Vacationers' beware: The size of the resort is not clearly communicated on any website (including Flight Centre). The resort was HUGE and for me, that wasn't a good thing. The workers have absolutely no comprehension of English despite the majority of their guests being Canadian, American, and/or European. This can become very frustrating.

My girlfriend or as they say in the Dominican "mi amiga preferida" and I visited the GRAN BAHIA PRINCIPE-PUNTA CANA during the week of Apr23-30 and had a fantastic time at this resort. The staff was extremely accomodating and the amenities at the minimum, certainly met with our expectations. (Would highly recommend paying the extra for the Royal Golden upgrade as this gives close access to the beach and pools in addition to the accompanying perks :-).

Probably the best way to provide an objective review would be as follows:-

Flight & Arrival: We flew (5hrs) and cleared DR customs within 1/2hr and was at the resort approx 45 minutes later and greeted with a welcome cocktail- no issues.

Room: Golden Section: Ground floor -Junior suite - very clean, everything worked well stocked minbar/fridge. While not included in the package, would recommend paying for the use of the room safe approx $4/day -worth every penny for the peace of mind.
When requested the room was always cleaned up and ready.
Property:
Beautiful - well manicured trees and gardens and the staff is ALWAYS working to keep the place immaculette.

This resort is huge however there are shuttles running constantly so if you're not inclined to walk then this option is available. (Look for the turtles and other water birds in the conservation area on the resort)

Service/Language: While neither of us was fluent in Spanish it was never a problem communicating with any of the staff - (Remember to take small $US bills for tips - a dollar to two at least was good and more if you found the service exceptional.)

Food:
Main Buffet - Could always find something good - different theme every evening (7 day cycle). We tried a lot of the more local cuisine when provided. (Why travel all this way to have the stuff you can get at home :-)
A-la-cartes: There are 8 a-la-carte restaurants at the resort and the Royal Golden upgrade gives you 4 guaranteed bookings that you should reserve within aa day of arriving to ensure you get te ones you want. We tried the Cafe Paris, the Italian restaurant, the Japanese restaurant (Maiko) and the BBQ-Las Olas. The best for us was the Japanese and the worst was the Italian but other people's tastes may be different.
Beach snack bars: There were three with the one at the pool open late so you could get a snack (burgers/hot dogs etc - if desired)
Beach: White powdery sand/ blue sky/ blue sea/ Pina colada - do you need more? (One day it rained but nothing major)
Pools: Available (didn't really use it)
Nightly Entertainment: The resort has nightly entertainment (two shows usually 9:00PM and 10:15PM) great fun. There is a Michael Jackson show which runs on a Monday night which has rave reviews by the guests who have seen it - so when booking your trip see if you can schedule to get there to see same (We missed it :-(..but the other shows are still worth your time for sure.
Day Trips: Would recommend the Bavaro Runners day trip (approx $90/person). In one day we loaded up on a heavy duty truck and did (1) Horse back riding (2) Visited a suguar cane plantation and cigar factory (3) Typical DR house/farm (4) Lunch (5) Beach
Note: They are unbelievably punctual so make sure you are at the pickup point (main lobby) ontime!
Shopping: On this point, we cannot give enough credit to to our Tour operator who did an EXCEPTIONAL & OUTSTANDING job in communicating what one can buy and take back to Canada! We strongly recommend that you attend the orientation session with your tour operator if provided. For example we learned that even though things are available for sale in the Pueblo Principe (on resort shopping village)you cannot take certain wood products into Canada e.g. Mamawana (a local DR tonic reputed to "improve" certain masculine physical prowess ;-) Also you cannot take shells out of the DR. In short - before purchasing anything - check with the tour operators/CBSA to avoid possible confiscation of your stuff at the DR airport and at Canada cutoms!! Note: The prices on resort are competitive and in many cases better than on the street (don't hesitate to negotiate)
Misc: Pack an insulated mug with a closeable lid/

Hotel was great , very clean, staff very friendly, food was good , lots of choices. The beach chairs were too close together , no privacy.Extremely disappointed with the Royal Golden Service..not impressed with their service, was not worth the upgrade

My time at this hotel was excellent. The food was very good, there was lots of variety at the buffet and the a la carte restaurants were good. We went to the japanese, mexican and grill restaurants. The beach was crowded, but it was very beautiful and we never had trouble finding seats. The pools were also very nice, very well maintained. The hotel in general was very clean.

The resort was very large, but there were carts running from the lobby to the beach and we didn't have to wait long if we didn't feel like walking.

Our room was very large, but we ended up in an accessible room with a fully accessible washroom, which meant that we didn't have a bathtub or even a shower curtain. When we went to inquire about at least getting a shower curtain, the people at reception were not helpful at all. They pretended not to understand what we meant and claimed that all rooms were exactly the same, even though we saw into other rooms and saw bathtubs.

The only other problem we encountered was the mosquitoes. I ended up with several bites, and we saw several in our room each night.

