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Barcelo.com
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Reviewed 20 April 2011

I just returned from the Barcelo last Saturday the 16th. My boyfriend and I stayed for one week in an Ocean view room in the 5000 block on the 4th floor. Here is the nitty gritty things that people haven't yet said in their reviews.
-The beach is amazing, straight up. You go to the Dominican for the beaches, not for shopping and excursions.
-Check-in was quite confusing since my travel agent said we would have express service. The only reason we did was because I went to a different line, they saw my papers with room information and checked us right in. We road the shuttle with another couple and they had to wait 2 hours to get checked in because they weren't as aggressive about getting faster service.
-The people who work at the resort are very pleasant and willing to help. I think the main problem is their computer system which crashed a couple of times while we were there, including 2 power outages. This resulted in being locked out of our room twice.
-For all of those Americans traveling to the Dominican Republic, this is a foreign country. Just as you would bring a Spanish-English dictionary with you to Spain, you need to realize that English is not their primary language. They do very well trying to communicate with English speaking visitors but try to learn a few key words before you go. They are much appreciated and you get way better service than yelling and screaming that they don't understand you.
-Although women can wear almost anything into the a la carte restaurants, one thing I learned - you can not wear denim shorts. I was forced to go back to my room and change and almost missed our reservation.
-The Japanese restaurant is by far the best. It is the only place to find hot food! Also, please note that sushi will be served and it is raw and cold. I wish we would have gone there every night and gotten something different each time.
-The rooms were very nice and cleaned every day. It was even a nice treat to come back to turn-down service with little chocolates set out on our night stand.
-This is a huge resort spread out between 3 different individual resorts. They have a train but honestly, you can easily walk through them all. We never once rode the train and ventured down to the Adults only section for breakfast one day. It is much quieter there and the food is fresher since there are as many guests.
-Walk the beaches! They are one of the top 10 beaches in the world. Last year we stayed at a resort about 2 miles to the left and walked there and back every day. It was great people watching, exercise, and you get a better tan too! There is also a market right on the edge of the Barcelo resorts. We never went since they tend to haggle you quite a bit, but if you're a good negotiator - go for it!
-Quite a few top shelf liquors are free including Jack. It's a nice perk when you're not expecting it.
-Bring a travel or Bubba mug. If you decide to lay on the beach, the bars are a bit of a walk for drinking out of mini plastic cups. They are also great have if you're walking the beaches.
-The activities pool is quite lively after 3 p.m. and until close at 6. It's great entertainment, just steer clear of the puke smell that often lingers around there.
-The Disco is pretty fun. It's set up like a skating arena with the dance floor in the center and a ring around it for spectators. A lot of people just stand around and drink but they do have a good variety of music.
-I personally ran on the beach every day since we don't have many beaches here in MN. But the fitness room is really nice. Lots of machines and they even have free spin and yoga classes which I wish I would have tried out. Only downfall is that the treadmills/ellipticals face to the courtyard and not the ocean. One advantage - free gatorade and red bull in the fitness room.
-In the US this resort would be 5 stars just based on the newness, art work, modern rooms, big balconies, great pool and beach space. But they definitely need to work on accommodating the number of guests that stay.

Room tip: 4th floor, ocean view. Can't beat the view!
Date of stay: April 2011
  • Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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7  Thank Sam H
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 19 April 2011

Wow! Resort was amazing and beach was so wonderful, that the lack of good food and drinks was cancelled out. The rooms were very nice and no problems with maid service. The food was not good. They have no idea how to cater to the American taste.I started with intestinal problems on day 3 and had problems for 2 weeks. Drinks were never frozen, unless we walked to the water park bar. Those women who worked there every day were great. Never had a problem getting lounge chairs at the pool or beach. Heard the food was much in many other resorts so I would look elsewhere if you plan to get decent food.

Date of stay: April 2011
  • Trip type: Travelled with family
    • Value
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Thank Stivers4
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 18 April 2011

We just returned on April 9th from a great week at Barceló Bavaro Palace Deluxe. We read many poor reviews and we were worried to say the least.

The check in was a breeze. We waited in a short line at the check in and when we got to the desk and gave our information; the agent brought us to the Premium check in area. I was not aware that we had a premium package, but it was easy either way.
We had an ocean front room on the side of the hotel closer to the Bavaro Beach hotel. Originally we thought it was a bit of a walk to the main Barceló Palace Deluxe pool area, but this turned out to be a bonus. It was quiet, and closer to the La Brisa buffet (a bit better than the main buffet area) and we had a nice low key beach area right outside our doors when we were tired of the main pool and beach area.

