| Holiday-Truth Readers Reports |
Vhari from Renfrewshire, Scotland travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
Thomas Cook
on a friends holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 04 2008 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness |  | | Location | | | Staff |  | | Food |  | |
| Entertainment |  |
| said: When we arrived at Bahia Principe our 1st thoughts were: Beautiful, classsy, it was huge and had high hopes of a great holiday and would be well worth the money.... Were we ever so wrong....
We got given out wristbands and roomkeys and were taken on a golf buggy directly to our room with our bags, which was nice. After unpacking (we would have gone straight to the pool but it was torrential rain) we noticed that our AC wasnt working. So we made a call to reception - "someone will be right out" - after dinner it still hadn't been fixed so we made another call, same reply. No-one came all night and after a morning sunbathing by the next after noon it still wasnt fixed. So after ANOTHER complaint someone finally came. We were happy with that, made getting ready for dinner easier. After dinner, we returned to a flooded bathroom. The AC had caused a leak. We made a complaint and no-one came till the next day. The maintenance person came while we were out sunbathing and when we returned in the afternoon we had a note saying to contact reception asap where we got told we had to move rooms. We packed up our things, moved to a lovely room - only 1 bed but we made do - after we unpacked we noticed the toilet was blocked. We called reception someone was out right away (shockingly), half ano hour later it was blocked again, someone came out, unblocked it and we thought it was fine. Until the next morning. It was blocked AGAIN then someone came out to fix it. We heard him footering about then next thing a big BANG! SPLASH! He'd ripped the toilet off the wall, water aalllllll over the floor and was standing with 2 shampoo bottles in his hand. He'd found them down the pipes and was standing looking at them as if it was us! We then had to wait for a cleaner to come and mop it up.
Having been to all inclusive hotels in Cuba and Jamaica I thought I knew what to expect - Variety of bars, Buffets and snack bars etc. and thought they were of decent standards. In Bahia the drinks were severely watered down - luckily we had stocked up on duty free before leaving Glasgow - the mixers they were using were not draught, bottles of coke, fanta, sprite etc. were left lying out in the warm air, no sign of any fridges or anything so when you got your drink it was warm, flat and lets face it that is pretty disgusting (especially when all you want on a hot day is a nice refreshing cold drink!)
The Buffet was the same thing just about every day - I was only there for 1 week and think I would have been sick if I had to put up with the same for another. The 'Kids Corner' area was rediculous - hotdog & chips every night. We tried to go for the a la carte meals but every restraunt was booked up for every night apart from the mexican which was pretty pathetic. The snack bar near the beach served cold, hard pizza and once again flat drinks. Oh and more hotdogs & chips.
The evening entertainment was poor so we spent most nights in the room with our duty free, watching tv. I will admit that the Dominican flavours night is good although be warned it is NOT all inclusive. When you go for a meal you have to pay for that and drinks which we thought was included in the price we paid and had to borrow money.
By the end of the week we were hearing from other guests who had valuables and money stolen from their safe ($50 NON-returnable for the safe - I felt I had the right to take it home with me after paying for that) and when they questioned hotel staff they were asked for proof that they actually had belongings in their safe! When they didnt have that they were just told to go away and nothing was done. But this was things like jewellery, money, passports, travellers cheques etc. and they were all stolen from the same block - suspicious!? - I think so!
.... We were miserable the whole holiday and were more than happy to get out of there!!!
Click here for more information on this hotel, resort and region
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Andrea from East Sussex travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
First Choice
on a family holiday.
There were 4 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 04 2008 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness |  | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment |  |
| said: We flew out to this hotel on 5 April - 19 April 2008 with First choice Airways.
The flight ~ It left Gatiwck on time, was a smooth flight on the way there. We flew Star Class Preminum which is good for the money, but i thought the best bit was the priority boarding.
The food on the plane wasnt that good. Ok, i'm a fussy eater, but i really didnt think it was that good. The cabin crew were nice, friendly, came round with free drinks, we got a pampering pack, OK! magazine and a newspaper.
Peurto Plata/Coach transfer ~ As soon as you walk out the airport, you can really feel the heat! We were all like woah! Getting to the coach was not a problem, we were coach number 6, and it took about 1 and a half hours to get to the hotel, whcih is ok because you can have a look at the country a bit. It went quite quickly i thought.
Check in ~ It was really nice! That's all i can say! The check in once we got there was quick and smooth cos we got our wristbands and room keys while on the coach whci is a good idea! You get your suitcases sent to your room so you dont need to carry them around.
They come about half an hour later.
The rooms ~ They were basic, but nice. There was a mini-bar which got stocked up daily with beer, water, sprite, coke. We never saw the maid come in but she alwayd done something with the towl, like putting it into a swan or something like that.
The grounds/Pool ~ Really nice! Everything was really spotless and clean. The pools were well maintained. You could always get a sunbed around the main pool, which is where we mainly stayed so i cant comment on the other pools. But as far as i saw they were really good aswell!
As the complex was soo big, there were like taix's going around so you can just hop on them and it would take you to wherever you wanted to go, we got on one to go to the golf.
The Restaurants ~ The main buffet i thought was actually better than the al a cart restaurants! Breakfast wasnt packed, but we did have it about half 7, which is a good time to haev breakfast. They had bacon, beans, toast, stuff like that etc, for lunch, they had sandwhiches, salads and for dinner it was basically the same but there was a lot to choose from, and, can i just say teh chips were fantastic! I throughly enjoyed the chips! Now, onto the al a cart. We went to all of them and to be honest they werent nothing special. There was Italian, Mexican, seafood and mediterrean.
Activities ~ There were daily acitvities by the Animation Team all day. At around half 12 there would be areabics in the pool followed by the Bahia Principe song, which you will be singing as it is quite catchy! There were other activites as well, like golf, basketball, spanish lessons, volleyball, board games.
Shows ~ At about half 8 they would have the childrens disco with the same songs, like the birdie song in a different language, agadoo and some others. That went on for about half an hour, then at 9pm the animation team would come out and ask you to dance. At about half 9 they would have some funny competitons going on, which we actually thought was a bit boring!
Then at 10pm they had the main show, again we thought were pretty rubbish! They were mainly dancing shows, but one night there was 'crazy show' that was the best show i thought! That is worth a watch! Was really funny!
After that at 11, the animation team went down the street which had a casino, shops, disco etc, where they would just dance with you until 12. Don't know waht happened after that as we went back to the room then.
The Animation Team ~ The first week, we thought were rubbish! They just didnt want to know you! They just completley ignored us! So, the second week, we made the effort to go and talk to them, which it actually worked! After that, they kept on talking to us everytime they saw us. I'd like to say hello to Martin(Amazing dancer!), Alex(Miss you!), Spagetti(Miss you loads!) And some others which i can't remember their names! But i miss them loads! Was actually really sad to leave!
