We visited Cayo Levantado Island after being offered a transfer trip whilst we were staying at the Gran Bahia in Punta Cana, the hotel in Punta Cana was very busy and so we were offered a transfer to go and visit Cayo for 3 days. The coach trip was a little long and took around 4 hrs, although this was explained by Junior at guest services so we were expecting it.

The boat crossing to the island was very rough as we crossed in a storm, however once we arrived at the hotel and settled in this was soon forgotten.

The rooms were fab, we were located in the main building which was large with a fantastic view from the balcony over the ocean and onto the terrace. Several other couples transferred from Punta Cana at the same time and they were located in villas which they also said were great with huge living areas and Jacuzzis.

We made some great friends whilst we were on the island which made our stay all the more enjoyable, we found all of the staff working at the resort went out of their way to help and serve you, comments some of the previous reviews have made in respect to staff not speaking English i find hard to understand as all of the staff we met spoke very good English (especially as it is not their first language) particularly Francesca and Pablo and they made our stay very enjoyable.

The entertainment team worked tirelessly from early in the morning until late in the evening and were even responsible for organising the beach parties into the early hours, we only managed to make it to the beach party on one evening with some of the friends we met whilst we were there, yes they play a lot of salsa music, but they make it fun and will teach you the dances if you are prepared to join in

We used room service and were served after an approx 15min wait with a huge selection of food, again others we met used the service and all found it to be good. The food in the buffet restaurant was not as varied as that in Punta Cana but i would challenge anyone who cannot find something to eat. We only tried one of the gourmet restaurants, but went as a large party and again the staff went out of their way to move our table and accommodate our needs.

The pools were all clean and there were never any problems finding beds, the private beach was smaller than the public one but very clean and again easy to find beds at any time of the day so no need to get up early to secure. The drinks were good and free flowing, refills were brought by staff before you had emptied you glass but were nearing the end.

We enjoyed it so much that after our initial 3 days were up we stayed on for further 3, along with the rest of the couples who transferred and returned to Punta Cana the evening before we left for home.

All in all we had a fantastic time at the Cayo and cant complain about anything, i wouldn't hesitate to return

Date: March 3 to March 10, 2008. We were one of three couples travelling together to the Gran Bahia Cayo Levantado. Our flight and ground transportation were excellent. We arrived at the Gran Bahia reception center to receeive our room keys, bracelets, etc and then were promptly taken by boat to the island itself. The setting is fantastic, the landscaping is the best we have seen in our previous visits to both the Punta Cana area of the Dominican Republic and several sites in the Mayan Riviera of Mexico. Our villa had eight suites and we had three of the four units on the top floor. The furnishings were amazing. The rooms were kept clean and every day the mini bar was restocked. The lobby of the main building was very spacious, but there were few guests staying at the resort that week. we were told by staff that they were only 50% booked, but at all the pools, beach areas, a la carte restaurants, etc we saw what amounted to no more than 25 - 30% occupancy. The restaurant staff and bar staff were truly special, they made special drinks for our wives and majically appeared with refills of drinks without being asked. Our only major issue was with water. The first two mornings of our stay I had to phone the customer services desk to get any hot water for showers. About 30 -45 minutes later, there was warm (at best) water that never really got hot. On the morning of our departure, all three couples had 6:00 a.m. wake-up calls and only two actually got a call. When all three couples wanted to shower we found that none of the suites had any water on at all. Another frantic call to customer services resulted in the water being turned on just after 6:30. We then had to shower, finish packing, get to the main restaurant when it opened at 7:00 a.m. for breakfast and onto the dock with our luggage all by 7:30 a.m. Not the kind of leisurely departure you might want as you wrap up your relaxing trip. I have written a letter to the hotel manager and received no reply for 7 days, so wrote a follow-up note and got an automated reply that indicated they had my letter and would reply within 24 hours. That was 10 days ago. I have also talked to our travel agent and made them aware of this condition and they agree that this is no way for a resort that advertises itself as five star to operate. We will have a hard time reccomending this hotel to others based mainly on the lack of interest its management seems to have when replying to customer concerns.
Signed, Trouble in Paradise