Rooms – great, nicely decorated and modern. Nice lay out for two adults, but I could see it could be an issue with children in the room as it is an open floor plan with no closed off bathroom/shower. There was a slider door for the rest room; but the dressing area outside the shower was open so you have to be comfortable dressing without a private area. We had a Jacuzzi on our patio that we used 3 – 4 evenings before showering for dinner. The Jacuzzi is small, and not really practical for two adults, but it was a nice touch and fun to go back to the room after a day on the beach and relax a bit before getting ready for dinner. Our TV remote did not work, but they replaced it the next day. Not a big deal b/c there are not a ton of English speaking channels. We had a fuse or something blow in the electrical panel in our room one night – it was late at night after we came back and got ready for bed. We called and someone came to fix it within 15 minutes. It is strange that they have these electrical problems, but it was not really a big deal, aside from the guy asking us for $5 after he fixed it. We tipped everyone, but did not feel that at 2am we needed to open the safe to tip someone insisting on a tip to make our electric work. That was a really weird experience, but again not really a big deal.

Customer Service – aside from the above experience, everyone else was pretty much nice to deal with. They don’t speak English generally, but you’re in another country and dealing with people that are paid to house keep and maintain the grounds. The grounds we very well kept. I have never seen so many people working grounds (pool, golf course, beach, grass, cutting palms, etc. – they work hard and we cannot expect them to understand English – they make an effort and we made an effort and it all worked out fine.)

Food – Buffets had a great selection. The specialty restaurants were the best. We only ate at the buffet on our first night b/c the seafood restaurant was not great. I was sick for 3 days. (I can’t really blame this on the restaurant, but regardless it was not good – half buffet and half service) For lunch we went to La Brisa buffet which was perfect. You should also venture down to the Bavaro Beach hotel to the Pina Grill for lunch – the tables are under these beautiful trees and right in the sand on the beach. It is a grill and they will grill fresh meats, seafood, etc. The salads and side dishes could be better, but it was so amazing to have a nice lunch with a cold beer and my feet in the sand. To get there you have to walk through the La Brisa Buffet and through the other hotel property along the walk way. We realize many people at the Palace Deluxe did not know this existed. (The property is big, but we walked everywhere and explored). Because we had the premium club access we were able to make our dinner reservations without waiting in line. I am not sure how this happened, but it was really nice to not have to leave the pool early and wait in line for the reservation (although we never saw a line, but we were never in that area to get reservations). Best restaurants by far are on the lower level - La Fuenta (Spanish), Kyoto (Japanese), and La Linda (Mexican) are amazing. If you go to the Japanese (Kyoto) make sure to get a Tempenyaki (spelling) so that you can be at a Hibachi table, otherwise they will sit you for Sushi. I love Sushi, but we wanted to be at a Hibachi table. We had to stand up for ourselves b/c the waitress said our reservation slip said “sushi” when I knew it was for the Tempenyaki table. She eventually gave us seats, but I made her bring me my reservation slip back and she brought a different one back – so just be aware and ask for what you want when going to Kyoto.

What to Wear – dinner you need closed toed shoes if you are a male. We saw them turn away people. The dress is anything from resort casual to dressy – so whatever you feel comfortable in. For men – if you go to the specialty restaurants you must wear the close toe shoes and pants. Women have more leverage as I wore pants some nights and nice dresses others.

Pool/Beach – amazing. You can have activities when you want and have quiet time when you want. There are lots of water activities you can take at any time – most items were available at all times (Windsurfers, Kayaks, Paddle boats, Hobbies, Sunfish). We had no problems getting chairs. If you want a specific chair you may have to get up and save it by 8am, but if you are flexible within a few feet of that chair it is pretty easy. The beach and the pools are so expansive that you will find a spot on almost any day, even if you get up at 11am. It was nice not to do the early wake up to safe the chair thing. One day we played golf early and went to the pool in the afternoon, we could not find a chair at noon, but we found a new spot on the beach that was amazing – just be open and enjoy. The beach has seaweed, not a ton but there are sea grass beds spotted throughout the resort ocean area. They put a tremendous effort into keeping the beach clean. One evening we saw a crew of about 20 guys cleaning the beach – one behind the other (it reminded me of the way our snow plows in MA plow the highways during a snow storm). I don’t really like seaweed, but it was not that bad so don’t worry even if you don’t like it, and as my husband reminded me those beds help safe the beach.) There are plenty of shady and sunny areas so you will find your perfect spot, and you can even relocate during the day a find a spot if you want shade or sun later in the day. The beach (and I think even the lap pool area) are topless so you may happen upon that from time to time. Most people wear tops, but I think it depend on the majority of the other guests at the time you go. It was mostly European at the beginning of the week, and progressively became more North American at the back half of our week.

