Catalonia Bavaro Resort - Dominican Republic

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It was better than I had expected. Visited: March 2002 Posted by peatrossta I just returned from a four-night stay at this resort. I was pleasantly surprised because things were much better than I expected. I was nervous about staying at this resort since I had read so many reviews describing horrible experiences. My only complaint about the resort was about the check-in process - it was slower than molasses in winter. However, the staff was courteous and gave us our resort bands so we could eat, drink and be merry. I recommend that the resort look into more efficient ways to check guests in, especially when there are large groups of people arriving at known times on a regular basis. The layout of the property, the greenery and the flowers were gorgeous. The pool and beach were incomparable. They were very clean and well kept. The sand and sea had very few rocks or seaweed. The resort staff was friendly and helpful. There were a few grumpy female hostesses, but they had no effect on our vacation. The chamber-maid was thorough, considerate and prompt. Usually, my room was cleaned before noon. She laid out a flower every day, gave us an abundance of towels and face cloths and placed one bottle of water next to the sink every day (I did that the first day since I hate brushing my teeth with cold water). I did tip her every day, but I felt she went above the call of duty. I am a woman of color and the Dominicans were shocked to find out that I was an American. I don't know if that had anything to do with the wonderful treatment I received (I don't think so). Could it have been because I spoke Spanish (to the best of my abilities) in my dealings with the staff? I went to the Dominican Republic with the attitude that I was going to their country, so trying to speak their language was the least I could do. I also went with the attitude that I was going to have fun no matter what. Yes, I said "hola" to the workers and presented myself as a gracious vacationer. Most everything was open to the air, except the room. Things were different because of the climate and culture. The food was wonderful. They served Caribbean cuisine at the buffet, but they also had specialty restaurants. I have Jamaican family, so the cuisine was familiar to me. The onsite activities were plentiful. I chose to scuba dive, using the ScubaCaribe onsite for $125 per person. It was worth every penny. I also did the AquaticTour (driving a speed boat and snorkeling), which was fabulous. It was less expensive at $53 per person, and again, worth every penny. I plan to go again. 0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Absolutely wonderful! Visited: March 2002 Posted by jeanine12721 I stayed at the Catalonia Bavaro with six other girls, all ages 21 or 22. We had an absolutely amazing time and did not want to come home. The food was wonderful. At the French restaurante, La Parisienne, we enjoyed two bottles of sparkling wine, lobster and filet mignon. Surprisingly, many of the guests were unpleasant, but the staff was wonderful, kind, and fun. The animation team was the best part of the trip. 0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Will not visit again Visited: February 2002 Posted by carterart Excuse my typing I am not a typist but feel compelled to get this off my chest. Just back from the Catalonia property - worst vacation I have ever had. The site itself is very pretty with a very nice beach and lots of palm trees. The rooms are nice but with a very small shower, our first bit of trouble came when the people upstairs from us took a shower,and the water from them came through the ceiling in torrents and flooded us out, phoning the desk proved useless and a trip to the desk brought a promise of help. Two hours later they said the problem was fixed, well of course it was not, and the next morning we were flooded again. After much debate we were moved to another room. Next thing we noticed was a funny odor about the grounds. Noticed one of the groundsmen spraying a herbicide about the grounds really heavy that left people with stinging eyes. The worst thing about our stay was the food. I could possibly have expected one or two bad meals, but it was totally bad. By the way, the all-inclusive means that you can use a piece of equipment like a surf board for one hour. They ask for a deposit of $200 and if you want to use it again, rebook and wait a day or two to use it again. 0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Vacation heaven - great golf Visited: January 2002 Posted by christin14 This was a great vacation spot. The golf was great for a nine-hole golf course. It was a beautiful hotel and the staff was very friendly. Incidentally, did anyone lose two rings on a golf cart? I found these rings, but no one had reported them missing. If they are yours and you can provide a description, e-mail me at christinezita@rogers.com. I live in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. I would recommend Catalonia to anyone who enjoys fun, sun, food and, of course, golf! 0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Most fun-filled vacation I've ever had! Visited: December 2001 Posted by msw117 I arrived at the resort on December 22nd and stayed for one week. I had the most amazing week ever! There was so much to do, and the staff was always making it such a pleasant stay. Every day there were activities that the staff put together, which were always really exciting. The food was okay, but to me it wasn't such a big deal and I wasn’t expecting excellent food anyway. At night there were always shows, which were entertaining and fun to watch. After that the disco opened and they played excellent music including Latin, American and Techno—everything was great. The staff here (The Animation Team) always got up and danced, livening