Room Number:
3106
Room Block:
building 3
Arrival: Arrived to Samana from Toronto via West Jet. Booked a private transfer with Tour Samana with Terry as we were travelling with a 22-month-old and did not want the long treck on the cliff tops. Worth the money and Terry & Elesio are amazing people! The driving was fantastic, in an air conditioned van, with a car seat and of course, some great music. We arrived to the hotel on a Saturday, around 4 pm. It was very busy & loud, and from our understanding, many locals stay there on the weekends as a getaway. Usually this doesn’t bother us at all, but it felt as though they felt they were superior to other guests. Once Monday came along, the atmosphere was very different – quieter and more relaxing.
Another thing to watch out for is the "privilege club" people. They work for the hotel and hang out in the lobby. They are trying to sell you timeshares. They hassled us every single day (sometimes 2-3 times per day). I think saying "no thanks" once should be enough, and I really didn’t like that they were Bahia employees, as I wasn’t there to be hassled about time shares; I was there to relax.
Rooms: Originally we were booked into room 7108, building 7. The bellboy acted a bit surprised by this, but assured us it was a good room. STAY AWAY FROM ROOM 7108!!! Bathroom light didn’t work, phone didn’t work, we had no towels, bath tub was dirty, and it was infested by mosquitos (we were afraid of opening the bathroom doors as they all seemed to hang out in there). It was also an adjoining room, next to very loud people. We spoke with the reception manager and were moved the next day (as they were full that night).
Once we were moved to building 3, room 3106, we were very happy. Both rooms are ground floor (as per request-easier with toddler). Our 2nd room was much cleaner, no mosquitos, all amenities working. It was kept clean all week. Both were junior suites – very spacious and comfortable. The only thing I would change is to add more lighting. Buildings 1,3,5 are the best locations for sure!
Restaurants and Bars: We ate at the buffet every morning & lunch and 4 evenings. breakfast & lunch is the same everyday, lots of variety and very delicious. We checked out the lunch grill at the beach, but due to our picky toddler, we felt the buffet would suit us better as it had more choice. For dinner, we did the Oriental restaurant once. It was ok. Nothing special, but a very nice atmosphere. We went to the Italian restaurant twice (once for hubby’s bday). Very nice atmosphere, great food, and wonderful service. I did have the white wine and was surprised to find out that it was quite drinkable (I usually hate resort wines). The rest of the week, we ate at the buffet for dinner. Overall, the food was great! We definitely didn’t go hungry! My only complaints about the restaurants is the times they are open. lunch starts at 1 (at buffet – beach grill is 11 I think) and dinners start at 7 pm. I would move both start times back by an hour (so 12 and 6) to make it more convenient for families with younger kids. Also, the AC in the restaurants (especially the buffet) should be stronger. It’s nice to be able to get away from the heat while you are eating, but that didn’t happen here.
Beach/Pools/Grounds: Grounds: The same as other Bahias; exactly what we expected. Nice greenery & some flowers, well taken care of. Lobby is also the same concept as other Bahias, nice atmosphere. No AC anywhere in the lobby/hallways and no breeze. There are ceiling fans, but they do not do much. Pool was ok. Small, and water didn’t feel so clean, but it’s a nice little area with music playing. The beach loungers are comfy, but did have an odor. We only spent 1 morning at the pool as we are beach people. Beach: Amazing! Nice sand, always a lounger available. No big waves, water was calm, clean & crystal clear. Water was warm and had reefs right by the shore, which was nice as you can see many fish swimming around… the closer you get to the reef, the better the fish are!
The vendors on the beach really do harass you EVERY 5 minutes ALL week long. It got quite annoying, but it is what it is.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel: We didn’t do much in terms of activities as we were with a toddler and we like to sit back and relax. The animation staff was great though-really friendly, not pushy and fun. We saw a few "kids shows" (same music/songs every night) and our daughter loved them. We didn’t stay for the show as it was too late for our little one. The staff all around are great – waiters, reception, animation, bar tenders, everyone was super friendly!
They do have music in the lobby every so often which was nice – people were dancing and it was nice to just hang out and listen to the music.
Other Comments: Overall, this was a solid resort. More of a 3.5 star in my books. I think the business on the weekend, the crappy room we got at first, beach vendors and time share people brought it down from a 4 star for me.
With that said, it’s a nice, smaller resort that has great food and really nice staff with an amazing beach. I don’t regret going there, but I have been to better all around resorts. If you love a beautiful beach though, this resort is definitely one to consider.