Bahia Principe Grand Bavaro - All Inclusive

“Family holiday.”

Good hotel. Service at the bars can sometimes be slow. Pool was good and there was a marked improvement of keeping the dreaded sargassum at bay in the beach. Great for families, staff were friendly, we had a a few issues ( just one of those things and no fault of the staff etc) but these issues wer… more

Good hotel. Service at the bars can sometimes be slow. Pool was good and there was a marked improvement of keeping the dreaded sargassum at bay in the beach. Great for families, staff were friendly, we had a a few issues ( just one of those things and no fault of the staff etc) but these issues were promptly dealt with and resolved. Room service is good. I did have to ring the desk to have a few things restocked, which hadn’t been in the day. However, this was dealt with. WIFI was patchy at the pool by the beach and on the beach itself. But WIFI isn’t great at these types of resorts. If this could be improved then great. However, not a major issue. Signal fine in the room and main part of the hotel. Plenty of activities to choose from. Entertainment staff were great at the pool. Not as many vendors this year which I liked- last year we seemed to be hounded all the time. So this is a positive step for us. You do me need to get to the pool early if you want a parasol- these are a must. Food is good overall. Plenty of variety- but English people beware- if you’re looking for a traditional breakfast- don’t! lol fine for us as we are foody and love eating local foods. Loads of variety. Restaurants are good too and easy to book. Plenty of amenities to buy essentials, souvenirs, beach wear, balls snorkels etc quite pricey though. This is our second trip to this Hotel and would recommend it. It’s very large, with its own golf buggy style trains to get you about if you don’t want to walk. Some pools are quiet and some loud so if you fancy a quiet day you can. Snack bar at the beach is fine- burgers, hotdogs, fries, chicken wings etc, however if eating here daily can become a bit boring. (Depends what you like) We did our open water course here and booked direct with SeaKlub-the dive operation company in DR (in conjunction with PADI.) Really good and well organised. We booked our trip via Tui, I know TUI have mixed reviews but we have used them for 4x holidays including a cruise and so far can’t complain. English is spoken to a get-by level, some staff better than others- they do appreciate speaking Spanish- which is good fun I find!

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“Average - 3 star vacation experience.”

Hotel overall wasn’t great. Rooms were not very clean, daily cleaning and towel swap lacked , air conditioning not working properly, things like inconsistent service , cockroaches in room and walking areas , pools were not very clean, buffet was not great but not awful. Alcohol is all very low en… more

Hotel overall wasn’t great. Rooms were not very clean, daily cleaning and towel swap lacked , air conditioning not working properly, things like inconsistent service , cockroaches in room and walking areas , pools were not very clean, buffet was not great but not awful. Alcohol is all very low end and the service at front /restaurants not very friendly . Bathrooms in common areas weren’t super clean and smelled pretty bad . Outside our building they pumped sewage outside hotel rooms during day which was really disgusting and smelled absolutely awful. The trolley and bell staff were very nice , the pool bar staff was friendly . Nomad was a great restaurant and good service. Greek was not good food, and service was awful due to long wait and sadly the lack of ability to communicate in English well. The shop staff were very friendly . As an avid traveller visiting many resorts a year, This is in my opinion a 3 star hotel . Be prepared after 7pm for very Long lines at dinner for buffet - one night it was 90 minutes wait with only one buffet . Tour booking staff in lobby were friendly and helpful. We did two good tours and were happy with them The lobby closes at 11 which is early but the music and vibe is lively until that time and an overall good experience . We made most of our time , but truly this was not the experience we hoped for and would not go back . We had to uber for food 3 times due to lack of things in buffet that kids and teens would eat, and went off site twice for dinner to other hotels since making reservations for more than 2 was a challenge since hotel was so busy. The breakfast buffet was good - lots of options . This hotel needs to be cleaned up and service and food options improved.

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