Not a five star resort! Housekeeping was very hit or miss, glasses in bathroom and room were left dirty after room was cleaned for two days until we had to demand that someone come and replace them, and this was still after tipping the maid daily. Rooms are older, floors feel greasy, asked three times/day for an extra blanket before we got one, never got the extra towels we asked for. The couch shown in pictures is okay for a child to sleep on, but not for an adult. Overall not up to our hopes/expectations and again not a five star resort.

Hotel was nice but far too big for my liking. Would have prefered a smaller place. Also could have done without the roach sitings, a couple in our bathroom, and some seen in the lobby. My experience with the time sharing people was not a good one either, the manager was very rude and accused me of wasting his time because I didnt want to sign on with them. I didnt ask to speak to them, they requested I take the time from my vacation to come and see what they had to offer.

It is a large resort but, very nice! It is clean and the staff is friendly. The beach is beautiful, food is good, rooms are very nice as are the restaurants. Truly a great resort for the price.

Nice relaxing stay.

The hotel was very clean, the workers were always cleaning, painting, gardening. For that they get a 5 star. But the food was ok nothing special. The dinner from the night before became breakfast the next day. The resort is way to big you have to take the train car everywhere in the resort and the employees seemed to never care to walk around and take the towels off he chairs from people saving seats. Over all I would give the resort a 4 star! At the most.

The hotel itself was nice, the room was large and kept clean by the maid. The polls and grounds were also well maintained. Staff were generally kind & courtious, except some of the bar staff. Big negative for me was the food. Buffet breakfast and lunch were pretty much the same each day. Food was bland, unapetizing and, except for the main dining room, generally not kept at adequate temperature. Food that should have been cold was almost room temperature, food that should have been hot was pretty much the same, ie, room temperature. Can't tell what mistery meat was used for the hamburgers...Inedible. Restaurants were hit and miss...Japenese was very good. Gourmet was hit and miss depending on what you chose from the menu. Italian was more miss then hit. All main courses were either overcooked or over salted. Seafood restaurant was generally good on all plates. We were a large group so I have a good base of feedback to go on here. Drinks everywhere were good and the wine list, though short, was well priced. Hard to find a deck chair under an umbrella if you got up past 6am. And the beach was pretty tight. Chairs were lined up very close everywhere. Shows were all good. Overall, due to the food issue, and chair issue, I give the place a so-so...I would not go back given my experience but had the food been better and more space to lay and relax, would probably go back since the rest was generally good to great....

Before we travelled we were a little concerned once we read all the negative comments. Please ignore them. I travelled to The Gran Bahia Principe Punta Cana April 4-11, 2012, with my husband and two daughers ages 15 and 18. We had an awesome vacation and enjoyed the resort to the fullest. The resort is very large but there is always a train ready to take you from point A to point B. We always had something to do and see. Very clean and well kept. Awesome food service and selection at the buffet. Ate at the Steakhouse, French, Mexican and Italian restaurants. Steakhouse and Italian were our favorite. The Beach was beautiful but wasn't big enough for the size of the resort. If you wanted a lounge chair with a shaded hut, you had to be up at 5am to reserve one. We always took part in the evening entertainment and enjoyed the different selection. Mosquitoes were bad at night, I myself was the only one they bothered, leaving me with several bites so bring bug spray. Would definitely return.

Just got back from a week's stay in punta Cana very big resort but easy to get around.We had an amazing week of good weather and good food a wide variety. Rooms are very clean and the staff is great I would go back in a heartbeat, I didn't want to leave was there with my family and they enjoyed it as well.

Beautiful vacation no need to leave the resort. Very accommodating services especially for such high volume resort. Avoid the membership/timeshare with their free gift offer. Royal golden suites are closer to the beach and well worth the convenience. We opted to walk instead of taking their mini tram to our buffet meals! Highly recommended!

Hotel was very large and very over crowded. Not enough sun chairs at the beach or at the poolside. Music was too loud and there was no opportunity for some peace and quite by the water. Food was ok at the A La Carte restaurants, except it made my husband really sick for a few days. Overall we would not recommend this hotel for anyone who is looking to decompress.

It was ok if i wouldnt have gotten those sand flies bites problem

Très bel hôtel, personnel irréprochable et enjoué. Vraiment une expérience à renouveler

First vacation in my life.. I wanted to leave.... Get out and never go back.

Rooms were Dirty, Old and had mould in the bathroom. Had to request 3 Times for housekeeping to make up our room on a normal day.

Staff was not helpful, resort resources were full, and unavailable food was cold, mushy and un consumable.

HATED this location.

WOULD NEVER GO HERE!!!

The hotel was beautiful. It was big and full but we never experienced a line up and always had a great lounger at the pool and beach. Great Food, Great Service, Just Great!

The resort overall was good. Some things to note however. Upon arrival check in was pretty smooth however we did not get the room we requested immediately. It seems we were overbooked and put in a different room. We were told to check with front desk next day to change for the room we requested. the room we were put in was plagued with problems, the toilet was broken did not flush, one leg was missing on bed, ceiling on bathroom was leaking and when opening sliding door there were many ants making there way inside. We couldn't really unpack because we would move out the next day. For the most part we lost a day. This seems to be a common practice however unacceptable and an inconvenience. The food overall was ok and a reasonable selection. the service was good despite language barriers.

