Beautiful Grounds - Not So Beautiful Rooms

Grounds are gorgeous & well maintained. The beach was amazing. The lounge chairs were not the most comfortable. The staff were fairly miserable. They would smile to say hello and then be straight faced and generally unhappy. (We're happy cheery people so it's not like they were feeding off of our energy, we went out of our way to be kind and grateful). The food was great with many different options. We did find a few things undercooked like the pancakes that were full of batter in the  [... read more]middle. The room was brutal, broken entry door that we had to body check to get in, broken toilet, the tub was painted to look new, they tiled over the existing tile on the rear wall to make it look new, the showerhead only pointed straight down so you had to stand with the faucet handle against your rear end, broken TV, musty smell, stains on upholstery, either red paint or blood on the interior of the closet doors (were fairly certain it was red paint but couldn't be sure). Either the maid left our sliding door open one day or someone tried to break in and left the door ajar. We specifically asked trip central to get us a room on the 2nd or 3rd floor so we didn't have to be concerned about security but we did not get that. We were also told by Trip Central that we were getting an updated room (they advertise nicer rooms on the website) and we obviously did not get a nicer room and I couldn't see any buildings that actually had them. I think they used pictures from the neighbouring resort (Barcelo Bavaro Palace). The Palace was gorgeous and staff were more friendly. Everything there was clean, new and modern. This part may or may not have to do with the hotel but it's worth noting: A Sunwing representative named Emmanuel was supposed to meet us at the resort in Guest Services to ensure we get the transfer back to the airport when we leave (it's also an opportunity for them to sell you excursions). We were told we absolutely had to be at this appointment. We went at the time we were given, Wednesday at 2:00 pm and he was a no show. Another guy from another company call his cell and he said he wasn't coming and that we should come back at 2:00 pm on Friday and that Emmanuel said he would be there. We showed up Friday and he was a no show again. We only had three full days at the resort so Emmanuel completed hooped us for being able to go anywhere or do any excursions because we had to be there for those appointments. Furthermore, we had no clue if the transfer back to the airport had been confirmed. Our flight through Sunwing was also brutal but that's another story.

Quite resort compare to barcelo Bavaro palace

I will try keep it short and simple, it is close to airport. barcelo bavaro beach is nice and quite resort for adults only but you can use bavaro palace resort too, so you get to use two resorts for one price, barcelo bavaro palace side is more happening place, it is huge, lots of restaurants and night life, casino, disco, spa, gym only in palace side but there is also a train shuttle every ten minutes. I enjoyed more in palace side, so next time I will book that.

Great Time!

awesome hotel...great facilities, pool beach restaurants the works! if you're going to this hotel to enjoy the room, then this isn't the place for u. if youre going to this place to party with ur friends and simply have a great time, this is the place! very relaxing and plenty of restaurant to chose from. I went with a group of four guys and we stayed at the adult side, it was great! although all the better restaurants are on the palace side. one tip: please make dinner reservations fo [... read more]r every night WHEN u get there on day ONE, don't settle for buffet for dinner as they have AMAZING a la carte restaurants. buffet gets boring after a couple times but still very tasteful, atleast on the palace side.

Beyond Expectations

I was pleasantly surprised. We went on a Weds to Weds late May, not too busy. Adults only. We arrived before the rooms were ready, our luggage was taken care of with no worries. We went straight to the buffet. The buffet had a great variety of diverse foods, we ate shrimp, squid mussels every day. The a la cart restaurants were fabulous. I had lobster 4 out of 7 nights no additional charge. As you can tell I'm a seafood lover. There was chicken, pork, beef you name it. Deserts were lovely  [... read more]and so many different options. The staff were friendly, the rooms were spacious and clean. the beach was superb. We brought cheap little floaties with mesh from Canadian tire they were a great enhancement for the ocean. The water was calm, the white beach sand soft on the feet. We went over to the Barcello Palace, it was loud and busy, we were happy to go back to our resort. There is lots to do. There is a little park near the convention centre, lots of Peacocks and a nice garden. The grounds are very clean. We had a great vacation and will definitely go back.

Fantastic resort

Highly recommend this resort...we would go back for sure. Rooms are very nice. Food was great. Service was great. Beach was nice but a little too much see weed.entertainment was great. Front desk service was friendly and quick and very polite. I have been away many times and this resort was the best of been too. Again I highly recommend going to this resort.

Definitely return

Adults only side was right choice. Beautiful grounds, friendly staff. Always chairs available at beach or pool. Food was good but warm to cool. Good variety. Disappointing night entertainment. Premium level gave you better choice of house wine.

