TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

We had a fantastic time at Lopesan. The hotel was beautiful and the rooms were great. The food could have been better. Our butler Oliver was the best part of our trip. He was excellent and very attentive.

WARNING: This will be pretty long, but there's lots to say and this is my own very honest review of our holiday experience. So first things first, we were NOT meant to be staying at the Costa Bavaro. Having looked at the hotel initially for my wife's 50th birthday celebrations, she then stumbled across the incredible-looking Lopesan Caoba Lagoon on the TUI website that was being built next door. Due to open on May 1, we knew we were taking a slight gamble, but it ticked every box we were looking for - tranquil, beautiful and, above-all, family friendly. My wife kept across all communication relating to the Caoba on Instagram and other social media platforms and it was there that we found out the hotel would not be opening until the day after we were due to leave. A call to TUI ensued and then a wait for three days to tell us where we would be staying. We did have other options but we'd already researched the Costa Bavaro and had been offered relocation there, so it made sensey. One problem, they had no family rooms left for myself, my wife and our 7 and 17-year-old kids. Costa Bavaro were insisting it had to be two single rooms for our special FAMILY holiday. A week of talks then took place between myself and TUI as to what was happening, as by that point my wife, as lead passenger, was too upset to discuss the holiday that now looked like it was going to be completely different to what we had booked. To their credit, the TUI team at our local branch came up trumps and got us our family room - so we could at least look forward to our break, knowing we would be fully together. Now to the Costa Bavaro. Sorry it took a while but the backstory is important when it comes to the Lopesan brand. When we checked in there was zero mention of the fact we should have been staying at the Caoba, no apology, nothing. I was the one that brought it up eventually, and then we were told we would be in two single rooms after a week of stress with TUI getting the family room sorted! 10 mins later, after a polite NO from myself, we were taken to a family room (no. 2336), one floor above the swim-up rooms. Warning, these rooms get damp (we filled three damp-rid bags in 11 nights). As for the room, it's really big and we were impressed - apart from the frosted glass doors, particularly for the toilet. There is not much privacy there! But this room was tired, if felt like we had been given the holdover room you get when you've got hours before your flight and need a base to stay. It had a fridge that was very clearly leaking from the outset and should easily have been picked up by whoever restocked it (it was eventually replaced a few days in). The toilet seat was almost falling off and needed fixing, the wardrobe doors would not shut properly and the bracket that was holding the conditioner in the shower was hanging off the tiles. Other than that, a nice big room, although not great on the balcony for the younger kids when you have couples in the swim-up pool below getting a little frisky or smoking something that we could smell in the room even with the giant door closed! The hotel itself is very nice and were very impressed with several parts of it, although the service is very hit and miss. The staff were the best for us in the Atlantico buffet restaurant and the Goldfish Beach Club, which was the main eating area around the pool for lunch. As for the lobby bar, expect a wait unless you look like you've got a decent tip in you, which we obviously didn't. We gave up getting a drink there in the end. For clarity, we tipped well throughout our stay. The pool areas are great and for the first few days the vibe was pretty much spot on. Chilled music and it wasn't overly busy. But from around day five onwards, as more holiday-makers started arriving and it got busier, that vibe changed and it became much more of a party atmosphere. Come the afternoon it was banging music and plenty of noise from the entertainment team - not exactly the serenity we'd booked for at the Caoba. The food was mostly decent and we had no major issues on that front, especially with some of the desserts, which were great. Special shout out for the ice cream parlour and the coffee shop, which we were impressed with. Entertainment-wise we went to a couple of shows at the theatre, with the Michael Jackson one pretty good, but short. Not gonna say anything about the bar staff there, as they just did not look bothered. The Sports Bar is good but could benefit from another pool table! The English bar was empty virtually every night. And don't buy snacks from the shops in the Boulevard, they are stupidly expensive. All in all, we will NOT be going back to the Costa Bavaro, not because it's not a nice hotel, but because there was no acknowledgment from Lopesan that they had not delivered the holiday we paid for, in what was special occasion for the family. One last thing to add was how helpful our TUI rep Scott was while we were there. We had a number of issues early on and he was brilliant. Even tried to get us a look around the Caoba, after we'd requested it a day before we left, having seen people on Instagram clearly being shown around. We were told it was a NO for health and safety reasons, given the building work still going on, and then the screens blocking access to the new hotel came down the day after we left! Thanks Lopesan! NB: Our overall rating for the hotel is 3/5 but 1/5 for Lopesan for clearly not being bothered or caring about a holiday we had so looked forward too. We get it that new hotel builds can sometimes be delayed but it's how you treat people after truly that matters. And also, they appreciate it if you actually speak Spanish and definitely tip in dollars, it's preferred to pesos, from our experience

