Barceló Bávaro Beach



About
The Barcelo Bavaro Beach - Adults Only*****hotel is located on one of the 10 best beaches in the world, in the Punta Cana area of the Dominican Republic. This dreamy hotel has reinvented itself after a complete renovation to become an exclusive hotel for adults only.
The hotel offers first class rooms 80% of which are located right on the beachfront. This makes it the most perfect place for a romantic getaway.
Enjoy the exquisite range of cuisine on offer at the hotel through the Barcelo All Inclusive Programme with its Caribbean Buffet, Chez Gourmet and La Brisa restaurants; 9 a-la-carte restaurant options: Chez Gourmet (international), La Brisa (Mediterranean), El Coral (fish and seafood), Santa Fe (meat), La Dolce Vita (Italian), Mexico Lindo (Mexican), La Fuente (Spanish), Kyoto (Japanese) and La Comedie (Gourmet - additional charge except for Club Premium guests).
Visit the facilities where you can find different options to fill your days: football pitch, tennis court, swimming pool, golf course, water sports, wellness centre, theatre and casino. This exclusive resort set on a virgin beach welcomes you with a cocktail, spoils you with drinks by the pool and offers you a 45 minute hydrothermal circuit, per person once during your stay. There are also 2 massage beds in the pool area (at an additional charge).
Staying at this hotel also grants guests access to the facilities of the Barcelo Bavaro Palace Deluxe, a hotel which shares some of its services and facilities.
This hotel is one of the very few in the country that boasts the international BLUE FLAG for compliance with the standards required by the non-profit non-governmental organisation the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE).
Come and rediscover the marvels the Barcelo Bavaro Beach - Adults Only***** hotel has to offer!
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The staff on both sides were extremely friendly and accommodating.
We did two sit down restaurants, the french restaurant was a disappointment, but the steakhouse was amazing.
We walked up the beach for a good distance and for sure the beach at our resort was the nicest, cleanest one.
The rooms were large, airy, clean, and the. beds were comfortable.
We were in building one, which faces the pool and bar area. If you are an early to bed early to rise kind of person, I would make sure to request another building as the nightly entertainment, from 8-11pm, is faced right at building one, and your room will vibrate with the bass. Something we didn't know before booking was that room sevice is an extra charge unless you upgraded to premium. This probably wouldn't have been an issue, but I fell ill with the flu and was in bed for 3 days. My husband couldn't bring me anything from the buffet, so we had to pay extra for fruit trays.
My one complaint regarding the hotel itself is that we were told we could not have a late check out. We were being picked up at 5:30pm and had planned a pool day and a shower before departing. Instead we had to dress for travel at noon. Because our room was on the ground floor, I had a look in the window at 5pm and the room was untouched, exactly as we left it, so there was no reason to deny us late check out, which costs $60. I brought this to the attention of guest services, but I doubt I will hear anything from them.
In closing, I cannot say enough good about this resort. 10/10 would definitely recommend!!

Firstly, I would like to mention the cleanliness of the rooms, an area that I think needs significant improvement. The rooms were not as clean as I would have hoped, and seemed to need more meticulous attention. Additionally, the rooms seemed somewhat worn and aged, which made them less attractive.
An additional drawback was that the hair dryer in my room did not work, which was an unexpected problem.
As for food, the restaurant at the Beach Hotel did not meet my expectations. Most of the time, I opted to walk to the Barceló Bávaro Palace in search of a better quality meal. I definitely think that the hotel should focus on improving the quality and variety of its gastronomic offering.
One detail that negatively affected my experience was the construction on building #3, which appeared to be a Swim-Up pool. This construction began early in the morning and disturbed guests who were trying to rest nearby.
Another point to mention is that the hotel does not allow Uber or private transportation services to enter the facilities to pick up guests. Instead, you must take a golf cart to the "Main Gate" to get your private transportation. This is a drawback in modern times and could be improved for guest comfort.
On the other hand, I must highlight that the tours offered by the hotel are excellent and I really enjoyed those activities.
As for the shows at the hotel, I think they could be improved to offer a more exciting experience.
The service provided by Rafael from the luggage department was outstanding and deserves praise.
I also want to mention the waiter Omar at Kyoto Restaurant (Teppanyaki), who provided exceptional service and stood out during my stay.
However, I found it unfair that my partner was denied entry to the restaurant for breakfast and dinner due to a dress code issue, while other people were being less strictly controlled regarding the dress code.
Finally, I think the hotel could improve communication with guests by providing a more complete explanation of all the amenities available during the stay. This would save guests from having to figure it out themselves and would improve the overall experience.
In short, my experience at the Barceló Bávaro Beach Hotel had its ups and downs. I hope that the hotel takes these constructive comments into account to improve and provide a more satisfactory experience to its future guests.




