We came back to DR for a quick 3 night trip away from home. We enjoyed our stay in Puerta Plata years ago and this time visited Punta Cana. We changed our reservation from one not so pleasant resort to Iberostar Grand Bavaro. This resort did not disappoint! Food was good, staff was wonderful, the room and grounds were beautiful!! We are especially grateful for our butler Alberto who made sure we were taken care of. He even arranged for an in room birthday surprise for my honey with a chocolate mousse cake and champagne. We only had one unpleasant staff encounter at LaPerla the evening we arrived but I will speak privately with management about that experience. Otherwise, I am EXTREMELY pleased with our experience and wish we could have stayed longer since it rained quite a bit during our two days at Iberostar. Unfortunately we had no time for the pool or beach due to the rains. I do hope to return some day.…
This all-inclusive hotel is great. Our all adult family travelled to the "Grand" Bavaro in Punta Cana and for our third trip, were not disappointed. Rooms were clean and there is enough space to keep everyone safe when moving about the hotel and wonderful restaurants on site. The hotel is prepared for pre-return COVID testing for the USA, and also have accommodations ready in case anyone ever does get COVID. Thankfully, and due to the safety measures in place, I'm sure, no one has needed them; but, what a great place to recover if it did happen. :) We had three rooms; but, the team saw that we were close enough to easily gather. Food, drinks, and rooms were good; only some minor maintenance issues that were addressed by the team quickly. I can never say enough about the incredible people who work there -- and is why we have been back to the same location 3 times! They are very friendly, professional, and caring. Going back is like going 'home' - back to family. A very special thanks to the following (and I'm sorry if I left off someone - there are just so many amazing people -- and that I spelled them properly). These special people helped make our experience with our own family truly wonderful! I can't wait to get away (come home again) and see you all. Food & beverage team: Marlon, Elizabeth, Ery, Anna, and Poche -- Entertainment team: Ruth and Armando -- Rooms/Concierge team: Isbac, Kelvin, Alberto and the housekeeping/turn-down team Thank you all.…
My wife and I have stayed at the Iberostar Grand Bavaro multiple times over the years. We consider it our happy place for vacations. In March 2021 we visited it again. We had trepidations on what to expect with the COVID restrictions. We quickly overcame any nervousness. The property was incredible as usual - clean, bright and inviting. It is like being in paradise. The service was at its best. Our butler, Caesar was fantastic. The drawn bath after breakfast on our departing day was above and beyond. The servers for dining were as great as ever. Ortiz and the gang were outstanding. The sea bass prepared by using rock salt was so spectacular we had to call out the chef and give our gratitude. A special call out for Ruthie. She made sure we were aware of all the entertainment. Her pleasant smile is so welcoming for all guests. Getting me to dance takes a special person like Ruthie. The daily room preparation was excellent. The service at the pool and the beach were first-rate as usual. The bottle of champagne on the beach at dusk was a special touch. The Grand has found a way to comply with all COVID recommendations, yet make you feel comfortable with any health concerns. Even the airport was compliant and made us feel comfortable. I strongly recommend you consider the Grand to find your happy place.…
This trip was the perfect escape. The resort was everything you could imagine and more. But what really made this trip so special and made me fall in love with the place were the PEOPLE who worked there! Being surrounded by genuinely happy and positive people who did everything to make you feel comfortable and cared for made the biggest different for me, especially after such a hard year of loss and uncertainty. The Star Friends team, especially ARMANDO and RUTH brought so much joy and energy through the daily activities and the wait staff during the meals IRI, SANTOS, and WILFREDO made my day with their smiles. I truly can't say enough about how amazing these individuals are, they really touched my heart with the energy they brought to the resort. I really hope the hotel leadership shares this review with them because they are the heart and soul of this place! Additional details about the resort: Straight access to the beach with the best cabanas and sun chairs on the whole beach strip (we walked along the beach and the other hotel beach areas were nothing compared to Grand Bavaro) we felt very lucky! Pools were amazing and there was so much room for everyone, no need to go searching for an open chair or cabana. Everything was spotless and housekeeping came twice a day to clean the room. Breakfast was awesome and dinners were exceptional! We can't wait to come back!…
We arrived for an 8 day stay at the end of March 2021. COVID restrictions were still in place, but were lifting. For example, dinner buffet was only open the last 2 nights of our stay and the spa/fitness area opened as well. Those same 2 nights the resort went from about 25% occupancy for our first 5 night to about 50% for the Easter weekend. Having that few people made it amazing. The staff would serve you at all stations in the breakfast, lunch, and dinner buffet. It was encouraged that you wear a mask in the common areas indoors, but not required anywhere. This was our 3rd stay at an Iberostar Grand with the first being Rose Hall in Jamaica about 8 years ago and Paraiso in Mexico, 4 years ago. While all 3 are well worth the stay and money, I would say we enjoyed Rose Hall and Paraiso over Bavaro. We would definitely come back though. A few differences that lower it in our eyes is that the buffet's are more on par with the Selection resorts at the other 2 compounds, the rooms are much smaller, and there is a language barrier that some times gets in the way. While we agree that we do not expect all staff to understand English completely, compared to Paraiso it was a little harder to have ourselves understood. One area where Bavaro stood out from Paraiso and Rose Hall was the attentiveness from the staff. Staling and Danilo were our butlers and they were phenomenal. We had to seek out our Butlers at the other 2 resorts. These 2 went above and beyond to find you at least once a day, usually as you were going to breakfast and see what you needed. It was great and very unobtrusive. Everything we needed, we received, and then some. Others worth mentioning are Ruth from the Star Friends. She made all the activities fun and we very inviting. My wife enjoyed the Salsa lesson at the show after dinner as well. Ery at the pool bar was the most fun and attentive we have ever had. From the drinks to the attitude, it was all top notch. Our Conceirge, started with an I... can't remember at this moment was very attentive too. Just a hint, though, they get a kick back for having you listen to the companies time share message, but you can just say no. All in all the people made this a great trip. Food was just top notch for an all-inclusive. Of course this is not going to be your 4 star Michelin rated dining experience, but the food is right up there with most good restaurants in the States. I read about people complain the Buffet recycles dishes from the the theme restaurants, but is absurd. It's hard enough to keep rotating the menu at a buffet every night and to throw in 5 A La Carte restaurants as well, of course there will be overlap at times. The Buffet at breakfast, lunch, and dinner was very good, however I would say a step below Rose Hall and Paraiso. We dined at the Japanese, Surf & Turf, Italian, and Mediterranean . Japanese has a set menu, due to COVID, but was delicious. Definitely on par with any good Japanese restaurant. Surf & Turf had some very god offerings. I had the ribeye and my wife had the New York strip. The ribeye was a bit tough, the strip was fine, but we heard the filet was the best, which we should have ordered. This was confirmed when I ordered the Beef Steak at the Italian and it was exceptional. The soups were great as well as the sardo bread. We enjoyed the Italian immensely, but people need to realize this is not American Italian. Mediterranean was our favorite as we enjoy see food and ended up dining there twice. We ordered the Sea Bass twice, it was that good. Drinks, while good, were a bit lacking in the favor department. I am not sure why, but the only we had that cut the mustard was the Dirty Monkey. It didn't matter where we got it on the property, things like a Margarita, Pina Colada, Daiquiri, Mojito, etc... didn't have the same favor profile. Not bad, just different. Beach was awesome. Rooms very clean. Go if you can!!…
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim Your Listing