Reviews of Gran Bahia Principe Bavaro Hotel, Playa Bavaro, Dominican Republic

BOOKED WITH SUNMASTER WHO WERE...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2008

Tour Operator:

SUNMASTER

Submitted By:

Mr J SALT

Comments:

BOOKED WITH SUNMASTER WHO WERE GREAT. DONT EXPECT THEM TO BE LIKE A THOMAS COOK BECAUSE THEY ARENT. THEY ARE LIKE A HOLIDAY BROKER.

I TOLD THEM THE HOTEL I WANTED AFTER DOING A BIT OF RESEARCH, AND THEN LEFT THE REST TO THEM. THEY CAME BACK WITH THE BEST PRICE AND I BOOKED AND PAID STRAIGHT AWAY. I WILL USE SUNMASTER AGAIN NO PROBLEM.



FLIGHTS ON THOMSON/FIRST CHOICE TO CARIBBEAN ARE GREAT WITH LOADS OF LEGROOM.



BAHIA PRINCIPE PUNTA CANA IS AMAZING. FOOD IS STUNNING WITH SO MUCH CHOICE ITS UNBELIEVABLE. FOOD AVAILABLE ALL DAY IN SEVERAL PLACES. 6 A LA CARTE RESTAURANTS, BEACH BARS, BEACH CAFE. FABULOUS BEACH, STAFF WERE REALLY NICE AND THERE WAS LOTS TO DO. WE TOOK KIDS TO A DIFFERENT SHOW EVERY NIGHT(AGE 3 AND 5), AND IN POOLS/ BEACH AND KIDS AREA EVERY DAY.



OTHER TIMES WE WOULD JUST SWIM UP TO THE POOL BAR(5 POOLS ALL WITH SWIM UP BARS) AND GET LASHED WITH RUM AND COKE.



EVEN MINI BAR IN ROOM WAS ALL INCLUDED.



ROOMS WERE GREAT, WITH A/C, CABLE TV, AND ALL WITH A JACUZZI BATH.



WE ARE GOING BACK NEXT YEAR AND I CANT WAIT.



DOWNSIDE......I CANT REALLY THINK OF ONE.....JUST FINGERS CROSSED THAT THE HURRICANES MISS YOU

Hotel complex very clean...

Overall Rating:

7/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

May 2008

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Mrs J Tunstall

Comments:

Hotel complex very clean spacious room well furnished. grounds swimming pools public building beautifull.fantastic beach with sunbeds and thatched sunshades.mosquitos are a big problem.water sports available very good.sea good for swimming.daytime entertainment program average,evening shows very good weekly program, organist in lobby bar every night ok to start with, but got a bit boring as the holiday went on outdoor entertainment starts 11.00pm ok as long as it doesnt rain. disco opens 12.00 does not play much european music.food at this hotel complex there is plenty of choice its just a pity that they dont cook the meat well enough a lot of it was either raw or very undercooked also a lot of the food was not very warm.travelled with first choice airways aircraft flew on time cabin crew where exellant nice aircraft seat pitch good food good

I have never commented on a...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2008

Tour Operator:

Airtours

Submitted By:

Mrs M HUMPHREYS

Comments:

I have never commented on a hotel this way before but I would like some advice. We are booked to go to the Gran Bahia Principe Bavaro in August. Our Party of 8 (incudes 4 children and 1 infant), hense my concern. We have received correspondence from Thomas Cook stating that they are making improvements to the hotel in the form of building new accomodation and that work is a various stages from ground being prepared to some blocks having their shell in place. The resort has had such fabulous reviews, hense why we booked it!, and therefore I was wondering if anyone can shed some light on how this may effect our holiday. Is there any cause for concern? I would appreciate any comments you can give us. Its better to know from someone seeing it first hand. I have not seeing any comments regarding this building work so cant read any comments.



Any info would be grateful.

Myself, my partner, and 6 others...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

May 2008

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Miss C Rimmer

Comments:

Myself, my partner, and 6 others including a 7 year old and 18 month old baby stayed here in May! I would definatly recommend this hotel to everyone... the rooms were cleaned daily, towels changed daily, mini bar filled daily, the staff are very friendly, the food was brilliant, the restaurants were good, although the only downside was the service in the restaurants.... had to wait about 15 minutes for drinks, but hey not the end of the world! there was entertainment on the beach which is hillarious! all kinds of water sports, the beach is gorgeous....never seen anything like it! and i would stongly recommend going on the Saona island excursion, a catamaran takes you out to ther

island, and believe it or not, the beach and sea is even nicer than the one outside the hotel!!! the entertainment at night was fab......especially the michael jackson tribute! the weather was absolutely boiling!!!! although it did rain a few times but stopped after about 20 mins and had dried up within about 5 mins!!!!! if anyone complains about this hotel...they are seriously too picky!!!!!!!

get it booked!!!!!!!!! :-)

If you don't mind waiting 20 to...

