twin beds. My only reservation was that the linens were paper thin, as were the comforters, and we had to ask for blankets. Other than that one thing everything was just perfect.
The food in each of the restaurants is wonderful. A hint to traveller’s going to this beautiful resort, make your reservations at the a la carte dining rooms when you first arrive there. This way you will get the time you would prefer. They fill up quickly.
The activities offered every day are so much fun. Whether you want to laze on the beach all day or take a bicycle around the resort there is something there for everyone.
In our minds what really made our holiday wonderful was the staff. Each person we dealt with went out of their way to ensure we had a good vacation. From Juan at the front desk to Dean of the animation staff everyone was just great.
We simply can’t wait to go back again!! It’s our new favourite vacation spot in the world.
| Club Bahia Principe | Vicki ~ Nova Scotia, Canada |
Arrival and Flight
We left Halifax on time and arrived in Puerto Plata 1/2 hr early! On the way to BPSJ we dropped people off at Viva Wyndham Tangerine, which is right on the main road and would be a little shocking if you haven't been to the Dominican Republic before. We then stopped at a store for some Presidante for the rest of the trip. The bus ride of a little more then an hour goes by quickly as there is so much to see. When we arrived at the hotel our rooms were not going to be ready until 3pm, but we expected this and had a beach bag as one of our carryons, left the rest of the luggage with the bell boys and started our vacation!
Rooms
We did have a few problems with our rooms and had to be moved twice, but they were more then happy to do so. The first one there was something wrong with the toilet, it kept running but it was extremely loud, even with the door shut I couldn't take my siesta so we asked to be moved. The second room had an air conditioner that the control panal would make a loud (electric) buzzing sound then stop, then start again...and the fan was off balance and very noisy directly above the bed (this room was floor 2 of a 3 story building so it was more closed in) we had to sleep without the air conditioner on and a pillow over my head to drown out the sound of the fan. The next morning we complained again. The third room was great! Very close to the buffet/pool/beach, it had catherdral ceilings and it did have a coffee maker (we didn't use it). The mini fridge was sooo cold the drinks would have ice in them. A tip and a note got us 4 beer a day. I was disappointed that even with tipping the maid every day we didn't get any towel art or flowers. I wouldn't upgrade to the diamond club because it was very far away from everything, try to get on the golden club side of the resort.
*see conclusion about toilet paper issue
Restaurants
The food at the buffet was ok. We were spoiled last year at another resort by amazing food, so it wasn't quite as good as expected but we never went hungry and we didn't live on french fries like some people did. In the buffet we did have a problem getting waited on for drinks for some reason, even water...I found this frustrating as some people would barely be seated and have their drinks in front of them.
We booked our a la cartes the day we arrived and still couldn't get into the medetrainan (we didn't want 9:30 sittings) so we went to the Italian it was ok (don't order pizza, it's nothing to write home about), the Seafood- again it was ok (but I'm not a big seafood fan, probably should've skipped it) and the Mexican---it was to die for! By far the best meal I had all week (had the steak), the martinis were great, the appetizer buffet was fantastic (and there was lots of vegetarian options for those who need that info).
Bars
Not all of the bars were open all the time, during the day the pool bar was open (only in the pool, not the other side) and paino bar was open and 1 beach bar (well it is the quiet pool bar) but not the golden club beach bar. At night 2 more bars opened up near the lobby. I must say I was a little disappointed---the slushie drinks were never frozen so they didn't taste as good, only 1 time at the quiet pool bar did I actually get a fully slushy drink. It did seem like the alcohol was a little weak (but that may be a good thing considering you're drinking way more then you would at home), I had read previous reviews about watered down drinks and I didn't believe it, but now I wonder. I think the bar by the quiet pool had the best drinks and the friendliest bar tender
Mostly stuck to Ron Punch during the day and Blue Hawaiian the last few nights (martinis at the Mexican resturant were the best!)
After 11 when the main bars close and you head out to the strip there are a couple bars out there
Beach and Pools
I want to be back on the beach right now!
The beach had loads of sun shades! At any time during the day you could find a spot, there were lots of loungers. Be careful of the drop off (maybe 6-10") as you walk in the water...if it is a clear calm day you can see it, but not when its wavy. Also the sand gets very very hot (just pointing it out- not complaining) and it really does burn your feet. We took our own towels and used them mainly to distinugish where we were sitting as everyone has the same towels from the hotel--don't lose them, it will cost you $20us each
The main pool you would have to get up ealry to get shade or sit behind the huge tree in the afternoon. We usually sat on the beach just behind the main pool so we could hear what was going on. Didn't spend any time at the quiet pool as whenever we walked by I didn't see much shade
Grounds
The grounds were beautiful, they work so hard keeping them perfect. I tipped quite a few of the ground keepers and always got the biggest most genuine smiles, these guys work hard long hours in the sun, they deserve to be tipped.
Activities and Entertainment
Lots going on during the day if you want to participate. I did stretching/areobics a couple of times and my husband played beach volleyball. We also took the pedalboat out once. The nighttime entertainment was the typical resort stuff, but these people work such long hours you have to give them credit. They were amazing dancers, they looked to be professionally trained and a few of them took their dancing very seriously. We did make it out to the strip 2 nights for only about 1 hour, its great for people who are there to party! (personally I enjoyed the mornings on the beach more) it was very festive and good that it is away from the resort so that it doesn't disturb us early risers
Tours
We did the Fiesta Nights Tour booked through our siganture rep. I would totally reccomend this. A fun night on a party bus (feeding you loads of alcohol) stopping at the square in Rio San Juan, going to Playa Grande to see the sunset (had a fresh pina coloda here) and to a resturant to watch a vudoo show and eat.
The second tour I did was a 4 hour snorkling tour. I booked it at the water activey place on the beach. It was AWESOME!!!The most amazing thing I've ever done!It was great beacuse it left right from the beach so you had no travel time. We stopped to snorkle twice, went through Gri Gri lagoon, and a cave and stopped at a beach for an hour in Rio San Juan.
Departure and Check Out
Everything was quick and easy at check out although very very early. We were in the lobby at about 6:15am and they did have some fruit/breads and coffe and juice out which was a good thing as we didn't get lunch on the plane until about 2pm. Buy your phone card from the signature rep--$10 for canada which gave you 29 minutes, and you didn't pay a connection fee to the room when you use it.
We bought our duty free at the airport rather then putting it in our luggage (there were a few people at baggage claim who could smell their broken alcohol). We took our beach bag and towels as a carryon and wrapped each bottle in a towel.
We left Puerto Plata 40 minutes last and flew to Halifax via Punta Cana and still arrived 15 minutes early.
Conclusion
Would I recommend this resort?Yup! Would I go back again?Yup! if the price was right. Was I disappointed? A little but only because we were so spoiled last year at the amazing resort we stayed at (Gran Ventana). We still had a great trip...a trip is what you make it, go with a good attitude and you'll have a good trip. I'm the last person who thought I'd complain about my room once let alone twice but they were happy to make us happy and if they hadn't of fixed i would've lived and it wouldn't of ruined my trip. The trip was so relaxing and peaceful, it's hard to come back to reality.
*one warning* you can't flush the toilet paper, you have to put it in the garbage beside the toilet, which is a little gross. Be prepared.
| Club Bahia Principe | Freda ~ Nova Scotia |
Visited this resort March 5 to 12, 2008. Along with three other lady friends.
I have been twice to Punta Cana and my second visit to Puerta Plata. This was by far the best of the four hotels I stayed. We had not one complaint.
Super clean - the public bathrooms had attendants cleaning constantly. The
only thing wrong with our room - bedside table lamp did not work and this
was fixed as soon as we complained to the desk. The food was good -
alcohol hand-washing a must prior to entry to the dining areas. Plenty of
lounge chairs (did not have to get up early to lay claim) - no shortage of
beach towels. The grounds are beautiful and well kept. Staff friendly and
courteous. Pools clean.
Would not hestitate going back again. However, not during March breaks - too many teen-agers. On average, they were pretty good, but like to stay up all hrs and tend to be a bit rowdy. But hey, I was young once, so
understood. They certainly kept the staff on their toes, and in many
cases probably made it difficult for them to always be smiling. However,
I personally would be thinking twice before allowing 17/18 yr. olds on un-chaperoned trips.
F
| Club Bahia Principe | Tony ~ Niagara |
Arrival -
Gotta laugh at the arrival area of the airport one good gust of wind and it may disappear, lol. Of course they meet you at the arrival gate and want pictures with the girls all dressed up, not bad. Thank god the ride on the bus to the resort was only half an hour, one of the representatives was totally annoying. Didn't shut his mouth the whole ride, really loved the microphone.Others were very annoyed as well. When we did get to resort, a little mix up with getting off the bus, the Ambar was the first stop, when we were there last time, 3 years ago, it was either Punta Cana or Bavaro side, thats all changed now. Anyways, got to the front desk and staff were very friendly and helpful, gave us our room, told us to go for a drink and bell boy would bring our stuff to the room, relaxing right from the start.
Rooms -
Our first room was in the Punta Cana area, room 12211 and as soon as we opened the door we could smell the musty aroma, not impressed at all. The bathroom was not very clean, looked like something not pleasant was stepped on the floor and not cleaned up. Our first visit to this resort was almost 3 yrs before this when it was barely a year old, big difference, but you have to expect that seeing this place is busy 24/7, 365 days a year. Oh well, off to the front desk and requested a change of rooms, to where we were before, near the back of the resort near the ocean. It took us a day and a half, and a little stash to Miguel, who was very helpful and friendly, and we were where we wanted and requested to be in the first place. I really noticed the wear and tear of the roooms since our first time there, but that has to be expected. All in all I would give the rooms a 4 rating at best.