things up. The men would always approach the women, so get used to it! It's nice because they're excellent Latin dancers and it's a ton of fun. The beach was absolutely beautiful! The sand was white, beautiful clear water, and the staff cleaned it up every morning. The best part was the pool; it was huge! There was a swim-up bar that served delicious drinks! The best was the Coco Loco's served in carved out coconut, which was absolutely wonderful. All the drinks were great, and the bars were quite busy, a bit of a wait, but it was worth it! At 4:00 everyday they had a live band playing Latin music and they taught dancing every day. That was really fun and I enjoyed learning how to do the meringue! I'd have to say that the staff was by far the best part of the trip- Samson, and the two Ramons were excellent! I miss them! The grounds were absolutely beautiful with lush flowers and trees everywhere. Overall, I had such an amazing vacation, met wonderful people and best of all, relaxed! I would for sure go back if there weren't so many other places in the world that I’d like to travel to. Who knows, maybe I'll go back anyway! I really recommend Catalonia to anyone who wants to have a really fun time. 0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Best vacation I've ever had! Visited: September 2001 Posted by XXMUJERONXX4U I stayed at the Catalonia Bavaro Resort and had such a great time in August that I booked a second trip as soon as I got home for September. Everyone said, “You’re going again next month?” To tell you the truth, I had to because the week I spent there in August was just not enough. The hotel is excellent. The rooms are very clean and the food is delicious. The beach and the pool are absolutely gorgeous and the entertainment is excellent as well. All of the employees, especially the bartenders and the “Animation Team” do their best to make your stay enjoyable. At the bar, Leandro, Milena and Frederico were the best. From the Animation Team, Ramon, Milton and Nancy were the greatest. Nightly entertainment was also great, especially the dancers Edwin, Wrison and Diomara. They had a dance show every night and the dancers were absolutely incredible. They could dance to everything, you name it, they danced it! The nightclub was also a blast. The DJ, Gregorio, was a sweetheart and did his best to please everyone with the music. Everything was great. I have no complaints at all. Catalonia Bavaro Resort is paradise. I’m already making plans for my third vacation! 0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Amazing and unforgettable vacation! Visited: July 2001 Posted by uhyrkova My vacation at Catalonia Bavaro Resort was amazing and unforgettable! I was there with my sister for the second time and I will come back again. Okay, let's start with the praises. People were wonderful! I loved them! Barkeepers were friendly, pleasant and quick! Especially Nicolas, Leandro and Ricardo. And entertainers--they were amazing! Just like last year, my favorites were Helly Milton Bentinck Harris, Ramon Monción, Willy, Franklyn, Tony, Maria and Alexis. I have never met with such kind, perfect and excellent people! And the spicy Caribbean cuisine was amazing and so delicious! The chef de cuisine became my friend! And disco was indescribable too! Especially the Arabian night! Everybody (entertainers, DJs, dancers and barkeepers) looked Arabian! I was excited! The shows were also perfect! The dancers were skilful and in harmony. I think the best dancer was Carlos. Everybody and everything was perfect, brilliant! I want to come back again and again. I did wonder, however, why they changed entertainers so often. I was a little bit disappointed when I found out that the entertainers that I met last year were not there this year. A perfect vacation at Catalonia Bavaro Resort. 0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? It was awesome and very relaxing! Visited: June 2001 Posted by Precious_Cupcake This was a great vacation. The Hotel Catalonia Bavaro Resort was very nice. I was here for one week and I have never relaxed more in my life! I would definetly recommend this resort to anyone looking for a nice, long, quiet vacation. There were huts on the beach, which made it possible for us to stay out on the beach all day. You will enjoy this resort if you choose to stay here! 0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? A wonderfully enjoyable vacation Visited: May 2001 Posted by ghoney_2 We just returned from our vacation and had a fabulous time. Our expectations were not very high, and we were pleasantly surprised. We ate in the main dining area and the food was excellent and presented well. The resort was clean and accommodations were top notch. The staff was very friendly and eager to assist us. I would certainly recommend this resort as one of my all time favorite places to stay. My husband and I are looking forward to our return trip next year! 0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Everything was perfect. Visited: April 2001 Posted by pookie343 This was one of the most fun vacations I have ever been on. The accommodations were amazing as well as the weather. The staff was friendly and helped make the experience that much more enjoyable; especially the entertainers Channell and Randall. They really helped me feel welcome in this foreign area. There was always some sort of activity going on to keep us entertained. If there was, by chance, some downtime there were other things to do, such as watersports, massages, eating, or taste testing all of the drinks on the list at the bar. Thank you to all of the staff! 