I stayed at the Ocean Bavaro Spa and Beach Resort in Punta Cana from April 22 -May 06/2007. My fiance and 18 month old son were with me and we had 14 other family memebers and friends joining us from April 29 -May 6 for our wedding at this hotel. First off I would like to say to all soon to be brides.....Beware!!!!! This is not a wedding hotel and they are not going to give you what you want or expect from a wedding resort. I arrived one week prior to our guests so we could relax and take in all of our surrondings. I spent most of my first week there crying and upset by the resort and the staff's rudeness. I could not beleive that we had chosen this hotel for one of the biggest moment of our lives. We arrived at the hotel in the late morning knowing that we would not be able to check into our hotel for many hours.....3 pm. This was fine with us and not a problem but as soon as we got to the front desk the clerk there gave us a room I was very happy with this! When we arrived at the room in Block 100 I was shocked and mortified. It was a dingy little tropical room nothing like the pictures that they have posted in the brochures. None of the doors locked in the room and it smelled awful like smoke and dampness. I went back to the desk and told them that it was unacceptable and that I paid too much money to stay there for 2 weeks! He told me that we would have to wait to be moved to another room. I was fine with that and spent some time walking around the hotel. When we went back 2 hours later we did get another room and were equally mortified with this room in Block 3. As soon as we walked into the room there were cockroahes dead on the floor next to the bed. We walked back to the front desk right away and demanded another room. I had a baby that had to sleep in there! I know that it is the tropics and that bugs are a part of life there but at a so called 4 star resort they should spray and clean the rooms properly to lessen this problem. We were met with so much hostility when we asked for another room. The hotels clerks suddenly did not speak english and avoided us all togther. Finally I spoke to some other guests at the hotel and found out that these rooms were the older ones at the hotel and that the best rooms were in Buildings 5 and 6. I asked for a room there. 6 hours after arriving at this hotel we were brought to our room that was newer and clean but still not of 4 star quality. We had a very cranky and upset baby on our hands and were very tired also. It rained so much that night that our room flooded because the buildings have no drainage in the halls to prevent the water from coming into the rooms. We asked the hotel staff for the crib that we had requested 3 months prior and were told the 8 times that we asked for it throughout the night that it would be there in a few minutes. My baby son slept with us that night beacuse they never brought the crib and we were too tired to ask anymore. We awoke the next day to a wet room and an even more upset baby. I wanted to leave and never come back to this place. I called our Air Canada representitive right away to come to the hotel and deal with these issues for us. As sson as I told her what had happened to us she was so upset and told us not to worry that she would deal with it for us. By 12 that day we had a crib in our room, a flower on our pillow and a apology fruit basket with rum. I was satisfied and felt a little better that we would sleep that night. Guess again!! It should be known that this hotel is not just for out of town guests. Every weekend the local people can stay for a price and they show up with bags and family for the weekend. When this happens all hell breaks loose. >From Friday to Sunday afternoon if you do not speak Spanish than you are ignored. The hotels hallaways are full of teenages and kids that are partying and running around until 3 or 4 am. We complained to the hotel security and were met with hostility. You are the outsider at this point. I was so unhappy and to be honest a little nervous. I was dreading my guests showing up in a weeks time to this . They had paid thousands of dollars to see us get married here and this was what they were going to get in return.

Our week went on with the good and bad but by day 3 we were so happy to be in the sun that we just dealt with everything else in a stride. What could we do....we had to make the best out of a bad situation. Remember I said that I was getting married here? Well by day five I was so nervous because I could not locate the wedding coordinatior anywhere on the hotel grounds. No one knew where she was. I once again called my air canada rep and she had to go and find this woman herself. She was so sad for us because she said that this was not a wedding resort and that they hardly have any weddings here and that they had a hard time dealing with them. Finally the wedding coordinator approched me and told me not to be silly !!!! Well I was so mad. How dare she say this to me, I was the bride and nervous and bringing all these guests to this hotel. I was less than impressed by her attitude. We met with her the next day to find out that we had to pay another 700 US for flowers champange and the minister for our wedding. We had already paid for our documents before we left Canada!! Free weddings.....I think not!

