Barcelo Bavaro Palace

Overall, the experience at this resort is good. It is a huge property and we were not aware of many of the available activities/services until very close to the end of our stay. For example, the guided aquafitness activities, games and entertainment available in the poolside tents, etc. It would have been helpful if the hotel provided some introduction when we arrived/checked in to the hotel. The day after our arrival, we were to have a welcome meeting with our tour operator, where these information might have been shared. However, we were pulled away by one of the hotel staff and taken to the Barcello Club office, where there was a pitch to have us sign up for that club for future vacations. Although the gentleman was very friendly, it felt like us being pressured into something right after our arrival, without giving us an opportunity to experience what the hotel has to offer. In my view, this particular aspect was a negative experience and may influence whether or not we visit this resort or any other owned by them.

While the staff are very friendly, courteous, and helpful, communication was challenging as we don't speak or understand Spanish, whereas most of the staff don't understand English that well.

While there are 11 restaurants in the resort, I thought vegetarian options were somewhat limited. The big 2 buffet restaurants did have many vegetarian options, I thought they could have changed their menu options to offer varieties each day.

Our room had some issues where we found water seepage on a small area of the floor - right beside the washbasin/sink area. When we first noticed and notified the service desk staff who came for some other request, they advised it was due to the fan of the A/C unit being turned off. However, even after the fan was turned on, we found the water seepage during our stay.

Glass doors for the bathroom and toilet does not provide privacy for the users. [Details]

Wow what vacation! It was amazing! The resort is beautiful, pools fantastic, beaches out of this world.. and finally the restaurants were off the charts so good. Finally i want to thank Bergeron travel, specifically Kiki Stedman , she took care of everything to ensure our vacation was well organized and all of our pre-vacation requirements were satisfied. To all the staff and management at Bavaro thanks and finally Kiki thanks so much.. [Details]

Third time there. Very clean, good food perfect location for golfers. beach is amazing. Would definitely recommend. [Details]

Overall, my experience was good. Initially I was given a rather dated room that had two double beds for my wife and I. There was no hot water and the hair dryer did not work. I saw the manager and he changed us to a different room with a king, hot water and a working hair dryer. The grounds are lovely. The staff is helpful, kind and friendly. The food is okay. Beverages were plentiful. You can enjoy action by the pool or quiet and calm along the excellent beach under the palm trees. The resort was at capacity and as such beach chairs were, unfortunately, at a premium. They really should have more beach chairs. I shouldn't have to worry about going early while on vacation to reserve a chair with my towel. Travel to and from the airport was well organized. The relatively short distance to and from the airport was a big plus. La Brisa? was the best restaurant. The seafood one the least appealing. Coffee was not up to snuff. Breakfast was okay. Entertainment is offered nightly. The linens were from Spain; very nice. Room fridge was stocked daily. There is one upscale restaurant that is available for a fee. There is a casino. The resort is very clean and well maintained. It is an expansive resort. There are many people working there. Many moving parts. It is a very nice resort. My overall impression was that it once must have been very top notch….when newer. [Details]

We had a fabulous vacation. The resort's grounds are so beautiful and well kept. The staff do a great job on keeping the place spotless. Responses to any requests we had were prompt.
Pools were never crowded despite it being such a large resort. Truly a paradise spot. [Details]

The hotel was great but the buffets were wanting. Almost the same food every day was a turn-off... the A la carte restaurants were good but had very limited options except the great Japanese restaurant. [Details]

The resort is gorgeous, the staff friendly and the food amazing with a great variety to choose from. Rooms and resort were clean and well maintained. Restaurants were easy to book through the concierge and definitely worth doing. Buffets had great selections. The only negative was our trip overlapped with a conference of 2000 people who flooded the resort on Friday and stayed till Sunday. They overtook every bar, restaurant, table and pool making it challenging for guests to do anything. They left full plates of food (after emptying the buffet), drink cups everywhere and were extremely rude to staff and guests. If we had known they were booked as well, we may have pushed our trip forward a week. Other than that, a resort definitely worth booking and we will probably return in the future. [Details]