Wonderful place to stay!!

Had a great time there in April 2017, was our 2nd time at this resort and the service was excellent and the staff were very friendly and accommodating. The pool and beach are very nice with plenty of lounging chairs. Lots of restaurants and buffets with many food choices. Will be back again.

Great Layout & Options

Really enjoyed our week (end of April 17) at this resort. Was our 2nd trip, had visited back in 2011, when the new section had just reopened & felt they've had an opportunity to improve the service & restaurant reservation system, all went a lot smoother. The food was a highlight for us - definitely good value. I don't usually like Buffets, but the selection, amount of cook stations & variety was great. Didn't feel crowded, with other guest, very pleasant experience. a La Carts were good, a [... read more] little more time consuming, but were a nice change a pace, since both BF & Lunch were buffets. Best part of this hotel is the layout - I really enjoy a resort that is situated along the beach - you can see the ocean from both buffets & the front part of the pool. Views were stunning. Entertainment crew were great, creative and enthusiastic. Nice to have the extra options, at the Palace (family side), but most important, great to go back to the relaxation an Adults only can provide. Lots of chairs - had to place towels around the pool, to ensure you had a shady spot, but there were empty chairs, most of the day. Staff were very friendly - language is an issue, but try to learn the phrases that are important to you, they appreciate it. Only complaints - would like to be able to get "good brewed coffee & cream", house wine was pretty bad - just a little upgrade here would be great - would have enjoyed local brews in our bar fridge, over Coors light (since you can't get them at home).

Great but not perfect vacation

We were in Punta Cana between March 22 and April 5th. Our vacation between airports experiences (arrival and departure) was amazing at this resort. Punta Cana "International" airport is NOT what I expected for a high volume tourist area. Lined up as cattle to go through both security checks, took forever to get to hotel (3 hours after landing). Watch out for the words "included" and "complimentary" as at first you think you are getting something for free but they always have a way to get you to [... read more] pay for it. We were given "complimentary" golf but ended up we had to pay for the golf cart which was not included and was mandatory. Free golf, right' yeah but the golf cart cost us 75$ US each!! so our game ended up costing us 150$. The 7 games I planned on playing ended up being 1 game and my clubs stayed in the room for the remainder of the vacation. Complementary 1000$ is not cash you can spend but a % taken off various items such as higher end wine, room service etc.. all the stuff you basically would not take advantage of being in an all inclusive resort.

Outstanding resort!

We thought the resort was amazing. Clean, well designed and comfortable. Beautiful decor, friendly staff and great food. The amenities are endless. Always something to do or not do, whatever was your fancy.

Amazing resort.

Had a great time. Beach, entertainment, food all wonderful. Bathroom a little dated. Would definitely go back. This was our third trip to this resort, except on our first two trips we stayed at the Palace section.

Impressive resort

My husband and I very much enjoyed our vacation at Barcelo Bavaro Beach resort. The grounds and beach area were well kept and the pool was wonderfully laid out with a ramp entry at one end that was shallow to the other end which was about five feet deep, perfect for swimming and very refreshing. Plenty of shade and sun areas both at the pool and beach and we never felt crowded. The turquoise water, the palm trees and powdery sand were visible from many of the restaurants and buffets which we fo [... read more]und both beautiful and very relaxing. The room we had was adequate. Nothing fancy but the bed was comfortable and the bathroom area provided everything we needed. The air conditioning was a little wonky, either too cold or not cold enough since the controls did not allow for much choice. The room could also have used a few more places to hang wet towels and swimsuits inside the room itself as opposed to hanging things on the balcony outside. But these were small things and didn't detract from our enjoyment. We were a little disappointed in the food at this resort. We have been to other resorts in the DR and found the buffet at the Bavaro did not have the variety of choices that we had elsewhere. The a-la-carte restaurants we tried, the seafood restaurant, the steakhouse and the Mediterranean restaurant all seemed very assembly lined with not much flavour and were very skimpy with the vegetable sides. The exception was the rib eye steak I had which was huge and delicious! The desserts everywhere look beautiful but generally are tasteless and bland. Nevertheless we always managed to find something to eat and it didn't prevent us from gaining a few pounds! We liked the variety of activities that the resort provided and were impressed by the shopping areas and rooftop lounge. Getting around the resort was easy with the train trolleys doing the rounds continuously. Overall we had a great week and would consider returning in the future.

