Barcelo Bavaro all inclusive Resort, First class value
Written: Sep 02 '02 (Updated Feb 20 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Beautiful white sand and lush palms
excellent value so much to do or not
Cons: no nearby side trips or towns
The Bottom Line: We have been there twice and we'll probably go again. You can go too, but don't tell too many people about it.
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| popsrocks's Full Review: Barcelo Bavaro Palace |
I have never been to any destination that takes over three hours to get to more than one time. There is so much to see in this world, especially for a couple that loves white sand, sunny skies, palm trees, and a light breeze. That was until going to the Barcelo Bavaro Palace Hotel in Punta Cana. I have now been there twice and the second time I enjoyed it even more than the first.
You can find out more about it through liberty travel and Go Go tours. I'm sure you can get some other good rates over the internet too. I suggest talking to a travel agent. There are many charters booked and this can save you a lot of dollars. We paid about twelve hundred dollars per person for a seven night stay. This included flight from NY and transportation vouchers.
I was there the last two years in February during my wife's winter break. She is an educator. We are in our mid fifties. I tell you this because of the activities that kept us "middle agers" busy. This is a place for young couples of all different ages. The place is also open to families and there is plenty for the kids to do but I am writing this as experienced by a couple for couples. Though I say this, families read on, there is a lot to know and learn about this vacation paradise.
We took American Airlines from JFK in New York. We had a layover on both trips in San Juan. Direct flights are now available from JFK and many other cities. The airport in the Dominican Republic is a huge over-sized hut. After arriving at the airport we were taken in a minibus for the twenty minute ride to the hotel. Punta Cana is on the south eastern end of the island. There are no real cities and very little population. The country is poor and you see some of it on your drive. This end of the country is now building resorts like crazy. I am hoping the competition will continue to keep the prices down and the service up.
Once you pull into the Bavaro complex you will be amazed at the size and beauty of the place. The Bavaro is actually five different resorts, each having it's own restaurants, pools and beach. You can walk between them or hop onto the tram service that stops by every few minutes from many locations.
The Bavaro Casino features a, guess what? A casino. We were there a couple of nights and for us, who are not big gamblers, it was all the thrills we needed. The place, though not huge, definitely had that Vegas feel to it. It was at this resort that they also had the "Tropicalissimo" a Vegas type show with gals and a review of different talents and numbers. This show was free to us. It was good but reserve early and get a seat up close. It is not nearly as good when you feel removed from the action. It is a pretty large theater and holds a huge crowd.
The Bavaro Golf features, yes, a golf course. You are getting good at this! We are not golfers but I can tell you that I heard it was very difficult getting early tee times. I also understand that many of the golfers that came here also came to get their chance to play on "The Teeth of the Dog" a world class course that was an hour and a half away at the Casa de Campo resort. The resort is beautiful and very expensive. The concierge at the Bavaro was a very busy person setting up these golf outings.
Two other parts of this huge complex are the Garden and the Beach sections. I did not see any particular special events either place featured. These are also on the beach. It seemed to me that the Beach resort had more kids and families.
The last resort and the one we stayed at was the Palace. It is a bit more expensive than the others but it is well worth the difference. The Palace stands to the east of all the other sections of the complex. The resorts are open to each other as far as transportation if you want to just check out the other areas. The difference is that those who stay at the Palace may use the restaurants and facilities of all the other sections but none of the others may use those at the Palace. Got it? Good! Everybody wears wrist bands which differentiates where you are staying.
When you compare the looks of the sections you can see the difference between the areas. They are all beautiful and well maintained. It's just the ambiance is up a notch at the Palace.
Well now a bit about the Palace. It has about four or five buildings that are three stories high. There are two elevators for each building. All the rooms are considered a beach view. Some are really on the beach the others have rooms with windows on the sides and in those towards the back of the building you have to look real hard and far to see the beach.But it is there. The good news is that all the gardens between the buildings are gorgeous. Each arrangement of palms etc looks like it was specially designed for it's area.
We stayed in the last building. It was a bit more to walk to the main area of the pools,restaurants and lobby but it was great for us. If you are in that building I suggest you get a room on the west side. Being the last building it is also the end of the resort. Right next door is a huge open market. You overlook it from the east side rooms. It was not especially attractive. We did like being next door to it however. A bit more on this later.
Each room was very large and bright. We had a king bed but doubles were also available. The bed was very comfortable. The decor was done with a Caribbean flare but not overly garish. We liked it very much. Each room had a/c, large closet, tv with cable, a fridge bar, safe deposit box, and a large bathroom. The bathrooms sported a hairdryer, two sinks, plenty of towels and all the countertop amenities like shampoo, rinse, showercaps, soap, etc.They were restocked everyday.
