Catalonia Bayahibe

We stayed here 5 years ago and returned October 2019.
Check in: quick and easy kudos to Guerara and front desk staff for great service
Room: we booked Privelege. Rooms are remodelled and extremely clean, everything you need and more! you get extra A la cartes,
BEACH: 5 star! Water semi calm for snorkeling, amazing beach sunsets, and great for long walks. The only downfall: The privelege is special section on beach BUT it was behind the Elite Travellers Club. and was only a small section with better beach chairs. This is my one complaint: When we were here 5 years ago, privelege was the VIP. Not anymore, you need to upgrade to The other adults only section or buy the vacation club package. FYI.

Pool: have a beautiful large pool. It is under construction at the time, should be open by peak season.
Food: plenty of options, food and a la cartes great.
Staff: SUPER friendly. The best staff in Bayahibe.

We are beach people so the segregation on the beach was the deal breaker.
That being said, we upgraded the second day to adults only resort. I will have another review of that property.
You will be fine at this property, we just wanted a few more perks for the VIP. [Details]

This is a grate hotel! But the rooms like the bathroom is old school and not the very best! The food is also not the best knowing your eating outside and bugs and other type of bugs gets on your food! [Details]

It was a very pleasant vacation. The beach is beatiful, lots of shade. The food was excellent, the three a la carte restaurants were also very good and excellent service. Very nice people and so frienly... You need to pick your spot by the beach very early to get a nice one and there where lots of people offering the time share packages. [Details]

Avoid landing at Punta Cana if you're going to La Romana. There is a one hour shuttle ride to get to the resort from Punta Cana. Food was surprisingly good, with lots of variety. Beach and grounds are very nice also. Staff is very courteous and friendly, if a little slow at the front desk. I'd come back if given a chance. [Details]

We were very pleased with our resort choice. The buffet was very good, all the a la carte was excellent. The beach was excellent also, pool aswell. Room was kept very clean good water pressure for shower. Didn't do any excersion but sure they would have been ok! Little shops on resort. Staff very friendly. We would return and recommend. [Details]

The hotel is on a beautiful part of the Dominican. It is an older place that could definitely use some upgrades. I could complain about some minor things, but they are really not important. If however you are not French and want to meet people that speak english then do not go here. The French are about 95% of the hotel. Unfortunately, a great number were quite ignorant. I would not go back to this resort but I do like the area. I have been to the Dominican many times and will go back, just not this place. [Details]

Four of us traveled to this resort and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I'd like to demystify some of what I read in other reviews. First of all, dominican reoublic is a Spanish speaking country...DO NOT be surprised when they communicate primarily in thei own language. We were ALWAYS able to get our needs met by starting every conversation with something that is universal, which is a SMILE!!Shaking hands, asking the staff how their day is going, went a loooong way toward getting GREAT service. We laughed and carried on with all kinds of staff, using gestures and words in Spanish, French and English. Anyone who couldn't get along with these folks brought it upon themselves! It is 1 HOUR to the Punta Cana Airport and it's a pretty drive through sugar cane farms on a very nice, new, double-lane hi-way. The beach has three levels with the most shade on the upper level & the least by the ocean...TONS of palm trees! Gorgeous, as are all of the grounds! There are rocks, but it's the coast, shouldn't be a surprise, The best area for entering the water is narrow relative to the rest of the beach, but it's fine.
The ambiance and service in the A La Cartes was great. The portions were small but yummy...grab a piece of pizza until 2:00 a.m. if you need more. The buffet was fine, unremarkable, did the trick!
My negative comments are very few..they really need more bathrooms for people whose rooms were far from the action. And they were really 'tucked away' in dark, around the backs of buildings so didn't feel very safe. The service at the pool & beach bar was woefully slow. It appeared to be bar-tending issue, not a server issue & personally, I would like to have heard some live music!My boyfriend played volleyball but due to the heat it's only 4-6 daily, he would have like to have played more & would have preferred more organized games.
Overall, spectacular weather, gorgeous water thanks to being on the Caribbean side of the island, beautiful grounds, smiley, fun staff for the most part. If you can get this at a really good sale like we did, you will be very happy! [Details]

we had a wonderful time the service was next to perfect lot's of sun and fun the staff made sure we were looked after the beach was always cleaned happy staff, the buffet was the only need to improve area excellent hotel. [Details]