Restaurants -
Just as before, the restaurants and the buffets were excellent (except for one). We had booked our 3 a la cartes, and they gave us an extra for our dissatisfaction with our room, but only made three. The one that I would not recommend, and probably only because I saw a cockaroach swimming next to the eggplant in the buffet, was the outdoor buffet, sorta turned me off that night.I scooped it out with the tongs and gave it to the chef who was standing there, not making a scene.
Bars -
The bars were excellent, the servers were great, especially with a minimal tip, they see you coming, remember you and have your drink ready for you, gotta love it. They definitely do not skimp on the booze, and the "Presidente" was always ice colded.
Beach and Pools -
The beach and pools were all very well taken care of and there was always chairs for everyone.
Grounds -
Beautiful! they are constantly grooming the grounds, washing down the sidewalks in keeping the place clean.
Activities -
The activities around the main pool started everyday around 3 when everyone was mostly two sheets to the wind, had a few laughs thats for sure. From bingo,arobics, to arm wrestling and the sexiest lady who could wrap herself around and elderly man contest, was all fun.
Conclusion -
All in all, we had a great time again except the few minor incidents that I mentioned above. Would I go back, yes, but in the newest part "Ambar" that was just completed, adult only section. We ended up in the Diamond Club section, which is really no different from the rest of the original layout, with just a few extras. The rooms need to be refurbished some, paint, a good cleaning with a bit of a dissenfectent on a daily basis, other than that for most people it is still a 4.999... resort
| Club Bahia Principe | Katy |
We paid to stay at the Bahia Principe San Juan from March 7 to 14, and stayed only one night.
| Club Bahia Principe | Michelle & Paul ~ Halifax, N.S., Canada |
Arrival and Flight
Feb 27 - March 6/08 Loved it! Would definitely go back to this hotel.
The ride from the airport was about an hour and fifteen minutes with only one other stop to drop people at another resort. The roads are not in great shape, especially between Cabarete and Rio San Juan, be prepared for a bumpy ride. Check-in at the Club Diamond section was smooth, our room was not ready yet as we got there at lunchtime and check-in is not until later in the afternoon but they had the room ready by 3. We were fortunate to have friends already there so we just stored our stuff with them until 3. Because of this we can't comment on what provision they have for your bags if you need to wait for a room. The room we got was a first floor in the second last building which we soon realized was really loud because of the air-conditioning unit outside right beside our room. When we told the nice young woman at the reception and asked for a second floor (which is what we had originally asked for) away from the air conditioner she assured us that she would see what she could do and by 11 the next morning, we had our new room, second floor closest to the beach, amazing - could not have hand picked a better choice. Huge word of advice - ask nicely, don't demand! Works the same here as anywhere else in the world, good manners and patient understanding work wonders! In our welcome package there were two beach towel coupons which we did not use as we brought our own. Another word of caution, if you don't need them, keep them anyway - when you check out you need either the coupons or the towels or you will get charged for them.
Rooms
In our opinion, the only things that make this a 4 star instead of at least a 4.5 are the standard rooms and sand color, neither of which was a problem for us. The rooms are a good size with a decent bathroom and fabulous deck/balcony. They are well kept & clean which are the most important things for us. The king size bed was quite comfortable, the pillows not so much as they use the chip foam type which is not my favorite. The fridge worked so well, the pop started to freeze. No problem with ants or anything else, even if there had been a few, no big, it's the tropics! A dollar a day each for the housekeeper and the bar fridge guy was well worth it, the fridge always had extra beer and the room was always well done, even our shoes all lined up in a nice straight line. Do be careful of water on the ceramic tile outside, VERY slippery when wet.
Restaurants
Food - Never had a problem finding something good to eat. Yes, the buffet can get a little repetitive at times, but again, that would be true of any buffet, anywhere. Always lots of veggie choices, they do an amazing job with broccoli. I think that a lot of the people who claim they got "food poisoning" are actually suffering from an acute case of over-indulgence. I ate like a normal person and had no problem whatsoever. My darling spouse on the other hand, looks at an all you can eat buffet as a dare, especially when it comes to bacon, chicken wings and shrimp so he suffered a little bout of tourista the last day and for a day or so after we got home. The so-called smell of the buffet is quite simply what happens when you combine so many different food smells in one place, again, this will happen anywhere.
The staff
Very accommodating, just ask nice!!!! Also, if their english is not perfect or even good, you are in their country and so you should also make an effort to learn a bit of their language. I am determined to speak way more spanish next time. If you are at the omelet bar and you want your ingredient choices understood perfectly, don't stand there and point vaguely in the general vicinity of the add-ons while reciting your list, take the time to speak clearly and/or indicate clearly by getting in closer and pointing closely to specific choices.
Bars
Lots of them, no problem getting served - Mama Juana is my new favorite drink! Was told that you can only get wine at meals but all the bars had it available all day, red or white, just a house wine but quite drinkable.
Beach and Pools
The beach - Not white but really, who cares. They had a team out hand-raking it early each morning to pick up the debris that un-caring tourists leave lying all over the beach. The beach down at the Club Diamond/Hacienda section was the best by far, way wider at that part and no seaweed. The water was fabulous, I like pools but much prefer the ocean. As far as sand fleas are concerned some people are just yummier than others. Of the 6 people in our group, only one had a lot of bites so she was itchy but no worse than black fly or mosquito season in Canada. Also, guess what, sand fleas are everywhere there is sand, this is not exclusive to the Dominican in general or the Bahia Principe in particular. Bring some deep woods off if you think it might be a problem. In 8 days I had 2 bites and my husband had 4 or 5.
The pools - gorgeous! Every morning they had people right in the pools doing hand cleaning. The Club Diamond pool was nice and quiet if that is what you want. If you want non-stop noise and activity, go to the main pool which is also where the swim-up bar is.
Medical
One member of our group got very sick with a respiratory illness and went to the 24 hour clinic where he was seen by the doctor right away. He ended up being sent to a hospital in Puerto Plata and was met there by a doctor and a nurse and was treated royally through his hospital stay right through x-ray, blood work etc., and his wife and brother-in-law were included in everything and never told to 'just wait here, we'll talk to you when we have something'. He ended up staying overnight and released the next day. He had to pay for his transportation back and forth but that is what travel insurance is for! Don't leave home without it. After his experience, I have every confidence that if we need medical attention, it will be well provided.
Grounds
The grounds are immaculate, always lots of people working to keep it tidy and beautiful. They fumigate the entire property first thing in the morning around 6 so not a great time to be walking the pathways, if you hear the sound of a motorcycle, get out of the way or you might get fogged. They also did some fogging around 6 PM. This place is huge, be prepared to walk a lot, if you stick to the pathways closest to the beach you won't have to get out of the way of the trolley bus. They have the trolley that runs all over the resort which is great if you are lugging suitcases which is the only time we used it. We liked the fact that we had to walk so much considering the volume of food and drink that we went through, helped keep those calories under control.
Activities and Entertainment
Unfortunately, even though every day I swore that this was the night I was going to make it to one of the shows, never did, too sleepy, in bed every night by ten-ish but we get up early. Maybe one too many Mama Juanas - next year I am determined to se at least one show.
Tours
We were not going to take any tours this time but ended up going on the Paradise Island day trip. Had a blast. 2 hour bus ride to get to the drop off point which was not too bad, then a 20-ish minute speedboat trip out to the island, screamed like little kids all the way there (we are 47 & 51) it was like an amusement park ride. Then this bump appears, it is nothing more than a sand bar with a coral reef around it and forms a lagoon in the middle. They have open huts for the groups and an equipment shack and bar. No electricity or running water but is really cute. I have never snorkeled before but am now officially hooked. After the first 10 minutes of getting over the phobia of putting my face in the water and only breathing through my mouth, I got the hang of it. It was a magical experience and by the time we got back in I was ready to do another tour around - so we did! The dive masters were really interactive. At the bar they had simple sandwiches with the free-flowing rum & coke. Then they boated us back to shore through a mangrove swamp area and back to another bar & restaurant where they had a simple, but tasty buffet on for us. Not sure about some comments from other people who may have been on the same tour as us but we loved it. The only negative I have about it is the bus ride back - it is 4 hours back because they take us over the coastal range and back down through the inland side of the mountains which got a little tedious. It was still interesting to see some of the country side though.
Departure and Check Out
Check out nice and smooth, make sure you get your vouchers for the bus back to the airport.
Conclusion
I could keep on going but will end this now by saying we had one of the best vacations we have ever had, this hotel is set up to be social if you want or quiet if you want. The majority of other guests that we ran into were friendly and social. We enjoyed our 8 days so much, we are looking at two weeks next year and would gladly return to this hotel. We really think that the majority of people who have had "problems" are most likely the folks who should not leave home. Stuff happens, but unless it is something truly bad or the fault of the hotel, you are not in Canada any more and it is not better or worse - just different. A lot of what gets blamed on the hotel can get traced back to the behavior of a guest. Apparently we got out just in time. A group of grads descended the day we left and they were a nightmare from all accounts. Who is really to blame here, the hotel or the out-of-control Canadian young adults that chose not to act like adults.
| Club Bahia Principe | Diane |
Hi Debbie
I most say that I was let down at this resort. I have not been traveling that long but have stayed at a 3 star that was better as far as food and friendly staff.
We arrived with friends on February 10,2008 are friends spent one week and we stayed on for two weeks.
Theme nights RIGHT its always the same thing at the buffet... the food was good but unless you got the pasta or something that they where cooking in front of you it was cold.
