Cheaper Vacations
Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo
Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo
Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo
Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo
Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo

Bahia Principe Explore El Portillo Stars Stars Stars Stars Half stars

Samaná, Dominican Republic

606 rooms in the hotel

606

Rooms*

3 swimming pools at the hotel

3

Pools*

7 restaurants at the hotel

7

Restaurants*

7 bars at the hotel

7

Bars*

Eco-responsible

Hotel

Eco-responsible


Description

Located directly on the Samana Peninsula, approximately 35 km from the airport, the Grand Bahia Principe El Portillo is a superb 4-star resort ideal for family vacations. The hotel offers guests a wide variety of restaurants, several bars, a nightclub, a water park, and numerous other activities for all ages. Its long beach is perfect for leisurely walks. Snorkeling is also available right in front of the hotel; a dedicated snorkeling center awaits you.


Map


Evaluations

Overall ratings

Ratings explanation

Excellent
81% to 100%
Very good
61% to 80%
Average
41% to 60%
Poor
21% to 40%
Horrible
0% to 20%

415
176
26
7
4

Breakdown of ratings according to each of the criteria

Entertainment
74%

Entertainment

10 / 10
89
9 / 10
68
8 / 10
189
7 / 10
101
6 / 10
56
5 / 10
46
4 / 10
12
3 / 10
15
2 / 10
7
1 / 10
2
0 / 10
10
Overall look
84%

Overall look

10 / 10
166
9 / 10
167
8 / 10
181
7 / 10
65
6 / 10
13
5 / 10
19
4 / 10
6
3 / 10
3
2 / 10
0
1 / 10
1
0 / 10
7
Bar(s)
80%

Bar(s)

10 / 10
131
9 / 10
123
8 / 10
190
7 / 10
77
6 / 10
44
5 / 10
27
4 / 10
14
3 / 10
5
2 / 10
4
1 / 10
4
0 / 10
3
Buffet(s)
83%

Buffet(s)

10 / 10
160
9 / 10
149
8 / 10
175
7 / 10
77
6 / 10
31
5 / 10
18
4 / 10
8
3 / 10
3
2 / 10
2
1 / 10
0
0 / 10
5
Room
74%

Room

10 / 10
108
9 / 10
103
8 / 10
157
7 / 10
87
6 / 10
71
5 / 10
40
4 / 10
17
3 / 10
19
2 / 10
6
1 / 10
7
0 / 10
10
Staff
85%

Staff

10 / 10
227
9 / 10
141
8 / 10
142
7 / 10
62
6 / 10
19
5 / 10
14
4 / 10
13
3 / 10
2
2 / 10
3
1 / 10
2
0 / 10
3
Pool(s)
81%

Pool(s)

10 / 10
144
9 / 10
125
8 / 10
175
7 / 10
78
6 / 10
38
5 / 10
24
4 / 10
9
3 / 10
4
2 / 10
4
1 / 10
4
0 / 10
6
Beach
90%

Beach

10 / 10
312
9 / 10
152
8 / 10
98
7 / 10
26
6 / 10
18
5 / 10
9
4 / 10
6
3 / 10
4
2 / 10
0
1 / 10
0
0 / 10
3
Cleanliness
90%

Cleanliness

10 / 10
317
9 / 10
146
8 / 10
105
7 / 10
24
6 / 10
10
5 / 10
10
4 / 10
5
3 / 10
3
2 / 10
2
1 / 10
1
0 / 10
4
Restaurant(s)
81%

Restaurant(s)

10 / 10
152
9 / 10
141
8 / 10
183
7 / 10
63
6 / 10
28
5 / 10
19
4 / 10
19
3 / 10
4
2 / 10
3
1 / 10
3
0 / 10
7

Résumé des avis

Guests appreciate the excellent cleanliness of the resort and rooms, as well as the friendly and helpful staff. The beautiful beach is ideal for walking and snorkeling, and the food is varied and of good quality. Furthermore, the resort's manageable size allows easy access to all facilities, including pleasant swimming pools. While the service is generally appreciated, occasional delays can occur at the buffet or bars. Additionally, the rooms are sometimes considered dated, and the main pool can sometimes lack sufficient seating.

Résumé des avis des voyageurs généré par IA

Reviews

Marica S.

