EIA -
Bahia Principe Runaway Bay
Gran
Bahia Principe Jamaica – Opening Week, December 2006
“TripAdvisor”
REVIEWS AND DISCUSSIONS
Note: To make it easier to find ACTUAL REPORTS
FROM GUESTS AT THE HOTEL, I removed the blue background from those
posts. I’ve enlarged a few bits,
too. All other posts are responses and
discussions from other interested TripAdvisor members. Also, what is saved here are just examples
of what is happening; the website has numerous “threads” of discussion about
the hotel and Jamaica in general. I
have omitted lengthy discussions of the difficulties guests had in switching to
other resorts, the pros and cons of alternative hotels, the costs incurred,
etc. Wendy Lee - NJCA
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You wanted my review
here it is...... |
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Hey! So we are here......When we first
got to the airport it took 2 hours to get through Immigration....then a 1.5hr
bus ride to our hotel......Once here it was 10:20am, we could not get into
our room until 3:00pm...that is suppose to be the NORMAL check in
time......the breakfast was only till 10:30am, so we missed that. We went to the beach for a bit and
looked for the snack bar which is non-existant.....Oh well. When we went to go get our room key at
3pm, the bellboy took us up there, opened the door and then wouldn't let us
in, he looked in and said "your not going in there". We waited
30mins in the hallway for him to go get us another room....we got a new room
finally, no cold water...scolding hot, no AC, the toliet didn't flush......no
screen on the patio door, we slept with the patio open due to the no AC, so
needless to say I am covered in Mosquito bites now....bring on the
Malaria....yeah! Ok, so now onto today....it is 11:06am,
we got up at 8am to have a shower, now all we have is COLD water, we had a
meeting with the Airtransat Rep at 9am.....well not much got done
there....everyone is screaming and yelling at them....This hotel is NOT DONE
by any means. Guess now we know to never take a chance on a new resort! They are talking about refunds and
transfering people to other resorts, but it is XMAS and all of the hotels are
booked......so we are stuck here....however the beach is nice and there is
lots of food (when we can find it). So I am ok staying here all week, and
if we get a refund that is even better....also they are talking about vouchers
for another trip, so that would be good too! I think that they should give us
a free trip to one of the hotels in the Mayan Riveria....they have some
really nice ones there....that all have good reviews! It is HOT here, so that always beats
the snow.......no rain, barley even a cloud in the sky! I am a little
disappointed, but hey, at least we are in JAMAICA!!!! |
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Couple more things, The beach is man made....we dug down 6
inches....concrete!!! The resturants are open starting
tomorrow.....We have booked all of them....Japanese, Grill and
International.... There is lots of tours avaliable, and
once this hotel is done it will be GREAT...just not yet! |
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ok, some more news.....we have now been
to 2 meetings with the General Manager and Airtransat personal....they are
offering a $200 refund to everyone here.....no one is happy with that, we
have all made a propsal to the GM to take back to "The Big Guy" as
he keeps putting it in Spain that we all want a FREE trip to another resort
and a FULL refund........We will now have to wait until tommorrow to see what
is happening. We still have no AC, the hot water is
finally working again, but the excuse for that is that they had a water line
break yesterday. If you are booked here for anytime
within the next month for sure CANCEL. This hotel cannot even offer the
essentials...soap, towels, the toilets won't flush, families of 4 are
sleeping in one bed as they have no cauts (I have no idea how to spell that
but I am sure you understand) avaliable. I really like this....they have
digital alarm clocks, we set ours last night for 8am, woke up on our own at 8:30am
(we have a watch thank goodness) and the alarm clock had lost 3 hours over
night.....I don't get it! I am in the Royal Golden
Club.......trust me, there is no special treatment. For the couple who has booked their
honeymoon, I hope you can cancel......DO NOT COME HERE!!!!! Had I know this,
I would have gladly paid a cancellation fee and booked elsewhere. Only 3 of the 6 resturants are open,
and today apparantly the grill was serving chicken nuggets and french fries! I just can't wait for the next few
days, I have booked tours to get the hell out of here.....Ohos Rios tour,
horse back riding, dolphin swim, and river tour..... That is it for now! |
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Couple more things....the staff is not
trained....they clean the ashtray with the same cloth they clean the table
with. People here are asking for the Canadian
Embassy to be contacted because we are "refugees" and we are
stranded..... You should hear the screaming that is
going on, the GM is just standing listening to everyone complain, it has been
going on for hours..... There is dust, and paint all over the
place....the floors in the hallways are suppose to be a red tile....the are
spattered with paint......EVERYWHERE....and the construction dust is on everything.... |
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I
am just wondering what your name is. I am a little hesitant to believe you
completely, I'd like to call the hotel to check and see if you are really a
guest there. Before this, I had heard great reviews from someone who just
traveled their on the 18th and he had none of these similar problems. We just
don't want to be scammed by someone who has been paid to post nasty remarks. |
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Crazy, No
one is twisting your arm. Please go and enjoy yourself. There are many that
chose to keep their reservations, there are many that chose to vacation
elswhere. You
might be refering to a travel agency representative that stayed at the resort
overnight. He loved it. Good for him.
