Facilities and services 3 lake-style pools 3 Jacuzzis Large sun terrace with gardens, sun umbrellas and loungers Pool and beach towel service BAHIA SPA (20% discount on some treatments) Sports facilities: gym, 2 tennis courts, volleyball court, football pitch Water activity centre Motorised sports (additional charge) Entertainment amphitheatre Wedding gazebo WiFi access in the lobby (free) and in rooms (additional charge) 2 main restaurants 5 speciality restaurants 5 Bars 1 Snack bar Exclusive terrace bar serving Premium drinks Private check-in/out Late check-out subject to availability 18 hole golf course. Pueblo Principe: stores, live music, shows, bars and disco. Rooms 70 Deluxe Junior Suites Room facilities: Four poster king size bed or 2 full size beds Pillowtop mattresses Air conditioning Ceiling fan Direct phone line (additional charge for external calls) Sitting are with sofa Balcony or terrace with sea view Fully-equipped bathroom with separate shower, hydromassage bath tub, wash basin, magnifying mirror and hair dryer Bathro be and slippers Don Pablo Collection amenities Radio alarm clock with iPod docking station Flat screen satellite TV Coffee-making facilities Mini-bar Ironing set Beach towels in rooms 24 hour room service Butler service in rooms (available on request) Evening turndown service Pillow menu Safe (no additional charge) Internet and international newspapers and magazines in the Club House WiFi (no additional charge 24H) Aroma menu Bahia 'au Naturel' (over 18s only): The hotel has a nudist bathing area apart from the other areas
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travelers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
To start, we are very well travelled . We’ve done Cuba , Dominican Republic now Jamaica . As well as 13/14 other countries. Stayed in some of the finest hotels there is to offer. Also visited some of the best attractions / beaches . Il start off with some negative and some positives . There is theory in my 5* rating despite a batch of negative / constructive feedback.
Very poorly cared about honeymoon booking. From the staff . None exist banners for the room , no towel are , no drink in the room. Nothing . Bell person service was a waste of time , waited about 30 mins before they had someone to take the bags to room despite us being a 2/3 min walk away. NO WELCOME DRINK for the British flight in , despite the US flight following days all having one. No offer to use he bar whilst we was waiting.
Parts of the Hotel sits on probably the best grounds of Jamaica (from our visit to some of the beaches and hotels on other parts of the island) . The beaches are 5* the beach bar attendants are 5*
Butler was 1* reception staff are 1*
We paid extra for sea view / deluxe luxury . Was given an old room newly merged into the gran side standard next to the swimming pool with no beach view . So we was given a standard room , no sea view but with a wrist band that allowed access to more international known alcoholic brands , WHICH can only be obtained in the lobby (first and last place you’ll visit at the hotel) clever tactic. The premium grey goose and Appleton 12 year are always (out of stock) or hidden away . We paid around £500 per person over 2 weeks to have the benefit of drinking these particular drinks. If you asked for it and was firm they would go to the cellar and get one for you. £500 per person over 2 weeks with 100’s of guest , having these promised beverages at guest deposal should be absolutely guaranteed.
Wasted an evening changing rooms to a better room but still not a deluxe room, tui (by some miracle) managed to get us into a room which was really lovely of them . The tui rep for this hotel is genuine 5* very caring , very helpful and very understanding and friendly. This however was 6 days into the holiday.
One of our biggest issues was we also had a few trips booked . Every hotel we’ve ever stayed at all inclusive / half board , have made us a pack lunch or let us take some food from the buffet in a takeaway box . This hotel doesn’t let you . There are so many false promises . Aforementioned 24 hour snacks is rubbish , you get like a mini danish that’s been left out all day and stale coffee in the lobby . That’s the only place you can also get a coffee in the day , so if you’re wet and in your beach clothes you’re stuck with the real cheap basic alcoholic drinks by the pool / beach . VERY clever from hotel directors to get so much more money out of people cynically.
The hotels always booked up so they’ve got no problem, the money is flooding in. In terms of staff , personalities vary from person to person . It’s like you have people who aren’t very nice , friends , good friends and you’re best friends . The staff are like this too . This hotel at the moment trip advisor reviews are 25% average poor or very poor . This is shocking from a ‘luxury hotel’. Start listening to your customers and make changes . If you lose a star you will lose a lot of customers , lots of holiday providers will drop you . Business maybe good now but sustain that long term .