First week was a disaster as my friend got sick and spent 2 days in her room, as she did not dare leave or go to far... they left on Sunday and she was still sick to come home and find out that she had a bacteria infection from something that she had eaten or drank. NOT sure if it was on one of our tours ????
The second week should have been enjoyable for us as we where staying on to celebrate are 39 wedding anniversary YA RIGHT.... I got sick that Sunday night and by Tuesday had to see the resort Doctor ??? He sent me to the Hospital in Puerto Plata where I spent the night with intervenes as they said I was dehydrating. Returning to the resort late Wednesday afternoon (by the way still sick) the Hospital took test and told us that I also had bacteria infection and to avoid greasy food, coffee, milk and fruits.
By the way it cost us 90.00 to be taken to the hospital and 90.00 to get back. 180.00 out of our pocket. I am not in doctors care and need to see an infectious decease specialist.
The tour girl was never told that I was taken to the hospital till my husband when to her to complain Not that she did anything about it ????
And the resort never even acknowledge that I had been to the hospital or even sick... I NOW THAT MY BEING SICK WAS NOT FROM THE TOUR.
When I went to the counter at the hotel to get a new bracelet as the hospital had cute the first one the desk clerk as if I had been in the hospital and I explain it to him and he never said a word to anyone about it...
If this is a four and half star ???? I have stayed a better 3 stars...
The people on the resort had trouble giving out smiles and where not very friendly unless you gave them tips every time they came to you???
I even Know of two couples that had been approached by the ENTERTAINMENT group and arras about sponsoring them so that they or there family could
come to Canada. THAT'S NOT RIGHT!!! These where older couples and did
not need that on holidays... on man even got so paranoid he would not stay anywhere by himself in fear of being cornered again.
Would we or our friends recommend this resort NEVER Will be go back NOT.
We wasted 4000.00 and 2 weeks holidays NEVER AGAIN
| Club Bahia Principe | Dave and Angie ~ Nova Scotia |
Our visit to the Bahia Principe San Juan exceeded all of our expectations. We were extremely impressed with practically everything about this resort during our stay from February 20th until March 5th..
First of all, Air Canada was superb. We left Halifax late, but still got to Puerta Plata on time. Customs and luggage were fast and our 90 minute bus ride to the resort was exciting as we passed through Sosua and Cabarete. The Air Canada reps on our bus transfers were very well informed, provided important information, and did not waste our time with sales pitches or pleas for tips, such as in Cuba. There was also a rep office at the resort, and he was usually there.
Checkin was fast. Our requests were honored. We were assigned three rooms beside each other on the third (top) floor of building D-4. It was just a leisurely two minute walk to the lobby, pool, beach, and the Italian buffet where we ate most of our breakfasts and lunches.
We lucked out on the weather. Although there were several early morning rain showers, we had sunshine EVERY day, with the temperature in the low 30's. Coupled with the ocean breeze, it was perfect.
The rooms were similar to Cuba.....hard beds, small pillows....but we expected that. However, the bonus is the bathroom, where there was always hot water with good pressure most of the time.
The maid kept the room impeccably clean. Most days, our room was cleaned by 10. She even folded any clothes we had left lying on chairs, and left them neatly piled. Her cleaning was thorough, to the extent where it was obvious on a couple of occasions that she had scrubbed the floors with Javex. That was just one example of the resort's committment to good hygiene.
Although the brochures said we would receive a bottle of water, two pop and two beer in our room fridge daily, that's not the case. They will leave as much as you want! We attached a sticky note to our fridge each morning, along with a $1 tip, and when we returned mid afternoon, it was fully stocked. We got up to 4 bottles of water, six pop, and 8 beer per day.
I am an early riser, and strolled to the Italian buffet around 5:30 each morning. It doesn't open until 7, but, there is always hot coffee anytime after 5.
Food was always good. I think there was only one evening that I found it difficult, and that was my own fault because I made poor choices at the buffet. Breakfast choice was great with tons of bacon and eggs, as well as pancakes, french toast, sausages, fruits, warm donuts and churros, and surprises. Several mornings they had delicious crab cakes and, one morning, they even had chicken wings. Too bad they didn't offer them at lunch time!
Lunch was most often at the same buffet which offered superb pasta dishes as well as other fare. On several occasions, we ate lunch on the beach where they had roast chicken as well as hot dogs, burgers and tons of fries.
The food highlight for me was the soup. It was available every lunch time at both locations and it was to die-for. It was made in an incredible broth with tons of vegetables and either chicken, beef or seafood.
Evening meals were in the main buffet which always had something for everyone from melt-in-your-mouth roast beef to onion rings and everything in between. We never went hungry.
Although we were entitled to six a la cartes, we only used four; twice each in the Italian and the Mexican, where meals were superb.
The beach was great! It is very sandy and massive, stretching several kilometres. At either end of the hotel property, there is a security guard who makes you sign out if you go beyond the limits. There was always a great availability of loungers, both at the beach and at the pool. The water was crystal clear. Some spoke of its murkiness, but it is only cloudy at the point where the water laps on the shore because of the sand it stirs up. We were in the ocean a minimum of four times a day; most often more.
We only went in the pool once, and it was pleasant warm water, with a maximum depth of about four feet at its deepest. The pool is for teens; we stuck to the beach.
There are no hustlers on the beach. The hotel has space set aside at one end of the property where the locals sell their goods from their little huts. While they are persistent, they were never aggressive. They were not allowed to solicit on the beach. The hotel has franchised about 20 other shops, which are located on their property, but beautifully line the long driveway into the resort. Prices were firm, but very reasonable, and their quality of products is good.
That same area is where the night life is. Everynight, they line the street with tables and chairs, crank up the music and pour the booze. The nice thing is, it is just far enough away that you can't hear the noise in your rooms, which is a good things, because we are all early-to-bed people. The only problem is the noise the young people make returning to their rooms at 3 and 4 in the morning. There were even some fights. That was my only complaint to the hotel's service manager during one of our conversations. I suggested the security guards should be patrolling the walkways when the party shuts down to make sure the party-goers keep the noise down. He said he would pass my suggestion on to the night manager and, sure enough, the noise came to an end.
We got to know the service manager just by chance early one morning at the Italian buffet when he came in for his daily inspection of the setup. He was hired by Bahia after their four-month shutdown last August-November to help the resort acquire and maintain a healthy atmosphere and good customer relations. He was genuinely interested in our comments and often stopped by our lounge table to see how we were doing.
We told him how impressed we were with not only the food and the staff, but especially the cleanliness. Some examples of that include the nightly washing of EVERY walkway (and it's a massive complex). As I made my early morning stroll for coffee, I would always pass the overnight workers who were literally scrubbing the walkways with water and Javex. In the bar areas, there is always someone sweeping and mopping up cigarette ashes. In the lobby, there is a little old lady with a mop who follows you into the mens' room to mop up in case you get sloppy at the urinal. Every morning, workers are IN the pools with huge scrub brushes, scrubbing the pool's sides before the public is allowed to get in.
Perhaps the most impressive hygiene is in the dining areas. At the entrance to every dining room (as well as all washrooms and other locations), there are hand sanitizer dispensers. You are REQUIRED to use them or you are not permitted in the dining area. One evening, we saw three older British ladies arguing with the dining room receptionist that they had just washed their hands in their room and would not use that "smelly" stuff on their hands. The receptionist then told them they would not be dining there. The ladies said they would take their complaint to the manager, to which the employee said "If you wish....but he is the one who insists you use it". We were very impressed.
There was another interesting thing at eating areas. For the first time at an all-inclusive, we were always asked for our room number when we arrived. After several days, I clued in and asked the service manager if I was right. He congratulated me for figuring it out. The resort is not doing inventory; they are following your eating habits in case you get sick. They know which restaurant I ate lunch in on February 23rd. Every night, the numbers are punched into the computer. If you didn't eat dinner on a particular night, the resort assumes you ate somewhere off their property, and it is not their fault.
In addition, if you go into the resort gift shop and purchase anything dealing with indigestion or diarrhea, the clerk is required to take your room number and it then goes in to the computer. We were very impressed.
We were actually thrilled to be wakened by an earthquake. Monday morning (March 3) shortly before 3 AM, a loud rumble woke us up...and then the bed shook. Later that day, I was visiting in a nearby town and saw on CNN that a tremor had been felt in the Dominican and Puerto Rico. It was actually exciting for us; but scared many, including a group of British who were evacuated from their rooms following a similar quake at the resort several years ago.
Finally, the drinking water. Exceptional and available everywhere. While you are told to avoid the tap water, the resort makes sure there is cold distilled water available everywhere, from the a la cartes to the beaches. Even the bars had self-serve water coolers....and the water is as clear and good as you have tasted anywhere.
Checkout was also quick, although you have to be careful someone hasn't given your room number for something they purchased. In my case, there was an extra charge for a bottle of Bordeaux wine in the Mediterranen dining room. I never even ate there. Giving someone else's room number for such purchases appears to be common. I had to sign a note stating it was not inccurred by me, and there were no further questions. Others were also billed for long distance calls they never made. Although I was the only one in our group to be questioned, we heard numerous others arguing at the desk that they were being billed for services they never used.
The ride back to the airport was on a luxury bus, which was a good thing because we got stopped at an accident scene in the middle of Cabarete for more than half an hour. Checkin at the airport was easy; security was good; and the lounge area was fun as we waited for our delayed flight. The departure was spectacular, the flight was smooth, and the landing was hair-raising as we fought with gusting winds in Halifax.