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Yea
Crazy, one of the CC guys went there and it all appeared to be in order , the
pics had me sold but i guess alot can happen in a week AND even the travel
companies are aware because when I called mine this morning they KNEW why i
was calling....It isn't just this one thread, there are a couple.....good
luck in whatever you chose! Happy Holidays! 20 days and counting!!! |
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Hi
Crazy about carribean, If
you had been following this site, you would have seen that the person who
posted on the 18th was cheapcarribean. Cheapcarribean is a travel agent that was
able to go to GBP for a soft opening. From what I understand, it was travel
agents only and the hotel was probably not full nor running at max capacity.
Cheapcarribean was only there for one day so was unable to experience the
amenities. he did come back with good reviews but the "real"
opening from what I can gather was the 23rd. Since it was during the holiday,
I can only guess that the hotel was at full or close to full capacity and
that is when the problems arose. I'm sure at the "soft" opening,
the guests were put in rooms where they would not experience problems. Please
don't get me wrong, I am not discounting what you are saying but wanted to
inform you about the person who was there on the 18th. Just as an aside, I am
booked to arrive at the GBp on January 6 and currently plan on keeping my
reservations unless the next reviews coming from the reosrt are still bad. |
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I
just want everyone to keep in mind that one bad review shouldn't spoil it for
everyone. The resort looks beautiful and broken pipes can happen at any resort,
new or old. Hot and cold water, well with that, you know what happens when
you take a shower after someone else has taken a shower. I do believe it is
all just an occurance that could happen at any resort. Everyone is so upset
and I just think everyone is jumping the gun when they're trying to get their
resort switched. I know someone who works in the travel industry and has sent
a few people to the resort, and if their were a problem the travelers would
have called her from jamaica asking to move....but that hasn't happened. |
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Hi
Crazy, well hopefully those folks are not experiencing the problems that
others are....yea pipes can burst anywhere and taking a shower after what 700
or some people could cause the loss of hot water but I think most are
switching because we don't want to stress about going on vacation, it is
something that should be looked forward to. |
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I guess
we'll soon see if BB's experience was isolated. I
would, in adddition to criti8cally reading bad reviews, be a bit wary of
brand new posters that join just to say everything is going to be OK...I'd
expect TAs (like CC in PA) and the resort management to attempt some damage
control on this board as well. Everyone
needs to make up their own mind what to do, I think. |
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Yes
Ohliz... you are right... damage control will be coming out in full force
very, very soon and trying really hard to dispell all that is being posted
here. This is big money to the hotel and the Travel Companies offering the
packages. They don't want to lose. They don't want to be tarnished. They will
want to save face & money. I
remember before when I posted something about them lying (not the travel
companies, but the hotel mngmnt. and those in charge of the construction)...