Flight home ~ On the way back, the TV''s werent working, but they did try to fix them but over there they didnt have the right equipment, which to be honest didnt really botherus, cos all we done was sleep, went pretty quickly.
Overall ~ Everything about the place was amazing! Only complaint which had nothing to do with hotel, was the mosquitos! Their everywhere! Take loads of spray with you cos although you dont see them, they are there!
Don't listen to the bad reviews, just go with an open mind like we did and you will love it!!!
We're actually thinking of going back next year! Which will be amazing!!
So, enjoy your holiday! =)
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dave+lorraine from oxford travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
going places
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 02 2008 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: just returned from this hotel,it is rated 4*sup which is pretty close,the location was pretty isolated,so be warned its a hotel based holiday,nowhere to go at night.
we were all inclusive,as are most of the hotels in the caribbean,and the food was quite good,varied choices,and always hot.We were upgraded to the hacienda diamond part of the complex,which means there was no restriction where we ate,and had an exclusive restaurant for diamond users only.
hotel was spotless always cleaning behind your every move,rooms are basic,but cleaned daily+towels changed daily too.flowers on pillows and towels shaped like swans,hearts,laid out every day on bed.
hotel staff were always smiling and saying hello,cannot fault the staff atall,and they are not all tip orientated its upto you if you tip,best to tip at the end i found.did not really see any of the entertainment,as its pretty much the same in these all inc resorts,so cannot comment.all in all i loved the hotel,but too isolated for me,but would recommend if you just wanted a sun,sea,sand hol.
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chris & andy jones from kidderminster travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
on the beach
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 07 2007 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food |  | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: stayed in this hotel for 2 weeks it was very nice, but would proberly only stay for a week as its very remote hotel lovely,rooms basic but everywhere very clean. food good if not a bit repetitive.could do with a lifegaurd around main pool as very deep and several kids slipped from running round and banged their heads also on night main entertaiment was round this pool and we saw 2yr old fall in and nearly drown {parents fault giving them fishing nets to play with and not watching them.}all in all a very pretty place but to say how big it is the entertainment is dire we had to buy playing cards to keep amused and the bingo is not a cash prize 5 euros each to play to win a t shirt & rubbishy champagne its also very spanish & french orientated and they hardly spoke english which is surprising considering the amount of english there if they sorted this out it would be perfect.
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amy lawson from leeds travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
first choice
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 07 2007 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Stayed 31- July – 31 August ( we flew home 7th August due to the bug !!)
Have just come back from Bahia Principe San Juan 1 week early than we were due!!! This is a very beautiful hotel and very warm welcome for staff and reps!!!
Unfortunately after a 2 days I was taken ill will sickness and diarrhoea and then my partner was also taken ill , when we went out to try find a rep to advise them of our sickness they were nowhere to be seen and when we finally did come across the First Choice rep, she was quick to shoulder us off!!!!
Our bathroom roof then leaked and we reported it. They changed our room after 6 hours.
The whole thing form start to finish was a shambles and the hotel and hotel manager should be truly ashamed of the way they treated the customers at this hotel. As you have seen it on the TV the bug broke out at the hotel which they on several attempts tried to hide the fact there was problem.
The hotel was a danger to people's health. You will have seen it on the news which they have also been very clever in hiding the truth. i.e. this is not a 12 -24 Hour bug I have been laid up with it now for 8 days and I am back in the UK and it is till not improving.
For your own safety and well-being do not even consider going there. It was truly a disgusting and disturbing holiday to go on.
Amy and Anthony
West Yorkshire.
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sammi from midlands travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
thomas cook
on a family holiday.
There were more than 6 adults and more than 6 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 07 2007 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: i read a few reviews and didn't know what to expect. its a really nice setting for the hotel, lots of trees and flowers around the grounds.
food was ok but im a fussy eater anyway so wasn't too experimental.
the rooms were basic but ok, cleaners in everyday... watch out...!
our room along with anothers on our party had money, credit cards taken out of our rooms!
dont leave valuables where sneaky hotel staff can find them!
entertainment was ok, better down the street after 11pm
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reynolds from Birmingham travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
Airtours
on a family holiday.
There were 4 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 06 2007 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: The resort is amazing we loved everypart of it, it was secluded so you cant walk anywhere but the landscape is unspoilt.The food was good theres always alot of choice and the seafood resturant was great.The hotel and rooms were very clean and all the staff are constantly smiling saying hello which was nice. The beach was lovely and always kept spotless. The entertainment wasn't great but we hung around the lobby drinking. This was our first time to the Dom Rep and we will be returning very soon.
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David Morley from Manchester travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
First Choice
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 06 2007 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Hotel was very clean but would not by any stretch of the imagination describe it as four star , I was ill for 6 of the 14 days there and on return ended up in hospital for 8 nights with a tropical disease probably " Q Fever " having never had to stay in hospital in my 46 years on this planet !!! Shoes were stolen from outside my room although this was probably my own fault for leaving them there . Could not fault the staff as they were always pleasant & polite even the rubbish bin collectors helped me with my Español lessons . Loved the Carribean but it did not love me , first & last time there .
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Grant Moreland from Dunoon travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
First Choice
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 06 2007 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Just returned from a 14 night all inclusive and we had a ball. I have never seen so many staff at a resort cleaners everwhere. The staff made our holiday so helpful and a good laugh always smiling. The food was great and again the staff do a great job. The hotel is a bit isolated but there is no need to leave it has everthing you need.
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Phil & Vicky from Chester Le Street travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
Direct Holidays
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 06 2007 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We couldn't fault this hotel.
The rooms were always immaculate and the staff were always willing to help out with any problems. All it took was a quick call to reception.
The staff were pleasant and friendly.
The food was pretty good, wide selection to choose from. The meat was quite often cooked in front of you so you could ask for it to be cooked longer to suit your taste.
We only tried the mexican and mediterranean restaurants but enjoyed them both thoroughly.
Book as soon as you can though as they are very very popular.
Before 10pm the entertainment was a bit cheesy, but it was aimed at the kids. (magic shows, party games etc)
After 10pm the professional dance team performed different shows that had us in awe some nights and in fits of laughter other nights.
They also perform around the pool and on the beach during the day. It seemed that everyone paid attention and enjoyed these shows, look out for "Madonna on holiday."
Our reps were really approachable and helpful. My boyfriend was badly burnt and had to go to hospital and they did everything they could to be of assistance.
We would love to go back to this hotel in the future.