But, we made it home after our best southern vacation ever! We will go back to that resort.
| Club Bahia Principe | Kim ~ Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
Arrival
Being a group of 14, we we're hoping everything would go smoothly. Our wish was granted. We booked with Sunquest - Air Transat and left on Saturday, February 16th @ 9:30 pm from Ottawa and returned on Sunday, February 24th @ 7:20 am.
The arrival to Rio San Juan was smooth. The bus ride is a little long to get to the hotel (1h15 - 1h30). When we got to the resort, the check in was quick and efficient. We were brought to our rooms, thank god because the resort is huge. It was beautiful.
We were there for a wedding and everything was perfect.
Rooms
The rooms are very clean and maids come in daily. The fridge is stocked every day as well with beers, water and pop. On the first day, we encountered some very small ants in our bathroom but remember... you are in the TROPICS. Bugs are abundant there. I just sprayed a bit of Off! and the problem was solved for the rest of the week.
We had two single beds put together (to make it seemed like we had a queen size bed). Although, some in our building had a queen bed. Not a big deal.
The TV was working fine but we didn't watch it. The A.C was on all day, no problem.
Restaurants
We practically went to the buffet every day/night. Sure, some complain that it was always the 'same food' (although they have theme nights, they don't have different foods from every other nights), but remember: how much food do you want? It was pretty varied (fruits, veggies, fish, pork, chicken, a lot of pasta, etc) so people who complain have nothing to do on their spare time.
We went to 2 a-la-cartes dinners:
The Mediterranean was VERY GOOD. I would recommend it! It was a delight.
The Italian restaurant was also very good!
No complaints on the food - everything was well served, well cooked and nobody got sick.
Bars
The bars were awesome as well. The service was excellent and you had some variety of drinks. They are very generous with the liquor, a good thing for people who like to drink!
Pop and juices were also available at the bars.
After 11pm (after the shows - very good entertainment), all the bars at the hotel close and you go in the street (don't worry, it's safe - it's the resort's street). There, you have another show and you can either go in the Disco or the Karaoke Bar for a good time! They close at 2 - 3. On the strips are also a few boutiques and a hamburger place - very good after a good night of dancing!
Beach and pools
The beach was very well maintained, brown and the water was a beautiful green/blue. Some people complain that the sand is brown.... Who cares?
Unlike other reviews, we did not have a problem with sand flies, although I saw a woman with fairly large bits. Just to be on the safe side, spray your legs (mostly) with OFF! before going to the beach and you'll be fine.
The pools were also very clean - we were mostly at the main pool (fairly
big) with the swim-up bar. There are 2 other pools, which are a bit quieter if you want to relax.
Grounds
Very clean and if you got up early enough, you would see them washing the path with soap and water. At any time of the day, you would see the workers doing something (cutting grass, cleaning, fixing something on the roof, etc). This resort is very well maintained.
Activities
A lot of activities are offered with the animation group (for the young’s, teenagers, adults and elderly!). You can participate to anything (game in the pool, aerobics, yoga, volleyball, soccer, mini putt, ping pong, tennis, etc).
Tours
While on our trip, we did 2 tours: the 4-wheeling experience and Dolphin swim.
We went 4-wheeling in the small villages. I had brought some gift for the kids and as we were passing through the village, we were slowing down to give them toys and other goodies. They were so happy - it is really rewarding to see their faces. We also visited a house and drank coffee. It was pretty good, but expensive (we booked through the hotel) 63$/each to be on the same 4-wheeler.
We also went to Ocean World Adventure Park for the dolphin swim. After a 2-hour drive, we watched the shows, went through the Rain Forest, saw the birds and we swam with the dolphins. WOW. It was amazing! I would recommend it. A bit expensive, 155$ each, but it is worth it. The 2-hour bus ride was long but comfortable and we could see the different towns of Dominican.
Conclusion
I would recommend this resort to anybody who wants to have fun! Don't mind the negative reviews - you will not be disappointed! If you have any questions, please feel free to send me an email : kim.savage@hotmail.com.
| Club Bahia Principe | Marilyn |
Having just returned from a week's stay at the Gran Bahia Resort in San Juan, I felt compelled to write. We had a group of 10 adults and 4 children, and must say, for the most part we had a great stay. The rooms were clean and comfortable. The cleaning staff were friendly and accomodating. When they say your fridge will be replenished daily, it helps if you leave a note inside the fridge with a tip, if you want a certain type of soda or extra beer! Food was very good and fresh. The beach is clean and water warm and wonderfull! We didn't spend much time at the pools - they were crowded and the water much colder than the ocean.
The four children - ranging in age from 8-14 were having so much fun they were depressed when we had to leave. They played mini-putt every day and we booked the tennis courts, the paddle boats and the catamaran's daily. Go early in the morning to book.
We only did one tour and that was the snorkelling - what a fun day that was!
The resort itself is quite large, but, that afforded us the opportunity to "do our own thing" without the group if we wished.
There is a "snack shack" at one end of the beach which served french fries, pizza, hamburgers, chicken etc. for lunch each day. You could just walk in with your bathing suit on and bare feet....it was a one of our favourite places!
We didn't realize until the 3rd night that they have a "street party" each night out on the road you arrive on. There is live entertainment - outside, with dancing, a karaoke bar and a disco. This all gets underway once the evening "show" ends - around 9:30.
Two items I feel should be mentioned, however, are the ala carte dinners and mosquitos. Even though we went to the reservation desk first thing in the morning the day after we arrived, we were not able to get into one restaurant of our choice ( Mexican ) and had to go to the Seafood even though a couple of members of our party ended up at the buffet becuase of intolerance to seafood. They seem to have alot of trouble booking through the computer system - we stood in line for well over an hour and then they seemed unwilling to book all three dinners. I was not about to waste another hour of my vactaion in that line, so, basically told him I wasn't going anywhere without my 3 dinners!
Be sure to bring insect repellent. We are all suffering the after effects of tons of bites on our legs and arms, even though , at the time, the bugs didn't seem that bad!! Spray before you go out in the evening!
All in all, our experience was very positive and I would recommend this resort!
| Club Bahia Principe | Jill |
Arrival - We arrived at the airport on Feb 08/08. No issues whatsoever with our trip to the hotel, except that it is one scary bus ride! Anyone who has been here knows what I mean. We were very pleased to arrive and find that we had the rooms we requested (ground floor, two rooms side by side). We were travelling with our two teenaged daughters and wanted their room beside ours. We were also pleased to find the burger place open on the Pueblo Principe, as we were hungry and it was midnight.
Rooms - Dated but clean. Maid was in daily. No complaints other than one day we did not get clean towels, and when I asked the maid to mop the floor, she only mopped the bathroom.
Restaurants - The buffet is typical of large scale buffet cooking. They do have "Show Cooking" areas, where you can get something freshly made. Ate at the Mediterranean, Italian and Seafood a la cartes. As this was our second time at the Bahia Principe San Juan, we were entitled to an extra a la carte at The Hacienda, however no one advised us of this until the last day! Would have been nice, since it is in the Diamond Section, and from what we heard, the food is EXCELLENT there.
Fantastic, attentive service, no feeling that they were trying to push you out the door.
Well cooked entrees.
Bars - Mainly hung around the pool bars, with no complaints. Great service, and some of the bartenders remembered us from the previous year....yeah for Leonel. Our daughters loved the disco, karaoke and pool side activities.
Beach and Pools - Beaches very clean, lots of shade available, loads of sun chairs. No complaints here.
Grounds - This is the one area that this resort excelled. Grounds are well laid out, with flowers adorning walkways. All well maintained.
Beautiful. (copied from a previous review as I cannot say more - FANTASTIC!)
Activities - Very high energy activities. The girls participated in sporting activities, and were pleased to receive "awards" at the nightly shows!
Tours - The girls and I took the rum factory/cigar factory/shopping tour. Only complain is that it was advertised as a shopping tour...we didn't know about the other parts of the trip. Shopping was fun, however they first take you to a jewellery store which is way over priced. Also, the last stop at the beach vendors in Sosua was an experience and a half. The vendors are extremely pushy, following you around, and trying to get you to buy from them.
Complaints - On the Monday night of our stay, the TV maintenance guy came to our room to fix our TV. He arrived at 11:00PM!! I was sleeping, and hubby was out. We had not called for TV maintenance, and there was nothing wrong with our TV. On Tuesday night, they assigned our room to new people. They arrived on our doorstep at 10:30PM. Again, I was in the room alone, and they had a key to the door! We did speak to Pierre, our tour operator, who referred us to Guest Services. This gentleman keep saying it was just honest mistakes and "no problem". Well, I'm sorry, but it was a BIG problem! I do not appreciate feeling insecure in my room at a resort of this calibre. Guest Services did offer a bottle of champagne on our last night, and a fruit basket (two green oranges, one banana, and a piece of pineapple) and bottle of rum for the inconvenience. Nice, but did not make up for my insecurities for the balance of the stay.
Conclusion - Had a great time, except for a couple of incidents.
| Club Bahia Principe | Patty |
My daughter and I stayed at this resort Feb 5-12, 2008. We had the golden club upgrade which I would definitely recommend. The upgrade is not available through all booking agents but Air Transat does offer it. The gold club is just extra towel service in the evening (so towels are refreshed twice daily instead of only in the morning), pool towels in your room, robes and slippers, 4 a la carte reservations, 10 minutes of internet daily, mini bar (just cold water, some pop and a couple beers but still nice to have in the room). Even better though is the diamond upgrade only available through sunquest vacations … if I was to go back, I would only go with the diamond upgrade. The diamond area has the best beach, a separate pool and restaurant.