Best friends members of staff
1st Amoy - works in the lobby , is a butler but wasn’t ours , due to placement of our room helped up , booked our restaurant . Was sweet and kind . I believe she was helping until our butler was back .
2nd Kamille / Jermaine and the rest of the beach hut staff , hard working friendly . There is a lad that works in the biggest breakfast restaurant as well . Works on the right hand side . Aldaine or something . He is awesome . So friendly. These guys are really what made the holiday better. Chantel was very friendly , and actually helped cooked one of the best meals (a waiter) I had at the resort!
3rd the 2 lads who did concierge - like I think he worked on building 26 I wish I knew his name . He was about same age. And building 27. Amazing cool people.
Members of staff that aren’t so nice . MOST of the supervisors , they genuinely stand there staring at the staff making the guest feel uncomfortable and the staff feel nervous and uncomfortable. They stand there like a security guard watching a man in hoody in a shop. Not serving customers but instead staring at the staff . Your staff are genuinely mostly awesome . The passion and morale and friendship toward each other will keep customers happy . Just chip in serve and help customers instead . A lot of the staff put on American accents when speaking to guest and noticed all men have very sort hair . This feels forced by management. Other people waking around when asking where somewhere the just say don’t know , don’t want to help you or point in a direction . Or send you on a wild goose chase . We wasted so much time as the place is massive . A buggy with 2 black people on the black drive drove past me once and ignored me looking at me. And a young lad refused to serve me (served a black lady who came behind me after me being stood for about 1 min) I reported him to the hotel I’ve got thick skin but some people don’t.
There is a strong bias/ dislike towards the British . I don’t know if it’s because British don’t tip as much or at all compared to people from the USA, or some other reason I don’t know . British people usually stay 2 weeks and pay a lot more for flights in comparison to 5 days short flights etc . so we can’t afford to tip as much. I feel this is reflected in the bias level of service in this place unfortunately. This is the same in other Caribbean places.
A lot of the reception staff are up for an argument , they almost find pride in saying no and saying there nothing they can do and smirking , and there’s nothing they can do to everything you ask for or to help with.
Room service was abysmal , shocking beyond words . Missing orders / orders not turning up / orders taking hours to come . Literally our only 3 orders . The lady whom usually answers the phone , has no people skills and potentially a hearing loss . She so unhelpful it was almost comedic something out of little Britain. Room service not turning up caused us to have no food for our long trip to negril 8.20/9.30 . Our evening trip to blue lagoon turned up too later last the time we needed to leave so no dinner . We was given a silly little cake with chocolate sauce saying (sorry on it) which is not a reasonable replacement for what we lost . We had dinner on the beach that was advertised as 55$ per person on everything . However the changes the price to $69 person but with our changing all the leaflets information prices etc . So completely false advertising (staff excuse is they haven’t got around to that yet) this could have been something honoured at least with the problems we have occurred.
Your hotel is literally 95% the ritz and 5% like a shockingly bad . You can walk out of a lift which is dirty , old and serious need of a refurb to a lobby which is pure luxurious to a hallway that’s mouldy damp , smells stained really badly, to gardens which are on par with some of the best I’ve ever seen? it’s bizarre . You need to be consistent, get rid of the carpet and tile it , to stop the wet swim suits / bathers . Causing the carpets to go mouldy and smell . I saw 5/6 members of staff taking up and returning grass which is perfectly okay , but not sort the out the carpets? Again bizarre .
Shuttle bus buggy also , big waste of time . Probably every 30 mins. If you’re hot and exhausted and want to say visit the shops which probably around a 15/20 mins walk . You’d be better just walked or not going . Probably suffer more stood there waiting for the shuttle buggy to turn up.
Again food situation is also an unusual one . Eat some of the worse food I’ve ever had and some of the best food I’ve had! The noodle one was terrible . The hotel are using spaghetti instead of udon noodles? the buffets were just the same food every day more or less . Things weren’t always marked correctly either (being veggie) this is important . I feel a lot of the chefs are rushing the food . The foods coming out undercooked (we walked out of 2 restaurants Picasso and Italian) 2 others could have walked out due to negligence not washing spoons after serving up meat . Or just made to a poor standard . The food in Riu was so so so much better we last stayed at . The best meals we had was dinner on the beach and the other one a member of the waiter team actually made it because the kitchen was busy!! See pictures. However was fantastic meal.
