Bahia Principe Grand Aquamarine - Adults Only - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

2748 reviews

• 

  Best Vacation Ever

  Staff is welcoming and so friendly. The room was very clean and spacious room attendants did an amazing job keepng the room very clean. Food was always hot and fresh at the buffets and the pool side grill was great. Grounds well kept, beach very clean and entertainment top notch.

  Feb 20, 2025
• 

  Food so good, I put on 10lbs!!

  This is up there with one of my favourite holidays, we felt very safe (inside the complex). The grounds are lovely, we walked 60 miles for the 11 nights stay - all around the Bahia complex. We upgraded to a Superior Room but no idea what the difference was between that and a standard room- but the room was HUGE, biggest we’d ever stayed in. Our safe stopped working one day and the maintenance team were very quick getting it sorted. The jacuzzi bath was a cool feature but ours didn’t keep the water in - our own fault for not asking to change rooms at the time. The reception staff try to upgrade you to Bahia Ambar when you check in without even seeing this hotel - but glad we didn’t as this place was great. The food was incredible, there was plenty of variety. There are lots of shops all round the resort. If you’re considering the all day boat trip to Saona Beach most of it is travelling and about 1 hr max on the island so it’s a longgg day - good if you like boat parties. We wouldn’t recommend the buggy trip, they brake down all the time so you don’t feel safe, and when you get to the cave it’s just a giant tourist trap and the locals try to pull you into their shops and when we went, we couldn’t even get to the cave due to the amount of people on the trip.

  Feb 19, 2025
• 

  Disappointing

  We were not satisfied with the Bahia Principe Grand Aquamarine resort. The room was not ready upon our arrival, there was only one electric outlet between the beds. The extension cord we were given did not work, we were unable to receive wake up calls, the food was inadequate, handrails were wobbly, there was evidence of mold and the beach was not close. When we checked in we were informed that there was no room available with two beds, but that was what we had booked. A cot was delivered to our room after several hours and in the meanwhile, we could not get unpacked. The next day we had to move again after 4:00. When were were setting up two CPAP machines, we discovered that there was only one outlet between the beds. We called guest services for an extension cord which was delivered promptly, but soon realized that it did not work. We were told to bring it back, so we had to go to guest services. We were told they would bring us another one in a little so we had to stay in our room until it arrived. The man who brought it assured us “110 percent” that it would work, but it did not. He seemed perplexed, but it looked like the previous extension cord. I could go on, but eventually we worked this all out before going to sleep. It was very inconvenient. I requested a wakeup call every morning at 8:00 which I never received. I went to guest services to let them know. The representative said I was called and I assured him that I never received the calls as I was there in the room. He said he would look into it. The next day after not receiving the call, he sent someone to look into it. He said our phone did not receive calls, which is exactly what I had told him. He said it would be fixed and it never was. What if we had to rely on a phone call to make a flight? This situation was unacceptable. Food that should have been hot was cold and food that should have been cold was not. Scrambled and poached eggs, waffles and pancakes were not hot at all. The ice cream was soupy. There is surely a way to keep it frozen. There were many handrails outdoors and indoors that were not secure, including two leading up to the main theater. Such things are hazardous and should be addressed. Black mold was evident on the outside of the buffet building as well as in the gazebo in the pool. Finally, we were told the beach was close. It was at least a half a mile away. We had to hail golf carts and make sure we had tip money. On the day we were checking out we went to the lobby to change larger bills into singles, we were told that someone was sent to the bank and we would need to come back in a half hour. We went back in 45 minutes and the concierge had no singles. This was distressing to us since we needed singles for tips. We were told to try again at 1:00, but we felt it was better not to leave this to chance. We asked a bartender who was able to oblige. All in all, we expected this to be a better experience. The Bahia Principe Grand Aquamarine was disappointing, although we enjoyed the sun and the entertainment. This resort was disappointing because it just was not top notch.

  Feb 18, 2025
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  There is NO adult only beach buffet.