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carol from worcershire travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
Thomas Cook
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 06 2007 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We heard mixed reviews and was not totally convinced but, we were going for 2 weddings.
Now for the truth.
Food - after 2 wks I was sick to my back teeth of pasta, and veg. Meat never looked too good, but we don't eat in anyway.
Staff - were friendly enough but were always moreso if you gave them a tip. They were not nice though when friands of our were burgled! By the way, 45 burglaries from room safes and cases occured within 1 wk and victims were treated like criminals.
Entertainment - All I can say is that it reminded me of Butlins and was a little to promiscutive for young children.
High crime rate, Food Poisoning and a rep that was drunk alot and a total waste of time.
Nothing to write home about and the rep inspired no confidence with us whatsoever.
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PAUL from LINCOLN travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
THOMAS COOK
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 05 2007 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
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| said: Like many others we were very concerned having read some reviews of this hote, and at one point even thought about changing our holiday. I do sometimes wonder what people expect from a holiday.
Anyhow to the truth of this hotel.
The food was excellent the chose was 1st class. The hotel was very clean and constantly being kept that way.
The staff were very friendly and always smiling and willing to do anything to help a small tip was always received with gratitude 2$ was average for waiters and bar staff (little and often ). The room was kept very clean
The only negative I found was the location it is a fair distance from anywhere else the beach was a big disappointment basically man made gravel (not white sand)
there is a shortage of umbrellas around the pool so if you like shade get there early.
In summary hotel excellent. Staff excellent. Location poor. Value for money brilliant.
Very, very good!
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chris & sarah from nuneaton travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
first choice
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 04 2007 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Me and my wife stayed at this hotel for 2 weeks all inclusive in april, this hotel is the cleanist place we have ever seen every member of staff was either cleaning or smiling.
The rooms are basic and in need of refurbishment including the bathroom but its got air conditioning and are kept clean daily a safe key is available for fifty dollars (us) for 2 weeks theres a mini bar fridge free of charge with first choice topped up daily, there also golf car style people carriers to ferry you about as this hotel is a big place
This hotel has various diffrent restaurants there all excellent the main buffet restaurant is good and there is a pizza, burger, chicken, chips style fast food restaurant by the beach and the main entrance road there is burger bar open late if you visit the discoteq or casino on a nighttime they turn the main road into a outside party after 7pm
The hotel location is good only 60 mins from airport
and its big place so you wont get bored the watersports are good the beach bars give fantastic service find wandi ask him for wandi special.
The beach is nice just remember to stay off it when it rains due to sand fleas, they come out in the rain and they will eat you alive !!!
All the staff all so nice allways smiling they cant do enough for you they shut the beach bars at 6pm but if want more beers they fetch them for you !!
We didnt bother watching the shows in the evening as we find them boring the area where watch the shows was allawys very busy we prefered to sit in the paino bar and chill and visit the karaoke bar and the Hard Rock bar and the night club all cheessyy but good fun
We never go the same place twice but the Bahia Principe was the cleanest and friendliest place we have ever been 3 star rooms 5 star service.
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Rosemary & David from Derby travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
Thomas Cook
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 02 2007 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Having spent two wonderful weeks at this hotel, I cannot believe there were some bad reports. Hotel rooms do look a bit dated, but were very clean. Food was good in all the restaurants with a good variety.
Drinks certainly not watered down, was not too keen on the white wine and only local spirits are available. Water and drink stations everywhere. The staff are really lovely, friendly and helpful.
Bulb went in the bathroom, person to replace it nearly beat me back to the room. Christine our rep was brilliant and very helpful. This is a very well managed hotel and yes I would certainly go back.
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Lynn Shaw from Boston, Lincolnshire travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
First Choice
on a friends holiday.
There were 6 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 02 2007 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: After reading some reports we were slightly concerned about our trip to the Bahia Principe, San Juan. It
was also our friend's wedding so we wanted it to be perfect for them. I can honestly say that it was brilliant.
The accommodation is slightly dated but very clean, the hotel grounds are very well kept.
The food is superb, entertainment is very good, staff are so helpful. It definitely is value for money.
The wedding was lovely.
Can't fault it at all! Will be returning next year.
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scott from graham travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
sell off vacations
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 02 2007 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Well kept rooms and very clean resort.
The nightly entertainment was a little dull, but during the day the activities were always good.
We never had a problem with the food it was excellent.
The hotel staff were always polite and courteous.
We would visit this resort again and recommend it to other people.
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joanna from hull travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
direct holidays
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 01 2007 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We both loved the hotel. Had been here with some friends 3 years ago and loved it just as much then as we did now.
Have booked to go back at the end of August this year.
This hotel is easily a 5 star. The whole holiday was great and we cant wait to go back.
We can't understand what so many people have to complain about, as this is a third world country. We would love to live here.
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lawrence from gloucester travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
First Choice
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 01 2007 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We have just returned from a wonderful two weeks at the Bahia Principe San Juan. At first we were sceptical in view of some the previous reviews left. However, we were pleasantly suprised. We wanted a restful holiday in order to recharge our batteries and this holiday and it's location certainly proved ideal.
We travelled with First choice and there was no problems with the flight over or coming back. The only thing that I would point out, which we were not previously told about, is that you have to pay tax to enter the country and on leaving the country so make sure that you travel with some Dominican currency or American Dollars.
On arrival we were met with a welcome and a coctail drink. However, when we got to our room we found that we had been allocated two single beds even though we had booked a double bed. It did take two days to sort out the accommodation because we were advised that 70% of their accommodation is twin occupancy so we had to wait for a room with a double bed to become available but this did not spoil our holiday in any way.
There was a good choice of hot and cold food in the main restaurant and you have a choice of eating at three out of four a la carte restaurants each week. We were not impressed with the Sea Food restaurant, in particular the service. You were left to stand around for a long period of time until your table became available and the service was very slow. When the food arrived it was not that good and there was very little of it on the plate. We only opted for two courses (main meal and an ice cream to follow) and we spent nearly two hours in the restaurant. There was a better choice of sea food in the main restaurant. Mexican was good, however the main restaurant proved to be the better option overall.
We did two of the excursions which were the Safari trip and the visit to Puerto Plato and throughly enjoyed both. If going on the Safari excursion remember to bring sweets to give to the children you will see on route. It was a lovely experience. Note! not a trip to take if you are pregnant or have a bad back as the roads are bad and it is a very bumpy ride on the jeep.
There was plenty of sporting activites to do and the hotel entertainment team were excellent and very friendly. People with children were well catered for.
My final comment would be that although the accommodation was clean I would not rate it as four stars. It could certainaly do with refurbishment. The decoration is long overdue and the bathrooms certainly need attention. Outside of the rooms the complex is well maintained and the gardens are beautiful.