My guests arrived and acted satisfied with everything but were surprised that this hotel was rated a 4 star. It was a 3 star at best. Our wedding day was May 2.and it was scheduled for 12 noon. That day I heard nothing from the hotel wedding coordinator and I stayed with my wedding party getting ready for the day. 12:00 came and went and still nobody came to get me. I had no way to contact anyone beacause everyone was outside at the wedding spot waiting for me. By 1:00 I sent a friend to find my flowers and wedding coordinator. She finally came to my rrom at 1:30 with the wrong flowers and no corsage for my mom. I was so done with it all by this point that I told her to give my mom a fake one to wear and I accepted what she had for me. By 2:00 I was heading to the wedding spot to get married. My ceremony was beautiful. My cousin sang for us and all of our friends and family were there. The love we feel for each other and them was what made the moment beautiful.......not the resort or staff!! Our ceremony lasted 15 minutes and then we drank champange for another 10 -20 minutes and I noticed that the staff were standing around looking at us like they were waiting for something. My cousin asked if there was a problem and she was told that they wanted to know if we were finished because they needed the decorations for another wedding in 15 minutes..........hahahahahaha. This was just perfect!!! The 2 weeks I was there I did not see one wedding take place but they had 2 on this day. I was so happy and relaxed at this point that I obliged and left the gazebo where we were married and headed to another area so the other bride could have decorations for her big day too.

We made our wedding perfect the hotel watched while we did it. They did nothing to add to the event. So you see this was not a great resort for this kind of event. I would not reccomend this resort to anyone. All of our guests left saying that it was a beautiful wedding but that they would never return to the Domincan again. The staff at this resort are angry and disgruntled. I had 2 people yelled at by a bartender because they wanted pineapple juice and he told them that they were standing in the wrong spot to be served!!!

This was not a kid friendly resort at all. There are no events for them.

The spa that they have at the resort is beautiful and as part or our wedding package we had a free day there. Well this was 4 star maybe even 5 star. If they cared as much about the rest of the hotel than I would not be complaining. The day at the spa was amazing and a highlight to my trip. The food at this hotel was plentiful and very good. Nobody had any problems with the water or icecubes at this hotel. There are no faceclothes so you have to bing your own. The cleaning staff work very hard and deserve little treats. We brought plenty of candy and trinkets to hand out to them on a daily basis. Bring lots of small american bills to tip. These workers make very little so tip when you can. If you are looking for a simple resort with little to do or see than enjoy!! I had the pleasure to see a few other resorts while I was there and I was even more upset by what we had chosen. I read so many bad reviews about this resort before I came but I chose to chance it and I thought maybe people were expecting too much. I just wanted some respect and good service for my money. I felt like I should have doing the serving most of the time I was there!!!

In the end this is a 3 star not a 4 star like Air Canada has listed. I would never go back to this resort and I have my doubts that I will travel to the Domincan again. I loved my wedding for reasons that have nothing to do with the hotel or the location. I regret having paid so much money for so little when I could have gotten so much better elsewhere. The weather was beautiful and the ocean amazing. I found the Domincan to be dull and there was a feeling of resentment towards tourists.

My daughter (24 years old for daughter, 43 years old for me)

First I'd love to say that the Ocean Bavaro experience was good. What I didn't appreciate is the fact that the men that work at the resort were so in love with my daughter it was embarrassing!

If I hear how beautiful my daughter is again I'll barf!

It was very distracting. Everyone asked me, everytime I was alone "Where is Chandah?"

It got old very quickly

Ok, don't go for the trip to Ocean Blue unless you are agreeable to buying a vacation club for $10,000. They say that you get lunch but only if you buy a membership. What a bunch of crap! They don't even feed you unless you buy the membership. Ocean Blue is a very beautiful place, but it's a sales pitch and they don't take care of you unless you are agreeable for their vacation club...stay away from that..it's a bunch of crap.

Ok, Ocean Bavaro is a great resort. We were in block 100. We don't speak Spanish but we still had a great time there. Our room was good...but my daughter's bed had a slope in it. She never slept under the sheets because of that and we didn't complain because the rest of the room was good.

I got tired of the men there telling her that she was so beautiful and wanting to take her to outside discos. I hear that the discos are pick up places for hookers or folks who rent women by the hour. I wasn't gonna let my girl go outside the resort with the locals. It was very annoying how the men were looking to take my daughter out to the disco or date her (generally). I hope that readers don't think me bitter...but it got really boring how the men there kept looking at my kid like she was a freakin meal!

Ok, we were black women at a normally white resort but dang...give us a break. I will not return to the Ocean Bavaro resort. Ok, the food at the buffet was good, the Japanese appetizers was excellent, the entree was Chinese fried rice with beef, chicken, and shrimp...not Japanese at all but I can understand why folks thought it was tasty.