If you only speak English DO NOT COME TO THIS RESORT

Went for 7 days, and all 7 days my husband and I were sick from the food, and the drinks. Oh that's not even the beginning of the horrible things that happened, upon check in we had to wait from 11am-3pm the guy at the front desk was extremely rude, the room was not ready at 3pm, we got told we were getting our key so we didn't have to come back and get it and could leave the lobby. When we got into the room it was a pathetic excuse for a room, tiles missing, holes in the walls, dirt piled up on the floor. Towels looked bloody, sink barely holding on, toilet in a closet, we calmed down and thought hey how much are we actually going to be there, so we got changed went to the pool to swim, my husband went to get towels at the hut, he got attitude saying we need a card for them and our bracelets were the wrong color and he told me this, well I went to front desk and lost it on them, low and behold we ended up changing rooms and got towel cards, but after me going postal for 35 mins (doubt they understood as I only speak English and hardly anyone there speaks it)

The food was horrible. Questionable at times, things re used from the ala carts the night before in the buffet, drinks made wrong at the bars (even their own drinks were never right, service was horrible) the bartenders mocked getting tips ( yes we still tipped in hopes the service would get better - 1-3 us at a time.) the entire staff seemed to have something better to do the entire time.

This resorts only saving grace is that it looks better from the grounds than what's behind closed doors.

If anyone from this resort reads this I want to say Yohanny (spelling) in concierge needs to teach you all a thing about hospitality. If it wasn't for her we would have checked out and went to another resort.

If your still reading this please pick another resort to go to. [Details]

This hotel is very clean and the staff is excellent. I thought the food was good. The atmosphere is very casual and relaxed. Overall there is nothing I can complain about. The bathrooms and rooms are a bit dated, but they're gradually being renovated. I also enjoyed playing tennis at this resort. Overall I think it was great value for the money spent. [Details]

Room itself was very nice, paid extra for privileged. Hot water lacking in the late afternoon. It was explained to us that the fridge is not a fridge but just a place to keep drinks from getting hot. Always found chairs and shade at the beach. Water extremely clear with some rocks. Room backed on to a service road and staff could be quite loud in the morning coming in to work. [Details]

Loved the location, the resort was clean and well kept, the staff were wonderful, helpful and smiling. The food was great with lots of variety and very fresh. The rooms were somewhat dated but clean. We had an issue with our patio door and they came and fixed it right away. The beach was very nice and we appreciated the option of some shade. The pictures are exactly how the resort and beach are today. There is the opportunity for a quiet relaxing vacation or various activities. Be prepared the resort is very spanish speaking. There are few english speaking vistors. Most times did not have any problem communicating with the staff. Be prepared the entertainment is in spanish as well mostly. Overall a wonderful trip. Definately would go back again and have recommended it to others. [Details]

Second time at this hotel in just over a year. Staff is friendly and helpful. Beach is hilly and rocky. It is difficult to get in the ocean. For the price it is hard to complain. [Details]

Very good overall experience ... the hotel was super clean and was beautifully situated on the beach. The major diappointing items were: where the beach bar was situated (too far from the beach) and the quality of the bathroom. [Details]