The first room we had was in building F2, it was fine but only a double bed and no alarm clock. Before we even saw the room, the check in guy offered us a room in the E section if we came back the following day so we agreed to do that. The E section is much better with a king sized bed, a larger, better bathroom and an alarm clock and closer to the beach.
The resort grounds have beautiful walkways, plants and trees. The beach on the golden end isn’t ideal if you are a sun lover because there are a lot of trees and a very short beach area so no where to pull out of the shade.
I have one word to describe the food … PASTA! They serve a lot of pasta and the buffet is essentially the same every day despite the fact that they claim to have theme nights. The food is good enough though. We were disappointed in the Mexican restaurant because we love Mexican food and they didn’t have things we’ve come to expect such as Fajitas on the menu. The Italian restaurant is the best one, we went there for breakfast and lunch almost every day and we had two dinner reservations there.
Book your a la carte reservations early. We didn’t do that and had to go for dinner at 9pm some nights and we were never able to get a reservation at the Mediterranean restaurant so we couldn’t try it.
I read a lot of reviews and I was surprised that nobody warned us about the rain in Puerto Plata. We were there for a week and had rain downpour 3 mornings out of the 7 we were there. On the positive side, the rain seems to come in spurts 20 minutes of downpour and then 20 minutes of hot sun so you can go back and forth under the palapas and those days it was still hot for the afternoon (1 pm to 5 pm or so). I was just surprised nobody mentioned that.
We had a nice relaxing vacation at the Bahia Principe S.J. but honestly I wouldn’t go back. It’s too much travel time from Edmonton and while the resort was fine, it wasn’t fabulous and I don’t think this one is up to Bahia Principe’s typical standards. Having said that, the hotel staff are so nice and try really hard and being away from reality with the sun, sand and rum is great!
| Club Bahia Principe | Cheri ~ BC Canada |
Arrival - Arrived Jan 15/08 Hit up at airport by tour fellow that lifted our suitcase on the bus for a tip. Golden Club "exclusive check in" was a joke. A full bus load of people, nearly all " Golden Club" . Took half hour just to get into "exclusive" lobby. 50 minutes to get checked in.
Finished check-in 5 minutes before buffet closed, advised we could leave our luggage and "run" to get something to eat. Not!
Rooms -
Dated but clean. Maid was in daily. We actually got sheets that fit our bed twice, that was a nice treat. Golden Club may be close to the beach, but ours was about as far from dining and evening amenities as possible.
Restaurants -
Ate at the Mexican ala carte, or tried. 4 for dinner, dinners delivered. One was the wrong meal. The waiter immediately took it away. Unfortunately, no one bothered to replace it. After everyone else was finished and they were trying to clear the table, we again said that one of the party had not been served and were laughed at. We did manage to convince the waiter we were not joking and a second wrong meal was served. I was told that those that got the meal they requested thought they were well cooked and tasty.
The Italian, nothing special. The Gourmet (I think it is nearly impossible to get in to on a 1 week stay) was what we had come to expect from stays at other Bahai properties. Fantastic, attentive service, no feeling that they were trying to push you out the door.
Well cooked entrees. The buffet, it was a typical buffet. I was sorry fresh fruit selection was so bad at the end of week 2 (grapefruit, oranges, pineapple and cantaloupe) Week 1 the selection was varied, with a few tasty unknowns that were never labeled.
Bars -
Beach bars were out of popular booze by 4 (beer, rum, vodka,
whiskey) a few days running
Beach and Pools -
Beaches very clean, lots of shade available, loads of sun chairs.
Major restorative and protective work being done, but they heavy work seemed to be carried out after the guests had left the area.
Grounds -
This is the one area that this resort excelled. Grounds are well laid out, with flowers adorning walkways. All well maintained.
Beautiful.
Activities -
We chose to spend the bulk of our time on the beach, the few times we were in the activity area, it seemed well attended and high energy
Tours -
We took a taxi to Playa Grande and spent the day, beautiful and quiet. Coming back from Samana, we stopped there the following week while a surfing competition was happening, completely different, place was hopping. Hubby went golfing, kicked himself for not taking the camera, course was fantastic and prices drop in the afternoon when booked directly through the course
Conclusion -
Not up to the standards of other Bahai, 3 star maybe. Of all places we have been in the Dominican Republic, this is one we would not repeat. We were hit up for tips by a staff member (we tip and leave gifts/school supplies). Main problem is we felt the resort was maybe a training stop. Smiles from staff were almost non existent.
| Club Bahia Principe | Franco |
Enjoyed starting the new year at the Bahia Principe San Juan
It’s been a few weeks since we are back from our vacation and I write this review with a Monte Cristo cigar, a home made coco loco while I listen to the Bahia Principe San Juan dvd. So I have had time to get back to earth and write an objective review although as you can tell I really enjoyed my vacation.
My girlfriend and I enjoyrd a great week at the Bahia Principe San Juan in the Dominican Republic. We were there from December 29, 2007 to January 5, 2008. This was a gift I purchased on Christmas Eve, like many men I waited until the last moment…no regrets whatsoever!
The hotel is a 4 star supplement, say a 4.5. The resort is absolutely beautiful with great coconut trees, flowers and lots of vegetation all around.
We were enchanted by the wonderfully lit entrance to the hotel as we arrived late in the day. The hotel was beautifully decorated with Christmas lights and coconut Christmas trees reminding us of what season we were in but how tropical it was in the DR.
The lobby is recently renovated with marble and decorated with local paintings and statues. The check in was smooth and we were conveniently driven to our room by the train-bus-whatmacallit.
The room is just the right size. We had a king size bed. We had a problem with the air conditioner, washroom and tv and they were there in no time to fix it. The service was very professional service and they followed up to ensure we were happy. The staff were friendly and attentive. They keep the place very clean.
Heads up…the pillows seem awkwardly small but we slept like angels nonetheless. We couldn’t believe how well we slept.
There are three pools. We enjoyed the main pool located at the heart of the complex with the swim in bar – cool! There were plenty of kids enjoying this pool as well.
Organized water polo or as the animation group called it “ice hockey” to make us laugh. By the way, these guys and gals never stop working day and night!
Food was great for a one week vacation. We enjoyed the breakfast and dinner at the buffet restaurant. Our breakfasts had everything you can ask for: French toast, omelets, eggs galore, pancakes…Dinner included fish, meats, poultry etc. We enjoyed walked to the beach side restaurant for lunch. Pizza, hot dogs, burgers and fries were on the menu. The deserts were amazing!
Note that the beach is recuperating from storms of recent years. It’s dark sand so if you are expecting the perfect beaches of Varadero accept that it’s not Varadero and enjoy the warm waters of Puerto Plata. It’s beautiful once you realize how lucky you are to be there. There are plenty of beach chairs and the abundance of trees offer you plenty of shade.
Spa…we pampered ourselves with two spa sessions. They were very pleasant. There are a few spa locations to pick from at each end of the complex. We went to the main location. Unfortunately the whirlpools were closed but were compensated with extra message time. I am glad to say I experienced the spa sensation you see advertised on magazines, spoiling ourselves together in an outdoor hut with the sounds of the beach nearby.
The Bahia Principe complex offers you direct access to a number of shops located in the entrance of the complex called Pueblo Principe where you can enjoy daytime shopping on the strip and night time entertainment such as a club, karaoke and a casino. You feel safe and close to home. You don’t have to go far to enjoy your evenings.
The animation group entertained us every day and evening. There is a show for kids early in the evening followed by singing and dancing for all. They then take the show to the Pueblo Principe after 11pm. Unfortunately, if you were looking for a drink after 11pm, the bars located directly on the hotel are closed and you have to go to the Pueblo Principe section which while it isn’t far some tourists don’t’ want to go there and prefer a pool side evening drink. My tourist friendly advice would be that they should keep one bar open.
We missed out on the golf and mini putt and chose not to go on the excursions but we heard they were excellent! Maybe the next time since it’s worth going back to.
A final note for those thinking of going during the New Year, do it! We celebrated the New Year there and it was magical. The hotel had a wonderful dinner and a fantastic outdoor celebration with a band, music, party hats etc. It’s a perfect way to end a year and start a new one.
| Club Bahia Principe | Sarahjean |
My wife and I just wanted to pass along to potential visitors of this resort what we encountered while there last year.
The resort was clean for the most part and the staff was friendly. But we did notice that we were missing $$$ from our room one particular day. There was also another day that we decided to return to the room to use the facilities and our door was open and a maid was standing at the front door. She didn't see me until I just got to the door and there was another employee just inside the door with our closet open and I thought I saw him quickly taking his hand away from our suitcase. When i went in and asked what they were doing there the man said he was there for a "routine check". Funny though that it took two employees to do this check and that the maid left as soon as we showed up. His "check" must have just finished b/c he left right after. So after he left i checked what he possibly be looking at in our closet and i noticed our front zipper was open. Maybe coincidence but I don't think so.
In the end we thought we were missing only $40 but it's obviously the principal.
i would suggest getting a safe but as we all know, they have a spare key to get into them all.
other than not trusting the staff and not ever recommending the resort to any of our friends, I would give the overall experience a 6/10.
p.s. we also recommend not going on the Dune Buggy adventure. just trust us on that one. and if you go on the safari ( which was a great experience) be sure to buy the candy they try to sell to you before you go and bring a bit of cash.
| Club Bahia Principe | MT |
Hello Debbie, I am using your site again for reviews, it was very helpful so I thought I better share my experience at bahia principe in January 2007. We had an excellent stay. We had great warm weather every day which I am sure makes a big difference on any vacation. We stayed in the club diamond which was fabulous. They have their own buffet which we found to be great for breakfast, n ot as much selection for dinner. However the big buffet had a great selection and different theme each night. The a la cartes were good as well.