The seafood thingie was intriguing...but not good..you get better at Red Lobster...the lobster was overcooked.

The beach could have been good if it wasn't so windy...you get sand blown into your face. The animation team only worked for an hour...sometimes at 10...sometimes later.

Look, I am 43 and I'd much rather lay by the pool and go to the swim up bar after 3pm. I didn't appreciate that folks bring their children to the resort. I like to have a vacation sans little children. I will make sure that my next adult trip will be with an adults only resort. Actually, when we were leaving on 4/28, there were more people checking in with babies.

I also didn't like the fact that there were women there who bared their breasts....ewwwwwwwwwwwww

I really don't want to see them.

As far as the rooms...we had a great room in block 100. Room 10107 was great. We didn't have a musty room. We had a great shower. The maid gave us diet pepsi on the second day. We didn't have wash cloths but we brought our own. Our room looked out onto a great lawn and the back end of the entrance. We could get out of the shower in just towels and get dressed in privacy...if the guards saw us nekkid...so what!

The only thing that was bad was trying to get to one of the breakfast buffets by 10....no sleeping late which is what vacation is all about. I had to wake my kid up every morning in order to get to breakfast by 10. I think they should have breakfast at least by 11 am.

I think you should be able to sleep in by at least 11.

We travelled with 30 people to the Ocean Bavaro Spa & Beach Resort for our wedding. We wanted to pick the right resort not only for our wedding but we wanted something that was nice and still affordable for all of our family and friends. We spent days reading reviews on Debbies Dominican. It is a wonderful website and we thought because it was so much help to us that we would post our review of the resort. We are also going to post a wedding review as well.

Flight: We flew with Air Canada out of Calgary. The majority of us were out of Calgary with a few from BC and Ontario. We all had to connect in Montreal and then flew directly from Montreal to Punt Cana. Air Canada didn't have direct flights from Calgary until later in December so this made for some long travel plans as we had to overnight in Montreal.

Check In: We arrived at the resort at 1:00 in the afternoon. As most of you seasoned travellers know this is often to early to get your room as check in is normally at 3:00pm. We were ready for this but some of our family wasn't even though they knew this was the case. We got to check in to our honeymoon suite right away as early check-in was one of the privelages of our wedding package. Some of our family didn't receive their rooms until 5:00pm. I think it took so long because they checked us in as a group. One of our friends decided to check in on their own and had a room immediately. I guess sometime group travel isn't better. The staff did their best to accommodate everyone which is probably hard when 30 people check in all at the same time.

Rooms: Our honeymoon Suite was incredible. It had an ocean view and was right on the beach at the edge of the resort so it was very quiet. It had a jacuzzi tub and day bed on a lower level by the balcony. The balcony had a couple chairs to sit in and enjoy the breathtaking view. The bathroom was huge with double sinks and a tub with two faucets. The bed was a King and had a canopy with a light fabric you could cover the bed with. There was an iron, ironing board, complimentary safe, housecoat, slippers and mini fridge stocked daily with our favourite drinks. We had fresh fruit delivered daily and had a 24 hour personal concierge. The rest of my family, however, were in the standard rooms and they had an entirely different experience. They put almost everyone in buildings 3 or 4 which I believe are some of the oldest buildings on the resort. They were very substandard. They had multiple problems and some of them were even under water. A couple people complained enough to get moved and were put in building 10 which was drastically better. Some people just stayed put because they are on vacation and how much time do you spend in your room anyways. I am not sure why the resort puts people in the crappy rooms first and then moves you later. Why not start with the good rooms first. The staff was very accommodating on the most part. You just have to understand that things move at a Dominican pace.

Beach: The beach is the reason we chose to get married in Punta Cana. The beach was amazing and you could walk for miles in either direction. Watch out for the people trying to sell you stuff though. They are very aggressive. Just tell them no thanks and walk away. There is security guards on the beach 24/7 and they vendors were not allowed on the beach. We walked past a few resorts and the Ocean beach was the nicest we saw. There are lots of trees and palapas for shade and we never had a problem getting a beach chair. You would have to be on the beach by 9 or 10 to get a palapa. The ocean was fairly rough the first couple of days as the wind was high but that only made for some fun body surfing. One of the downsides was that the water isn't clear enough to do any snorkelling. There were a couple of bars for drinks and there was always lots of entertainment going on throughout the day. The north side of the beach was mostly Italian people as that is the Ocean Cana portion of the resort that caters mostly to Italians.

