Room for improvement

The good: installations look good and are maintained clean. It is a large complex with two hotels (Palace and Beach), the Beach being adults only if you want a different vibe even if you stay at the Palace. There is a lot to do: disco, bowling, golf, bars, restaurants, f1 simulator, etc, but some of them are not included. The bad: the food at the buffet was bad, sometimes overcooked, sometimes tasted as it was spoiled to the point I didn’t eat it, including some of the juices they offered [... read more]. Food variety was also very weak, a lot of sausages in different preparation, if they ran out of something, they didn’t replenished or it would take forever to do so, so there were long lines for things like beef to grab some before it was gone. Chicken was always very dry and overcooked, Regarding the a la carte restaurants, they were ok, way better than the buffet, but nothing extraordinary. We went to the Italian one night and there was a roach in our seat, very bad start. I know in places with this type of weather is hard to keep insects out, but the roach at the Italian restaurant was not the only one, we spotted some more, including one in our room. We have stayed in two other hotels in Punta Cana before, no roaches at all in any of them. Some of the staff at the buffet feel like they hate being working there and that feeling is reflected in their poor service. Activities were not very good compared to other hotels. Night shows were not very impressive either. Unfortunately, the beach was full of sargassum so we couldn’t enjoy it as we wanted. Also, the smell from the sargassum can be very strong at times. I know the hotel has not much control on this other than cleaning as much as they can, but it was disappointing to find a beach that cannot be used.

Unhappy staff

The hotel was good enough, but the workers seem to be unhappy and often rude. When I came back from vacation, I talked to people and almost everyone had the same experience with Dominican Republic doesn’t matter to which hotel or resort they went to. This may be a cultural thing where they don’t know what means customer service.

Amazing resort

Barcelo Barvaro Palace in Punta Cana is a true gem of luxury and relaxation! From the moment we arrived, we were greeted with warm smiles and seamless check in Our ocean front room was clean and the balcony with jacuzzi overlooking the turquoise water and beach. The beach has pristine white sand and lots of loungers and the water is prefect for swimming and snorkeling the water wildlife turtles and fish baby stingrays lots to see and for the walkers you have miles of beach to walk in both direct [... read more]ions. Dining was excellent from the buffets to all the a la carte lots to pick from. The golf course a PD Dye course was amazing and lots of activities for everyone there is too many to list casino to disco water parks this resort has it all for everyone you won't be disappointed. The service was very good sometimes the language barrier made things hard but with the interpreter app made thing a lot easier. it's a great resort for family's and there is an adult side as well. I also like to thank Shae Dureault out tripcentral agent for helping us again for finding another great vacation and we are looking forward to returning here.

Good resort.

Its located in a nice area. Its a very busy hotel, good value for price. beautiful beach, nice room facing Golf yard. generally speaking I would recommend it if you have kids and if you want to have a beautiful beach experience. Restaurants were really average...

Beautiful Resort

The hotel was always beautifully kept and the staff were friendly and accommodating. We were there for a business retreat with a large group and they catered well to our needs. The AV staff did an incredible job with all the media at our 3 day convention. The space was above our expectations and the setup was done in a timely process. The food was great.... however Strikers bar could be improved with their choice of food. It was our first night at the resort when we went there to eat. We were mi [... read more]ldly disappointed to see the same menu 2 days in a row, with mediocre American food choices. Granted, we understand that it's a bar, but we were hoping to experience a mix of other food choices. We didn't realize that the Miramar Buffet was open at that time, which we much preferred for eating. The a la carte restaurants were top notch! The beach was wavy & choppy late in the afternoon and brought in seaweed along the shore, so the water wasn't as clear. However, it was cleared away every morning. The cleaning staff were friendly, happy, and did an amazing job! We asked to replenish our coffee, tea and water a couple of times and they delivered them right away. Just know that if you take the train it's every 15 minutes....bear in mind that's island time! That service was great, too. Thankful for it shuttling us to and from the convention center. So handy!

Fantastic hotel

We absolutely loved the hotel. It was huge, clean and most of the staff was terrific. Beach was beautiful and pool was fun filled with activities. No complaints except not allowing us in the room until 3pm......we arrived at 7am. All in all great getaway for the week.

Lovely resort

We spent 10 days at this great resort and enjoyed the activities, nightly entertainment, beach and pool. We had reservations at many of the a la carte restaurants and enjoyed each one. Looking forward to returning here next year!

Short and kinda sweet…

Solo traveler looking for something easy. I did have a quick stay and honestly, kinda grateful. The beach is stunnnnnnning and very well maintained, just be prepared to fight for your chair. They are all gone well before 8:30 AM. The walk to the lobby is a walk, be prepared. I checked in late and there wasn’t an anyone to show me to my room. With multiple trips back to the lobby bc I was lost and couldn’t access the door, I was exhausted lol. Room was ok, but definitely needed cleaning! I do tra [... read more]vel with my own sheets and thank god lol. The hot tub on the balcony was disgusting and I didn’t use it. Food was ok, didn’t travel for the food so the reviews were right, it’s hit or miss depending where you eat. Honestly - the sun and weather made up for everything else and the peace and quiet of my quick getaway was so needed.

