Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo - Hyatt Inclusive Collection - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

8990 reviews

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  Real Five star resort

  One of the best resorts I have been to in the last 20 years. What amazed me is how clean it is everywhere in the resort. Food was great with an interesting assortment of a la carte restaurants. Variety of food is incredible. Animation team absolutely terrific. Shout out to Luis and Victor for making us laugh. You will enjoy the ocean. You are in a fish bowl as fish surround you. I always go to the spa on vacation. Theirs is fantastic. Enjoyed two wonderful massages from Esther. Overall, the kind of resort you leave but want to go back. PS: we paid extra for the junior suite and really appreciated it.

  Oct 15, 2026
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  First time in Samana

  Overall we had an enjoyable week at this resort. It was a scenic ride from the airport to the hotel...45 min with beautiful views of the ocean and the town. Sit behind the driver for optimal views. We have been to Punta Cana several times but our first trip to Samana left us wanting more. It was a peaceful, relaxing and quieter atmosphere. The buffet was good with plenty of fish options and surprisingly had bacon every morning. Regarding the a la cartes, I feel the menu should offer more of something different from what is offered at the buffet. The beach is stunning with amazing snorkeling right in front of you, clear water. Main pool is rather small for the size of the hotel and very busy. The grounds were kept well at the entrance but some areas required more of an up keep and maintenance. We had the standard room which is the smallest room I ever had in my travels in the Dominican. As mentioned by several reviews, yes, the rooms need updating but I look at it in terms I am in the room to sleep and shower. Now for my biggest issue, the beach towel game. This issue needs to be addressed. People leave towels on the lounge chairs leaving people uncertain as the availability of the chairs. They leave their used towels on them, go for lunch etc and never return. Overall we did have a good experience and would consider returning.

  Oct 12, 2026
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  Had a very good vacation here

  This is a very good resort overall and me and other friends liked it and would return back. PROs: - pretty compact (but not small either) with everything within comfortable walking distance. Everything is close. - no mosquitoes, they spray it once in a while and there's no standing water around. - The beach is beautiful. The sand is almost white like in Cuba. It has no waves because it's surrounded by the reefs that don't let the ocean waves pass through. Very good for small kids. - Coral reefs at a very close walking distance where you will see lots of different kinds and colors of fish. - Very good choice of food. - They have a separate water slides area for kids with at least 5-6 slides. - Located in the mountainous area of Samana with lots of lush green. - I thought that the beach vendors would be pushy, but that was not the case. They all wore gray shirts and are licensed vendors. - The noise level is not bad. It's not noisy in the rooms as well. The music is loud only at the beach at the specific times. CONs: - personnel speaks Spanish mostly. Many of them don't speak English. But they are kind. - towels in the rooms are not clean white - rooms are slightly outdated, but not that bad - there are lots of people, even for September. If you are a bigger family and like to sleep more in the morning, then getting the lounger at the beach will become tricky. - People are smoking at the beach and you can often smell it.

  Sep 27, 2026
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  Beautiful Resort Made Even Better by Amazing Service!

  We had a wonderful stay at Bahia Principe El Portillo and truly enjoyed our time at the resort. The property is beautiful, the beach is gorgeous, and we found plenty of places to relax, eat, and enjoy ourselves throughout our stay. One of the highlights of our trip was the service we received from Diomedes. On our first visit to The Fish Market, we really didn’t know what to order, and he was incredibly attentive, funny, patient, and helpful. He recommended our meal from start to finish, and every suggestion was excellent. Everything was delicious, and he made us laugh throughout the evening, which made the experience even more memorable. A couple of days later, we saw Diomedes again at the buffet during lunch. It was so nice to see a familiar face, and once again he took wonderful care of us. He asked about our dinner plans, and when we told him we didn’t have any, he suggested that we return to The Fish Market and even helped us with the reservation. We went back that evening and had another great dinner and another memorable experience. What really stood out to us was the warmth and friendliness of the staff. Employees like Diomedes can make such a difference in a vacation because they make guests feel welcomed and genuinely cared for. Overall, we had a very enjoyable stay at Bahia Principe El Portillo and would definitely recommend it, especially for the beautiful setting, the dining experiences, and the wonderful hospitality. A special thank you to Diomedes for making our vacation even more memorable!

  Sep 25, 2026
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  IT was what it was

  The location is great. It's about a 45-minute bus ride from the airport, but I have to say that some sections of the road are definitely not meant for a bus that size. The resort's common areas are well maintained and clean. The room, on the other hand, could use a little extra attention when it comes to cleaning. My shower stall was not properly cleaned during my 14-day stay. Maybe it was rinsed, but no cleaning products appeared to be used. The original room we were assigned had an AC leak, and we were welcomed by a puddle of water as soon as we walked in. Back to reception. they assured us that they can fix it (no problem) We can fix it in 10 minutes." Sure enough, that's what happened. We waited, but the room always had a musty smell. We started unpacking, and when I pulled back the bed sheets, I found they were dirty. We packed everything back up, closed the suitcase, and headed back to reception. They moved us to a different room, which was good. However, there were issues with the toilet and shower. By at that point, we were exhausted and just decided to not deal with it and work around it. Some of the issues we encountered could be easily fixed. When rooms are cleaned, if there is a problem with a faucet, toilet, or anything else, why can't housekeeping report it so it can be repaired before the next guest arrives? In my view, this would reduce complaints at reception and improve the resort's overall image. I agree with other reviews that the rooms are dated and could benefit from some refreshing. We had a lot of issues with our room key cards. We were at the front desk practically every other day getting them reactivated. The last time we went, the staff member at reception was laughing. I told her, "No, this isn't funny." and told her that we are the ones being inconvenienced by constantly walking back and forth, and by that point, I had had enough. We tried to put everything aside and enjoy our vacation. The one thing that kept us from fully relaxing was the ongoing key card issue. Despite all of that, I would still recommend this hotel to others because the beach is absolutely wonderful. There are plenty of places to sit and relax. During our first week, the hotel was fully booked, so finding a beach chair could be difficult. However, we always managed to find one, even if it wasn't in our preferred spot. There were also long lineups at the lunch buffet during the first week. Thankfully, those issues disappeared during the second week. The food offered a lot of variety, but much of it seemed to sit under warming lights for too long. Some items, particularly the fish, were dry and overcooked. I understand they need to keep up with demand, but unfortunately, it sometimes affects the quality of the food. For the à la carte restaurants, we tried two: the Fish restaurant and the Brazilian restaurant. We loved both. We also heard many positive comments about the Greek restaurant. The entertainment staff were great. It's not easy to remain cheerful and smiling all day, every day, even when you don't feel like it. I tried to participate in as many activities as possible, both to pass the time and to get to know the staff. It also helped that I speak a little Spanish. Overall, as a first-time visitor who had read many reviews beforehand, I was expecting a different experience. While we still had some enjoyable moments, this resort will not be at the top of our list for a return visit.

  Sep 24, 2026