Punta Cana

We had a fabulous stay at this resort. The grounds were immaculate. Our room was a great size and the bed was very comfortable. We had a junior swim out room and that was really nice to just jump in the pool. The food was one of the best we've had at a resort. The best thing about our stay though was the staff and customer service. The staff were outstanding, always making sure our needs were met but never pushy. Would highly recommend this resort!

CHIC punta cana is our favorite resort. it was our third visit and it wont be our last.

Please see strong and weak points. Overall, we enjoyed our stay and recommend the Bahia Principe Esmeralda in the Dom. Republic

We were a family of 4 ( 2 2) kids ages of 10&13 yrs old. We had the presidential 1bdr suite and paid extra to get the the Diamond club perks. Check in at DC was fast, so was the check out. Even if its written upon availability early check in, our room wasn't available until 16h30 and it was the case for most people so don't count too much on early check ins. It also says Diamond club gets preferred location , also not true, we were in building 18 with no view of the ocean even partial, because the DC buildings are 19 and 20. Our butler was useless, we had amenities missing in our room (since it's not a diamond club room) . We feel that we did not get what we paid for as a Diamond club, we felt cheated and the upgrade was really not worth it. Rooms are as advertised, comfy spacious. Restaurants, food was ok overall, the Zen hibachi was the best for us, Hunter be VERY patient, very slow service. Italian was just ok and the buffets were ok, I've seen better. Entertainment at night Tues. circus show and thurs magic show were the best...the rest of the nights you won't miss much. Beach, yes full of seaweed, so for beach lovers you will be disappointed, not the hotels fault but still they could make a better effort to pick up the grass. Service mostly good, lazy river fun, mini putt 9 holes also fun. Flowrider $15usd for 15 min …free for diamond club members from 9am to 10am and from 2pm till 3pm the rest of the times everyone pays. Waterpark $35usd per person, free for DC and there was always 2 slides closed during our 2 visits , and the wave pool only worked once for 15min during our 2 visits. Bus leaves hotel every morning at 10am and 1pm returns are at 1pm and 4pm. we will not return to this hotel , nor any Royalton hotels, the diamond club experience was a huge let down for us, we did not get what we paid extra for and left with a bitter taste. No effort was made by no one , not even a manager came to talk to us even when asked for. If you go as a regular then you could be pleasantly surprised, but to pay hundreds or a thousand or 2 to have a butler just to make reservations for you or text you the daily activities (which you could find everywhere throughout the resort) not worth the buck. Covid , masks were mandatory in restaurants while walking , at the tables no, at the buffet everyone touches the utensils. For Canadians, PCR tests are done on site at a cost of $90usd per person, results in within 24-48hrs. hope this helps