Grounds: The grounds are beautiful. This is an older resort so the landscaping is full and established. They were always working on the grounds and cleaning up. I tend to like the older resorts because the newer resorts tend not to have their vegetation established yet and have younger palm trees. At night there is lots of lighting creating a very nice and romantic setting. They also have speakers everywhere playing mood music (including that catchy resort song).

Pools: The pools are very nice. The Spa pool was closed the first week for renovations and then open the second week. The main pool is very nice with a swim up bar. It needs a new paint job so hopefully its next on the list for renovations. There is also a smaller pool on the Cana side which was my favourite. It is more isolated so it is quieter. I got thrown into this pool one night after supper as everyone seemed to think it is tradition to throw the groom in the pool.

Restaurants: I won't write too much on this as in my opinion food is very much dependent on each individuals tastes. In my experience the buffet was just what I was expecting for a 3.5 to 4 star resort. It was good and you could always find something to eat. The area they could use some work on is making it cleaner and cooler. One of the good thing about this resort was the number of a la cartes with no limits on reservations. You could make as many reservations as you wanted up to 2 days in advance. You made these outside the buffet entrance. We went to all of the a la cartes except the Mexican as some of our family that went to it said it wasn't very good. I would rank the restaurants in the following order (Japanese, Brazilian, Spanish and Italian). Our wedding reception was held in the Spanish and it was amazing. There is also a seafood place on the beach but there is a charge for that. We didn't go but some of our family did and said it was very good. There is also a sports bar which is good to get the scores and go for a drink with the boys. One of my favourites places was the café. We went there most nights as they had cheesecake to die for. The are plenty of bars and you never had to go far to get a drink. I really enjoyed the beer. I had a few premium drinks that were included for us as we were in the Elite Club. You had to sign for the premium but only so they could track their usage.

Shopping: There is a logo shop on site and a gift shop but be prepared to pay a lot and everything is priced in Euros. You can barter for anything that doesn't have a price tag on it. We got all of our bargains by walking down the beach to some of the vendors. Make sure they quote you a price first and then offer them 25% of what they are asking. If you barter long enough you will only pay 25 to 30% of their asking price. If they won't come down on their price just walk away because you will find the same item in the next store. We found a good area up the beach to the north. It is an alley perpendicular to the beach that has lots of shops. We got some nice paintings, a wood carving and some larimar jewelry. On Friday nights they would set up some vendors at the resort for people to shop in a more controlled environment.

Spa: We didn't use most of our spa package we got with our wedding package as we were too busy with other things. We did however take advantage of the free hour of massage. Our massage was in a double occupancy cabin at the spa and was a great end to the vacation. Very much worth it. For what we could tell the spa looked nice and the prices didn't seem to be too bad. A lot of our friends and family got massages at the huts that are on the grounds around the resort.

Staff: The staff was very good. They were always accommodating when the could understand what you were asking for. Most speak a little bit of english and some are fluent in many languages. We tried to learn as much Spanish as we could as that always goes a long ways when you make an effort to speak their language. You are not supposed to tip as they can lose their jobs but we always tipped. We left $2US for the maid on the pillow every day and the service was great. After the a la carte meals we always left a tip. The only problem we had was getting somebody to come fix our safe as it wasn't working. It took 2 days to get someone there but once they got there it was fixed in minutes. Remember that you are on vacation and things don't happen at a pace we are used to. Things still will get done. Usually if there is a problem it is because of a communication error or they are super busy helping everyone else.

Excursions: We did three excursions and they were all well worth the money. Our favourite was the day trip to Saona Island. We took a catamaran to the island, spent the afternoon on the beach and then took a speed boat back. We also did the Maranarium tour. This involved getting on a party boat, then going snorkelling in a pen with nurse sharks and rays, followed by a cruise to a natural swimming pool where they served us drinks in the water. The last excursion we did was horseback riding. This was complimentary with our wedding package and was a fun afternoon.

Conclusion: We had an incredible time and the resort was very good. I would say it is a very good 3.5 to 4 star resort. The wedding was awesome and we didn't have any serious issues. No one got really sick and any inconveniences were solved eventually. The best parts would have to be the beach and the Honeymoon suite. The worst part would have to be the shape of some of the older standard rooms. I don't think we would go back but only because we like to try different places. We would definetly go back to Punta Cana as it is absolutely beautiful. I think next time we would like to try a 5 star resort to see what that is like.

