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.

We just got back from a wonderful week at Cayo Levantado. Where do we begin? The accommdation was amazing..clean, spacious and oh what a view. We stayed in Villa #5, in a Superior Junior Suite - 4 poster King Size bed, Jacuzzi, stocked bar fridge, wonderful terrace (10 x 20) looking over the beach. The maid service (YOCASTA...she was amazing!) was impeccable and our bed was turned down EVERY night with chocolates on the pillow. We always had a little something special...flowers on the bed, towels turned into beautiful swans...A few dollars in the bar fridge resulted in wine in ice buckets and many beers in the fridge (you need to tell them what you want and viola..you got it!). We never had to fight for a chair on the beach or around the pools, which are very quiet. AND...no beach vendors!!!!! You must try the spa. We had a couples massage which included a 15 minute jacuzzi, 50 minute massage and 15 minutes of relaxation overlooking beautiful scenery. All for around $120.00 for both of us. We were looking for a quiet get away and this island was perfect. However, if you did want to spice it up a bit, you could venture over to the public beach. Can't comment on the entertainment, as we never made it there. We enjoyed watching the whales play in the bay right from our beach chair and later took a whale watching tour and followed a family (mom, dad and baby) for about an hour. SURREAL!! The only rating below 5 star was the food. But, remember..this is the Dominican Republic. The A la Carte restaurants were fine. The "Gourmet" restaurant was excellent, the Mediterranean was nice..the seafood we found was not that great on the night we went, however, other people from the resort enjoyed it. We were squeezed in that night, so perhaps this was the problem. Make you reservations for the A la Carte restaurants as soon as you get off the boat. Although it doesn't appear that there are many people on the island, we found that the restaurants booked quickly. The staff are wonderful, however, they do not speak much English. They love it if you try and speak some Spanish to them. We did not have any problem communicating with anyone using some form of animation. All in all, we would recommend this resort hands down and will be booking again next year.

We arrived at Samana airport on February 11, 2008. The airport was clean and air conditioned and the baggage came through quickly and after a short line up we sailed through customs and boarded the bus for Cayo Levantado. Our tour guide briefed us on the short 1 hour trip and we were soon sipping cold Presidente beer and eating barbecued chicken on our scenic bus ride to Paradise. Upon arrival at the dock we received our room keys and details then boarded the boat for a short ride (5 mins) to the island.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by the management staff for a short reception then taken to our villas via estate service. Our luggage followed shortly thereafter. By the way villas 8, 9 and 10 are truly magnificent. Our villa was #9 with an amazing view of the ocean that was incredible while sitting in the hot tub with a glass of champagne looking at the stars. Our maid was meticulous and the room service was prompt at all times.

The food was excellent. We got to know the head chef who prepared special appetizers for us at Don Pablo restaurant. The lobster at the seafood restaurant was especially memorable. The buffets were great with fresh food throughout the day. The wait staff was always smiling and happy to serve. As the week progresses you get to know them, Lourdes, Marie, Peter, Kelly to name a few. Adan and Walky were also awesome bartenders. Walky works at the pool bar, ask him for a ‘Super Walky’ drink special! They do appreciate tips.

We took advantage of playing tennis with the most lush vegetation and views we have ever seen around a tennis court. The Bahia gym was great with new weights and very clean. There are bikes to tour around the grounds if tennis isn’t in your plans.

The beaches and pools were all fabulous. If you like body surfing or just wave jumping you will love the water. The public beach is a bit calmer and there is a diving dock to swim out to. Great place to suntan. The beach gets pretty crowded on the weekend but definitely worth spending some time at during the week. A cruise ship pulled in to port on Saturday which was spectacular in the water but about 1000 people descended on the public beach. There are locals selling their goods and local food to experience but busy when the ship comes in. We scurried back to paradise. The public beach is just a two minute walk for the main hotel so you are never far from any body of water.

We brought our own snorkeling gear and used it a couple of times. The water was only cloudy one day but the snorkeling was fun on the other days. There are plenty of towels and loungers and space on the beaches. Go exploring and find your own private beach, there is a lot to do and see. Wind down the day in the Jacuzzi pool before getting ready for dinner.

There are shows after dinner which are entertaining but remember you are at a resort not Las Vegas. There is dancing and music at the public beach for ‘guests only’ at night. That is a lot of fun and the only type of evening entertainment. We were so busy during the day and preferred our outdoor Jacuzzi and star gazing at night but did venture to the beach parties a couple of nights. This is truly a relaxing resort with top notch service, clean grounds and lots of sunshine. We cannot comment on the tours as we stayed on the island and enjoyed everything it had to offer. It was very difficult to pack and take that boat ride back to the bus and then the airport!
Enjoy!!