Bahia Principe Grand Aquamarine - Adults Only

“Had great time, its nice but not luxury as advertised”

We went the week before Christmas and the place looked festive. It is not truly luxury but it was not bad either. We enjoyed the adults only vibe, it was nice and quiet but not boring. They had a nice beach party with food and a live band and the Grinch which was a very nice touch. All staff als... more

We went the week before Christmas and the place looked festive. It is not truly luxury but it was not bad either. We enjoyed the adults only vibe, it was nice and quiet but not boring. They had a nice beach party with food and a live band and the Grinch which was a very nice touch. All staff also had Santa hats on. We literally went to lay out- eat- drink- repeat, and that is what we got. I did expect more "luxury" however it was not bad at all. The staff was nice and there was entertainment everywhere. I especially enjoyed just hanging out at the lobby, they had activities and games available and singers here and there.

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“The good, the bad, the ugly”

Bahia Principe Luxury Bahia Beware: This is a long review, but I wanted to present the good, the bad, and the ugly I experienced ACCOMMODATIONS My corner room was fabulous. Spacious and clean with contemporary décor and soft fluffy towels. Great a/c and ceiling fan, restocked refrigerator. I ha... more

Bahia Principe Luxury Bahia Beware: This is a long review, but I wanted to present the good, the bad, and the ugly I experienced ACCOMMODATIONS My corner room was fabulous. Spacious and clean with contemporary décor and soft fluffy towels. Great a/c and ceiling fan, restocked refrigerator. I have zero complaints. FOOD AND BEVERAGE Breakfast Buffet – Not a fan of buffets, I ordered fresh omelets, served by a gentleman with the brightest smile. I forgot his name, but he is a joy. Portofino – Skip it. The seafood pasta was tasteless, lasagna left a lot to be desired. Limbo – Nice atmosphere, great service, unimpressive food. Though I don’t recommend the restaurant, I encourage drinks at the bar, which is lovely. Yurta (Mongolian) Never having had Mongolian cuisine before, I didn’t know what to expect. However, it was THE BEST meal of the vacation! Go there! M.E.A.T. The third time was a charm. The first night, the restaurant was sweltering, and the chicken wings were delicious, but I sent my steak back twice and still wasn’t satisfied. I ordered rare and received well done, then an overly rare piece of meat that was so difficult to chew, I was unable to swallow it. Customer service was great; they brought me a ribeye without me even asking. I skipped dessert because I couldn’t stand the heat anymore. The 2nd night I was delighted to see my table (the coolest table in the restaurant) set up for me with the remainder of my bottle of wine (recommended by the excellent sommelier), my name spelled out with coffee beans, and a lovely napkin art. What a nice touch from the hostess, Adrianna! The 3rd night I had reserved M.E.A.T. again (10 days before b/c it was so highly rated), but I wanted to go to Yurt because it was so good. The F&B Manager offered me comped lobster and T-bone to encourage me to give M.E.A.T one more chance. Again, I was welcomed with a special table and given superb service. I really love that they did their best to please guests when things are unsatisfactory. Although customer service was excellent throughout the resort, I’d like to recognize a few people who went above and beyond to make my stay special. Arrecife Beach Bar: Alexandra, Bielka and William. I requested a special margarita that involved the juice of 4 limes, tequila, and a bit of Triple Sec (skinny margarita), and even though I know that is pretty labor intensive, they always made my personalized drink with a smile. In particular, Alexandra earned extra points by walking me to my room and assisting me with check-in and luggage transport on my first day. Breakfast Buffet: Glady and Adrianna brought me iced coffee from the coffee shop (they don’t have it in the buffet) and set up my table beautifully. M.E.A.T.: Pragido (sommelier), Omitozo (waiter), and Lidenni (hostess who decorated my table on nights 2 and 3). Such a nice touch! Guest Services: Daniela was sweet and super helpful. Spa: Santa – excellent massage! THU Nightmare. A friend was planning to join me in my (corner) room. When I called Bahia, they told me that she could pay the additional $75/night on her credit card when I checked in. I confirmed that she could “just walk in” to the front desk, and we could get her situated. (We would have updated the reservation in advance, except that I booked through JetBlue, which would not allow any changes whatsoever without a penalty.) I also emailed the Bahia Ambar manager twice (with no response) to confirm this again and manually add a person to my room and all restaurant reservations. Well, when my friend showed up, security would not allow her to enter the property! Apparently, guests need to reserve/check in with passports at least 24 hours in advance. While Julio at reception was resolving this, I was told that the upcharge for her to be added to my room was not $75/nt as I was told on the phone, but $175/nt. By the time she was granted access to the property (over an hour), she was on her way back to the airport, angry and disappointed. FRI “Yoga” at the beach was the worst in my life. The instructor ignored the participants and uttered no words of instruction. If you weren’t facing her, you had no idea she’s moved on to another pose, and she did nothing to correct this. She just silently moved through some stretches, sometimes with her eyes closed. Frustrated, I left after 15 minutes. SAT I spent the day between the beach and the pool, both of which were excellent. As everyone mentions, if you want a chair at the pool, set your towel down early (by 8:30). Tip: Keep your towels, set them down at 7am, then exchange them for fresh towels when the kiosk opens at 8 am. SUN The excursion (Punta Cana Adult Only Coral Nursery Snorkeling with Seafood Lunch $114) with Hispaniola Adventures booked through Viator was a fun experience. Manage your expectations about how many fish you’ll see (it’s not the Great Barrier Reef), and you should have a good time snorkeling, eating the seafood/lobster lunch, stopping at a deserted beach to enjoy fresh coconuts, and enjoying the open bar. MON Santa at the beautiful Spa gave an excellent massage. I liked that she began with legs and feet since that’s my favorite. TUE Finally, I had a nice meal at M.E.A.T. As a special accommodation, the Food and Beverage Manager (Damian) offered me lobster and T-bone steak (normally an upcharge). My appetite is limited, so I chose the lobster, which was very tasty. WED Last day with an 8:30 pm flight. Given all the problems on my first day, the manager (Orlando) granted me a late checkout so that I could maximize my time at the beach. Nice, but truth be told, I think they should have done more, given the misinformation and lax customer service before check-in. Given the cost, disappointment, and aggravation on Thursday, I thought they’d offer to extend my stay at no additional charge, offer some sort of discount, or credit for a future stay. Instead, I was told I could extend my stay at my own expense in my up-charged corner room at the standard rate. Very disappointing. What would it have cost them to extend my stay by a couple of days at no charge or give me credit for a future stay? I ended up having a nice time, but given what happened, I will never stay at this chain again.

