Bahia Principe Luxury Esmeralda - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

9395 reviews

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  Bahia Principe Luxury Esmeralda

  Sports Bar and Staff were excellent Entertainment crew was great Pool and beach bars service was subpar at best Esmeralda staff went above and beyond The 6 different restaurants i attend were phenomenal Beach was extremely clean and well maintained.

  Apr 26, 2025
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  Five star trip- ignore the bad reviews! First-timers here, and will definitely be returning!

  Stayed here in April 2025 with our family of 4, including two kids (4 and 7), and it was fantastic! I’d like to start by saying- do not listen to the bad reviews- most of these people are impossible to please. Here is everything that made our trip spectacular: 1. The entertainment team is phenomenal! They are involved day and night, from aqua fitness in the morning, to crazy games during the day, and then the nightly shows. Huge shoutout to Hector, Erik, and Donkey Kong! They encouraged everyone to participate in activities and kept the days so lively! ANIMATION EXCELLENTE! I still have the Bahia principe song stuck in my head. 2. The service is lovely- you are always met with a smile, from Alfredo in building 94 who always checked in with us, to Aldi at the main pool bar who knew exactly what we were going to order, to the hostesses and servers who were super friendly throughout our stay! 3. The food- there is enough variety that you’re not eating the same thing every day, they change it up somewhat. Our favorites were the Yurta restaurant, the fajitas at the beach restaurant, and the omelette and pasta stations at the main buffet. 4. Activities for kids- kids club hosted arts and crafts, sports, etc throughout the day. Our kids really enjoyed the nightly kids disco time (starting at 8 pm at Marina each night). The kids club staff was amazing- they really cared for and enjoyed spending time with the kids. 5. The resort is beautiful, it is so well kept and small/walkable, and everything is close by. There are louder areas (main pool, beach), and quieter areas (water park, quiet pool, lobby during the day), depending on what you’re feeling. It was just perfect! Just a few cons I could think of (but were definitely not dealbreakers for us): - the Bahia principe grand resort seemed to have more lively entertainment (larger stage, nightly karaoke), but it was a hassle to travel there, so we stayed at the Esmeralda (mind you- entertainment was still great), although you’re welcome to travel back and forth between the resorts - the beach is quite aggressive, crowded (impossible to get a spot past 9 am), and gets deep quickly, so it wasn’t the main attraction for us, which is okay because we spent most of the time at the pool with the kids. I am already looking forward to returning. If you’re looking at this hotel, book now- you won’t be disappointed!!

  Apr 25, 2025
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  Excellent resort

  We had a swim-up room 2 double beds. The room was lovely recently renovated and kept very clean by the great housekeeping. We were in villa 96 which was close to the buffet and the gym. Also very close to the lobby and the main pool bar. It was great to have access to all of the Bahia resorts except for Fantasia. The Sports bar had great drinks and an excellent smashed burger. We are looking forward to visiting again next year

  Apr 24, 2025
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  We had to return to Luxury Esmeralda!

  This recent trip was our 25th Bahia Principe vacation since 2005. It was also our 2nd consecutive stay at Luxury Esmeralda which was once again very enjoyable! What we truly love is the layout as everything is nearby. The lighting in the pool at night changes which we think is very cool and it’s a good way to prevent guests from falling in the pool. Check-in and check-out were fast and easy. We had the opportunity to meet and talk with 2 more management employees this trip. They do listen to your feedback. (I mentioned that it would be helpful to have a lending library as many other Bahia hotels already have. Currently some guests like myself have left books with reception though unfortunately they are not visible which totally actually defeats the purpose. Unfortunately the lending library poolside at Luxury Ambar is outdoors so the books sadly get wet by rain. Perhaps a bookcase somewhere in the lobby or main bar where the books are visible to all but won’t get wet.) Children were all well behaved, and we as grandparents ourselves actually enjoy watching young families have a good time. We saw many couples without children so really the hotel is not just for families. Fitness class is at noon at both the pool and on the beach. On this trip we celebrated my husband’s 71st birthday and we were very appreciative of the room upgrade, champagne, and fruit bowl. (We are black level in the free My Bahia Loyalty Program.) We had a small issue with the toilet door getting jammed inward which was fixed right away. Once again our room was kept in good order. I did notice on this 2nd stay that we did not have a “Do not disturb/Make up room” reversible sign anywhere in our room, and I only saw one on one door in building 93 which surprised us both. (Normally that is standard at all Bahia hotels.). Our room was made up later in the day and that was not a problem for us. It was always done by the time we returned from the beach. Mini fridge was refilled so no complaints! You even get a small box of milk for your coffee rather than having to use a powdered creamer. Along with 2 cans of beer, water, juice, and some soda pop you get a few small packages of unsalted peanuts rather than a bag of potato chips like at the Mexican Bahia so a healthier choice! We ate at 7 a la carte restaurants (located in 4 of the 6 hotels on the resort) and had very good service at each of them. Food was always good! I asked to have one dish altered at Portofino and it was not a problem at all. Since we saw the nighttime shows this past November we would spend some time after our dinner at whatever hotel we ate at. (We have previously stayed at both Luxury Ambar and Aquamarine but we actually prefer Luxury Esmeralda over Luxury Ambar as it is more lively.) Our star employee on this trip was Esmeralda’s tram driver Jeychol who had driven us over to Portofino the Italian restaurant located at Luxury Ambar. He went above and beyond for us. Upon leaving the restaurant we met him on the pathway right in front of our restaurant and he immediately recognized us and said “hello” and he asked if we would like a ride back to Luxury Esmeralda. (He was actually picking up another couple who ate at MEAT). Now that is what we consider GREAT service as he easily could have walked by and said nothing. We did have trouble exchanging 500 pesos bills this trip, but later on we would go back and leave tip money for waitstaff when we had small bills. We just wish more 50 pesos had been available at reception because when we buy currency at home we only get large denominations. My husband would check daily at reception, the lobby bar, and the sports bar. We much appreciated that after eating breakfast at the buffet or the beach restaurant we could get a couple of cappuccinos “to go” at the nearby Sports Bar, and then enjoy them while sitting on our beach loungers and watching the ocean waves. So enjoyable! Lots of variety at the buffet and beach restaurant so no need to keep taking the same food unless you really crave it. (Chose your protein, and then build your meal around it.) Entertainment crew could be a bit more engaging and have a different game each morning in comparison to other Bahia’s we have visited. Normally it’s a different game each morning though we saw mini putt and cornhole twice in one week. There is a real mini putt course up near the sport hut. Since our visit in November we noticed they did some painting and were in the process of redoing some of the landscape. There is still work to be done on the course but still fun to play! (Sign out your club and ball at the sports hut which is between the mini putt and the tennis/pickleball courts.) A Guest Experience employee called us twice during the week just to ask if everything was okay. A very special thank you to Alberto Figueroa for going “above and beyond” a number of times for us. You and your staff’s GREAT teamwork really stands out to us on both trips to Luxury Esmeralda. Hasta luego.

  Apr 22, 2025
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  A Dominican Jewel!

  It was a lovely resort with plenty of activities for the kids aged 8 & 11. The pools were spacious and very clean. The beach was absolutely beautiful, we enjoyed long walks on the beach, the water was clear and beautiful! Everything one would want from a Caribbean vacation!

  Apr 22, 2025