Bahia Principe Luxury Esmeralda - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

9552 reviews

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  Bahia Esmeralda visit

  Our visit at Bahia Esmeralda lasted 2 weeks from 12.11. 2025 until 26.11.2025. Overall vacation was good but from some points of view, disappointing. Arrived at the hotel on 12, and when room given found out that it was at second level of the actual building, when went in the room it was as imagined and as we so in the pictures, no comments about that, only thing was that we wanted a lower floor room (for the toddler, being more easy). I went to reception and asked what do we need to do from that perspective, to Have a lower floor room and they were very kind to give a discount for an upgrade for a room at low level, with swimming pool. It was great to hear. Paid for the upgrade and thats when the things started to be unpleasant. Arrived at the room, noticed no shower gel, shampoo (no big drama asked and they brought). Noticed that the TV was not functional, called and they fixed, noticed that the vault was locked, called for assistance and never solved the problem ( again, no big drama). The room itself was noticeably oldish with mold smell + walls in poor condition (bathroom flooded from top floor, more to come about that). Also the coffee machine not functional, never had the issues solved (this was very inconvenient as there was no possibility to have a coffee by 7 AM) and when you try to order through the app, you cant as it shows you no posibilities for breakfast / coffee until 7 AM . The last two things that are most disturbing were in one morning, about 3 AM we noticed that water is pouring through the wall inside the bathroom (called reception and it was fixed next morning) and the worst thing is the noise, very loud especially when the hotel staff are passing to have their crew change at 3 PM and the noise coming from other rooms, so take that in consideration when you want to check in, room 96017. At the end lf pur stay we asked (one week before) for late checkout and the reception staff said, sure, come and tell us one day in advance. When did that had the surprise to be told that it is not possible, but after explained the situation (especially being with a toddler that has the nap at around that time they finally agreed, of course with a 50$ payment)…Again maybe for some people don’t seem to be big things/issues but you have different expectations when you go at a hotel *****. Again, disappointing! Only good thing was pertaining the entertainment staff.

  Nov 27, 2025
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  A Perfect Family Getaway with an Amazing Kids’ Club

  This resort was fantastic—the food, location, and service were all excellent. What stood out most was the kids’ club. The staff there are so dedicated and creative, organizing endless fun activities. My daughter had such a great time she didn’t want to leave, so we’ll definitely be returning.

  Nov 24, 2025
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  Loved this resort!

  Staff are professional and very friendly. Great entertainment in the evenings. Easy going atmosphere. Rooms comfortable and clean. Great attention to detail, enjoyed very much.

  Nov 24, 2025
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  Amazing Time w/ Room for Improvement

  Visited The Bahia Principe Esmeralda the week of November 3rd and had an amazing time and will try to be as detailed as I can below: 1) Arrival: We booked through Air Canada and the flight, etc. was all good and well and finding the transportation at the airport was easy enough and directed appropriately. Once arrived at the hotel, you are actually arriving at the Bahia Principe Fantasia and from there you need to take one of their “trains” (different sized golf type carts). So, just be ready for a bit further wait to the Esmeralda lobby which can be frustrating as it could take 5-15 minutes and if you are dressed warm, it’s just something to be aware of. 2) Check-in: The lobby desk is a round desk with lines not really marked well and you have the usual people that do not respect social norms and cut you off, etc. Bahia Principe needs to better mark where lines begin behind each desk for better crowd control and further frustration. If you did the pre booking within the 10-day window before your trip (recommended as you can book à la carte restaurants before the trip on their app and if not, on your trip all times will be taken.. which we did not know) it’s a quick process and you are good to go. 3) Rooms: I believe this hotel was renovated 2- 3 years ago maybe, but it shows, all bathrooms and finishes are pretty nice and clean - excellent here. The staff even pulled out the couch for us since we had two children and we essentially had 3-beds. 4) Resort Layout: Loved the way the Esmeralda (and Bahia Principe resort in general, which is like a 6-hotel complex that feels like a city within a city) is arranged. There are two pools (one quiet and main plus a hot tub type pool in the middle - so there is something for all. Plus, a small slide shallow pool area for children right next to the kids club and restaurant where breakfast buffet is served. The pools both have wet bars plus the lobby bar, sports bar, so you are not far from a drink at any time. 5) Restaurants: I enjoyed all buffet restaurants and the à la carte ones. I highly recommend the Italian at Casa Bella and Dominican at Taino. The night buffet was both hit and miss and breakfast is always great (as long as you have bacon and eggs, fruits and pastries, what else could you want). I cannot speak to the steakhouses as they were 18+ and could not go with the family. However, avoid the Mexican and Japanese (which are located at the Punta Cana hotels, not worth your time). 6) Kids Club: I only dropped of our daughter twice in our 8-day holiday for the full day but she had an amazing time. They always make friends and the staff were amazing (Karina, the manager is friendly and professional, same goes for The second Karina, Guadalupe and Camila). They keep the parents informed via WhatsApp and they have a full schedule of activities visible for parents to see. I did hang around the general area of where they took the kids (wearing kids club jerseys for identification) and they generally do keep track of them well. In addition, they seem to truly care for the children and constantly communicate with them, hugs, etc. all very friendly). I highly recommend the club if you do have kids and want some hours to yourselves as parents. 7) Entertainment: the entertainment is great here with a variety of shows throughout the week (plus other options at the other Bahia Principe hotels, which esmeralda guests have access to), so you will not be bored. However, the highlight is the entertainers themselves. I specifically recommend you seek out Carlos (Bubalu), Tania and Wendelson (sp? - aka King Kong) as they are too funny and attentive to all guests, which makes your stay that much more enjoyable. 8) Beach: The beach was excellent, lots of chairs available to you but the ones closer to the water will fill out quicker. There was some seaweed but nothing detrimental to the experience. There are your usual vendors roaming around so be prepared that if you do engage with one and pay for service, others will gravitate to you and does become annoying. Otherwise a polite no works well. 9) Gym: Very nice gym with a good selection of equipment. I managed to sneak in two days for a weights work out and one HIIT. The area is large enough, good condition on the equipment and clean. 10) Service: this is the one area where overall they need to improve. I read a negative review somewhere and it read that servers ignore you while breaking dishes and seem busy but nobody knows what they are doing. While I slightly agree, you have to manage your expectations. This is not Mexico where service one of the best anywhere in my opinion. This might be a culture thing but yes, servers generally are not as proactive and attentive as I would like but do they ignore you completely? No. Also, there are always a few that do go above and beyond and a good tip will go a long way to those individuals. Overall, I highly recommend this resort for the additions of all its positives it offers. It is definitely on the list of places to return to.