Nice Resort

My wife and I were at the beach side of the resort from March 20-28, 2017. We really enjoyed our time here and there's lots of good things about the resort. Most of the staff were great, but some grumpy. Most of the restaurants were also good. However we did not enjoy the Spanish restaurant as they took excessively long time to serve our dinner and check on us. We had problems with our room as we had booked a ground level beach front premium room. Knowing this the premium registration desk put u [... read more]s into a second floor non premium room. They did put us into the proper room after we spoke up about it. After getting our room we had to get hotel maintenance to fix the hot water and the TV. Also the staff were very loud first thing in the morning waking us up several days in a row. So while there's lots of enjoyable aspects to this resort, we would not go back to this one. Also being a first time Trip Advisor client, my wife and I did not get any of the vouchers we should have had for our trip beforehand. It was only from a lengthy phone call a day or two before our trip we learned of the proper connection for our shuttle bus to the hotel. Also our voucher(s) for additional services (on-site hotel services) that was part of our pre-paid package was never given to us. We have enjoyed many all inclusives before but we felt like Tripcentral just doesnt connect all the dots as well as our past holidays with other providers. Still, we enjoyed our trip, the location and most everything was very enjoyable.

Great Vacation

Barcelo Bavaro Beach - great complex, wonderful pool, beautiful beach, lots of chairs, all restaurants at both locations wonderful, people working are the best so polite and helpful. one issue is the wi fi issue my wife would only return if the wi fi issue was to improve, i kind of agree we have been to many places around the globe, this was by far the worst for wi fi service example in Korea there is no charge and wi fi is available everywhere even here in our home town it is very accessible [... read more]. The rate at which is charged is way too much and it still isn't any good. Hopefully in time this does improve and the service is provided at no cost.

Superlative

We arrived March 19 for a week stay. 2nd time at this resort. Pros- I have never understood anyone who complains about the food at these all inclusive resorts. I particularly love the buffet food, especially at Barcelo Bavaro Beach, you get way more choice over the specialty restaurants. We did eat dinner at 2 specialty restaurants and found the service and food average, but nothing compared to the buffet offerings, it is just marvellous! Some reviews called the rooms "old or outdated". I t [... read more]hought them not to be. The Colonial style architecture of the buildings to me are pleasant to the eye. The beach being in a bay, along with the reef make the waters quite calm. During two fairly windy days other resorts did not allow their catamarans out, where as because of more quieter waters Barcelo catamarans were sailing. One drawback however is the " water sports" are at the other end of the resort , therefore it is a5 minute walk. If you walk or take the trolley train to the " Barcelo Palace" , you are in for a real treat. Entering from the main entrance, it looks like a concrete eyesore ( even though it has a coral veneer) , yet once inside you are truly inside a Palace with shops, restaurants and other entertainments. Cons. They charge you for wi-fi services. I can't remember. Any other resort in Punta Cana that has charged us for this service!!! The Barcelo resort is the last along the beach before you enter a national park. My wife and I have twice in the past hiked along the parks beach several miles untill we get to another group of resorts. Now there are two "local tour operators" who have piers on this beach. You can get past one pier, but there is stream that is spewing out raw sewage ( that's what it smelled and looked like) into the bay, making it impossible to go farther!! To bad, because I can't get the smell and image out of my mind! It has ruined a beautiful beach David

Barceló Bavaro Beach Resort - Wonderful Vacation Resort

We just spent a wonderful week at Barceló Bavaro Beach Resort, 18 - 25 March 2017 and I thought I'd pass on my impression of the resort. First, the beach is amazing. Absolutely beautiful white sand beaches with plenty of lounge chairs and lots of palm trees to provide just a bit of shade. While there is no Beach Bar, the Pool Bar is easily within walking distance. We were within 50 feet of the bar and right on the beach so got to enjoy the sun and sip on those refreshing daiquiris and pina [... read more] coladas! There are sections of seaweed along the beach but for the most part it's all sand. Even got to enjoy some snorkelling - I like to just relax. While no coral reef within swimming range, I still managed to see a few fish including a ray and an eel. I was happy and we did a snorkelling excursion to really enjoy the wild life around a reef. Second, the rooms are nice, clean and comfortable. The furnishing aren't the most luxurious - I would rate the rooms as 4 Star - but they worked and that's all you really need. Beds and pillows were super comfy and we although we only booked a standard room, we still had a lovely view of the ocean and the pool. The rooms were also nice and quiet which suited us just fine. Basically, people were at the Beach Resort to relax and enjoy. The sister resort, Barceló Bavaro Palace, was much busier with kids and lots of family activities. The food was good. Buffets had a large selection and we never went hungry. Bear in mind, a lot of the food is going to be different from what you're used to back home. It has a different flavour for a number of reasons so don't be surprised if your steak or burger tastes a bit different. They also tend not to use a lot of spice because they have such a wide group of people to serve. We went to the Santa Fe Steakhouse, the Golf Course Restaurant and Chef Gourmet. The Gourmet was by far our favorite! The place was beautiful and the service was impeccable. Service generally was very good. Spanish is the native language here and not everyone speaks fluent English so sometimes we didn't get exactly what we asked for but everyone tried and they were all respectful and polite. I know I wouldn't have done nearly so well if it had been me doing their job!! Overall, we had a great week and got to soak in the sun and relax, which is exactly what we had planned to do!