The best food was the jerk sauce . And the vegetables at lunch including the capers / olives etc. the festivals / dumplings were brilliant . So so so good . Like I could praise the guys on the jerk BBQ stand . I’m veggie and they would grill sweetcorn’s for me on empty BBQ and coat with Jerk sauce. I don’t know his name . He is really nice though . He seemed stressed from being on a popular station but when I was asked on my trip what the best part of the holiday was . I said the jerk sauce / jerk sauce / dumplings / festivals (oblong dumplings) man’s station.
The open air entertainment is yards always from most of the rooms , so until near 12 midnight (6am BST) so can hear noise as you are as part of it . So anyone from Europe especially will struggle to get any sleep . Or the families with children who usually sleep early .
Entertainment team seam to be juggling roles , doing lots of different jobs almost . The saxophonist was beyond brilliant , he was phenomenal he only played for short burst and did about 10 other jobs throughout the day . He’s a special talent , I’m 28 however so so many people sat in the lobby to watch him most evening for an hour or so , again You’ve lost what people want from these guys by expecting so much of them, a member of staff told me he is so tired he has no energy to even eat he’s so exhausted it making him Ill, another member of staff told me they are expected to work so much that occasionally they’ll call in sick because they’re unwell , we also saw a worker had collapsed because of the heat . I made this clear when speaking to one of the supervisors. I know you can’t be in 5 places at once . The key thing is to employ a lot more staff to cover different areas . Have some dedicated at all time to beach / pool .
Stick to registering people for activity and then coming to find them before . A lot of activities were on the ‘board’ but never actually happened . Loads of other guests noticed this . The entertainment team seem to stick at the pool with the people with big personalities. We went on a wild goose chase trying so find some of the actives that the staff didn’t actually turn up to or no one knew where they were being done .
I managed to speak to one of the managers / directors about some of these concerns and others . And he seemed like he cared and was interested. He said he knows there improvements to be made and now aware of some problem he wasn’t previously aware of which made me respect him a lot.
Look. Not everything was bad , hence the 5* , the beach and the garden areas was top top top notch . The gardeners need a pay rise . They work in that extreme heat for very long days , making the place look magic . I’m very cross again that this is the only hotel that doesn’t allow the gardeners to give guest coconuts and allow to give them tips . Again it’s all so the hotel can sell the coconuts! Very poor. They are the hardest working people on the resort and probably the lowest paid.
Same with the beach workers . They are awesome . The lobby bartenders are super awesome . The lady with short hair was always very kind and nice also the gentleman whom was about 40 . Something about their charisma and charm and kindness to each other was really special. They were funny . Easy going . This was often spoilt by staring managers / supervisors . They burst into life when they wasn’t around . Making funny jokes . Banter . Doing little tricks etc. no one needs to be micro managed.
In my opinion do book this hotel, but please only book it for the grounds / beach . Please don’t book it because you feel like you’re going to be treated like royalty from everyone . Cuba will always be my favourite because of the staff/ grounds , and then Dominican Republic staff grounds / food then Jamaica 3rd.
Rest of the places are Europe / Asian we’ve stayed so they’re very different. So we won’t compare those.
Both of those other places were far less cost . A lot better value for money .
Book this hotel for the grounds and some of the aforementioned staff . Book this hotel also because it’s in a great location for the trips . 25% of people like I mentioned on trip advisor ratings were average or lower . These weren’t really for the grounds. The grounds are fantastic (except some of the lifts and carpets). More for the service .
If you’re wanting the most special occasions I.e. honeymoon on the other hand , I would give it a miss . If you really not fussed about the location and say it’s first time to the Caribbean . I would say absolutely for sure go to Dominican or Cuba . But if it has to be Jamaican or wants to be. Then this is a good choice .
Another point to make positive is , negril is shared beach between the public and other hotels . We found negril absolutely awful , we was absolutely bombarded with sellers offering me class A drugs / pills etc around 15 times in the space of about 10 mins and wouldn’t leave you alone I actually hid in one of the cars and sat because it was relentless . It was suffocating . THIS hotel we stayed at was private grounds so there was none of this . It was serene. The rasta man was the only person who literally didn’t even push . He came to edge of the beach and called to ask if anyone wanted to buy anything , bracelet / ornaments etc . Genuinely a kind / wise man . Buy all your souvenirs at the shopping village , on the right as you come in , magnets / key rings / shot glasses for as little as 1USD. Some people were really nice . Like really nice good morning hellos.