Golf - We had two days of free golf and I think everyone gets one day of golf for every three days of stay. It is not exactly free. If you bring clubs it will be less expensive, but we had to rent clubs and you have to rent a golf cart. One very surprising thing is that they let you share clubs, and even suggest it. It cost about $100 for the free golf for two. If you are a big golfer (and this is a course designed by a famous designer) it is well worth it. I am not a great golfer and the course is very difficult – lots of water and we lost a lot of balls, so bring lots of them. If you don’t there are locals that get the balls out of the water and sell them back to you. This is a nice way to support the local workers and the balls were not expensive and they were very nice. We only played one day (my husband is a big golfer, and we happened to meet a nice couple that wanted to play also; but unless you are a big golfer one day is good. – Nice to try to the course.

Spa - if you have a premium package you can use the spa pool area, which is not overly important, but we enjoyed the infinity pool views from that area the few times we used it. There is also a very cold pool and very hot pool in the spa for those that like the thrill. We enjoyed it, but if it not included in your package it is not worth paying for access unless you go to the spa and get a treatment – which we in hindsight should have done. But the pool only access is not worth paying extra for if not included.

Overall - great vacation with some minor issues, but they were quickly resolved and forgotten and we had a wonderful time.

Date of stay: April 2011
  • Trip type: Travelled as a couple
    • Value
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    • Sleep Quality
    • Rooms
    • Cleanliness
    • Service
2  Thank Yahoodf
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 18 April 2011

No exaggeration, this was the worst vacation we have ever been on. We seriously considered leaving the second day. I will give as many details as possible.

CHECK IN. No lines at check in and we were given a drink....that is where the good ends. We were given no information about the restaurant reservation systems. You must go to Guest Services and make all your reservations as soon as possible. There was no info about where to get what at the hotel. Two bellboys were fighting over our luggage.

ROOM: So here is where our trip took a serious downturn. We stayed in a Family Deluxe Suite near Barcy Water Park. The room was completely infested with mosquitos. Our first night was spent swatting mosquitos flying around our heads. Our 6 yr old received 37 bugs bites all over her body including her face! The sink was broken, both TV's did not work, mold in the bathroom. The bedroom door would not close. Went to Guest Services to change room 1st day – and was told an "exterminator" would fumigate, which was a housekeeper with a can of toxic bug spray. Which she left for us to ingest this poison. 2nd night worse, and we were all exhausted. Couldn't even use the hot tub because the patio was infested with mosquitos. I went back to guest services and after an hour and a half finally got a room change to a 3rd floor room.

FOOD – would not serve it to dog. The buffet is disgusting. Here are the A La Carte's we ate at: Mexican was the best...but not great. Hibachi was okay, the rice was good. Steakhouse was awful, don't expect to get anything "steaklike" that you are used to. I ordered the ribs and it was ok, and the steakhouse was the ONLY restaurant we ate at that served chicken nuggets....which if you have kids is kind of a staple. Italian......please, please, please do NOT eat here. It was the worst - It really was so disgusting, we left and ate at the buffet. Could not get reservations at the French restaurant until 10:45pm….even though ½ the tables were always empty on the nights we tried to get reservations. The childrens menu at all these restaurants are limited to two things, and except for the steakhouse, we usually went to the buffet so my child could get something to eat (which always consisted of fruit, bread, sometimes hotdogs and icecream) HINT: For lunch try the golf club house. Decent hotdogs, ham and cheese sandwiches, muffins and coffee. HINT#2: Order room service! It is WAY better than the buffet, eventhough I was upset we paid for an all-inclusive and here we were paying for food. The spaggetti bolognese, hot dog, and even the hamburger was better at room service. A word about the Sports Bar Restaurant, which is open 24-hours. Don't bother, the food is just as bad as everything else and the staff is rude. Warning about the food: Be prepared to spend a lot of time in the bathroom if you know what I mean. My daughter had stomache cramps for most of our trip and we made frequent trips to the "Bano" and several trips to the gift shop to buy gatorade, pepto-bismal, etc. We were miserable and we were careful not to drink the water. You can just tell though that half the food is borderline bad.

KIDS CLUB: My 6 yr old enjoyed the Kids Club. We dropped her off at 10am, and met her at the pool at 11am, then picked her up at Noon and took her to lunch. They did minigolf, tennis, etc and then brought the kids to the Barcy Water Park. There is no way though for them to contact you in case of emergency. Some of the club counselors do not speak English, but fortunately my daughter made friends with a bi-lingual little girl. One hint is that we found out from another couple on our last night that they have a fun 45 minute show for kids at the theater (across from the spa) at 8PM every night,and their kids loved it.

SPA: We got two massages and I got my daughter a manicure. The staff is very friendly, and my massage was very nice. Did not get a chance to use the hotub, pool and steam room but it looked nice. He hated his massage, it was freezing in his room and the massage was not very effective. We had two different experiences, but the staff was very nice and it is not crowded at all. The gym looked nice, it was empty - did not get to use it because we all had stomache pains.