The staff is always very courteous. We took advantage of the beautiful pools & waterfront (beach). The area is kept very clean. The entertainment was good. I expected better service during our A La Carte Diners but the service was excellent when dining at the Buffet. Room service extras were complicated to request.
Let me put it this way: I don't regret coming here but I don't think that I would return.

It was absolutetly beautiful. I would recommend this resort to all.

It was a great place. Very large, but we had no complaints. I had researched the hotel before I booked , so pretty much knew what to expect.

The hotel was great! Grounds were lovely and well kept.

We went on our honeymoon. Fantastic resort. The grounds were beautiful. Upgrade to the Royal Golden or spring for the Esmerelda...the additional cost is worth it.

very clean. beautiful beach. food was good. very big though. had no idea it was so large. almost too many people.

hotel is toooo big!! Choices of food wasn't to great.. Restuarant on the beach was overcrowded all the time. staff could not accomodate people. The beach was crowded. We had to be at the beach at 7 am in order to get lounge chairs. Staff at the towel booth was very unpleasant and rude. was alweys overcroud. staff could not accomondate and serve during lunch time . Not a five star hotel.

Yes this resort is huge and the many different lobbies and levels of service can be confusing but the food is great, the suites excellent, grounds are gorgeous and well worth the money you spend!!

The hotel is solid 3 *. Great staff, adequate rooms, too many people on the beach. Food is mediocre - you can always find something to eat, but good produce is ruined by bad cooking. They have no clue how to cook. Towels are terrible, like rags that are used to wash floors. We would not choose this hotel again. One great plus - beach is great, if you can fight your way through the crowd; that is why we chose Dominican in the first place. LP

I have heard very good reviews about this hotel from people i know and also what i have read online, thats why we decided to book here. for almost $1400 i guess my expectations were somewhat high. this was my 10th time to punta cana, not my worst experience but not the greatest. we arrived at 1130pm, our requests to be on a higher floor were not met but that was ok, we got to our room and it was dirty with foot prints in the bath tub and the floors dirty. we were told someone would come clean it but no one ever did. the room is average not bad, theres just not very much lighting so its really dark in there. the maid service was awful. first 2 days were ok, then the next day our room was not cleaned until 4, the next day it was 5, and our last day we went back to our room and it was 6pm and not cleaned. we went to front desk and they said "oh it can be cleaned anytime, tomorrow we will have it cleaned before 12" well we were leaving then so it didnt matter. how can you not clean the rooms by that time? its dinner time i would have to shower and get ready with no clean towels? the power in the rooms didnt stay on all day you needed a room key to keep it on so no a/c running all day, come into a hot room after a hot day at the beach no good. the beach was beautiful, but for huge resort it is, there is not enough beach. the hotel was filled to capacity when i was there and the beach was FULL. it was ridiculous. other than that the beach was the best part. the pools were VERY clean and quiet and relaxing. (except the main pool near the beach was louder and busier, but still clean). the service was terrible. they were rude, not welcoming or friendly like i have had in the past in the dominican. at the restaurants you waited for aleast 10 min before being asked for a drink, then another 10 to be brought it, and forget getting seconds. there were a few waiters that did stand out and were very nice and accomodating. the food was very good in my opinion, something for everyone. only ate at one a-la-carte (stakehouse) and the beef was good. the bartenders were not any better, if you didnt tip they wouldnt serve you. one bartender at the lobby bar was great but all the others including the beach and pool seemed like they didnt want to serve you if you werent or havent tipped them. there was a wide variety of drinks though that were very good. the hotel itself (lobby, bathrooms, grounds, etc...) were always clean. THERE IS NOT 24 HOUR FOOD, just so everyone knows that was one thing i specifically asked and was told there was and there was not. between 10:30am and 12pm, there was no food, and between 10:30-11 pm no food. you cannot eat at any other part of the resort, so if that is important to you bring some snacks

Great vacation
Not very far to travel from airport, around 40 minutes. Fast check in with all questions answered. Room was very clean and maintained all week (left two dollars a day tip). Great service at buffet and à la carte restaurants. Best à la carte was le Gourmet (French). Food at the beach was perfect, not as much choice as main buffet but something for everyone. Red House wine was good, I am a little picky when it comes to wine and did not buy a single bottle. Drinks best in lobby, then mid area pools and ok at the beach. Don’t have to worry about the water as everything is done with ice and water that is brought in, the Dominicans don’t drink their own water so they don’t serve it you. Staff was very friendly and always at your needs. Dive centre was great had two beautiful dives with great instructors; Tessa and Sebastian. Book the use of the catamarans in advance; they are free and usually available for the next day. The beach was nice and lots of open area to walk. Lots of people so chairs get scarce by 11:00 and if you don’t like crowds then stick to the mid pools and not the beach pool as this is the party pool. The site is quite large; take a good ten minutes to walk one end to the other, great for after supper walk. Ther is a bus service every 10 minutes for those who don't like walking or have health issues. Overall was worth the price and had a great time with my wife!
Once again, if you don’t like crowds then take the Ambar or Esmeralda upgrades
Cheers and thanks to the Dominican People!
Paul and Sonia