Bad experience! I will never come back

We had a 7 day vacation at this resort and booked a Unique Room. On the 2nd day I got violent food poisoning from their à la carte restaurant called La Boheme. My child was also unwell for several days during our vacation. Our butler Jimmy was fantastic and helped us book our à la carte meals, filled the snacks in our room and was generally very informative and friendly. Check in at Unique was quite slow, I stood and waited for maybe 25 minutes before it was our turn, as there are only two people at the desk. It was hot at check in, as it is in the entire resort. There really is no AC except in your room and if there is it is very minimal and I used a handheld fan to keep cool majority of the time. The shows were way too late for families starting at 10pm so after dinner we went straight to bed. We did watch the Michael Jackson show on Thursday at the chia lounge but as the name implies it’s a lounge with many people standing and there were not enough seats for anyone to properly enjoy the show as there are for most resorts with theatre outdoor seating. The food at the unique buffet while good, was repetitive and lacked variety. The main buffet Atlantico is very busy so we try to get there around 7pm as by 7:30 pm the crowds pick up and by 8:00 pm there is a line to get in at the door. The server staff was not as friendly and occasionally attentive. They did not make you feel like family that made you want to return and when they did try to introduce themselves it seemed disingenuous. The pools were nice and big and plenty of seating to choose from at the pools and beach. We swam at both and enjoyed it. The rooms were cleaned quite late and sporadic at times. There was a time when our room was not yet cleaned at 3-4pm which prompted us to have to go to the ice cream place (Iceberg) or coffee area (Bávaro coffee) just to free up the room so our housekeeping could clean our room. That would normally he prime napping time or showering and getting ready for dinner for most families. Our room was clean and tidy but the housekeeping and turn down service came at such late hours. Our turn down service always came at 9:30 pm when our lights were off and everyone was already in bed. The room smelled musty and there was so much moisture our towels never dried. It felt like a conflict between being freezing due to keeping the air cool so that there will be less moisture in the air. The à la carte restaurants are beautiful and the service is well timed. Food and portions. ranged from okay to good. I wouldn’t say it’s fantastic. Ultimately this wasn’t the 5 star experience we were looking for. The resort itself is just so big, to get to the kids area/waterpark/ice cream/coffee is such a far walk. Especially carrying beach bags and walking with a small child. I wish there was a way those areas might be more centrally located. We won’t be returning to any Lopesan property in the future, and will likely stick to our favorite 5 star chain going forward.

