BookIt.com Verified Traveler Dmg from Baltimore, Md

"The resort is very beautiful, the staff made sure that you were comfortable . The only thing I did not like was been hassled to join their club. It is a time share they are selling, although they say it's not. Please take my advice stay away from the promise of the free gift. They tell you it will take only 90 mins, we were there for over 3hrs and only receive a gift certificate for 20mins. Overall the our time at resort was wonderful. I would recommend this facility. The food was ok, I think the Jamaica variety was very limited."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Katie from Cervantes, CA

"Location was beautiful and the resort had a lot to offer (games, shows, shops). The food was not that great though. :( Half the staff was friendly, other half was not. "

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Maya

"I am Jamaican and I got home twice per year and I always try to stay at different resorts to get various experiences. I can say, this is the best resort I have been to so far. It was very clean, all the amenities needed, friendly staff and service. We had a hiccup in the beginning with the hotel not having our reservation, but after clearing that up with the agency it was easy breezy for the rest of the time. Cant wait to go back!!!"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Bob from Baltimore, MD

"It's a nice resort from the out side. Our room had number of problems such as broken shower head and lamps, the shower door almost fell on my 3 year old, I end up leaving it in the hall way.The pool and the beach were great, clean, nice beautifull, the bars did not offer many choices of drinks, and used 6 oz cups so you had to make many trips back and fort to get a dirnk. I thought the buffet resturant was great , good variety of food, and salad, However I can not say that about the other resturants (specialty food) it took so long in the Italian resturanr to get our main course that my kids could not wait any more so we left with out eating.ROOM SERVICE IS EXTRA, they want you pay for it. We travel few times a year THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT I HEARD SUCH THING. also the safe in the room is not free. Most likely we will NOT go to this resort again."

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"I do not recommend this hotel, we had the Royal Golden, first we arrive late friday night on March 29 and they gave our room to another person, we had asked when we booked face to the beach and they gave us another room at the other end, we had our room late the next day at 3:30pm and it was in ocean front, but that day was spoiled had to leave our luggage in a special room until we had our room, but one thing I could say is A BIG THANK YOU TO
SUCH A NICE LITTLE WOMEN WHO WAS VERY PROFESSIONAL , PATIENT, AND A NICE SMILE ALL THE TIME, she did a good job finding us a nice room and on top of it all is was not her fault....but the only thing I could say about that hotel is a big thank you to her, and the food is excellent at the restaurant and all the waiters at the table are nice and polite, but one thing they should work on is when people arrive at the front desk, they are easy to make mistake, so they should work at that. But what we did they offer a lot of people to try the other Hotel ( GRAND PALLADIUM) a lot more class to it. If people want to go to Jamaica I would recommend that one."

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"Been to Jamaica several times and this was without a doubt the worst property we have ever stayed. The reviews I've read were spot on about the staff and their treatment of visitors. They are surly and want you to just go away. They are rude and care nothing about your satisfaction or enjoyment of the property. It is obvious they resent you even being there and I would particularly call out a bartender at the pool bar who is so adept at treating you with contempt and has an ability to shout across the pool in some language you cant understand but voicing his contempt for his work. By the way they peg you if you are not a generous tipper and let you stand there if you arent. I tipped but not enough I guess. The buffet is unbelievable. Imagine an unmanageaable number of people attempting to atend a buffet at the same time. Unreal chaos!!! The food is terrible; there is no one tending to it to monitor the safety and quality and quantity of the individual items. The place looks really nice on its surface but it is so deceiving. Staff gets a zero, food gets a zero, one and a half hour ride from the airport(longer if yhour bus breaks down(ours did). If you are looking for a quality time and a pleasing vacation....KEEP LOOKING!!!"

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"Had a great time with 4 friends. Jamaicans are such friendly and warm people. Our hotel was very nice, food was excellent (which is not usually the case in resorts such as Cuba and Mexico). The jerk chicken was amazing! Our room was more like a 4 star than a 5 star but just a few things needed updating/fixing.
The service was excellent. I had a minor medical incident and the care and assistance I received from everyone was wonderful. It was scary having something happen in a foreign country but they took great care of me.
Bar service was excellent in all the bars. Would definitely go back."

