We were very pleased with our choice of hotels. We upgraded our room and were glad we did as we were close to all the action including the beach. We were very pleased with the overall quality of the food as well as the selection on the buffet. We tried 1 specialty restaurant once and were rather dissappointed. It seemed they were more concerned with the presentation over the choice. The pool and beach were awesome! And everything was very clean. We also loved the area and the opportunity to go outside the resort to Las Terranes close by. Everyone was very friendly and overall seemed happy to greet us on a daily basis. We would choose to return and stay here again

First of all, at the front desk, it was like you were bothering them. One restaurant open per night and they were filled, so this lady said ,where you make reservations. I tried to make reservations for other nights and again she said, they were full, but my wife and I walked by and saw a lot of tables empty. I was a little upset, but what are you going to do. So we were not able to try any, all they would say was sorry, that's it. They didn't care and they showed it. It is sad to pay the money, and not get what you paid for. We have stayed at a lot of resorts, some cheap and some not, but they all have tried to help us, try the restaurants, except this place. We will say, they had the best food at the buffet of them all. We would have liked to try the restaurants, but like I said, they did not try and they did not care. So before you go make sure you check on everything, because they do not care, and they will not help.

For Americans travelling to the DR we must enter thru Santo Domingo Int'l Airport. This makes for a 2.5 hour drive up to Gran Bahia Principe el Portillo. The road is new for most of the drive. However, there are 2 mountain ranges that you must go thru.. the first range is ok. The second mountain range is like the "Road to Hana" in Maui.. very steep cliffs, winding and curvy road, some areas it is only one lane and very narrow. This road is presently being paved which makes it a little more bearable but it is still quite a treacherous ride. Don't forget your sunscreen. We forgot ours and had to pay $30 for a small bottle of sunscreen that would normally cost $8 at Walmart. The shops are very expensive on the Gran Bahia Principe property. We were exceptionally pleased with the service, the cleanliness and the beach. Everyone is exceptionally pleasant and gracious. I felt like the staff at the Gran Bahia Principe el Portillo was hand picked. We had to wait over an hour for our room but we just went to the afternoon buffet got a coupla drinks and some food. To our surprise we were upgraded to a suite which was quite unexpected and made it all worth the wait. CheapCaribbean had notified them in advance that we were celebrating a 50th birthday so when we arrived in our room it was completely covered in flowers, balloons and there was a Gran Bahia T-shirt wrapped up for each of us. After we returned from dinner we were also treated to a fresh fruit platter that had been left in our room. The rooms, the property and the restaurants are extraordinarily clean. We were quite impressed with the cleanliness. Our room was a bit dated. However, the linens were clean, fresh and in excellent condition. Our bathroom was all marble and simply breathtaking! Very modern with glass enclosures and very spacious. We had plenty of towels and soaps, shampoos, lotions and our fridge was stocked. We asked for water upon arrival and always had extra on hand. Also, the DR uses the same electrical plugs that we use so you can bring electric razors or flat/curling irons etc.. Our room had a blow dryer and we also had a clothing iron and a small ironing board. It rained one day during our visit-- our room also had a huge umbrella which came in handy. The only drawback in the room is that there IS a charge to use the room safe. We didn't use it.. It's not like the cruise ship kind where you can put in your own code... it's a "general" safe and i think it can be accessed by anyone who has a key... i just carried our wallets and passports in my handbag all the time. The property is well maintained and beautifully manicured..! It's a picturesque property that is lush with tropical vegetation and flowers.. And not one mosquito or fly. What a joy.. And the lobby is breathtaking! It's the most beautiful lobby i've ever seen: it's tremendous... and it's all open air.. and it's all marble! It's just sensational. The beach is spectacular! There is a coral reef about 50 yards out to sea from the beach where the waves break. So there is no rough surf! It's ideal for families to bring small children, it's very safe for them to go in the water. And if you like to put your lounge in the water it's ideal for that too... you don't have to worry about being hit by an unexpected wave. There are just small ripples, it's calm and tranquil..and warm-- about 80 degrees! Also, the beach is clean and soft and smooth... you don't need water shoes. You can walk barefoot in the soft sand. The only drawback on the beach is that you will have continuous vendors walking up to you and asking you to buy their jewelry or t-shirts, etc... A simple "No thank you" will send them on their way though.. they are very polite and will leave. However, the beach is loaded with these people! You get a little tired of saying "No thank you." We really enjoyed the activities director, Charlie. He is full of energy and has wonderful beach and pool activities planned all day long. He's everywhere! At night after all the day's activities they have an "awards" ceremony for whoever wins the competitions during the day...! It's so much fun ~~ lots of dancing and laughing.. everyone has so much fun. Each night there is some kind of entertainment from a comedy show to an island and caribbean dance performance to dancing under the stars.. there is always some kind of entertainment planned for each night. This was our first time to an All-Inclusive.. we had heard that the drinks in these places are watered down.... But to our surprise the drinks were quite potent!!!! And if you wanted a "floater" or just MORE liquor the bartenders are more than happy to oblige. The drinks and the beer are plentiful..... and the bartenders are LOTS of fun! This time of the year is their low season however, so some of the bars were not operating.. and the same with the restaurants...only one themed restaurant is open each night and you MUST make reservations if you want to eat at a themed restaurant. We ate at the French restaurant one evening and it was superior. The quality of the food and the quantity was much more than you would expect for french portions! We thought we would eat at that restaurant and have to go to the buffet afterward if we were still hungry. But that wasn't the case at all... we were really full when we left. And the food quality was outstanding... with lots of flavoring and details to all the plates. The buffets are excellent.. the food was a little cold .. it could have been hotter. But the assortment and the variety of choices is exceptional.. Each night there were new food choices and new desserts. Breakfast is the same each day.. however, there is an abundance to choose from. This was my first time arranging a trip using CheapCaribbean and i will use them from now on. Everything was well executed by them.. they do not miss a trick.. I have already given out their information to a few friends because i was so pleased with their comprehensive paperwork and package. When i made these reservations i also booked the airport to hotel transfer b/c my CheapCaribbean agent suggested i do so. I'm so glad she suggested it! The transfer company is called "Turinter." They have safe, reliable, sturdy vehicles and their drivers drive nice and slow and carefully. I was terrified in the mountain ranges but thankfully our drivers for both transfers were very very safe. We tipped our drivers $10 on each trip and they seemed appreciative. Also, for both transfers we were the only couple in the van! CheapCaribbean will also advise you in their paperwork to purchase the $10 "travel card" upon arrival. We followed their directions and got on that line after we disembarked from our plane. You will see the line right before you go thru customs. Lots of passengers from our plane just went directly to the customs line and were turned back b/c they didn't get their $10 travel card. CheapCaribbean doesn't miss a trick. We were so grateful that everything is laid out so clearly. You just have to read all the information they send you in your travel document package. It's there for a reason and it's very comprehensive and helpful. You will not need to change over your American money at the airport unless you plan to leave the resort. We stayed on the grounds for our entire stay. The shops at Gran Bahia Principe accept American dollars and also credit cards. There is no need to change over money. And besides, everything is already paid for unless you wish to purchase souveniers. The only thing we wanted to bring to the attention of CheapCaribbean was that when we passed thru customs etc.. and came out of the airport to find Turinter (our transfer) our CheapCaribbean connection person was right there calling my name (how he knew my name i'll NEVER know!! it was pretty funny)--- he was excellent-- carried his clipboard and was very professional. The part that set us off was the man who took our bags. He INSISTED we give him our bags to put on his luggage cart. We both had small weekend bags for our trip and they were on wheels. Anyway, he took our bags on his cart, rolled them about 10 yards to where we had to meet our transfer van and then PUT HIS HAND OUT AND SAID "GIVE ME SOME MONEY." Yes. those were his exact words!!!!! My spouse did not want to give him money b/c of his attitude but yielded to me and gave him a few dollars. However, this really set us off and put us on the alert. It was my first time using CheapCaribbean so we weren't sure if this was the manner in which they operated or not. The man who carried the clipboard never asked for money or a tip and we wished we had given HIM one! He was very thorough and careful and made sure all of us were put on the proper vehicles going to the correct locations. He really had his act together and was very friendly and professional. He saw the baggage man approach all of us travellers (there were 4 couples i think) and ask us each for money.. i saw his reaction.. he was not comfortable with that man being so forward about getting money... and like i said, he only rolled our bags about 10 yards.. if that. All in all, despite that initial arrival anamoly, the rest of the trip was stellar!!!! we can't wait to book again thru CheapCaribbean and go to another Gran Bahia Principe property!!!! we were so pleased with the resort and the arrangements thru CheapCaribbean. You really can't go wrong..they do all the footwork and they call ahead to make all your arrangements and to make sure there are personal touches on everything. Take their advice if they suggest something. I followed their advice on everything and our entire trip went off like a charm. We have so many nice memories and we would like to thank CheapCaribbean for making our special 50th birthday trip memorable and a complete joy. We can't wait to travel again with you!

