TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

We travelled to Bahia Principe Grand Bavaro in April 2024 as a family. After we booked, we noticed some disturbing reviews related to poor food quality, unclean rooms, bed bugs, etc. This provided cause for concern. Bahia Principe Grand Bavaro is only one of the six hotels on the property. If you are looking for a small quaint resort, this is NOT the one. We had never traveled to such a large resort but there were no issues. It is just not our style. In our experience, the rooms were always clean and the staff was friendly and helpful. Tipping will get you better service as is always the case in the Caribbean. We never encountered any issues with bed bugs or a lack of cleanliness. It is true some of the staff do not speak English but remember you are in a foreign country, learn their language if you want to communicate better. The food at the buffet was plentiful, well prepared and delicious with many options at each sitting. We were disappointed that we could only book 3 a la carte meals during our stay. There were so many more restaurants to try and enjoy. We made it to El Olivo Mediterranean; Il Capriccio Italian and Garden Grill. All were good. Il Capriccio was a large meal and we were all over full. The Garden Grill ensured our drinks were never empty, but El Olivo was our most enjoyable overall. We would eat breakfast and dinner (when no a la carte) at eh buffet in the hotel lobby area. For lunch we often ate at the buffet down by the beach. There si also a snack bar at the beach which provides typical fast food style with a self order kiosk approach. Its ok, but, just not our preference. We enjoyed the beach a lot, however, there are some sand fleas as with the case in many Caribbean countries and they can result in quite a rash. If you can bring a small tube of cortisone it will help or you can buy one there at the pharmacy on the resort. There was also plenty of mosquitos in the twilight hours. We knew of this and came prepared with repellent which helped minimize the bites. The beach is well maintained and clean but if you want a front row seat to watch the ocean waves in the morning, you better get out of bed before 6qam to secure your spot. Everyone leaves towels/books/bags to secure their chairs which seems to be the norm everywhere. We also enjoyed the pool area most afternoons and it was easy to get a chair there. You can choose the quieter pool locations or the dancing/fun location. The pools are clean and well maintained and the bartenders are usually friendly. The gym is small and was a little tricky to find at first. It is lightly equipped with treadmill, rower, dumbbells', benches, barbells/plates. Enough for a workout. If you prefer, run around the resort, it is large enough to get a 1.5 km distance without running in circles. So easy to get a few km in just running the outside. They are currently working on some renovations on the buildings near the beach pool area. Overall it was enjoyable but it is a large resort .