0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Probably our best vacation, ever. Visited: April 2001 Posted by tomgal I very much enjoyed a Punta Cana vacation at Natura Park in 1998. This year I decided to treat my special lady to a birthday trip to Punta Cana, as she had never been there. Some good research convinced me that Catalonia Bavaro was the best bang for the buck. We were not disappointed. It is probably the most convenient resort to the airport. We found the staff to be very friendly and always accommodating. We enjoyed conversing with them in our feeble Spanish and they appreciated our attempts. When we got home we sent a letter to the management congratulating them for the high level of good service we enjoyed. We found the staff often going above the line of duty in the interest of the guests concerns. We had some glitches while there. One of the restaurants was shut for repairs, but on the scale of life it was a very minor bump. The grounds and the rooms we found to be in exceptional condition. We cannot say enough good things about the beach. Patty loves the sun and I love the shade. She wanted to suntan and I wanted to read and all were satisfied. We loved the vast stretches of empty beach on either side of the resort. We enjoyed our walks and felt safe. Our favorite things to do was to stand in the delicious warm crystal-clear water, close our eyes and then look back from the lagoon--the ocean behind us crashing onto reefs and the deserted beach. If someone told me that I had been beamed to Tahiti or on Bora-Bora, I'd have believed them. Do it quick because I bet this is what Cancun and Aruba were like 20-30 years ago. It won't be long before new development ruins this sensual pleasure. Also, the beach was great for skinny-dipping, if you are so inclined. It is so spacious that you have all the privacy that you want. Speaking of sensual, there was nothing like the couple’s massages that were available on the beach. We both agreed that the Dominican ladies that do the massages are the best. Super1-hour massages were very affordable and yes so sexy. In a word the whole week was just that, sexy. Our balcony with hammock was sexy, the step-down tub for two was definitely sexy, the coco-loco pina coladas at the swim-up bar were sexy and the evening strolls after dinner in the warmth of the Dominican night with the bountiful aroma of flowers all around was sexy…by far. We fell more in love during that week, which we find hard to believe could happen. There were a few faults like the entertainment, which we thought was amateurish. But we Americans are spoiled by big time stars at a minute’s notice on cable TV. The bottom line is that we are booked for next April and counting the days. P.S. We found the food to be just fine. 0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Time of my life! Visited: April 2001 Posted by marymaz We spent Easter week at the Catalonia Bavaro and had the best vacation ever. We had no problems with the food or the service, and the staff was always smiling and offering an "hola." Our room was gorgeous in Villa #1 overlooking the beach. We always had enough towels and our room was cleaned by noon everyday. We ate at all the specialty restaurants and enjoyed them all as well as the buffet. However, our children were more pleased with the buffet vs. the specialty restaurants. The grounds, pool and beach were exceptional. We had activity directors that were simply awesome! The bartenders were the happiest, most smiling bunch I have ever encountered! I enjoyed my stay so much I am going back again. Such a value for a whole week of fun and sun. 0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Very satisfied. Visited: April 2001 Posted by jacquestocatlian The rooms are spacious, clean, well kept and air conditioned. The personnel is helpful and always smiling. The service is good. There are plenty of clean towels. The beach and the swimming pool are superb. The four restaurants are average, but the buffet is very good. I do not have any complaints. 0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Couldn't ask for anything better! Visited: March 2001 Posted by mon_f76 The staff is very friendly and always happy—always smiling and dancing. The rooms are spacious, air conditioned with large balconies, a hammock and a rocking chair—nice. We did not speak any Spanish, yet had fun with the entertainment group, bartenders, waiters and waitresses. Everyone made every effort to speak English with us or teach us some Spanish. Our room was cleaned and towels changed even if we didn't ask for it. The air conditioning broke down once and it was fixed immediately! The food was great with fresh scrambled eggs for breakfast or a buffet, which were both great. There was lots of choice in the breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets. No one got sick in our group, even though I have tendency to get sick on trips. I definitely recommend the Creperie for good ice cream, crepes, etc. You can't have enough of that! The disco was great, playing Dominican/Spanish hits, which were great. People complained about the lack of American music. Well, deal with it! You are in the Dominican Republic! Make sure that you take some trips when you're there. The Catamaran trip to Saona Island was the best. In Catalonia you'll meet lots of great people from all over the world and learn a little bit about the Dominican culture. Expect to have the best vacation ever, I did. Don't be upset if the staff doesn't speak good English. After all, you are in their country and are expected to speak their language! Enjoy! 0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? The food and service at this establishment were very disappointing. Visited: March 2001 Posted by sherry50 My husband and I spent three days at the Catalonia Bavara and lived on ice cream. Although the site itself is very beautiful, the food was the worst we have ever experienced. The service was non-existant. You could not get a cup of coffee much less a glass of water. We ate at the French restaurant one night and left after the first bite of over cooked fish (which was the only fish we saw other than the sardines that natives were catching in the surf) so that we could get to the ice cream store before it closed. 