Overall Rating:

5/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2007

Tour Operator:

GOGO

Submitted By:

Mrs C Peranto

Comments:

If you don't mind waiting 20 to 30 minutes every time you ask for a drink, this is the place to be.

We were very disappointed with the way the bar tenders would not even acknowledge us sitting there waiting for drinks.



Once we did order our drinks it would take another 10 minutes to get them. The food was mediocre at best. There was no Dominican food at all.



The rooms were clean and housekeeping was great. The hotel itself is nice it was just the bad service we are very unhappy with.

Me and my partner stayed for 2...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

Miss Z Hobday

Comments:

Me and my partner stayed for 2 weeks and thought this hotel was amazing!



I was really pleased with the room, it was so spacious and very clean, and the maid came in every day and made sure the mini bar was re-stocked daily.



The hotel complex is really big and well maintained, the restaurants were fantastic. The buffet did get a bit boring towards the end of our holiday but there is quite a wide range of foods (being my first all inclusive I didn’t know what to expect).



There’s not really a lot of entertainment but I think holidays to the Caribbean are just for relaxing anyway! Don't go if you want nightlife! And all of the staff and tourists speak Spanish, don’t expect many to speak English.



Overall I thought it was a great holiday and would recommend it to anyone thinking of going to the Dominican Republic.

The Bahia is a five star hotel...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2007

Tour Operator:

Airtours

Submitted By:

Miss L Goring

Comments:

The Bahia is a five star hotel and you can be assured your every need will be catered for.



There are eight al a carte restaurants, 4 pools, the best hotel beach I have ever seen, and a number of activities you can partake in during the day.



The service to top quality and the staff go out of their way to help and make your holiday the best.



We have stayed at 3 different Bahia Principle's: the other also in the Dominican Republic and one in Mexico. There really is no other hotel in the Caribbean that comes close to the Bahia Principle.

We travelled with a 9 month old...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Mar 2006

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Mrs Lisa Goodwin

Comments:

We travelled with a 9 month old baby and a 4 year old. We had a great time, very relaxing but plenty to do if we wanted.



The beach was fantastic; we all spent a long time in the lovely warm sea, even the baby!



Had problems with mosquito bites at first, but got moved from our ground floor room to a top floor one and the problem was solved - so beware ground floor rooms, especially the inner ones were full of the little mites, no amount of mosquito nets or repellents helped.



They particularly enjoyed feasting on babies too as several families would agree with me I’m sure.



Food was good; the Japanese restaurant sticks out in my mind as being particularly entertaining.



I also had a birthday there with a full rendition from ALL of the staff in the Italian restaurant complete with cake!



Got a bit of cabin fever midway through the holiday as we are used to exploring a bit, but it really wasn't the kind of place you could do that.



We got a taxi to a nearby shopping centre and it was a big waste of time, the locals are out to rip off the tourist’s big time.



I ended up paying $10 for sunglasses I wouldn't have paid half that for at home and that was after bartering down from $70!!



All in all, a good holiday, although very resort based.

We got a bargain break of the...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2006

Tour Operator:

Holidaysdirect

Submitted By:

Miss J Howse

Comments:

We got a bargain break of the net and checked it out in a first choice brochure - the descriptions were all pretty accurate.



The hotel is split into two - Punta Cana and Bavaro. Bavaro is seemingly reserved for Spanish-Americans who rule the roost here. Their kids are LOUD.



The room was lovely with air-con, jacuzzi and flowers on the bed most days. The maid was a gem and kept us stocked up with water etc. The beach was beautiful and there were lots of parasols (get up early if you want a place by the pool - you can have breakfast at the Mexican Restaurant!).



However, staff were disinterested and gave poor service despite the fact we were ready and willing to tip. Perhaps because we didn’t speak Spanish? The food in the big buffet hall was rubbish at times - We also both got raging bad stomachs and sickness and 6 months later sometimes still get the odd flashback. Although the Italian and French restaurants were fab.



