Barceló Bávaro Palace - All Inclusive

“Beautiful Location and Relaxing trip”

Great trip! Beach and pool were gorgeous. Beds were comfy and room was clean. Trolley was very accessible and easy to get to the palace side. Had a personal concierge, Félix who was the best, very attentive. Helped with reservations and other needs. Buffet was good but the à la carte restaurants… more

Great trip! Beach and pool were gorgeous. Beds were comfy and room was clean. Trolley was very accessible and easy to get to the palace side. Had a personal concierge, Félix who was the best, very attentive. Helped with reservations and other needs. Buffet was good but the à la carte restaurants were amazing. Overall a relaxing atmosphere with fun activities as well.

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“Beautiful property”

Awesome! Will be back We loved everything about this property. The staff is amazing and the beach is spectacular and well maintained. Our room was steps from the beach

“Amazing beach, bad food”

I stayed 9 days at Barcelo Bavaro Beach (adult side) with my friend, and our main criteria for choosing the resort was the beach & the location. I can say that from this point of view we felt like we hit the jackpot, as we really loved the quiet beach, the palm trees, and the more savage part of th… more

I stayed 9 days at Barcelo Bavaro Beach (adult side) with my friend, and our main criteria for choosing the resort was the beach & the location. I can say that from this point of view we felt like we hit the jackpot, as we really loved the quiet beach, the palm trees, and the more savage part of the beach few minutes walk from the Barcelo property. The pool was nice too and we liked the combination between silent & party times. The entertainment team was great, very friendly and welcoming, especially Leonel, and the ladies dancing in the evening. Alexis at the pool bar was also very kind &funny. The room was quite big compared to other hotels, which we appreciated. However, it is true that it was very outdated, especially the bathroom. It didn’t bother us practically because we were outside most time, but for the price we paid we expected better maintainance. However, the food was not good at all. We saw the other negative reviews about food before arriving at the hotel, but we thought that people were picky. Well, we are not very picky and it was hard to find something averagely tasty among the big diversity of choices. The food gave us weird cramps the whole stay although we were eating steamed vegetables and chicken/grill most times as other food had lots of oil. The deserts were also very bad, except 1-2 types of ice cream which we enjoyed, and the coconut cones. It is quite surprising that despite the hundreds of negative reviews about the food, the management did not address this issue. Even the taxi drivers knew that food was awful here, it is commonly known. The servers at the restaurants were very unpleasant; we initially thought it is a cultural difference, but we noticed that reception & entertainment staff were super nice. We booked few trips via the hotel, and some via an app (because the hotel was asking for double the price), so check that before. We went to the Palace side too (buffet/pool/beach) but it fell quite busy/overwhelming, so we spent our time on the adult side. We liked the disco too (we are both in our 30’s). Overall, since the beach was our criteria, we liked our stay at this resort.

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“3 Star Experience for 5 Star Price Review of Barceló Bávaro Beach - Adults Only”

Review of Barceló Bávaro Beach - Adults Only Overall Experience I want this review to be fully transparent because I relied heavily on reviews before booking this resort myself. The resort grounds and beach are beautiful, and there are definitely positives here, but overall this felt much closer … more

