Bahia Principe Grand El Portillo – All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

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  Good vacation

  Excellent vacation at the Bahia Principe Grand El Portillo Resort during the 2nd week of March. Beautiful beach, well maintained resort, new pool and buffet, since we were here last many years ago. The food was good, the pastries the best I tasted from any resort. The only item I missed was the chocolate fountain they used to have. The A la Carte restaurants were difficult to reserve since mostly all booked on first day of arrival except some openings on last 3 days of our stay. So book early. We preferred Brasilian one best. They serve different meats or fish on a sword they bring at each table. Entertainment was often a different singer in the evening. Finding room at the beach was never a problem. The water warm with no waves at the beach because of the corals. Bring your snorkel and mask to see beautiful fish. No fins required since beach has soft sand and you do not want to go fast near corals that are 20 ft from beach edge at places. WI-FI good, even possible at beach near buffet building. The service from personnel was very good. Hope to go back again.

  Mar 23, 2025
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  Beautiful, relaxing, comfortable.

  It was our fifth time at Bahia Principe resort and first time at Bahia Principe El Portilo and it was the best by far. The beach is comparable to anything in Maldives or Bora Bora and the clarity of water is incredible. Food was excellent and varied although they can improve on the quality in specialty restaurants. What makes this Bahia special though is the people who work there; the servers, entertainers and bar staff simply magnificent. Geraldo, Diomedes, Santa, Rosa, Omer and Elianna-Stephanie were the ones that made this trip so memorable and pleasant. We're already planning our next trip back. See you soon.

  Mar 23, 2025
• 

  Solid middle of the road

  This resort is a solid B-. There were times it had hints of a strong B. But overall, it hovered around a 6.5-7/10. Firstly: I will highlight the GREAT things: 1. Cleanliness: Pristine, pristine! The restaurants, the pools, the common areas. And what's more: you literally never felt overwhelmed by cleaners so how did they manage to be so stealthy and yet so precise with their cleanliness. I would rate this an 11/10! WELL DONE! 2. Pools: Excellent. Really nice design, never overwhelming, never crowded even with a full resort of people. Great amenities for the pool. Swim up bar fabulous. There is also a smaller kidney shaped pool near the dormitories of 11 section. Very nice and calm and relaxing. Another 11/10. 3. Location: Samaná is the better place to go, in my opinion, over Punta Cana. The airport is smaller and processes tourists quickly (down side is they have 1 restaurant and only duty free but truly first world problems). The beach is basically private and no one ever bothers you. It is white sand and warm, blue/green waters with shallow parts to snorkel and see the most amazing fish! If you want to get into the "town" which is 15,000 (main city), it takes about 40 minutes but the scenery travelling throughout with canyons and caves is stunning. This scores a strong 10/10. 4. The size: the resort is not large but it is sprawling. It is easy to navigate end to end in 7 minutes. You cannot get lost. It has cool inlets and a village that comes alive at night with shops and vendors (apart from the main lobby which is airy and cool). If you feel lazy, they will take you to wherever by a cart. This is a 10/10 for me. 5. No kids: this is a bonus, if you aren't so into kids, but also a hinderance if you do have kids, like me (11 and 15) and they were looking for comeraderie. They won't find it. The majority of the guests are over 65 and from Quebec (which, for me, was very pleasant and enjoyable) but if you are looking for a more animated place, this isn't it. So for me, that is an 8/10 but if you ask my kids, a 2/10. 6. Flora and fauna: I felt like I was at Jurassic Park. Between the muscovy ducks that roam free, the geckos on trees, these cool black chickens, ALL the cats, the plants, the flowers, the smells...very much a paradise. My son, an aficionado of this type of stuff said it saved the trip for him. I loved every thing I saw (and the grounds are immaculate too). Strong 9/10. The staff are lovely but not enough of them. They never bother you or ask you if you'd like a drink when you are lying at the pool. For me, this is a plus, but it might not be for everyone. Things take longer like check in (2/10) and restaurant attentiveness (4/10), and very few people speak English- only Spanish- which, for me, a sometime Spanish speaker, I am great with but it is very hard to communicate if you don't speak. The staff are very lovely and quite genuine. No one feels like they are expecting to be tipped all the time. Standouts for me include Erickson at the front desk, Eddie with braces at the buffet and Luis Estaban in the buffet. Also Carolina at the Sports bar. The gentleman at the pool doing the entertaining animation was fun too and speaks 4 languages. Overall, nice people but not enough attentive staff. The Air Canada Vacations person was unfortunately not great at communications. This goes for the hotel too. There should be notices sent to your room when you have reservations, a tour, anything. Very poor lack of communication (I almost missed a trip because I was told a different time by the concierge vs the time I was suppose to be at the lobby waiting). The rooms are from 1992. While they are clean, and large and not moldy (big plus) they are worse for wear and very, very outdated. It didn't really matter, but the resort should note this as they did a big pool renovation and it shows but the rest of the places are tired and rundown. Only the Italian restaurant was good, but it didn't matter because no one asked you what you thought anyway and were pretty terse with the service when you'd order. Buffet was nice, and not too crowded even when crowded. You could always get a table (and often cats would dine with you- which I LOVED). The choices of food were meh, if that, but there were things that were edible. Do not eat ice cream. The bolognese was a standout. Too much ham at the salad bar. Not enough veg options. One big plus is the there is no caste system. In that, everyone is on par. No President's club to get you into special areas...the equanimity was refreshing. If this is your thing, this place is not for you. You only get 4/7 nights to eat in 5/7 restaurants. Nice idea. But it would be nice to have a bit more option. Much as I love Teppanyaki (which most resorts have and do not do well), it was refreshing to see different types of restaurants incl. Greek, and Brazilian!!!! Again, for us, a plus, but for others could be seen as a minus. This resort is quite easy to manage and feel relaxed at. The weather was 14/10. The drinks (me only non-alcoholic except for Bloody Caesars) were cold, plentiful and quick to receive. The nightlife and the shows....not great (though the Dominican show was quite good). Everyone tried hard, though. They should get credit for having a lot of heart. comparatively though, they scored low vs any other resort I've been to. Overall, this was a wonderfully relaxing, sun-kissed, happy and easy place to go. I would consider it once they renovate properly. For our March break, though, it was a perfect spot.

