Bahia Principe Grand Samana Roulette

The location is gorgeous - the whole resort is beautifully laid out. The elevator down to the beach was really cool. The staff were all so friendly and polite. The entertainment team was lively and fun. And most of the bar staff were competent and personable. The whole place was very clean and well-run. Will definitely stay again. Thank you, Bahia Principe Cayacao! [Details]

great staff, spotless hotel & public rooms, shaky internet, short beach, no walk way (or, I haven't seen any), enjoyable stay [Details]

Resort was standard for DR nothing special good value had good time [Details]

Good times, friendly staff. [Details]

Enjoyable stay it was more than we expected. [Details]

It was generally good but there were some problems nothing major but in this class of hotel they should not be there. After check in I jumped in the shower and after a short time my wife came in the bathroom and told me to stop as the floor of the bathroom was covered in water .We dried up the water with all our towels and went to the desk to ask for new towels and to see if the problem could be solved . The front desk clerk got on the phone and said the towels were on the way and the leaking problem would be looked after. Neither happened we ended up standing in the whirlpool to shower as there was no way we could see to stop the leaking problem . It is a 36" square shower raised 2" above the floor with a 4" sill and then 2" back down in the shower .The problem was that the sill is slightly sloped towards the bathroom so all water that gets on the sill flows into the bathroom and not the shower . To make matters worse the shower curtain is in the middle of the sill and stops 2" above the sill so any water hitting the curtain flows on the sill and out in the bathroom and marble tiles get very slippery as another guest can allude to as she had a $3000 bill at the hospital after she slipped on her bathroom floor and hurt here back.Now after my rant the hotel review .I was at grand Bahia cayacoa . The views are great the food is good the beach is small and very crowded and the pools are nice . It is kept very clean and kept up . The grounds are nice and most of the workers are nice except for the front staff . The person on the front desk only said he was phoning to get us dry towels but he never did and for this class of hotel that is not acceptable . I was in room 524 a junior suite in the main building and we had warm water on only a couple of times the rest of the time the water was pool temperature . It is 112 steps from the main pool to the bottom pool so going for long walks can be a problem . The carts that come to pick you up are very fast so if you want to go to the bottom areas it is fast to get back up . Would I go again Yes but only if the price is very good . I staed 6 months age at grand Bahia el portillo in Samana and had none of these problems [Details]

This resort is set in an especially beautiful landscape overlooking the town of Samana and the Bay. The resort is not overly large and well laid out. Staff were well trained and the place meticulously maintained and cleaned. Food and restaurant was very good by resort standards. The rooms have wonderful views. The beach is sandy and protected but short. There are many steps and paths that might be problematic for some. [Details]

The hotel was in an amazing spot, lots of scenery. The staff was all nice and friendly. Rooms were clean. I enjoyed everyday here even when I was just doing nothing but sitting admiring the scenery. I was glad to be at this resort as I was speaking to other people at other resorts who had to drive a bit to downtown, I was happy we were close by a short 2 minute ride and the shuttles available to us [Details]

My wife and I stayed in this resort over the Christmas Holidays. This was our third stay at a Bahia hotel. We have been quite happy with the chain. I would give this resort a 4.5 star. We are assigned to Cayacoa. Joel who is Air Canada Rep was every efficient and told us all we needed to know during the shuttle ride to the hotel. The ride took just under an hour.
Check in was really fast and we got there in-time to enjoy Christmas Eve dinner. Staff are really friendly and amazing. Room is large and clean. Food is good although the main buffet is slightly smaller than most resorts. There are three A LA carte restaurants Gourmet and seafood were amazing and I was able to have Lobster at both of them. The drinks are mostly bottom shelf however and if you like slightly better stuff you have to pay; but that's usually the case even in 5star resorts in DR. Having said that I did enjoy their Dominican aged rum. Beach is small and you can't do long walks at the beach. There is a beautiful bridge but it goes to nowhere and there are mainly locals on the beach. My wife had an issue with the vendors at the beach. They keep changing their price even after you have agreed on something. Very annoying. The hotel staff are great though and we were welcomed like family anywhere in the resort. We did have an issue with the room key but they sent someone in a matter of minutes to fix it and I can tell you this is not the case in some other resorts. The location of this resort is breathtaking and everywhere you look is gorgeous. I have been to many 4star plus resorts and the scenery here beats all of them. The resort is built at a height so in peak times the water pressure was low mind you this was during the Christmas Holidays and the hotel was almost at full capacity. As part of Roulette you have to pay $4/day for safety box and you don't get slippers but that's pretty much it. Overall a great trip at Cayacoa. [Details]

