Let me start by saying that this was our 4th year in a row and the most special because this was our sons 1st year and we chose to celebrate it with the Gran Bahia Family, our expectation was for this year to be the best of all and it wasn’t. First of all the reservation was made for BAHIA PRINCIPE BAVARO and they located us on BAHIA PRINCIPE PREMIER which is the farthest building from the beach and main locations. The tv and the telephone didn't work for 3 days in all 4 rooms, 1 shower was broken and the transportation only showed when we called. We complained many times after waiting for our problems to be resolved and there was never even a courtesy toward us. The 1st and the 2nd years were great and we were located in the diamond section which is one of the best locations on the entire resort. I cannot imagine what is going to be like next year, and I don't think we will be going back. THE ONLY THING THAT HAS NOT CHANGED IS THE STAFF WHICH HAS ALWAYS BEEN AND WAS VERY FRIENDLY AND HELPFUL, I WANT TO THANK THESE GREAT FRIENDS: BRAULIO(LAS DALIAS RESTAURANT), RICHARD(GARDEN GRILL RESTAURANT), INGRID(PREMIER LOBBY BAR), ENRIQUE(BEACH POOL BAR), JUAN CARLOS(LE GOURMET), MIGUEL(PREMIER POOL BAR), JULIANA AND REINA(BUILDING 44 HOUSE KEEPERS), THOMAS(GARDEN GRILL POOL), JUNIOR(GARDEN GRILL POOL ANIMATION STAFF), IRIS(PUNTA CANA BUFFET), MANUEL(PUNTA CANA LOBBY BAR-BEEN THERE FOR YEARS AND ITS GREAT GUY) and many more that I cant remember their names.

Everything about this resort was absolutely great except for the size and location of the beach.

The beach was way to far away from the Premier part of the resort and to make matters worse our room was the furthest possible room from the beach on the whole entire complex!

The beach was far to small for the number of guests. I have travelled to many many beaches and although beautiful, this one was by far the most crowded one I have ever seen. The chairs were lined up in rows side by side along the full width of the (common area) beach to the point that you couldn't really move or have any privacy. If you were a few rows back from the waterfront it wasn't possible to have a clear view of the water at times.

The part of the beach that seemed to belong to Esmerelda and Ambar was roped off from the main area in the centre. Those restricted areas were representative of what I am usually accustomed to at most places I've been but at not extra charge. If you are a beach lover this is not the place for you.

Now - having said all of that regarding the beach I must tell you that the rest of the place was great. The accomodations, the food choices and quality of food, the amenities in the room, all of it was perfect and more. I felt that this chain of resorts has the business of people/traffic flow management down to a fine art. This resort lacks for nothing in my opinion. Some unexpected surprises:

Machines in the lobby with a great selection of perfectly brewed specialty coffees - no need to wait at the bar

Umbrellas- large ones - in the room (sadly we had a rain day)

Hot, fresh, yummy foods at the buffet - crab legs even! My favorites: Home made salsa, fresh passionfruit, great bread selection and they even did a cheese tasting night.

Gorgeous gorgeous grounds. The view from our ground floor room was beautiful.

The "jacuzzi" pool which was just outside our room in block 52. Check that one out!

Rainshower head in our bathroom

Ornamental size banana tree (with clusters of bananas) right out side our room's patio.

Sheltered bus stops all over the resort

Tons of palm trees on the beach - lots of shelter if you want it.

Good house wine!!!

Ample wait staff in the lobby area to serve drinks in a timely fashion. I am used to waiting at the bar and here you can just sit down on a sofa or big wicker arm chair and be served within minutes!

The public courtesy room (which is like a large washroom) for those people who need to check out early but leave late in the afternoon. It has 3 shower stalls contained in one room with a lock on the door so you can shower without worrying about your stuff. The only downfall of this space is that it is not air conditioned like your hotel room was, so it's hard to get dry and have a good hairdo for the flight home.