Flew from Toronto to La Romana, Catalonia Gran Domenico's on April 2nd, our room we had upgraded to comfort direct with the hotel for $5 a day p/p ,which i was very please and well worthed the extra $. The room was just great, comfy king bed, lovely washroom with a great shower. The room was spacious and had a great decor, the fridge was stocked daily and large safe included and WIFI in room and everywhere free!. The overall resort was clean and well maintained, except the washroom thought the resort needs updating and the staff were always happy and courteous! Great management!!!!
The food was good.The paella, the beans and lot's of fruit!! at the buffets, the food was good, not much selection of veggies, tables always clean , smiling, happy staff. The a La carte restaurants: Mexican very good , also the Italian and I was disappointed with the BBQ steakhouse......The beach restaurant/snack was always great! theItaliann restaurant/pizza was also great we eat there often.
The beach is FAN-TA-BULOUS!!! like a pool no rocks ,supper clear! I LOVE IT !!!
I'm very picky and fussy, and very attentive to details and I'm happy to say it pass my stands!!!
NEIMPROVEMENTMENT!
* lights at night on the beach, I stumble on some (quit a few)and hurt my feet badly.
* washroom trough out the resort needs up date.
* more lights on the buffet( a bit too dark) and decor.
I will go back mainly because of the beach and if the flights go direct to La Romana ( only 30 minutes ride) compare to 2 hours from Punta Cana:(( [Details]

Overall was a great trip, we were a group of 19, we had a lot of laughs and fun. The A la Carte restaurants were good but the language barrier was a small issue,dinners were wrong. Concierge was good, buffet was great,bar staff/waitresses were great . Rooms were clean but dated . The grounds and gardens were lovely and well maintained - [Details]

great hotel with great food. [Details]

The hotel is definitely not four star, it is quite run down and there is no such thing as an ocean view room anywhere on this resort dispite being offered as an option?? The food was passable but at times just barely. The front desk staff could be dismissive and their english was very limited. The beach is not as depicted in the photos as much of it has washed away. I booked through your site last year going to Mexico and it was wonderful and as depicted on the website, not so this time. [Details]

We stayed at the Catalonia Romana in La Romana from Feb 20-27. We came in late on the 20th and left late on the 27th. This is a beautiful resort with great concierge service. I would recommend upgrading to Priviledged as the rooms are not the nicest. There is no door separating the shower from the front door! There is free Wi-Fi but internet access is expensive if you dont bring a laptop. The food is poor as far as I am concerned. I have been to Cuba many times and find it worse than there. There are al-la cartes but the only good one was Italian. There is also a Crepie and a pizzaria that were good. The snack bar at the beach was pretty good too (fries). The shows at night started too late (10pm) so by that time we were bored waiting and would return to the room. It was nice but I probably wouldn't return. [Details]

I read the reviews prior to going to this resort.
We arrived at the resort around 10 pm on a Monday, Check in was quick and easy. Very easy to find our room in the resort. Pizza bar was open till 2 am so we were able to get something to eat and drink. Pizza was as good as we get in Ontario. Beverages were self serve at this bar including wine and beer. They will serve you your drinks at lunch and dinner if you would like. Beach bar had a large selection of food as well for lunch and they only had self serve water, soft drinks and beer. Main bar had table service and this is the bar to get mixed drinks. Jenny the waitress at this bar was great. Resort was very clean. I would recommend that you bring your own insulated cup for your beverage just so that you can keep it cold. Main buffet had a good selection of food but it was repeated offen. The average person would not go hungry.

Weather was great. 87 degrees and mainly sunny every day. We prefer this side of the island because the weather is warmer and sand is whiter then the the north side.

When we were there we did not have any problems with our room. Staff was very friendly in all areas.

I read that the resort was dated in some of the reviews but felt that they were doing everything that they could to update and keep it clean. When we were there they were painting exteriors of the buildings and the worker were never in the way of you coming or going from your rooms.

We were in room 2141 which was very nice. King bed, nice bathroom and lots of room for storage. We had wifi in our room. Not great reception in the room and very slow. Best area for wifi is by the main bar.

I would recommend this resort to others [Details]

We spent two weeks with our two children at Catalonia Gran Dominicus between Dec. 26, 2011 and Jan. 9, 2012. We had a great time (this was our second time at the resort). The beach is good, with palm trees that keep shade during the day if one want to stay at the beach all day long. The entertainment team is very active, they had shows every night (we've only managed to see a couple).
We found the staff to be very responsive, every time we had an issue in our room (not too many, mind you) the Concierge or the Reception staff were very good at solving it. The food is good, we liked the a la carte restaurants. Last, but not least, the ladies at the Mini Club were so nice with all the kids.
An overall great experience, we had a great vacation, and we'll be back to Catalonia Gran Dominicus!
Adrian [Details]

