Luxury Bahia Principe Runaway Bay

My husband and I went here for our honeymoon after hours of researching Jamaican hotels. I am very picky and wanted it to be perfect, as we were staying for 10 days. Our perfect honeymoon required it to be adults only, good entertainment and good food, definitely not boring. We were extremely happy that we ended up at the luxury Bahia Principe in Runaway Bay. Our room was beautiful and the housekeeping staff had our room cleaned and mini bar filled daily. The balcony also had a great view. Room service was prompt and delicious. The staff wasn’t feigning for tips either and were very grateful when we did give them a little something. We love snorkeling and although we did a snorkeling excursion in Ocho Rios, the best snorkeling was located on the hotel’s beachfront. There is a huge rocky area near the shore where we saw octopus, crab and many colorful fish. The beach was rocky and shallow, no problem for us. We also played many games in the pool including volleyball and pool Olympics. The pool itself was beautiful! The entertainment crew is extremely talented and went above and beyond daily to accommodate guests. The most impressionable were Richard, Malik and Thorne. They truly made our trip special and it was great hanging out with them everyday. (Malik and Richard are also extremely talented dancers!!) The nightly shows were very entertaining and we looked forward to them every night. The club in the little village was always bumpin’ too. You can easily take a cart over to the little village. The best deals on souvenirs are here too, many shopkeepers will negotiate. The buffet was okay and the specialty restaurants were decent. Don Pablo was exceptional as well as Mikado. The Brazilian restaurant was underwhelming, usually they are on resorts. The best place to grab a bite was by the pool, where they would grill up fresh jerk chicken and rice daily. It is amazing! The poolside buffet was also very convenient and satisfying for breakfast and lunch. The only negatives were that it was easy to feel sorry for the housekeepers and bartenders, as many of them seemed unhappy. In addition, it’s unfortunate that the gift shops charge $18-$30+ USD for off brand aloe vera and sunscreen. That’s just taking advantage. Don’t forget these items like we did!! Yes, it’s true that many men walk around trying to sell you weed and other stuff on the beach. Anybody who lets this ruin their vacation needs to relax. It’s just a part of Jamaican culture. Overall, I’ve been to many all inclusive slash and LBP was memorable and it was a great experience, I highly recommend it.

Welp...If you follow my reviews I am an avid traveller. I have visited the Bahia Principe in Mexio (Siian Kaan/Rivera Maya) And I thought it was nice....This year Jamaica was the destination and I must say it was not considered "Excellent" by my Hotel standards but it was In Fact "Very Very Good"! Now...Where do we start...Lets start at the beginning. Upon our arrival we were greeted by the bellman who took our bags and directed us towards the check in counter. We were treated with some cool face cloths and a drink at check in. The woman attending to us was helpful although I did ask if the resort was full and requested a room on the top floor in the middle but was ignored. No biggie...Before we went up to the room I stepped to the left and noticed 2 attendants who were capable of booking dinner reservations. Luckily I booked all nights (6) all in one shot...to include a 1 night "Romantic Dinner" on the beach in the evening which I planned for my wife to celebrate her birthday. The dinner itself cost about $120 usd....I wanted to have Lobster but that cost an additional $55 which I included for a Kilo of Lobster. I have used this service in Mexico at the Bahia and it was great so I expected the same results so I booked it. We were escorted by our..uhhh "Butler" I think?...Not sure because after the first day we never saw her again. I only made one request and that was for my room to be decorated on the night of my Wifes bday and prepared for when we returned to the room after the Romantic dinner...That Never happened...No Jacuzzi Tub...No Candles.....No Balloons...NOTHING and for this I say the (Mexico Location) Had this location in Jamaica beat. The room itself was nice. Very spacious...The view from the balcony was lackluster..I booked a sea view room which was on the far right side facing the pool but barely a view of the sea...It was ok nevertheless no real complaints here other than the alchol in the room was 2 small pints...1 appleton rum and 1 sky vodka..a few beers and soda....Again Mexico had them beat with the beverage selection. THE POOL/BEACH We visited the Pool & Beach area EVERY day. The pool is nice..Can get a bit busy during the afternoon by the pool bar in the main pool area on the Luxury Side. If you are an adult and appreciate a bit of the party atmosphere its great. Live DJ by the pool which was a good time..Friendly Staff by the pool and Every day for lunch they roll out the grills for Jamaican Jerk Chicken, Salads & Rice and Peas which was A+!!! On the opposite side just a small walk away is an adults only pool area which is much quieter for those who wanna relax. On the Beach on the Luxury side its nice to lay out...A few umbrellas but a good amount of beach chairs. We saw often folks trying to reserve seats and leave for food but security would remove the towels for other guests since they neglected to read the posted signs that clearly say NO RESERVATION OF BEACH CHAIRS! I was happy about this as I arrived around 11am one day and a security guard removed someones towels so we could acquire the seats...The folks who left it there came back 3hrs later and had an attitude about it lol! The water is my only true gripe. Its ankle High! You literally have to walk out and sit in the water as if you are in a bath tub. They created a rock barrier (Not sure why) but it prevents u from going out past 2ft of water. We did walk over to the Grand side beach which was bigger but had ways too many kids running around and folks appeared on top of each other like sardines! We wanted to relax on the "Nude Beach" but was turned off by A. The Size..Its literally no more than 50ft of space behind a wooden fence and B. The plethora of creepy senior citizens that lurked around the area all in a close proximity. The adult side for a Tan.....PERFECT! We had our bluetooth speaker and a bottle of Patron for the Win! RESTURANTS: Gonna say this..The food is NOT 5 star but it is Good! We went to the Steakhouse, Asian Cuisine and Italian but overall loved the Buffet and the Jerk at Lunch. Its fresh..Plenty options and nothing to complain about. My biggest and most personal complaint I have is that after speaking to SEVERAL employees I discovered that at the end of the night about 75% of the food that is un-used and untouched is Thrown away into the dumpster! This is a major issue. Employees are not allowed to take anything home to their families and its not even donated to the local infirmary thats less than 1mile away...Call me crazy but in a country that is rich in culture but still has a major poverty issue I am appalled that Bahia Principe has not stepped up and found a way to better serve the people on that island and at their resorts worldwide. THE ROMANTIC DINNER (Extra Fee) For $175usd We enjoyed a nice table on the beach on a warm December night below the stars. Tiki torches surrounded the table and we were greeted by an escort at the room on time and taken to our table on the beach. I am upset I cannot remember the names but we had 3 waiters...2 gentleman and 1 woman who were PHENOMENAL (I ask the staff to please look up the staff on December 2nd 2018 for the Romantic dinner) Excellent service and they made my wife feel special. We were also greeted by a man who said he was part of hotel guest relations and he too was great and friendly! The dinner consisted of 3 courses (Sorry but Mexico was a 5 course and included a bottle of champagne) But the food was delicious! I am not a big meat eater but the Steak provided was Outstanding! The lobster that I paid extra for was probably the BEST I ever had! 4 EXTRA LARGE Grilled Tails that was so meaty we couldn't finish dessert. It was a great experience and if you visit as a couple I think its a must! We sat for about 2hrs and not once were we rushed. It was Great! Excursions/Extras Please see my review for the CHUKKA Horse Back Trail and the Dunns' River/Snorkle Adult Catamaran Cruise...Both A+ and I booked them in the hotel lobby at the resort. All in all the Vacation was great. Again this is NOT a 5 Star hotel if you are looking for Impeccable Luxury but it is a Very good resort for the price and for the location. Very safe...Security all over the resort and an Amazing Staff all over the resort. I did read reviews about folks claiming some were rude but I did not experience that. I will say...PLEASE be advised that although this is an All Inclusive resort it does not hurt to TIP People! I spent $300 usd in tips....And I have NO regrets for this. The folks work hard and it shows. The appreciation for a $2,$3 or $5 tip is appreciated and I personally recommend it. I watched so many people make demands and speak to some of the workers as if they were slaves...Rubbed me the wrong way and I could see the look on some of the faces of these employees in the moment. Other than that ALL SMILES! Greetings Everyday in a Safe and Well Kept Environment! The grounds are BEAUTIFUL! Very Very Clean and every night the Maid would knock on the door for a turndown service. All in All a great trip...Would I return....Absolutely...as a matter of fact...Already working on it! Feel free to send me any questions u may have about this resort.