Our pick of Grand Bahia Principe Samana Roulette were based on the price (we only paid C$99 C$427 taxes for a seven day all inclusive stay) and the reviews. The main differences between roulette and regular booking are: we had to pay for the safe, which was US$4.00 per day, no slippers in the room and we had to pick up beach towels at the swimming pool. We could save about C$30.00 for both of us if we were assigned to Grand Principe Cayacoa and even more for El Portillo. Upon arrival, we were told our resort would be Cayacoa. When we loaded our baggage to the bus at the airport, the helper asked for tips. We went to Cuba many times and Dominican Republic once and this was the first time a baggage handler asked for tips at the terminal.
We had no problem booking the a la carte restaurants, but only three bookings were allowed, no matter how hard we tried, except bribery! The resort is seven years old but well maintained no peeling paint or broken tiles etc. The exterior and interior of all buildings look new and fresh. The hotel room is small but has a very nice balcony, ours is facing the bay and the town, and the scenery is beautiful. The bathroom is also small when compare with other 4 star resorts in Cuba or Dominican Republic. However, the quality is there, such as marble counter and marble tiles around the bath tub. The room is decorated with local paintings.
The buffet restaurant Las Dalias is small but not lacks of varieties. People like fish will enjoy their Groupers, Snappers, Mackerels and Doradoes. Only Tuesday (Italian) and Friday (Gala) nights they have shrimps and only Friday night has lobsters. We had leg of pork one night and the meat was so tender, juicy and tasty, perfectly cooked. I never had such perfectly cooked leg of pork before. Just these two slices of pork are worth this trip, my salute to the chef at the Las Dalias. Our first impression for this resort was good for a 4 to 4 ½ star, definitely better than those similar rating resorts in Cuba. Foods were well prepared, tasty and not over cooked; meats are juicy and not dry. Foods were always kept warm at the counter. Generally speaking, staffs were polite but many lack of smile. After some PR they became friendlier, but don't you think PR should be their job and not the guests?
We only carried a small amount of US currency, and the exchange rate at the airport was C$1.00 to 33.7 pesos, 36 pesos at the hotel, 37.3 pesos at downtown local currency exchange shop. We went to Scotia Bank, yes, they have one branch there, what a surprise, and their exchange rate was 38.95, the best! Please be aware that Scotia Bank only opens on weekdays. Everything is priced in US $ in the resort, but converted to pesos when we paid for our safety box.
We went to Samana by resort's shuttle bus, and were greeted by a local tour guide called Richard. He was self employed and his income was based on tips from tourists and commissions from local merchants. We tipped him C$20.00 for a two hour tour around downtown, and purchased one stone and one wooden sculptures from his cousin's little store(Rich could be the real owner!) The wheeling and dealing was really bizarre! My wife didn't like the way the owner's screaming when I made a very low offer. I told her it was his game plan. He just pretended my low ball offer insulted him, and if I thought the same way, then he would get an upper hand. So we walked away and pretended there won't be any deal. This went on back and forth for a few times and finally it was settled at C$35.00, way down from the original asking price of C$120.00. I didn't have the exact change, so I gave him C$40.00 and got two bags of 8 oz coffee. We were not sure if we got a reasonable deal, so I showed my purchases to my Air Canada rep, and he also consulted a local staff at the hotel. They thought I got a very good deal. Anyone wants to buy liquor should go to the local supermarket; the name is Supermercado Y Almacen Chito. Prices are not negotiable there. If you go to the local food market, you could get honey and cinnamon at a very low price, however, you still have to negotiate. I paid 100 pesos for 375 ml. of honey, asking price was 150 pesos. Cinnamon was non-negotiable for 80 pesos per kg. If you enjoy hard bargaining, Samana downtown is the place for you to go!
We booked a horse ride tour to the El Lemon Waterfall through Air Canada, the cost was C$75 US$10 tips for the horse handler. The local tour guide offered C $50.00 but no lunch. The horse ride to the falls is not for the faint of heart. It involved some steep up and down rocky paths. My wife's horse fell at downhill and she sustained external injury to her knee, fortunately, nothing broken. From the top of the falls, we had to walk over 200 steps to the foot of the falls. People with heart or knee problems should not attempt this climb.
I almost forget to mention, we did not find one single mosquito in this resort, in town or even to the El Lemon Falls. The main reason for the absent of mosquitoes could be the present of many swallows around the property. The snack bar La Casita closes to Restaurante El Pescador has many square tables suitable for bridge or Mahjong games. Table tennis is outdoor at the main swimming pool.
Joe [Details]