Final point to the management, be the place that says yes , encourage your staff to help the guest get want they are really wanting for their holiday . I heard a young girl on her first ever trip abroad asking if she could have a shot of this particular drink that you had to pay $9 on top of the already ($500 (2 week)) increase premium (luxury) and he said no . He said he could get his contract terminated or something!! It’s bizarre! she just wanted to try it (must be famous in USA) or something . Be the place that says yes you can do this or do that . I heard a lot of staff say ‘if I do that il get my contract terminated’. For the smallest things Including when we asked for a coconut. Must be horrendous to work for. In dream vacations wishes do come true . And I know someone who worked at sandals was told ‘you must do anything more or less to make the guest happy’.
Final words -
Grounds 10+/10 (except 2 lifts and the mouldy carpet) Beaches 10+/10 Breakfast 7/10 Lunch / beach - poolside 10+/10 Dinner on the beach 10+/10 with chef Richard Dinner buffet 6/10 Dinner in other restaurants average 4/10 Certain members of staff 1/10 reception / own butler Certain members of staff 10/10 aforementioned. Peace and quiet 9pm - 12pm onwards 0/10 Peace and quiet in the morning 10/10
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Date of stay: July 2022Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Melissa Burrell, Other at Bahia Principe Luxury Runaway Bay
Responded Aug 2, 2022
Hello Jewell, We really appreciate you taking the time to send your valuable comments about your stay with us as it helps to maintain the quality at the hotel. We sincerely apologies for any disappointments at this time because it certainly does not reflect the commitment and the quality that we have exhibited for many years. We are grateful for your recognition of our team members, for being of great service to you during your vacation. All your observations have been forwarded to the Management of the resort as the guest’s satisfaction is our priority and rest assured, we will be constantly striving to the excellence in our services. May I use this opportunity to thank you again for choosing Bahia Principe Jamaica Resort, to be your holiday destination in the Caribbean. We hope you come again to enjoy our new services. Best Regards, Melissa Burrell
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My first piece of advice before even getting to your resort is to book Club Mobay and private transportation to your resort. We skipped large lineups at the airport and having private shuttle ( Byrons) allowed us to get to the resort without any stress. I traveled with my wife, son (20) ,daughter (21) and daughters friend (21). We chose this resort because we were travelling with younger adults and wanted a more fun/party vacation experience. Rooms were very good, housekeeping excellent. No issues with fridge being restocked or towels, face cloths being replenished. We were in room 25202, great location for lobby, pool and beach but a little higher up would have given us a better Ocean view. We were blocked out by some trees. Our kids room was just down the hall ( 25214) and they had a much better unobstructed view . Food was what we expected . Buffets had good selections and restaurants ( Rodizio and Takara) were decent. Overall the staff were friendly . There were a couple of sour faces but not enough to effect our experience. Luxury beach is not the greatest so if your a beach person this is not the place for you. The pools were great. Lots of fun at the main swim up bar area but you could always find a quiet spot if needed. I think the negative reviews of this resort are born out of expectations. This is not a Luxury retreat .It's a very good resort and if you go expecting to have fun, good food/drink and accommodations then you can't go wrong with this resort.
