Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo – All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

8835 reviews

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  Won't be back until they renovate the rooms.

  I will not go back until they renew the rooms. They are horrible, I love the beach and the food. This is well below North America standards. The food is good and the beach is to die for. The rest is horrible

  Apr 13, 2026
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  The most beautiful beach

  We were here over March Break and the hotel was obviously at or close to capacity so it was very busy. However, even with it being busy we still found it a very relaxed stay and we generally able to move around from place to place through the to find the quiet. We had a Superior room in building 11 which was closer to the entrance of the hotel and pretty much as far away from the beach as you could get. It was very clean if a little worn. The taps in the shower were a little loose for instance and there was some rust on the glass supports, that kind of thing. It didn't bother us at all - everything worked fine but if you're the kind who is bothered by everything not being perfect and new this is an older property for sure. We had no issues with air conditioning; in fact with the ceiling fan on high we found we needed to turn the air nearly off. My husband was in LOVE with the super firm mattress; I'm just glad it wouldn't fit in our luggage. We appreciated the hotel policy of not letting people reserve chairs by just leaving stuff on them until after 8am. Overall we never had a big issue finding chairs but ones in the shade near the pool and on the beach were harder to find at peak times for sure. The buffet was pretty loud and busy but somewhat expected given how full the hotel was. The food was consistently good though and we never had any trouble finding something to eat. My husband has a number of foods he can't eat and my kid can be picky so we generally find buffets easier but we did try The Greek a la carte one evening and it was excellent. This is by far one of my favourite beaches, beautiful and very calm. We loved the coral right out front for snorkeling and walking down to watch the kite surfing or just walking to walk without massive hotels lining the whole beach is fantastic. If you have mobility issues there are these extra large golf carts being driven around all the time - you can flag them down like a taxi or call for someone to pick you up and take you from one end of the resort to the other. If you don't have issues walking everything is less than 10min from anywhere else. We had so many great interactions with staff in all parts of the hotel - so ready to help! We noticed that it seemed to be an older or maybe just quieter crowd in general compared to other places we've been. It seemed like less of a party spot, more relaxed and quiet. We loved that about it - we're a quiet group and not having so many loud drunks to navigate was a big plus for us. Also - they never had to close the pool once the whole week because someone puked in it. ;) We spent our days rotating between hanging out in the morning at the pool, snorkeling and beach walks in the afternoon and chilling near the sports bar in the evening. It worked for us but we don't need/use much in the way of organized activities. This is not a luxury property certainly but it's also not priced anything like a luxury property. I've realized I never use the pillow menu and haven't used room service since my kid was really young so there are things I just don't need to pay for. Overall the whole place was super clean and had everything we needed. We really thought this was an excellent value hotel and would return.

  Apr 13, 2026
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  Good experience with this hotel.

  I just recently stayed at the hotel. Gabriel and Maria --Liz at the front desk are wery helpful. The other staff also, was friendly. I recommend this hotel. Butiful Beach. Good food. Brazilian and French restorants are proffesional management.

  Apr 11, 2026
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  World of Hyatt Points

  For anyone thinking about transferring Bahia Principe points to World of Hyatt—don’t do it. I followed the instructions exactly, but it turns out there are additional steps that aren’t clearly explained. As a result, I lost over 10,000 points. I contacted Hyatt customer service, and their response was basically “too bad—they’re gone.” It’s incredibly frustrating to do everything you’re told and still lose your points with no resolution. Once again, the customer loses out while the hotels come out ahead. Just a warning so others don’t make the same mistake.

  Apr 08, 2026
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  True Dominican Experience in a Resort

  We just returned from 6 nights at Bahia Principe El Portillo for spring break and I am still processing how profoundly this place affected our family. We are Dominican, and usually vacation in my hometown La Romana, but changing to Samana was worth it! Samaná itself is unlike anywhere else in the Dominican Republic. The people here are proud, warm, and genuinely invite you into their culture rather than performing it for you. That tone runs through this entire resort. The property is beautiful without being pretentious, . The grounds are lush, the beach is calm, clear water, and the reef right at the water's edge means fish greet you during your swims. The resort cats, ducks, and birds are friendly and well loved by guests — my son made fast friends with the ginger one who visited our patio daily. This is true Dominican "campo" living at a resort which is rare. Do not come here trying to change Dominican culture that you are lucky to be exposed to, sweet animals roaming freely are part of that and they are safe, not hurting or bothering anyone. The food was consistently excellent and plentiful. My son, who is a notoriously picky eater, ate everything put in front of him all week. That alone tells you something about the quality. Also, you actually had really good Dominican food!! Which is hard to find at most resorts who seem to just have western food, and who vacations just to have the same food you can get at home. We also made reservations which are a must in the morning, at the Greek and Italian restaurant which were both fantastic. The tuna carpacio was nice, the fresh fish at home were perfect. We missed the steak house Boa, but heard it was their top spot. The location makes day trips seamless as well, we were picked up here fro Monkeyland, and zip lining which was a huge hit with our 7 year old. We were able to get taxis easily to Las Terrenas and then took motos back, but if you have a car it's easy to get around as well. We had the kids water park, basketball court and gym next to us which made it easy to do other activities when we wanted a break from the pool/beach. The staff were all consistently kind, present, and genuinely happy to be there. I was craving a fresh Coconut water and the staff found it for me at the pool from the sports bar. Multiple people told us they choose to stay and work in Samaná despite better paying opportunities elsewhere as resort staff because of the quality of life. You feel that in every interaction. Also, I see a lot of reviews about the rooms being old which we knew before we booked, but honestly it wasn't that bad. The rooms were spacious and clean, it has an older style, but its similar to any older styles in Palm Beach/Miami. It gives more vintage Collins/deco vibe than anything, and that's ok. Everything doesn't have to be modern, we have enough of that, it was fine/ and pretty charming. We prioritized a calm/clean beach, food, kid friendly fun, and restaurants and got all of that and more. My son sobbed at breakfast on our last morning. He has never done that leaving any vacation. That is my truest review. We will be back. This one stays with you. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

  Apr 06, 2026