Bavaro Beach - Adults Only - Geat Relaxing Location - Sandy, Shallow and Warm Sea

Pros: The Adult Only rooms [Bavaro Beach - S. side of resort] have been modernized and are very spacious. We got to experience both types of rooms types [Palace side - first - then Bavaro Beach side last] when we requested another room because they could not fix the phone which rang intermittently in the early hours of the morning 3 or 4 time each of the first two nights we spent there. The Beach side of the resort tends to be much quieter. Great food and A La Carte restaurants. Caribe Restauran [... read more]t is the main destination for your meals with a good selection [get the crepes or order your eggs any way you want]. Chez Gourmet and La Brisa was unbelievable for quality of food and presentation. The wait staff were friendly and efficient. La Brisa is open for lunch at 11AM offering a full bar which the Caribe does not offer - they serve wine and Le Presidente draft beer only at all meals. Friendly staff - Guest Services is an amazing group of people. Poolside and foyer wait staff were very attentive, but be aware that they DO accept tips. Exchange your $US for $1 bills from the front desk. ***** Recommended highly as an all adults only destination ***** Cons: Palace side rooms [N. of the Bavaro Beach Reception area] are circa 70's but still spacious and comfortable. The Beach side is adults only and the Palace side is family oriented. The Sante Fe steakhouse [Palace side] was a glorified version of a very bad "Ponderosa with table cloths." Stay clear of this restaurant. The wait staff were an abomination and disorganized. The Palace Hotel resembles a two-story shopping mall with the emphasis on retail sales and marketing. Gorgeous foyer but the mall atmosphere is a huge distraction. Owners would come out of their retail stores stand in front of you and try to coax you into their shops - very annoying!!!!! We went one night and I can only describe the Palace Hotel as "mayhem central." This side of the hotel is filled with families and children. Going back to the Beach side was like returning to another world - quiet - reserved - and friendly. If you enjoy the adults only vacation stay on the Beach side of the property.

Disappointed

Rooms very dated. The sister resort which allowed children was much more updated in terms of the room etc. First time I have Been to a resort and paid for adults only and the people who did not pay for adults only could come over to our see of the resort ? The main thing that stuck out for me s EVERYONE on staff was very unhappy. I have travelled extensively and I have never experienced such an uncaring,unresponsive staff ..... Management issue????

Beautiful Beach, Unhappy Staff

Bavaro beach is beautiful in every way. The property is very nice. Not much in the way of entertainment or night life. The biggest downfall was found in the staff. Overall seemed disengaged and not very happy. Rare that they would say holas as they passed by. It's safe to say that 1 in 20 were happy and service minded. Barceló needs to assess the employment engagement level. So if I had lower expectation of the staff my rating for the resort would have been higher.

Barcelo Bavaro Beach (Feb 2017)

My wife and I had a great time and did a dune buggy trip as well as 4 rounds of golf. The Buggie trip was a lot of fun and we got very muddy but were taken to a beautiful white sand beach to clean up. There was a lot of hard sell of products, trinkets, etc. The golf course was fantastic. Although the check-in staff could be a little more friendly, the starter and staff were very friendly and helpful. The bartender at the course was also very helpful. ;-) My wife and I were surprised by smoking [... read more] being allowed almost everywhere at the resort, but it was airy enough not to be too much of a problem. There was even an ashtray in our room, but we couldn't smell any residual smoke. The bathroom in our room was a little dated and could have used some grout cleaning, but the water pressure and temperature was excellent. The attached Barcelo Bavaro main resort seemed a little nicer (but with kids) with more activities and we had access to that. The food was as good as any resort we've been to. The a la cart restaurants we went to had good service - the buffets were also good.