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Bray from Halifax travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
Thomas Cook
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 12 2006 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We visited this hotel 3 years earlier and on the strength of how much we enjoyed it there.
We booked at a different resort but same hotel in between comming back. Well I have never seen a hotel go downhill so quick.
The food, the accomodation and the presentation were all zero. They changed our rooms 3 times moved us to a diamond room no change. Christmas Eve we booked in the restaurant for 8.30. Everyone had to book and judging by the fact that we had to wait 20 mins for a plate to fill up with cold food everyone must have booked for the same time. Also notices in reception for you to get a bottle of red wine with your meal no chance.
We will never based upon our experience use the Bahia Group again
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Tom from West Sussex travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
First choice
on a family holiday.
There were 4 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 12 2006 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Wow, what an experience.
We have just returned after christmas.
Staff were really nice and friendly.
However, got given stomach upset for 10 days out of 14. The beer tasted like nothing I have ever tasted before, watered down and disgusting.
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Amy from Stoke-on-Trent travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
First Choice
on a family holiday.
There were 3 adults and 2 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 12 2006 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: It took about an hour and 15 minutes to get to the hotel from the airport but they gave us a drink and a man come round and give you an all inclusive band. You get given tickets to put on your suitcases so that they are delivered to your room.
The reception was very nice.
The room we stayed in had a double bed then two single beds and a cot. Cot not very safe. Rooms were a bit dated but fairly clean apart from the ants nest outside. The complex is big.
The main restaurant offers a great choice for breakfast, lunch and dinner and they have different themed nights. There are four restaurants and you are able to go to 3 in a week. Mexican and Seafood were the best. Italian was poor and Mediterrnean was the worst. There is a snack bar located on the beach. There was a good selection of drinks at bars.
There is a street outside which has about 10 shops, cybercafe, a disco, casino, burger place, karaoke bar and hard rock cafe. They open at 11:30pm till 2:30pm. The beach was ok, nice warm water, a variety of watersports including jet skis, bannana boat, scuba diving, pedalos. Non-motorised are in with the all inclusive.
The best thing about the hotel is the entertainment and animation team. There was activities from 10am such as aerobics, water aerobics, Spanish lessons, darts, french bowls, crazy ball games, crazy games. Thursday was football, mini golf, volleyball and tennis tournments. Friday they had a mini olympics. The team that won usualy won a t-shirt or certificate. They had a kids club as well which did different activities. At night there was a kids disco at half 8 and they had a game for the kids then they had an icebreaker game for the adults. Then there was a show or some sort usually dancing. The comedy show, playback show and magic show were good. The animation team work really hard but they are good fun and they love their job.
Beware of the sandflies their is loads of them and everyone in the hotel gets bitten a lot of people had about 70 bites all over their legs. I was lucky and got about 10.
It is also very hard to get a signal on your phone, you are able to get an Orange signal if you go to the beach even if your not on Orange. I would go to this hotel again but not just yet because I like to go to different places.
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mandy,henry,julie, carl,linda,claire,hayley,naomi,lindsey&leanne from pwllheli north wales travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
first choice
on a friends holiday.
There were 6 adults and 4 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 11 2006 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Just come back from this hotel and was a bit worried about all the "bad" reviews people have left!!!!!
We had a great flight (First Choice)and transfer to the hotel was well organized. The journey to the hotel was a eye opener as you see how the people of the Dominican really live.
On arrival to the hotel we were greated with a cocktail and our cases where taken to our rooms. The rooms were not as bad as many people had said they were clean and the air con was a god send. Maid sevice every day
this hotel is very big and has a great atmosphere throughout the day and night.
All the staff were really pleasent the entertainment team were great (fernando,(nice body) lol,luciano,gabriel maguel,)were the best.
The shows at night were very good (dancing every night)
after 11pm the "street is open till early hours we danced the night away. There is a disco,kareoki bar casino on the street also you will have a great time if you like to dance I found out I was so unfit lol.
The food was good. Good tip is to look to see whats on offer before you go to pick stuff as theres plenty to choose from.
We went on three excursions. Laguna jeep safari(best day of the holiday), horse riding (ranch)and Ocean world
overall we had a fantastic holiday and I just cant understand how people can complain about this resort
your holiday is what you make it. Some people want too much!!!!!!!
We didnt want to come home I could have easily stayed another week just to watch Fernando doing his bit by the poolside lol. He's only there another 3 weeks so if your going soon you'll know what I mean!!!
You will have a great time "have fun "
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Adam Pearce from Lincolnshire travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
First Choice
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 10 2006 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: This visit was our first visit to the Dominican Republic and i have to say that we will definitely be going back again in a few years time.
The hotel was extremely clean throughout including the communal areas and the room service was fantastic. The rooms are cleaned daily, towels changed daily and mini bar in the room is re-stocked daily.
The All inclusive facility is 24 hours and i have to agree that the beer didn't taste that good.
The food in the buffet restaurant was excellent. I don't see how anyone can stay at this hotel and say that they went hungry.
The hotel location was fine for us but if you like to go off site and explore then you will have to walk along way.
All staff were polite and very helpful.
The only down side for us was the entertainment. Up until 11pm the entertainment was good but after this time it was not so good. This was because the entertainment moved to the shopping square at the entrance to the resort where there were lots of stall traders trying to force people into buying goods. I know this is there way of making a living but needless to say we only went into this area once because of this.
I would certainly recommend this hotel to friends and family.
Oh and I almost forgot to mention the beach. This was also slightly disappointing. Very clean but certainly not a wghite sandy beach with claer blue waters. I tried to do some snorkelling but couldn't see as far as my feet.
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Karen from Darlington travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
Travel Republic
on a family holiday.
There were 4 adults and 3 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 10 2006 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: After reading some of the previous reports we weren't sure what to expect, however on arrival we were pleasantly surprised by the level of service.
The rooms were well laid out, and the maid service was brilliant, i.e. clean towels every day, beds changed often and mini bar stocked every day with water, beer and soft drinks, which is all you need really when its an all inclusive resort ... even had some English channels on the t.v.).
We had no problems with the food and with varying ages of children with us, always hard to please, they always found something they liked. There was also a burger cafe further along the beach open all day serving pizzas burgers hot-dogs etc if didn't fancy the restaurant. Can recommend the Mexican but the Italian was disappointing, they were the only two Al a Cartes we tried as the restaurant food had more choice. I think if anyone couldn't find something to their taste with the vast choice for breakfast lunch and dinner, they be better staying at home! The waiter service for drinks was brilliant, i.e. coffee cups and water glasses filled up as soon as empty.
