TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Cons: The electricity repeatedly shut off when we used both outlets in bathroom. We had the worker come up to check it and it was just the breaker in the fuse box which was very accessible. I let him know that I will just flip it back on the next time it happens and he "No, no, we have to do it." I said to my daughter, "If he thinks I'm going to call him every time it goes out, he's crazy." I flipped it back on 3 more times during our stay. Since they don't have bottled water, you have to walk down the outside walkway to fill up your 2 glass bottles they give you. The water is fairly cold at first but gets warmer when its stored because the fridge is not cold enough. The beds are too soft, for me anyways. The evening entertainment is unimpressive. I wasn't told about the $600 hotel credits until I asked about it 2 days before we left, which most of them you need to spend at least $100 to get a $25 credit. I had a very hard time breathing in the room but when I went outside I was fine. I'm home now and I have a chest cold. All 3 of us had diarrhea, so we had to take Imodium and then we were fine. I'm assuming it's something we ate. The activities around the pool were alright. Ocean had a lot of seaweed. The shower only had one shower door so the water got all over the bathroom floor. I read in another review it was the same thing in their room which I don't understand the reasoning for this. PROS: The food was very good with a theme night each night of the week. Although it was too hot to enjoy it because it's all open air seating in buffets and no air conditioning. The staff was very friendly and helpful at the concierge and at guest services. Rudy at concierge even offered to pick something up for me at the main market in town on his lunch break. I politely declined because I did not want him to use his lunch break. The scenery/grounds on-site are beautiful and they had geese and some type of baby ducklings swimming around in their water areas near the dining. Instead of walking in the hot sun to get from one place to another you can call for one of the golf carts to come and pick you up. The room was very clean and nicely decorated. I would stay here again, If I had a room that did not lose electricity, was closer to the pool/beach area and I went on a month that was not so hot and humid. Monkeyland excursion is something you have to do while you're there.

Our stay here wasn’t great. We arrived around 1 pm and knew our rooms would not be ready. Being club members we would have access to the facilities. Our room was ready around 4 pm and my father in laws was as well according to the prestige desk. He did request a bottom floor room due to a hip leg injury. When taken to the rooms he was in a second floor room and with the stairs would not work. He then went back to prestige and asked for another room and they told him that one would be ready at 5pm. When ready they took him to the room and when he opened the door there was a couple already in the room! He was extremely uncomfortable and embarrassed. They then gave him another room but was unable to access till 8pm. The prestige staff was not really friendly or seemed to want to help with anything. The facility was amazing but the food was not! We were able to eat at all the specialty restaurants there and was not at all impressed with the food. We then upgraded to the Grand duel to the staff and accommodations. There were however a couple of people that were amazing over there! The morning bar tender at the prestige she was always in a good mood and extremely friendly!! The coffee shop employees were also very friendly! Rita was our maid and she was FANTASTIC always said good morning and asked how our day was and kept our room clean! Pablo at the pool bar will keep you refreshed and very happy!Joan in the steakhouse was extremely rude and couldn’t get a single drink correct and seemed annoyed when it was pointed out. We will not come back.

The rooms are outdated, for sure, but as long as you're not coming to spend much time in your room, don't worry about it. The bathroom was the worst part because not having a shower door or bathroom fan meant the bathroom was basically constantly sopping wet. When we arrived it looked as if the room had been cleaned in a rush, but when the cleaning crew came back in the next day, it was much better. The concierges will be very friendly, but are doing so to gain trust and upsell you. First they tried to sell an $150 room upgrade and then they tried to guilt trip us into a 90 minute breakfast presentation for their "members club". Be careful and don't sign the invite, the fine print says you are required to attend. (Be mindful of places labeled "Star Prestige". Thats club members only). The concierge will be incredibly pushy and make it extremely uncomfortable but just hold your ground and walk away. We ended up having to loudly call it a timeshare to make him uncomfortable enough to let us leave. The jewelry vendors and excursion salesmen on the property (we saw them Monday and Thursday) are also extremely aggressive. Do not give them an inch of patience because they will take a mile. The beach vendors are very respectful and will leave you alone with just a couple of quick "no thank you"s. The first night was hard, it felt like we had paid a lot of money to be constantly harassed by salesmen but it got better from there. Just don't entertain the solicitation and you'll be fine. The Monkeyland excursion was beyond worth it and so much fun, I totally recommend it! The beach was beautiful and well maintained. We had no issues finding chairs even later in the day. The pool was nice! One pool is heated pretty warm while the other is a nicer, cooler temp. Lots of things to do and we had fun at the magic show! Expect family friendly entertainment. Any Spanish you can learn before coming will serve you well anywhere, including the resort. The language barrier was never impossible to overcome but learning the language is helpful for both yourself and the staff. Only one restaurant needed reservations, but it was way too hot to follow their dress code so we never ate at that one. All the other A La Carte restaurants were fantastic! The Mexican food is the best (not shockingly). Even the buffet wasn't bad if you just went for breakfast and lunch! The restaurants being "first come first serve" was never a problem for us but you are very much on resort time where opening at 6:30 actually means opening anywhere between 6:35 and 7:00pm. The staff was always kind and friendly, even when we observed other patrons being unkind. They try their best to keep everyone satisfied. The drinks are great! Overall, if you're one a budget and don't mind doing your research, booking excursions ahead of time (Amstar was the best. Franquí was nothing shy of amazing), and learning all the back pathways to avoid the salesman then it is worth it.

We had a wonderful vacation with family and friends at Iberostar Selection Bavaro. The weather was great, the ocean without ANY seaweed, hot days and cooler nights (late March). The resort has beautiful grounds, blooming trees, shrubs, flowers/orchids, a good variety of restaurants for dinner, excellent buffet offers for breakfast and dinner, and every day there is a different theme for dinner (Dominican, Asian, Italian, etc.) The rooms are quiet and clean. The staff are friendly and speak several languages and are always willing to help if there is a need. I especially want to thank Luis with Star Prestige. He went above and beyond to make our stay enjoyable and relaxing. He is always pleasant, quick to find a good solution to any dilemma, and ready to accommodate in any way you need. He is always available and checks in with guests, on the beach, in the lobby, and in the club throughout the day and evening. Luis and his staff made our vacation special and memorable (as well as numerous of our prior stays at this hotel). The ladies in the Club— Paula, Zuleika, Zara, Mariel and many others— are friendly and helpful. Alexandra, a bartender at the club, can always offer you something special from the bar (from water to coffee to cocktails) accommodating kids and adults alike. We will most definitely return to this resort again! Hopefully while Luis and his staff are working! Thank you Iberostar Selection Bavaro! We’re fortunate to have discovered the natural beauty of your location, the lovely accommodations, and especially your wonderful staff— who are a direct reflection of your care for your guests!

Our check in was easy, there was only a small group checking in at the same time. Our room location was perfect, building 10. The room was ok, a bit dated but clean. The main lobby and beach bar-tenders were fantastic. The staff in the buffets and restaurants were friendly. The food was decent, we always founds something we enjoyed. They have an amazing fruit selection. They had lobster 2 nights in the buffet. The pool was nice, not as large as many resorts we have been to but decent. The ocean was beautiful in front of the Iberostar, they worked hard to remove the sargassum. Some of the other resorts on the beach did not seems to maintain the beaches as well as Iberostar. Grounds are well kept and beautiful. Overall, we had a great week and would recommend.