I didn't like the safe because you had to have a key. I like the combination safes where I do not have to worry about losing a key. After all I came to an all inclusive so I didn't have to carry a wallet so why do I want to have to look after a key?
The Palace was built in 1993 and has been kept up well. The railings,doors walls etc don't look they need any painting. The buildings were very clean and well maintained.
Now I mentioned the place is an all inclusive. Most is, but you also have to know what isn't. As far as the bars all beer, water, fountain sodas, and local liquors are included. Whiskies, Scotch, and other imports are available but must be paid for. It's not clear which have to be paid for. Some of the bartenders would kind of forget what kind of drinks the were serving but some did charge you. You never knew whether you were going to be charged or not. The simple thing is to drink rum based drinks all day. Be careful at some of the bars. There were bar tenders that would fill the glass with rum and give it a splash of coke.
There are twelve restaurants in the whole complex. Five are in the Palace. You have a choice of many different types of food. There are two places that are not included in your price. One is French, on the Palace grounds, by the name of Chez palace. There is another one that serves Spanish foods, not on the Palace. I am sorry I do not remember the name of it. As far as we were concerned there was enough choice and good food with all the other restaurants that we didn't have to pay for a dinner. I suggest trying as many different restaurants as you like .They were all very good. Do know that there is a language problem at the hotel. Much of the help does not speak English. If you know Spanish it is a plus. You will find that in all of the places there are a couple of people who are there to help interpret what is being said. Though there was a problem, and a couple of times the wrong order was given us it is worth the effort to stay here. The people are very warm and friendly. We liked them very much and they seemed to like us too.
We had most of our meals and breakfast at the buffet building. Another name I don't remember but one you will surely see and try. The meals were wonderful. There was a huge selection of food to eat. There was a pasta bar where different pastas and sauces were made for you. All kinds of meats ,veggies, breads and deserts were there to try. We enjoyed eating in the area very close to the beach. You are not actually on the beach. It was a bit more relaxed and brighter there. When you arrived there was usually a short line of one maybe two minutes. We were seated by one of the waiters. Again, tell them you want to sit nearer the beach area. You will also get to know the help who generally maintain a certain area every day and or night.
A waiter will come over and take your drink order and you will then get your own food. Dress was casual but neat. No bathing suits at dinner. The breakfast here were also very, very good with a lot of variety.
We tried one place at the Palace that served Dominican food. It was great. I love trying new things. There was another place next to the Dominican and overlooking the pool that served rice dishes from around the world. I never thought about how so many different peoples and nationalities use rice with their foods.
Our very favorite and special place to eat for lunch was the grill on the beach. It is popular from noon till two pm or so. We would show up at about two o'clock after sunning on the beach a while. You have to get a table. People are moving in and out and you have to find your own with a little help from the staff. Remember, they speak little English.You order a drink and then get on line at the grill. You will see two refrigerated glass sections. Fish to the left and meats to the right. You have two different lines. As the cook is ready you look to him and point to the type of fish or meat you would like. He takes it and cooks it up for you. You put out your plate and off to the table you go. They have a good, mixed green salad there with many of the fixings.
The way the tables are set we would get into conversations with people almost every day. Sometimes we would spend hours just sitting, talking, and getting refills on our drinks. That was great, just order another, and another and......
This area was very casual and yes, bathing suits were the norm. They also serve pizza here. You have to ask for a menu because the place has more than just what you see at the grill. Be sure you order a piece of flan and a cup of coffee to end it all. Heavenly!!
The beach itself is beautiful. Again the palm trees are put into settings. They had a great designer. It is very clean. Every morning at about six, yes I do get up then, you will see a patrol of workers raking the sand and straightening all the chairs. They worked hard and did a great job. The sand is white and runs a good fifty to seventy five feet to the walks. I enjoyed the building we stayed in because it gave us a short walk, either walking along the beach or toward the back under a protected roof. The beach was lovely to walk on.
Also included in the package were some water sports. These included paddle boats, kayaks, certain surf sailing, snorkeling gear, and sunfish sailboats. Not included were the Hobi catarmaran sailboats. That is something I love to do and I did pay extra. What I particularly like about it there was that there was a breeze that came out of the south, right to the beach. I, being a decent but not overly experience sailor, felt more comfortable that way. The seas are also calmer because you are inside a barrier reef. The pool also has a jacuzzi nearby and fresh towels are available. A reminder that other countries feel differently about nudity. You will see some topless sunbathers there. Most is fairly discreet.