my post was deleted. Using the word "lie" or stating that I believe
someone is lying should not be considered "hate speach", but
someone certainly clicked on the "report this post as
inappropriate" button... don't be suprised at what we see posted here to
read over the next few days... and how does that saying go... Believe
half of what you see and none of what you hear?! |
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Like
I said on another post CC is doing their veyr best to make folks happy, when
I talked to them this morning they would not confirm or deny the rumors or
postings on TA cuz believe it or not they watch this board alot and well they
just did their very best to make sure I was happy and switched me to where I
wanted to be switched to....I feel bad for those who are there and not having
the christmas of their lives cuz Christmas in Jamaica, shoot, almost as good
as heaven on earth!!!! |
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Take
note that this is not the only forum member that has reported back from the
resort itself... there are at least two others that I read in other threads
that speak of equally as bad and worse even conditions. The
above few posts from Liz and Frosty are VERY WISE WORDS. Personally
I think CCaribbean is not "faultless" at all, considering that
their representative was so convincing that all was well... I think many here
reading these forums were greatly influenced into going ahead with their
plans from them and their photos. Now they're of course more than happy to
"accomodate" everyone's changes in bookings; they've already been
paid... Blessings
and respect to all. Steve |
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I
admit that I was guilty of suspecting the "naysayers", most of you
know that. But to quote Steve "Beleive me I have no vested interest in
that place" :-) I
just went by what the hotel told me. I can not beleive that they proclaim
everything to be perfect while posters like BeachBum, who has been on this
forum for weeks defending GBP (based on her correspondence with the hotel) is
now writing this horror story. I was inclined to beleive her a 100% and
bailed out on GBP based on her reviews. Even Chirrotraveler's original e-mail
did not sway me as much as BeachBum's review. I was waiting for her to speak
and when she posted, I knew the things were not good. I
honestly do not see myself booking GBP ever. So much dissapointment and lies,
who do they think we are? Cattle? The
other thread: no food, no drinks, no a/c, overflowing toilet - is this
definition of Bahia's 5-star hotel?
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beachbum
it sounds like your vacation started out rocky, but I find it unlikely that
it was as bad as you claim. I've been in the travel and hotel business for
sometime and its expected that some things might go wrong for a grand
opening....and I'm sure that the hotel did their best to fix them quickly.
Its been my experience that when something goes awry its rarely as large as
people claim....and usually an attempt to receive some sort of
compensation....which I'm sure the hotel has already offered. |
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I
am a first time poster but have been reading the board for 2 months ,when I
first booked GBP. First off I am shocked that anyone posted that cheap
carribean is doing all they can? I talked to them this morning and they were
very rude and very unhelpful. Saying it really was not their responsibilty
that the hotel was having problems. I totally disagree with this. I booked
because of what they said about the hotel not directly with the hotel. I am
leaving on Jan. 2 returning Jan. 7. The only avaliable hotel for these dates
with a14 year old and a 22 year old is Sunset Jamacia. I had booked 2 rooms.
I have paid 5000.00 dollars for the trip, 4 people two rooms. Not really a
great bargin. Now they want 300.00 extra if I do decide to move to the 1
hotel they have offered. Acting like it is a big deal that I do not have to
pay a change fee. PLEASE. I'm sorry but this is not doing all they can. By
the way they are Not giving REFUNDS. My husband and I love Jamaica we have
not been in 15 years but stayed many times at the sans souci before it was
couples. Fabulous hotel. Anyway anybody have any ideas? Thanks in advance. |
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For all of you that have been intently
observing this forum... The issues that have been presented are
not critical. They are very realistic and should be considered prior to
coming here. I have taken the time out of my Christmas Eve to concur with the
previous statements. Let me try to enlighten you from
another perspective... I could complain about Air transat, but
I think that's par for the course with them. I've seen nicer cattle liners
and friendlier people for that matter! Anyways, we've stayed at many Bahai
Principes over the years. Always happy with the service and the resolutions
to whatever was concerning for us. This one needs MAJOR work. From
unskilled staff that prefer to do nothing than do their jobs, to construction
being incomplete, to food being at very limited standards...quite concerning.
