Barceló Bávaro Palace - All Inclusive

The property is beautiful, well maintained and felt very safe. What we liked: never felt too crowded at the pool. There was ample seating (even for our crew of 7) & you didn’t feel like you were right on top of each other. The beach was beautiful and maintained- staff greeted us most days & were able to bring more chairs out for us if needed. The bar tenders work quick & getting a drink was fast. We liked the OPTIONS of restaurants but note you must make a reservation for all except the buffet. This was a time consuming & very frustrating process as most reservations were always taken by people who had been there for days at a time. We did not feel like we got our value at all in terms of food. Upon arrival our room was not ready (which I understand because it was 2pm) but then after waiting they gave us the wrong room type. In waiting for them to move us we almost missed the 1 dinner reservation we were able to get making for a very frustrating first evening and experience. What we didn’t like- It did not feel like an all inconclusive resort at all. Any wine other than house wine (they only offered 1 white and 1 red) was an extra cost, bowling was $12 a person per game, etc. Most of the staff were pleasant but some of the buffet cafeteria waitresses were very unpleasant & unwelcoming. The cafeteria food was decent but not enough cuisines offered. Lots of options but all for the same palate. They’d run out of coffee by 9:30am. This was a very average resort. Bare minimum.

This resort is the total escape destination for me. This was my 2nd stay in 8 months time, and I'll be back again in the Spring. Secluded, quiet, all amenities surrounding you.. The beach the pools the dining. I've no reason to even consider another property.

The food is amazing, room was always clean. Pool was great. You could tell the staff were overwhelmed as it seemed over-crowded. Dining times were so late, it made dinner not enjoyable. Never towels available at the pools.

Buffet food is all cold, dried out even at peak times. Staff were indifferent and rude. Larger tips did not improve the situation. WIFI is poor and inconsistent. Bar fridge poorly stocked with alcohol. Have never seen beer cans that small and only 2 a day. Housekeepers were top notch. Despite the beautiful pool and beach, we will bot be back. It's a shame...it was our first visit to the Dominican Republic.

Buffet food is all cold, dried out even at peak times. Staff were indifferent and rude. Larger tips did not improve the situation. WIFI is poor and inconsistent. Bar fridge poorly stocked with alcohol. Have never seen beer cans that small and only 2 a day. Housekeepers were top notch. Despite the beautiful pool and beach, we will bot be back. It's a shame...it was our first visit to the Dominican Republic.

The resort was up to par in comparison with the photos before booking. The hospitality was awful, barely any workers knew English or cared to try to understand what we were requesting. The glassware, cutlery and dishes were never clean on the first try. All the people are hustlers - before buying anything, make sure you ask at least 3 different people, you’re guaranteed $100 less than the first person you consulted with. The food was just truly terrible. Also, the resort was very large, which was great however nobody cared to communicate what our visit consisted of. For example, we had full access to the two resorts next to our resort and we had no idea. Another example is when we booked a restaurant for dinner, nobody cared to communicate that it wasn’t even ON our resort, and it was in fact at one of the other two resorts connected to ours. It was just a mess. The workers do not care to communicate information, or make things easier or understandable. Also the airport workers were real scum too, they were visibly and vocally hitting on visitors and staring at you in a subjective and inappropriate manner. Dominican is nice to visit if you’re a teenager or in your young 20s going on an all inclusive for the first time. I will be sticking to Mexico for my next all inclusive resort vacations for class, quality of food and proper respectful service. I felt very hustled in this country.