Bahia Principe Explore San Felipe

I was a bit anxious about staying here, as I'd read some really bad reviews of the hotel. However, I had a great experience. The room I had was lovely with a view of the pools and out towards Mount Tiede. It was clean and I slept well each night. All staff I met in the hotel were very friendly and helpful. I know there's a lot of comments about food in the reviews. My experience (as a vegetarian) was that I had a good selection of things to eat and I enjoyed trying foods I wouldn't be eating at home in Ireland. Isn't that the point of going on holiday? To try new foods and experiences? Overall, I really enjoyed my holiday here, and would definitely like to return.

Would I go back? I will let you answer that question after reading my review. Firstly, lets start with the positives, the location is ideal, the hotel rooms in general are very clean and the staff are exceedingly friendly, hard working and very polite. Each floor has wide hallways and a cold water station and the hotel offer fine dining twice a week (but reception do not inform you of this????). Unfortunately, for us that is where the positives end. We booked a junior suit which was very spacious and reasonably well furnished, however, there were a few cockroaches in the bathroom emanating from floor drain covers. I reported this to reception (maintenance came out and sprayed the effected area - this seemed to work.) There was no tea/coffee making facility within the suite (you have to request a kettle, and when that comes there were no cups etc provided????) Most hotels now provide coffee making facilities within the rooms???? The wrap around balcony although being massive (approximately 12m x 13m) was sparsely furnished with two plastic chairs and a small round table. There was plenty of room for a couple of sun loungers. The outside patio area was seldom cleaned with cushions left out in the rain. In sitting down one morning, my wife got wet from a soaking wet cushion and had to return to the room for a change of clothing. The patio furniture was a disgrace - very old with some chairs having holes in the wicker seating. Most alarming for us, was the poolside restaurant which tended to be used by children and bathers. Flies were evident hovering over the food on several occasions. I have saved the worse until last - the range and standard of food was far from good? The catering provided by the hotel falls well short of what is expected from a supposed 4* rated hotel...... The best meal of the day was breakfast, however, the toasters were a joke requiring at least three passes for the bread to become less anaemic. The inside restaurant gets extremely warm and noisy and resembles a works canteen at peak times. As far as catering for guests with food allergies, vegetarians and vegans, there was little, to no consideration????? (all the hotels that we have stayed in over the past few years provide bespoke catering areas for this). My wife is gluten intolerant and was given a couple of cup cakes, biscuits and a gluten free bread roll, and told to only eat the food without gluten??? Basically she had to live on paella and salad from the main restaurant. Please be aware before booking, this hotel is advertised as a 4* hotel,? I found this rating somewhat ambiguous. I have given it a 3* star rating purely because of the staff........... So, would I return to Bahia Principe Explose San Filipe????? You tell me?

It is clear that the hotel has not been renovated in the past 20 years, as it is very worn and outdated. The restaurant is extremely chaotic, with everything spread out and staff constantly running around in all directions. The food tastes strange and overly sweet, and it is difficult to find everything because the food stations are so spread out. There is constant noise, with neighbouring guests banging on the walls, running around and talking loudly. Everything can be heard through the walls. The drinks are not the best either, and I have found pieces of plastic in my glass several times. This may be because the cups are so worn out that pieces of the edges are breaking off.

Stayed for 5 days late October as a solo traveler. Going to get the negatives out the way - not many of them, however they did affect my experience. - food is AWFUL. I genuinely would go have dinner outside the restaurant. It was cold, bland, and often moreso than not, had the wrong label on the buffet. Unfortunately I could not get into any of the a la carte restaurants so I can't judge the food there. - the elevators are confusing. The main elevator only has a down button but it goes both directions. - all inclusive is NOT all inclusive. It ends at 11PM which to me, is a joke. If I pay all inclusive, I want to use it - in principle - until the bar shuts at 00.30. I understand you have premium drinks, but forcing the clients to pay for all your products (including soft drinks) after a certain time, is a clown move. - the key to get in your room is attached to your wristband, and unfortunately, this is not designed for people with hyper mobility. I had to remove my band multiple times to get in. And now the positives - shout out to Melayna (I think?) on reception! A great person who gave me the lay of the land. - shout out to the bar team, especially Virginia! She made my holiday so pleasant. - the rooms were clean and tidy. I don't think they are dated like some people say, but they resemble a Spanish casa. - pools were great, but could do with signs saying which is the deep end. - the animation team and the entertainment team were top notch. Final verdict: A good hotel, and definitely would stay here again, however, considering how much I paid and the quality of the food, and the all inclusive package, I have opted to stay elsewhere next time. But by all means, have not given up on this hotel!!

Rooms are a bit dated, for the rest a very good experience. Staff is excellent, everything is very clean and the pool is perfect.