Location
Punta Cana - BeachProperty Information
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Resort Details
Hotel Advisories
General Policies & Fine Print
Check-in Policy - Hotel requires a credit/debit card authorization or cash deposit upon check-in for incidentals; this will place a hold on your funds.
Convention Policy - Individuals attending a convention cannot book this property for their stay. If found attending a convention, guests may be subject to higher room rates upon arrival.
Hotel Spring Break Policy - This hotel cannot guarantee a spring break-free environment.
Transfer Policy - A price may display when children stay free, if your vacation includes transfer to your hotel.
General Information - Room taxes and service fees are included in vacation price. Minimum night stay restrictions may apply. Reservation changes may not be permitted unless authorized by the hotel.
Customer Ratings & Reviews
TripAdvisor Traveler Rating
8876 reviews
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Jan 22, 2023Not terrible but wouldn’t recommend
Positives: -nice resort, well kept physical space including the pools, lawns, gardens etc -beautiful beach area, minimal seaweed, lots of lounge chairs -delicious drinks! Negatives: -poor quality food; didn’t taste very good, was never hot, small selection with minimal variety -rooms not properly stocked; beer not put in the fridge even when the maids were given $ to stock it, they took the cash and never did it; sometimes no fresh towels unless requested -no blankets on any of the beds, just a thin white sheet !? -occasionally the towel hut ran out of clean beach towels (even in the morning!) -many of the staff were unfriendly; wouldn’t smile, would barely make eye contact, wouldn’t apologize for inconveniences, some seemed to speak zero English which made it hard to get our needs met sometimes
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Jan 22, 2023Do not Go...
We travelled to Bahia Esmeralda from Jan 3 - Jan 10. Was really looking forward to going away to a sun resort after 3 years. We have stayed at multiple Bahia locations Jamaica and Mexico (Akumal, Tulum etc.) multiple times. They have great although Jamaica was very old. Esmeralda though is really bad. The a la carte's are good. The buffet is so so. The rooms really old and really bad and the service absolutely awful. We gave alot of tips while we stayed but it was as if they didn't care. I asked multiple times in the buffer for cutlery (which was not at setup at the table) nothing arrived. I eventually just got it from another table. You ask for Coffee in the morning good luck. After 20 minutes nothing. I gave up and had the coffee at the machines. The worst of it was the rooms. I read the reviews and expected old rooms but I did not expect bad service. When we arrived the safe was absolutely demolished (pictures attached). I went to the front desk waited in the line for 20 minutes to see someone to tell them about the safe, they said they will send someone, and I should wait in the room. I asked how long; they said 10 minutes. I waited for 1 hour, nothing. Waited for another 30 minutes went back to the front desk again they said they will send someone. Again nothing. At this time, we were very tired and hungry so we just left to get to the restaurant to eat. Next morning, I went to the front desk with the pictures and they said they will send someone. I waited in the room, this time a person came and said they will have to replace the safe. They said they will call me. Good luck with that. No calls that day. I went back to the front desk and it was as if it was déjà vu, the whole scenario started. I gave up at the 2nd time and never back to the front desk. They never replaced the safe while I was there. We were lucky as we had friends with us so I left my valuables in their safe but image you did not have anyone, you were there to enjoy yourself but had to carry around your valuables to the beach, swimming pool etc. How could a large resort like this not provide a working safe. They should have switched my room and I asked but they did not accept it. One day we did not have towels in the room. I asked the lady cleaning the room and they said they ran out of towels. How could you run out of towels in a large resort like this. Absolutely unacceptable.
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Jan 18, 2023Honest review from a reasonable Canadian
If you’re looking for luxury and to be waited on hand and foot, this is not the place for you. Also worth mentioning it is not a party resort either, which I really appreciated. This section of the resort is compact and right next to the beach. I don’t think you’d have to walk more then 5 minutes to get to any part of the Esmeralda section. The resort is being renovated in the spring which it does need. The rooms are a little dated but still clean and acceptable. Our fridge was restocked daily and lots of clean towels every day too. I will say, my only real complaint about the whole resort is the beds. The mattresses are so so hard! I still slept okay, only because I was so tired each night. Lots of swimming and walking. But seriously, I hope they replace those mattresses during the Renos. The couch doubles as another bed and they provide bedding for that as well. My 8 year old slept on the couch and was quite comfortable. The resort grounds are beautiful! So well maintained and very tropical feeling. The beach was also gorgeous! We walked a long way down the beach and our section was among the nicest beach areas on Bavaro beach. There are sales people on the beach but they do not bother you much. They just walk by and if you’re not interested they carry on. But many cool souvenirs to buy if you’d like. The resort is busy! You have to put your towels out by 8am to get a decent spot at the pool and the beach. But I didn’t mind much because I was already up! There are a lot of families that stay here. The pool has a shallow end which was so nice for my 5 year old. They also have a great little water park/splash pad for the kids. This section is newer and very nice. It was never busy either so we really liked that. The staff were always friendly and pleasant! Had no issues at all! Most do not speak English but we didn’t have a problem with that. They know the necessary basics to get the job done. We tipped and everyone was happy. The food wasn’t great but I’m kind of a picky eater. I did really like breakfast every day. The omelet bar was my favourite. At lunch and dinner I did always find something to eat but wasn’t blown away. My kids also always found something they liked. There seemed to be an abundance of seafood choices, which I was not interested in. We did check out the other sections of the resort and I would NOT stay at the Punta Cana or Bavaro sections. They were visibly dated and less maintained. The adult only sections (Aquamarine and Ambar) looked beautiful though. Check in and check out was very quick! The trolleys are great to get around. The resort is very large if you venture to different sections. Overall, we would return to this resort in the future. As for all of these negative reviews, I really think your vacation is what you make it. And some people just love to complain! You will have a great time here! Happy travels.
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Jan 17, 2023Not a Luxury Resort, 3 Star at Best
First off this was our 10th trip to a Bahia Principe hotel and this one was by far the worst one we ever stayed at. The food service staff was very uninterested in there customers and the food was bad. What I mean by bad was the food was left out at the buffets not heated or cooled. When a woman brought it to our attention that the heaters were not even on to keep it warm, she told the staff to no avail. Didn't have any good meals or service at the A la carts either. Not use to this at Bahias. This resort is closing soon for much needed renovations, alls I can think is that everyone has checked out. Stay away from this resort and go elsewhere. Done with Bahia Principes.
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Jan 17, 2023
This is maximum 3 stars hotel and entire Bahia Principe complex in Punta Cana
We have just returned from Esmeralda. We were 15 people. One of us have visited this hotel 7 years ago and loved it very much. He was really sorry he suggested this hotel to us this year. It is clear that Bahia in Punta Cana was very good place some time ago. Unfortunately now it is not the case. The only things that are 4 stars is the beach and towel service. Everything else is 3 stars and lower. Buffet is not good at all. No variety, no teste. There are a lot of restaurants. We tried 7, we liked 3 of them. Still not fir 5 stars but at least it was good. So, if you did not get the package yet, I suggest to choose another hotel. If you got the package, you need to know you are going to 3 stars, that is old and does not have good service. The rooms are very old. Everything is broken, mold on the walls, etc.