No problems with drinks either, no queues and plenty of cocktails, spirits, beer and soft drinks available.
The entertainment was Ok, but got a bit "samey" after a week. The younger kids enjoyed it though.
We did a the Jeep Safari trip through Campo Tours which was brilliant, had a great day and well worth the 48 Dollars each, and cheaper than booking through Hotel.
We'd definitely go back!
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Donna from Ashford travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
First Choice
on a friends holiday.
There were 4 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 09 2006 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Hotel and staff fantastic.
The staff were so friendly and couldn"t do enough for you.
Was the best holiday we have been on.
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Heather Wood from Seaton Delaval travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
Thomas Cook
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 09 2006 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We have just returned from 2 weeks holiday in the Bahia Principe San Juan. We feel this hotel is more a 3* than a 4*plus.
The hotel needs a complete overhaul especially the rooms, our bath had been painted over many times, and the door did not shut(this was reported and nothing was done).
The food was cold and was the same each night although every night was a theme night the food did not change. Whilst we were there about 80% of the people there including ourselves were really ill with sickness and diahorrea.
On the first night we were horrifed to find all the bars closed at 11pm, no one told us about that the bars in the street were part of the all inclusive, I felt that at least one bar on the complex should have stayed open because if you were sitting with friends talking you don't always want to move away.
The hotel staff were all very friendly and very helpful.
I found the entertainment very boring!!
I certainly would not visit or recommend this hotel to my friends.
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Janet from Halesowen travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
Thomas Cookl
on a friends holiday.
There were 4 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 09 2006 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Two quite well travelled couples had a 2 week holiday at this hotel, we all thoroughly enjoyed it, and found the staff very friendly and helpful.
It was clean, with somebody even sweeping out the beach bar every time we were there. A couple of problems with the room, but attended to immediately.
We enjoyed visiting the a la carte restaurants and the pueblo principe, (the street) it really felt like "going out" - because you have to accept that if you come here it will be basically hotel based, but this year that was just what we wanted.
If I have any complaint at all it would be the cramped conditions on the Thomson Flight - we paid for extra leg room on the way out - but felt thoroughly uncomfortable - this is a 9 hour flight, seat and leg room on long haul flights needs to be addressed.
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Mandy Love from Cannock travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
First Choice
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 08 2006 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: The staff were very good and if we had not been to the Domican before we would have found it very good. The hotel is classed as 4 stars but I felt it was more like a 3 star
One good thing that no one has mentioned is at 23.00 the entertainment is taken down the street away from the hotel to save on the noise, and all the bars are included in your all inclusive package.
The pool did get a bit dirty at the end of the day, but the next morning it as cleaned
The food was very good but I felt that more choice could have been provided in the snack bar on the beach because it got very boring and seemed to be very small for the number of people
The room as a reasonable size and cleaned every day but I found the air conditioning to be very noisy
The entertainment was good but I do feel that there was not a lot of room. Some of the tables had to be put on the walkway outside and these had candles on which attracted the bugs
I also feel that ice-cream should be made available to the children and all the other hotels I have been to had bottled water out of the fridge, but this hotel has water coolers, but the water is not cool and is very warm
However I would have no hesitation in recommending this hotel
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kerry homer from bedford travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
firdt choice
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 08 2006 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Just got back from this hotel and I loved it. Before I went I read the reviews and was a little worried I have been on a few all inclusive holidays and this was just as good as any I have been on.
Yes the rooms need work and yes the main pool got busy and murky by the end of the day its a very busy pool but the beach and the people were fab and they are always cleaning up.
Would go back and take my kids next time its a very big and busy place but there was all ways somewhere on the beach and smaller pools dotted all over the place. And HELLO it’s a third world country so all in it was great and I enjoyed very much.
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Sheryl from Sittingbourne travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
Thomas Cook
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 08 2006 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We have just returned from this hotel and although we had a good holiday we would not recommend any one to this hotel.
The hotel is clean, but the food was cold in the first week but in the second week management seemed to appear along with a lot of Spanish guests. The food improved and even lollies given out by the pool.
The entertainment is ok in the evening if you like dancers you will be fine as they seem to pop up every night. There is however no dance floor and the stage is used for this. This meant the children then swung on the curtains with the animation team looking on and not telling the children off. Strange we thought!
The seating is also a problem while watching the entertainment as there are not many tables. There are huge wicker chairs which are lined up as if you are in a cinema and it’s difficult to find space to move.
The beach is lovely and is good for children. The room was ok although there was no bed for my son when we arrived. This was soon sorted out though.
I was bitten by mosquitoes even though I put spray on so beware.
The location is isolated but you are warned of this when you book and is not a problem.
The mini golf was a problem as they seemed to only have 10 balls to go round the whole complex which meant a long wait for others to finish.
The whole hotel really needs a refurbish and is more a 2 star than a 4 star.
If you have booked this hotel I am sure you will have a lovely time but it’s not true Caribbean its more Spanish, so if your thinking of going just fly to Spain its a lot closer.
The pool is very murky and you can always find a plastic cup underfoot from the pool bar. Another thing is that my hubby had to get up every morning by 7am to put towels out on sun beds or you had no chance of getting one. Beware!!!
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Sam & Chris Quelch from Newbury, Berkshire travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
First Choice
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 07 2006 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We stayed here for our honeymoon, and we thought it was lovely! There is a real mix of things to do.
The hotel is lovely, staff friendly and this is a very clean and tidy place! The rooms are dated, but we did not go on holiday to spend all our time in the room.
The food was good, a little repetive but we was pleasant surprised, as we are usually very picky about food!
Some of the negative comments are fair, however I think you have to be open-mined about going, people who live here are poor and work hard! Its safe, clean, and beautiful! Its fed our appetites to visit other island on long haul!
Have a good time and be thankful for what you get! Politeness does not cost!
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Emma from Hinckley travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
Airtours / My Travel
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 07 2006 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Hotel and accommodation was fantastic - clean, well looked after and well thought out. Gardens are beautiful and the beach area is well looked after. Only negative I could comment on is that some holiday makers seem to expect to be picked up after all the time and don't put their rubbish in the plentiful bins provided (just as well not all the drinks are served in glasses and that they do come in plastic cups around the pools and beach!!).
The food was amazing - what a selection and we had no tummy upsets - even our two year old daughter tried most things without any problems. Bottled water plentiful and they use purified water for all food preparation and ice etc so no problems there.
The hotel is a bit remote, but there are plenty of excursions offered of all different types and transport available if you want to get out and about. We didn’t't explore this time, but did on a previous visit and we didn’t't feel under threat - I guess it's like anywhere you just have to be careful where and when you go, but then the UK is like that too!
