TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

One of the best hotels I’ve have stayed in. Very good experience with so many things to do. The night time shows are spectacular, the food, the casino and night club are great!. I would recommend it 100 percent.

(4/5 Stars) – A Resort We’d Return To, with a Few Opportunities to Improve Communication We truly enjoyed our stay at Barceló Bávaro Palace and would happily return. The resort is beautiful, the pools were great, and although the beach was busy, it was still very enjoyable. Reserving chairs early at both the pool and beach is recommended, especially near La Brisa or the pool bar if you want easy access to drinks. The food was a highlight of our trip, especially the à la carte restaurants. We were very impressed with how well staff accommodated a food allergy to garlic and ginger — this was handled carefully and professionally. Staff throughout the resort were friendly and welcoming, and the nightly shows were amazing and something we looked forward to each evening. One area where clearer communication would have made a big difference was the on-site medical clinic. When we initially sought antibiotics, we were told they were not available at the resort and that a physician visit and hospital transfer were required for direct billing, with significant upfront costs. After returning to Canada, our doctor completed a basic exam and prescribed antibiotics immediately. We later learned on our final day that antibiotics were available at the resort clinic at a low daily cost. Having clearer information from the start would have been very helpful, as our daughter spent much of the vacation unwell and could have had relief sooner. We also booked the zip lining and Monkey Land excursion, and the experiences themselves were excellent — the kids really enjoyed them. The only challenge was timing communication. We were told the excursion was about 30 minutes away and would last approximately 5 hours. In reality, our kids were picked up at 10:30 a.m. and returned at 7:30 p.m., with the drive closer to 1 hour and 15 minutes each way. Because of this, parents were unnecessarily worried, and we missed an à la carte reservation on our final night. Clearer timelines would make an otherwise great excursion even better. Finally, a few small improvements for late check-in and early check-out guests would enhance the experience. On arrival and departure, only the sports bar was open with limited food options, and no coffee or tea was available early in the morning. To-go cups for hot beverages would also be appreciated. Overall, this is a wonderful resort with great food, friendly staff, and excellent entertainment. With some improved communication around medical services, excursions, and arrival/departure options, it would be an easy 5-star experience for us.

Barcelo always delivers, it's slightly less attractive to our kids now that they're older but this holds true for most vacations anymore. The hotel property itself is huge and there's plenty to explore.

We stayed at Barcelo from December 31-January 7 with a family of 8. We had 5 adults and 3 kids. The property and resort is beautiful. The beach was also very nice. They do try to clean up the beach front everyday as I take early morning walks and have seen it. So don’t believe that the beach is not maintained. There are a lot of lounge chairs but if you want one then you better be up at 7 claiming them. It’s a huge resort with a ton of people. The staff were not friendly and seemed like they did not want to be there. At the bars there were no smiles, no hellos, just basically what do you want? The only friendly staff was the entertainment staff. The servers at the buffets were inattentive. I had to ask for drinks numerous times before finally getting them. Speaking of food, the food was truly horrendous. The warm food was cold and the cold food was warm. The quality at the buffets were disgusting. I am not a picky eater and it was really hard to put something good on the plate. Even a simple burger was inedible as the bread was rock hard. The à la carte restaurants were a bit better especially the paid ones but if you’re premium level as we were they are included. Even the drinks there were better. The alcohol is extremely watered down. The rooms are dated and there is zero privacy in the family suites. The bathrooms have no doors and neither do the showers with mirrors in front of it. They really need to redesign these rooms or at least just block the bathroom off with doors. My phone wasn’t working in both rooms and they never came to fix it. All in all we had a beautiful family vacation because the Caribbean is paradise but I will not be going to any Barcelo property again.

My stay at this resort was extremely disappointing. The issues began at check-in and continued throughout the stay—room conditions, service, and food quality were all far below expectations. The buffet was unacceptable, with cold, bland, or overly seasoned food. Communication was difficult because very few staff members spoke English. Check-in was slow, though the resort was crowded for the New Year’s holiday. I booked a Junior Suite online. The total cost of the stay was $5,366.33, with 50% due at booking and the remaining balance due at check-in. With the discount applied, the nightly rate including taxes was $1,073.26. Despite having prepaid half, I was told I needed to pay in full again upon arrival. I was assigned a butler who responded promptly to messages but did not provide meaningful assistance. When we experienced an electrical issue, I contacted reception. After an hour with no response, I reached out to the butler, Emmanuel, who said he contacted maintenance. Maintenance did not arrive until two hours after my original call. The private balcony jacuzzi was permanently stained, the water was cold, and it was unusable. The buffet restaurants were extremely poor, and although the sit-down restaurants were slightly better, the service was still inadequate. At Santa Fe, the steakhouse, it took over 35 minutes and multiple requests just to receive water. We had to leave early due to a family emergency and were told we would receive a refund for one night. At checkout, the representative attempted to charge me $341 USD, even though I made no room charges. Our couples massage was $278 USD and the escape room was $30 USD and was paid for at the time of service with my credit card. After speaking with a supervisor, he said I would receive a refund by email. I requested a printed receipt, and he had me handwrite the reason for my early departure. The receipt he provided showed a credit in Dominican pesos, making the amount unclear. After returning home on January 3, 2026, I still have not received a refund. After converting the amount, it appears the “refund receipt” was for $341, not the full night. My calls to the resort were disconnected, and my written refund request has gone unanswered. Our butler, Emmanuel, sent multiple messages requesting a positive review, which suggests staff may be motivated by review incentives. Unfortunately, his service did not reflect the level expected. Calling a cab already waiting outside and charging $30 instead of the usual $20 per person is not premium service. When I walked to reception to address the refund, he did not assist with my luggage or accompany me to help with communication. We also asked him to speak with reception about a refund when my partner left a day earlier, and he simply said, “Reception will handle that.” My family used Costco Travel to book this property and usually I would trust Costco. I would strongly recommend that Costco rethink their relationship with Barcelo Hotel Group. It was AWFUL