Food at the buffet is typical for a 4 star AI. Do not rely on staff to bring you coffee or a refill, even if you ask in Spanish. There are coffee machines. Lunch at Las Brisas is a 2 minute walk from the adult pool and is a much smaller setting, with nicer views. (Also buffet for lunch). A la carte dinners exceeded my expectations in taste, presentation and service. I do wish that there would not be ashtrays on the tables to allow for smoking on the terrace of the restaurants. Non smokers also want to enjoy their meal without second hand cigar and cigarette smoke. More defined smoking and non smoking areas should have signage. If you happen to get pool chairs in between smokers....or want to enjoy a show at night...the smokers just sat where the very few tiny non smoking signs were and disregarded other guests' comfort.
The white powdery beach is great for walks, relaxing, participating in activities and enjoying the breeze. The ocean was warm and safe to swim.
Shows started too late for us...10pm at the adult and family side. We liked the rock band and Michael Jackson show.
There is only ONE a la carte dinner restaurant here and men have to wear pants. All other dinner restaurants are on the Palace side of resort . You must make reservations for any of these a la carte dinner spots no matter what side of resort you stay.
My adult children had a room beside ours and no towels for bathing on day one. Day 2 their room was cleaned but again, never got towels and they had to go get them in lobby.
Day two we were gone from 8-5pm on an excursion and my husband and I came to a room that had not been cleaned and no towels replenished. Called & requested towels so we could shower for dinner reservation. 1 hr later still no towels. Called again asking to speak to supervisor. The woman on the phone asked me what I needed. I explained my room was never cleaned, no towels and need to shower. She said she’s alerting supervisor right away….
Needless to say it was still a long wait, missed our reservation and ended up in lobby for towels. Absolutely unacceptable.
A beautiful beach, they do a great job of cleaning any small amount of sargassum that has come in. No beach service for drinks. No swim up pool bar on adults resort.
Save your money and disappointment and go elsewhere .
The food is fine, enough in variety and quality (you notice that they take more care not to put too much food to not waste it). The attention of the staff, some very well, helpful, polite and attentive; others... seems to be angry or burned with the work. We did a quad bike tour and to Catalina Island and they were perfect (we have been to Punta Cana more times). It was 12 days of sunshine, rest and relaxation, although when we wanted a little animation we went to Palace, which is just over 5 minutes walk inside the same facilities.



The overall structure is large, with several facilities (swimming pools, tennis courts, padel courts, football, golf) and therefore interesting, the rooms are dated but all in all cozy. The concentration of facilities is mostly in the family area, a ten minute walk, both on the sea side and under comfortable canopies.
The food is not bad, sometimes tastier and more pleasant than others (Caribe and La Brisa). There is hourly coverage for practically all day. Excellent fruit. Bad food at Coral restaurant, really inedible.
The Chez Gourmet was different, but without excelling (overcooked rice, tasteless octopus, cold soup), apart from the waiter who served up with his nose (see below the staff judgment).
The beach is well maintained, only the local excursion services, departing near the hotel beach (which is not for exclusive use except for deckchairs and showers), are very annoying, with music from the morning and throughout the day.
The service at the restaurants leaves something to be desired, with indolent and listless staff wandering around the tables seemingly aimlessly. With the only exception of the Señora Maria Salas, it is also difficult to get water or coffee at the table.
Same thing for the cleaning staff of the rooms: sometimes towels are missing, sometimes the bathroom mat, and when you mention it they bring it to you slamming the bedroom door...
Otherwise, lobby staff (bar tender and service) appear more knowledgeable and professional.
Animation is non-existent, little involvement and zero desire.
In essence, a good hotel but that is far from the five stars it boasts.
The second point of complaint is the annoying reservation of loungers. (No chance at 9 a.m., everything is covered with beach towels while the guests are having breakfast or have retired.) A somewhat heretical tip: cover the lounger of your choice with a towel and something personal before going to bed. Close the lounger again. Now that's a real problem... it's just embarrassing.
This perhaps global problem could make a logistically and technically skilled tinkerer rich.
- If you like cocktails: the ones served at the pool bar are rather carelessly mixed together, so it's probably more about filling them quickly. At the lobby bar, more effort is made - supported by the odd bill - but the barkeeper's mood on the day also plays a role.
- For those with a sweet tooth: the desserts are appetizing to look at, but they hardly differ in taste. It's better to stick to fruit and small pastries.
- If you love mosquitoes and sandflies, like me, take Autan with you.
- Don't worry, the seaweed is removed from the hotel beach every morning. Otherwise the sea (near the beach) is dead, so no chance for shell hunters.
For beach walkers: Towards the east, the well-kept beach section turns into a natural beach.
- Souvenirs: Towards the west at the end of the hotel beach there is a small souvenir market. Larimar stones too! Just go there to look without spending any money, then you'll have more peace and quiet to choose.
Even with the above-mentioned restrictions, the stay at the Barcelo Bavaro Beach was very successful, as the numerous positive reviews from other guests also apply to this review.

Furthermore, the staff across the resort (bars, restaurants, buffets) have been extremely rude, and almost none of them speak English. While this would not usually be a problem, it has resulted in them ignoring us in favor of serving Spanish-speaking guests, despite our attempts to speak the little Spanish we know. There have been multiple instances in the buffet where we were not given any drinks throughout the entire meal, as the servers acted as though we were invisible. This issue also persisted at the bars across the resort.
Additionally, my girlfriend found it uncomfortable to walk around unaccompanied by me, as the male workers at the resort made her feel uneasy. They would often stare at her for upwards of 30 seconds and occasionally approached her to flirt. This behavior is inappropriate coming from the resort staff.
The housekeeping service has been extremely poor, with multiple days where they did not show up at all. When they did show up, they often failed to provide hand towels and only left us with two small bottles of water in the fridge, despite us tipping $5 a day.
As for the food, I would rate it a 5/10—it is exceptionally average. The buffets offer a decent amount of options and have a nice pasta station, but the rest of the food is rather bland and dried out. Reservations for the restaurants book up quickly, and be aware that several of them require an extra charge ($15) to attend.
The beach and surrounding property are by far the best aspects of the resort, as they are beautifully maintained and match the pictures advertised online. The beach is cleaned of seaweed regularly, making the sand very soft and pleasant to walk on. My only complaint about the beach is the presence of party boats blasting loud music just off the shore, which can ruin the relaxing atmosphere.
The room matches the pictures, though it is obviously dated. However, the bed and pillows are very comfortable, and the air conditioning works well.
"You get what you pay for. This cost less than the Barcelo at Riviera Maya, and we got less for less money."Read full review
"If you use a facecloth at home, bring your own. It's a north American thing to use one. Learn some basic Spanish words and phrases. "Read full review
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