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"We stayed at this resort for my brothers wedding in December 2012. it was beautiful, we had several small issues that just made it frustrating that we will not go back again.

1) The front desk staff were among the most unfriendly we have ever experienced. Anytime we asked a question, it was always, no we can't do it or the person that does that is not here. We were never even acknowledged we were standing that front desk. We had to say excuse me first. Not my idea of customer service. Plus, they could learn to smile.

2) The food booking arrangements are totally inefficient. We were first told you can only book a reservation the day you wanted it. THEN we found out no, you need to book upon arrival for your entire stay otherwise it is all booked up. The only times available were after 8pm. Not convenient when you have kids. We did make it to one a la carte at 9pm and the restaurant was over half empty! Other people who came to this wedding had similar experiences thoughout the week.

3) The times the other buffets open are very inconvenient too. Supper service opens at 6:30pm. Lunch at 1pm. Again, hard to tell kids they have to wait.

4) We checked out the 'Kids Club', but found it was mostly a glorified daycare. My son who is seven, had no interested in doing anything there. The kids mini discotheque started at 8:30pm. Probably an ok time, except it was too late for my kids as they were exhausted from being out in the sun all day that they couldn't make staying up that late.

5) Each day our room was cleaned, they took away the dirty towels, but never left clean ones! We had to call the unfriendly front desk and ask for some every day. Plus, our second last day, our room didn't even get cleaned at all!!!

On a good note, the buffet staff were always very helpful and efficient.

We have several people that are waiting for us to tell them about this resort as they are looking for places to go in Jamaica. We will not be recommending this one."

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"The Gran Bahia Principe Jamaica is a beautiful resort that is manicured and sits on breathtaking water. Here are the pros-I highly encourage those of you planning to stay at this resort to make sure you are on the 3rd floor or above due to the mosquitoes. If you need a place to truly relax this is a possible option. Our room was very nice and the cleaning staff were were very friendly. Although this is an inclusive resort I made sure to leave our house keeper at least two bucks each day for her service. There was plenty to drink as well as swim, snorkel, and kayak at no additional cost. The room had air conditioning and was very comfortable. If you enjoy snorkeling the best spot is right next to the nude beach. There was plenty of coral and fish to see. Some say snorkeling near the wedding gazebo is better. I beg to differ as there wasn't that much to see. The nude beach area was very nice and I highly recommend using water shoes to get into the water at this particular spot because there was so much rock and my feet got cut up pretty good. The other beach areas are nice as well. The sea water and drinking water are very good. Neither of us got sick from the water and it is some of the best I have ever tasted. There is staff who help set up excursions. The lady that helped us was great. I highly recommend the water tubing trip on the White River for sure. Wow, was it incredible and so beautiful. I appreciated this particular excursion because you have a chance to travel into the mountains. Our driver told us about Jamaican culture, politics and history. We also climbed the Dunns Waterfall as well as horeback riding. I recommend all of them. The hotel was exceptionally quiet which was nice. Now for the bad news. If you appreciate eating great food that is prepared well, lovely to look at and seasoned well, I promise you will be highly dissapointed and grossed out. I have never been to a buffet where I had to circle three times just to find something that looked good. I was expecting lush fruit and vegetables and lots of giant shrimp and incredible seafood. What I found were dried up hot dogs, eggs floating in water, fruit that looked like it had been sitting in the sun since last week, over greasy bacon, lots of greasy food and lots of pasta that wasn't seasoned at all. If you have an option to eat at the three restaurants stear clear of all of them except the steak house by the pool. The food was edible and decent. The only meal that was good was the fresh jerk chicken that was prepared by the pool, along with the beans and rice, pickled peppers and guacamole. Everything else was hands down disgusting. The sushi...unedible...truly disgusting. I appreciate the art of cuisine and even basic tasty food, but if you are a person who likes three day old pizza from Cici's and have an underdeveloped taste for good food, then you may not care. Also, the staff are friendly but are amazingly slow. If you ask for help, the staff person will look at you, make a call, type somthing in the computer, help someone else, ask you to come back in 45 minutes and when you come back the person disappears in an office for ever. They are not on American time that is for sure. So, if you are one to lose your patience you may not like this. Because of the last two expamples I have to give this hotel a D-. I would suggest spending a little more and researching a hotel who has high ratings for their food and service. I don't recommend staying here unless the owner perks up his ears and hires better chefs and staff."

