Bahia Principe Explore Esmeralda

What a stark contrast from my last experience at another Punta Cana resort, post Covid. BP Resort was nice. Beach had a lot of seaweed but was being managed diligently. As for the staff, I’m not sure what was going on. Apparently they had just undergo a change of management?…but they were very unpleasant. No courtesy and seemed very unpleasant…especially the staff at the buffets. Had to wait a long time for them to serve you water, coffee…and when they do it’s done unpleasantly and poorly - I.e. 1 of 2 cups would be filled or poured messily. Courtesy and politeness were non-existent. Pool and bar attendants were a bit more pleasant… The food at the buffets were the same old every day. The à la carte restaurants were good…food was good and staff at these locations were pleasant…unlike the general staff and buffets. For the cost of vacations today you would expect your hosts to be more welcoming and make your vacation experience more enjoyable…like you’re wanted there. I don’t expect a lot when I go on vacations but courtesy like a simple, hello, thank you, welcome, etc plays a huge part in hospitality….especially if I’m paying to be there. Hope your experience is better but I am not eager to ever return.

This resort falls far short of any luxury claim. Front staff service was the worst part of the stay, they never followed through on complaints, no matter how many times we raised them. Rooms were uncomfortably hot, and the AC barely worked, more of a decoration than a functioning system. The faucets and showers default to scalding hot water, which takes forever to adjust to a safe temperature, so be extremely careful if you're traveling with kids. Bathrooms also had a persistent sewage smell. Reserving the restaurant for dinner was extremely difficult, the front lobby staff would listen, nod, and then do absolutely nothing. There are no elevators, which makes this a nightmare if you have young children or a stroller. Save your money and avoid this place if you can.

First of all my had been a year ago and loved it not any more Stayed for a week in a swim up room 1. Check in ok no welcome drink but no big deal check in staff good 2. First night meal at Italian again meal good no complaints 3. Pool staff friendly especially big shout out to william at amber pool and all staff around the pools good 4. Sports bar at amber also nice staff and nice food Now bad points 5. Mexican restaurant basically ignored eventually got a table again ignored all the Spanish speaking guests got drinks and nice menu we got a dirty piece of paper in Spanish as a menu and the noise was horrendous so walked out of that 6. Second visit to Italian starters came out cold and pizza burnt not good 7. Dominican restaurant food and staff nice but horrendously noisy 8. Meat restaurant very cheap cuts of meat the food was inedible and all the waiter who took our order was interested in was smiling at the loud mouth American woman 9. Breakfast in restaurant near beach horrible stale looking covered in flies 10. 60% of staff are rude unhelpful and don’t really want to be there 11. House keeping hit and constantly asking for coffee bags water creamer etc definitely not a 4 or 5 star nearer 3 or 2

My family decided to take me away for my birthday, being a milestone one...age not disclosed, lol. We were going to the D.R for a week of sun, beach, relaxation and memories. We had never been to the D.R or to Punta Cana so I wasn't sure what to expect and reading the reviews, I'm not going to lie was leaving me a bit nervous, after all we were going to celebrate my birthday, it had to be perfect. We arrived at the resort after a short coach ride from the airport and were greeted kindly by a wonderful lady at the check in, i believe her name was Francesca sorry if i am not spelling right or if her name is wrong... i do know she was pregnant. She was fabulous with us, gave us a cool towel and a beverage and knew that we were celebrating a birthday and ensured that they were going to help make this an amazing birthday, which they did, from a birthday banner on the hotel door and fresh fruit in our room she was great! We are off to a good start, as I'm all about good customer service and like to point out the wrongs at times but more so like to reward the goods ones with tips and calling them by their name, which i think is so important and makes them feel like human beings and not just the help or its your job type thing. The resort itself is well looked after and yes it is a bit dated but i was clean and well looked after. Our junior suite was on the main floor and perfectly situated for us to be anywhere on the resort with minutes. If you needed to go a bit further or to one of the other Bahia properties then easy enough to do with the concierge and arrange a ride. We had a good experience at the buffet as the food was good, plentiful and there was enough there to satisfy many palates. Buffets can be repetitive at times, yes but it was satisfying, thank you to our waitress many times being served and looked after by Maria at breakfast and at lunch. The A la Cartes restaurants we booked on line prior to arriving with no issues at all and we tried The Flame Steakhouse- Delicious, Casa Bella Italian- Very good, Yurta Mongolian - Fantastic, We also had the Brazilian Meat restaurant... can't remember the name, but not good at all, not for me. Food overall, buffet, a la cartes, even room service was always good...never got sick or felt bad, none of the family. The drinks and the bartenders were the best i have ever encountered. The way they greeted you to the amazing drinks to ensuring that my family was looked after was second to none, Alberto, Anthony, Albi...gracias. ( TWO TWO ) inside joke! The entertainment was great, thanks to Wanderson ( KING KONG ) he never let you Sleepy Sleepy and always got everyone involved in the daily activities even when you didn't want to. Great guy, great personality, thank you! The beach, oh the beach... although the sargassum was lingering and smelled bad, the resort did their best in clearing it and making the water accessible and beach life fun. That salt water was like a bath and the sun very very hot...lots of sunscreen required. We had sunshine all week with only one evening of rain for about a half hour...very beautiful!!! Enjoy this beautiful resort and all the friendly people that work hard to make sure you're well looked after during your stay. Tipping is optional but i do believe that if you treat someone well they will in turn treat you well. To all the staff that helped make this a memorable vacation my family and i say... MUCHO GRACIAS to the most excellente hard working staff i met at the Bahia Esmerelda !!!!!! WE WILL BE BACK, YES YES, ONLY A THE BAHIA PRINCIPE- Ciao ciao , Bye Bye!!!

