I vacation every winter in the south and I have been to many many resorts over the years. We traveled here Feb 2-9 and I had booked this resort based on the good reviews I had read back in December. Much to my horror the week before we went all of the reviews seemed to change to everyone getting sick. I emailed the resort the day before we left to voice my concerns about the number of people who were coming home having been very ill. They replied to me immediately and reassured me that they take this problem very seriously and were taking all measures to ensure their guests were safe. So off we went....

They give you your check in packages on the bus to the hotel including room keys and wrist bands so that you do not have to spend time checking in on arrival. This was great. We arrived at the hotel and went straight to our room. We were very pleased to find out that we had been given rooms in the new building (Exclusive Section) of the hotel. The rooms were new, spacious and very nice. I had 2 rooms and my other family members were beside me. The walls are very thin and I could hear every word for the other room. Good thing they were our family. I would have hated to have loud people or crying babies etc beside us.

The resort is beautiful, the grounds are constantly being cared for and are lush and green. The Staff is nothing short of wonderful to everyone. They work very had to keep the guests happy. The entertainment staff around the pool are lots of fun and always making sure everyone is having fun. They don't hound you to participate if you don't want to but they do a great job of including everyone in the fun. Daniel is a fun guy full of energy and always smiling. He must sleep well at night because he just doesn't stop having fun and smiling.

The pool is very nice and the beach is beautiful. The water is murky as others have said. Its the one downfall to this resort. We did a day trip to Catolina Island and the snorkelling and the beach there is crystal clear blue water. Breathtakingly beautiful. They need to feed people more on this excursion. We came back starving.

The food is average. Its typical resort food that is found at all resorts in the d.r or Mexico. I have been to many resorts in Punta Cana (and other resorts in other countries) and I would say the food is average. You won't find a big fat steak and gourmet meals but you won't go hungry either. Always a good variety of food to choose from.

We were careful with what we ate. Choosing safe options, stayed away from the seafood and ate meat that was cooked well in front of us. We were a family of 4 and we did NOT get sick. I would say 80% of our flight stayed at this resort and I only heard of one person who was ill the entire week. They felt it was from some seafood.

We ate at the beach buffet everyday for lunch. Hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken, salads etc...and had no issues at all. They are constantly cleaning things and they have hand sanitizer at each restaurant entrance. I feel for those who were ill. What a horrible thing to go through. Hopefully it was an isolated occurrence and those who travel there from now on will not have this experience.

The resort is not massive so being able to walk around easily is very nice. No golf carts needed to get around here and thats a big bonus!

I hope this puts the minds of those who have already booked this resort at ease about becoming sick here. Lets hope nobody else gets sick and enjoys all this beautiful resort has to offer.

We had a great vacation here and I would go back again!!! Safe, Happy and Healthy Travels to ALL!!

We have stayed in this hotel for one week from the 2nd of February.. First of all, the organisation of the transfer was not very serious- in the bus we were counted as chicken, but nobody asked to which hotel we were going :)
However, on the arrival, we were offered a glass of 'welcome cocktail' and the check-in was really fast..In the hotel you can pay in euros, dollars, pesos, anything you have just be careful about the exchange rate! The staff was really helpful and nice- even maids often start a smalk talk (in spanish of course) :D Animators' team was really sincere and dynamic with a great sense of humour..
The hotel I would say be more 4* than 5, rooms are big enough, really clean, but a bit old- the remote control of tv didn't work, neither the alarm clock...as well as hairdryer in the bathroom!
The lobby is really spacious and cozy, it's really nice to spend an evening having a drink in a terrace..There is live music in the evening, as well..
The buffet food was various, each evening of the week, there was offered another cuisine (french, italian, asian, dominican). What I could add, that they would better concentrate on what they do and prepare best- the local foods, because one of the 3 restaurants a la carte (italian one) was quite poor (menu, taste, imagination and presentation). The other two were much better, especially 'el pescador', but for a restaurant 'a la carte' I would like more originality, not entries and desserts from the buffet..a big plus for the tidiness (dishes, desinfection of hands)
On the other hand, there were a lot of pleasant things- really nice sandy beach with palm trees and coconuts, beautiful territory with its gardens, pool with an open bar.. a lot of animations inside the hotel and a large variety of excursions outside.. Really worth to visit if you want to stroll on the beach and enjoy calm and relaxed holidays..

I spent a week at the Grand Bahia, La Romans between Jan 19th to 26th. Yes, the week many people got sick. Everyone one in our group was ill and many people we spoke to were ill; adults, children, non-drinkers, etc.

What is annoying? Something went wrong that week and the resort should disclose the problem; was the problem food safety, contaminated water, etc. People were prescribed anti-biotic by the resort doctor, people were sent to the hospital. The resort is understandably trying to protect their reputation by avoiding the issue and not disclosing what went wrong. The problem was likely solved. The illness isn't the problem but, the denial of the problem is.

What was good? The resort was well laid out and well maintained. The beach was one of the best I've been to - minus the sand flees ... Not a lot of vendors trying to sell you stuff on the beach. Nice big rooms.

What was bad? The illness and the resort's response. I really don't totally blame the resort for the illness, things like this happen even at home but, I do blame the resort for not disclosing the problem so people can obtain proper treatment once they get home.

What could be improved? The Wi-Fi system. Was it really broken or, was the resort trying to stop people from doing a Google search on the causes of vomiting and diarrhea? Language skills of staff was somewhat lacking, staff were polite but, I thought they would understand a few more key phrases. There was no hot water for two days, not a big deal, more annoying than anything else.

Sorry place was beautiful and clean , food was aweful. We both got sick. The service was amazing, great staff. Just wasn't what we were expecting from the Gran Bahia. We have been to the Gran Bahia Principe in other locations before and they were wonderful.