  Nov 12, 2025
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  Great hotel. Great experience!

  A lovely resort. Clean, good food, nice people, great experience. The bed was super comfortable (I have back issues so this was a great perk), the room was lovely, the staff were also kind and knowledgable and helpful, the grounds were beautiful, the pools were wonderful, the splash park was a big hit with my 6 year old. The beach was beautiful, the water warm. We swam every day. Yes, it's weedy, but that's the ocean. It wasn't nearly as weedy as Mexico. It was a beautiful vacation. I really loved that the greeters at the buffets had hand sanitizer and had everyone sanitize their hands before entering. This made me feel more secure in our health and welfare by reducing chance of illness. The only very minor complaints are (and I only say this to make the hotel aware and none of these aside from the trek from airport to hotel, impacted our vacation): - The "loud" pool was kind of dirty at times (something very difficult to control with so many people in it and with people drinking in it all day). It was also deafeningly loud, not an issue for most, but just walking past on the way to the beach or lunch buffet, I noticed many people plugging their ears as the passed by. - The buffets were great, however the main one often didn't have plates, bowls, or spoons available if you arrived the second half of when it was open. I believe this is a supply/demand issue. Not a big deal. - at breakfast, I had to seek out someone to serve coffee (I'd be happy to get it myself, but that wasn't an option). Only one day, did I have a smiling server who offered me coffee without my needing to flag someone. Not a big deal, but I like to have coffee with my breakfast, so I suggest that coffee be self serve. - Nothing to do with the resort, but if you fly through expedia (Flair), keep in mind you need to arrange for your transport to the hotel from the airport (and back again). This proved to be a huge pain. We had arranged transport via Expedia prior to our trip, however when we arrived, there was no car waiting for me and my three children and no one was answering the phone number we received on the itinerary. It took an hour to get another driver to take us there (and an additional $35 USD) - something I didn't anticipate. The driver was a maniac and the whole drive there, I was clutching my seat and scared for our lives. My husband (not on the trip with us) eventually managed to reach Expedia about this, but has yet to hear back from them, despite them assuring him they would respond within a couple of days. This was almost 2 weeks ago). So, this delayed our arrival by a couple of hours - not a nice way to arrive with three very tired, super hungry kids (there aren't many options for food to purchase on the plane - my son wouldn't eat the pizza so he was especially cranky). By the time we finally arrived, it was getting dark and we still had to catch a trolly from where we were dropped off (Fantasia) to our resort (Esmeralda). The concierge at the desk who was the liaison to Esmeralda was less than helpful and just kept telling me "5 minutes" without looking up from his phone. It was more like 30 minutes. So not a great start. We thought we would arrive between 5 - 5:30 and didn't arrive until 7:30. Our plane was also over an hour late leaving Pearson, so I felt like we completely lost half of a day. Returning to the airport was a breeze as the bellmen at the hotel arranged it for us the day before and all went smoothly (my fault for travelling with Flair, I guess - cheaper isn't always cheaper or easier). I gave the hotel 5 stars because it deserves 5 stars. The few minor complaints were just that. Minor and petty, but I feel like (aside from the coffee being a peeve - mainly because I was there with 3 kids and needed my morning coffee) nothing was really a problem at all. I hope to return again one day :)

  Nov 12, 2025