Honest Family Review – Bahia Principe Luxury Esmeralda (Punta Cana) We are a family of five (three adults and two pre-teen children, staying across two rooms) travelling from the UK, and we spent two weeks at Bahia Principe Luxury Esmeralda. This was our third trip to the Dominican Republic and our fifth stay within the Bahia Principe chain, so we arrived with a clear idea of what to expect. This is an honest review based entirely on our experience, and it may be particularly helpful for other British travellers. We booked with TUI, including a private transfer and a Saona Island excursion, and as always, the experience with TUI was excellent. Everything was well organised and ran smoothly without any issues. Check-in at the hotel was quick and welcoming, and we appreciated the cold towel and drink on arrival. However, despite indicating a mobility issue during online check-in, we were allocated a top-floor room. If stairs are a concern, I would strongly recommend raising this again on arrival to avoid any inconvenience. We stayed in two rooms initially, one in Villa 95, which was very central, and the other in Villa 91. Both rooms were spacious, comfortable, and clean on arrival, with firm beds. However, we did find housekeeping and minibar service to be inconsistent during our stay. Although we were tipping our housekeeper daily, the room was not fully cleaned, as beds were made and towels changed, but it did not feel like a thorough clean. The minibar was also not restocked consistently, and items such as coffee, sugar, juice, and chocolate milk were often missing. These are standard provisions, not extras, and we found ourselves contacting reception on a daily basis to have them replenished. We also noticed differences in welcome amenities. From what we saw, some guests received macaroons and a bottle of rum, even for shorter stays, whereas we only received macaroons, and the second room did not receive anything at all. While this is a small detail, it did give the impression of inconsistency. After a week, we were upgraded free of charge to two swim-up rooms in Villa 96 (rooms 96001 and 96003) thanks to the Privilege team, which we appreciated. The swim-up rooms were excellent, with sun throughout the day and a very relaxing setting, and we spent most of our remaining time there rather than at the main pools. The only downside was that the swim-up pool was cleaned only once during the week, so we did end up removing debris ourselves. On a positive note, service in the upgraded rooms was noticeably better, and everything was replenished as expected. In terms of Privilege benefits, these felt fairly limited overall and mainly included the use of carts and access to additional restaurants and buffets. I would also like to mention an incident at the splash park, as it may be helpful for other families. My daughter cut her toe while climbing the stairs and later fainted while being attended to by the lifeguard. It was a distressing experience, and unfortunately the two of us had to miss our Saona Island trip the following day as a precaution. We ate out at the à la carte restaurants most evenings, and the experience varied: Yurta and Nomad were very enjoyable, with both good food and service. MEAT, the adults-only restaurant, was also very good. Limbo offered great food, but service was slow, and we received the wrong cocktail after a long wait. The Gourmet restaurant at Fantasia was a great option for children, and we also enjoyed the Fish Market, although this is again adults-only. The main buffet at Esmeralda was only open for breakfast and dinner, and we were surprised by the limited options for children. We also found that the meat was often overcooked and quite dry, so we mainly chose seafood. Service here was mixed. Some staff were welcoming, while others appeared less engaged, and it was not always easy to get any drinks. One morning we were seated in the conservatory area, which I would recommend avoiding, as there is no air conditioning. It was extremely hot, and there were no waiters attending the area at all, so guests had to go inside to request water or drinks. The beach lunchtime buffet had some good options, particularly fresh burgers, but the selection was repetitive, and again the meat was often dry. It also became very busy around 1pm, and we frequently had to queue for a table suitable for five. Service here was challenging. We often had to ask several times just to receive water, and drinks did not always arrive. On one occasion, we ordered an Aperol Spritz and waited around ten minutes before being told it was not available. We then ordered white wine instead, which never arrived at all. After a few days, we decided to use the Punta Cana buffet for lunch instead, which, although busier, offered better food choice and more efficient service. The sports bar was quite underwhelming compared to Bahia resorts we have visited in Mexico. It was small and lacked atmosphere, and service was non-existent to the point where it felt easier to collect drinks ourselves. One situation we witnessed stood out, where a staff member repeatedly called out “hola” to guests to collect their drinks instead of serving them at the table. One guest went over, returned his empty glasses at the same time, and still tipped! It was shocking, and simply felt out of place for a hotel marketed as luxury. At the quiet pool during our first week, service was very poor. Although staff were present, we were never approached and were not asked once if we would like drinks. Evening entertainment was fairly low-key, with mostly singers and limited variety. Compared to other Bahia locations we have visited, it felt less lively, and there was less on offer for families. Overall, the resort itself is very well maintained, with beautiful grounds and lovely buildings, and the swim-up rooms were a highlight of the holiday. However, the level of service was not always consistent, and this did impact our experience. Having stayed at other Bahia Principe resorts, particularly in Mexico and at Ambar, our expectations were naturally shaped by those experiences. We still managed to have a relaxing holiday and enjoy our time, but based on this stay, we would not choose to return to Esmeralda ever again.