We have been several times to Bahia Principe main hotel, Ambar and now we've just returned from Esmeralda. All was great, food, service, rooms (I dont know about The "cocrouhes" as almoe07 blogged about, we never saw any bugs anywhere). However the BIG problem now at Bahia Principe is The time sharing! Although the sales people try to convince you that it is not time sharing. Paul gave us an appointment for one morning at 11am and we did not show up because we knew it would be a trap; so that evening we received a phone call from another person who insisted that we go and when I got annoyed at his being so aggressive when I told him we were not interested he told me that if we did not attend, Paul would lose his job.... That was horrible. I called the manager who kept putting me on hold while I was talking to him about this situation. He just did not care until I confronted him in person. He sent us a fruit plate (as if I couldnt get any at the buffets). So this might be it for us as far as Bahia Principe is concerned. We are never going back, it was quite annoying to be harrassed all week. They want you to attend a meeting and ask you for $20,0000. ....... All this while you are trying to rest on your vacation. Very sad, great resort but not for us anymore! I hope Bahia Principe and the Pinero group sees this critic and understand that the hotel guests were all really annoyed at this new practice.

The Esmeralda is a beautiful compact resort, kept immaculately clean by very hard working staff. We visited in January 2012 and overall our experience there was close to perfect with just one or two minor issues. Check in went smoothly and we were given a room in Building 90 on 3rd floor, close to beach and overlooking the pool. I had requested this ahead of time by calling the hotel and they made a note on our file. Bedroom was very nice, clean and fresh, with very comfortable king size bed, modern bathroom with double vanity, jacuzzi bath, walk-in shower with glass door and separate wc. Balcony was private. We enjoyed sitting there early evening, with patio doors wide open....not a single bug or gecko to be seen the entire week. The maids cleaned the room promptly every morning, and left beautiful towel creations and rose petals, etc. Fridge always restocked.

Loved the fact that the resort had its own outdoor and indoor buffet restaurant. Nice to have breakfast and lunch and feel that warm carribean breeze while you enjoy your food. Plenty of selection in the buffets. One of only two complaints about the entire resort was that the food was always lukewarm. It seemed the same way in the a la carte restaurants.

We ventured away from the peace and tranquility of the Esmeralda resort in the evening to enjoy the entertainment of the shows. The theatre is located in the Gran Bahia Punta Cana resort (crazy busy there). Only a 10 minute walk, but most people seemed to hang around and wait for the shuttles. Shows were well done......some talented dancers and gymnasts.
The Don Pablo Gourmet and the French Gourmet restaurants both excellent.......Japanese and Italian just so so. It always felt good to return to the Esmeralda later in the evening, enjoy a drink in the lobby bar, where there was usually some relaxing live music.

The beach is amazing for walking......you can literally walk for hours. Loved watching a couple of pelicans in the morning flying low and swooping down into the ocean for their breakfast! Unfortunately the area is swamped with resorts, side by side, so the beach is incredibly busy.

The pool area is again very clean. Pool chairs are reserved early by people placing towels but the staff will not allow this before 8am. No pool activities at this resort which suited us fine. If you are looking for activities you need to walk to the Gran Bahia Principe Punta Cana pool area. We also liked the adult only jacuzzi pool area at the Esmeralda with cabanas. Nice clean outdoor restrooms located there too.

The Esmeralda offers "free" sailing and canoes. But BEWARE of the watersports staff. Unlike the rest of the staff in this resort, they are not very friendly and will make you wait for hours unless you hand over $$$$. We gladly tipped waiters, maids, barmen who all offered great service and I believe their service would have been just as good without tipping. Somehow the vibe down at the watersports desk was very different.

Otherwise I would not hesitate to recommend the Esmeralda. I feel, based on experiences at many other all inclusive resorts in the Carribean, this one does merit 5 stars.

