Bahia Principe Luxury Esmeralda - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

9564 reviews

• 

  Very good but watch out for Mosquitos this time of yr

  Very well laid out resort, everything is close which is great for families. Pool was very dirty the first few days, it cleared up day 3 so not sure what the issue may have been. Caution around the pool, there is a strip of marble around the pool that is very slippery, saw several kids and adults slip on this area. MOSQUITOS!!!! They are brutal, little guys that you don't see until you observe the damage around your legs and ankles, maybe due to the fact its end of rainy season but they are nasty at dusk, no problem during the day. The hotel does try to control them with smoke bombing but not sure it helped. Food was good, Italian needs a menu refresh, most of the dishes were seafood related, Mongolian is very good and fun, buffet I would say a solid 7 out of 10. Overall, a very good resort.

  Dec 18, 2025
• 

  Very disappointing and unsafe experiance

  This trip was meant to be a memorable one to celebrate my mother’s delayed birthday after she had gone through a very difficult surgery and was finally able to travel. Unfortunately, our experience at this hotel was extremely disappointing and stressful. Before our trip, I contacted the hotel multiple times via email, Expedia, and phone calls to make sure everything was arranged properly for 3 rooms, 5 adults, and 2 children. I specifically confirmed that the rooms would be close to each other, restaurant reservations would be made, and that transportation/shuttle service would be available between the airport and the hotel. Although restaurant reservations were eventually confirmed after many follow-ups, once we arrived, some restaurants had no record of our reservations at all. As for transportation, the hotel provided no assistance whatsoever, stating that because our group was more than 6 people, they could not help us. Another major issue was the internal transportation. Upon arrival, we were not allowed to be taken directly to our building by taxi or hotel transportation (something that was never mentioned anywhere on the website) and were told to wait at least 30 minutes for a golf cart. When we asked the bellhop why it was taking so long, we were rudely told it was “not their problem.” The restaurants at Esmeralda itself were decent, but the restaurants at the other sister hotels were dirty, poorly maintained, with low-quality food and very weak service. The most serious and unacceptable incident happened one night when we returned to our rooms to find that the glass shower door in my mother’s bathroom had completely shattered, leaving broken glass all over the bathroom floor. When we called the front desk, several staff members came in visibly annoyed, acting as if we were bothering them late at night. They did not even vacuum the glass, did not offer a room change, and told us to wait until the next morning so housekeeping could clean it—despite the obvious danger, especially considering my mother’s condition. No one came to clean the room until after noon the next day. When we spoke to the manager, we were told that this had happened before due to temperature changes and that we needed to be patient. His attitude made it seem like this was a normal, insignificant issue and that we were overreacting. We followed up again later that day, but no one ever came to clean the room for the rest of our stay, nor did we receive any response. Another disturbing experience occurred when we were waiting for a golf cart after returning from a tour. After waiting about 20 minutes, we finally got on a cart. A few minutes later, a Spanish-speaking family arrived, paid the driver, and the driver forced us to get off and wait for the next cart. Overall, this hotel showed a complete lack of organization, safety standards, professionalism, and basic respect for guests. I would not recommend this hotel, especially for families, elderly guests, or anyone with medical needs.

  Dec 16, 2025
• 

  I will be back.

  It’s a hotel chain that I really like. This was my first time at Esmeralda, and I enjoyed it very much. The room is very comfortable, the food is very good, and the entertainment is good, overall. I only had a small inconvenience: when we went to an à la carte restaurant, we were not allowed to complete our reservation because my husband was wearing a short-sleeve shirt. I didn’t see this rule written anywhere, and there was no notice about it when I made the reservation. Other than that, everything was very good, and I will definitely return.

  Dec 15, 2025
• 

  Never going back.

  14 family members went and things went ok till last day. I pulled my tablet out of my bag to put it in suitcase. Accidently left behind. Crew showed up as we were boarding the bus to leave and said someone left their cell phone behind. We all checked phones. We all had our phones. Long story short tried to get my tablet back after I got home. They made it impossible for me to retrieve it. We contacted our personal Butler. Who was amazing. He could not help and they fired him for trying to help us. I told security to gift it to our butler as I was not able to get it back home. They stopped communicating with me and again fired our Butler. This is how security dept treated guests and employees. We will never return and we have had over 75 family members visit Bahai Principe facilities over the last 5 years. Won't happen again!!@

  Dec 13, 2025
• 

  Another Outstanding Visit with our Esmeralda Family

  We have been vacationing at Bahia Principe properties since 2010, when we participated in a "destination wedding" in Jamaica. Since then, we have added 7 Bahia trips to our hotel experiences (Tulum, Mexico, as well as Samana and Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. Esmeralda ranks #1 among our favourites. The Punta Cana complex actually consists of multiple separate hotels; guests at Esmeralda have access to the specialty restaurants at most of the others, meaning that, during a two week stay, guests can enjoy a different cuisine almost every evening. But it was the level of service offered by the Esmeralda staff that was the most memorable feature of our stay. It seemed that everyone who works there endeavours to make guests feel like a member of their family and to undertake the "extras" that make an enjoyable experience a truly outstanding one. This year, we noted that a number of individuals actually remembered us from our trip a year earlier. It began with Greily Martinez at the front desk /reception area and continued with our concierge - Alfredo Javier Severina, who seemed to find a way to be helpful every day. At the pool bar, Alberto would always greet us with a friendly smile and a few kind words. We are already looking forward to our next trip to Esmeralda - perhaps as soon as Spring 2026, since we are now both retired. David and Rosemary McCaffrey

  Dec 06, 2025