It's all alright until you get injured and require medical help... It's all alright until you get injured and require medical help...

It's a typical South America all-inclusive, nothing special, ok food, great ocean, nothing special, however if you get into accident - you are screwed!

Just want to be clear - I was completely sober, coming back from the beach, planning on going for lunch.

I had a fall incident from the trolley/golf cart (the ones which take you around the hotel/to the beach), where I asked the driver to stop, he slowed down to almost a stop and when I started stepping off the trolley - he did not wait until I fully stepped down started driving off pretty fast, which caused me to fall badly dislocating, fracturing and breaking my shoulder (4 fractures, displaced bone), requiring emergency hospitalization. By the way, the drivers of these carts often drive around pretty reckless.


So I fell and immediately realized I am in big trouble as my arm no longer felt like my own arm and the pain started coming in, which was unbearable. Until we waited for another golf cart with the stretcher, the workers of the hotel were very confused not knowing what to do. After a while - couple of nurses (or whoever they were) came in, 1 out of which started bending my arm towards my chest.... I have never felt such excruciating pain as my shoulder was broken and out of place (you could clearly see a big bump on top of my shoulder as it was really out of place), but she kept bending saying "this is the procedure" - I nearly fainted couple of times from the shocks of pain, but somehow managed to bend my arm so they put me on the stretcher and moved to the local medical post.

At the medical post, once they brought my phone and passport from my room - they kept screaming "WHERE IS YOUR WALLET AS WE NEED CREDIT CARD", it was very hard to explain that my phone - is my wallet as they don't speak any English and making sure credit card is right now with me is the most important thing. By this time, still in medical post office - I was already crying-screaming asking to give me something from pain, one of the nurses responded "It's not going to help! " - I seriously forgot about my broken arm for a moment, WTF do you mean by "it's not going to help"??? Anyways, I got no painkiller of any kind even when the ambulance came in and even at the hospital. They moved me to the ambulance on another stretcher, never secured me to it and then there was a long and painful 35minute drive to the hospital as I was rolling around the stretcher with a broken arm.


At the hospital - they took me to xRay and 2 dudes started getting my shoulder in place, which actually gave me some sort of relief as while it was still very painful - it was not super painful and I could finally have my arm rest somehow. They did put in the IV and gave me some medicine, not sure what it was, but thanks for that. Then, the long wait where at least 20 patients with various minor injuries got processed and I was just waiting, contacting my family and friends letting them know what happened to me. I started asking what is going on and why this is taking so long, I am at pretty bad shape, I only had my swimming shorts on and nothing else (was coming back from the ocean), after 3.5 hours they finally gave me a bottle of water and kept saying to wait... I literally started going into different rooms telling them that I will fall and faint right there, I need to know what is going on, or at least get out of the hospital (my family helped me move my airplane ticket for next day already), they finally explained that they were preparing an estimate for a surgery and finding a doctor who could do that. I had to convince them - that I will be doing the surgery at home and to let me out, so I literally waited for like 4-5 hours in very cold hospital in my swimming shorts for nothing... At checkout they charged me: $2776.45, I am not kidding (attached receipt). I did translate the receipt in English and more than half of it is complete BS, I am already working with the bank to reverse partially the charges. I was in no condition to challenge the costs as I was ready to faint out and just fall and die there, so I paid with credit card so I could get to hotel and start packing up for next day painful journey.

Now besides overcharging me + charging me for BS they never did - the way they treat you is something beyond anything... like you are another nuisance on their hands... I know they did put my shoulder in place - but that's about it! On my way out they said I should take a bus to the city to a store to get painkiller medicine myself! After charging me nearly $3K - you could at least give me some painkillers! Absolutely horrible hospital and people who work there.
Here is the name of the hospital: Hospiten B? varo

So I was finally back to the hotel, I packed somehow with 1 hand and after painful sleepless night (I could not get any painkillers as I was in no shape of going to the city, nobody could help be at reception and local medical shop was already closed.. was like 8PM or something). In the morning, I started calling reception to help me get to the lobby with my carry on and backpack as now it was very problematic for me. While they called me fine the evening before - nobody picked up the phone so I had to walk to the reception and started asking for help - everybody would literally point finger to go somewhere else, it was unbelievable! Until I started screaming to help me out please now as I am in very bad shape and I just need someone to help be bring my crap to the lobby and drive me to the medical shop so I could get something for the pain as I had a drive to an airport and 5 hour flight ahead of me... After screaming and swearing at them - finally 1 dude started helping me out, got me to the medical shop so I got some painkiller medicine thank god (it did help a lot! ) and was taken to the lobby with my carriage where I checked out.


Now I had to switch my transfer, which I did that same morning and I told like 5 times to the greeting person or whoever it is to make sure I do not miss it as he told me to just sit and relax and he will call me when the transfer arrives and guess what? He just lets the transfer leave without calling me... When I asked what I should do now - he told me to talk to the guy who is responsible for transfers, so I went to that guy and he is like - "it's your fault, you should off got on it", so I called the guy who missed my transfer, so they could both talk as this is not my fault at all and I NEED to get to the airport, I cannot run around it with my arm messed up alone with a carry-on and a backpack, so I need to be on-time, even before on-time! They literally said they can't help me, sorry sir, bla bla bla.... This was super unprofessional as I did not ask for any special treatment even though I was clearly injured and in pain - yet since I am checked out - I don't deserve any sort of service or anything at all. Once again I started screaming at the dude who missed my transfer to get me a taxi and that I do not have any cash anymore, I need a taxi with credit card machine – now I have to pay of course as my paid transfer already left and already probably arrived at the airport by that time as it was 45min since my transfer pick up, so I was losing it... if I would have miss my flight - that would be a disaster as I needed to get to a NORMAL emergency room and further treatment! . So he finally called a taxi - it arrives, I get in, sit down and guess what - this taxi does not take credit cards... I was honestly ready to just run to the ocean and drown myself as I was exhausted, in pain and it felt like these people who work for the hotel literally having fun there finding a stupid injured American boy in despair very amusing. Second taxi finally arrived, which took credit cards and I made it to the airport and made it to my flight - thanks to the security people who kept letting me through ahead of the line!

It has been 2.5 weeks since my fall now, I am home safe, still suffering from pain, but in much better state of mind. I went through a surgery, I got titanium plates in my shoulder and hopefully the bones will re-attach and heal (I won't know about it for next 5 weeks or so). If all goes well - there is a LONG therapy ahead on getting my arm back to the most useful condition, it will never be the same as before, but with time and therapy it should get back to 80-90% working arm...

I have reached out to the hotel already 2 weeks ago asking to at least refund my money, as I had almost 3 more days of stay and the fall was not my fault and so far they are just quiet, not responding at all...

So,
- This is by far the worst thing I have ever experienced
- If you are going to these all-inclusive hotels, especially in countries like Dominican Republic - be very careful, as if you get hurt badly - you are on your own
- Bahia Principe hotels suck, you can clearly see how they treat their guests, once guests check out or after an accident – they don’t care about you