If you want to stay busy at this resort just check out the activities board in the lobby area. I played in the volleyball tournaments everyday. This resort attracts many Europeans. There were Italians, Germans, English that we spoke to. There are many visitors from South America too.
On our first trip there we had some wild games of water polo. It is played in water no deeper than chest high. We all looked pretty silly in those polo caps. There were a lot of cameras snapping. Usually they set the games up as Americans on one team and the rest of the world on the other. We had very tough, competitive games, a great workout, and best of all free drinks afterwards. The volleyball games had that same high level of competition. The second time we went the games were fun bit not as tough. I kind of missed the competitiveness. I failed to mention that all the games are refed by the hotel team of guys and gals that are there to be sure you are having a great time. They keep tabs on who is playing, who winners are etc. and then have awards given out at the end of the day after dinner at the show area.
One thing that got even better were the evening shows at the Palace. Each of the resorts had their own nightly entertainment. Some of the "refs", facilitators entertained us at night. That made it a bit more special and personal once you got to know them a bit. Each night had different themes. They would dress, sing, and dance to the theme. This is not world class entertainment and they are not going to be on Broadway or in the movies. The thing is that they are just a lot of fun. The stage is prepared during the day by our facilitators and then they put their hearts into the show at night. Hey, it doesn't hurt that we are served drinks before and during the show.
Some nights do bring in professional entertainment. We enjoyed these "ringers" On another night they had a dance contest. They had many contestants and somehow yours truly and wife made it to the finals. Three teams were left. One team from Brazil, one from Italy, and US
For a final dance they come out with a very fit guy playing conga drums and a lovely figured gal shaking her hips to Caribbean music with sand filled coconuts attached to her body. My wife and I are ready to do it but they pull a switch, she plays the conga drums and I'm supposed to do the shaking. First of all the shakers etc don't even fit around my waist. There I am trying to hold the coconut belt on, shaking my hips like a leaf in a thunderstorm, and trying to look like I'm keeping the beat. It didn't work. I tried hard ,and with the audience egging me on, and representing the USA, I made a move to claim the title. Well, the move was actually the last crazy one and I would do in a while. I had my knee replacement surgery done this last February. Hey it was worth it. We won seventy five cent plastic trophy. Yeah!!
Actually we won more than that. We received a free meal at that French restaurant I talked about earlier. It really was very good and romantic. We also recieved tickets to go to the Bavaro Maniti park. It is a third rate seaworld and I suggest you do not waste your time. We were finished with it twenty minutes after we were there. It was enough. Don't go!
I mentioned earlier that there is a market next door to the Bavero Palace. As you walk to the east end of the beach you will see a fella in a blue uniform and a baton in his hand. He will warn you that you are leaving the Bavaro property. He also keeps all non guests of the Bavaro off the property. You may go over to the market, but do know these are probably the most insistant and persistant "hawkers" I have ever seen. They are selling everything from Cuban cigars, they are legal there, to local artists paintings. After much dealing with a guy my wife finally haggled him down to a reasonable price on an original painting.
Side trips from the resort includes Altos de Chavon.This is a beautifully set artists community. They have an arena there. It looks like it was built in the days of the Roman empire. You must see it if you are there. You will also see some "Rambo" sets that were filmed in the valley below. The whole place is quite charming and though it's a couple of hours ride I think it is worth it.
A few other quick points. There are discos there that continued late into the night. This "ol" guy couldn't stay out that late, but the places were hopping. I believe they had a kids disco also, without drinks etc.
What my wife and I do enjoy is snorkeling. Unfortunately we never were taken to really good spot and could not tell you if it's worth trying elsewhere on the island or not.
They have a fitness center at the Palace. It is an embarrassment. Very few pieces work. The place is tiny and dirty too.
Available on the beach under a discreet tents you can get a body massage. Pamper yourself. It is wonderful!!!It's not included. I don't remember the price but it was fair.
On Sundays they have a beautiful church in the golf resort. It is a must see. The view was awesome.
I have just gotten myself all excited about this place again and we may just try it again soon. My wife and I have been to a few other all inclusives. The Sandals in Negril Jamaica was one of them. It was good but Sandals along with so many others have boosted themselves outside of my price range.
The Bacelo, Bavaro Palace in Punta Cana is a wonderful value and a beautiful place. Try it!!
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Recommended:
Yes
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