I stayed for a week at the four-star Grand Bahia Principe Jamaica resort in Runaway Bay in order for myself to attend a wedding. I stayed at the Luxury Bahia Principe Akumal last year, so I figured that this resort would be a scaled-down experience for me. I kept my expectations low for this resort. Here is my review:
Check-In
When we arrived at the resort, instead of going to the reception desk, staff took us to the nearby bar for the check-in process, avoiding the chaos. There was a serving of rum punch as a welcome drink during the check-in process. Overall, check-in was smooth.
Rating: 6.5/10
Room
Room was quite large and plainly furnished. There is plenty of storage space with a large closet and many dressers and drawers. The king-size bed did not feel that comfortable on my back. The room comes with a TV, iron, coffee maker, and blow dryer. The room had a safe, which was free to use. The air conditioning was a godsend on the humid June days. The mini fridge had water, soft drinks, and beer, but no liquor. Balcony had a plastic table and chairs, but trees mostly blocked the view.
The bathroom had both a standing shower and a bathtub. The running water in the sink and the shower always fluctuated between very hot and very cold without notice. The toilet would always be stuck in a constant flushing mode.
Overall, the room was fine, except for niggling issues with the bathroom appliances and the unsatisfactory bed.
Rating: 6/10
Food
In the main buffet restaurant, Jamaican cuisine and other items were present for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The quality of the food ranged from decent to mediocre. I wished there was more variety in the food choices, especially for people with specific dietary needs. At peak hours, there are often not enough tables for people that are coming in for food.
The resort also had a snack bar that opened in the afternoon (12pm-6pm), as well as late in the night (11pm-6am). In the afternoon, food included Jamaican cuisine, burgers, salads, fries, pizza, and pasta. In the late night, the snack bar only served burgers and salads. How hard was it for them to put out some fries or pizza in the late night as well? The quality of the food is about the same as the main buffet restaurant. The pizza was the best food I had at the resort. Because the snack bar was in an outdoor setting, I have seen insects, birds, and even cats try to move towards the food in order to get a taste.
I went to two a la carte restaurants, with two different experiences. The Italian restaurant I went to had terrible food and even worse service. The Japanese restaurant I went to had great food and great service.
Rating (overall): 4.5/10
Shops/Vendors
Inside the lobby, there are a couple of souvenir and jewelry shops, but they are quite expensive. In the Bahia Principe Village, there were a number of souvenir shops. They sold the same goods at a cheaper price, and you are able to haggle with the shopkeepers for discounts. On the beach areas, there are vendors who either set up small stalls, or are walking along the shoreline with goods for tourists.
Beach
The beach areas were beautiful and well maintained by the staff. Water is clean and free of any seaweed. The beach was quite shallow and I wished there were deeper parts of the area to swim in. In addition, there are not enough deck chairs for the beach, as the chairs that are already on the beach become occupied quickly.
Rating: 7.5/10
Pool
Pool was set up like a river, split up into three pools with two swim-up bars. Pool was warm and relaxing to swim in. Pool looked slightly less maintained with the beach, especially with certain incidents throughout my stay, which required the closure of these pools. There is daily entertainment by the pool in order for the pool experience to feel fresh.
Rating: 7/10
Entertainment
There are two theaters/stages: one in the shared space between the Grand Bahia and Luxury Bahia resorts, as well as the stage in the Bahia Principe Village. The theater shows were average, and nothing more. There was surprisingly no Michael Jackson show in the schedule.
Outside the lobby in the evenings, there is a stage for live bands to play music for the guests.
The entertainment by the poolside always had staff performing exercises for the guests to follow along, as well as organize games for kids and adults, all while a live DJ is playing music. The pool staff tried their best not to make you feel bored.
Rating: 5/10
Nightlife
The nightlife is concentrated within the Bahia Principe Village. A spacious and air-conditioned disco/nightclub is bumping party tunes from 11pm to 2am. There is also a sports bar and gaming lounge where you can watch the big game, play some pool, or try your luck on the slot machines or electronic blackjack. Lastly, there is an intimate karaoke bar where you can sing your heart out.
Rating: 6.5/10
Internet
There is only 24- hour free Wi-Fi access in the lobby, but you can pay a fee of $9 a day to access Wi-Fi throughout the resort. There was a promotion when I was staying where I can access Wi-Fi throughout the resort and during my entire stay for only $9, so I purchased it. The Wi-Fi access was satisfactory, although the Wi-Fi would randomly disconnect at certain points.
Rating: 5.5/10
Service
The service at the Grand Bahia Principe Jamaica resort will receive its own post. Although some of the staff were excellent (house cleaner staff, some bar staff), in an overall sense, the service I received was downright awful. Many of the staff do not seem to treat any of the guests with any respect. In the nighttime, it felt especially unsafe for women to walk around at night, even though fencing surrounded this resort. You are unable to trust the security, as well as other staff working at the resort. I felt uncomfortable during my stay at this resort.
Rating: 1/10
Other Notes
- Spa services were available, for a fee.
- Gym services and tennis courts were available for use as well.
- As part of your stay, you can take part in non-motorized water sports for an hour a day.
- This resort has many stairs congregated together, and so the walk up those steps sometimes felt daunting. There are elevators available, but they were always out of the way, and I had to look for them.
Final Verdict
The Grand Bahia Principe Jamaica resort seems to be a good resort to plan your stay. Some of the facilities are excellent (beach, pool, nightclub), and are well maintained. There is something for everyone, even if the resort is a bit large for walking. However, the food and the service were low points on my stay. I was also a part of, and witnessed, several altercations between the staff and the guests that completely soured me on the experience (I will explain in my 'services' post for this resort). Because of this, I cannot recommend this resort to prospective travelers. At the very least, if you do go to this resort, you had better hope nothing would happen to you, such as an injury, as their policies and resort design for treating people who need mobility assistance is disgusting.
Final Rating: 5/10
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