“Great Trip! Will Go Again Soon! Watch Out For Mosquitos.”

Like many other people, we booked through Destinia and were worried the accommodation would fall through. With this in mind, I emailed the hotel and called them about my reservations but was told that they don’t manage them. I found it odd that a hotel couldn’t see a reservation even if it was bo... more

Like many other people, we booked through Destinia and were worried the accommodation would fall through. With this in mind, I emailed the hotel and called them about my reservations but was told that they don’t manage them. I found it odd that a hotel couldn’t see a reservation even if it was booked through a third party. I consistently reached out to Destinia for reference numbers and confirmation codes (which they had already sent to me) in order to ease my mind. When going from PUJ airport we booked with the DAT which was fast, clean, on time, and safe. Every driver was friendly and had recommendations for us! Although it seems costly, they were on time and prepared. Cold water bottles were always available and AC was definitely on. They track your flight to ensure that any delays are met with quality care. Leave the PUJ airport can be stressful with lots of people trying to get you to take a ride with them and then having to haggle the price, it’s better to do it in advance so you can walk out of the airport to a sign with your name on it. In order to expedite things, we checked in online about 2 days before through the hotel’s app. With Destinia’s confirmation codes, we were able to make an account so everything could run smoothly. In short, after getting there, we checked in, got our bands, and were driven to our accommodation. We did end up checking in about 230 when checking was 3pm but we received our wristbands and got to eat at their buffet. There is NO difference between Bahia Principe Grand Punta Cana & Bahia Principe Grand Bavaro. We were able to eat at both hotels buffets, go to all bars, and access the 3 different pools. Since we stayed for a week, we were given 3 free a la carte meals at any of their wonderful restaurants. We chose “il cappricio”(Italian), “maiko tepanyaki” (Japanese) and “thali” (Indian). Our Italian food was alright but the desert was the real spotlight. However, a small bug was stuck in the strawberry jelly that accompanied the desert. We didn’t say anything but quickly got up and left. The Japanese food was very delicious and was a hibachi experience. The only issue was it left both of us still very hungry (for reference were ~180lb and ~98lb). The Indian food was by far our favorite. We were able to eat delicious and flavorful food while filling up and hunger with garlic naan. While there was a 30min wait in between courses, it was definitely worth it. Now, onto the room! Our room had little to no AC which we felt VERY much when it rained. We put the AC on the wall to the coolest setting and had the fan always on. When it rained, the small leaks from the ceiling (we were on the top floor aka 3rd floor) became very apparent with puddles forming on different spots around the room. After the rain, our room became very humid to the point where even our bed was damp. For young adults or teens this is a great accommodation. Easy, cheap, a place to stay, all inclusive, etc. I wouldn’t recommend if you’re older since it is very busy, crowded, etc. We were able to use their “free 1hr of activities” by playing tennis. There were other options like ping pong, snorkeling, and kayaking. For general activities, we used Expedia to book our zip line experience through Runners Adventures (the other option was monkeys). After our event finished, we waited for about 20min so the other group could finish and we got to see cacao in different stages and even taste some delicious products for free! We also did a chocolate making experience (also the location for cigars and alcohol tasting) where we made candy bars and were able to roam around and buy some gifts during the wait. WATCH OUT FOR MOSQUITOS. They get you everywhere you go both during the days and at night. They sneak into rooms and bite you while you sleep. I recommend bug spray or any bug repellent. Initially I saw these warnings from reviews but was negligent in buying the spray. As a result, I looked like I had chicken pox around my ankles, legs, and arms. Overall, the service throughout the entire vacation was great (don’t forget to tip :)) ) and everyone was very welcoming. We look forward to booking with Destinia and this hotel again, but we’ll do Luxury Ambar next time haha!

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“Do not go on the boat trip.”

This was our first stay at this hotel and after a bad start with our room we weren’t disappointed. We upgraded to the new junior premium suite which cost us an extra £400 for 2 weeks which has two bathrooms and is close to the beach and pools. We were given VIP wrist bands so our whole time was s... more

This was our first stay at this hotel and after a bad start with our room we weren’t disappointed. We upgraded to the new junior premium suite which cost us an extra £400 for 2 weeks which has two bathrooms and is close to the beach and pools. We were given VIP wrist bands so our whole time was spent in the Amber restaurant and pool area. The entertainment staff were amazing and made our holiday especially Able. We loved the Amber and the staff were great special mention to Felix the egg man. Eggs cooked to perfection. Today we went on a catamaran boat trip we left at 0730am and did not return back until 1830pm. My husband was sold this has a VIP trip because the trip to Senosa island had been cancelled we are still waiting for the £166 refund for that trip. He was told this was a great trip. All I can say is this is the worst trip I have ever been on everything is an extra cost the tour guide was horrendous and only cared on how he could line his pockets by encouraging you to buy things and feed his face. You are told to tip the driver and not the boat staff but they will come round with a tip box expecting you to tip. After two and a half hours you get to the place where you get onto the boat you then travel out and get the opportunity to snorkel the boat staff were ok but the coral looks dead and there were hardly any fish to see. You then get back on the boat and travel to the island for 2 hrs and have a barbecue which is covered in flies. Hence to say we did not eat any of the cooked food and have a couple of cubes of watermelon. The trip back on the boat was ok and the coach full air conditioned was good. On the way back you stop mutiple times at the road side so people can get off the bus and then you are taking to gift shop when all I wanted to do was get back and have a shower. The whole experience was 1/10 definitely not VIP for £170 absolutely shocking. Bahia Principe this is a reflection of the trips that are sold in your hotel.

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“Holiday in may”

Large complex with lots of options for pools, activities, bats etc . Staff friendly and helpful , food and drink option very good . Evening bar the bars and entertainment are good areas but you will get bitten constantly by mosquitoes. Accommodation and building including pool areas are showin... more

Large complex with lots of options for pools, activities, bats etc . Staff friendly and helpful , food and drink option very good . Evening bar the bars and entertainment are good areas but you will get bitten constantly by mosquitoes. Accommodation and building including pool areas are showing signs of lack of some maintenance and could do with some attention and refurbishment .

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