Two weeks in Jamaica for the price we paid we were happy with our trip. Room 25717. On the 7th floor overlooking the road and mountains. View was fine for us we enjoyed seeing a different side to the resort. However for some reason the HGVs are louder than any I have ever heard - they also have a custom it seems to beep the horn at any opportunity at any time of the day. You’re not getting any lay ins in this room. Corridor noise also crazy with room service trolleys - literally sounds like a train passing, and phones ringing etc. The room is nice and the maids do a good job. Bed is hard in my opinion. I really wish there was a kettle as opposed to a just a coffee maker... i’m English I just really want a brew in the morning. Pools areas are great, beach not so good. Drinks service around them both are great the girls work hard and appreciate their tips massively. Sherlene at the pool is amazing. She is just training however she made us plenty of her ‘specials’ which we loved. She is so friendly and took the time to talk to us when she saw us. If you are at all annoyed by American/Canadians playing ‘sweet home Alabama’ or similar on loop on their phones around the pool, perhaps don’t come here... I mean we came to Jamaica to hear reggae and local music right!? Constant smell of weed around the resort and many smoking joints on their sun loungers around the pool or beach. Something to consider if this bothers you. Entertainment - when it’s is actually on.. is typical of all inclusive, however the Jamaican crew have the best freestyle dance moves I’ve seen anywhere. Would be great if the schedule changed fortnightly as opposed to weekly. Being there for two weeks it becomes predictable. We mixed it up by getting a lift over to the Bahia village which was more lively however - kids.. best entertainment was the reggae band. The lobby bar was unfortunately just so boring most of the time. It was like a wake. The man playing piano just puts you to sleep and unfortunately so many times this was the only place to get a drink in the evening. You just end up feeling like going to bed. The beach party is the best entertainment however it always finished at 11pm which was when it really got started. The food at the buffet was pretty good. They had themed nights however it was pretty much the same thing at each, except the gala dinner. Which was basically seafood.. my partner and I hate seafood but if you like it. You’ll love it. We didn’t book any al la carte restaurants because the menus didn’t look appealing. I’m a vegetarian and choices where very limited, and other guests didn’t rate their experience. Food by the pool was great for my partner - he loved jerk chicken. Literally no vegetarian options by the pool. We had room service on a couple of occasions. It was prompt enough for us and the food was ok. The staff were all lovely people. They may come off as quite abrasive to some people. However this is just the Jamaican way. All staff were great and friendly. Lots of security and we felt safe the whole trip.

We fell in love with the private beaches at the resort. Each one was a different snorkeling experience with a wide variety of fish to see! Drink service on the beach was 2nd to none, never an empty cup.

Had a great time staying at this resort. The staff were very friendly and always asked how our vacation was going. From the groundkeepers to maids even painters.Bar service at the adult pool was excellent and there was servers everywhere.Lobster at the Thursday Gala was really good.I was pleased that you couldn't reserve seats until the pool opened unless you stayed at your seat, wish they did that at the beaches.Animation team at the adult pool were quite entertaining and some of them could really dance.This was our second time here and We will return .