Spouse travel, September 22, 2026
90%
Alright
Très bien

Have a great week and visit one of the most beautiful beaches I've seen in the Republic, without sargassum seaweed.

Passez une bonne semaine et une des plus belle plage que j ai vu en Republique, sans sargasses

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Translated from french by AI

Review details

Entertainment
8/10
Overall look
9/10
Bar(s)
10/10
Buffet(s)
9/10
Room
6/10
Staff
9/10
Pool(s)
9/10
Beach
10/10
Cleanliness
10/10
Restaurant(s)
9/10

Karine D.

Spouse travel, September 22, 2026
85%
Beautiful resort
Beau resort

The resort's greatest attraction is the beach with the coral reef and fish right in front of the hotel.

Le plus bel attrait du resort est la plage avec la barrière de corail et les poissons direct devant l'hôtel.

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Review details

Entertainment
7/10
Overall look
8/10
Bar(s)
9/10
Buffet(s)
9/10
Room
8/10
Staff
7/10
Pool(s)
8/10
Beach
10/10
Cleanliness
9/10
Restaurant(s)
7/10

Isabelle F.

Spouse travel, September 22, 2026
95%
Have a great vacation!
belle vacance

Beautiful place, everyone friendly and smiling, the beach is gorgeous, the water is clear with lots of little fish, and you can walk for a long time on the beach. It's clean everywhere, the buffet is good, the à la carte dinner is good, and you can eat well everywhere. The room was okay, mine was clean and bug-free, the air conditioning could be improved, and the fridge temperature could also be improved, but overall it was good, I would go back someday!

belle endroit tout le monde sympathique souriant plage super belle eau claire beaucoup de petit poisson et on peux marcher longtemps sur la plage propre partout buffet bien souper a la carte bien a n'a bien manger partout .chambre correct pour la mienne pas de bibite propre air climatiser a améliorer et la température du frigo aussi a améliorer mais ds tout l'ensemble cétais bien moi j'y retournerais un jour!

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Review details

Entertainment
8/10
Overall look
10/10
Bar(s)
10/10
Buffet(s)
10/10
Room
7/10
Staff
10/10
Pool(s)
10/10
Beach
10/10
Cleanliness
10/10
Restaurant(s)
10/10

Claudine B.

Friends travel, September 19, 2026
90%
Exceeded our expectations
A depassé nos attentes

Beautiful site, smiling staff, air conditioning in the buffet and the rooms leave something to be desired, especially in the hot summer months.

Beau site, personnel souriant, air climatisé dans le buffet et les chambres laisse à désirer surtout dans les mois chauds d’été.

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Translated from french by AI

Review details

Entertainment
8/10
Overall look
10/10
Bar(s)
10/10
Buffet(s)
7/10
Room
7/10
Staff
9/10
Pool(s)
9/10
Beach
10/10
Cleanliness
10/10
Restaurant(s)
8/10

Michael V.

Spouse travel, September 15, 2026
75%
A lovely stay, but several points to improve
Un beau séjour, mais plusieurs points à améliorer

Overall, we enjoyed our stay at the hotel and weren't disappointed. The grounds are pleasant, the pools are very well laid out, and the beach is beautiful. The staff also work very diligently to keep the common areas and the beach clean. There also seemed to be an excellent variety of activities, both during the day and in the evening. The main areas for improvement concern the rooms and the food. Upon arrival, our first room had a strong musty smell, and the air conditioning wasn't working properly. When an employee came to check, the suggested solution was simply to place a coffee bag near the vent to mask the smell. We eventually asked to change rooms. The second room was significantly better, and the air conditioning worked more effectively, although it was still quite limited. The rooms are also rather dated, and the housekeeping could be much more thorough. The housekeeping staff were always very friendly, and the room wasn't generally dirty, but several details were overlooked: hair was regularly found, mirrors were poorly cleaned, and some sections of the floor were done hastily. Conversely, the overall cleanliness of the complex and common areas was very good. The buffet was probably one of the aspects that impressed us the least. The food was decent, the desserts were good and well-presented, and we enjoyed the various themed evenings. However, several dishes were constantly repeated, and the selection became quite repetitive. The biggest problem, however, was the temperature in the dining room. The air conditioning was clearly inadequate with the doors constantly open. It was sometimes more comfortable outside thanks to the breeze than inside the restaurant. The service at the buffet was also quite inconsistent: some employees were extremely warm and attentive, while others seemed much less interested in serving customers. Regarding the à la carte restaurants, our experience was mixed. The French restaurant was excellent and was our favorite. The Greek restaurant was decent and generally well-executed, although some dishes were less convincing, particularly the lamb, which was very tough. We were less impressed with the Brazilian restaurant: the meat service was quite slow and inconsistent, and we didn't even get a chance to try all the meats on offer. The bars were decent, but the cocktails were rather average, and some recipes didn't quite match the descriptions. Finally, we were surprised by the relatively limited number of staff who could communicate in English. We obviously didn't expect fluent French, but more English would have facilitated many interactions. Despite these points, we had a good stay. The beach, the pools, the activities, the outdoor spaces, and the friendliness of many staff members are definite highlights. With room renovations, better climate control in the restaurants, and more consistency in the food and room maintenance, the experience could be significantly improved.