STAFF: First, I would like to make a comment that I spoke spanish as much as possible, - and I am saying that because I read comments on here "well they were probably rude Americans and did not try to speak the language, etc"....not true. I would say there are some very nice staff at the resort that smiled and were eager to assist. Then there were other staff members that were outright rude. It really put a bad taste in our mouths, and of the 3 other couples w/ families we met there, we all complained about the same thing - BAD food, rude staff. The people in the gift shops seemed to forget how to smile, and the man in the cigar shop....well let's just say I have a few choice words for him. Oh and there is a stand by the bar upstairs w/ a nice looking Dominican man trying to sell trying to sell a box of cigars for $39 US Dollars that you could buy in the states for $7! They were the minis and the brand was not Dominican. What a ripoff.

EXCURSION: We only went on one, the Dolphin Explorer. It was pretty good, not great. The staff was prejudice and make frequent jokes about us "milky" white people and how tigers liked to eat white people. He even asked us if there was any sun at our resort! Half the place was under construction, and we felt rushed. The dolphin experience though and the seal lion show were great. Bring food though because the "restaurant" consists of a stand that sells Doritos and Cheetos for $3 a bag. Hint: Take a $10 taxi ride to the Playa Real Shopping Center - to get away from the Resort for some real food. We ate at Tony Romas which had good food and real frozen drinks. Unfortunately our experience was ruined because it took three tries for them to get the check right (they tried to over charge us for things we did not order, and then they explained some crazy 16% tax for security??) But there is a pizzeria and Hard Rock Cafe. Cute icecream shop and lots of fancy shopping. It was just nice to be off the resort grounds. There was also a guy with a spider monkey that we got out picture taken with.

POOL & GROUNDS: This was by far the best of the resort. The Barcy Water Park is outstanding and my daughter loved it. The pools are beautiful as well as the beach. The lounge chairs are really comfortable. Be very careful about walking around the resort though, they tend to mop the tile walkways and don't put up caution signs, so they are very slippery. Lots of chairs available at the kids water parks. You need to give them your towel cards, and return the towels to get the cards back, and some of the towels look like they should be thrown away (they are ragged). The public bathrooms are decent, but make sure you check for TP...always running out. And once the door handle came off the exit door and we got stuck in the bathroom. Told guest services, but 3 days later it was still busted.

DRINKS: Do not think you are going to get a frozen drink of the consistency you are used to. We stuck to beer, which was pretty good. If you want a frozen rum drink, try the Miami Vice - but drink it quick and be careful of the three large icecubes in your drink! Can't think of anything else, accept to say that we wished we did not stay here. I am not sure about the other hotels at Dominican Republic, but unfortunately we will not get a chance to find out because we will not return. If you are thinking of booking a trip here, don't do it, I am warning you! If you already booked your trip, I hope this helps you out.

Date of stay: April 2011
  • Trip type: Travelled with family
    • Value
    • Location
    • Sleep Quality
    • Rooms
    • Cleanliness
    • Service
9  Thank Slynn777
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 18 April 2011

This hotel is very nice on the outside...lobby, pools, beach. However, everything else about this hotel was awful. I had an issue in my room and tried to call the front desk, the concierge and the operator..several times...and nobody ever answered the phone. Thank god we didn't have a real emergency. We stayed in a junior suite deluxe and there was nothing suite or deluxe about it. Just a regular hotel room with two double beds. The buffet was gross and nothing was labeled so if you had any food allergies it was pretty scary. The whole restaurant reservation things was a huge pain in the neck and the only good one was the hibachi which they rushed you through to seat the next party. The drinks had barely any alcohol in them and it was crappy alcohol at that. To get a good drink you had to have money in your hand so they knew they'd get a tip, ask and then watch that they actually poured you what you wanted. At the end of the beach is an outside grill which had roaches crawling near the food and twice i had bad fish. The wait staff was 99% rude throughout the entire place...the one bar where the staff was semi- friendly was in the casino. For such a large place the only thing to do at night was the casino (which is small and boring) or the disco...and the family theater which was lame from what I saw. Tons of drunk kids everywhere since this place will serve anyone who isn't in a diaper. The check-in/check-out process took an hour. They will not let you leave unless you have an exit ticket from the front desk...but they don't tell you that at check-in. A lot of things are word of mouth or from this website because the staff at this hotel don't care...completely apathetic and indifferent. Hardly anyone understands english except when they want to sell you day excursions and they hassle you by the pool area. Obnoxious and not relaxing...could be so much better but as long as people still go and pay there's no reason for management to improve.

Date of stay: April 2011
  • Trip type: Travelled with family
    • Value
    • Location
    • Sleep Quality
    • Rooms
    • Cleanliness
    • Service
3  Thank lxps
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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