Going back

Will absolutely return, which is the best recommendation I can think of. Trip Central's Monique, was a great help with the booking to help put our minds at ease by answering all our questions so we could enjoy our trip.

Beautiful Location and Resort

Interesting activities on site. The specialty restaurants are difficult to book for a decent hour. We prefer not to eat after 9 pm. We were not impressed by the Italian restaurant, the food was minimal and not very good.

Good resort

The resort in general was good. It is close to the beach, the pools are nice, many activities to do. However food is not too good, specially the international restaurant, food lacks of taste, and the wifi is not good is your room is away from the lobby.

Beautiful resort

It’s a lovely place. Well maintained and very clean. Beaches are beautiful pools are really nice. The swim up bar pool was very dirty. This trip we didn’t go inl look like a cesspool unfortunately it was connected to the lap pool so I couldn’t do my swimming laps. The good news is there are many other pools to use that were perfect.The food was good unfortunately they always overcook their chicken and most meats. Food always cold, but it is hard to feed that many people. I’m sure they do the bes [... read more]t they can. The furniture is really worn out in the common areas They need to replace all chairs and sofas really uncomfortable to sit on. The bedroom lights didn’t work and both sinks did not drain. They were also not fixed even though we brought it to their attention. overall we always have a wonderful time. We’re not really there for the food or fancy rooms. The rooms were cleaned very well every day. I have to say the people were much more friendly than they were the first time I was there. Happy to say I will be returning for my 65th birthday in April. Looking forward to another great week!!

Amazing resort

Barcelo Bavaro Palace is a real palace! We really enjoyed our stay in this resort. Room , food, entertainment was excellent. Not much shade on the beach. It took a long time to check in. Still it was amazing and I would recommend to all my friends!

Barcelo Bavaro Palace - Great Place

Wonderful resort. Immense building, amazing architecture, everything is elegant, luxurious, clean and has nice stores. Food was good, many items to choose from; however, we did not see fish except for 2 nights when they had sashimi but not fried of grilled fish like we had in other Dominican resorts previous times when we visited. One point that needs quite a bit of improvement is communication. They hardly spoke English, and we do not speak Spanish. We could not get clear answers to any  [... read more]of our questions. And another point that was very disappointing was a very poor internet connection. The only place we could sporadically communicate from was the bar or the theme restaurants. Not even in the room, let alone on the beach. If I recommend this place to a friend, I will point out the minuses.

Overall very good resort

Hotel was clean and nice rooms. Close to the airport is nice. Amazing beach with palm trees everywhere. Pool was nice. Unfortunately the big pool was closed for maintenance. food was good. Not great. overall I would say 7.5 / 10. I would return again.

Needs work

We don’t have any hot meals. Food was always cold at any restaurant we went. Also was unable to communicate with any staff as they didn’t understand English and no one to ask that could help us. I wouldnt return to this resort.

Barceló Bávaro Palace: Don’t Be Misled by the 4.7/5 Google Rating

My Personal Rating: 7.5/10 for groups, 7/10 for solo travellers or couples. My opinion: The Barceló Bávaro Palace in Punta Cana presents itself as a 5-star resort with a wide range of amenities, but guests should approach with measured expectations. While the property offers multiple pools, varied dining options, golf courses, kids’ zones, shops, and evening entertainment, it is no longer at its peak. Signs of aging are noticeable, and some facilities have declined in quality. A major draw [... read more]back is overcrowding. The buffet, for example, is extremely busy, which negatively impacts service speed, cleanliness, and food safety. Coordination between the front desk and bellmen is often poor, and at times can even feel disingenuous. For group travelers, the resort’s extensive activities and entertainment options can be enjoyable. However, couples and solo visitors may find the atmosphere too hectic and the service far from personalized. On the positive side, families will appreciate the theater, pools, and child-friendly activities. But the experience is far from the polished luxury one might expect from a high Google rating. The 4.7/5 score online is misleading—this is a large, lively, family-oriented resort that thrives on volume, not on detail or refined service. Here’s my bottom line: It’s a fun, activity-packed option for groups and families, but not the serene, high-end 5-star escape many expect. Balance your expectations before booking.

Barcelo Bavaro Palace

Big hotel, good facilities including SPA. Food is ok, no complaints. Most of the à la carte restaurants are fine. The ocean in August was very warm, but it was also filled with smelly weeds everywhere. People worked every morning to clean it, and we mainly used pools. In my opinion, the staff are friendly, although for a better experience, it would be beneficial to speak Spanish. Overall, it is a positive experience, but the value is overpriced.

Great experience

We really enjoy everything, was a magnificent experience from the beginning till the end. i will highly recommend it to my friends. staff were very kind and helpful i will suggest for the price to have gazebos on the beach area.

Beautiful Place

We were very impressed with the complex as a whole. The cleanliness was excellent. This is accomplished by an amazing group of people. Anywhere or anytime we interacted with staff we could not have been treated better. Really friendly people who want to make your experience a most enjoyable one.