This luxury resort in La Romana, Dominican Republic is for adults only and is the ideal spot for soaking up some sun. Relax in the spectacular bay and pamper yourself with superior services. Enjoy a wide variety of cuisine at a number of different restaurants, explore the vibrant culture of the region, or choose between a round of golf or a spa treatment. This Bahia Principe Luxury Bouganville review will cover everything you need to know to decide is this is the best resort for your stay!
Bahia Principe Luxury Bouganville’s Easy
Check-In Process
Check-in was simple enough. Upon arrival at the main entrance, we were carted over to the Adults Only lobby where we shared our information with the front desk, received a wrist band, and headed over to lunch while we waited until 3:00 PM check-in. Unlike other resorts, we were not pampered with welcome drinks and snacks, but we had a drink with lunch!
Bahia Principe Bouganville Rooms
A very handsome butler brought us to our beautiful room. We had a gorgeous King Size 4 poster bed that opened up to a seating area and table before leading out to the balcony. The bathroom was spacious, with a standing shower and a jacuzzi tub. The toilet was separated from the core of the room by a frosted glass door. We enjoyed this because it allowed us to be in and out of the bathroom even if someone was using the toilet! My favorite thing about the room was its energy efficiency. You need a room key in order to use any of the electricity within the room; once you open the balcony door, the air conditioning turns off. I know that this obviously helps cut the hotels’ utility costs, but I also love what it means for the environment.
The Pools at Bahia Principe Bouganville
There are three pools here on the Adult Only side of the resort. The pool furthest from the ocean is known as the peaceful pool. We did not spend ANY time here. We hung out at the Party pool by the ocean! Between the swim-up bar and the entertainment crew, we had a blast all day long. Generally, we were at the pool from about 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Next to the pool is a wading pool and bar.
Bahia Principe Bouganville Daytime Entertainment
The entertainment staff at Bahia Principe Bouganville works tirelessly to get you involved and having fun! Water aerobics is a popular activity for men and women of all ages; we preferred to participate from the swim-up bar with a cocktail, but it was super fun. They also hosted a number of poolside games -think ring toss- and the funniest “sexiest girl competition”. You can take poolside dancing lessons and enjoy a freshly prepared poolside lunch inspired by Dominican cuisine.
Tropical Bahia Principe Bouganville Beach
The beach is beautiful and full of tropical foliage. This makes it less than ideal for laying out all day as the sun is behind the beach, over the resort for the majority of the day. It is, however, absolute perfection in the later afternoon into the sunset. The perfect glow! The beach is full of chairs and palapas which makes finding a spot to relax quite simple. The beach is a bit of a cove so there are no waves, and the swimming area is fairly small.
With that being said, Bahia owns a massive strip of beach here. If you walk south along the shoreline you’ll find yourself on a pretty neat bit of a rocky cliff edge. It’s very quiet and peaceful out here and perfect for sunset. Out here you’re on Bech Club stomping grounds where there aren’t very many people. Bring shows because it is rocky!
Dining at the Bahia Principe Bouganville
Upon our arrival, we scheduled our dinners for the week. Unfortunately, the only time slots available were fro 8:30 PM and later which kind of sucked. This prevented us from enjoying the evening entertainment and it was just a really late time to eat. There were a few restaurants that we were unable to schedule a reservation at as well which was a bummer.
Breakfast
A breakfast buffet is one of my all-time favorite things. Breakfast is my favorite meal and I love food so… buffets are phenomenal. They had EVERYTHING you could think of. MY favorite two areas: 1. eggs cooked to order station where you could also have an omelet, and 2. a crepe station with jams, Nutella, peanut butter, and nuts. They also had endless bread, fruit, cereal, hot breakfast items, and some specialty items! I fell in love with their breakfast churros and their donuts.
Lunch
We always ate lunch at the buffet net to the pool. The selection here was a little bit smaller but it’s an open-air style building right next to the pool and the beach. Every day there was a fajita and nacho station alongside a number of other hot meal items. There was also a salad bar and a dessert bar.
Dinner
The dinner buffet had many options, although we only ate here twice. I was a big fan of all the seafood they had available. There are a number of restaurants that you can make reservations for. You can also order room service at any time of day with a limited nighttime menu.
LOS CORRALES RODIZIO RESTAURANT
Traditional Brazilian grilled meat served tableside. After you take a seat, you head up to make your salad first. Once you sit back down you have a card that is red on one side and green on the other. When the green side is up, that means you want people to stop by your table with what they have to offer. They’ll give you fresh cuts of meat, bread, potatoes, vegetables, and more! When you flip your card to red, that means you’re all set and ready for dessert.
ORIENTAL TAKARA RESTAURANT
This Asian Fusion restaurant was my absolute favorite. It will redefine your definition of delicious oriental cuisine as you try traditional Asian flavors mixed with new bold spices unlike you have ever experienced before.
DON PABLO GOURMET RESTAURANT
Din Pablo offers exquisite gourmet cuisine. Enjoy a romantic candlelit dinner as you listen to the beautiful music of the tableside musicians while enjoying delicious handcrafted gourmet dishes. You must order the crepes for dessert if you have any ounce of a sweet tooth. Please dress appropriately here; men must wear pants.
Nightlife at Bahia Principe Bouganville
We were unable to attend a lot of the nightlife entertainment due to our dinner reservations. Every night there was something exciting going on on both sides of the resort. If you didn’t mind being on the family side, there were magicians, beach parties, and circus acts. We were really looking forward to the silent disco night, however, it was conducted differently than we had experienced in the past. A silent disco can be extremely fun, we caught the tail end of this one and definitely preferred our previous Silent Disco experiences.
The Discoteca was a sketchy looking building that played club-style music until 2:00 AM. The first night we walked in here we had a shot and immediately left; our shot tasted like rubbing alcohol. A few nights later we got our buzz on beforehand and then went to the Discoteca to do a little dancing. We DID have some fun on this night but overall, the Discoteca was a less than ideal experience.
The Fitness Center at Bahia Principe Bouganville
I’m going to be very honest here, the gym was bare minimum. There was one treadmill that was working and one stationary bike. A few resistance machines and some free weights were available as well. The space was small and not conducive to more than 4 or 5 people working out at a time. Getting there early, around 5:30-6:00 AM ensured enough space to complete your workout but it certainly wasn’t easy.
Check-Out at Bahia Principe Bouganville
The Check-Out process at Bahia Principe Bouganville was super quick and painless. It took less than 5 minutes for the whole process to be completed. We were then carted to the main entrance for our transfer to the airport. The only negative part about checking out was that we had to leave!
Should we Stay at the Bahia Principe Bouganville?
Bahia Principe Bouganville is an absolutely wonderful getaway for a group of girlfriends. If you’re heading here on your next trip, please don’t forget these 21 Must-Have Items For An All-Inclusive Resort. It’s easy to remember your swimsuit and your sunblock, but you often forget to bring simple first aid supplies, a cordless speaker, and other awesome items.