Review of Barceló Bávaro Beach - Adults Only Overall Experience I want this review to be fully transparent because I relied heavily on reviews before booking this resort myself. The resort grounds and beach are beautiful, and there are definitely positives here, but overall this felt much closer to a 3-star experience than a true 5-star resort. The biggest issues were organization, service consistency, restaurant reservations, communication, and overall hospitality standards. If you are booking primarily for the beach and scenery, you will probably enjoy parts of this resort. If you are expecting true luxury service and organization, you may end up disappointed. ─── The Good Beautiful Resort & Beach The property itself is visually stunning. The beach is gorgeous, the water is beautiful, and the resort grounds are very tropical and well maintained overall. There are tons of palm trees, walking areas, and great photo spots throughout the resort. ─── Comfortable Rooms The rooms were comfortable and clean. They are definitely not as modern as some of the online photos may make them appear, but overall they were still pleasant and comfortable to stay in. The resort also felt very safe overall. We had no issues during our stay, and the rooms included personal safes for storing valuables and important belongings. ─── Staff & Communication The staff were overall very friendly and welcoming. Most staff primarily spoke Spanish with limited English, but they were usually very patient and accommodating when using Google Translate or other ways to communicate. Even when service was slow at times, most interactions still felt polite and respectful. ─── Wi-Fi The Wi-Fi was generally good throughout most of the resort. There were a few areas where the connection was hit-or-miss, but overall it worked well enough throughout the trip for messaging, browsing, and general day-to-day use. ─── Pool & Beach Seating Pool and beach chairs always seemed available, which was a huge positive compared to many resorts where chairs are impossible to find early in the morning. The biggest issue was simply a lack of small drink tables around seating areas, especially during busier times. ─── Train Transportation The train system was useful considering how massive the resort is. It definitely helped cut down on walking in the heat. That said, the trains desperately need clearer signage. Simple LED signs showing destinations such as: • Bávaro Beach • Bávaro Palace • Bávaro Club • Bávaro Family would make navigating the resort significantly easier and would prevent guests from accidentally riding full loops around the property. ─── Restaurants Allow Multiple Entrées One positive about the à la carte restaurants was that you could order more than one main dish if you were still hungry. This helped because portion sizes throughout the resort were generally very small. Some restaurants also had beautiful outdoor seating and very nice views, especially during sunset hours. A standout staff member during our stay was Richard Avelino from the Santa Fe restaurant. He provided some of the best service we experienced anywhere on the resort. From refilling drinks, taking orders, checking in throughout the meal, and simply making guests feel welcomed, he consistently delivered the kind of attentive hospitality you would expect from a true high-end resort experience. He genuinely set the standard for what service across the resort should aim to be. ─── Areas That Need Improvement Resort Size & Navigation This resort is HUGE — almost too huge at times. It is extremely easy to get lost during your first few days. The maps provided are tiny and difficult to read. The resort would benefit massively from larger “You Are Here” style maps throughout the property like malls or airports use. These maps should clearly show: • Restaurants • Bars • Entertainment areas • Train routes/stops • Hours of operation Clearer resort navigation overall would make a major difference to the guest experience, especially for first-time visitors. ─── Restaurant Reservation System The reservation system was one of the biggest frustrations of the trip. You must go in person to make reservations, and many of the better restaurants were already booked extremely quickly. On our very first night, most of the restaurants we wanted were only available around 10 PM or later. Some restaurants we were never able to try at all — even during a 9-day stay — because they remained fully booked the entire time. The restaurants also sometimes felt noticeably underfilled, almost like they were only operating at half or three-quarter capacity despite reservations being difficult to get. We also attended the Kyoto Japanese Teppanyaki experience. While the actual food and cooking show were enjoyable, it took roughly 45 minutes for the waiter to take 12 orders before the experience even began. After seeing how long each seating lasted, it honestly made more sense why reservations there were constantly fully booked. Reservations also provide a small paper receipt. If you lose it, you may have issues getting into the restaurant. At one point, the resort accidentally booked us into the wrong restaurant. When I went back to fix it, I was initially told it was my fault for not checking the receipt carefully enough. They eventually corrected the issue, but only with a much later booking time. For a resort advertising itself as luxury, this system feels outdated and poorly managed. ─── “All Inclusive” Was Misleading One of the biggest disappointments was learning that only 5 restaurants were actually included. Several other restaurants required additional payment, which was not entirely clear from the advertising beforehand. Guests should absolutely be aware of this before booking. ─── Dress Code Issues Some restaurants required full-length pants for men. While I understand having dress codes for upscale dining, it felt excessive considering the extremely hot and humid climate. Dress shorts were not permitted at the restaurants requiring pants, even if they looked formal or upscale. Guests should definitely pack accordingly if they plan on dining at certain restaurants on the property. ─── Buffet Experience The buffet food was very hit-or-miss. There were definitely some reliable go-to options, but there were also certain dishes that were clear “avoid” items after trying them once. Some buffet items were noticeably undercooked, poorly prepared, or simply raw. The biggest issue, however, was the service — especially during breakfast: • Tables not cleaned quickly • Slow coffee and water service • Not enough staff • Long waits for basic service The buffet frequently felt understaffed and poorly organized. ─── Bar Service & Atmosphere Service at several bars was inconsistent and slow. Bartenders were often on their phones or watching TV rather than actively serving guests. At times, we waited quite a while just to order drinks. There was also a lack of quieter adult spaces to sit down and relax with a drink. Many of the bars are directly beside entertainment areas, making them extremely loud at night. Carey was actually one of the nicer bars on the property aesthetically. It had a more upscale atmosphere with comfortable couches, lounge-style seating, and even a really cool self-playing piano that played popular songs throughout the evening. It had the potential to be one of the best places on the resort to sit down, relax, and enjoy a quieter drink. I highly recommend trying the Coco Loco there. However, children were still allowed inside with parent supervision, which took away from the upscale adults-only atmosphere we were expecting. It noticeably changed the mood and overall experience of the space at times. ─── Shopping & Payment Frustrations One frustrating surprise was that many gift shops and mall areas did not conveniently accept cash. Instead, guests were encouraged or required to: • Use debit/credit cards • Charge purchases directly to the room What made this more frustrating was the noticeable surcharge/markup attached to card usage. When you are essentially forced to pay by card, the costs add up quickly. In our experience, it felt like prices increased by roughly 18% once exchange rates, fees, and resort-related charges were factored in. Another surprise was that Dominican pesos were essentially not accepted anywhere around the resort complex outside of tipping. Most locations strongly preferred or expected U.S. dollars instead. Guests should absolutely budget for this ahead of time. ─── Beach & Seaweed The beach itself is beautiful and one of the best parts of the resort. However, seaweed was sometimes an issue, and cleanup efforts occasionally seemed slow. There were days where affected sections of the beach remained uncleared longer than expected. ─── Cleanliness & Maintenance Some public washrooms had urinals that were not functioning properly and would not flush. This created unpleasant smells and made certain bathrooms feel dirty and poorly maintained. ─── Final Thoughts Overall, we still enjoyed parts of our vacation because the beach and resort grounds are genuinely beautiful. However, the actual hospitality experience did not match what we expected from a resort marketed as 5-star luxury. The biggest issues were: • Poor organization • Outdated reservation system • Logistics/confusing train system • Misleading “all inclusive” expectations The location itself is amazing, which makes some of the operational issues even more frustrating. For us personally, this felt much closer to a 3-star experience than a true 5-star resort.

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