TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

We are a senior couple and stayed for 7 days. We have been at other resorts near Punta Cana but this was our first time at Iberostar Selections Bavaro Suites. Resort grounds are meticulously maintained and the site is beautiful with a large palm tree canopy and impressive landscaping features. We loved the expansive grounds with lots of walking opportunity. Golf cart rides are offered. It is a quiet resort as vehicles are electric and no gas powered landscaping equipment is used. The ground floor room and terrace were very clean, quiet and comfortable with no noise from other rooms including the usual slamming doors. Housekeeping was efficient and quiet. Timing was varied. There was no “do not disturb” card for the door or our unit. Soiled face cloths were taken and not replaced until asked. Some towels had tattered edges. Bring a pen and small pad and use Goggle Translate to leave notes in Spanish for anything you need from Housekeeping. All rooms are in brightly coloured, 2 level, villa style buildings, 8 units each. We were upgraded to a “Junior Suite Pool Access” from the “Junior Suite Pool View” we booked. It was just steps from our terrace to a smaller pool that was secluded from the noisy main pool area by its surrounding buildings. And, it was close to the beach and main pool area with bars and dining options. We avoided the main pool as it was generally crowded and noisy with wedding party celebrants. Right after checking in, we booked 4 restaurant reservations at a concierge desk beside the check-in counter. Concierge service was always available in the lobby area. I had reviewed menus in advance and knew my preferences. We appreciated that meal times could be precise. At other resorts, with a “no reservations are required” policy, seating times are a “crap shoot”, which is very annoying especially for a larger group or anyone with children. Restaurants were lovely, enclosed spaces except for the Mexican restaurant. Food was consistently hot, tasty, plentiful and artistically presented. There were abundant menu options. The service was generally efficient but the restaurant experiences never delivered on the elegance that was possible with a little more attention to detail. The dress code for men was pants, collared shirt and jacket which seemed dumb for a tropical climate. Although restaurants were air conditioned, it was not cool enough to keep on the jacket I wore. The dress code was not enforced and tee shirts and shorts were the norm. To be fair, I only happened to notice the dress code while checking out the restaurants in advance. There was no posting of dress code at the resort and the concierge did not mention it when booking. At La Dorada, our table had 2 place settings but only one had a plate. No one brought a second plate until asked. The “served at table” sea bass was hurried and sloppy with bits falling on the floor and bones remaining in fillet pieces. The chicken souvlaki, which I first ordered then quickly changed to the sea bass, was still provided (yes, communication can be an issue) but was undercooked and not eaten. Two side order plates included a small bowl of tzatziki except one had nothing in it.. At Il Forno, nice focaccia bread was served with an oil and balsamic dip but there were no bread plates provided. Courses were not spaced and server didn’t seem to care. Ordered cappuccino never arrived. At Brave, food was tasty and quantities were larger than expected for the shrimp cocktail appetizer, the rib eye steak and side dishes. Of course, that is not a criticism. Restaurants were unusually noisy for their size. You need a smart phone as menus are only available from a QR code. We especially enjoyed the barista prepared cappuccino and an ice cream cone at El Botey beach bar and ice cream parlour. Shaded tables overlooking the beach were always available. The Star Café had great baristas preparing a large selection of specialty coffees and teas to be enjoyed in a lovely, air conditioned space. Coffee drinks were served in real cups with saucers or pedestal glasses. Servers appreciated considerate guests who returned cups and glasses to the bar counter. Food at Los Haitises buffet (in lobby area) had lots of variety and the food was always fresh and well presented. It was constantly being refreshed and tidied up. Food trays were kept topped up even near closing times. I did have a burger that I deemed undercooked and didn’t finish. The food area is enclosed and air conditioned. The seating area is covered by an impressive structure but open air. The shingled roof is in disrepair. We liked that entry to the buffet area is controlled and you are shown to a table. You should have something to leave on the table or chair to show it is occupied or it might be reassigned while you are at the buffet. There are birds in the water “moat” surrounding the seating area. Some birds are bold and come into the seating area. Staff don’t aggressively shoo them away. Never leave food unattended. Avoid being seated at the edges near the water. We saw one family driven from their table by an aggressive egret (heron). This is an unpleasant aspect of the Los Haitises buffet and could be solved with some sort of netting barriers at the edges. This is the only place for breakfast. It is less busy at lunch time as there are other good food service options near the main pool and beach. The pork, chicken or vegetable chimmy sandwich, with a beer, at the Snack Shack on the beach is worth a mention. Most days were breezy so the water was a little rough (whitecaps) but was clean and lots of people were swimming. There was no seaweed on the beach to speak of. Since we were just 2 people, we could always find shaded loungers on the beach or at the pool. Larger groups should not expect to easily find space together. The long beach was nice for walking. There were roaming beach vendors as well as some pop-up stalls within the resort on a couple of days. We did not experience or see any aggressive behavior. We appreciated the environmental initiatives at the resort especially the electric powered equipment and elimination of single use plastic. The refillable water bottle system works well. There are two 1 litre bottles in the room and there are convenient fill stations. We suggest taking some smaller, heavier duty, plastic ones (like a 12 oz. soda bottle) to decant water into. They are easier to handle for drinking and teeth cleaning and reduce the risk of breakage. Take them home with you. Food is served on real plates. Bars use real glasses in the lobby area and reusable plastic at pools and beach. Rooms and terraces are non-smoking. Smokers congregate around the lobby bar which makes the area unpleasant for non-smokers as the smoke hangs in the air. Smokers use the beach as an ash tray. While it is breezy at the beach, it can be very still away from the water. We saw no shows. We mostly saw the same, noisy music videos and ads playing on the stage screen. We could not find any listing for shows. Apparently, all information is available on the hotel app but I didn’t want to do that download. In-room QR codes for hotel features, amenities and activities would be much more useful. Finally, about the mosquitoes! You don’t see them, hear them or feel them! The itchy welts just appear. They continued to appear 2 days after we got home-yes really! So, take repellant and keep it applied even when in your room. If you tend to sleep uncovered, they will get you bad! Also, be sure to take an anti-itch treatment. Regarding tipping: we never felt any pressure to tip. Advice: book a Junior Suite Pool Access room. It is worth the small extra to have a ground floor unit and be close to a pool as well as all the beach amenities. The walk to the buffet and lobby area is not that far and will do you good. Also, if you are going with loved ones (who isn’t?) spend the time looking at them instead of your cell phone!! I couldn’t believe the number of people who were more enthralled with their cell phone screen than the people they were with and the beautiful place they were at.