  The Bahia Principe in Punta Cana has 6 sections. The Esmeralda, Grand Punta Cana and Ambar are right on the beach. The Fantasia section is behind Esmerelda and the Aquamarine is behind the Ambar. The Turquesa section is furthest from the beach behind both the Ambar and the Aquamarine. Of course none of this matters if you don’t care about the beach or the ocean as each section has their own pool and amenities and entertainment, but if you stay at a section on the beach, your pool was right next to the beach! All guests get coloured wristbands and towels to designate what section you are in. There are also specific tram routes that run throughout each section, all passing by the beach. We rarely used the tram as we like to walk. All sections in the resort are connected by a network of beautifully manicured roadways and walkways. I can only comment on the ADULT ONLY AQUAMARINE section as this is where we stayed. It, along with the Ambar, are the only two “ADULT ONLY” sections in the resort. There is a very strange Hierarchy at the Bahia Principe. We were stopped, and turned around, several times by security when walking through other sections. And although we were never stopped going through the Ambar section (during our 15 minute walk to the beach) we were not allowed to used any of Ambar’s amenities or pool area. The beach had roped off areas for each section with their own bar. The Aquamarine beach bar was adequate. During our morning walks we saw many people reserving chairs around pools and on the beach. With a little patience, we usually found lounge chairs on the beach each day. Although that may have been due to the wet sprinkle we experienced most mornings. A vacant lounge chair around the pool seemed a little harder to find. I strongly recommend bringing bug spray as I wasn’t the only guest fighting bugs. My biggest beef with the “AQUAMARINE ADULT ONLY’ section” was the lack of an “ADULT ONLY” beach buffet. This alone, will keep me from returning! Of the five beach buffets, only one was designated as “ADULT ONLY” and although we had to walk right by it on our way to the beach, it was for the Ambar section exclusively. We, along with others from the AQUAMARINE ADULT ONLY section were asked to leave when looking for lunch there. Guests at the AQUAMARINE ADULT only section had to share a very busy family beach buffet with many other sections. Being the busiest buffet on the beach, the staff were obviously overwhelmed. The line ups for food were long, and because of it, rudeness ensued. Plates, cups, Cutlery, napkins were at a premium and finding a clean table was harder than finding a lounge chair around the pool! Had I known the Aquamarine was NOT IN FACT an adult section, I would NOT have booked it for my vacation. Besides lunch at the beach, the breakfast and dinner buffet were fantastic with something for everyone. Always two short order cooks making eggs for breakfast any way you like them. The buffet dinners always had a great variety of fish and meats. Always a different cocktail at the door before finding your table. White or red wine at dinner. Personally, I found the tenderness of meat cuts to range from just ok to excellent! We booked five A-La-Carte dinners when we first arrived. Portofino Italian, M.E.A.T. Restaurant, Hidu Thali, Nikkei Mashua and Mikado Tapenyakki. Again all ranging from good to excellent. It really depends on what type of food you like. If you can stand the fridge temps in the Sports Bar, they have all kinds of sporting events on their TV’s. We saw a bit of the Super Bowl! Or you can sit outside on the patio and enjoy their awesome wings! The best drinks seem to be at the lobby bar in the evening but beware, they charge extra for what they claim to be premium liquor. The bar just outside the LIMBO restaurant was my favourite evening bar though. Ask for a Smokey Old Fashion (no up charge). I found the bartenders there to be the great! We stayed in Villa 71 on the top floor which was in a great location but a little noisy. There always seemed to be motors and equipment running outside somewhere. Stairs and lobby area always had a mattress, a bicycle or junk lying around. Lighting in the room was dingy. As poor as my hearing is, I could hear the girls talking perfectly in the room next to me at 2am. The room seemed a little worn and dated. Bed was great, pillows, not so much. Smallish bathroom, one sink, shared bath/shower. I think that building had a small hot water tank as I suffered through three cold showers at the end of the day. We actually had to move to a much brighter room because we had water leaking from our ceiling making the ceramic floor very slippery! Our new room in Villa 80 was 100% better, although it was dripping from the ceiling as well… but in the bathtub. We had separate shower and 2 large sinks. Apparently, the air conditioner is up there and the drain tube gets clogs causing water to drip from the ceiling. I would recommend any room in Villa 80 to 85. They seem much brighter and in better shape along that side of the pool. Although the staff shortage was obvious in certain areas, they were always polite, understanding and tried their best to solve any issues you had. They always said Hola in passing and tried to speak English when they could.

  Feb 13, 2025
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  DON’T GO HERE

  First off NOT enough servers around the pools or bars, SLOW servers once you do get served, not enough small tables by pool, the entertainment team is a JOKE. The entertainment in the evenings BAD. The TV in the rooms have 125 channels and 5 English if your lucky, and very fuzzy all 125. The TV needs to be bigger and mounted on wall. Most AO don’t have to mess with towel cards and give you robes and slippers in the room. The rooms need updating and a recycle bin for bottles etc. NOT EVER going to another Bahia.

  Feb 13, 2025