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Date of stay: December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from BahiaPrincipeJamaica, Online Reputation at Bahia Principe Luxury Runaway Bay
Responded Jan 6, 2020
Dear Guest: On behalf of our team we thank you for taking the time to express the details of your holiday experience our hotel. We appreciate your comments about our restaurants, pools and swim up bar.We always strive to provide our guests with the highest quality service so they can stay absolutely happy with their holiday. For the points that you have mentioned, we have sent the information to the departments involved to apply the necessary actions that guarantee the quality of our services. Thanks again for your choice and we hope you give us the opportunity to host you again. Sending you our Best Regards, Sabrina Walters Luxury Bahia Principe Runaway Bay
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Lets start with the good, the resort is exceptionally clean, with a nice layout. Check in was good and the bartenders fantastic. Good drinks with quality liquor. They first checked us into a road/ocean facing room. It was terrible with the trucks using engine brakes non stop and one of two elevators out of service. When we asked for a room change they were accommodating, we thought that we had a winner for a resort but that party ended right there. The pool deck is marble tiled and slippery, several people took tumbles in the week we were there luckily none severe. The resolution would seem to be wearing water shoes around the pool. If your older or have mobility problems you will want to be cautious as this pool deck is unforgiving if your weight isn't placed on your feet just right. There was an exposed hallway at the end of the room hallway leading to the pool that was wet and extremely slippery when it rained, it remained a hazard well after the rain stopped. The kicker is that it was just in front of the staff elevator and no one cleared the danger. The restaurants are clean but the servers are smile less on the average. Nothing worse than feeling a burden when you eat. The pasta sauce was horrendous with the fat from the ground beef laying on the top and being dished onto my pasta as sauce, yuck, that grease sauce went promptly in garbage. The only good offering at the pool restaurant was the jerk chicken, after a week of jerk chicken for lunch every day I don't want Jerk Chicken until my next visit to Jamaica next year. This traveler is an early riser and has always despised those that save pool and beach chairs in the early morning not to return for literal hours, if not until after an excursion. It was a refreshing instance to see this resort had an attendant on duty to remove towels placed on chairs to reserve until 9am. That is until after lounging on my chair from around 7am until about 8:15 reading news and doing crosswords went to refill his coffee, only to come back to his chair to see his items removed. Which initiated a debate with the attendant over the terminology between " use and reserve ". When she realized she was being exposed as petty she got snotty, initiating a desk complaint, which changed nothing. Making early risers have to stay on their chairs until 9 or chase down their belongings. It was a mess that will have this vacationer never to return. I wish I could say that Luxury Bahia provided a good getaway but that would be untruthful. Disappointed doesn't do justice to the impression place by their lack of concern for the early risers and their complaints and the lack of common sense. They were perplexed when it was pointed out that we couldn't really " use " any chairs until 9am. They said yes, we said absolutely not when your removing belongings. This is not relaxing, and it certainly flies in the face of customer service.
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Date of stay: February 2020
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Jamaican truck drivers use engine brakes relentlessly any room facing the road will be engine...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from BahiaPrincipeJamaica, Online Reputation at Bahia Principe Luxury Runaway Bay
Responded Mar 17, 2020
Dear Guest: First of all I would like to thank you for your detailed feedback regarding your recent stay at our hotel resort. It will certainly help us to keep focus on customer satisfaction and fulfillment of our hotel standards. We are sorry for the mentioned issues and disappointment with some services we offer, that certainly does not reflect the commitment and the quality that we have exhibited for many years. Some of the problems you have mentioned are totally under our standards and we have already taken corrective actions in order to meet our values again. Furthermore we would like to express our appreciation for your concerns which have been discussed with our Management. The comments and suggestions we receive from our guests are very important to maintain the quality of the service at the resort. They will be definitely reviewed with different departments to introduce corrective actions and improvements. We review the incidence and deeply regret the situation; our staff always tries to give the best possible experience to the guests; and we give the proper follow up to all the requests and necessities during the stay of our customers. If you give us another opportunity to host you in the future, we are sure you will enjoy your stay at our hotel. Sending you our Best Regards, Sabrina Walters
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Returned to this hote in Nov 2019 l and stayed in the luxury side what a mistake this was very noisy and this Is all day and night most of the staff are lovely but some are very rude especially if you don't tip them every single time on arrival we were but in a room that had a view of a dump yard and had barking dogs all night. The buffet menu was not good you wait ages for them to refill the trays and same food all the time. The pool side restaurant is full of flies. You do not get any peace around the pool for the very loud music and rowdy people in the pool or if you like the smell of drugs around the pool you will be fine as the bar waiters and life guards sell drugs and the management allow people to smoke it around the pool it's disgusting. But a miss each day into whether your rooms are cleaned and there excuse is your sign on the door was out saying do not disturb fridges are not refilled every day and when you ask you get a tut from them. While we were there a lot of people came down with a stomach bug which my partner got and when home ended up in hospital and is still in now as this bug he caught there started a serious infection off that attacked his heart and resulted in open heart surgery it is now the end of January and he's been in hospital since 29th November Jordan the hotel manger admitted that there are serious problems with the hotel and dose not know what to do and he tried to get us to sign a disclaimer offering a 25 minute massage we would not accept this guy are aware of everything going on as well but seem to be still selling this holiday. Please be very careful when deciding to book this hotel Jamaica is a lovely place and been many times there a so more better hotels there please do not make the mistake of this one.