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"The resort is very large and very beautiful, Japanese restaurant was very good and I enjoyed the steakhouse, did not care for the Italian restaurant, buffet was ok, plenty of food to choose from. Kept having problems with my door key and had to keep getting it fixed, that was a bit of an inconvenience...long way to the front desk. My only complaint would be the pool area, there seemed to be a lot of ignorant people that would tie up all the loungers at 6 am , I could never find a lounger most days...very annoying. Some people put their towels on loungers and never came back, there should be a better way of controlling this. Overall this is a very nice resort with lots of shops and things to do, the nice beach was a bit of a walk though."

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"Thank you for asking, my time there was great, i would do it all over again."

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"I had read some 'not so glowing' reviews of this resort after I had already booked and was a little worried about them. All I can say is that they must have gone to a different resort. The resort is beautiful in every aspect. The grounds, the pool, the beach, the facilities were all great. The room itself was wonderful with a very large and comfortable bed with a large couch. The mini bar is free and re-stocked daily.

The staff could not have been more helpful or friendly. I was very pleased. The food in the buffet is not gourmet but much better than most I've been to, and the specialty restaurants were very, very good, especially Don Pablo. There is a restaurant/outdoor snack bar right on the beach open from 11:00 am to 6:30 pm that serves a great jerk chicken along with hamburgers, hots dog,pastas, salads and other dishes that made lunch very special.

It is a family resort so much of the early entertainment is aimed at the children, but there was live music to enjoy in several parts of the resort along with a disco and piano/karaoke bar that open around 11-12 for more adult entertainment.

Considering the price I paid during our December stays, this is one of my best travel bargains I've ever had. I will definitely consider going back to this beautiful resort again
"

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"We upgraded to the Golden Club, and got the same perks as any other visitor. Except we did get internet in there office. The only reason we upgraded was to get ocean front. Also got a call every day sometimes twice within 15 min. asking if everthing was ok. It was annoying. The hotel was very nice, but definatley not a 5 star. The beach has alot of gravel on it, unless you make the treck to the other end, then there it's hard packed sand. But there is a bar and restroom down there. Otherwise nice. Snorkeling is good down there too. The resaurants were excellent, I'd stay away from the buffet, not very good, but sure to find something that will go down. The Jamacian work staff are very friendly and not overbearring. Overall I'd give this hotel a 4 rating."

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"Premises, facilities are outstanding. Ninety-five plus percent of the staff are well-trained and responsive especially the front desk and dining rooms. Telephones are answered promptly but calls to technicians and maintenance are not responded to in adequate time - sometimes never. I had no phone service in my room despite several assurances that it would be fixed. Gym not opened on time which was quite annoying since it opens at 7:00 a.m. which from experience is already late.
Anyway, would return."

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"Our 5 day trip to Gran Bahia was awsome the place was clean the staff mannerly and the food was good lots log choices. Check out the Grotta cave and Dunns River falls. We enjoyed our stay we will return for our Honeymoon!!!"