0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? The place looks nice, but food and service was very poor! Visited: February 2001 Posted by ajalward This resort looks very nice with it’s huge pool and beach areas, but looks can be deceiving--and in this case they were. The food was the same, meal after meal, day after day. One of the specialties on Fish Night was sardines! French fries were served at all of the meals--even breakfast! The service at this resort was some of the worst that we've ever encountered. We had to go to the front desk several days to request towels! We also had to fight to get our specialty restaurant bookings honored, even though I had them confirmed through e-mail! We usually had to wait 15-20 minutes in line at the bars to get served unless we walked up to the bar with money in our hands. (We were then served first, no matter who was ahead of us!) The water pressure was poor on most days and we usually had to take luke-warm showers. To us, food quality and service is what should make a place a five-star resort, therefore, this place was nowhere near five stars! 0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? A beautiful location with poor service and food. Visited: February 2001 Posted by denise_elio_ The hotel itself was beautiful with lush vegetation, a wonderful pool and nice rooms. However, the hotel claims to be a five-star establishment, and the most I would give it is three. The food was bland (I think they cater more to the German and French clientele), the wait staff could barely summon smiles, and no effort to speak English (and no attempt was even made to understand our basic Spanish). The entertainment was sub-par and even with recommendations from the APPLE staff to only drink bottled water, we still managed to have a little "problem." We had to wait until late afternoon for fresh towels, because there seemed to be a problem everyday with the laundry. This hotel needs to do some major development to meet its claimed five-star status. 0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Average Visited: February 2001 Posted by Golfjps We stayed at this resort for one week. Although the resort itself wasn't too bad the food offered was below stantards. We have stayed at many places in the Caribbean and never had any problems with the food before. This time it was different. The resort offered a buffet for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Not too bad. They also had four restaurants on the property - Brazilian, Italian, Japanese and French. You must make reseverations for any one or all four as soon as you arrive as they fill up quickly. With the exception of the Italian and the Japanese, don't waste you time in the others. The food was terible. Drinks were plentiful but if you wished for a name brand you had to ask with a tip. These were kept in back of the service bar. The beach and pool were quite nice and well kept. Our group was very careful of the water as we were instructed but even so, there were those that picked something in the food that made them sick. Some for the duration of their stay. 0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Please think carefully before you book this location. Visited: January 2001 Posted by einarolsen3 Ok, folks listen up. This is the real deal on the Catalonia. Be very careful before you make reservations at the Catalonia Bavaro. Here is why. Food. Terrible is a dramatic understatement. Terrible is true at the buffet and the specialty restaurants. Examples: French Fries cooked in same oil as fish, pasta tasting like fish, all meat very tough, no milk available unless you go through the painful task of trying to find it yourself, the list goes on. Honestly, the best thing my girlfriend and I had all week was sugar frosted flakes, banana, and milk it took 10 minutes to track down. The cereal, and the crepes at a little creperie were pretty good. Service. Room service was ok. Didn't always get fresh towels in the room everyday, nor could you count on getting the room done by 5 pm daily. Restaurant service varied from apathetic to ok. Never did it compare to service you would expect to get at like a Denny's in the U.S. Towels. The complaints about beach towels are all true. We were lucky to be right across from the towel point, and I got up everyday when they opened and exchanged towels. We watched daily as they ran out of towels within about 45 minutes to an hour. Then you had to wait 2+ hours for the next batch of towels. Sounds ridiculous, but that is how it worked - and people were upset. Beach. The beach is ok, but it is rocky going out into the water and there is a lot of 'sea grass' out there. Lots of kids in the water because they didn't care about the sharp rocks and grass. Not a lot of adults. Room. The rooms were clean and there was a Jacuzzi tub which you could fill with lukewarm water. The bed was cheap and was just set on a mattress frame - no bed frame. The room did have a little balcony with a hammock that was kind of nice. That is the real deal. I know this place is a little cheaper than other islands - that is why we went there. We made a mistake. 0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Great site but poor service Visited: January 2001 Posted by oups My husband and I stayed at the Catalonia Bavaro Resort for a week. The site was great. Big rooms, great big clean swimming pool, and the food was excellent (buffet and a la carte). But the service was poor, not a lot of smiles from the hotel's staff. The rooms weren't being made everyday and we had to run after towels. If something breaks in your room, make sure you can speak spanish to have it fixed. 0 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful?

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