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Date of stay: November 2019
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Go on the highest floor possible
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We arrived at the resort late afternoon this was our first trip to Jamaica . When we arrived we checked in and was given a number to give to the bellboys to put on are suitcases , we was given a personal butler her name was Simone . Simone was very nice and provided us with all the information about the hotel . She showed us our room and said if we needed anything including , a jacuzzi bath run we only had to call butler services . I called one evening and when I came back to the room my jacuzzi was done . The room was lovely and we had a perfect chambermaid who cleaned the room daily and was always cheerful . Turndown service was done some nights if we were in the room they left clean towels and chocolates . I loved the beach you could walk all the way along past the Grand hotel to the nude beach . Personally I think that should be on the adult side . We never had any problems with the Rastas and locals on the beach they had to stay in the water . If they offer you anything a NO is all it needs and they don't bother you . Loved las Olas for breakfast and lunch ( jerk chicken ) amazing !!! Also fab views of the beach & sea . Only al a carte I didn't rate was dolce vita all the others we enjoyed . I think the Knife is a new restaurant . Food and service was excellent . We went to the bahia village on the Grand side some nights but usually stayed at the river falls lobby bar . Trips we went to blue hole which was beautiful and also Bob Marley's really worth going loved it . Would we return to this resort Yes no doubt about it can't wait to return Yeh Mon !
 
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Date of stay: March 2020Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from BahiaPrincipeJamaica, Manager at Bahia Principe Luxury Runaway Bay
Responded Mar 31, 2020
Dear Guest, On behalf of all the Management and team members at the Bahia Principe Luxury Runaway Bay we would like to thank you for taking the time to share your comments. It is indeed a great pleasure to learn that you have enjoyed your stay at our resort; your kind words have been shared with the team. They will be happy to know they continue to create memorable experiences with our valued guests. May I use this opportunity to thank you again for choosing Bahia Principe Luxury Runaway Bay to be your holiday destination in the Caribbean. We are very much looking forward to welcoming you back for another enjoyable retreat to our sunny island. Kind Regards, S. Black Bahia Principe Luxury Runaway Bay
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Overall it was good. Management and staff need to be on the same page. One person tells you one thing while another says something totally different. There should be signage in the Lobby informing guest of procedures for booking, getting and results of you Covid test. Waiting in line only to find out you need specific documents that are in your room is not good at all. Especially if you've been waiting a long time. Wearing mask at all times needs to be enforced. I saw many people in the lobby with no mask and throughout the resort. The resort did a good job making sure folks had a temperature check and sanitized hands before entering the dining areas.
Though an activities board was posted we never knew what the nightly entertainment was and had to ask. That should be explained and given to you when you check in. I was told Yoga, Pilates and stretching was done at the pool unless inclement weather. Only to be waiting at the pool and find out it's in the gym. The poor instructor had to leave the class every time someone came into the gym to check them in. There should have been 2 people so the morning classes weren't interrupted.
As a Privilege guest you should be able to get Premium alcohol at any bar if you have the proper band color, in addition to having food brought to you at the beach, and a towel shack there as well. Let's just say I got my walking in.
Donnette B with Housekeeping kept our room cleaned daily. Owen with entertainment did an awesome job with the daily classes at the gym and Aqua aerobics!!! I can't forget the wonder massage from Russhane!! If I could pack you guys in my suitcase I would. THANK YOU for the WONDERFUL job you do!
I would definitely visit another Bahia Principe to compare. The food was excellent!!
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Date of stay: March 2021
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Donnette Brown was excellent cleaning our room over looking the pool.