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"The resort was absolutely fabulous. The start with Bookit.com was great they kept us abreast of everything. From airline changes to walking us over the phone step-by-step instructions on what was needed to assure no problems on the trip. The Resort was very luxurious, clean and had plenty of activities on property to keep any family occupied. Ok 5 restaurants to choose from is really a lot. Each were average and the least favorite was the Italian restaurant. But the jerk chicken at the snack bar made up for the weaker ones. It was our favorite along we other people. The scenery was beautiful a lot of picture moments. Beaches were just serine and had lounge chairs everywhere. The pool is the biggest I've ever seen. It had 3 bridges over it and two float up to bars and a couple of islands in the middle. Hey not bad. The two nights of live music we heard was very good. Both bands had many people dancing. Did the shopping excursion and Dunn River Falls both were fun. Don't buy too much because of the overweight charge the airline may charge. But the hotel was really clean and personnel were very kind and all our requests were satisfied. My family and I are planning many more trips to this resort. "

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"My husband and I just returned for our 4 years anniversary it was great! From the moment we walked in until we walked out they were so helpful. We arrived at 1 and check in wasn't until 3 they got us in a room as soon as we filled out the paper work. The beaches ar very clean and enjoyable. The entertainment crew has activites on he beach and at the pool area. You can't be board there is always a game of volleyball or water polo going on. They also have bingo everyday with prizes. They have a small scccer field on the beach and it was fun playing too. The food was great! The Italian reastuant was my favorite, the grill was good but don't get the ribeye. The beach buffet everyday had some great jerk chicken, yo jut have to get there early to get it. The nightly shows were entaining. Our FAVORITE was the Michael Jackson show. The only complaint was that the elevator rigt at out room was broken down our entire stay. We will go back and take the family next time! The pools are very clean and they are designed very well. We did the Dunns River Fall's excursion it was amazing. If you want to buy anything don't pay full price anywhere they will come down. And always remember if the cruise ships are docked the prices are up in the market places. We booked through Tour Wise they were the cheapest and they were very enjoyable ask that Tony be your driver he will make your trip very fun. We aslo did the Bob Marley tour with them it was very interesting!"

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"This place was the best place to go. It is a huge resort with lots of stairs and walk so I didn't gain any weight. YEAH!! The food was great!! The buffet you could always find something good to eat. Don Pablo was awesome place to eat highly recommand that and the Japaness restaurant was awesome but do the sit down where they cook in front of you. Also as soon as you get there make your reservation 2 out of the 5 restaurant are closed nightly. We got there late Sunday and by Monday they were booked until Wednesday. I would pass on The Grill not very good food. The entertainment crew were great and made you feel like they had know you forever. There are 2 beaches one w/ rocks great for snorkling and the other w/ sand also good for snorkling. The late nite entertainment was awesome also make sure you stay for that. Loved sitting on the baclony for drinks b4 and after dinner. Rooms were great and clean. My only complainment would be the beds are hard and the pillows are not so great. So make sure you get drunk enough to not care 'No problem mon.' Yes there is a smell thru out the resort but remember people you are on the beach with open ocean breeze. Not a big deal for us. Room stayed cool as long as you keep the room key in the slot that hags on the door after you enter the room. They only give you 1 room key ask for 2. All and all we had a great time. Will def go back "

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"My daughters and I visited Gran Bahia in late August for 5 days and had a great trip. The hotel is wonderful. The Jamaica people were so friendly. We got to know many of them very well and enjoyed visiting with them daily. The shopping was so convenient, the dancing at night at the shows was fun. We loved the Michael Jackson show. The young man that performed was the best I have seen. We were surprised that there were so few Americans but that didn't matter. The pools are the best I have seen.....you never felt you were crowded as the pools are huge. The food was average but a lot of quantity and options but the Japanesse Grill was the best. We were very pleased with our trip and make sure you do Dunn's Riverfall.....it was awesome but wear the shoes that you rent or buy your own at the shops at Gran Bahia for $7.00....worth it. Take money to Dunn's Falls as there are lots of vendor that want to take your money!!! Also, the bartenders and young people that organized the entertainment at the pools were awesome. We stayed at the Golden Club level and had internet free, plus other advantages. Overall, great trip and would recommend this resort. We did have one day they had issues with the hot water but we handled it......a little cool in the shower but this is a huge resort....things happen. "

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"It's kept very clean and the staff are very friendly. The group activities are fun. The excursion to Dunn's River Falls was great."

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"Dive shop is outstanding. Professional and friendly!"

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