It was a total bargain but as an active person I was bored stupid after being cooped up for 14 days in the same pathways, restaurants and rude staff so personally wouldn’t go again, but if beach holidays are your thing you won’t find much better so long as you take some Imodium!

The Bahia Principe resort in San...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2006

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Mrs S Webster

Comments:

The Bahia Principe resort in San Juan was amazing. Very clean and tidy. The staff could not do enough for you. They were always happy to help and always smiling.



We was booked in on the coach on the way to the hotel so on arrival there was no fighting over the queue in reception we just got our bearings and made our way to our room where our luggage arrived very shortly afterwards.



We were also met of the bus by the entertainment crew singing and dancing and a refreshing cocktail. Our room was very spacious. The king size bed could have slept 3-4 adults very comfortably and our teenage children had the room next door with 3 single beds so no fights over sharing beds.



The food was wonderful I really cannot fault the place and would definitely go back. I think the only thing that let it down for me was that I was bitten in bed and around the pool. I did not take enough insect repellent with me and could not find any out there. But if you go prepared then you will have a fantastic holiday.



The flight on the way there was very cramped so we upgraded on the way home. Worth every penny and would highly recommend it. it was only £200 per person for the return or £100 one way.

This resort is absolutely...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2006

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Miss E Reed

Comments:

This resort is absolutely fantastic! We arrived in the airport and our First Choice rep was very helpful. We checked in on the bus to the resort which saved us loads of time when we got there.



The rooms are amazing, everything is perfect. Every room in this resort has a Jacuzzi bath which was fab! The cost was very reasonable to say this resort was 5*.



They are constantly cleaning the grounds and the gardens are lush and green. The rooms were cleaned every single day and the maids were really friendly.



There are little buses that take you up and down the resort as it is that big! The beach was lovely but you had to get there early to get a sun bed in the shade. The only down side was the pool nearest to us was closed for maintenance which meant we had to fight to get in the other pool closest to it, this pool was for 'Diamond' customers only. However, this was resolved and we were allowed to use it.



The main pool next to the beach, is by far the best. Everything you needed was there, including the vast range of food available throughout the day. The food was fantastic, they cater for every taste. There are 2 snack bars next to the pool by the beach.



The food in the main dining room was really nice, every morning and night you could choose what you liked cooking in front of you as well as a huge choice of everything you can imagine!



There are several different restaurants that you book in advance. We personally, thought the Japanese one was the best and would definitely recommend it. The steak house was really nice too.



The only down side to our holiday was we were struck down with bad stomachs which we only assume was down to one of the pools. There were a lot of people with the same problem and it did spoil part of our holiday as we couldn't really leave the room for a few days. Myself and my partner came back on the 19th July and we still have very nasty stomachs. I would recommend you take plenty of Imodium’s!



All in all, the place is fantastic! I would recommend this resort to anyone.

Its a really spacious complex....

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2005

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Mr L M Worley

Comments:

Its a really spacious complex. The staff are so polite, they seem to want to do everything for you. The swimming pools are an excellent size. The beach is perfect white sand. There are lots of Spanish holiday makers here so a few Spanish phrases can be very helpful.



Massive variety of food. The complex has its own doctor and apparently the Bahia Principe owns the hospital which is a 10 minute drive away. We were in the hospital for 2 nights for a tummy bug. They really know how to take care of you here, its not like any hospital I’ve ever been to, we had our own private room with sky tv,3 course meals, drinks, and the nurses are very quick to help.



Lots of entertainment but also lots of room on this complex so that you can have a quiet holiday too.



This place really helps you wind down and switch off. Most of all, you are really taken care of here, its a very special place.

This was our third holiday at...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2003

Tour Operator:

Airtours

Submitted By:

Mr G Bullock

Comments:

This was our third holiday at this hotel and we have booked for July 2004. From taking a sailing lesson on a catamaran to chilling out by one of the four pools. Taking part in the games during the day and watching the brilliant shows at night (the playback show is SUPERB!!!!!!) The staff are the friendliest people you could ever wish to meet, from Eddie serving morning coffee in La Brisca, Marcelino serving drinks in the casino, and the entertainment crew including Antonio, Ivan and Spaghetti, even our maid Lionasa who gave us a statue as a gift at the end of our stay. The best three holidays I have ever had, and looking forward to July for 3 Weeks ;-)


My only complaint would be BRING BACK GREYME!!!!!!!!!! He was the king of the karaoke bar (you may remember him as Tom Criuse from England)

My official rating is 100/10