Food was better than expected,,, hotel layout not so good. The hotel is nice but there is no ambience. [Details]

Spectacular views from a well landscaped
,clean and friendy hillside hotel over
looking Samana Bay.Ala Cartes not worth
the wait,buffet adequate.Beach not long bbut nice.All sand no rocks,warm.Reserv
early by towel.Large stand.room.xcell [Details]

Beautiful resort well kept, lots of stairs to have to climb though especially if u stay in the villas down below, but they do have a shuttle that will pick u up , beach isn't that great but the pools make up for that [Details]

Bartenders and staff very nice, not a grat variety in blender drinks , margaritas or any frozen drinks just their 2 drinks that where not good, too sweet and no blenders. Food boring but enough to eat always found something just not much of a change for a whole week, there snack bars always same food too. Hotel very clean . Maids had a real language problem. We tried to get pillows and no go and few things not real clean but quick to fix the toilet and anything else we needed. Rain everyday but sun was out by noon,awesome weather. The town could really use some money spent on it really horrible would not buy a thing there just awful, such a beautiful resort and felt we could not walk anywhere but around the resort. Would of liked to go and spend money and shop but not.The hotel sat a beautiful spot on the hill top of the bay and looked out and was stunning [Details]

The hotel is beautiful. The rooms are a bit outdated but very clean. The food is excellent. The beach is beautiful and lots of palapas. The people are friendly and helpful. It would be nice if they had more of international liquor such as Baileys. If you want some of these drinks you have to pay. Otherwise an excellent place to soak up the sun and relax. [Details]

We enjoyed our trip, and based on the price we paid, could not be happier. Had I paid full price, I may feel different. The resort is on a hill, with many, many stairs. Our room was set far away from the main building, and the main beach, so had to either walk up huge flights of stairs, or take a shuttle cart, which sometimes were very slow coming around. Food at the hotel was at best edible. Cannot think of a single meal that I would say 'wow' to. While our hotel room itself was okay, the level of maid service was a bit off. Would only have 1 bath towel some days, and while I love my husband, I do not want to share a towel. Usually no facecloth's, did not replenish our toiletry items until the last day. Main beach was small, but decent. The other 2 beaches were not nice at all. But, as noted, for $795 per person, taxes in, who can complain. [Details]

It was awsome. I loved every minute of it. Food was great, staff was the best, the view could not be better. I would go back to this place for sure. I have been to Punta Cana 4 times and this place was so much more intimate and very unspoiled surroundings. For the person who wants to go somewhere smaller with great service all around this would be the place. The view from the pool was so great we stayed there most of the time, beach is a little small but very nice, clean and clear. Very nice for swimming with lots of fish and great snorkelling. I would highly recommend this place. [Details]

hotel (El Portillo) was dated but served our purpose. There was a language barrier with the staff member as they primarily spoke Spanish, French then English. The food was fantastic, plenty of it too. There is no service at the pool or at the beach, but there are bars conveniently located near by. The beach was beautiful, very clean and clear. Very expensive to go into Las Terranas which there was nothing really to do there. VERY expensive to go into Samana ($120 USD). Excursion (ziplining) was very good, highly recommend it. [Details]

It was a great experience the staff couldnt do enough for you,the staff was great when you needed something done.The food was great in buffett.the buffett staff were terrific.the pools are very nice.The rooms were well kept up very clean.all in all excellent except the beech,it not nice, not clean,not big..I think it was dirty due to hurricane had hit trees there was alot of old logs coming in shore,and water wasent clean ...jose in res. great..juan in activitys greatest,and tony the speaker for all the shows was what really made our trip too...great staff all friendly.reception gtreat too... [Details]

