My husband and I stayed at the GBP El Portillo from Mar. 31 - Apr 7 2008. We had chose to visit this resort from all the past reviews and forums. The number one reason we selected it was for the beach and the scenery, and we were not disappointed. The scenery is incredible. We travelled with AirTransat Royal Golden and we were happy with the upgrade, namely, our room. We requested to stay in Villa 1 and had a beautiful suite with a great view of the beach. The grounds are so well kept and the entire resort is immaculate.
The food, well we didn't come for the food, but were not disappointed. It was good, we certainly didn't go hungry, and didn't get sick. So I think that is the important thing. We tried all three a la cartes. The were all good, especially the gourment and the oriental. We are not seafood lovers, but visited the seafood restaurtant to try the beef ternderloin. We found that overall the beef was very rare, so ask for it well done and you'll get medium rare. But it was very tasty! The buffet had great selection of entrees and salads. We were not disappointed with the food at the buffet either. For breakfast we had omeletts every morning and ate outside. The cabana outside is a beautiful place to eat breakfast with the sounds of birds and the ocean. Definately our favourite meal of the day.
The rooms are beautiful. We had a suite with a king bed and a sitting area. The bathroom was marble with separate shower with glass door and a jacuzzi tub. The toilet was even in a separate stall with a glass door. Very nice touch. A couple of nights we sat out on our balcony, the sound of the waves crashing on the reef is incredible.
The beach is my favourite part. We could walk for miles either way on the beach and it was so quite. It was nice to walk early in the morning and steal some private time away. Felt like we were the only people on the earth...Again the scenery is incredible. Palm trees flanked by misty tree covered mountains in the distance. Views I will not forget. We took a catamaran ride out to the ocean, in my opinion this is not to miss. The view of the shoreline from miles out was extrodinary. The resort and a hilltop mansion are basically the only civilization to be seen. The week we were there was quite, which was nice, so the beach was never very busy. The staff organized a soccer game a couple of afternoons and this was fun to participate in. People from all different countries playing together. The coral reef was beautiful. Snorkeling was amazing. Best time is at low tide and you can walk out and see fish, sea urchins etc.
The pool is really nice as well. Very clean and well kept. The loungers are very comfortable by the pool. We spent the mornings at the beach and afternoons at the pool cooling off.
We did an excursion to El Limon waterfall and this was a highlight of our trip. Again, I can't stress how beautiful the scenery is. The horseback riding was fun. I have ridin horses before, so my guide kept my horse moving fast. When you get to the waterfall make sure to climb down even further and there is a couple of smaller waterfalls which are beautiful to see as well. The lunch served back at the ranch was really good. They will offer you a music cd with you pic on the cover at lunch. We bought ours and I am glad. Has some great Dominican music which is nice to listen to and reminice. Our cost was $12 American.
We traveled into Los Terrenas by cab. Cost was $20 for both ways. We arranged for our cab driver to pick us up at a specific time and he was not 1 minute late. We decided to get a drink and came upon a beach bar called Paco Cabana. What a great little spot. If you visit Los Terrenas, don't miss this spot. Right on the ocean, very relaxed atmosphere.
We met many wonderful people from many different countries and had a really great time. The beach party on Saturday night at the resort was a lot of fun. Good dancing and drinks.
To end my review, if you are looking for a relaxing getaway with beautiful natural scenery and a laid back atmoshere, this is the place to go. As mentioned in many of the other reviews, we were told that in a few years this place will be unrecognizable with many resorts going up. Many have already started. Get there quick. We would love to come back and visit many more of the natural wonders we couldn't fit in.

My husband and I just got back last night from the Grand Bahia Principe El Portillo just outside of Samana, and Las Terranes. What an amazing spot, and a super hotel/resort. Great beach, and your kids can snorkel in 18" of water and see 7 - 10 different types of tropical fish on the reefs that are close to shoreline. There is plenty of safe swimming as well without reef rock. Food excellent, people as always in the Dominican, friendly, helpful and willing to please. The best ever check in was done on the bus on the way to the resort, so when we got there at noon, we could go directly to our already made up rooms, and head straight to the beach. There were plenty of families, and retired people and all ages in between. German, French, and Canadian for the most part. Would highly recommend going before this area get really built up like Puerto Plata, and Punta Cana.

Amazing ocean with nice clear waters... very cool and refreshing this time of year.

The restaurants, hotel grounds, and room where all very nice, clean! Great variety of cuisine from seafood, chinese, and international gourmet restaurants as well as a great buffet with delicious dominican food.

The drinks were very good not water down at all. Try the mojito and caipirinhas! highly recommended. They serve the
national beer Presidente which @ other cheap hotels don't.

Overall great hotel and service with one of the best beaches in the island for sure ... that is if you're looking for a calm ocean and serene relaxing vacation :)

Tip of the day:
If you're looking to be adventurous take a small plane from the private airport in front of the hotel and go and visit the capital's colonial zone. You'll just pay $75 each way and get there in 25 min!!!

We just spent a week at the El Portillo and we liked it overall. Just as some people already noted, this is definitely not a 5 star hotel.

The resort : Very clean, very spacious and well maintained enough. The cleaning staff definitely works harder than the waiting staff! We had a standard room in villa number 2, close to the beach and very quiet. Beautiful palm trees all over the beach and very well maintained luxurious gardens. It's good to know that you can ask the staff to climb and cut coconuts and prepare them for you. Of course, a dollar or two would be appreciated.

The food and beverages : OK, not wonderful. The A la carte restaurants were good in general, the buffet lacks variety in my taste but my boyfriend liked the food. I guess it really depends on your taste. Anyhow, this is not really a priority when you go on vacation, is it? Drinks were average, ask for more alcohol in them if you don't like sweet stuff... Red and white wines were better than some places we visited before, they don't give you headaches the day after, they were quite dry. Beer is good, draft is Presidente and in your mini-bar (included in your room), you get Brahma. Definitety a better choice over the drinks. Don't expect too much from the waiting staff though, they don't always seem to know what they are suppose to do. Lack of experience but hey, you're on vacation, and there is nothing to stress about so give them a break. Staff at the A la carte dining is really good and efficient compared to the one at the buffet.

THE BEACH now : definitely the best part of our trip. You can swim and dive right there and there is a lot to see. Tropical fishes to be seen and you don't have to go that far to see them. Remember to bring some bread with you, it's worth it. We recommend diving in front of the water sports club as the coral reefs over there is much more well preserved than the other side. If you don't like to swim and dive, you can take long walks as the beach goes on and go, one way or the other. You can even reach both pueblos, Las Terrenas and El Portillo, walking mostly on the beach. You'll sometimes have to get to the road to avoid getting wet but you can make it mostly by the beach.

Lastly, we would like to mention that it is very windy in Las Terrenas. Everyday, as of 2 PM, the wind starts to blow and it is not always fun to stay on the beach. It is good as long as you don't literally burn under the sun but for the swim and dive, it is not always feasable. With that in mind, you should have lots of fun at the Portillo.