My friend and I stayed here 5/1/06 - 5/10/06. It was my second time in Punta Cana and her first.

ROOMS: The room was extremely clean. Our maid did not speak any English, but we tipped her $20 on the first night and $5 the last night (along with the rest of our travel size toiletries) and our mini bar was fully stocked every day and we always had all the towels we needed. I was "sick" the first night from too much alcohol and tried to clean it up as much as I could. I did not receive a new comforter or skirt for three days, but the room wasn't cold so it was OK. I LOVED the safe and the fact that you can set your own code, instead of having to carry a stupid key around all day.

FOOD: The food was better here then at the last place I stayed. The Restaurants were Ok except the Steakhouse. It was greasy and fatty and both my friend and I were sick the next day. The buffet at the pool was hit or miss depending on the time of day. I would recommend eating cooked food more than the cold stuff.

ANIMALS: There are flamingos, ducks, swans and peacocks everywhere which is fine except that the peacocks are VERY LOUD VERY EARLY in the morning. So you may want to bring ear pluggs or something if you are a light sleeper.

STAFF: We did not participate in much of the activities so we didn't get to know the activity staff. We had a few incidences/comments with them that were not appreciated. Much of the wait staff did not speak much English. I liked it because it gave me an opportunity to learn the language, but my friend would get frustrated at times. They are very friendly and flirtatious, and always tried to communicate in some way.

NIGHT LIFE: Practically non existent. There is a show every night that ends around 11ish. We only enjoyed one show the whole time we were there. Most of the shows (except for the dance/festival ones) were very sexual in nature and/or extremely cheesy. There is a Disco that opens at 11 until 3. We went one night and it actually was not that bad. They have a different theme night each night. There is also a sports bar with pool tables and TV's that show American sports - but it was dead every time we went there.

EXCURSIONS: We went on the Kontiki party boat trip and the catamaran (Sonora) trip. We were told by our representative that the Kontiki trip is one of the best ones. That there are usually 90-100 people on the party boat. We only had 20 people. The snorkeling was “OK” – I’ve had better. The staff was very friendly and I did have an OK time, but again it was all couples and we expected more. The Sonora trip was awesome. We took a bus through the small town and got to see how the locals live then took a catamaran to a secluded island that had the bluest water I’ve ever seen. Had lunch, swam, layed on the beach, then took a speed boat back to the main land.

TRAVELERS: This place is mainly couples and Families. We did not meet any single people so if you are looking to meet anyone on this trip, it probably will not happen

5/5-5/12. Most comments I've read are right on the money--even the negative ones, so I won't repeat them. But all in all, it was a lovely time. I hear the newer resorts are offering butlers now. That's a bit much. I like to relax on vacation. The Bavaro offered everything necessary to have a first class week away. The only two negatives about the whole trip were 1) the bus ride from the airport and 2) the majority of the rooms are very far from the beach. When you leave your room in the morning, chances are you won't see it again til the end of the day. From what I saw, that is the way all the resorts are. (I forgot the bad stuff the second day I was there) And definitely, bring a clock and a night light.

One misconception I had was that the road to the hotels was a beach road. I had Cancun in mind. I thought I'd get to see the other resorts but that was not the case. You won't even see the ocean until you get to your hotel.

They started total renovation on several buildings near the pool last Monday, 5/8. This may be one time to ask for a room away from the beach because it is very noisy. The men worked from 7:30 til dark each day breaking floor tiles, removing windows and doors, etc.

For those who complained about not getting a palapa on the beach, there are hundreds of them. As we walked the beach to other resorts, I saw that they didn't offer any any all. They is always a strong breeze to keep you cool so you have to watch out for the sun. We went through a whole bottle of 45 and still got a few burns. The forecast 60% rain every day but we had 1/2 rain only one day out of 7. It was welcomed in a way.

It's a good, relaxing vacation. I found the food was far better than I was expecting and Presidente beer wasn't half bad either.

P.S. Peacocks DO FLY. They perch up in the trees at dusk. Scared me to death the first time I heard a rustling and looked up!! They also screech like cats. Very noisy.

Hi,
My husband and I stayed at the Iberostar Bavaro from 4/27-5/2 2006. We went there for a wedding/vacation. All in all the rooms were very nice, the mini bar was nicely stocked and we did have a remote. There were no problems with the room and we had a guard outside our room that we became quite fond of. I have to agree with the person who said that the maid did not leave you washcloths if you did not leave a tip. That happened to us twice and one of the days we requested that the room not be cleaned. The grounds and pool area were very nice and extremely clean. I would say that the pool was good, but not great compared to where I stayed in Aruba and some other places. The steak restaruant was good as was the Mediterranean, and French gourmet restaraunt. The Japanese got good reviews here on trip advisor but my husband's sushi was warm and my food got cold minutes after it arrived. I personally did not see any top shelf or brand name alcohol, eventhough it was requested and I was with a party of 40 plus people. The buffets were not bad, but you should be mindful of the food at the poolside bar and make sure there are no flies around as the food is partially in the open. The level of service is also not the same as what you receive in the U.S., but the people were pretty friendly. For example, in dining with a party of 10 or more, your food may not come out at the same time as everyone elses. Also you may have to request something more than once in order to receive it. Also,gentlemen, please LONG PANTS are required for the speciality restaraunts.

