Barcelo Bavaro Palace - Dominican Republic

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We have a justified reason for not returning. Visited: June 2008 Posted by tulip123 The resort was clean, and every day we noticed the beach itself was raked by staff and well managed. Our room was pleasant, large in size, mopped daily, and cleaned. We left additional tips even, to appreciate the service. The food was where there was a problem. There were a large assortment of foods available. We tried everything - but when it came to dairy products, soft serve, yogurts, milk, dessert cakes don't eat them. I had terrible stomach "issues" - let's put it - for seven days in a row once I arrived here. My boyfriend is currently laying in bed, and sure to visit a doctor this week because he is fatigued and plagued with wrenching stomach cramps and other problems. If you have traveled to Europe or other countries, and have been fine as we have, this will be the one place to be cautious. They were very careful with the ice and drinks. However, dairy products do follow different guidelines. Please keep this in mind. Also, open buffet also means "open". There were birds in the food, and flies cultivating the hot dishes while a man fanned them away. The social atmosphere at the front desk was lacking. They seemed snobby, and didn't seem to like Americans. Our biggest issue was what another reader mentioned. If you are not Spanish, you won't be eagerly served here. I had to wait in line while everyone got served and I was completely ignored. Understand that I wasn't boasting being American, I speak a little Spanish, and managed to blend at times. It was very surprising for a tourist-reliant hotel. I won't return. 2 users found this review helpful. 2 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? It was very disappointing. Visited: November 2007 Posted by disappointed My husband and I recently stayed at the Barcelo Bavaro Palace with clearly outlined booking expectations. We specifically requested at least second floor, and definitely said "no" to ground floor accommodations. On arrival at the indicated expedited check-in with our gold star priority booking package, we waited at least 40 minutes. There was only one other couple ahead of us checking in! We were shown to a ground floor room, which literally took my breath away when stepping in to it! The smell of mold and dampness caused a severe asthmatic reaction causing me to spend a sleepness night outside sitting on two chairs. This was not the romantic setting we paid premium dollars for obviously. The next day on complaining at reception, we were told we could be moved to a second floor room - but at a cost of $20 a night extra (such a gesture of helpfulness!). A third floor room was an additional $80 a night. None of this was every made known to us at our booking. We took the room offered, and complained to our tour agent at our orientation. He was able to correct the situation for us, with a small added incentive! None of the locals on site or elsewhere on the extensive resort spoke English - or were even remotely friendly. They didn't even try to speak English. A bottle of ordinary suntan lotion at the the tuck shop in the main reception area was $48 - if you can imagine. No where were we able to change American funds to smaller denominations of cash. It seemed that $20 was the only amount acceptable. For an $18 pair of sunglasses, they couldn't provide $2 change, but they offered a package of gum to make up the difference thinking they were doing us a favor. The main desk was the same until, remarkably, the day we had checked out. My husband offered a $20 bill, and they had no problem supplying him with smaller bills. All in all, it was an extremely disappointing trip from the point of view of being treated as though we were invisible. There were very beautiful beaches no doubt, but everything else was very mediocre - including the food. We tried different locations, but found nothing worthy of the five stars they purported to be worthy of. 1 users found this review helpful. 2 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? We won't go back. Visited: June 2006 Posted by finsters We just returned from our vacation at Punta Cana yesterday. We were a group of nine people and stayed for eight days (June 23rd – 30th). That was all we could take, even though the beach was one of the best that I have been to, and the hotel had nice rooms that were clean. First off, we reserved three adjacent oceanfront (close to the beach) rooms in March. However, when we arrived, we were told that they did not have our rooms together because the were full and they would switch us the next day. Also, two of the three were downgrades to garden view rooms. I complained, and they said it was just for one day. But I still paid for oceanfront. We felt ripped off. We thought the service was terrible. We would wait at the bar (especially in the lobby) 20 minutes without getting served, while we watched others get served right away. It didn't take us long to figure out why. The pattern was quite obvious. We do not look or speak Spanish. We felt like they didn't want us there. After a couple of days, we saw a used sanitary napkin on the beach. We complained about it and that it was unsanitary. It stayed there for three days until they picked it up. As time went on, we found it was not the only one. We also saw bottles, rusty bottle caps, band aids, straws, and cups were also frequently on the beach. This garbage should be cleaned up daily. Actually, it shouldn't have been there in the first place. But that seemed to show us what kind customers they are attracting. In addition, the food was terrible. Five of nine of us got sick even with being cautious about the food and water. We experienced vomiting and/or diarrhea. Nothing can ruin a vacation like being sick. The resort was huge, so we needed to take a trolley to some of the restaurants, the casino, and the shopping plaza. The trolley was frequently full, and these uncivilized people did whatever they had to get on, and had no problem being rude. The gift shop in our hotel didn’t have prices on the items, and that mystery was also solved for us. One of the children from a group that was there bought a candy bar for $7. Immediately after that, another child went in to by one, too. He was only charged $2. The second child looked Spanish, but he wasn't. Ooops! Also, the gift shop items were overpriced, (example: $8 for a bag of chips that you could buy for 69 cents in America). I'm sorry, but that is unacceptable. Finally, the music in pool area was extremely loud and was mostly Spanish dancing music. It’s okay for party animals, I guess, but we didn't enjoy it. Obviously, we will not be returning to this resort. 3 users found this review helpful. 3 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? We really enjoyed our stay here. Visited: April 2006 Posted by cody\smom This was our first visit to Punta Cana, and we really enjoyed the hospitality and cleanliness of the property. The shuttle train between the properties on this resort was very convenient, as it ran like every ten minutes. The beach was well maintained, and the food was enjoyable. There were always security staff patroling the exterior of the property to prevent locals from soliciting guests on the beach. We would return to this property. 3 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? This was a great place with a beautiful beach! Visited: December 2002 Posted by marlah2003 This was a huge resort with tons to do. The beach was the most beautiful we have ever seen. There was lots of food to choose from in many different restaurants. The hotel was a bit old and the rooms could use some updates, but you won't spend much time in the room. There were lots of water activities and the hotel staff was friendly. Learn a bit of Spanish before you come here and it can help make things easier in ordering drinks. 3 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful?

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