The few negatives IMO: The desserts on the buffet - palm oil filled squares similar to that of M&M's desserts. I suggest you try what's in the silver dome at the end of the dessert table. It's warm and yummy most times.

Every drink was sweetened beyond my liking. Even the lemonade was too sweet! It took me 5 days to figure out where to find soda water so I mainly stuck to bottled water for the entire trip.

TIP: If you like a quieter beach check out the beach next door at the Riu. You might be able to drag a chair over there or sneak a seat or sit on your towel there for a few minutes. Also some good shopping at the Riu's beach shops :-)

Hi, Just got back from one week in Punta Cana at the Grand Bahia Principe Premier. We are so desapointed as we were expecting (and paid for) a five star which it isn't. We were told we would have full access to the resort including buffet and it wasn't the case. When the employee called to see how our trip went, I asked why we couldn't go to the other buffet and she told us that it was because it was our first time there. Nothing to get me back to their resort. I will never go there again. I felt like a second class guest. Even the employees were like 'oh...premier, no!'. The attitude was bad, the food at the buffet at our resort sucked, no variety, and aweful taste. I am not fussy with food but that was very bad. We fed on chicken, fries, pasta and bread. By the end of the week, we were jocking and were saying: what' s new for lunch/supper? We'll have something new: chicken/fries. It was bad. It's too bad because the resort itself and the beach is super nice but for me, a huge part of my vacation is how I am treated and the food I eat and it was horrible. Not going there ever again!

My friend and I stayed in the Premier and we were really nervous because of all the bad reviews. I had nothing to worry about. I just want to say that overall the hotel was wonderful. I understand why some people had their issues, but it really was a wonderful and relaxing vacation. I would go back in a heartbeat.

The grounds were so beautiful and clean. The staff there worked very hard to keep it that way. With 7,000 people at the entire resort, you would be surprised how well it was maintained. We were nervous because of high season, but being at the premier felt like it was our own private resort. We never had a hard time finding a spot by the pool. We had a lovely lobby that we hung out in everyday and everything was so close! After checking out all the sections, we concluded that the Premier really was the best section. Most private.

With being on the ground floor, I was terribly worried about security (I even brought my own piece of wood to put to jam the sliding door) – but the sliding door has a pin that you stick in that prevents you from opening it and it has a lock on the handle. I didn’t have to use my stick it at all ;)

We loved the drinks (so yummy). On the rainy days, we enjoyed the lobby and satellite TV in our room. Otherwise we just read and relaxed. There were a ton of activities to do (pool exercises, dance lessons, pool volley ball, ping pong) so you can’t get bored.

The food was delicious and a great variety. Of course there is something for everyone so you won’t love it all, but there was enough of a variety to go last the week. We did 3 out of 4 a la cartes: Italian (yummy), Mediterranean/Seafood (not good) and the Steakhouse (fabulous!). Take advantage of the snack bars. Their food is really good and you have more variety (calamari was fabulous!).

CONS:
- I really wish that they had room service. Sometimes you just felt like sitting on the balcony and eating something small rather than inside at the buffet.

- Coffee service outside of the buffet didn't start until 10:00am (My friend is a coffee-first-thing-in-the-morning kind of girl and even though we had a coffee maker in the room, a good coffee was needed.

- Beach was lovely, nicely shaded, but it was crowded with chairs which took away from the waterfront.

- Service -- You have to keep in mind that people run on Caribbean time. I have seen this a few times but forgot, everything moves very slowly! The service was not good-- however, the people are so nice. All of the staff member were so kind, but it was a bit chaotic and sometimes we didn't get our drinks in the buffet (or service at all-- I had to grab my own fork and knife!). But the people were so friendly so you have to learn to relax a bit and have patience.

- The nightlife! Okay -- I know I am getting older, but when you are on vacation, it is hard to fill in the time. The karaoke bar didn’t open until 10 pm and the disco didn’t open until midnight - so we just couldn’t relax all day and stay up for that – good luck to those who can.

- The premier is the furthest away from the beach – but with the train that was no big deal and things are closer than you think.