We travelled for the first time to the Dominican Republic and stayed at the Gran Bahia Principe Cayo Levantado. We flew into Puerto Plata and were met by the resorts' van promptly. We embarked on a three hour trip down to the Samana Peninsula.
This was a long trip but we enjoyed every minute. It was a way to see the country and the beauty of the area. Upon arrival at the Levantado dock we were greeted by the staff and give rum punch.
There was a little wait for the ferry but not long enough for any discomfort. Upon arrival at the Levantado you will see a breathtaking view of the island that is only visible from the ferry.
We were taken to our room but decided that we wanted a better view from our balcony. The management went out of their way to provide us with a beautiful villa that had a living room with television, a bedroom area with television, large jacuzzi tub with separate shower area AND another jacuzzi on the balcony area.
The food was very good. The swimming pools, beach, public areas--well I'll just say everything at the Levantado met and exceeded our expectations. You will not be disappointed.

Travelled to this hotel for two days(one night) when we accepted an offer whilst staying at the GBP Punta Cana.
We were paid $200 in cash,free transfers,an upgrade when we went back to Punta Cana and a free whale watching trip was thrown in. This was because of the well publicised overbooking incidents at GBP Punta Cana.
Checked out of Punta Cana at 7:30am , leaving luggage we didn't need in their secured(?) storage area; first problem was no coach!Checked with Guest Services at 8:00am who first of all, told us not leaving til 9:15, then told us had gone at 7:00am - finally found out that the coach was waiting for us at the main entrance to the hotel as it had left from the Bavaro side of the complex at 7:30am.Was rushed over by porter to be slow handclapped by other(ignorant) guests already on the coach.Thanks very much Guest Services(Junior) for giving us the wrong information!!
Then followed a fairly hairy 4 hour coach trip through very varied scenery including crossing the hills on dirt roads - something I hadn't experienced on a coach before!
Once we reached the harbour on Samana we were transferred to a speed boat for an exhillerating ride out to (and around) the island of Cayo Levantado.The hotel makes a very impressive sight as you approach.
Check in went smoothly and we were allocated a room in one of the seperate villas scattered around the grounds -room 4102.Only downside is that these villas are spread out over the hillside so if you have difficulties walking, probably need to wait for the little train which travels round the site in a circle.
Absolutely magnificent suite, huge bathroom with seperate shower room,jacuzzi tub,huge 4 poster bed - enormous well equipped balcony,totally secluded, looking out through the trees to the sea!
After changing we went back to the main areas for an excellent buffet lunch before departing on a whale watching trip out in the Bay of Samana.
Quite rough seas -a few people violently sea sick - but well worth it as we saw several females with their calves swimming on top and got some good photos and video.Local guide spoke excellent English(French, Italian....)and filled the trip in with lots of interesting info on the whales.
Returned to the hotel and spent the rest of the afternoon by a magnificent pool at the top of the site - very quiet - extremely well equipped with both standard sunbeds/shades and 4 poster sunbeds!Set in absolutely stunning grounds with a view of the "mountains"
Ate at the buffet that evening - food was extremely good- and then had a few drinks in the cool and airy main bar before retiring for the night.
Up early the next morning to take advantage of the fab surroundings.After breakfast we sat on the beach on our own for about an hour! watching the whales about 0.5 miles out to sea leaping and waving huge tails in the air! a really magical sight.
The hotel has two short sections of its own beach backing on to a large swimming pool; the perfect place to chill out.
There is a lift from this bottom pool back up to the top for access to the villas on the high ground and the other quiet pool.
On the island there is also a public section with its own beach which looked very nice from the speedboat.This area is completely isolated from the hotel however.
Once again, the travel arrangements back to Punta Cana were cocked up - we were told checkout at 12 noon, depart at 12:30 - we snatched a snack at the beach only to then find out that we weren't leaving until 2:15 so could have had a leisurely buffet lunch (thanks again Junior!!)
In conclusion, we wished we could have spent the rest of the 2 weeks there - it truly is a 5 star resort.