The staff were great and superb with our daughter -anyone with young kids should have no concerns at all facilities like high chairs are provided and they can't do enough to help your little ones have a good time.
The entertainment was good, there was a kids disco every evening with them all dancing up on the stage - gives you a chance to relax with a drink for a bit whilst being able to keep an eye on them. Then onto a show of varying sorts. There are also clubs, late night bars in the "Pueblo Principe" which is great because the night owls can burn the midnight oil, but it's just far enough away from the apartments not to be a disturbance for anyone who likes their sleep more!
We didn’t't hear of anyone with health problems while we were there (apart from the self inflicted variety!) and we certainly didn’t't have any problems.
I would recommend this hotel to anyone, there seems to be something to suit all sorts of holiday makers!
There was a comment in a review about the locals coming in at the weekends - which some do, I would like to say that there were no problems - the people we encountered were friendly and just keen to relax and enjoy themselves alongside everyone else!
One final comment - having your hair braided is a great way of dealing with longer hair that doesn’t't cope well with humidity, but be warned it takes ages to get them out afterwards!
Enjoy!
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liz from waltham cross travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
first choice
on a family holiday.
There were more than 6 adults and 4 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 07 2006 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: The Hotel was very clean, room good size comfy beds and mini bar always well stocked. The hotel grounds were immaculate and very well kept.
The staff were very friendly and always willing to help and the animation team were excellent, they never stopped working but didn't push you if you didn't want to join in. There was always something to eat, mostly very good but as with any all inclusive got a bit boring towards the end. The seafood and mediterean restaurants were our faves.
Whilst we were there my partner and I got married, it was a lovely ceramony in great suroundings, a perfect day.
Could not fault the holiday what so ever. Cannot understand the people who have given this hotel bad reviews. If you have booked to go here don't be put off as we had an excellent time. Our party ranged in age from 2 to 75 and everyone was well catered for and enjoyed themselves.
The people who moan about this place must be very picky!
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Britton from Hemsworth travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
Mytravel
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 07 2006 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Hotel clean, gardens lovely loads of palm trees everywhere.
Food not so good but was always some thing to eat.
Location in my opinion too remote.
Staff mostly very friendly.
Entertainment about on par with any other all about same firstly an hour kids disco then either a show or audience paricipation.
I wouldnt visit this hotel again simply because as a first timer to the Dominican I expected so much more i.e. I was expecting fancy cocktails and got slush puppie in a plastic cup!
Not what I expected at all but was told by other holidayers who had been to other hotels in the Dominican that they were not all the same so if I go back will try a different hotel.
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joyce burns from hamilton travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
1st choice
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 07 2006 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: It was a pleasure to stay in this very clean and expertly run hotel.The staff were very hard working and helpfull. The food was excellent .
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Hunter from Glasgow travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
First Choice
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 4 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 07 2006 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: This is an honest hotel doing the best they can, however unfortunatley they are not by any strech of the imagination a 4* complex.
The rooms are basic and delapedated and if it had been rated and costed at 2*+ that would have been acceptable.
The maid did the best she could but there was sticky stuff all down the doors, burns in the bedding and the most grey towels I have ever seen.
The hotel is 10 years old and showing its age. Many guests inc my own family experienced water coming into the room and broken tiles in the bathroom anything which could be broken was. Frighteningly the banister outside our 1st floor room could be moved from the landing.
The entertainment is repetitive but the guys do try hard. If you have booked this as a cheap last minute deal or if you go knowing it is equivelent to a European 2* then it will be fine but I would not recommend it if you are looking for any luxury what so ever.
If there was any availability at the local hotels I would not have hesitated to move. Several guests with other travel companies did move and there was a que when I went to complain about my room (this is the first time I have ever felt the need to do so).
Apologies that this is not a better review if you have already booked but I have tried to be honest, on meeting guests did move at the airport on the way home they advised that the other hotels were much better by comparison.
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zoe jay and joe from sheffield travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
my travel
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 06 2006 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: This was one of the best hoildays we have been on and would go again ! The kids club a was great me and my husband felt like we on our second honey moon!
The food was great and fresh all the time we stayed in the silver ! We got upgraded when we got there! We were posher !
Have a good walk about when you get there cause we were still finding new bars into our second week! Things to do and the little markets near the water sports pay what you want my husband went down ther on our last day with 100 dollars and came back with bags full of pressies ! And rum ! Only take dollars ! Small bills you get back there money which you can't work out !
You have to play the towel game!
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Hallgate from Farnborough travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
First Choice
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 04 2006 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Hotel location remote, although large complex and plenty to do.
Immaculately presented gardens, hotel rooms cleaned and linen changed daily to a very high standard, although we did experience a few probelms in the room which once reported were rectified. Domestic staff very efficient, tipping greatly appreciated and aided first class personal service.
Entertainment team worked extremely hard and did try to vary their programme, successfully in my opinion.
Hotel stretched along a fantastic clean beach which plenty of water sports going on.
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matt from burnley travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
First Choice
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 02 2006 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Stayed at this hotel for 1 week and was amazed with the level of good service in which i received, The rooms was very spacious and was maintained to the highest standard, the food was lovely couldnt comment on the sea food restuarant as didnt make a reservation!
Having been to many of the Caribbean islands as Cabin Crew and staying at 5* hotels all the time I would recommend this hotel to everyone, you have to remember that this is a third world country so the things we take for granted is not always available!!!!!!!!!
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chris reece from swansea travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
airtours
on a 18-30s holiday.
There were more than 6 adults and 4 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 12 2005 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We stayed in the hotel over Christmas, and it was one of the best holidays me and my family have been on! This was the first time we had visited the Carribean and we thouroughly enjoyed.
The hotel was very clean, and there was always someone cleaning up. The food at the hotel was great there was alwys a lot of choice and fresh food cooked in front of you, I have one very picky son and even he found something to eat there.
On christmas eve we had to wait thirty five minutes to even get into the restaurant although we were a big group.
The location of the hotel was good it was right on the beach, but it was quite a long journey from the airport.
The staff at the hotel were always helpfull and was very friendly.
The entertainment wasn't to everybodys taste at the hotel but it was good for the younger kids, but a short walk away there was night clubs and a casino so there was something for everyone.
We hardly saw the kids as they were always in the pool or doing one activity or another!
Be warned at peek times it is difficult to get a sun bed!
I would definately visit this hotel again and would tell others about it!
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laura from notts travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
airtours
on a couples holiday.
There were 4 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 12 2005 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Have just returned from our christmas and new year break at the Bahia.
There were 4 adults who had all been to Dom Rep before but not this hotel.