We just returned from 5 nights at Bavaro. This is an honest review of our personal experience. After reading the Trip Advisor reviews… we were ready to cancel. I am so thankful for finding these couple of FB groups dedicated to this resort complex. So many honest reviews and excellent, helpful information!! Our overall assessment is we had a lovely time. The weather is beautiful and really… how can you not enjoy your time. With that being said, we would not return to this particular group of resorts. We are seasoned travelers and this resort is just to big for us along with other items that were dissatisfiers. We prefer more food options and a smaller more intimate setting. It was a long walk to anything and everything. Most of the Bavaro and Punta Cana resort is old and in need of repairs. We were in the Junior Suites, not updated. Building 77. If you are looking for a “budget” experience and can only afford these rooms… You can’t go wrong (keeping your expectations in check of course). It was not OUR favorite. The room was not very clean, the sliding glass door did not lock, it was actually broke off. We had no working room phone until the last day. We gave up trying to get it fixed and miraculously it was replaced on the last day. Our biggest issue… our toilet would not flush and was completely plugged. It took 3 long walks to the front desk again… no phone… it was finally fixed 48 hrs later. The buildings are in serious need of updating. They are dirty and falling apart. The upgraded rooms closer to the beach looked much nicer. When we needed extra drinks in room, we would leave a note in Spanish and $5. Another issue we found, a significant language barrier prevented great service. We can speak very basic spanish and always use the words we do know to communicate. I acknowledge English is their 2nd language, however we have never struggled like we did at this resort. I would say a large majority of the staff we encountered spoke very little, if any English. For example, when trying to order beverages, you would not get what you asked for because the staff just didn’t understand what we were saying. When speaking with guest services to make dining reservations we had to use the maps to communicate our choices and then there was an error with one of our reservations, they only made the reservation for 2 and not 4. The food: the lobby buffet was surprisingly tasty with so many options. It does smell like sewage. Bad. We found sitting to the right side better. With that said, that is the only option for breakfast. We are used to resorts with a nice sit down breakfast option. Same for lunch. Buffet at the beach, lobby, or the truck with fried foods and sandwiches. That’s it. And for 5 nights stay we got 2 a la cart restaurants. So… a lot of buffet dining. The drinks: not great but you can make due. The bars by the beach and the pool always have long lines. And most days ran out of lots of items. We learned to order multiple drinks at a time to avoid long lines. The swim up bar by the beach frequently only had 1 bartender. The walk up beach bar only ever had 1. Many people we spoke with were not happy. Pro tip… bring a large insulated cup! Keeps drinks cold and lasts longer. Lounge chairs: we were a group of 4 and could always find something together. However, if you want any shade… you have to play the game and reserve early. I honestly don’t know why the resort doesn’t add more palapa’s. Most people want the option of shade… The entertainment in the theater between Punta Cana and Bavaro was always very good. We found the evening entertainment like karaoke and dance party better on the Punta Cana side. We tip $1-2 for each drink order. We would leave the same for buffet meals (we had a heck of a time getting anyone to bring drinks like water or coffee most meals). The a la cart we would leave $5-10 per couple.

Grounds are absolutely beautiful. Resort is huge. Pools are nice and clean. Beach was great besides the fact that you are harassed every 5 mins to purchase an excursion/souvenirs etc. It's literally non stop! Drinks are delicious. Food was good as well. Lots of options but most food not very hot and fresh. Best to go to the hot stations like the pasta station, omelette, meat etc where it's all cooked fresh for you. The buffet area smells like mould. We ended up going to the hotel Punta Cana's buffet which was right next door to our hotel and it was much better. "The truck" which is the food near the beach was always quite cold and not fresh. A La cartes were nice and had good food. Rooms were nice but we did have 2 leaks in our room from the ceiling and our AC wasn't the greatest but worked for us since we had the fan on all night. Entertainment was mediocre. Staff didn't really try or care. The fire show and circus show were the best. Fun things for kids. Water park was nice for our daughter. Most importantly the staff were horrible. I'd say 85% of the staff is rude, gives you attitude, they make it very clear they hate their jobs and they are miserable and don't want to be serving you. It became very apparent the first day. No one speaks English so good luck if you don't speak any Spanish ( my husband is fluent and mom and I can absolutely get by but but even when ordering in Spanish half of the time out order was wrong or we got attitude) Due to the ignorant staff we will never return to this hotel. It's a shame because it really is beautiful.

Would definitely go to same resort again. Proximity to beach was excellent, service and people are great, felt safe n free, food was tasty and plentiful. Lots to do if you want to stay busy or for those that want to go back n forth between the beach, food and drinks only.. this place answers the bell.

The beach that this hotel is located at is fantastic! A MOST SEA! one of a kind!! The hotel is nice, a la carte restaurants are amazing with lots of options and buffets were good with plenty of varieties! The service was great. We were very grateful with the trolly service that buses you to and from the beach as the hotel is quite big. The Employees are friendly and very accommodating. Estarlys at the swim up bar in Pool 4 was simply the best! Me and my family (10 of us) loved this vacation! We only have 2 complains. 1. A lot of the hotel is reserved for “privilege club” only and you couldn’t upgrade without changing hotels. It included large sections at the beach’s that were empty most of the time. Leaving limited room for everybody else. 2. The rooms are outdated and need some improvements and renovation. I would also suggest they open the beach buffet for breakfast as well! All in all we recommend this hotel!