This was a mother daughter week. The weather was perfect. The room was clean and a good size. Main floor rooms have a patio set as well as two lounge chairs for private relaxation time. We overlooked the golf course which was fairly quiet. The 8500 block of rooms does face the main road in and out of the resort so you can hear vehicles. Check-in and out was easy. Our room was ready upon arriving. Their bracelet system works as your room key and is not removed until you actually leaving the resort i.e., check-out is 11 but flight is 3 p.m. you keep your bracelet until leaving resort at 1 p.m. Guest services were very helpful. Our airline agency rep Raul was also very helpful and informative. The al a carte restaurants were okay definitely better than the other Caribbean country (if you know which one I am talking about). The two buffet areas had a large variety of food items some better than others. Something for everyone. The water was safe to drink that was served at eating areas but apparently don't drink the tap water different filtration. The pool and beach area had plenty of lounge chairs. I cannot say enough about the entertainment staff at the Palace they work from early morning to late at night and do a fantastic job! They make it so much fun! There are two pools so it did not feel crowded granted we were there apparently in the off season. The Palace resort is for families etc. and the Beach resort is adults only. So most of the Beach guests come to the Palace resort for their entertainment and meals. There is a train you can take which goes between the resorts and all around the Palace resort. Overall the resort(s) are great. Would definitely return. [Details]

The Hotel Bavaro Palace definitely not 5 stars Hotel, the food is poor and not good quality.
The room clean but not convenient, shower and toilet is right in the room, so no doors or something separate that area.
The safe box has been broken and we call for fixing it 3 times.
Also reception services very slow and lots of waiting time [Details]

Reviews du Barcelo Bavaro Palace

Overall it was very good! The resort is HUGE, the grounds were beautifully kept, one bigger pool split in two in the main section, where the restaurants are located, shops, casino, a bowling alley too. The adult section is to the left of the resort. There is a family areas around building 7 with a kids pool. There is a pirate ship and wave pool too, that I believe you get access to for 1 day if you have kids. The mini-putt is free until 6pm. There is a golf course and club house near building 8.

Room: We had a junior suite in building 3, on the top floor, with a jacuzzi on the terrace. We ended up with an ocean view which was a bonus! We had asked for a king bed but got two separate beds. We were offered to switch on day 2 but we would loose our ocean view so we said no. They filled the mini fridge with pop, water and beer on the daily. Changed the towels and the sheets every 3 days. Downsides: the tv didn't have many options on channels, and no guide option, the walk in shower didn't have a door to close, so water would splatter on the floor, there seems to never be a fan in the bathrooms down south which is annoying, and the safe had numbers that didn't work.

Food: there are two buffets, but both are next to each other which is odd to me, and they overlap on time so they open a door in between them and you can walk through, however both offer the same options. The hours were a little odd.. sometimes they were both closed so the only option open was the sports bar which was limited. The food was overall pretty decent. Service was slow, as in bringing water or drinks, and flipping tables between guests. We had reservations to the Steakhouse, the Seafood, Mediterranean, Mexican and Japanese restaurant. Japanese was the best! With the teppanyaki tables, the service and food was great. Seafood was disappointing. The Mediterranean restaurant is in the adult section and it was delicious. For lunch you can go there too, but if they catch you they will ask you for 5$ extra per person since it should be guests if the adults only.

Bars: not as many as we would have expected for such a big resort and the pool ones would close at 6. Service was a little slow. There is an adult pool/bar which had better service. It's smaller and they were quicker.

Beach was amazing! They section off where you can swim but it's not at all crowded given the size of the resort. Not too many weeds either. Some of our group did windsurfing and loved it. Others would walked for hours on either side of the resort. But when you get off the resort people will try and sell you things. There weren't any on the resort. We didn't really have to worry to get chairs… but the later you get to the beach the busier it gets.

Shows: The shows were at 10pm. They were fun, the circus one was the best. There was a Fantasy/Disney show one night, which was super cute for kids but also a 10pm showing. They should offer it during the day or earlier for the kids.

You get cards for towels that you trade in for towels and can exchange them. We would leave them on our chairs with our sunscreen and hats when went for a walk or to eat, and didn't have problems all week. However someone took our towels on the last day. We ended up having to go to reception and explain the situation because we didn't want to get charged 20$ per towel. They ended up giving us more cards but were adamant they would charge us if we lost those ones.

We rented cabanas for 15$ a day at the adult pool, highly recommended! Quiet and in the shade. And there are chairs too if you don't rent the cabana. Right next to the pool and bar.

I went to the spa and got a relaxation massage. If you book a spa appointment within your first 48h you get 40% off. So it was 84$ instead of 140$ for 50 mins. And you get access to their saunas and pool specifically for the spa for 1 hour before or after. Totally worth it!

We did the escape room as a group on site. It was 30$ per person which I found expensive. But we had a good time.

Some of the group took a taxi into town to buy wine and chips. Some went on excursions and said it went well and it was fun.