The rooms were well kept and cleaned every day. No they are not five star rooms, they were very basic. Our TV did work the first day but then it did not. I was not there to watch TV anyhow. Eveything I read from other good reviews was correct. Treat the staff with respect and they will do the same for you. I am not a big tipper, but am a very friendly person. Chat it up with the staff and get to know them a little and your service will be excellent. A few american dollars a day and some candy, toothpaste and soap or extra old clothes that you bring along will be gratefully accepted by staff. They love kids, we had a 10 year old, 6 year old and two 4 month olds with us. All the staff loved the babies and to see a big family.
The food was good, of coarse where ever you travel eat hot fresh food, stay away from things left out for long periods of time. Eat during the busy hours, the food is usually more fresh, you may have to wait for a dish to come out or wait in line, but it's better than food sitting out in warm weather!!
Use the tours off the resort, I think it was Henry at Campos tours. There was no room on the bus but we had a group of 8 people so he got us another bus, and we had our on private tour with 8 people.
Just remember your on vacation, this is a 3rd world country. People there are envious of us when we are there. Yes they are pushy, they think we are made of money. We are very fortunate here in Canada. Be nice, be generous and respectful. I saw people who thought they were kings because they ordered the maids to stock their fridges better. I talked to my maid the first day and gave her a bag full of stuff for her kids to play with, I asked her if she would like these things and her eyes lit up. Within 5 minutes they were back in my room stocking my fridge with more beer, water and juices for the kids. I didn't even ask her for this. These were simple dollar store items for her kids like pencils and workbooks and candy.
Their was a guy selling cigars in the lobby of the hotel. They are actually not that bad of cigars. For $100 US I picked up a box of Alfonso cigars. They were very nice. He makes very good knock offs. So buy his brand and save your money, they are all the same. The beach was excellent, its not the white sand carribean, go somewhere else if you want that. But the barriers are great to protect the beach from the wavy water and seaweed. We loved the warm water and riding the waves as well.
Mini golf was great for the kids, the bikes were run down but did the trick for an hour of fun with the kids. The shows are a bit corny but the kids loved the kid portion each night.
The restaurants were all fine. The beach restaurant was great for an afternoon snack. I loved being in such a big resort as well, lots to see and do and lots of walking to work off the dinners. I would go back in a heartbeat especially at the prices in January for these places. Take it for what it is a cheap holiday, enjoy the food and the company. Don'y be a critic and go with the flow. Oh yeah and ask for balconies when you go to these places so you don't get flooded out if it rains, we didn't but it is a good point.
| Club Bahia Principe | Dana |
We are a family of four with kids ages 23 and 15. We like adventure and to be busy (wilderness canoeing is a family 'hobby') We had read the reviews and come to the conclusion the trip would, "be what it would be" - there are many positive and negative reviews. Here's what we learned during our visit:
The hotel was closed down (unknown by whom) in August because of reno(?) health concerns(?).
They were closed down for two months during which extensive renovations were completed and the health precautions were all revamped. Much of the resort (rooms) are still being renovated which means a resort built for 2500 people at capacity has only approximately 1/3 that in attendance - lots of room.
Again, we had done the research and followed the suggestion to e-mail the hotel and request adjacent rooms to our children and from our research, building E-5. That's what we did and that's were our rooms were!
Again, the suggestion of previous guests was, tip the staff. We started off at check in.
We had booked Gold Club (well worth the extra) and gave Oliver a $10US tip. We checked in a 2pm and he said he would be able to book our a la carte's at 3pm. We returned and booked same. Oliver is not much of a talker so be patient. I wasn't clear what he was doing as he hammered away on the keyboard but when I asked he told me he was booking the meals - no input from me required?!? When I explained we wanted to eat at the Med on Christmas night he booked us a 5th meal - we were entitled to 4. (During our stay we witnessed many frustrated guests who didn't understand Oliver's 'quiet' nature and the value of a tip!) Our rooms were exactly as pictured in the brochure. They were clean and the fridge was well stocked. We tipped the maids $5 the first day and a dollar a day thereafter. We brought a small gift for the maids for Xmas. Remember, the person who stocks the fridge is different than the maids - so leave a tip here also - we left a dollar a day. The only negative I can say about the rooms is the pool towel exchange which is suppose to be included in Gold Club was a bit hit and miss and we couldn't quite figure out the maid cleaning schedule... at the beginning they seem to clean at the end of the day and that changed to beginning of day with a second 'swipe' and towel exchange around 7pm.
The buffet food is a bit bland BUT there is plenty for any taste and there is always something being made fresh ie. omelets in the morning, pasta lunch and dinner.
The a la carte's are fantastic and each has something a little unique. At the Mexican (our least favourite) there was tequila at the entry and buffet style appetizers. We never felt rushed and the food was always nicely presented as well as tasty and filling. The Mediterranean was our family favourite followed by the Italian then the Seafood. During our visit, only three of the four actual restaurants were open but all four menus were available.
One thing I should mention is the staff. They are friendly and easy going. We tipped again
- as we saw fit, sometimes a dollar a day at the buffet, usually a couple of dollars to a couple of staff at the a la cartes.
On the hygiene front, anyone who is handling food is wearing gloves, the food is all prepared with purified water as are the ice cubes. Even the bartenders do not touch anything with their hands including your straw - they have a technique for tearing the paper wrapper mid-way, placing it in the glass and leaving the half torn piece on the straw for your removal. (Our flight was delayed over 12 hours on the return and we were brought to another resort for supper - the standard there was not even close to what we saw at Bahia
Prinicipe!)
We didn't participate in many organized activities. Our children played beach volleyball a
lot but that was about it. We did go scuba diving and Neil is fantastic. There was some
confusion on what Scuba Caribe was going to charge us as the kids had completed the Discover Scuba Diving in Mexico less than a year before. Neil honoured it and charged for the diving only - we choose to pay for a $20 each refresher though. Diving here is excellent and, in my mind, not publicized enough. There are several reefs close by which are in excellent condition with very good visibility. I found the conditions similar to those in the Mayan
Riviera 15 years ago - before the last hurricanes devastated the coral. Piscine Natural
and La Roca includes overhangs and caves - it was a wonderful experience.
We did not take the tours offered by the resort. Again, the research seemed to indicate Campo tours was a better deal. TAKE THE JEEP SAFARI. That was one of our best days. You really have the opportunity to see the real DR. Tinto is an excellent tour guide and loves to talk about the country and the people and Coco will be your best friend if you book through him. I wouldn't do the Glass-bottom boat ride again but only because as divers we had already been to those locations and the Gri-Gri lagoon is hardly worth seeing. The day we took the tour the ocean was very rough and Campo came through and instead of cutting the tour short or putting us in potentially dangerous conditions, they brought in a jeep and added another tour through the mountains.
Sand fleas are a problem here but the hotel does do everything it can. We could set our clocks by their fogging at 6:30 am and pm. My husband got more bites on Playa Dorado during our visit there than the 9 days we were at Bahia Prinicipe.
Finally, the grounds, every review says they are beautiful. That is an understatement. My husband and I truly enjoyed walking the grounds after dinner each night.
This is the one place we would consider returning to and with so many places in this world to see and experience, for us that is saying a lot.
I alluded to a flight delay... our Air Transat flight arrived almost 2 hours late and several hours later it was decided it had to be taken out of service. We watched a beautiful DR day from the inside of the small, expensive airport - it was not an ideal end.
The flight that was supposed to leave at 12:40 pm left at 12:15 am. It meant a 23 hour day for us leaving us more exhausted than before our vacation. Air Transat did make some attempts to take care of us and given that it is DR my expectations were not those of Canada BUT there really should be a more organized plan in place for all airlines for eventualities such a broken plane. We had checked through security by 10:30 am and it took until 5:15 pm before they had made arrangements for us to leave and get food/rest. We were back on a bus by 9:15 pm and again waiting by 9:30 pm. The 11:30 pm flight was delayed another half hour.
We’re now waiting to see what compensation Air Transat will be making.
Don’t let our Air Transat experience deter you from staying at this resort – it was well worth every penny and then some!
| Club Bahia Principe | Angela ~ Guelph, Ontario |
Travelling with two daughters 12 and 14 years old. Rooms -
Upon arrival at reception I requested a room close to that of my friend who would be arriving later in the day. They were not able to accommodate this because my friend was Golden Club and I was not; however, I was given a lovely room. I was expecting two single beds, but I had a king-sized bed and a cot. The room was clean. The shower is a little odd as it has a glass door that covers half the length of the tub. It's pretty hard to shower without getting water all over.
Our room location was directly across from the Mediterranean restaurant so it was very close to the "hub" of the complex. We were pleased with this.Restaurants -
We, generally, ate at the buffet, but we also had Italian twice and Mediterranean once. The only meal I had which was not prepared to perfection was the pork on the Mediterranean menu. The pork was a wee bit tough. There was never a moment when we did not find something magnificent to eat. We were extremely pleased to find they were offering hand sanitizer on the way into the restaurants as my younger daughter was completely paranoid about washing her hands in the water there. Bars -
The bars were okay, but a few things that I missed there that I have found at other resorts. I enjoy sitting at the bar and chatting with the other people who enjoy doing this. We could do this at the swim-up bar, but not at the one which was close to the volleyball/pool etc. Not a major issue, but just something I missed. Drinks were rather inconsistent from each of the bars. My daughter found that the swim-up bar and the karaoke bar mixed the best Strawberry Dacquiri (sans Rum).
