Bahia Principe Luxury Esmeralda

“The Pick of the Litter”

They treat you like Royalty at Bahai Principe. We loved the service at Grand Coba last year, and Luxury Esmerelda surpassed this high mark. The staff is smiling and just wants us to have fun. I think we had better food in Esmerelda too. Newly remodeled and right on the beach, this is the resor... more

They treat you like Royalty at Bahai Principe. We loved the service at Grand Coba last year, and Luxury Esmerelda surpassed this high mark. The staff is smiling and just wants us to have fun. I think we had better food in Esmerelda too. Newly remodeled and right on the beach, this is the resort to choose. Especially at this price. Plus, the layout is great. Everything is close by and swiftly accessible. And you can have breakfast in the buffet right on the beach. This is the nicest Bahai location we have seen or heard about. We had 2 adjoining rooms and could not have been more pleased.

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“Great active family resort”

We stayed at Esmerelda the first week of July, 2024. Here are a few neutral thoughts, read through the reviews most are pretty accurate. Sorry if its long, just too much to say about this huge resort. The whole complex of 7 resorts in one is HUGE. You can be content just staying at Esmerelda, a... more

We stayed at Esmerelda the first week of July, 2024. Here are a few neutral thoughts, read through the reviews most are pretty accurate. Sorry if its long, just too much to say about this huge resort. The whole complex of 7 resorts in one is HUGE. You can be content just staying at Esmerelda, as its right on the beach, two pools, huge hot tub (really three hot tubs inside a pool). It has several ala cart restaurants, and two different buffets. The beach buffet is ala cart at night. For breakfast and lunch, we found the beach restaurant, was much less crowded. There are tons of entertainment going on through the day and night. Most mornings there was live music at the breakfast buffet. The main buffet is very busy, and waiting in live to have your item cooked takes time. The Tuesday night seafood day, there was lobster, but you had to wait in a long line to get one. Of course, not everyone started at the end of the line. There are golf carts/trolleys to take you anywhere in the complex. Bugs were not a huge problem, but I did come back with a handful of bits on my legs. I played a lot of beach volleyball, so maybe from that. No one else in family got bites. The towel game of saving chairs was definitely in play. We found chairs on the beach just as you walked out easily though under lots of shade. Nice to have our stuff there, as we could get to beach, and to pools also. Rooms were huge. We had a king with a pullout sofa for 12-year-old. Very comfortable for him. We were on 3rd floor, and be sure you know there are no elevators. Plenty of air conditioning in room. Nice bathroom with separate shower stall and bath tub with jets. Separate little room for toilet which was nice. There is a window to main room, with a shade, but the light does go out when bathroom lights on. Room service came when you wanted, just put sign on door green. Most days we just left it red, as we reuse towels etc. The is a help desk concierge at first floor of each building. Go check it out, as they can help answer any questions you have. Try to book restaurants before you go on the app or online. Most booked when we got there (we boked from home before going). You can make this your kind of vacation. I would recommend taking the cart/trolley to other resorts in complex just to see how huge it is. Lots of sports options by gate as you come in (tennis, mini golf, kids’ waterpark, etc.). One night we took trolley to Greek restaurant, and laughed about how close it was to ours, so naturally we just walked back. If you have patience this is a great resort with so much to do. Remember you are on vacation. You will wait in some lines. It is HOT and HUMID. The bracelet to open door may not work, and you have to walk back to lobby to reset it. There will be some people you won’t like for whatever reason, but most people are just having a relaxing good time. Point being, you are on vacation, forget about the trivial little things, and just relax. You vacation will be so much better that way. Would we go back to this resort? Most likely. We have been all over Caribbean/Mexico, and Punta Cana is your typical touristy beach resort area, and this hotel fits the bill for an active and fun vacation.

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“Very good time”

Pros: Amazing beach So many food options Friendly people Air conditioning works great in the rooms Sports bar has food if you get hungry in between meals Buffet on the beach with no dress code (you can be in a bathing suit) Cons: So many different bugs that bite You can’t flush toilet paper (... more

Pros: Amazing beach So many food options Friendly people Air conditioning works great in the rooms Sports bar has food if you get hungry in between meals Buffet on the beach with no dress code (you can be in a bathing suit) Cons: So many different bugs that bite You can’t flush toilet paper (gets stinky in the garbage) People on the beach trying to sell you something every 5 min Tips: Don’t buy jewelry from stands (they tell you they are giving you a deal when they are charging you way too much), buy jewelry from the gift shop where the prices are fixed Bring lots of bug spray, after bite, and Benadryl Learn some words in Spanish for situations like: ordering coffee, items like toilet paper, water bottle, towels. Come to the beach b4 10 or else there might not be many seats left

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