Bahia Principe Luxury Esmeralda

Have stayed at this resort 10 years ago and it was great. I expected a lot more than what I got this time around The good - our butler Alfredo was fantastic. He took care of our restaurant reservations and solved our problems during our stay. He came by regularly to see if everything was ok. - layout of the resort. Nice renovations. - Yurta and Rodizio restaurants, the food was really good. The bad - Service everywhere. No smiles and quite slow, no consistency. I really felt like I was bothering them. Management really needs to look at this. - you could order the same drink 3 Times in one day from the same waiter and it would be served in a different glass and taste differently! - the air conditioning in the room. It said 16 Celsius the whole time but it was more like 23. Quite hot Even if it was fixed during our stay. - Italian restaurant, we were rushed the whole Time. In and out in les than 45 minutes. The really bad - the noise, music blasting from different speakers at the same place, it got overwhelming at times..The quiet pool, no so quiet. Not the relaxing expérience I was hoping for. - the towel game, ridiculous! I understand that seaweed is due to mother nature, but it was not picked up during our stay, we had to go through huge pile of it in order to go in the water. I would not go back nor recommend.

Great location. Beach area was nice besides the seaweed. Great atmosphere with very good customer service. Alex was very helpful during our stay with amenities, suggestions and helping with luggage and anything that is needed. Rooms and pools were always very clean and there was enough seating for everyone. Enjoyed my stay and will return to visit another.

We traveled as a couple 25-30 from the UK in May 2025. We had previously visited Luxury Bahia Akumal in Rivera Maya 3 times. We wanted to try this resort having loved Bahia Akumal but would not return. Positives: Our room was beautiful and had a great view to the sea. It was kept very clean and had a fully stocked mini bar. Staff at reception are very pleasant and had a great check-in. Beach is beautiful. Tui rep Fany is lovely and very knowledgeable. Drinks are very nice. Room service is also very good. Hotel grounds are pretty. Staff at the bars (especially sports bar) and Takara restaurant are helpful and friendly. Entertainment team are good, the fire show on the beach was incredible. Everywhere is very clean. Negatives: Service in all restaurants apart from Takara is appalling. All meals are very rushed, every single meal we ordered was served in less than an hour and we often waited until the desert to be served wine. The service in the beach buffet was ok, if a member of staff who wore lapels was present. We never received any drink service at the beach or pool. On 5 separate occasions we were asked our order but the drinks never arrived. We were often walked past to go to larger families either side, we do tip and speak a little Spanish so this was confusing. Food is not very good. We ate at Casa Bella, Taino, Hindu, Takara, Fish Market and Yurta. I would recommend Takara, Hindu and Yurta were ok. The worse by far was Casa Bella. The service was awful, we felt rushed and without drink, the meal was very small and flavourless. We ordered tableside tiramsu which arrived as 5 dollops of cream on a plate with 3 stale chunks of cake. Food in the buffet is ok, but we did on 2 separate occasions end up with raw chicken. We did not get ill but met numerous guests who were. If you have previously visited Bahia Akumal and enjoyed the restaurants you will be very disappointed. There are no quiet places to sunbathe, you are approached by beach venders frequently on the beach, more so than in Mexico or Jamaica. The quiet hot tub area with bean bags is nice but we found families would often gather there with speakers. Our main reason for not returning would be the service. A lot of staff seem to avoid serving guests, us and other guests have been laughed at when ordering. You are rarely met with a smile. Staff appear to congregate together a lot, it appears to be more of a social hangout, making it very hard to get service. Manners are lacking, we had plates slammed down, we never heard “de nada”, and you are asked to reuse your knives and forks during meals, which is very unpleasant, during Hindu we had to use the same cutlery for 4 courses. We also booked kayaks on the beach for one day, asking the member of staff when a double would be free he said 1:30 the next day. We arrived at 1:20 to be told “all doubled are gone” and a shrug, we said we have reserved one he just said “well there all gone” no apology. I hope this helps anyone, there are a lot of positives to this resort and it looks great for families with children. However if you are a couple and enjoy nice evening meals I wouldn’t choose this resort. Or if you have previously visited Bahia Akumal and have expectations based on that resort.

Date of stay: May 22–25, 2025 Location: Bahia Principe Luxury Esmeralda, Dominican Republic I rarely write reviews, but I feel compelled to share my experience at Bahia Principe Esmeralda because so many issues went unresolved, leaving a lasting impression of disappointment rather than relaxation. Room Experience: • Upon arrival after a long flight, check-in was delayed 1.5 hours beyond the 3:00 PM time, and our reservation for two beds was ignored—we received one. • There was no welcome drink, no orientation, and no guidance on where to eat, what time restaurants closed, or what the resort offered. • The room was hot, with poor air conditioning, reading 24°C on the digital system (photo attached). I submitted complaints via the resort app, which were never answered. • At check-in, the bathroom was missing shampoo and body wash entirely (photos provided). Housekeeping later confirmed this but it should have been checked beforehand. • The body wash dispenser was broken off the wall, and even after reporting it again the next day, no one ever came to fix it. Customer Service: • All complaints were submitted both via the app and calls to the front desk—none were acknowledged or addressed. • I observed staff often appearing overworked. If you didn’t tip upfront, service was inconsistent or lacking altogether. • As a Spanish speaker, I also overheard staff mocking and complaining about guests, which was disheartening and unprofessional. • I escalated all concerns to the general manager during checkout, but was met with only a generic apology and no real accountability. Overall Impression: This was meant to be a relaxing getaway, but instead I spent time waiting in lines, reporting issues that never got fixed, and feeling dismissed. The lack of responsiveness, poor condition of the room, and the general tone of the service make it very difficult for me to recommend this resort to others. I hope this review encourages the resort to improve its service standards and guest responsiveness. Until then, I suggest travelers explore other options if you’re looking for a stress-free experience in the Dominican Republic.