Let's start by saying I would not recommend this resort but that is also due to a very unfortunate experience I had with drug dealers on the resort. Let me explain by giving pros and cons. Pros: • The resort as a whole is gorgeous. Can't say enough about the décor • Rooms are big, shower is AMAZING and well decorated • The food was fantastic. The Valley and the YOLO were our favorites • The workers, for the most part, were friendly • Beach is beautiful and water is stunning. (Winds were 40-65 km gusts but that is out of our control) • Waterpark is wonderful but very far from beach. Cons: • Check-in was confusing. Nothing clearly stated the different levels of check-in. I asked and was checked in at the Unique lobby(Unique/Adult/Reg) • Unique has it's own lobby area to check in, there is an adults only club but no one knew what it was for when we asked the staff but there was a sign stating adult check in to the left when we got off the transfer bus. • Massive lounge chair issue on the beach and around the pools. Most loungers were taken by 8am. Ppl were removing guests personal belongings and throwing them every and anywhere they felt when the original occupants were in the water swimming or gone for a drink at the beach bar. There were altercations on the beach a few times regarding chairs. There are people who stay in the Lopesan villas who have access to the beach and the resort chairs and have a roped off area to the left of the resort by the market. It was just …….. bad. Unique has it's own section but is barely used taking chair access away from everyone else but you can't take loungers from their section. Unique side was mostly ALWAYS empty yet they wouldn't serve anyone other than Unique members. • The rooms were not stocked consistently. One day the maid took our towels/face cloths and didn't give us any in return so we had to hand in our beach towels daily to be used as shower towels to get cleaned up, no coffee restock, there was blood on our sheets and pillow case, the toilet wasn't cleaned. I approached the maid a few different times for items missing but she had no idea what I was trying to say. I had to start leaving notes in the room written in Spanish translation on what I requested in the room to be refilled. I wasn't asking anything extra, just the essentials. • The resort is lacking garbage cans which created litter all over the resort. This is not a resort worker issue it is the guests not respecting the property at all. • Some areas are vey unsafe, adults only pool in particular. There are spaces between tiles with a 2 foot drop in between them. One lady fell through and broke her leg and a different man slipped and his leg went through the space to receive a HUGE gash bleeding everywhere. The staff didn't clean the blood up. The people staying at the resort had to get cups, fill with water to clean the blood by splashing water on it into the water feature. • The bathrooms around the resort were very untidy and many not working. There was used toilet paper on the floor in the rest room stalls, no soap/toilet paper or hand towel to dry. • The rooms were very wet. I understand the Caribbean and humidity but they could definitely use some dehumidifiers around the resort. It was very very smelly in areas, especially the lobby bar, to the point where we sometimes gagged and had to leave the area. • If guests are looking for pool or beach service there is none to be had so I recommend taking a BIG bubba to not get up every 5 minutes. • El a carte times were terrible and the restaurants are very small, not enough space for the amount of people staying at the resort. • Not much for activities around the resort (no tennis/basketball/etc.) • Nothing for entertainment Now the worst part of it all. ***4 days of hell*** COCAINE DRUG DEALERS. (this is long) The second night we were at the resort I was approached by a man in the adults only pool area asking if I smoke weed and would I like any, I said no. He then asked if I would like to do a line (cocaine) with him. I became very uncomfortable said no I don't do that and tried to turn away and ignore him. He then proceeded to ask if my friends did. I said no sorry, not our thing. He eventually went to his friend who was at the bar. My friend went to the bar for a drink and was approached by the guys friend asking if she wanted anything. We were very uncomfortable and left. The next day, in the adults section again, the same men came into the area. You could tell something wasn't right as the bartenders were acting very strange, intimidated. 2 of the women bartenders went behind the bar with one of the guys selling drug and eventually came back and placed something behind the bar. I'm not sure what it was. The next day, there was a commotion, altercation with these same men at the beach bar. This is when I realized one of the men was not wearing a bracelet and the other had on a regular bracelet (white not red), not the adults only. This confused me as how did he get into the adults section if there was no bracelet and the other bracelet was incorrect when security was clearly checking bands when we tried to enter the area. We started paying attention and noticed throughout the resort these men were speaking to many of the security guards and staff and when they approached a bar, the bartenders immediately would tend to them first. That same night, I was walking back to my room when one of the guys was following me in the hall on the 2nd floor. I was watching a hockey game on my ipad as I was walking to my room but could feel someone approaching and talking to me so I paused my ipad, turned around and told the guy I was not interested in what he had. I noticed there was a older couple ahead and told the guy I needed to catch up to the people ahead of us. They must have noticed I was in distress so they stopped to wait for me. They asked if I was in trouble, I said yes, the lady put her arm out so I was ahead of them creating space between me and the guy. (all of this would be on tape because of surveillance) We continued toward the elevator with the man still following us. Meanwhile he was saying racial slurs and being extremely rude. He was clearly under the influence of something, he was holding a beer in his hand. We reach the elevator and he gets in with the 3 of us. In the elevator he was getting up in the mans face making threats. We reached the 3rd floor where the guy got out continuing to yell at us calling us racists and such. The door finally closes and we proceed to my floor (4th) as they didn't want to leave me alone. The man said we was going to call security but I gave them information about the drugs offers and the fact we saw them speaking with security so I was scared to call them just in case they were in cahoots, gave my room number and they come to get me. (yes, I was terrified) We seen them the next day but avoided at every cost. I was so scared and have never had that feeling in my life. The second last night we were in the Valley restaurant and while getting drinks made we noticed the bartender passing something to a gentleman. Within minutes of that exchange, that same bartender asked if we wanted cocaine. I'm not sure what kind of operation this is or if this is normal for this country but I am very hesitant to return.