The hotel location in great - excellent view from every point. I would say the food was quite plain but the service is the best I've ever seen. [Details]

This resort was ok, but not as good as we expected. The staff were friendly, but some of the services were lacking. Breakfast and Lunch buffet was hard to get service. Supper buffet and a la cart were great. The ladies in the Spa were amazing and Jose at the privileges desk was extremely helpful. The activities on the beach were hit or miss, they didn't follow the schedule we received upon check-in. [Details]

We stayed at the Gran Bahaia Cayacoa this is a beautiful hotel with fantastic views over the ocean and bays it is a paradise.Having said that the biggest problem is the heat. The only air conditioning is in your room.The restaraunts ,bars, lobby, halls are just to hot and humid. Food is good but buffet is same day after day. Good holiday for the price will not return. [Details]

Wonderful resort... a little older in style compared to others... but has character... food was delicious, rooms were clean and comfortable... service was excellent. the beach is not the best however it is doable. There was a problem with the main pool and it was closed for 3 days... however the beach was available and they let us use the other 2 pools on the property. We went on a variety of excursions... BACARDI ISLAND u can see from the HOTEL... El Limon .. and ZIPLINING... AWESOME ALL THE WAY AROUND wish we were still there. [Details]

Overall was a good hotel with spectacular views. We paid $28 for the use of the in-room safe but the safe broke down and needed repair. We ended up with 2 days without a safe and had to make arrangements to have it fixed which took up hours of our precious vacation time. [Details]

Beautiful location. Quality standards everywhere. Staff were wonderful, always helpful, always friendly, from the dining staff to the animation team to the grounds keepers, they could not do enough for you. Want a fresh mango, they used a pool net to get one from the tree. Lost wallet, it was returned by security. Dining staff always laughing and helpful. Food was great. We always ate at the buffet, chinese food night theme dinners with lobster, crab, always a variety and hot and tasty. Dining room manager, Dadys, was almost always present to hold your chair, service was impeccable with the best smiles you could imagine. Wireless internet on your balcony if you had a room facing the terrace, otherwise wireless on the terrace. classes in cooking, hat making, leaf painting and fun activities for all ages and for all types of people. Not a party palace and small enough that you knew all the staff and they you by the time you left. Staff really worked at making you feel comfortable and welcome. [Details]

The resort is absolutely beautiful and located in an amazing mountain Samana area of Dominica. Stunning views, great food, quiet unobtrusive music playing all the time which creates a relaxed mood. We regretted we could not stay longer. We definitely recommend this resort. Make sure to take the zip-lining tour "Walk The Plank" with Bart The Potato Man (he is originally from Idaho :)), it was a lot of fun. You'll even get to taste Mamajuana... [Details]

I've been to the D.R. 4 times-this is my 5th and the best stay yet. Hotel is elegant, food is great, staff is wonderful, beach is clean (plus there is a second smaller beach) and overall the trip was the best I've had. I'd go back in a heartbeat. [Details]

Almost perfect.Amazing vacation.Hotel was nice and clean,food very good.Service good.Beach nice and clean but 'bit to short[only 250m long].Beautiful views [Details]

Stayed at Gran Bahia Principe El Portillo between Nov.27 and Dec.4 2011.Definitely a 4* hotel with clean rooms and excellent service. Staff pleasant and efficient, especially in the dining room.Food was tasty and adequate but a bit repetitive in main buffet. We went to 3 a la carte restaurants and they were OK,great service and presentation but nothing to rave about. Beach was beautiful,great for morning and afternoon walks,we were told by our representative not to go to the beach on the right of the hotel due to safety issues but we did anyway and it was absolutely beautiful. Animation team tried hard to entertain guests but were not really visible on the day when it rained all day.One thing that we thought would be nice to do and it was not available was a bit of dancing music after supper.Grounds were well kept and very colorful.Would definitely recommend this resort. [Details]

We must say that overall our one week stay in Samana was excellent, from the staff at air canada to the staff at the Gran Bahia, every was excellent.

we also did all the a la carte restaurant and their service was very proffessional.

thank you [Details]