If you want 5 star, this isn't the place for now. But maybe 6 months from
now. The basics are just not here. We are
Gold Club members, the room for GCM is not set up with their usual bar, just
internet. One guy tonight had to fight with an employee to use one of the
sites because she was surfing! Anyways, we have yet to get any/ or all
of our amenities and we've been here since the 21st! We have been very
patient and very constructive, to no avail. The unfortunate thing is that lots of
people are losing their cool. There people waiting to check in for 8-12 hrs
sitting in the lobby...some with children. No 24 hr food services.. and
forget if you need anything adjusted in your room. I have been requesting on
average 3 times before anything is even remotely accomplished. My advice, don't come. Cancel at this
resort. Our rep told us that she informed the company weeks ago that this
place wasn't ready to go. I concur. Go elsewhere. The Bahai in the Mayan is
great or check out another carribean island...just not this resort. Holidays
are for relaxation, not frustration. Take care. |
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FYI
I spoke with CheapCaribbean today and they were willing to change my hotel
reservation without penalty to a resort of my choosing within their
portfolio. I was not changing dates, so the plane reservations remain intact,
but they offered the two resorts previously mentioned, and I specifically
asked about some other resorts Ive had good expeirences with and they gave me
the specific add on fee to move to them. They didnt give me any hassles about
wanting to change, and I specifically asked "if I take a few days to
think about this and call you back will you still honor this change with no
fee offer" - and they said they would. Not
100% sure Im going to change yet (while terrible, these seem like startup
issues that might be somewhat solved before I go at end of Jan), but will
wait a few days for the smoke to clear and see whats happening. |
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Hello
all I
discovered this site the other day and posted requesting info. So I am not a
long time poster so believe or not believe what I write. I
have called my Local Rep in Jamaica who I booked my deal with and recieved
the following based on personal observation from someone I trust. (A great
friend of a great friend) The
kids club is partially open. The gym does not have all of the equipment. The
spa is closed due to an A/C leak that they are waiting to be repaired. The
seafood restaurant is not open yet. The
problem is the above not being ready is that a ship load of goods shipped via
the Domenican is held up. All these problems are MINOR and who cares.
OTHERWISE there are about 500 people in the resort. All rooms that are
occupied have AC, etc. There is wireless internet everywhere. The place is
beautiful. The food looks great. No complaints from any of the guests. I
even called a random room and spoke to a guest and she said it was all good.
So I am going and will be there on the 27th. I am meeting another poster
there with my family--three kids. All of those who cancelled.....I question
the motives of some posters! |
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I am
with Cheapcaribbean and I changed from GBP to RIU Club Hotel in Negril. No
problem at all. No penalty and they were very considerate. I had to pay an
additional $95.00 for this resort. It is listed as a Cheapcaribbean 5
sun....same as GBP. I did not have to change my flights which is good since I
was told a $150.00 change fee per ticket would ne imposed. Apparently the RIU
Clun Hotel Negril is good for children....they also have a kids club. I am
traveling with a 6 and 9 year old. I'm happy with the service Cheapcaribbean
gave me. These bad posts about Cheapcaribbean seem confusing baseed on what I
went through with them this morning. |
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For
everyone even remotely considering the possibility of
"crazyaboutcaribbean" or "wrufftarain"s suggestions being
anything more than complete hogwash take note... There
are several different forum members here that have been on this forum since
at least the beginning of December... These are the posters they are
"accusing"... These members were ALL FOR the GBP before they
left... some even got rather nasty defending their choice to go there. These
SAME members are now reporting back FROM the resort itself of the horrible
situation... Do
you really believe for a second that ALL these members are some form of
"conspiracy" ?? How ridiculous, that would be a story worthy of an
Oscar !! Give me a break . DO
NOT be fooled by damage control ! Blessings
and respect to all the real people. Steve |
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Is it
possible that my posts are being deleted??? Gawd, I keep posting that I have
been advised that the GBP is NOT operational and no more rooms are being sold
until things can be looked into further. But all my posts have been
deleted??? What's going on?? |
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Hi
cathrineann, Who
told you that GBP was not selling any more rooms?If thats the case are they
going to ship everyone that is at the resort out of there?. |
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I
spoke to a supervisor at itravel just this afternoon. They are starting to
get calls and complaints from travellers at the hotel and she told me that
the will not be selling the hotel until the hotel sorts out their problems. I
told her I would still go on the 5th, but if there was BS there, she'd hear
from my lawyer, since I was advising her that I knew of potential problems
there. She immediately rebooked my hotel to the Sunset Grand and then told me
that they weren't selling anymore until they found out more information from
the resort. |
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