I've just come back from a couple of nights at the HM Alma de Bayahibe hotel and thought I'd give some feedback. The headline number is that we paid US$ 110 per night for two people, all inclusive. Which I think is the lowest I have ever paid.
I will prefix my comments by saying that I've been travelling quite a lot recently in Europe, and have stayed in some very top-end hotels in the last few weeks, one of which cost way over US$ 1,000 a night - which was the the one we complained about most because there just wasn't anything there that was worth that much, and it really spoilt the trip. So for our two nights in Bayahibe I saw this deal and thought "let's try it, it's going to be terrible for that price, but it will be an experience and at least I won't feel ripped off like I did at the expensive one". I also add that I have worked most of my life in hospitality and until recently have run a hotel in the capital.
Overall I thought Alma de Bayahibe was excellent value and I'd recommend it. On the plus side, it has very comfortable rooms, nice size, fully air-conditioned. Super hot water in the shower, strong Wifi (no extra charge). Spotlessly clean. The food is pretty much the same as other AI's I've stayed in, there was a food-truck which did really nice burgers and excellent chicken, a snack-bar open until 3am, and the buffet restaurant with the usual range. Obviously the buffet food was reasonably basic, but at this price point you wouldn't expect anything else. The drinks were limited in terms of brand but for rum they had a Bacardi gold and a cheap Brugal and there was a lot of whisky being drunk. There were two A La Carte restaurants included which you had to book, they looked super romantic but we didn't try them. There was entertainment every night which we actually enjoyed - a group on one night, then on the second day a violinist beside the pool at sunset and then a silent disco in the evening.
The hotel is located right next to the sea and has four pools which are beautiful. These never seemed to get crowded and didn't have the usual crowd of noisy drunks that you find in other AI's. There isn't a beach (the sea is rocky there) but there is a platform that you can jump into the sea from if you want to swim in the sea, and a free shuttle bus to and from the beach every 30 mins.
The hotel is adult-only which was a plus as there weren't any noisy kids. It's not very big by AI standards - I think 250/300 bedrooms, everything is walkable so there are none of those annoying trains. Guests were a mix of mainly Europeans, I would say the majority were Brits, mixed with a few French, Italians and Colombians.
The staff were trying very hard. There is a lot of refurb work going on which was presenting a lot of challenges - when we arrived they said our room wasn't ready yet, and I subsequently found out they meant it wasn't physically guest-ready, still being refurbed. Some of the others in our group had to change rooms three times on the first day to get the bed configuration they wanted and because A/C wasn't working, I got the impression that the front-desk staff were seriously struggling to move people around to where they had space.
The best place to book is on the HM Hotels website which I've added a link to below as they are offering lower rates than the other sites. I would probably avoid weekends if you can as I imagine it may get full of a noisier crowd then.
www.hmhotels.com
I finish by saying I have no connection with this hotel and no skin in the game. If you're looking for amazing value and are prepared to stay without expecting Ritz Carlton standards, then it's well worth a visit.
I will prefix my comments by saying that I've been travelling quite a lot recently in Europe, and have stayed in some very top-end hotels in the last few weeks, one of which cost way over US$ 1,000 a night - which was the the one we complained about most because there just wasn't anything there that was worth that much, and it really spoilt the trip. So for our two nights in Bayahibe I saw this deal and thought "let's try it, it's going to be terrible for that price, but it will be an experience and at least I won't feel ripped off like I did at the expensive one". I also add that I have worked most of my life in hospitality and until recently have run a hotel in the capital.
Overall I thought Alma de Bayahibe was excellent value and I'd recommend it. On the plus side, it has very comfortable rooms, nice size, fully air-conditioned. Super hot water in the shower, strong Wifi (no extra charge). Spotlessly clean. The food is pretty much the same as other AI's I've stayed in, there was a food-truck which did really nice burgers and excellent chicken, a snack-bar open until 3am, and the buffet restaurant with the usual range. Obviously the buffet food was reasonably basic, but at this price point you wouldn't expect anything else. The drinks were limited in terms of brand but for rum they had a Bacardi gold and a cheap Brugal and there was a lot of whisky being drunk. There were two A La Carte restaurants included which you had to book, they looked super romantic but we didn't try them. There was entertainment every night which we actually enjoyed - a group on one night, then on the second day a violinist beside the pool at sunset and then a silent disco in the evening.
The hotel is located right next to the sea and has four pools which are beautiful. These never seemed to get crowded and didn't have the usual crowd of noisy drunks that you find in other AI's. There isn't a beach (the sea is rocky there) but there is a platform that you can jump into the sea from if you want to swim in the sea, and a free shuttle bus to and from the beach every 30 mins.
The hotel is adult-only which was a plus as there weren't any noisy kids. It's not very big by AI standards - I think 250/300 bedrooms, everything is walkable so there are none of those annoying trains. Guests were a mix of mainly Europeans, I would say the majority were Brits, mixed with a few French, Italians and Colombians.
The staff were trying very hard. There is a lot of refurb work going on which was presenting a lot of challenges - when we arrived they said our room wasn't ready yet, and I subsequently found out they meant it wasn't physically guest-ready, still being refurbed. Some of the others in our group had to change rooms three times on the first day to get the bed configuration they wanted and because A/C wasn't working, I got the impression that the front-desk staff were seriously struggling to move people around to where they had space.
The best place to book is on the HM Hotels website which I've added a link to below as they are offering lower rates than the other sites. I would probably avoid weekends if you can as I imagine it may get full of a noisier crowd then.
HM Alma de Bayahibe Adults Only | HM Hotels - Web oficial
Situado en el maravilloso entorno de Bayahíbe, rodeado de playas paradisíacas, naturaleza incomparable y con acceso directo al mar.
www.hmhotels.com
I finish by saying I have no connection with this hotel and no skin in the game. If you're looking for amazing value and are prepared to stay without expecting Ritz Carlton standards, then it's well worth a visit.
