Luxury Bahia Principe Runaway Bay

We went to the Gran Bahia Principe last summer for our honeymon. Buffet and à la carte restaurants were great. The Don Pablo collection do worth the money spent. The beach is very nice and the... More>

We went to the Gran Bahia Principe last summer for our honeymon. Buffet and à la carte restaurants were great. The Don Pablo collection do worth the money spent. The beach is very nice and the water is warm. You must do the Bob Marley' village with Zion tour, my best visit ever. The catamaran tour at dunns'river fall was great at Sandalls. But my best moments were with a server at the Don Pablo his name is Domion Morgen. I called him my Moking Bird, every time he passes next to you he does this morvelous sound that makes me happy. He is born in the mountain and i wanted to mention his fabulous work. Have fun!

We stayed at the Luxury Bahia Resort from May 10-17, 2014 and I can't say I have ever had a better vacation! We loved the private pool area with drink service, the fresh squeezed orange juice in the... More>

We stayed at the Luxury Bahia Resort from May 10-17, 2014 and I can't say I have ever had a better vacation! We loved the private pool area with drink service, the fresh squeezed orange juice in the adults breakfast restaurant each morning and our room was amazing! Housekeeping was great! A simple note left by the coffee machine each morning (some mornings with a small tip) got us anything extra that we might have needed. The gazebo on the resort (which turned into the location of my proposal on Wednesday night) is beautiful! We watched several weddings take place there during the week. We tried snorkeling for the first time and loved it! So many underwater creatures to see just feet from the beach. The restaurants were all delicious, Tepanyaki being my favorite, closely followed by the Don Pablo Restaurant. Least favorite would be Dolce Vita. The jerk chicken everyday for lunch was AMAZING!!! The staff, from the poolside, to housekeeping, to restaurant staff to security...all superb!!! We had such a great time and it holds such a special place in our hearts since it is where we got engaged, that we have decided to go back to Jamaica for our wedding! In just 8 weeks we will be coming back to Jamaica with 26 of our family and friends to get married! We have decided there was no better place to stay with our guests than right back at the Bahia property! We can't wait to return and share such a special place with so many of the special people in our lives!!! I would recommend this resort to anyone!

The Good - Don Pablo is the only way to go if you are looking for an adults only experience. From the time we checked in, until we checked out, we were taken care of in a professional, friendly... More>

The Good - Don Pablo is the only way to go if you are looking for an adults only experience. From the time we checked in, until we checked out, we were taken care of in a professional, friendly manner. Being part of the Luxury portion of the hotel meant private, adults only, pool with cabanas, drink service, exclusive portion of the fabulous beach area with waitress service, beach/pool towels in the room and plenty of cabanas and beach chairs. Unique a-la-carte restaurants with reservations made by the Don Pablo staff saved us precious time. Private Lounge with free Wi-Fi and computers with a printer to expedite boarding passes. Every wish, including free room service, was ours for the asking. Private check-in was quick and our room attendant brought our bags up for us. The Problem: Our initial room was not up to Luxury, 5-star standards. Lorraine from Don Pablo was immediately at our door with a housekeeping supervisor and maid. They took note of the issues - stained pillows, bedspreads and bathroom mirror with paint splashes on it , as well as a whirlpool tub with the porcelain chipped making it look dirty. The balcony barely overlooked the ocean but was directly over a construction site. Housekeeping stripped and cleaned the room from floor to ceiling and we were given a new room in the morning. Ocean view and very well maintained. Although I was very upset upon entering the first room, (after traveling from Massachusetts through Miami where we were delayed due to pilot issues and missed our airport transportation to the resort - arriving many hours late), our concerns were given top priority which negated our initial experience. Lorraine is a Superstar! Back to the Good - One of my favorite spots was the private beach area and the Banana Daiquiri's - and of course the incredible warm, clear, ocean water. Do not miss the jerk chicken which I made my lunch for most days. Fantastic. I found that the resort staff had the logistics, of getting everyone where they needed to go, down perfectly. I booked the trip with Book-It and the first full day we were there, Olivia from Book-It, was looking for us to see how everything was. I found that extremely helpful to have someone at the resort to speak with regarding reservations booked through their company. Olivia was absolutely the best representative for the company. She made sure, even coming in early one day for us, that we were taken care at all times. She absolutely is a gem. She gave special attention to my adult daughter who is autistic. Olivia is so wonderful we have invited her to our home if she ever gets to Massachusetts. We came home with big smiles on our faces and well rested. Thank you Lorraine, Olivia and Jamaica! Tom, Ellen & Calla, January, 2015

We just spent a week at the Luxury Bahia Principe Runaway Bay Don Pablo Collection for Christmas and were very disappointed. The Don Pablo section is supposed to be adult only....well it wasn't... More>

We just spent a week at the Luxury Bahia Principe Runaway Bay Don Pablo Collection for Christmas and were very disappointed. The Don Pablo section is supposed to be adult only....well it wasn't. The resort made a lame attempt at adult only. We stayed in building 23 because building 24 is right next to construction and jack hammering. There were children staying in the bottom floors of this section. We had to share every a la carte restaurant with children except 1. When we booked the Christmas Eve gala dinner we purposely asked if we would be in an adult only restaurant and the guy said yes. We sat next to a table of kids and listened to , "I don't want to eat that. I don't like that." all night long. We had to share AN elevator (meaning one) with them and the staff, which was as slow as molasses. All the shops were shared. Even most of the entertainment was on the other side of the resort in the kids section. Jamaica passed a no smoking policy in public areas this summer and that is part of the reason we went with this resort. People were smoking at the pool, on their balconies, and just outside restaurants on the stairs that lead to the pool. We constantly had to walk through chimneys of smoke. There was a smoking area just off to the side of the pool area but many/most didn't use it. The guy smoking drugs 24/7 probably didn't have a brain cell left to read the signs that said no smoking. Security didn't do much until people complained. The food was okay. They didn't change things up enough at the buffet. If you want good food go to the adult only Iberostar Rose Hall you won't be disappointed. At one restaurant Dolce Vita there were little white bugs crawling all over the dessert bar. Needless to say we didn't go back there. There were many nice staff but many grumpy staff. If you don't like your job go find something else. Very unpleasant! One girl at the Don Pablo bar rolled her eyes at me when I had to ask her what she said since she mumbled it at me the first time. We found ourselves walking around looking for something to do. Most resorts have games, pool tables, slot machines (that actually work), shuffle board, water sports, etc. I found this resort have very little. Information about things was hard to come by. Usually resorts have restaurant menus in the room and a description of things to do at the resort but there was nothing. After sitting at the airport on a bus for over an hour and then an hours bus ride, we had to get most of our bags off the bus ourselves. Then as all the Bahia Principe porters stood around talking and staring at us, we carried our own bags up the stairs to reception, even though they could clearly see we have Don Pablo bracelets on. The porter service was awful. Apparently there is a butler service. Didn't see a butler until our very last night at dinner. We would not recommend this resort to anyone unless you don't care about kids being around, smoking, lack of service, bugs, and lack of amenities.

We were there for 1 week starting boxing day. It was a fabulous experience at the hotel. Definitely worth spending the little bit extra. Your own area at pool with drinks available at your spot at... More>

We were there for 1 week starting boxing day. It was a fabulous experience at the hotel. Definitely worth spending the little bit extra. Your own area at pool with drinks available at your spot at all times. Beach area dedicated to you. The food was outstanding. They did a great job at new years eve.... The only negative that I could think of is that on the Don Pablo side they are adding another building and the construction was a bit annoying. ..Be prepared to walk. ...laugh and enjoy this most beautiful place.