Nous avons globalement apprécié notre séjour à l’hôtel et nous n’en repartons pas déçus. Le site est agréable, les piscines sont très bien aménagées et la plage est magnifique. Le personnel travaille également très activement à maintenir les espaces communs et la plage propres. Il semblait aussi y avoir une excellente variété d’activités, autant durant la journée qu’en soirée.

Les principaux points à améliorer concernent surtout les chambres et la restauration. À notre arrivée, notre première chambre avait une forte odeur d’humidité et la climatisation fonctionnait mal. Lorsqu’un employé est venu vérifier, la solution proposée a simplement été de placer un sachet de café près de la ventilation pour masquer l’odeur. Nous avons finalement demandé à changer de chambre. La deuxième était nettement mieux et la climatisation fonctionnait davantage, même si elle demeurait assez limitée.

Les chambres sont également assez vieillissantes et le ménage pourrait être beaucoup plus minutieux. Le personnel d’entretien était toujours très sympathique et la chambre n’était pas sale de façon générale, mais plusieurs détails étaient négligés : cheveux retrouvés régulièrement, miroirs mal nettoyés et certaines parties du plancher faites rapidement. À l’inverse, la propreté générale du complexe et des espaces communs était très bonne.

Le buffet est probablement l’un des aspects qui nous a le moins impressionnés. La nourriture était correcte, les desserts étaient bons et bien présentés, et nous avons apprécié les différentes soirées thématiques. Cependant, plusieurs plats revenaient constamment et le choix devenait assez répétitif. Le plus gros problème reste toutefois la température dans la salle à manger. La climatisation est clairement insuffisante avec les portes constamment ouvertes. Il faisait parfois plus confortable à l’extérieur grâce à la brise qu’à l’intérieur du restaurant.

Le service au buffet était aussi assez variable : certains employés étaient extrêmement chaleureux et attentionnés, alors que d’autres semblaient beaucoup moins intéressés à servir les clients.

Concernant les restaurants à la carte, notre expérience a été mitigée. Le restaurant français était excellent et a été notre préféré. Le restaurant grec était correct et généralement bien exécuté, même si certains plats nous ont moins convaincus, notamment l’agneau qui était très dur. Le restaurant brésilien nous a moins plu : le service des viandes était assez lent et irrégulier et nous n’avons même pas eu l’occasion de goûter à toutes les viandes proposées.

Les bars étaient corrects, mais les cocktails étaient plutôt moyens et certaines recettes ne ressemblaient pas vraiment aux cocktails annoncés.

Finalement, nous avons été surpris par le nombre relativement limité d’employés capables de communiquer en anglais. Nous ne nous attendions évidemment pas à ce que le français soit couramment parlé, mais davantage d’anglais aurait facilité plusieurs interactions.

Malgré ces points, nous avons passé un bon séjour. La plage, les piscines, les activités, les espaces extérieurs et la gentillesse de plusieurs membres du personnel sont de véritables points forts. Avec une rénovation des chambres, un meilleur contrôle de la climatisation dans les restaurants et davantage de constance dans la restauration et l’entretien des chambres, l’expérience pourrait être nettement meilleure.

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Translated from french by AI

Review details

Entertainment
9/10
Overall look
7/10
Bar(s)
6/10
Buffet(s)
5/10
Room
5/10
Staff
7/10
Pool(s)
9/10
Beach
10/10
Cleanliness
7/10
Restaurant(s)
7/10

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