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Response from Bahia Principe Grand Jamaica, Other at Bahia Principe Luxury Runaway Bay
Responded Apr 8, 2021
Dear Guest, We really appreciate you taking the time to send your valuable comments about your stay with us as it helps to maintain the quality at the hotel. Thank you for enjoying your time at our resort and sharing your positive comments about the service, the staff, and our services. We also appreciate your acknowledgment of our team who has been of great service during your stay at our resort and we are eager to inform you that all the staff mentioned has already received your congratulations. We hope you will visit us again and we will do our utmost to accommodate your needs and make your stay enjoyable. Warmest Regards, Online Reputation
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First the resort itself is nice, it’s not over the top but you get what you pay for. Food was good, again not any thing to brag about but something for everyone. Beach was ok, pool was nice but tended to get grimy by the end of the day . Outdoor pavers where all marble and slippery. Rooms where clean, drinks served in small plastic cups, no straws bring your own paper straws. Lounge chairs at beach and pool are all taken by 9 am, get out there at 8:30 and sit there until 9 and no one will take your towels and you will have a spot for the day. Time share harassment is bad they are positioned so you have to walk by them several times a day, my advice get one of the flimsy bracelets the reps offer you as a free gift decline the presentation and wear the bracelet the whole time you are there , they will see it and leave you alone. Last but not least I go to Jamaica for the Jamaican vibe, I heard 1 Bob Marley song the whole time I was there ! It sounds petty but I was really bummed. If I was to hear American pop music I can just stay home and do that.
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from BahiaPrincipeJamaica, Online Reputation at Bahia Principe Luxury Runaway Bay
Responded Mar 17, 2020
Dear Guest: We really appreciate you taking the time to send your valuable comments about your stay with us as it helps to maintain the quality at the hotel. We apologies for your expectations not being met at this time, it certainly does not reflect the commitment and the quality that we have exhibited for many years. We review the incidence and deeply regret the situation; our staff always tries to give the best possible experience to the guests; and we give the proper follow up to all the requests and necessities during the stay of our customers. All your observations have been forwarded to the Management of the resort as the guests satisfaction is our priority and rest assured we will be constantly striving to the excellence in our services. Best Regards, Sabrina Walters
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From the start of our holiday the staff and facilities were excellent, as we walked in the reception we were handed hot towels and champagne. The luggage was taken to our room by Garfield (porter), he also gave us useful info about the resort and general services. The resort is pretty large, but easy to navigate with well kept gardens and cheerful staff, the pools and bathing areas are spotless. We used the central swimming pool and the pools swim up was excellent, Richard and Simeon. (I hope correct spelling) made excellent cocktails and always cheerful. The beach area at the shallow lagoon was perfect for a little snorkeling and the beach bar was great, staff came along frequently and took your orders. Lamarks (the barman) cocktails are excellent and fresh coconut Pina coladas are not to be missed, but bring your own straws. Beer was Ice cold presidente and red stripe, plenty of cocktails or the staff can make up their own for your taste preference. Meals at the buffet had a good choice, Jamaican station, pasta station, pizzas, always fish and meats at the fresh grill stations. Breakfast was very varied, but after about a week most items had been tried, omelette station was excellent too, lots of cakes and pastries too. We ate at most of the a la carte restaurants, our favourite was the Italian, I had raw beef for starters and Red snapper for main which melted in your mouth. Knife restaurant had great steaks as did the Don Pablo, tepenyaki was great entertainment and food wonderful. Picasso restaurant was the most formal and felt very upmarket, but my ribeye steak was not the best, the starter and desert were great and service excellent. The room was a bit dated, but was kept spotless and everything worked fine, I requested a ground floor room and was allocated one which was spot on, the staff bend over backwards to ensure you have a great stay. I've never used a Bahia hotel before and went to the resort, because our local Hays travel advisor (Rhonda) suggested that they're superb, I'd say she was spot on. I'll be using the hotel group again and hope to go back soon, an enjoyable stay with beautiful people, resort and weather. As the locals say, respec' man, I'd say keep up the good work, if you want a relaxing holiday in a great location and let your worries sink away look no further than this hotel 😉.