I spent a week at Iberostar Selection Bavaro Suites with my family. Pros: -I liked the beach. It was nice that they cleaned up the seaweed. -our room was clean. -most resort workers were friendly and professional. -I liked the water park and pools. -I enjoyed the restaurants that I got to try. Cons: -if you are a non-smoker, avoid this resort. Smokers will be breathing out the smoke right next to you and your children on the beach, in common areas, in the theatre, and near the pool. I think they should have labelled themselves as a smoke-friendly resort. I personally would not have booked this resort if I knew this resort did not have designated smoking areas. I found it surprising that a resort like this still existed in 2024. People with health conditions, those with young children, and those who do not want to get exposed to second-hand smoke will want to avoid this place. -cigarette butts on the beach. Gross. -we saw a huge cockroach in the room once, eww. I can share a picture of it if I have to provide evidence for this statement. -limited entertainment options and many activities and shows were entirely done in Spanish. -resort workers were more comfortable with Spanish so we had google translate ready. -some resort workers called ‘ni hao’ and laughed at my group on two different occasions when we were walking around the resort. I found their snickering racist and ignorant. Not all East Asians speak Mandarin. It was surprising that resort workers engaged in a racist behaviour to their guests. -our concierge and some staff pressured us to attend a presentation session in return for making reservations for us at restaurants. It was annoying because we were here for vacation and not a sales session.

I have been to this resort several times. Other than some smoking in the show area, we really enjoy it. The beach is wide, there are lots of food options, and a small food area near the beach where you can grab a snack mid day in your bathing suit without having to get your clothes on. The rooms are spacious, and comfortable. There seems to be more european customers on the selection side, and many of them smoke around the pool area etc.. But its not a deal breaker.. Having been here several times in the past, it seems cleaner than last time, and management is doing a better job in my opinion. Entertainment during the day always has some things to do around the pool area.

Pros: Beach: water was warmer than the pool. Soft sand. No shells, stones or corals. Minimum seaweed. Lots of shade and beach chairs. Pools: lots of shade and beach chairs. Big pool. Towels all day available. Food: plenty of varierity. Others: I liked that they had umbrellas in the room as couple days rained. They also have USB ports to charge phone. Smart TV that you can cast on from your phone. Water stations to fill the glass bottles in the room. Cons: The AC was blowing, but it didn't get cool in the room till the 3rd day. We ask front desk to send someone to fix it, but they never send anyone. We asked for body wash refill, which also didn't come. Asked for an extra umbrella, which also didn't come. AC tip: seems if you lower ac 1 degree at a time works rather than setting it low temp at once.

Great value overall - for what you pay, you get a lot. The service is great and the staff friendly. Our third time here but not our last. Food - We were here in September 2021. The food was OK, and the a la cartes disappointing. However, we chalked it up to resuming business post COVID. We were very happy to see that it had recovered well. The steakhouse was phenomenal and Kabuki surprisingly good. We also tried the Mexican restaurant, which wasn’t as good but fine. The buffet has a lot of options and is overall pretty good for an all-inclusive. There’s definitely something for everyone and the food is fresh. Housekeeping - Absolutely fantastic. So much attention to detail. Stephanie cleaned our room and was amazing. When she learned it was our son’s 2nd birthday she made a beautiful design on the bed. She was fantastic. The resort is kept up well. They are redoing some of the villas and the grounds are very well-kept. We were impressed by the cleanliness throughout. Family friendly - high chairs available, cribs (we brought pnp but a mini crib was brought without asking), the staff is engaging with the kids and they have an active kids program. Our son was too young but we loved the shows in the evening for kids. Sustainability - there’s a focus on sustainability and educating kids and guests which is great to see. Pool - There are a couple choices, including a kids pool. The main pool has a lake style entrance which was perfect for our toddler. Beach - Clean and beautiful. Minimal seaweed when we were there, but the hotel really can’t control that. One of the people in our group saw a lifeguard helping a disabled person enjoy the water safely, which was above and beyond and speaks to the quality of the staff.