Barcelo Punta Cana Hotel, Playa Bavaro, Dominican Republic
Hotel Information
Hotel Class:
Hotel Description:
This superior resort is the perfect spot to enjoy the soft, white sandy beaches and turquoise waters of the Caribbean and have a truly memorable holiday. The resort is situated 32km from Punta Cana airport and 65km from Higuey which is the nearest city. loading...
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Barcelo Punta Cana Hotel Reviews
" This was our first long haul flight -... "
Submitted By: Mrs T Jones
This was our first long haul flight - which was fine. We travelled in a party of 6 (50, 45, 42, 40, 20, 19) of which one couple were renewing their wedding vows for their Silver Anniversary. Arrived at hotel, reception was quite busy but were soon booked in. We were taken to our rooms, one couple were given a suite as part of their "wedding" package which was lovely. My husband paid for an upgrade as a part of my 40th birthday treat and the room we had was superb - we have never had such a comfy bed!
Weather was fantastic with only one storm - fascinating to watch. Food was good plenty of choice, drinks were free flowing no problems getting cocktails etc although some bar staff were hard to understand but after a Spanish lesson by the pool we found it easier. A la Carte restaurants were very good the tepanyaki restaurant food was delicious and cooked fresh in front of you - however, it can be a bit hot in front of the hot plates!! Only problem was at weekends when locals came to stay at the hotel First weekend was OK they were friendly and quite amusing by the pool but the second weekend was worse, very noisy and messy and they were like a plague of locusts in the buffet restaurants. Having said that it didn't spoil our holiday as we all felt that it was good idea to let them have the use of the hotel if it was not fully booked. It would just be advantageous if the hotel staff arranged sittings - this would alleviate this problem. I think even the buffet staff were getting stressed running around refilling the food. Great value for money. Staff were all friendly and Laura our Thomsons rep couldn't have been more helpful. The lady who arranges the weddings etc was great and the day went very well - very romantic! They have now built a wooden and wrought iron pergola for weddings. Our friends had visited this hotel 2 years before and said that the new pool area is a great asset and we enjoyed that area. Hotel could do with getting a few more umbrellas but as they are upgrading the hotel i am sure this will happen.We had a fantastic 2 weeks chilling in the sun, the beach is beautiful and would definitely re-visit this hotel maybe even next year!!
Weather was fantastic with only one storm - fascinating to watch. Food was good plenty of choice, drinks were free flowing no problems getting cocktails etc although some bar staff were hard to understand but after a Spanish lesson by the pool we found it easier. A la Carte restaurants were very good the tepanyaki restaurant food was delicious and cooked fresh in front of you - however, it can be a bit hot in front of the hot plates!! Only problem was at weekends when locals came to stay at the hotel First weekend was OK they were friendly and quite amusing by the pool but the second weekend was worse, very noisy and messy and they were like a plague of locusts in the buffet restaurants. Having said that it didn't spoil our holiday as we all felt that it was good idea to let them have the use of the hotel if it was not fully booked. It would just be advantageous if the hotel staff arranged sittings - this would alleviate this problem. I think even the buffet staff were getting stressed running around refilling the food. Great value for money. Staff were all friendly and Laura our Thomsons rep couldn't have been more helpful. The lady who arranges the weddings etc was great and the day went very well - very romantic! They have now built a wooden and wrought iron pergola for weddings. Our friends had visited this hotel 2 years before and said that the new pool area is a great asset and we enjoyed that area. Hotel could do with getting a few more umbrellas but as they are upgrading the hotel i am sure this will happen.We had a fantastic 2 weeks chilling in the sun, the beach is beautiful and would definitely re-visit this hotel maybe even next year!!
- Date of Holiday:Jun 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:Thomson
" Holiday was amazing it was a great... "
Submitted By: Miss H Hannah
Holiday was amazing it was a great holtel and this was my first time long haul flight , and only ever been to spain and i love the domican i think its great for value you really get your moneys worth the hotel was amazing and designed in great detail would really recomend and also the phone charges were really really bad!
But the restraunts were fabulous espcially the japenise and itailian ( and im a really fussy eater )
would recocomend!
But the restraunts were fabulous espcially the japenise and itailian ( and im a really fussy eater )
would recocomend!
- Date of Holiday:Dec 2006
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:Thomson
Arrival: December 2008
We travelled December 19-26. The tour was with Transat. We were part of a party of 8, age range 9 to 62 years. Everything prior to check-in at the hotel went well. We were there at around 12:30pm and check-in is not until 3pm. Check-in was a bit challenging. We were supposed to have private check-in/check-out with Transat. The hotel staff took us to the office where the Transat people are. One of the Transat staff angrily told the hotel staff that he was only there to handle complaints and problems. The young staff member then took us to an empty table up near one of the lobby bars. Due to the language barrier we were unsure what he was trying to tell us. We waited there a while then gave up and went to the front desk. We were checked in smoothly and and wrist bands were put on so we could begin to enjoy our stay while waiting for our room to be ready. This took about 2.5 hours. Make sure you come prepared to change your clothes to your bathing suit!! We did so all was good there.
Rooms:
We had 3 rooms, 5227, 5228 and 5229. We were on the 3rd floor of section 5 and the balcony overlooked the garden out back. It was very nice and quiet and the wind was never a problem. We had sun on our balcony all day which we quite enjoyed. The walking path below our balcony was beautifully lit at night with Christmas lights around the palm trees.
The room itself was a basic 2 double bed room. Nothing special about it. Opened to a palm treed courtyard which was quite lovely. These rooms are not in the renovated section of the hotel but were not disgusting just starting to look a little worn. They are renovating some rooms in section 4 and 5 but seems to be a VERY slow process. Daily they were bringing in new comforters, pillows, lamps to rooms in section 4 etc. and refinishing furniture pieces and occasionally there was a new mattress. It seems NONE of the balcony doors lock. This was not a problem on the 3rd floor but I would be concerned on the 1st or 2nd floor. Rooms were clean and the maids we had were awesome! One or 2 dollars a day sometimes with a note, goes a long way to making sure you have exactly what you want in your room!