The food was ok and there was plenty of choice but it was never hot.
The evening entertainment was as you would expect if you've travelled all inclusive before...rubbish. Cheap and nasty, all sat in rows like its an assembly!
The Pueblo Principe was a bit of a let down, it is basically lods of shacks with interesting names! The rock cafe had the sign but nothing rock about it!!!
The worst thing of the holiday was the drinks. You expect to get the cheap versions of alcohol thats fine. There was no martini, the beer wasnt the usual cheap presidente, it was watered down and more like a bad cider. The wine was poured out of empty pop bottles, and was flat and warm not kept in a fridge! The coke was poured out of little bottles too which was also flat and warm, even though there were pumps! The choice was terrible.
All in all our holiday was good, weather was great, we're tanned and relaxed.
Wouldnt visit again but didnt hate it.
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Lorraine from North wales. uk travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
My Travel.
on a family holiday.
There were 3 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 11 2005 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We stayed in the Bahia Principe, San Juan arriving on 29th Nov 2005 for 2 weeks on an all inclusive deal booked with my travel.
The hotel cleanliness was 5* with the rooms cleaned thoughly every day, clean bedding and towels. Around the hotel you always saw a member of staff attending to the cleanliness of the hotel.
Good variety of food in the buffet bar, brilliant displays daily. You can also book and eat all inclusive at the italian, mexican, mediterranean and fish restaurants. (mediterranean being my favourite).
There is also a burger bar on the beach which is ideal for children or a quick snack.
The hotel was located about an hour and a half from the airport in a peaceful location which still enabled you to do all the excursions.
The hotel staff were all brilliant, very very friendly, just couldnt do enough for you - Brilliant.
Brilliant & outstanding shows, different every night, kids disco at 8.30 then icebreaker at 9.30 - 10pm then the show 10 - 11pm which can be continued up at the strip until 3am!!!!!!!!! with different bars, casio, karaoke bar, sports bar and night club, plenty of entertaiment during the day (darts, aerobics, beach sports, tennis, crazy golf, volleyball etc)
We would definitely visit this hotel again - brilliant all round!!!!!!!!
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stefanie wollschlager from dusseldorf travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
jahn reisen
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 11 2005 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: The hotel had good plus points ie the staff were superb and the food was excellent.
However it failed miserably on 2 points. the entertainment was so poor they should close the area down. Europeans expect better than this pantomime. Drinks were terrible. everyone complaining about this. Very little alcohol in anything, house wine in the restarants wery poor quality pssibly even watered down.
Staff told us it was not safe to go outside the complex. we did and had the time of our lives. Local people so friendly.
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Jacqui from Edinburgh travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
Airtours
on a family holiday.
There were 3 adults and 2 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 10 2005 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: After just over an hour to the hotel from airport, it was well worth it! We were welcomed with a dance from the animation team and although we were not shown to our rooms, we found them quite easily and the luggage arrived minutes after us.
Room was spotless after the maid had been in, although the mini-bar wasn't always filled, a quick call to reception sorted it out.
Staff all very nice. Brilliant with the kids, my kids didn't want to go home!
Entertainment - the animation team did a brilliant job during the day and in the evenings.
Food - very good, although did get a bit repetitive (what holiday doesn't though?!)
Would most definitely go back.
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isobel from edinburgh travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
first choice
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 10 2005 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: The hotel was very clean, staff very friendly plenty of entertainment till 11pm then you can go to the street party until 4am, there is entertainment there untill 12pm the you can go to the bars or disco untill 4am.
The food was well cooked and resturants
spotless.
I would not think twice about going back because it is well worth every penny.
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Tammy from Leeds travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
Airtours
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 09 2005 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: This hotel is one of the best I have ever visited. The staff are very attentative, and if you tip as little as one dollar every now and then, to the waiter, he will fetch your drinks all night, so no queueing at the bar. The food is plentiful and there is so much to choose from. My son is fussy eater, but even he put on half a stone. The entertainment around the pool is on most of the day. The only problem with this location was the sand flies on the beach, but this isn't the hotels fault. I would recommend this hotel to anyone visiting the north of the Dominican Republic, and would definately return to this hotel myself.
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terry & julie worboys from horley,surrey travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
first choice
on a friends holiday.
There were 4 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 09 2005 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: we travelled with first choice on one of there new planes with wider seats etc absolutely brilliant.
the hotel was in need of t.l.c. but was value for money. we were very lucky and did not have anything stolen during our stay. we booked this hotel as we wanted a quite relaxing 2 weeks, it was ok until the weekends when the locals appeared and took over the hotel. the pool was full to the brim
the waiters/waitresses were very friendly but of course if they were not they wouldnt get a tip at the end of the holidays.
the food was ok plenty of choice had to wait a while for food items to be replaced when the dish was empty but arrived eventually.
the entertainment was poor, they tried there best but could do with spending more money on it.
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Janice Jones from Liverpool travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
First Choice
on a friends holiday.
There were 4 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 09 2005 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Hotel was great very clean and tidy, rooms were a bit dated and could do with refurbishment condiering it was classed as 4*+.
Food at the buffet was OK penty of choice although not very hot, staff very friendly, hi to Eddie& Winkie superb do anything for you. Restaurants were great Mexican, Seafood and Mediterenian the best, Italian dissapointing went twice to make sure but even the second time service and food weren't up to much. Drinks measures were poor make sure you get your spirit and mixer seperate otherwise you wont taste it.
Met some wonderful people Steve from Watford if your out there post your review, love to get in touch again.
Make sure you have a sauna and jaccuzi after a long tiring day on the beach it was fantasic $20 for the week, well worth it.
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Doherty from Glasgow travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
Kwik Travel
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 09 2005 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We flew out to the Dominican Republic with a last minute booking and were booked into the Bhaia Principe in Rio San Juan.
The tour operator rated it 5 star and though the hotel is actually a 4 star+, not that there's a great deal of difference though.
The apartment was basic although it was tidy and clean, there was a tv with sky but most of the channels were Spanish. Each room has a mini bar which is filled daily and if you give the guy who fills it a tip you will get more than your fair share of beer in the fridge.
The hotel was fairly busy the first week we were there and all the facilities were open at the advertised hours. At the weekend the hotel seemed to be popular with the locals and could get quite busy at times even though we were there at the end of the season. The second week (the 1st week in october) seen the place start to wind down for the winter with some of the bars being shut during the day and parts of the restraunts cordened off but all the facilities were still available.
The hotel complex was fairly large and had a wide range of facilites. There were lots of bars, a few pools, loads of sun loungers around the pool and along the beach, you could hire out pedalo's, wind surfers, kayak's, boogie boards and snorkels and for a fee go out on a banana boat or scuba dive.