We resided at the Barcelo Bavaro Beach (Adult only resort) March 8-15th. Our room block #2, 2nd floor was nice, clean & we had an Ocean view. When you walk in, you have a first section and a 3 sliding mirror doors closet with digital safe & shelves. Facing the closet, you have two sinks and then a smaller closed bathroom, tub/shower room. Between the closet/sink/washroom area and the bedroom you have a door. You then access the large bedroom area. The AC which was quiet worked fine for the duration of our stay. We had a king size bed which we found very comfortable. There is a ceiling fan above the bed which we enjoyed. The patio door curtains are very opaque. Our balcony was small, private with 2 chairs small table. Our maid service was excellent, bathroom towels/items... were always replenished when needed. Edward always had our fridge (beers, soft drinks & 1.5 L. water bottles) replenished on a daily basis. The food was excellent at all the locations we ate: Buffet (variety of meats, fish, pastas, cold cuts, breads, cheeses, fresh fruits/vegetables, jams, ice cream, yogurts, ice cream, deserts, condiments, syrups, etc...). We went to the Steak/Internationals, Mediterranean A la Carte restaurants and All were delicious and had a good variety to offer. Reservations for these are made at the Guest service office. The service at all the bars was excellent. The pool was kept clean and the water was clear throughout the whole day. All the long chairs (beach & pool area) are comfortable and appear new. All public washrooms were kept clean. There are no palapas on the beach, if you want shade, look for a palm tree. We enjoyed that there was no long chair reserving. We always had a choice for long chairs at the beach. The location of the Bavaro Beach is ideal for beach walkers. You can walk either way (North/South) for long distances. The Beach is amazing, white sand and a blueish/green ocean water. Wi-Fi was free at the casino (Palace section). There is a small train/shuttle that goes from the adult only (Beach section) to the Palace section (family resort) approx. every 10 minutes, we never waited. We enjoyed this shuttle to go to A La carte restaurants located at the Palace section. The guests are mostly from Canada, USA and Europe. The hotel (Beach section (adult only)) is quiet, no loud music/noise after the daily evening show. We really appreciated the friendly service we received from Miguel at the buffet, Evelyn at the Guest service office and many others. The hard working hotel personnel are ALL wonderful, friendly & give you an excellent service with a smile. They asked for suggestions: we would enjoy an umbrella in the room and also if there could be a piano bar/jazz music, etc… that would be appreciated. My spouse and I will definitely return to the Barcelo Bavaro Beach resort as we had a relaxing vacation at this Adult only resort.

Beautiful surroundings. Grounds immaculately maintained. All restaurants excellent. Staff friendly and helpful. Beach and pool fantastic. Room was very clean but always damp. Sheets and blankets felt damp. Room could use renovation. Bathroom too open, no privacy.

The hotel is a good size, not too big. The rooms were comfortable, beach was great, restaurants were good and the service was good.

We stayed at the Punta Cana Princess for 2 weeks starting January 22. The resort is small and the majority of the staff are amazing. We have stayed at many all inclusive and adult only resorts and this resort ranks very high. The beach is beautiful and very busy. Food was average in the buffets. We did experience some problems with the air-conditioning not functioning well (building 1). It never was fixed in the 2 weeks that we stayed at the resort. Another problem is the vendors that are allowed to set up inside of the resort on specific nights. The vendors set their tables adjacent to the buffet so that you have to walk by them when going to the buffet. They actually were quite rude with their remarks when we did not want to buy at their tables. We always support local and buy something each trip but not with poor attitudes of these vendors!! Management need to remove these vendors or place the tables in an area away from the buffet or reception!

Staff was super friendly and helpful