Lovely property. Very friendly staff. More than enough lounge chairs for everyone!! [Details]

We travelled in a group of 6 & everyone had good things to say about this resort. All of us would definitely return. The staff were friendly & always willing to accommodate a request. The beach was great, never a shortage of chairs. The food was good - we all loved the pizzeria :-) I would certainly recommend this resort, great value & the lobster dinner on the beach was fabulous. [Details]

Booked the last direct flight from Toronto to La Romana for 2 weeks. The hotel is less than 30 minutes from the airport. Fast check-in. Got a great room location (room 3248) which was in the Catalina section and closest to the central bar, restaurants and beach. Large rooms. Bathroom was functional. Comfortable beds. AC was good. Mature, pretty and well maintained landscape. Food and hotel wine (Spanish) were good. Did all 3 ala cartes, wood oven pizza, creperie, beach snack bar and the Nolitour Beach BBQ for Canadian guests. The waitresses at the central bar are quick on the first drink order but service from them was poor after that even with a $1 tip. Best to go directly to the bar and order. The bartenders were good especially Tito. Beach and ocean were lovely. Some rocks at one end of the beach but no big deal. Lots of lounge chairs with both sunny and shady areas. Nice large pool with walk-in children section however few shady areas and no umbrellas. Beach towels were provided on the first day in your room. Family joined us for week 2. On the day before they checked-in, I requested from hotel reception a room in our Catalina section. They were sweet hearts and gave them the room next door. Overall, we had a great time and would recommend this hotel. A solid 4 star hotel. [Details]

Very well organized arrival, clean spacious rooms, beautiful, well kept grounds, friendly ppl willing to go out of their way for u. Ocean was what I love, pool was large and kept nice, food was good, not great, but service was very good although more english needs to be taught to staff. I will definitely be returning to this resort someday. I loved it there! [Details]

Hotel was well situated and the grounds were outstanding. The beach and the facilities on the beach were terrific. Room was pretty basic and a bit tired looking; food was average (except for the pizza which was excellent) and there was lots of it. The activities staff and restaurant staff were very friendly and helpful...hotel reception staff was average. Kids (teenagers) enjoyed playing beach volleyball, bocce etc. International clientele...primarily Italians from Milan, Germans, French Canadians and Ontarians. [Details]

I really enjoyed my holiday at this hotel. The grounds were immaculate and I loved the size of the resort - everything was a short walk away. Rooms were very clean. Food was good - always something to eat - the best was the all day pizza at the beach from the wood burning oven and the crepes at the beach bar. Buffets were fair but the Mexican and Steakhouse were good. Staff are great and dedicated. Bars are hit and miss - you learn which ones make the best versions of each drink and order appropriately. Would go back to this resort. [Details]

We upgraded to the Cameleon Select or Privileged package, which gave us a beautiful room with a modern bathroom, kingsized bed, flatscreen T.V. and access to an office with computer service. The best part was that we were able to check out at 3pm insread of 12. This time varies from day to day according to availability.
Our first room was close to the beach, where the restaurants, theater, and bars are located, but we found it too noisy and were able to move to another room.
The room was lovely. Our only complaint would be that we lacked hot water on three occaisons. We contacted the desk and it was fixed fairly quickly each time.
The beach was smaller than we expected and crowded. It has a fairly steep slope to the water which would be difficult to manage for people with diminished agility, though it made for beautiful views of the ocean. We were told that it was damaged by the last hurricane and that there are plans to replenish the sand. A short walk east on the beach takes you to a long stretch of beautiful undeveloped shoreline.
This resort has a European atmosphere with many visitors from Italy, France, and Germany. We heard very little English, though we were understood by the staff who were always pleasant and helpful.
We enjoyed our holiday. [Details]

i have nothing but good things to say
about the staff and resort great vacation i would like to send a special
thanks to naomi and sophi we love you guys randy and edwina [Details]

well kept,mostly europeans & mostly spanish spoken,alot of Italians, good size rooms, internet not always working, clean rooms etc,good variety of food,no problems, must pay 4 premium booze [Details]