Some downsides… no room service included, except for coffee, or it was for a fee. We found that very odd. No snacks left in the rooms either or available elsewhere on the resort. Checkout was at 12 but we didn't leave until 6pm… which was fine, they kept our luggage in a locked room, but the facilities room they offered didn't have a hair dryer or plugs for a hair dryer, only 3 showers too and the lockers didn't work. Again… just odd. It's a very very big resorts, so lots of people and far to walk between buildings and restaurants. There is a little train service which was useful as our group was scattered between all the buildings. For a group we were expecting to be put closer together. [Details]

This is a very nice hotel and has great infrastructure (superb clear, turquoise water beach, 3 aquapark for the kids, terrific kids club, nice shows, lots of restaurants). We stayed for 28 days over Christmas and new Year Dec 2022-Jan 2023. Everything went well, but the only major issue is lack of service in the buffet. They will not give you a fork or a knife or a glass with the beverage. Onu momento -- means una hora or it will never happen. Hence, please be prepared to go and get everything by yourself. This is true for the downstairs buffet as well as for the upstairs (Santa Fe steakhouse) buffet. The glasses in this restaurant are not well washed and there seems to be a problem with washing the dishes as well. The workers at this hotel seem very unhappy and not motivated at all to help. Nobody during our 28 days stay asked us about our experience or asked us to fill out a survey. I was very surprised. Th e workers would walk around, but they will not come to help you at the buffet restaurants. [Details]

Loved the resort. So beautiful and so big. Will have to come back to be able to do everything. We stayed 10 days and definitely enjoyed our stay. The dinner buffet was my least favourite food but we loved all the restaurants. Only thing that I feel could make this place better is the service. No one getting drinks around the pool which is hard with children to go to the bar for a drink all the time. Also the service at the buffet was either great or terrible. Some days we got great service some days we didn't get water or cutlery to eat with. Overall the resort was beautiful and we had a great vacation. Would most likely return to this resort if we return to the Dominican again. [Details]

The weather was fantastic & the resort was great. We had a suite which was worth the minor upgrade as provides nice beach/ocean view & personal tub on each balcony to relax with a soak. A nice beach for long walks each day & no issues with seaweed. Bring your snorkel to swim with the turtles or other fishies.

Golf course is a short walk away & it's truly a tough test. Very nice layout with lots of water so bring golf balls. Can buy a green fee package with four rounds for $240 usd. [Details]

C'était notre première expérience au Bavaro Barcelo Palace Juste wow Nous étions un groupe de 8 adultes et nous avons tous aimé l'endroit,Nous avons eu un petit problème avec le coffre de sécurité Le service est vraiment très rapide. Endroit calme avec pleins d'activités Plage mer piscine no 1.Les restos à la carte très bons , buffets variés. Le Vin et les drinks ok Chambre grande et confortable. café délicieux J'Y retournerais sans hésiter [Details]

Very good, great variety in food, very clean that i would definitely return, only problem very poor wifi even if we paid & chairs in Theater very uncomfortable [Details]

Everything was amazing from the time I got to the hotel to the timer left the bar staff are so nice servers are great sports bar was good the casino is even better and the discotheque was amazing the pools are very beautiful the beaches were nice and all the different things you could do need it so much better swimming with the dolphins parasailing catamarans the best of all was the Coco bongo show that I've never seen in my life so good I will come back and see they're just to go to party there again [Details]

The hotel is huge, the rooms were amazing! Large terrace, beautiful ocean views, clean, the beds were very comfortable. The staff was very helpful and friendly. [Details]

This is a huge resort a lot of walking. So much to do. Food was good lots of variety. Beaches and ocean were beautiful, you could walk down the beach for miles. The pool was one of the best I have ever seen, very big. I liked that the pool split in to three different ones. we felt very safe. [Details]

We had a wonderful vacation at Barcelo Bavaro Palace! It was our first trip to Punta Cana and we would definitely return any time soon! We stayed in a Jr Family Suite and had tons of room. The wifi was perfect for the kids as they love to stay connected with their friends. We loved the beaches, food and nightly entertainment! Lots to do on the resort and we enjoyed the golf, mini-golf, bowling and shopping! [Details]

We had a wonderful time , we were greeted with a welcome cocktail and this time our check in didn't take very long ( this was our 3rd visit to this resort) Our room was stocked with water and fresh towels snacks etc.. every day. THE HOTEL IS LARGE lots of walking is required- The beach is BEAUTIFUL you can see the bottom .The entertainment starts at 10 PM every night wish it would start earlier-Every bar served us quickly and with smiles In the Buffet the waitresses were right their to fill your glasses and offer you a drink [Details]

This is the second time at this hotel.
The complex is great
The food was better 5 years ago, this time I did not enjoyed it. Too much mixed salads or food that I didn't know what was in it.
Needs more variety of fruits.
I did not like the service at the restaurants.
The food at the Mexican restaurant was bad and the service awful.
Too many mosquitos in the room, my whole body has mosquito bites.
The check in process is terrible long.
The hotel went down in quality and service. [Details]

Overall lovely vacation. We've never been to the Dominican Republic so I really had no expectations. The rooms were great. We had a family room deluxe, the water park was right outside our door. The pirates islan waterpark was a let down. My son was too short to go on the slides so I was happy one visit was included, because there's no way $20 USD is worth it. There wasn't a wide variety of drinks. And the food was just ok. We had reservations at a restaurant every night so that helped. The Japanese and Mexican were the best. The resort is huge but we really only needed to keep to half of it because the family section is near everything so we didn't find it bad for walking at all.