My boyfriend and I were excited for our first week-long vacation in two years. We chose this resort because of its positive reviews on Google and were looking forward to relaxing, unwinding from work, and spending time at the beach. We did not purchase the “UNIQUE” upgrade, as it seemed overpriced. Unfortunately, our stay was so disappointing that I’m writing my first-ever resort review. By the end of the trip, I honestly couldn’t wait to go home and return to work. Overall experience: 0/5 The biggest issue throughout our stay was the poor service and lack of communication from staff. We are from New Jersey and are used to more direct or indifferent service, but this felt like something else entirely. The staff often seemed inconvenienced by even basic questions or requests, and we were frequently left without clear direction. From the moment we arrived, the experience felt disorganized. We weren’t clearly guided during check-in, one of our suitcases wasn’t properly tagged, and we waited about 20 minutes in a very short line. Our room also had issues right away, including a non-working refrigerator that needed servicing and extremely cold AC. The problems continued throughout the entire stay. At breakfast on our first morning, we were not greeted or seated and were repeatedly told where we could not sit without being directed to where we should go. We spent several minutes confused and walking around before figuring it out ourselves. This lack of guidance and communication became a recurring issue across the resort—whether asking simple questions, requesting assistance, or trying to find basic things, we were often told “no” without any helpful alternative. Drink service was also consistently slow and frustrating. There appeared to be only one small pool bar serving both the beach and main pool areas, often with only one or two bartenders. We frequently waited 10–15 minutes just to order a drink in the heat, and service was often inattentive. At times, it felt inconsistent as well. Some Spanish-speaking guests were served drinks in glassware, while others received small plastic cups that were finished in just a couple of sips. Similar slow and indifferent service continued at night in the lounges and throughout the resort. The most frustrating experience involved our towels. One day, housekeeping failed to replace them. We assumed it was an oversight. The next day, ALL of our towels were removed and again not replaced. After spending the day at the beach, we returned soaking wet and needed to get ready for dinner reservations. My boyfriend went to reception and was told towels would be brought shortly. After waiting over an hour and a half, we still had none. When he returned to reception, he was told there was nothing they could do and that he could go get beach towels himself. Meanwhile, I searched the hotel for a staff member and eventually found a housekeeping employee who helped us. She didn’t understand my English but she finally brought me towels about 20 minutes later. Reception didn’t do anything about it. As a result, we were late for dinner and photos with friends, and I spent nearly two hours wet and freezing in our air-conditioned room. For a resort, being unable to provide clean towels in a timely manner is simply unacceptable. Room: 1/5 To make matters worse, our room also lacked basic amenities such as an ironing board and a “Do Not Disturb” sign. It smelled so strongly like mold and mildew and the toilet smelled like rotting pipes. Food: 0/5 The food was one of the biggest disappointments of the trip. The buffet was small, overcrowded, and lacked variety for a resort of this size. I have food sensitivities, and I was concerned that shared serving utensils increased the risk of cross-contamination. I ended up eating very limited “safe” foods during the entire stay and actually lost weight on this vacation. The outdoor grill was also poorly managed, with limited seating and inconsistent rules about where guests could sit. Several times we were told seating was closed after we already had food, leaving us with nowhere comfortable to eat. At one point, I even saw a roach near our table at the buffet, which completely affected my comfort with the food afterward. The specialty restaurants were only slightly better, but overall the food was bland and inconsistent. Meats were often overcooked, and drink orders were frequently wrong. The only standout meal was the hibachi restaurant, which was freshly cooked and simple. My boyfriend also enjoyed the beef filet at the French restaurant, but those were the only real highlights of the entire trip. Beach / Pool: 1/5 The resort has a large beach and a large main pool, but neither felt well maintained. Staff were not consistently cleaning up cups or used drinks around the beach or pool areas. The beach is also surrounded by party yachts, which at times created a strong fuel smell in the water. We didn’t mind the music or crowds, but overall it didn’t feel worth the travel for what was ultimately just an average beach experience. The main pool was crowded with families and children, and while it was okay, it lacked any real atmosphere or “pool bar” vibe that would make it feel like a resort experience. Closing thoughts: Overall, I cannot comfortably recommend this resort to anyone traveling to the Dominican Republic. After this experience across the board, I personally have no desire to return. What made the stay even more disappointing was the feeling that something was off with the overall management and guest experience approach. It also felt like there was a strong push for guests to leave five-star Google reviews, as we were asked multiple times by staff to do so. At one point, I was even asked directly and had to say I was not comfortable leaving a five-star review. There were also many other frustrating and disappointing moments throughout our stay that I honestly don’t even have the energy to include in this review. At checkout, the receptionist did not even acknowledge or thank us for our stay, which felt like a fitting end to the experience. We truly could not wait to leave and head home. If nothing changes in the next couple of years, it is hard to imagine this resort maintaining returning guests or building long-term loyalty.