Biggest disappointment in this area was the disco. It was DULL!! From what I could understand the staff are not allowed to go there. As the resort was well under capacity it was not my cup of tea. Nothing like going to the disco to find two people on the dance floor and eight more standing around the room. :(
Beach and Pools -
I was definitely not at this resort for the beach, which was a good thing. The sand is dark and packed. We had red flag days all week except one. Of course, we also had a tropical storm pass through so this makes sense. We only attended the main pool, but the staff work extremely hard to keep it clean. It was a quiet week for visitors so we never had a problem finding chairs by the pool. Grounds -
The grounds are very well-kept. Post-storm there were numerous staff out working to clean things up.
Not really a grounds thing here, but the public bathrooms were extremely well maintained. There was a cleaning lady on duty at all times and she worked very hard. I tipped them a few times and also engaged them in dancing a time or two.
Note: this is a remote area that is quite natural. You will find lizards and crabs as well as sand fleas. They belong there, though. If you are afraid of these things, then this is not the resort for you. My children just found it funny to find a crab in the bedroom, or a gecko at dinner.
Activities -
Nothing much different than anywhere else. The staff are well-trained to engage people in the activities. I did not find that they were even remotely close to what was on the schedule we were given at reception. I just picked a chair close to the activity side of things and listened to see what my children should come out of the pool for at any given time.
I particularly enjoyed the dance lessons as it gave me a chance to try the dances with a partner from the Animation team. I soon found that I could dance merengue quite well when with a good leader and this was Giovanni!!
Tours -
Booked a tour through Campo at the end of the beach. It was cancelled due to the weather and we were given our money back with no problems whatsoever. I did not hear of anyone who had problems after having booked with them.
Conclusion -
BP San Juan is a beautiful hotel made even more beautiful by it's friendly Dominican staff. They are very attentive regardless of how poor the pay is. I was glad I brought money to tip with and we did so rather generously.
The weather was not spectacular, but I hardly noticed as the Animation team worked double-time to keep us entertained.
This is not a destination for great shopping, or a wonderful nightlife as it is in a very remote area. It is a great place to relax and unwind and to meet other people who are there for the same reasons.
Glad to answer any questions at ajewellmom@yahoo.ca
| Club Bahia Principe | Sid & Nancy ~ Ottawa Canada |
Vacation in Dominican Republic, Puerto Plata
Bought from canadiantravel.com
Transat Vacations, Royal Golden at Bahia Principe San Juan
November 9 – 16 2007
My wife, four children ( 10, 12, 16 and 17) and I had an excellent vacation at this resort. This was our first all inclusive trip we have ever taken so I have nothing to compare it to. I bought the package from canadiantravel.com which I would highly recommend to anyone, I haven’t seen a lower price yet. Being my first all-inclusive trip I had a lot of questions, I called several times and they always replied with a cheerful answer. I have read some of the other reviews from people whom have gotten sick at this resort, we had no problems nor did we see or hear of anyone else getting ill. We were treated like royalty, always having staff around to assist us. I would recommend this resort to anyone.
Flight- We flew with Air Transat out of Montreal, everything was on time we had a very good flight. I had read on this site to be wary of the porters who offer to take your bags at the Dominican airport and drilled it into my children’s heads not to let anyone take their bags. At the Dominican airport there were some men standing, all with the same shirts and nametags. They reached for my suitcase and I gave it to them, I thought they were customs officials. As soon as the gentleman started walking away with my suit case I realized what was going on and promptly asked him to stop, which he did. I retrieved my suitcase and carried on. We all had a good laugh over this and I was reminded of this the whole week.
Resort – The landscaping is immaculate with various tropical foliage. We had two rooms which were clean when we arrived. The rooms were located in section E-3 and they were on the second floor. During the week they were made up on a daily basis, usually twice a day. The mini bar was restocked daily with 2 Sprite, 2 Coke, 1 bottle water, and 2 Beer. The air conditioning worked well. The only problem we had was when I stepped into the shower the tub cracked, I reported this three times in two days to the staff, with no results. I then mentioned this to our Transat representative, Genevieve, and it was fixed within two hours. Fortunately we had two rooms so I was able to shower in the second room.
Restaurants – They were awesome, always neat and clean with staff ready to serve. The food at the À la carte restaurants was top quality, the buffet was also very good, and sometimes my children liked the buffet so much they asked to go to the buffet instead of the À la carte meals. The desserts were awesome and served for all three meals.
Activities – We did a lot while in the Dominican Republic. We did two excursions with Campo tours, the 3 hour ATV tour and the Jeep tour. Campo Tours are not associated with the hotel and are located off the resort property at the end of the east beach. We also did the two hour snorkel trip and horse back riding on the beech with the company on hotel property. We enjoyed all of these excursions. Campo ( Herman ) gives a tour with a much more personal and an informative touch. They are also around $20 dollars cheaper per person. The only problem we had was when we bought the DVD of our Jeep tour it only worked for about 30 seconds and then there was an error. I think it was an honest mistake which they did not intend to do.
Nightly Entertainment – The whole family enjoyed the nightly entertainment. Our youngest enjoyed getting on stage and dancing every night at the kids disco, she is still dancing now that were home (I found the music they played and burnt a cd for her). My wife, teenage children and I also had a good time. Several of us were invited on stage to participate in various skits or contests, it was fun. The animation team did a good job of getting everyone involved and work very hard all day long to keep people of all ages entertained.
Conclusion – The whole family had a good time and it certainly won’t be our last time here. We brought candies and some gifts for the Dominican children to hand out on the tours which were greatly appreciated. . The staff is also very appreciative of any tip or gift you can provide. Giving what basic items we take for granted is greatly appreciated by them and will certainly make your trip very rewarding. Check the items listed on this site for some good ideas.
| Club Bahia Principe | James and Nicolette |
First of all when we boarded the bus that was to take us to the resort we found that the resort contact had no record of us on his list of people who had reservations at the Bahia Principe.
Upon arriving to the resort at 3 am on the morning of Apr 20, we went to the check in desk and were sent to room #2526. When we arrived at the room we were astonished to find the condition of the room. There was mold growing up the door frame along the door facing, on top and bottom of the shower curtain, on the patio sheer and patio curtain up to heights of about 4 ½ ft. The patio door did not lock which did not provide much safety for our belongings and us. This was a must because of a lot of young adults fighting and young women screaming for help just outside our location in the resort. There seemed to be very little security guards in the area dealing with the situation. Also there were three single beds in the room, which the mattresses were old and smelled very bad. One had holes in it and tears in the top with the springs collapsed. There were small bugs in the bathroom on the floor, walls and sink. There was no battery in the smoke detector over the beds. There were no robes, no slippers, no stocked mini bar, no complimentary bottle of rum and no welcome letter, all of which were suppose to be a part of our package.
On my way back to the check in desk I witnessed young men fist fighting near the main lobby, one young woman was screaming for security and proceeded to run to the front desk where she received no response and no security help. I myself approached the check in counter and had no luck in my request to change rooms. I decided to return to room #2526 and stayed up all night afraid to sleep because of my safety concerns. I could not believe the hell we were in and we paid good money for this! As well upon my return to the room that night the power failed. When we called room service to get some candles we were told to come and get them ourselves. This was about 4 am and we just arrived and were very unsure where to go especially in the dark! Subsequently the electricity went out two other times during our stay.
On the morning of March 20 we went to the Royal Golden reception area and got no help. We met the Air transat representative ******** in the lobby at 8:40 am, at that time we told her of our problems and room troubles. She said there would be no problem to change our room because we were gold members of the resort, this she was sure of and she directed us to the theater to take in the briefing. Before the briefing started ******** told us that she had informed another rep, *********, of our problems and she would take care of it.
When the briefing was over we went back to the Air Transat office to see *********, she told us to come back later because she was in the office by herself. We met up with ******** again and she assured us that our room would be changed. This type of scenario continued over and over again until 1 pm. At this time no resort staff or Air Transat rep had any idea of what to do. Each time we spoke to someone they wrote down our room #2526 but no one would remember it when we would return for an update! These people were all talk and no action. By 2pm my wife was sitting in the Air Transat office crying and asking for someone to give us some assistance. At that time we demanded to see a manager. We were introduced to a man named ******** who was apparently the assistant manager. He told us that there were no clean rooms available and that the ones that were clean were reserved for people who were coming into the resort that afternoon. He stated that there was another room which the occupants had checked out that morning and sent us to view it. When we arrived we found that the room was not cleaned and was not suitable.
We chased ******** around until 3pm at which time he gave us keys to the third room #2409. This room had been cleaned however the air conditioner did not work properly, there were bugs in the bathroom sink, the floor tiles in the entrance of the bathroom were broken, the bottom drawer to the dresser had the bottom fall out, the room did however have soap, large towels and robes but did not have any face cloths. There was no coffee maker, no slippers, no complimentary bottle of rum and no welcome letter. Up until this time we had no sleep for about 35 hours so we decided to take the room. The 20th was the only day of good weather we had and we chased people around all day and argued to get a decent room, which we never really got. In addition we had to take cool showers all week because our sink and shower had no hot water! The next 4 days it was raining, we asked for an umbrella on the first day of rain and were told that one would be brought to our room within ten minutes. With many requests after that we did not receive an umbrella until late Friday afternoon when we asked a gentleman named Eliseo Polanco who promptly got us an umbrella. Finally we had met someone who followed through on what he said!
To add to all of this there was no Internet service working at the Royal Golden reception all week and the Royal Golden Club House was closed the entire length of our stay. In addition we received a phone call from the front desk to ask us how we were enjoying our stay, we responded that we had no faith left in them and the women on the other end just laughed!
