TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

I booked a family vacation with my mom and my 2 girls for 10 days. We were originally supposed to stay at Bahia Principe Grand Bavaro but had to upgrade because the room was very bad. When the concierge came to bring us to Esmeralda (which was right next door) he said " I see you are going from hell to heaven". When we arrived to this beautiful hotel we were greeted by a warm face cloth and a beautiful beverage. We were very worried about our room because of the last hotel that we stayed at. But when the wonderful bell boy Deny took us up it was like paradise the room was modern, clean and so beautiful. The food was amazing and the service was impeccable. We tried some a la carte restaurants but the best on was the Italian one and we had the most amazing waiting named Waldy. He was so kind to my girls and a real gentleman with my mom and made us laugh. He is a really good person and a hard worker and is awesome at his job! The beach is beautiful and the pools are amazing . The daytime entertainment is very good and the atmosphere is very fun. The nightly shows are amazing!!! Food in the buffet is amazing and always fresh. What I really liked about this hotel is that there are no venders to bother you on the hotel grounds. There are some vendors on the beach but if you say no they will leave you alone. This hotel is amazing I fully recommend it!!!

We stayed at the Esmeralda for 11 nights end of June into July and had a great time overall. This is a big resort so there were niggles but nothing I would call major. Resort This is a huge resort split into several different hotels. As we were in the Luxury we could use them all with the exception of Fantasia. It was very busy whilst we were there but we never struggled to get sunbeds on the beach which is always our preferred location due to the shade and breeze. We had one pool day but found this incredibly hot (personal preference). We walked everywhere unless raining (there were a couple of storms). We were there when Beryl hit South and the pools and beach were closed off as a precaution for guest safety so we enjoyed touring the various lobby bars. We did have our reservation cancelled at Limbo and hadn't received the letter prior to leaving our room. They did allow us to use the Ambar buffet on that occasion to compensate for the cancellation. Bars We tended to use the Sports bar and the bars over at Ambar. Great selection of drinks everywhere and no problem with service. I developed a major love of the chocolate martini! Try it frozen, you won't regret it! The bar at Limbo also makes fabulous cocktails (if you are child free). Food We ate at the A La Cartes for all of our dinners. All of them were very good however Yurta and Limbo were exceptional. As some people have mentioned, the air con can be hit and miss depending on the restaurant. We enjoyed breakfast everyday at the beach restaurant with live music. Smaller selection but everything we needed was there! They make lovely fresh eggs. Lunches were either in the beach restaurant or Sports bar. I did sometimes struggle at the beach restaurant for lunch but that was more down to not having much appetite in the day due to the heat. Of course, you must try the smash burger in the Sports bar and the mozzarella sticks! Room We were in building 93 overlooking the quiet pool. Big room with two double beds and a lovely seating area. Housekeeping could be hit and miss, towels occasionally missing or the mini bar not stocked up however a message to guest experience quickly resolved this. The air con was very good. The beds had big thick duvets which we got very hot in, it would be good to have a sheet underneath so that the duvet doesn't have to be used. Staff We found all the staff to be very friendly and had no problems with English. Knowing some small amounts of Spanish did help us but if someone wasn't sure then they would fetch over a colleague. The grounds are constantly maintained and the staff work really hard to keep everything really clean. Overall we would score 4.5/5 and would 100% return. We would like to try the Luxury Ambar next time.

Pros: Amazing beach So many food options Friendly people Air conditioning works great in the rooms Sports bar has food if you get hungry in between meals Buffet on the beach with no dress code (you can be in a bathing suit) Cons: So many different bugs that bite You can’t flush toilet paper (gets stinky in the garbage) People on the beach trying to sell you something every 5 min Tips: Don’t buy jewelry from stands (they tell you they are giving you a deal when they are charging you way too much), buy jewelry from the gift shop where the prices are fixed Bring lots of bug spray, after bite, and Benadryl Learn some words in Spanish for situations like: ordering coffee, items like toilet paper, water bottle, towels. Come to the beach b4 10 or else there might not be many seats left

It’s a dump. It may look all nice and shiny at first but beware, after a day or two, you will notice how dirty rooms are, how loud it is,unsanitary conditions at the buffets, no hot water, poor air conditioning and the list goes on and on. Boom elsewhere

Our stay at Bahia Principe Esmeralda was amazing . The place is big and everything is close so you don’t have to leave you area. Many good restaurants . Pools are clean always. The rooms are big , comfortable , everything is new. Pillows are Ig and fluffy. Everything g is clean. Towels are soft am Nd huge and pure white .. spotless. Ther service excellent. Never had to wait for anything . Big thank you to Manuel Antonio Lopez Beaz .. he’s my hero ?? …. Whatever I needed I received without questions asked. Thank you Manuel ?? you are a hard working man ..bravo The staff at the reception is always ready ti help and Andretti all you questions . The food is amazing .. no problem with anything.. there is plenty of restaurants to chose from.. A La Carte very well prepare and decorated.. pools and big and clean. I enjoyed my time in jacuzzi. Met people from all ober the world .. lots of doctors , nurses and business people. I enjoyed my daily walks on the beach. Evening entertainment always fun and professional. Definitely I will be back this fall. Miss the beach and special people that I met,.stuff members are the sweetest bunch. It’s like a big family together. We had a great weather… little rain at the beginning but not fur long. May is a good month to travel .. not to humid and hot enough.