The rooms can be very damp from all the humidity. Keep your air conditioner on and bring a travel bottle of fabreze. Do not leave your clothes on the floor overnight they will be damp. keep your suitcase closed and hang what you what you can to keep air circulating around it. This may only be a problem if it rains a lot. It rained a lot...
Restaurants and Bars:
We ate at the Marlin, Roma and Tokio. Tokio was by far the best service and food. Marlin was second. Didn't like the lobster bisque though. Waaaaaaaaay to fishy! We were there at Christmas so we had 2 additional nights for which we had to make reservations on Christmas eve and Christmas day. They were 2 special buffets. You could make a reservation at any place you wished however it was the same buffet for all restaurants in the resort each night. We reserved the Alcazar Buffet Restaurant for Christmas eve. As we had 4 kids with us we figured this was the best way to go so all could eat what they liked. The Christmas eve buffet was far better than the Christmas day buffet.
Look for Hector in the Alcazar! He is so great! He had 2 others he seems to team with and they provide great service. We ate at this buffet quite a bit and he was always there to make your day!
We ate the buffet at the Alcazar and the Marlin. The Alcazar is open earlier until 10:30am and has much more selection then the Marlin but Most of us preferred the Marlin as it is outside. The chef in the hut beside the Marlin will make your eggs and omlettes to order. The Marlin breakfast buffet is open until noon. There is also a grilled sandwhich maker and soups available here during breakfast for those who ate really early and want luch at 11:00 or so.
We used the Marlin bar most of the time. The male bar tenders (there were 3 in particular but I cannot remember the names) are great. When the these guys went on break between 1 and 2 everyday there were 2 or 3 girls that took over. They did not know any of the drinks (such as strawberry daquiri???!!! which is on the sign there!)except water (agua)and beer (cerveza) other than that you never knew what you were going to get!
The cappucino at the lobby bars was a nice treat morning or evening! There are a couple at each lobby bar who make a really good cap!
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
The pools and grounds were very well kept!! Plenty of lounges available at the pool and the beach! Towels are constantly coming in so if there aren't any there will be soon! Just look for the little white van! Save some weight in your carry-on or suitcase-leave you towels at home!
The beach was super clean and the sand very very soft! You can walk for miles and miles and miles!
There is no drink service on the beach or around the pool. You have to get your own. We didn't care though it would have been nice at the pool!
We preferred the main pool by the Marlin as it had all the activity. The other pool was more quiet. The kids pool area was great with a lot of water slides, climber and waterfall palm tree.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
Not much going on a nite unless you like to blow a little money at the casino(which is small) or you are young enough to appreciate the disco. The nightly shows are not very spectacular but seems to be a different one each night. We weren't overly impressed.
The kids loved the trapeze. The weather was not that great while we were there (rained A LOT!!-apparently not normal for the area this time of year-lucky us) so the rock climbing was not open very often. Kids also loved the beach and all the gigantic waves and the boogie boards.
Some of us did the snorkelling trip from the beach at the resort. It is about 1.5 -2 hours in total and leaves 2 times per day from the beach. It was 35.00US per person. This was sufficient for the kids. The resort also has kayaking and a couple other water activities but as I said the weather was pretty bad while we were there and not all the activities were safe to do at the beach.
Aldo and the boys entertain you daily at the main pool by the Marlin restaurant. They keep you hopping with all sorts of activities from morning until early evening!
There are tennis courts and a basketball court. Our kids did not get there nor did we as our days had a lot of rain.
We would have done another excursion had the weather been better.
Other Comments:
Overall we found this resort to be comfortable, kid friendly and safe. Good for families not so much for singles and couples unless you like to enjoy your day and turn in early - like 10 or 11. The staff there was very good and tried to make sure your stay was enjoyable although language is a definite problem. Learn some spanish and your trip will be much more enjoyable. They seem to appreciate it when you try to talk to them in spanish.
Do not try to give a bar tender a big tip with a comment like "this is so you will remember me and what I like!" in an arrogant way as after you walk away they will laugh at you and then wash your money! Yes we saw this happen. That resort guest was unbelievable!
It is a very relaxed resort. If you like to be catered to do not come here. If you just want to get away and relax with the kids the Barcelo Punta Cana is perfect for that!
OH! I almost forgot! My friend ran out of US cash. The Transat rep at the resort told us we could get pesos from the ATM. She is canadian and has her check put in the bank (in canada) in canadian dollars and takes her pesos out at the ATM there. Make sure you have enough cash or travellers checks in US dollars! We were told by TD Bank our interac cards would work in the DR. They do not work at the resort ATM!! CIBC bank cards do not work either. The cashier at the resort said we would have to go to the bank in the town about a 1/2 hour from the resort to get pesos!! I am not sure if a credit card with a pin number would work in the machine BUT I wouldn't want to chance it! Nothing worse than not having enough cash to take part in some activities outside of the the Transat office where they will book activities with a credit card for you if you are on a Transat tour.
One final note. With Transat we were told when we went to our information meeting we did not have to pay the $20.00 U.S. departure tax to leave the country, it is now included in Transat's package price. Not sure if this is just Transat or all tour operators.
I am sure we will eventually go back to the Barcelo Punta Cana. The beach is beautiful!
Advice: Perfect for Families with young kids and/or teens, Older couples, older singles
Activities: The Marlin Buffet by the beach/main pool, piano lobby bar, Japanese Restaurant, Alcazar Buffet
Good for: Beach