Bahia Principe Grand Samana Adults Only

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

1575 reviews

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  Good resort for a quiet & relaxing escape

  We had a great time at this resort. From NewYork we could only land at Santo Domingo which is about three hours ride, can be long. We arranged a private transfer with the hotel and it went smoothly. The resort itself is very charming, small and relaxing. It is rather old, but correctly maintained. Rooms and common areas could use some renovation, but overall it is decent for the price. Don't expect everything to be super clean and perfect, it is an older building, set your expectations accordingly. Food wise, offer was varied and we found something to eat every meal. You are in an all-inclusive eating buffet food, this is what you get. No fine dining but very correct for a resort. Some reviews are complaining about food options not being included in the a la carte restaurants, most dishes are included so you can easily find something to eat unless you are overly picky... Then maybe you should not go to an all-inclusive resort. The site is rather quiet, no big party or super loud music, which we liked. It is easy to get around as the site is small, can feel redundant at times but we stayed 4 nights and it was perfect. There is about 2h of entertainment each night at the lobby bar, it is good. No big show, very intimate venue and we liked that. Does not have the "luxury" details of a usual 5* hotel (no slippers or bathrobes provided, limited bar service on the beach or pool etc.) but feels like a good 3-4*. The downside for us has been the beach, we liked that it is a small private beach but clearly not enough chairs and palapas for all guests. It is close to the road so you can hear trucks driving by, and the beach is not super clean. We were not allowed to swim before noon on our last day as they were replacing the safety cord in the sea, staff was working very slowly to get this completed. Everyone's safety is important, but this could have been done earlier so we could have enjoyed the sea in the morning. All factored in, we had a great time and would recommend this resort to our friends.

  Feb 13, 2025
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  A wonderful time!

  For my first visit to the Dominican Republic, I was continually delighted with the weather, the hotel, the staff, the facilities and the beautiful surroundings! Our room was spacious and clean, with a large balcony and an ocean view. Every day was a choice between beach or pool side, both well kept. The staff were extremely friendly and helpful. The food was adequate and there was a lot of variety. We had a great time and will be back again!

  Feb 09, 2025
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  Wonderful and relaxing

  A very relaxing stay. No real entertainment other than in the foyer every evening for a couple hours but we were totally good with that. It is a small resort with 149 rooms. It is adult only and very quiet. You definitely need to read the hotel outline to fully understand that it is not a party place. If you are looking for a relaxed stay by the pool or beach side, this is a place that will accommodate. I highly recommend the all inclusive deal unless you eat like a bird. Although the buffet was just okay, it was repetitive and recycled foods.. which is understandable in a 3rd world country. I loved how beautiful the resort is, the pool was wonderful and the staff were fantastic too. The only thing I was not overly impressed with was there were times when you could not get something to eat. The breakfast was available until 10 am and lunch started at noon till 4pm. Dinner started I believe at 6 or 7pm until 10pm. Nothing after that - no little snack bar. Room service was available from 11pm till 7am if you were on the All Inclusive plan only. Otherwise you pay. I think the resort could benefit from a little snack bar... just munchies or something. I brought my own. This resort is 15 minutes (cab ride) to Samana and if you are wanting to buy any kinds of snacks - you will pay dearly there. There is no real places to walk to from the resort itself and not recommended. I must say the rooms were very clean and the view was stunning. We had a balcony but not the suite and it was fantastic! If you go and love coffee but not strong coffee, bring your own and I thought a can of Carnation Milk in my checked in bag. So glad I did as the room has a coffee maker... that was our morning routine. Something else to consider, the beach is not a big beach... you can walk it in 3 minutes. There is many stairs to the beach so it is not good for anyone with mobility issues. There is not a beach bar and you have to come back to the pool bar to get drinks... just a heads up. US dollars and pesos are the best way to leave tips. 200 pesos are approximately $4.50 Canadian right now. Hope this review helps!

  Feb 08, 2025
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  Not even close to all inclusive: hidden restrictions and charges

  Upon arrival you learn that all inclusive is very a very misleading term here. There are two restaurants but you don’t have access to the all a carte for 5 of the 7 nights. They say you can pay extra for all a carte the other nights but you can’t reserve it in advance and it’s often fully booked. So it’s sometimes inclusive, not all inclusive. Wish I’d known before I wasted my time and money coming here.

  Feb 06, 2025
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  Luxury? I think not!

  The hotel itself is absolutely beautiful and exuded luxury. But that was the extent of it. My husband and I booked a two week stay at this resort for our 40th wedding but by the 3rd day we were contacting our Air Transat rep to move to another resort. Our room was pretty with an ocean view but no balcony. Since we had booked with Bahia several times before we were expecting more than we received. The resort seemed empty and maybe that should have been a red flag but we decided to give it a few days. Nope. The food was horrible. The selection never changed day to day. The dinner buffet was closed 2 of the 4 days we were there. We relied on a la carte. Same with the pool buffet. No variety. Staff barely spoke english. Fortunately we were able to get a suite at El Portillo. But it did cost us extra plus the transportation to El Portillo.

  Jan 27, 2025