We both needed to get away to a place away from cities, etc.. We found it at the Gran Bahia Principe El Portillo. The surroundings are absolutely stunning. I was impressed with the clealiness of the resort, there is always someone cleaning, raking, dusting, etc... We experienced an incredible tropical storm...soon after the grounds crew were there with their rakes... more

We were cautious after having booked one of the cheaper all-inclusive caribbean holidays and were getting progressively more nervous of what to expect when we saw the apparent poverty on the trip from the airport. On arriving at the hotel we seemed to have arrived at an oasis of lovely gardens and a wonderful airy lobby area. Our room was... more

We stayed at the El Portillo from 16th to 30th. August 2009. Everything I had read about the resort was true. The room was great, the location superb, the gardens wonderful and the food worth waiting for. The beach (as stated in all the reviews) is also fantastic. However, you do need to be careful. Please, please do not walk... more

We have just arrived from El Portillo and want to get back again soon! The hotel is very friendly and familiar, safe, clean, with good food and friendly staff always making sure that we were fine! Though we are a young couple (aged 32/ 34) we really wanted to relax from the city and we did. The beach is wonderful,... more

Once we arrived at Samana's airport we had a portuguese welcoming from Silvia Sousa, that represents Soltour at the hotel. The check-in was done when we entered the bus who took us to the resort, which saved us a lot of time.The rodes are terrible but they are improving it. When we got there the hotel staff were expecting us... more

Very small swimimg pool, tematic restaurante very poor, swiming pool bars are not friendly, boring Day & Nightly Entertainment. Good beach , good water but not 5* hotel. more

Please don’t take negative reviews for serious (it’s a very good 4 star hotel!), unless you are expecting a 5 or 6 star hotel… We arrived on 21st July. And we loved it, it really has exceeded our expectations!! Ok, perhaps it helped the fact that we were not expecting that much about Dominican Republic (all we wanted was to... more

This was our 4th trip to D.R., our first to the Samana area. The hotel was nice. The grounds are beautiful. The people, as always in the D.R. were friendly and attentive. The food is exactly what we’ve come to expect of an all-inclusive…nothing more nothing less. Best meal of the week for me was the steak in the Italian;... more

If you like you holidays quiet, boring and love spending time trying to understand people, then this is the hotel for you! Nightly Entertainment?? Ha! Find it if you can!! You like booze? You'll struggle to get a drink at the bar here....waited over 20mins frequently! more