This place was so stressful, we needed to come home and recuperate. We do not feel that this was fair treatment and was not what we were suppose to have booked as a vacation package. According to the Bahia Principe Resort Rating Key an 4 star resort is suppose to be : Deluxe (Prime Location with outstanding service, elegant accommodations and a wide variety of amenities). This resort was suppose to be a 4 & ½ star resort, but was not at all what was advertised, and not at all what we were suppose to have booked! We feel that we should be compensated for the unfair treatment that we experienced at the resort, the deplorable conditions we had to live with and the stress of the whole vacation. This was suppose to be a week of relaxation which cost good money and was not at all what was advertised and not at all what we had booked!
| Club Bahia Principe | Nancy ~ Montreal Canada |
Arrival -
Arrived at 3am. Check in was fine.
Rooms -
We were in the Golden Club this time which was really nice. Room with ocean and pool view. Coffee makers, towels, and Free Internet.
Restaurants -
Buffet was great as were all the a la cartes.
Bars -
Great too. They come to your table and serve you drinks when you are sitting near the pool area and when watching the show at nite.
Beach and Pools -
Bad thing are the sand fleas.,Some people including my husband get bad reactions to the bite. Bring lots of bug repellant and calamine. Even though my husband was itchy at times he would still return. Pools very nice too. One is right beside the Golden Club
Grounds -
Perfect
Activities -
Lots of things to do.
Tours -
We take local buses and go visit. This time we did and for 30 pesos you can walk out to the main gate and catch it.Then have fun walking around San Juan and visit the Laguana
Conclusion -
LOVE THIS PLACE.. We have been to many hotels in the DR and this is one of our favs.. Also Sun Village email your questions to brabs60@gmail.com
| Club Bahia Principe | Greg and Deborah ~ Sudbury, Ontario |
We stayed at this resort at approximately the first week of March, we thought we would avoid spring break partiers but alot of the resort was occupied by these people.
Our first two days were okay, I will mention that this is my third or fourth time to the Dominican Republic and Greg's first time to any part of the Carribean. We had booked approximately 3 weeks prior to our departure date, thinking of course, that
last minute would be less costly than booking 5 or 6 months in advance. I am not sure now if we got the absolute last room on the resort because of the late booking, or if maybe the people on the resort thought they were doing us a favour.
Upon arrival, we were told that our room was ready, because of going through Club Diamond, our information was taken en route for a more efficent check in. When we arrived at our room, we had no towels, toilet paper, or anything in the mini fridge. We tried to call the front desk, but the phone was dead. The wires had even been severed, so my boyfriend who is an electrician, hooked things up that were supposed to have been working previously.
We wondered if this was an actual ploy to get extra tips, as you know that when you call guest services for anything extra, it is proper to give tips.
Room; Clean and functional, we had a King size bed, nice view of the gardens and the ocean. For an extra $2 (american) you will have the staff bringing you extra beer etc.
Food: Buffet's were fine but definitely not spectacular, we thought being in a carribean resort that seafood would be a staple, that does not mean fish in green sauce. (stay away)
SUB-SECTION FOOD: Re Liquour, beer, wine etc. People be very careful when ordering a Pina Colada, if you do not specify that you want a rum Pina Colada, you will receive a virgin drink. I noticed this after the second day that if I wanted a Cuba Libre, I would also have to ask for the rum included in the drink.
Most importantly, Greg and I are red wine drinkers, not that we drink exceptionally expensive wines while at home, the wine on this resort was UNDRINKABLE. It came in plastic jugs like it had just been mixed like koolaid. Greg remarked that it smelled like his grandfather's barnyard. I have not noticed any more reviews regarding the poor selection of wine. We thought maybe it had just been a bad batch, so we ordered it the next evening only to find it was just as bad.
I have travelled to parts of the Domincan and Cuba and never had a problem with how the tasted and smelled before.
In conclusion, my boyfriend was sick for 5 out of 7 days, last nite at the resort he wound up at the resort emergency only to be transferred, by cab that we had to pay for up front, to Puerto Plata. This was a ride from Hell, the road was in bad shape, it was at least midnight. Thank god for traveller's insurance. This was the first time that we had purchased the "Deluxe Package" from RBC. Well worth the price.
Jeep Tour: Absolutely necessary, best day of our trip, hope you really like rum, please ask for Blanco!
All in 'All, seven days at the Bahia Principe was still better than seven days at work.
| Club Bahia Principe | Sa ~ Canada |
Rooms -
A very beautiful room with fully stocked mini bar with beer,water,soda..restocked for us daily...Beautiful towel display on the bed with fresh robes and slippers
Great view of the beach and only 1 minute away from room
Room service was excellent ordered anytime 24/7 included with the gold club
Restaurants -
9 out of 10 for Restaurants great dinner for X-mas lobster turkey fish chicken you name it.
The buffet was great was well a few times they ran out of toast bread and one of the cooks went out back and got me some right away very good customer service they work hard for their money!
Always have a smile on their face which made the experience so much better
Great breakfast bar with fresh smoothes every morning
People complain about the food are crazy go to Cuba and see how you like the food ahahahahahaha
The la a carte Restaurants were great the Mexican food was really good excpeicaly the margaritas and nacho and cheese
Word of advice the first thing you do when u arrive is book the La a carte before they are fully booked
Mediterranean was great was well I had the Arab turban which was prawns wrapped in beacon excellent
Bars -
8 out of 10 for bars great karaoke bar as well the entertainment shows they had everynite was great and how it ended up on the middle of that close street was great the disco was pretty good allot of good dance hip-hop Spanish music and the entertainment staff were the best! Verty nice people
Beach and Pools -
Beach was 8-10 not the greatest beach but that is all of purto Plata compared to Punta cana
there was this really big rock in the middle of the water which was fun to slide off
The swim up bar is a creeper folks after a few shots good luck getting out of the water
Grounds -
Very well kept amazing plants and flowers and grass everywhere side walks kept so clean.
security everywhere at night felt more safe
Activities -
So many Fun games to play during the day the entertainment staff are the best for that playing wicked music during the day got the volley ball nets going on!
Morning aerobics
Paddle boats were fun
Ladies if you like getting your hair breaded they do it for you right in the beach
if you go walk to the left side of the beach towards the gold club right off the resort you can go Horse back riding for 5 bucks!!!!!! for 40 mins Had allot of fun
Conclusion -
This was a great place to spend X-mas might allot of nice people from all over the country
The Dominican people where great I took few trips to private beach off the resort not recommend though unless you are with people that no the area! and I advice you to bring a little extra things that you can leave behind for the people shampoo, tooth paste,Tylenol Advil and for the school children pencils, books, paper, clothing trust me it will make your day!
| Club Bahia Principe | Louis |
Vacation in Dominican Republic, Puerto Plata
Club Diamond at Bahia Principe San Juan
March 8th to 22nd 2007
A Vacation From Hell
March 8 – We were scheduled to leave Ottawa at 16:35 arriving in Puerto Plata at 21:45. However, we were one hour late in leaving and we arrived at our resort at 0:30. Since we were traveling with a friend we had asked for two adjacent rooms. According to the brochure, as we had upgraded to “Club Diamond” we were to be accommodated in rooms that were “located in a private area of the hotel closest to the beach”, however, our rooms were on the third floor in a building that was the farthest away from the beach. Again according to the brochure we were to have, among other things: “ in-room safe; beach towels in the room; and, a stocked bar”. The lock for the in-room safe cost us $50 US, there were no beach towels in the room; and, the stocked bar consisted of: two bottles of beer; one bottle of coke; one bottle of sprite; and, one bottle of water!
March 9 –With great reluctance on management’s part, and with much perseverance on our part, they agreed to give us rooms as advertised “located in a private area of the hotel closest to the beach”. However, our traveling partner was now on the second floor and we were on the first floor – we were not amused. Again according to the brochure we were to have “free internet service” which turned out to be limited to 15 minutes per day.
March 10 –This marked the first day that we did not have to attend to administrative matters. The first part of the day was enjoyable but that evening we were entertained by Party Animals (PAs) until 3:00 A.M. Security guards admitted that things were out of control. Needless to say this was a sleepless night especially for our traveling partner that was no longer next-door as had been requested.
March 11 – Once again the PAs entertained us. The party started at around 17:00 and went until 3:00 A.M. The party started with a football game in-between the units. Our phone and that of our traveling partner rang at least ten times. PAs kept knocking on our doors. Security guards admitted that things were, once again, out of control. This was the second sleepless night especially for our traveling partner– are we having fun yet!
March 12 – The PAs slept in until 17:00 but by 18:00 the PAs were in full swing and the party went on until 3:00 A.M. Again our phone and that of our traveling partner rang a number of times and people kept knocking on our doors. Security guards admitted that things were, once again, out of control. We dined at around 20:00 and towards the end of the meal the lights in the whole complex went out. There were no emergency plans and no one informed us of what was happening. By 23:00 we were given candles and asked to return to our rooms. With some 500 PAs running around with candles there was cause for concern. This was now the third sleepless night. Given the gravity of the situation our traveling partner bunked in with us – I slept on the floor while the two ladies shared the one bed in the room!
March 13 – The day went by with no electricity. We inquired as to when the electricity might be returned but management had no idea. As far as they were concerned it was not their fault and there was nothing they could do. We dined by candlelight with the power returning by 22:00 but by 23:00 the power was off again. Did I mention that we had asked for a box of Kleenex for the past five days but to no avail – no Kleenex, no elect