  Mar 21, 2025
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  The Good, The Bad, and the Room Keys

  Let's start with the good: the grounds are lovely. Think "pocket-sized paradise." You can circumnavigate the entire resort in about 15 minutes, which is perfect for those of us who prefer our vacations to be less "marathon" and more "leisurely stroll." And the beach? Oh, the beach! It's a glorious, sprawling stretch of sand, utterly pristine, with ample loungers and plenty of shade – both the palapa and natural tree variety. Just be prepared to play "Operation: Lounger Acquisition" by 8 AM. Seriously, people, it's a beach-lounger arms race out there. And since you’re up early to get that lounger - also grab your beach towels. As you might not be able to get or exchange them later in the day, they keep running out of these. And keep your towel expectations low in general, those towels have seen many many tourists. The ocean is a snorkeler's dream, teeming with colorful fish and the occasional stingray. But if you're looking for a straight mile of open water for your daily laps, you might be a tad disappointed. Think "scenic swims, not Olympic trials." Now, for the "slightly quirky" bits. The Wi-Fi situation is… well, let's just say it has commitment issues. In your room, it's solid enough for video calls – perfect for showing off your tan to your jealous friends back home. But on the beach or near the buffet? Forget about it. You'll be lucky if you can send a text without it dropping faster than a hot potato. And then there were the room keys. Oh, the room keys. They had a mind of their own, frequently deciding to go on strike. We eventually adopted a preemptive strategy, asking the reception to reprogram them every time we passed by, like a bizarre, daily ritual. "Just in case," we'd say, with the weary smiles of seasoned veterans. Our initial room requests, sent via the tour operator, apparently went on a Caribbean cruise of their own. We asked for rooms next to each other, on a high floor. We got… different buildings, ground floor. They did eventually rectify it, putting us in the same building, but the ground floor it was. Which, honestly, wasn't bad in the end. The shower was a bit of a temperamental artist. It had two settings: "fire hose" and "dribble." And the temperature? Let's just say it enjoyed a dramatic range, from "boiling lava" to "Arctic chill." Also, there was a bit of mold in the bathroom corners, nothing too dramatic, but it was there. And the AC? It was either "on" or "off," with the thermostat serving as a decorative suggestion. The pillows were… enthusiastic clumps of fluff. And the beds? Let's just say they were "firm" in the way a concrete slab is "slightly yielding." My back is still recovering. And the balcony doors? No mosquito nets, so you can't leave them open at night, despite the resort doing a good job keeping the buzzers away, a few still made it in. Food and Fellow Canadians Food-wise, we were pleasantly surprised. The buffet was a culinary adventure, with plenty of variety and themed dinners. The a la carte restaurants were also a hit, especially the Fish Market and Italian. Skip the steaks, though. Trust me on this. The service in the restaurants was efficient and friendly, especially considering the crowds. Buffet gets seriously busy, but the way they deal with the lines is actually quite impressive. Hustle hustle! One of the best parts? The Samana airport. It's tiny, cozy, and delightfully uncrowded. It only gets one-two flights per day and those are from Montreal (mostly) and Toronto (sometimes). Heck, they open the airport up just for you when your buses arrive! And the bus ride from the airport to the hotel? Stunning. You get breathtaking views of the mountains and ocean, and you don't have to endure endless hotel drop-offs. Finally, if you're a fan of Quebec French, you'll feel right at home. The resort is predominantly populated by Canadian tourists, which means you'll hear plenty of "Bonjour!" and "Merci!" floating through the air. In conclusion: The Bahia Principe Grand El Portillo is a charming, slightly eccentric resort with a fantastic beach, decent food, and a distinctly Canadian vibe. Just be prepared for the Wi-Fi woes, the rogue room keys, and the firmest beds you've ever encountered. And bring earplugs, just in case a mosquito decides to hold a late-night rave in your room.

  Mar 18, 2025
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  Can’t wait to return

  My husband and I travelled to the El Portillo over Ontario March break this year (March 8-15). It was our second time to this resort and we loved it this time even more than the last. The people are friendly, the front desk was very helpful any time we chatted with them, and the food was great at the buffet and the a-la-carts (we ate at the Italian, French and Brazilian and enjoyed them all). We especially like the bbq area between the beach and the pool for lunch, and the lunch buffet on the beach. The views on the beach are spectacular. Such beauty when you look/walk either way on the beach, and the water is amazing and clear. Our room was in block 7 this year and it was clean, the ac worked great, and had no issues with hot water or water pressure. (We were in block 5 last year and didn’t have any issues either.) The internet worked for us in our room, by the pool and on the beach. We never had an issue finding beach chairs under some shade. We’re early risers, so were often down to the beach around 8am to grab some chairs, read a book and enjoy the weather, but there were always chairs available in the shade if you were down there before around 9:30 or so. Don’t expect a prime front row shady spot if you’re heading down around 11am. (This is should be common sense for most people.) The drinks at the sports bar and swim up bar are great but our favourites always came from the beach bar. Jorge is a gem of a person and they are lucky to have him working there. We took part in some activities during the day and always had lots of fun with other guests and the entertainment staff. We are already talking about our next trip and can’t wait to return again.

  Mar 18, 2025