My husband and I stayed @ Gran Bahia The first week of May 2011. We flew into Santo Dominga which is in fact about 3 hours from Samana. We had already booked transportaion which I was very thankful for. The Transportation was through Cheap Carribean and the van was very clean and the driver was nice even though he did not speak English. The ride was not great it is a poor country so you see the poorness. We arrived @ Gran Bahia in the afternoon and greated by staff. While we were checking in we were brought a Tequila Sunrise beverage... The bellman took us to our room and carried our bags. We had upgraded to the Gold vip room. This came in handy during our stay. The room was nice very clean( I didn't see a single bug in our room the whole time) Nicely decorated, the bathroom was large and clean. The pool was great plenty large enough and never had a problem getting chairs. The beach was great never had any issues getting chairs there either. I will say the gold wristband was very nice. We didn't have to exchange tickets for our beach towels, there was a seperate internet room that had upgraded liquor open pretty much all the time for free. I would suggest upgraded if possible. We are americans and the only complaint I would have is the food. It's not that the food is bad its just different. Alot of selection but not really our style. We went to the Gourmet one night and had veal and chicken it was good, One night we had Italian and it was good. The buffet is ok but what do you expect it's an all inclusive resort. The Staff was EXCELLENT!!! Everyone we came in contact with was smiling and really wanted to make us happy. You are there to relax and enjoy your self be happy smile at staff they will be really nice if you treat them nicely. Bar tenders were great!!! Tip them a dollar or two goes a long way. Overall we really enjoyed the trip had a great time and can't beat it for the $ I have pics I will post soon with the room and pool.