Feb. 11, 2012. Just got back from a week in paradise! We stayed in room 94007 and we walked out of the building, across a driveway, and we were at the lobby, pool, several restaurants and the amazing beach. Others were in buildings further away but there's a "shuttle bus" (like golf carts pulling several other cars) that runs every 5 minutes or so. It takes you between the Ambar, Golden, Esmerelda and the hotel Punta Cana. These buses run 24/7 so we had no problem getting around.
Our resort, Esmerelda, is the newest and it is stunning to say the least. It was sparkling clean and we never saw a dirty bathroom the entire time. There are marble floors everywhere and beautiful grounds and gardens. Without a doubt the most beautiful resort I've ever stayed at.
The pool is freeform and large so finding a spot was seldom a problem. They have a jaccuzzi type area at one end of the pool, and every five minutes jets turn on at your back, as well as all over the bottom of this semi-enclosed area. It's not hot water...it's part of the huge freeform pool. There is also a seperate, hot jaccuzzi pool which was right beside our building and is for adults only. It is a large pool with shallow water, and it has three places where you can sit up to your neck in a hot, relaxing jaccuzzi. Each of the three jaccuzzi's sits around eight to ten adults.
The Esmerelda is strictly for Esmerelda guests, including the beach. There are several signs stating that the beach is private and only for Esmerelda guests. Others might have sat on our beach but without the Esmerelda wristband, they couldn't get drinks or food. We had no problem finding lounge chairs at the beach and there are lots of umbrellas for shade. The para sails were going constantly the entire week.
One of the neat things about the excursions they offered was that each trip went every single day! At most resorts they tell you that you can go to place A only on Wednesdays, for example, and place B on Fridays. Not only could you take their excursions on any day, but they had several that went four times per day, so whether you're an early or late riser, you could still plan an off-resort trip that worked into your lifestyle.
The food was absolutely unbelievably amazing. The Esmerelda has two a la carte restaurants, plus the Jazmine Buffet and the Arricife snack bar/buffet. The a la cartes are Italian and Steak but we weren't impressed. The Italian had spaghetti served three ways plus a salad bar and the steak house served very thin steaks that were often not cooked well. However, the Jazmine Buffet always has a large bacon wrapped fillet roast which they carve right in front of you and the meat just melts in your mouth!! They always had a meat lasagna for lunch and dinner, as well as a sauce lasagna. We also had roast turkey and it was as moist as chicken. They barbequed lobsters and these were often served at lunch and dinner (no extra cost for lobster, whereas we have seen people pay up to $25 US for lobster at an allinclusive). Plenty of sea food, chicken, pork, beef all served in different and delicious ways. If you're vegetarian you'd have no problem eating hearty at the buffets. Their produce is plentiful and served in so many different ways. I'm not a dessert person but you know how dessert in the Carribean usually looks good but has no taste? Not at the Esmerelda! The people who ate the wide variety of desserts said they were amazed at how good everything was. I've never seen such huge buffets in my life, except for in Vegas. At least seven rows of foods, all different. And lots for the kids, like hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken fingers and fries. And beautifully presented, with fruit carved into flowers beside each tray of food. They had ice cream and cones at every meal for the young and young-at-heart.
Don't worry about the water...the entire resort uses purified water to clean the food, and the ice and water are purified and taste SO good after a day in the sun.
There is a fridge in each room with several bottles of water, pop, several types of alcohol and munchies. The fridge is restocked daily and is part of the all-inclusive. There is also a safe, and it is included as well, but only at the Esmerelda.
Check out the swim-up bar and you'll meet Gendy (produced Hen-dee) and Alexis (Alex-eee) who will serve you with a huge smile.
There are photographers who travel around the pool several times a day with iguanas, large parrots, snakes and a baby squirrel monkey. They take your picture with these critters and tou pay $5 for a 5x7.
The entertainment all takes place at the Gran Bahia Principe Punta Cana, about a three minute bus ride away (this resort complex is huge, and includes the Ambar, the Golden, Esmerelda and the Punta Cana) The Tropicana theater is indoors at the Punta Cana and the Pueblo Principe is close by but outdoors. The Micheal Jackson show is really a must-see. I'm not an MJ fan but it was like watching the real thing! The back-up dancers were especially good. They also have a circus show, a "legends" show, where they dress up and sing like Marilyn Monroe and Sinatra. The Pueblo Principe offers a lot of childrens entertainment.
My one complaint was that on our last day we had to leave the resort at 10:30 in the morning to head to the airport. The day we arrived we didn't get to our rooms to unpack until almost 4:00 pm, so in reality, we lost most of our first day and all of our last day. But, the days in between more than made up for it. We met people there who were staying 2 weeks and it's their fourth time there, so that's saying a lot about the resort, the staff, the food, the beach, etc.
I want to go back next year with my husband...my best friend and I went this year while hubby stayed home to look after our dogs and cat.
If you want a beautiful, quiet resort with entertainment a few minutes away, this is the place for you. No noisy drunken people staggering around at midnight yelling and keeping us awake. This place has it all. We had no problems sleeping, and when we wanted to see a show, it was only a short bus ride away.
Glassdogs

I stayed at this resort for 4 nights/5 days in early February. The property is beautiful and well kept. The people are very helpful and friendly as long as you are. Treat others the way you want to be treated. Book your dinner reservations before 3 - after 3PM the system shuts down for same day reservations. They are able to give you cancellations if you visit the desk in the afternoon. Don't give the staff a hard time they use reservations to plan for food and staffing at the restaurants. The lunch and breakfasts at Jazmine are much better than the snack bar - much better selection. Also, if they are out of something, mention it and they will bring more out. The food is not up to the standards of Secrets but it is very good and the portions are larger than I expected. The complex is huge but we regularly walked between bavaro, ambar and esmeralda - the main hotel is harder to get. The spa is wonderful - we had the couples caribbean massage and loved it. We never had major issues getting beach chairs in the morning but the Esmeralda pool was tough - but usually freed up around early afternoon. The drinks were very strong - so much so we missed our dinner reservations the first night. Esmeralda guests have the advantage of top shelf liquor - like Black Label, Dewars, Jack etc. Great hotel for a relaxing getaway.

Standout Staff: The bar in the lobby - wonderful and attentive. Gendy at the pool bar - he never forgets a face or a drink. The maid staff in building 93 on the first floor - they were always invisible but the rooms were spotless when we would return.