All in all it was a great trip [Details]

We stayed at Barcelo Bavaro Palace with three generations including a grandparent with a disability. The resort is big and has lots to offer. The rental scooter that we booked ahead of time really helped. [Details]

Very good hotel! [Details]

This hotel was really lovely. We had a hard time choosing a vacation that would best accommodate our 9 month old son and this resort was fantastic. The staff LOVE babies and made him feel very special everywhere we went. He was even saying "hola" by the time the trip was over.
For families with older children, you will ADORE the kids pool. It's amazing with multiple water slides, fountains, and has various levels of depths to suit several ages. Plus, they have a bar there to keep adults happy while watching their children.
Pro-tip: bring a couple zip lock bags to take snacks out of the buffet for when it's closed. With our baby, we found that his nap schedule didn't always work out for meal times (ie dinner opens at 6:30pm).
Pro-tip: if you have a day-napper, bring a flashlight or something for your room. All the lights are connected so once the light is out, you're stuck in the dark until they wake up! [Details]

We had a great experience at Barcelo at Riviera Maya in Mexico so we wanted to try the same hotel in Punta Cana. Big disappointment.
Room: We got a superior room right by the golf course and farthest from the beach with 2 queen beds. None of us are playing golf. Plus the safe was not working. We changed the room the next day as we wanted a king bed and closer to the beach. To move closer to the beach they asked for 45Us/night which we didn't want to pay after the entire trip was overpriced. So we stayed by the gold course. A good 8-10 min walk to the main area. The first morning, the cleaning lady came at 7.30am to clean the room. We told her to come back later which she did not do. The room did get clean for the remaining of the week.
Food: average to mediocre. We did 6 a la carte restaurant. Best service and food: mexican. We gladly tip her. The rest was average. The waiters visible waiting for tips. We did the Japanese restaurant twice. First time, great food, great service. We gladly tip the cook and the waiter. Second time, once the cook finished the tapayaki, he stayed stayed with us, looking at us while we were eating, waiting for tips. We gave him 5$ but he continued to wait to get money from the rest of the people at the table. The waiter asked my husband: did you like my service? The food at the buffet was average. Maybe a bit better at the Dominican buffet than Miramar, even though they are next to each other. The sports bar had good food.
Staff/Crew: 70% of the people lacking proper customer service skills from the people at the reception, to restaurant staff to the lady who booked our a la carte (she booked us at the bar, not a table, for the Spanish restaurant without asking us, we found out when we got to the restaurant and we couldn't get a table). Crew/Staff did not seem happy to be there. Moreover, the drinks were a hit and miss, depending who was preparing them. Same drink could taste very different. A few times, the drinks were undrinkable.

Entertainment: great shows every night at the theatre great disco music, good casino, good entertainment during the day at the pool.

Overall: we wouldn't stay at this resort again. The resort might be good for families with kids who only eat at the buffet, don't have a lot of interactions with the staff. [Details]

Excellent stay all around. With 2 kids age 6 and 9 we can't say enough great things about the stay here. [Details]

Amazing! Loved every moment of it! [Details]

very good hotel, food and drink are well prepared and always available
May pools and close to the sea, huge hotel but enough place for everyone . [Details]

Gorgeous grounds, nice rooms, excellent pools, most staff very friendly. Very good golf course. Very good kids program - flexible, accommodating staff. You can leave kids at club during mealtime breaks in programming and even arrange to have staff take them for meals (but this is not always made clear at outset). No movies in room for the kids at night. Should be a few more inclusions: wave/slide pool, some room service, some imported wines, Wi-Fi, games room, some imported wines, laundry service (or option of self-service). Junior suites are NOT suites (don't be fooled by name) - go with "family deluxe rooms", especially if staying more than a week. These are nice and spacious. Very comfortable beds. More seaweed removed from adjacent ocean would be good for swimming, but sand and water lovely. Very long wait at check-in (to be fair, it WAS March break). Challenging to get get bookings in A La Carte restaurants (again, March break). Dress code for adults and older kids a bit too strict(don't need to be in long pants and closed shoes to look decent - the code would be more appropriate at an Adults' Only resort). [Details]