TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Please consider other options before booking at this resort. The beach and grounds are really nice but that is where the positives end…. We paid extra to have “premium “ service which resulted in a check-in process that took and hour and one half after a full day of travel. We were provided the opportunity to make restaurant reservations with the staff for the full week. If you wanted to modify your reservations you could not then had to either eat at 10:30 pm or at the buffet. The employees in this room were not able to answer questions throughout the week and referred us to guest services, the golf course staff, the restaurant staff etc. This was not the service we anticipated. The food at the resort was almost inedible. The hot food was lukewarm, the cold food was lukewarm and we saw the same food options day after day…. We also suspect that food was reused ( seafood one day then seafood salad the next). The food at the restaurants was not any better with lukewarm food served with lackluster service from most of the staff. Many of our group were either ill with GI upset during the week or left traveling home with GI upset. Many of the restaurants have a sewer smell both outside and inside of the area at times so strong that you are gagging. Where this is coming from we could not identify but it was off putting to say the least. Most of the staff appeared disinterested in their jobs. Yes this is all inclusive, but when staff receive additional tips for service you would think they would be a bit enthusiastic about serving you. No, not here… The rooms are dated, dirty and lack insulation. We question the thoroughness of cleaning as we found earrings on the bathroom counter when we checked in. The views from our room in the “ Beach” side were nice as was having a small patio to sit on. The bathrooms are dated and had a 1/2 glass wall in the shower that resulted in water spraying the floor when you shower. We could hear either the guest above us or the housekeeping staff drag furniture across the floor nightly. ( Housekeeping is cleaning rooms late into the evening ). We all had toilets that barely flushed and days where our rooms either lacked cold water or hot water. When asked about both we were told “ it’s a general problem here “. The water issue was eventually corrected in our building allowing us to take showers that were not scalding hot. We took a snorkel excursion off the resort site which was a boat that moved about 100 yards from where it was anchored then to a sandbar where you could get out and swim, drink, etc. Going off the resort onto the water was nice but not worth spending any money on this at all! The entertainment options were ok. There were family friendly shows beginning at 8:00 or so followed by the adult shows many of which had females in revealing costumes. The spa services were great as was the staff and facilities in this area. There were wet area as well as saunas, steam rooms and a clean quiet pool area. The adult pool area was as clean and quiet as the spa pool but the family area was very crowded with limited chairs available unless you claimed them early in the morning with a towel. The family pool had a swim up bar but the pool was dirty, cloudy, and had remnants of drinks, fruit, straws in it. We had fun as a family celebrating the holidays but would NEVER return nor recommend this resort to anyone considering it. Our group of 26 spent A LOT of money for a 7 nights stay - please spend yours elsewhere!

We’ve stayed at this resort before and had a wonderful experience, which is why we were excited to return. Unfortunately, this recent visit didn’t live up to our previous stays and ended up being quite disappointing. Some of the staff, particularly in the spa and food service areas, seemed overwhelmed and at times came across as disengaged. There were moments when requests, such as ordering drinks, weren’t acknowledged, and a few interactions felt a bit curt, which was surprising given our past experiences here. The rooms also appeared to need better maintenance. One of our rooms had a significant ceiling leak, and although we reported it, repairs weren’t addressed until very late at night. In another room, there were several broken bathroom items, and overall cleanliness could have been improved. It’s unfortunate to say that the resort doesn’t seem to be at the same standard it once was. We truly hope these issues are addressed, but for now, future guests may want to consider exploring other resort options.

We stayed at Barcelo Bávaro Punta Cana over Christmas as a family group of ten. Unfortunately, this was one of the worst and concerning resort experiences we have ever had. The most serious issue was food safety. On the first night, our 17-year-old nephew became ill with food poisoning after eating buffet items at the Sports Bar. A few days later, our 75-year-old father became extremely sick. After returning home, he was hospitalized in New York, where doctors identified E. coli in his bloodstream, consistent with a bacterial infection contracted during our stay. After these incidents, the food situation felt unsafe enough that for the remainder of the trip, our family largely avoided eating at the resort altogether. Many restaurants had strong sewage odors, buffet food appeared to sit out for extended periods, and temperature control was poor—cold items were warm and hot items were cold. We genuinely could not find food that felt safe to eat, which completely ruined our vacation. Customer service was also very poor. When our father was physically unable to walk due to his illness, the resort would not provide a golf cart to transport him to the lobby. The on-site medical clinic offered little assistance and sent him to an off-property hospital, where he was given medications in a manila envelope with no English instructions. His condition worsened until he returned home and received proper medical care. Additionally, we experienced what felt like a negative bias toward American guests. Staff often acted as though they could not understand us, even when spoken to in Spanish. Requests were frequently met with rude responses or denied outright, including simple accommodations such as adjusting a dinner reservation time. Overall, we did not feel supported or welcomed as guests. We have stayed at many all-inclusive resorts in multiple countries and have never experienced anything like this. This trip was meant to be a family Christmas vacation, but it was overshadowed by serious health concerns and poor service. We would not return and cannot recommend Barcelo Bávaro Punta Cana to others, particularly due to the food safety issues.

The resort has beautiful grounds and pools. Unfortunately there are many cons. The most serious issue is the food, which was absolutely terrible and, quite frankly, unsafe. After our very first dinner my 17 year old grandson experienced severe food poisoning. On another evening my 76-year-old husband became violently ill from food poisoning. My husband’s condition was especially serious and resulted in him being hospitalized We first sought help at the on-site clinic, which cost us $225 and provided very little actual care. They told us they weren’t equipped to handle his condition. From there, my husband had to be transported to Hospiten, where we were charged over $1,400 for medications handed to us in a Manila envelope, with no clear indication that they were properly dispensed or even necessary. The only legitimate and necessary treatment he received was IV fluids. This was a very real and frightening case of food poisoning. We returned home and immediately brought him to a local hospital in NY as he was severely sick on the flight home. We are now told the poisoning affected his kidneys and he is to remain in the hospital. Some of the restaurants had a sewer smell and the food was clearly left to sit out for long periods of time and not kept cold. Foods that were supposed to be hot were not and foods that were meant to be cold were warm. The day we had to depart my husband was still severely weak and ill and needed one of the many golf carts they had to get us to the main lobby. When we requested one to take us and our luggage to the lobby (as we were in another building) we were told he would have to walk because there were no golf carts available. Meanwhile we saw so many empty ones just zipping by us with no one on them except the driver. During the entire stay the hotel staff’s response to any request made an already terrible situation even worse. Staff members repeatedly pretended they did not understand us, even when we spoke Spanish. They would act as though they were helping, then disappear entirely, and when they returned, they behaved as if we had never spoken to them. The staff was nasty, dismissive, and completely unsympathetic to any of our needs related to the illnesses caused by the poisoned food. Stay away from this hotel if you do not want to put yourself and your family at high risk of food poisoning.

Living in Canada during the winter time is tough! So going on a short vacation was the plan, doing all-inclusive vacation is a first for us so honestly we don’t know what to expect but when we get to the location (Barcelo Bavaro Palace) it was amazing, we are relaxed, food is always ready, any drinks you want is ready and the beach was great not to mention the hotel personnel, they are amazing. We stayed for 6 nights short but sweet and full of wonderful memories. Looking forward to another sweet escape