My husband & I just returned from 8 days at the Bavaro(4/28-5/5). To me it's all about the beach. We went to breakfast at 7am each morning. We fed bread to the fish in the water at the restaurant & watched the turtle float around as we pigged out on fresh fruit, eggs, pastries , bacon, OJ, Smoothies(tell them no ice, no sugar..gather fruit & glass of OJ) to blend. Excellent! Then we went to the beach, scoped out a spot near the bar. We walked for 2 hours every day. You can walk in either direction for as long as you want. Just beautiful. Then we swam, snorkeled & read until 4:30. The snorkelling was great right off the beach. we saw hundreds of blue cobalt fish, yellow tuna and tons of other fish. We went to the pool buffet for lunch everyday. They had a band playing. They have salads, hot dogs, burgers, chicken, pork chops, frnch fries, onion rings. They had something special like rib eye steak one day. You can find something you like. We went back to the room at 4:30 each day to get ready for dinner. Our room was fabulous! A suite with a sitting area, balcony, stocked mini-bar and very comfortable king size bed. We had requested a king size bed & 2nd floor which we got. Wednesday night is lobster night at the buffet. (Carribean lobster). You can eat as many as you like. I sucked down 4 & was stuffed. After dinner we hung at the bar to watch the show. The kids do a show which is cute and then they do funny audience participation gig before the band, singers & dancing begin. One night they had 6 women from different countries up on stage. They were told to run into the audience & gather as many shoes, shirts, pants & bras from the audience. After they count the garments which were gathered, they hold up the shirts for the people to come up & get them back. When the host held up the last pair of pants, a woman came to get them. The host said these are not yours, your husband must come retrieve them. After bantering a couple of minutes, the woman stated that her husband had no underwear on! Well they brought him two pillows to hold in the strategic places. He went on stage to gather his pants. It was hilarious!!! Then they had the nightly show which lasts until 11pm.. It was alot of fun. We didn't make the disco as we were beat from the daily activities. But we did last time we were here 2 years ago. It's worth checking out because the disco is actually a plane. We did 3 specialty restaurants. The Japanese was disappointing unless you like steak well done. The Jambalaya was ok. The appertizers were great but the Rib Eye was fatty. They gave me tons so I did get a meal out of it. But the El Dorata was fabulous!( Seafood Restaurant). The staff there made you feel welcome & special. The appetizers were WONDERFUL. They had shrimp and veal medallions (use the red sauce-it looks like Campbell soup but it complimented the veal. The chef there was the best. The food & atmosphere was terrific. Again the El Dorato---don't miss it. The other specialty restaurants could learn lessons from the crew at the ElDorato. If you want gourmet dining this is not the place for you. But if you want decent food in a fabulous setting, this is the vacation of your dreams. The grounds are awesome with Hibiscus hedges & flowers everywhere. There are pink flamingos & peacocks strutting about. The peacocks can be noisy if they are outside your door but just a beautiful resort. The shacks on the beaches are overpriced. Please check out the stores in the resort before you haggle with the beach shacks. They will screw you big time if you don't know the prices of things. We brought a couple of hundred in ones to tip all week. We tipped the bar guys everytime they brought us a drink. You don't have to but we have been so many times that is all we spent out money on. We have bought all the usual crapola. Also my husband turned half the bar on to Mamujana. Try this if you like rum. It is rum, honey, spices,etc. On the trip home we spoke to a couple who bought the Mamujana at the store & made it. They didn't realize it was at the bar because it was not on the bar menu. we had a fabulous time & you will too unless you are anal. The beach & grounds are gorgeous. You can participate in archery, dance lessons & all kinds of activities or stay on the sidelines & laugh at the characters. The people watching is great. My husband & I are big blondes so they though we were Germans & we kept saying no US. There are people from France, Canada, Holland, Germany. We met tons of characters from Pa. One couple was passed out on the lawn one night. You can get carried away with the drinking so pace yourself. Always ask for the primo booze or you get Normandy. Stoli spicy bloody Mary's with extra limes were great for early in the day. Again to me it's all about the beach and it was the BEST! Go enjoy...you will have a great time & meet all kinds of charcters! we did.