Grand Bahia Principe Punta Cana Resort - All Inclusive

This was a family vacation: we took our 15 and 13 year old girls. The kids were not bored - wi fi area, miniature golf, many pools, nightly entertainment. The circus and Michael Jackson nights were great. The facility is huge!!

When shopping for bargain beach vacations, my first inclination is Mexican locations. But I wanted to try something different this time, and was urged to do so by my travel companion. I think I'll stick to Mexico. The staff at both the hotel and excursions were less than impressive. It was rare to bump into anyone who seemed eager to make our experience exceptional. I often felt as though we were a burden. Their english was poor. Only shop keepers and the front desk people spoke fluently. Service in the restaurant was slow and spotty. Our hotel had several restaurants, but we were only able to experience the buffet. All reservations for the specialty restaurants were filled even before we arrived. So it was never even an option to try them. The food was decent buffet style, but became a little repetative, since it was our only option. 24 hour room service was supposedly included in our package. However there was no menu to be found and when we called the front desk staff about it, they said our room is not served room service. so that was another disappointment. The clerk apologized to us at check out, but offered no reparations. The beach and water were very pretty, but way way way overcrowded. It was almost impossible to find a chair to lay in. And any sand castle would be trampled in minutes due to the traffic. Way too many available hotel rooms for the size of their beach. But escaping to the pools wasnt really an option either. Every poolside chair was claimed before the sun rose in the morning. Even though gratuities are supposedly included in the price of the vacation package, I've worked in the service industry, so I'm big on rewarding good service with a little extra. I never tipped once this trip. The staff were unmotivated and unimpressive. They would have to offer a huge price difference to get me to choose DR over Mexico. And I'd know going into the trip that I was paying for the weather, not the hotel service.

I was at this resort with my wife and 2 kids (ages 28 months and 14 months) from february 6 to 13. I checked all the reviews before going and have to say was not sure for 100%. But now I can say that everything was good. a few bad things. 1st. they gave me a room on the 3rd floor (no elevator.2 infants with a stroller).I thing that was purposly,but $20 fixed everything.2nd.the mattresses were terrible, may be for us only.they are very, very soft and you fall in and can't have a sleep.3rd.the resort was too big,was built towards the beach and a little long walk from resturant to the beach.but the rest was good.food is great,stuff very friendly,everything very clean.

grrrrreat food was awessome,staff was friendly went there with 2 litle kids definetly going back in 2013 cant wait till next time

The first thing I noticed in the hotel room was the ants. Later I noticed what may have been bed bugs. The bed was hard as a rock and the room could definitely use an update. I was afraid to use the blanket because it smelled and looked like it had never been washed. You could not escape the cigarette smoke or the people asking you to buy things. The excursions were mediocre and a little scary. The buffets got tiresome because they lacked variety but you can expect that at an all inclusive resort. However, the Japanese restaurant and the Steak House were great and the staff was very friendly and accomodating, especially at the Sports Bar. Also, the weather was perfect and the scenery was gorgeous.

We just got back from the resort on Feb. 27. We had a great time. We enjoyed all the little extras the resort included such as flowers and etc. in the room, chocolates on the bed and etc. The people who worked there were wonderful. The food was good, but I did get tired of buffet food after several days. (my problem). Everything was included and the pools were wonderful. There were only two things I was unhappy with. The beach was so crowded that you couldn't enjoy it. Second, people were rude at reserving their chairs and then never showing up to sit in them while other people were searching for places to sit. All in all it was a wonderful trip.,

Well landscaped property and pleasant looking accomodations. Walls were a little thin and we could hear the neighbors but not a big deal. Second night there we were asked to complete a hotel review in which I mentioned that some minor mechanical issues plagued the resort and our room (leaking faucet, slow drain, broken light fixture outside, and a broken cable connection to the TV). The same night while we were out dining everything was fixed, a clock radio was added to the nigth ttable, and we were given souvenir bath robes of good quality. Good for management on that one! 5+ for responding to customer complaints. Buffets were good and a la carte restaurants we reserved were very good.

food was alright, but not fantastic, drinks were great. Gym is run down & very small. Spa is decent, but u pay for things like using the different pools individually. Shows are entertaining. Our room had a lot of mosquitos. The resort is huge & there is a shuttle from the main buffet to the different pools and beach. A lot of canadians, & people were smoking everywhere. The staff is firendly, but for my next trip i would prefer a smaller more exclusive resort. If u have a family or large group, u may enjoy it more than I did.

My husband and I stayed here Feb 8 - 14. It was peak season and hotel was full, but service was good. Our first Dominican trip. Pros: beaches are stunning, staff great, the shows at night were excellent for a middle-class, AI resort. Rooms large and nice with an umbrella, slippers, robe for your use. Minibar is stocked daily with beer, soda, water and part of the AI - no extra fee. The resort is divided into many villas which makes it a little quieter than a larger complex. It's a big resort and there are trucks with open-air people-haulers leaving every few minutes which is a nice option. We usually chose to walk, it's really not that far and grounds are beautiful. There were a lot of European and South American guests there during our stay, we had trouble finding other Americans or Canadians to visit with. Not sure if that's a rule or just timing. Plenty of bars and buffets. Not a lot of beach peddlers like in Mexico. Cons: buffet food was some of the worst we had on an AI vacation, however, we're not expecting a fabulous culinary experience at a middle-class AI resort (the ala cartes we went to were good). The frozen drinks melt within minutes - bring an insulated cup/mug as others have recommended b/c the plastic cups are thin and flimsy. We found the drinks very sugary. Especially as the days went on. We remedied that by alternating with beer! The beach at this hotel is crowded as well as the pools. Chairs can be scarce on Sat/Sun, but we had no problem on weekdays, even at peak. Overall: we would go back based on the shows, the beautiful beach, grounds, nice rooms and excellent service. Buffet food and drinks were our only complaints and not enough to keep us a away from a nice resort in our price range. Tips: book all of your ala cartes on arrival or before you leave, request a villa in the middle (less walking), the beach buffet has better food for lunch than the lobby buffet. Arrive to the evening shows 30 -60 min ahead of time if you want a table up top (the chairs inside get warm). Take in the margarita bar in the lobby if you like them. They were excellent every time, other bars not-so-much. Get your beach/pool chairs, then go find breakfast.

This was a great experience. The staff was super friendly. We had a small problem the first day with the housekeeping, but it was quickly resolved. I will be returning in May.