Bahia Principe Punta Cana 5 star resort

Keep in mind that a huge resort means lots of walking – the trip from your room to the lobby to the beach might exhaust you a little. They do have trams running around the resort for people who aren’t crazy about walking. We love to walk, but found ourselves jumping on the trams after the first few days.

Orientation of Bahia Principe Punta Cana

This is a family oriented resort, it’s huge and there are a lot of activities for kids – and there are a lot of kids! Not the spot for that quiet little couples’ vacation, the beach is crowded and so are the pools. If you’re looking for a fun place to bring your kids, this is it. If you’re looking for a quaint secluded get away where you might think you are all by yourselves in the universe, this isn’t it!

Food: there are 9 restaurants at Bahia Principe Punta Cana

The food at the main buffet is quite good, carrying quite a large variety. We never found the entire buffet spectacular, but there was always something that each of us liked. The a la carte restaurants (Japanese, Mexican, French, Seafood, Mediterranean) were quite nice, although if you went to an early seating they did tend to rush you out a little. We tend to get up quite early and have coffee on the beach, we often went to the Mexican restaurant for breakfast – it’s quiet and right near the beach.

My one pet peeve about big resorts is that no matter what they do to make sure there are enough facilities, there is always somewhere that it doesn’t work. At Bahai Principe Punta Cana that place is the grill section of the main buffet – there was always a line up. Subsequently, we didn’t eat grilled food very often because we hate waiting (and it’s hard to do with a baby in your arms).

In their defense, there were not a lot of bad line up situations elsewhere in the resort. The service at the a la carte restaurants was very good and there was a nice variety as well. You will often hear people complain about the service at restaurants in resorts. If you want to get good service – TIP. These waiters serve thousands of people a day and don’t make very much money, they remember the customers that tip well.

The package you purchased will determine how many a la carte coupons you get. If you want more, you can try tipping the maitre d at one of the restaurants or the person at the reception desk.

Bars at Bahia Principe Punta Cana

The bartenders work very hard and do a great job. However, because of the size of the resort you can get lineups at some times of the day. They do have premium brand alcohol, but you have to ask for it. They tend to display the local ones, which are cheaper, and will serve you those unless you specifically request your brand.

Rooms

The rooms at the Grand Bahia Principe Punta Cana are beautiful – big and well laid out. Our room had a nice big Jacuzzi tub, although we never used it. The air conditioning worked fine, which is about the only thing that can really annoy us about a hotel.

There are safes in every room, but they are an additional charge – well worth it. You’ll have a much better time knowing that all your valuables are locked away. The rates for the safe seemed to vary, we were given two different prices at the desk and it turned out to be way cheaper to pay in pesos.

Beach at Bahia Principe Punta Cana

The beach here is spectacular: white sand and turquoise waters for as far as the eye can see. You’re right on a huge strip of beach where you can seemingly walk forever. The water is shallow and great for swimming. We love to snorkel and were upset with how far out the reef is here – you really can’t snorkel from the beach. Seeing that this is a very big hotel, the beach can get quite crowded if its fully booked.

There appear to be a good number of palapas on the beach, but they tend to be gone very early in the morning. If you’re like us and like to park around a palapa all day – you’d better send someone out by 7 AM to reserve one for you.

Pools at Bahia Principe Punta Cana

There are pools everywhere! There are two pools in the center of the resort that are connected and have a nice swim-up bar. This seems to be the main family pool and can get pretty noisy in the afternoon. There are a couple other pools that I walked by and saw people sitting and relaxing without a lot of disturbances, like my kids :) We were very impressed with the number of shallow areas in the main pools and separate kids pools, there was always something for the kids to do.

Tips for Bahia Principe Punta Cana

• Bring some pesos with you as additional charge items (like room safes) seem to be cheaper if you pay in pesos.
• If you’re looking for a relaxing spot, go to the Diamond Club pool (the animation staff doesn’t facilitate activities there).
• There is mangrove with a neat little bridge in the center of the resort which looks very neat. Ask for a room as far away from it as possible as there do seem to be a lot of mosquitoes around it in the evenings.
• Get out early to reserve your palapas.
• Remember to ask for your brand of alcohol, they probably have it.
• The Golden Club upgrade offers free internet.
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Telephone 1-809-552-1444

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