Hello, Travel Bugs! Jhon and I recently spent a night at the Barceló Bávaro Beach resort — a much lesser-known adults-only escape compared to its famous sister property, the Barceló Bávaro Palace.
Here’s how our experience went.
The Barceló Bávaro Grand Resort complex houses two hotels: the Barceló Bávaro Beach and the Barceló Bávaro Palace.
To better understand this review, consider the Bávaro Beach as the adults-only section of the Bávaro Palace.
Arrival
We arrived at the hotel at noon. Our check-in was smooth and fast, but our room wasn’t ready since the official check-in time was 3:00 PM.
From experience, we knew it was best to make our dinner reservation as soon as possible, so we headed to Guest Services. There are only two specialty restaurants in this resort, and after checking out the menus, we chose Chez Gourmet, which serves international cuisine.
There was no availability for that night, but after using our Puss in Boots faces, Evelyn found a way to squeeze us in.
First Impressions & Lunch
Since it was lunchtime, we went to Caribe, one of the two buffet restaurants. Caribe is the larger of the two and the main buffet in the hotel.
The restaurant was nicely decorated and big, making it feel almost empty, especially compared to the super crowded buffet we experienced at the Bávaro Palace.
There were many food stations and a good variety of dishes. The food was tasty, the staff was friendly, and the view was gorgeous.
Killing Time Before the Room
After lunch and while we waited for our room to be ready, we played some pool, foosball, and ping pong in a little entertainment area in the lobby building.
We ordered drinks in the Mamey lobby bar next. Jhon’s Rum Punch with fresh watermelon was super tasty.
I did my Piña Colada taste test, and the Barceló Bávaro Beach got an A+.
Our Room
Ten minutes after 3 PM, we were assigned room 2040 in building 2.
The hotel is small and easy to walk, so we took our bags to the room ourselves. The exterior design of the room buildings is made to resemble wood and looks beautiful.
We booked a Superior room and paid $97 per person per night.
If you want a detailed room tour, please watch our Barceló Bávaro Beach tour video. In this post, we’ll limit our discussion to what we liked and didn’t like.
What caught our attention the most was that the room is dated regarding decoration, style, and furnishing.
However, it was not worn down; it was better maintained than rooms in newer hotels.
The space felt super clean and fresh. We loved its size and the complete separation of the bedroom and bathroom areas.
We liked the double vanities and the amount of counter space. The bathroom had a bathtub—some people like them, but we prefer a stand-in shower.
The air conditioner worked great, almost to a fault. We appreciated the bathrobes and slippers in the closet and the well-stocked minibar for this price point.
We were not fans of the rattan furniture but loved the comfortable beds and pillows.
Our favorite part was the view from the balcony—the best view we’ve had in an entry-level Punta Cana resort room.
Beach Time!
After leaving our belongings in the rooms, we went to the beach. The Barceló Bávaro Beach resort is on the gorgeous and world-famous Bávaro Beach.
The water was lovely, amazingly clear, and we could see the fish swimming with the naked eye. In addition, it was calm.
Mid-day, there was some seaweed but not Sargassum, which plagues the Caribbean in the summer months.
There were more than enough lounge chairs in the seating area—well-spaced and shaded by fully-grown palm trees, although there were no umbrellas or palapas.
The Pool
We then headed to the only pool in the resort. It’s big and has good depth.
Jhon is 5 feet and 6 inches tall, and the water was up to his neck in some areas, which is not usual in resorts.