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“Not a Luxury nor 5 star resort”

Stayed at this resort for 6 days and I have to say that I was disappointed with the maintenance of this resort. For the price they charge and how they promote this resort, I was expecting the rooms to be in exceptional conditions. The rooms are in dire need of renovations, headboard artwork tor... more

Stayed at this resort for 6 days and I have to say that I was disappointed with the maintenance of this resort. For the price they charge and how they promote this resort, I was expecting the rooms to be in exceptional conditions. The rooms are in dire need of renovations, headboard artwork torn off, unhinged fixtures and showers in dirty, poor conditions. I will not come back to this resort and encourage readers to do their research before they visit here especially if you are a constant traveler that expects high quality and great ambiance when vacationing. There are many 4 and 5 Star luxury resorts to select from in Punta Cana but this one does not meet either. I will say that the staff at the hotel are very friendly and go above and beyond to accomodate you. The food on the other hand was mediocre. The hotel does a nice job keeping the beach clean from seaweed and the ocean was great so because of this I gave them a 3 star rating.

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“Not the best ,Not the worse for what you pay for !”

I want to give a big shoutout to Kelvin at the Palmyra Buffet, as well as Pablo and Elia. They went above and beyond to provide great service for me and my family! Also, a big shoutout to Amboryx at the Las Brisas Buffet—he was always friendly and willing to help us. As for the resort, you get w... more

I want to give a big shoutout to Kelvin at the Palmyra Buffet, as well as Pablo and Elia. They went above and beyond to provide great service for me and my family! Also, a big shoutout to Amboryx at the Las Brisas Buffet—he was always friendly and willing to help us. As for the resort, you get what you pay for. The resort is small, which makes it easy to get around. The rooms are spacious, and while the food was mediocre, Kelvin in the kitchen made it worth it! Ask for Kelvin, and he can make you some great food—just tip him on the side. The beach is decent, not the best but not the worst. We also enjoyed the spa. As an American traveler and a conscious consumer, I believe the resort needs to do a better job of providing employees with better uniforms, especially since many restaurants lack air conditioning or have hardly functioning systems. It’s not enjoyable to see workers sweating in button-up uniforms and ties. While some people might not care about this, good food and service are what matter most.

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