There were quite a few restraunts to choose from with the main one being a buffet style restraunt with a good range to suit all tastes and chef's who would cook dishes for you on the spot e.g omlettes in the morning with your choice of filling or pasta dishes in the evening. There were 3 a la carte restraunts which need to be booked a night in advance, the mexican was okay, the italian was very nice and the mediteranean was superb. There was also a fish restraunt which was for the club hacienda and principe gold customers only. There were also two fast food type restraunts which were very good which served burgers, hot dogs, pizza, fried chicked etc with chips and salad from 10am in the morning right through to 4am the next morning.
The thing that made the holiday for us was the staff, they were so helpfull and freindly it was great. They bent over backwards to make sure you were okay and there was lots of entertainment through the day and a show every night which were actaully pretty good.
There wasnt much to do outside the hotel so this was really a hoiday for relaxing to which it was well suited.
I'd definatly reccomend this hotel
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S Joyce from Halifax travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
Thomas Cook
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 09 2005 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: This holiday was booked a year ina dvance and we thought we would splash out pay extra for a really good hol.
Our room wasn't allocated to us on the bus like everyone else, did we book last minute they said - No! The room we eventually got was a twin not a double and was as far away from the main area as it could possibly be.
The room was basic, but we knew this as we have been to the dom rep before, but it was shabby and needed refurbishing. The shower only trickled warm water, there were wires sticking out from the wall between our beds, and when reported, we were given a free meal, It was all inclusive! The wiring was still never fixed in the two weeks. The air conditioning broke for two days and they wanted us to change rooms at 12.30 at night, I dont think so!
When the locals came in at the weekend there were hundreds, more than the hotel and staff could cope with - they were going to toilet from both ends in the pool, fighting and pushing the tourists away fronm the food, fighting them on the street and stealing.
There was that many ear infections, gastroenteritis, food poisoning that it was felt better to stay out of the pool especially as it was only cleaned the once in the fortnight we were there and that was as we had asked the rep to get it sorted.
I could go on but I am too annoyed that our lovely holiday was not. Linda the Thomas Cook rep was excellent and too good for that resort.
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karen mcgill from north yorkshire travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
thomas cook
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 09 2005 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: My husband and I stayed here for 2 weeks.
We flew with Excel airways and although the flight attendents were helpful and polite the plane itself was very cramped. After pulling down the lap tray it hit my stomach and it was very uncomfortable to eat.( im only a size 14!!) There was only one tv screen in our section and i couldnt see it so didnt get to watch the movies.
Anyway, arrived at the hotel after a transfer of just over an houir which was ok in a nice air contioned bus. Nice scenery to look at on the way. You are however on the outskirts of a small town.
Check in was quick and we helped to our room by a porter. The room was very big and the bed was massive. The hotel itself is very clean. Our room was cleaned every day and we did leave a $1 tip for the maid.
The mini bar was filled up every day and we did ring reception once and ask for it to be filled again. Five mins later a waiter arrives with a basket and we picked what we liked!!
Only encountered one minor problem which was that when we got to the room our air con didnt work. We complained at reception and ten mins later it was sorted.We also recieved a complmentary bottle of rum flowers fruit and an ornament as it was our first wedding anniversary.
The food couldnt be faulted. It was hot and varied. Staff were always filling up your glasses and asking if you needed anything. Ladies are treated particularly well with your chair pulled out for you and being served first. Just good manners really but it makes you feel special. The ala cartes were all of good standard. My favourite being the mediterranean. My husbands was the Italian.
Overall the staff were very pleasent and worked hard and very long hours and managed to keep smiling.The entertainment team worked non stop all day and through till the early hours. Daytime entertainment included: Water polo, water aerobics, darts, Spanish lessons, dance lessons, bingo, table tennis, volley ball, footie and loads more. Also there is a mini golf course and water sports including kayaking pedalos and catamaran. These we were told are bookable in advance but we just went down and were able to use the facilities as we pleased.
Evening entertainment started at 8:30pm with the kiddies disco which altough we don't have children we watched as it was quite amusing. Next is what they call the ice breaker which is a half hour adults contest. Silly games but ok after a couple of drinks and fun to watch. Then at 10pm is the show put on by the entertainment staff which was mainly very good. You do however need to be down early at least by 8pm to get a decent table. You can then either go to the bar or waiters will serve you drinks. There is also a piano bar with more mellow entertainment. At 11pm there is another show at the "strip". This is outdoors in a street(still within the complex) and usually consists of a carribbean band which are good. The entertainment staff are still working at this point getting you up to dance. I must stress that at no point were we forced or pressured into joining in anything. After a polite no they leave you alone.Down the strip is also the casino karaoke bar the hard rock cafe and night club.
There are many little shops and boutiques there too which are open during the day. We did two trips. Firstly the languana jeep safari which was excellent and definately worth the money. Do take plenty of sweets for the kiddies.
Second trip was the caribbean wonders. We were lead to believe that this was an exclusive trip and it did cost us £300. But i think that the price was due to having to fly to the south coast. It was however a good day. Pure white beaches and chrystal clear waters.
Overall we had a fab time and would visit this resort again in a few years as we want to visit some other countries first.
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LARRAINE GUNDEL from MANSFIELD, NOTTS travelled to Bahia Principe San Juan with
AIRTOURS
on a family holiday.
There were more than 6 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 09 2005 |
rated the Bahia Principe San Juan as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: My husband and I first visited this hotel in Sep 99 for our wedding. Everything was 1st class.
On arrival we were presented with flowers and wine and escorted to our room as soon as it was possible. The room was stunning and also decorated with flowers for our arrival. I felt like a queen.
The food was brilliant as there was plenty of choice and something to suit all palates.
The entertainment was good but the 2nd weeks was a replica of the 1st. But you could tell that a lot of hard work had gone into the shows. The wedding organiser was absolutely brilliant. She just took over everything as she believed we should enjoy our holiday rather than worry about our wedding preparations. She did everything perfectly.
I wanted a dream wedding and my wedding organiser and the hotel staff fulfilled my dream and I can't thank them enough.. So much so we returned last year to see if it would be any different. It wasn't.. The hotel staff were still as friendly as ever. How people keep smiling and chatting when they've been on their feet and worked the long hours that they do I don't know. They must be pretty special!!!
Everything in this hotel is about the holidaymaker and nothing else matters. Whilst we were there we were in the backlash of the hurricane and spent 2 days in our room but the hotel staff still made sure we had food and water as well as checking up on us to make sure we were ok.. If that isn't 1st class service then I don't know what is!!!
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deb turner from birmingham travelle |
Sunny Says there
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