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Date of stay: March 2022Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Melissa Burrell, Other at Bahia Principe Luxury Runaway Bay
Responded Mar 23, 2022
Dear Guest, Thank you for your comments. It is a pleasure to know that you enjoyed our services, and amazing staff during your vacation. We are grateful for your recognition of our team members, for being of great service to you during your vacation. We are always striving to give our guests the highest quality service so that they could stay absolutely content with their vacation at our hotel. Sending you our Warmest Regards, Melissa Burrell Online Reputation Coordinator
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We just got back from this beautiful resort and had spent a wonderful week in the luxury side of the resort while also enjoying some of the amenities at the grand side. This is a very large complex so you certainly get your exercise but once you are familiar with it the distance isn't an issue. Great service from the airport straight to the resort where we were greeted by a very friendly host who ensured we had a fresh washcloth and a welcome drink while registering. Shanesse took very good care of us and brought us to our room and carefully explained everything in our room including how to set the . Everytime we would see her she would make her way over to ensure everything we alright and ask if we needed any assistance. Every day by the pool the gentleman came around asking if we needed anything to be done or sent to our room and if you were missing anything it was there by the time you went up to your room. The food was fabulous in the a la cartes and in the buffet as they change up the menu to offer a great variety. We also ate at the grand side for a buffet and it was superb as well. Sanitation in this resort excellent as all of the staff wear masks at all times ,they have hand sanitizers situated everywhere , they take your temp and ensure you sanitize upon entering any food area and also require you to sanitize every time you go back to the buffet are for food /desserts . The staff at this resort is incredibly friendly and are always insuring your vacation is fabulous. The night time entertainment is phenomenal!!!! Kermani aka MR>was the director of entertainment on the luxury side and was beyond exceptonal
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Date of stay: February 2022
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Bahia Principe Grand Jamaica, Other at Bahia Principe Luxury Runaway Bay
Responded Feb 22, 2022
Dear Guest, We really appreciate you taking the time to send your valuable comments about your stay with us as it helps to maintain the quality at the hotel. Thank you for enjoying your time at our resort and sharing your positive comments about the service, the staff, and our services. We also appreciate your acknowledgment of our team members who have been of great service during your stay at our resort and we are eager to inform you that all the staff mentioned has already received your congratulations. We hope you will visit us again and we will do our utmost to accommodate your needs and make your stay enjoyable. Warmest Regards, Online Reputation
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This was my third time there and still find it one of the best resorts i've ever stayed at.
I was however very disappointed with the nightly shows. Lame and amateurish. Musical chairs?? Seriously?? These "shows" were for kids, not adults. Not entertaining whatsoever. Very few people showed up and left not long after they started, bored and laughing.
The lack of and inconsistent Covid precautions were also an issue. The resort removed face cloths from the rooms yet I was greeted with a wet cool face cloth at restaurants? Why are there cloth napkins instead of paper (throw away) napkins? Makes no sense. There was no heads up to any of Covid precautions the resort implemented prior to arriving. Add it to your website so people can come prepared. I had to buy a face cloth for $8!!!!
Put wash cloths back in rooms - it makes no sense that I can get a cool wash cloth when I check in but I cannot have one in my hotel room.
Stop allowing guests to bring their reusable cups to the bar for refilling! If a guest at a restaurant cannot hand their plate back to a server in the buffet, why should a guest be able to hand back a used cup to be refilled? Refilling used cups is in complete violation of infection control protocols as cups/taps/equipment can be easily cross-contaminated.
There was also pressure by some staff for big tips, probably because the resort was closed for over a year and they are trying to make up on lost revenue. I felt like I was an inconvenience to some.
Lack of communication between the staff and guests seemed an issue as well. I had to find out about closed and relocated restaurants on my own, what excursions were offered, what room service had for a menu, the informational binder typically in rooms was also removed.
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Review collected in partnership with RCI
Date of stay: November 2021
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Melissa Burrell, Other at Bahia Principe Luxury Runaway Bay
Responded Dec 8, 2021
Dear Guest, We really appreciate you taking the time to send your valuable comments about your stay with us as it helps to maintain the quality at the hotel. All your observations have been forwarded to the Management of the resort as the guest’s satisfaction is our priority and rest assured, we will be constantly striving to the excellence in our services. Best Regards, Melissa Burrell Online Reputation Coordinator.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
There's an app for the bahia resorts. Join the rewards program and you can book restaurants on there. I did have a lot challenges using it though before my arrival. There's kiosks in he lobby for booking restaurants and spa treatments, as well.
The Dolphin Excursion is amazing. We really enjoyed horseback riding on the beach too. Don't over do on excursions because you will want to enjoy the resort too. Just a note, shop at the resort, it's less expensive.
There are more places to choose from in the Runaway Bay area.
PRICE RANGE
$283 - $389 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
CaribbeanJamaicaSaint Ann ParishRunaway Bay
NUMBER OF ROOMS
525
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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