I was worried about the vacation we booked from Apple Specials at $599 a person for 3 nites in a garden room.

I read all the reviews, some bad some good. Our other vacations were 5-6 apples.

So I was ready for the worst.

The resort was just what I hoped for. Small and cozy compared to the bigger resorts I’ve been to.

Very natural feel on the grounds. Multiple isolated areas separated by foliage, ponds, pools and buildings, small fountains, and winding walkways.

Kind of reminded me of the Polynesian resort at Disney in Florida.

The room was not musty at all as I read in other reviews. We ended up in building 7. 7311 was a nice room, with a cozy balcony looking out to palm trees, ponds with small water fountain. Everything was very clean. We could see the beach from the end of the hallway. Marble everywhere, It felt fairly new, at least very well kept up. We had a little problem with the room fridge, but the maid took care of it. There was hot water in the shower and there was a tub. No beer in the fridge, only draft beer is at the bars, Presidente, except for the VIP guests. Though you can buy bottled beer in the shop. About $5 for a corona. No coffee maker in the rooms, though we ordered coffee from room service. That was nice. Nice strong coffee. They do have a nice coffee shop but it doesn’t open until 10am. But it was a favorite, there was always a line to the door, and their cookies were free too. Frappacinos, teas, lattes, expresso, etc. A treat that we took advantage of quite often. Many of the guests were from the U.S. so we didn’t feel too out of place, and they were very friendly. Guests were mixed cultures; French, German, Czech. The help was limited in their language. Some workers at the bars or restaurants were a little more versed in languages. Our TV worked except for one early morning. It was fine. We watched a couple movies we haven’t seen before. Very good movies too; “You, Me and Depree” one late night, and another with Jack NIckleson, “About Schmidt” one early morning before we left. The pools were a fair temperature. We used 30 sun block. A few people were red as lobsters. Only a handful were topless. Be careful with the sun. My husband had red spots wherever he missed. He doesn’t usually burn easily. The bars do not have a list of their drinks, except for one…the Sports bar. It was humerous watching people order drinks. One fella ordered a cranberry and vodka and got orange drink with vodka. Another ordered a long island ice tea and got orange drink with some red in it (similar to a tequila sunrise). I just ordered rum with juice, and it varied. They have drink machines all over; red, orange and pineapple, and coconut.

The weather was perfect, the water and beach were beautiful. The entertainment is all over, one side of the resort would have soothing Spanish music and another area would have hopping thumping type music. It was weird how you didn’t hear one over the other. This thumping music and partying was heard near our room, but not too loud. We were near most everything. We did the beach/bar area massage for $30 a person for an hour. But I would have much rather paid $60 a person at their quieter areas, there are quite a few areas. It kind of defeated the purpose of getting a massage with the thumping music and noise near the bar/beach area. The buffet wasn’t too bad considering it is an all inclusive. If you try a little of everything, you will find something you like. Go right when they open for the freshest food, and safest food. I did see a roach at the fruit counter on two separate occasions, so I stayed away from there. The bread was always fresh, I loved the rolls that looked plain but had cream cheese in the middle, and the chocolate chips croissants. I didn’t mind the lasagna, the red beans and rice, the chicken, among some other things. I was pleasantly surprised with the grill food, the burger looked like a veggie burger and they served green tomatoes. I liked it. My husband didn’t, he had pizza. We both were very disappointed in the Brazilian restaurant; the meat was dry, and the plantains and potatoes were cold, dry and hard. Horrible. We tried to make an appointment for the Japanese restaurant too and got duped by the man in a white shirt, these men are selling tours etc. He approached us with a warm greeting and asked if we wanted the seafood dinner for $30 each and told us he was saving us $70. We said no, but asked where to sign up for the Japanese restaurant. He brought us to the girl at the buffet restaurant, said something to her in Spanish and told us we’d see him at the seafood place, we again told him no we don’t want to. We turned to the girl who asked us what time we wanted our reservation. We picked 7pm and that’s when we made our reservation for the brazilian restaurant too. When we went to the Japanese restaurant they told us that our note was for the restaurant on the beach, which I thought might be the brazilian restaurant and we got our dates mixed up. As it turned out the reservation was made for the seafood place. We were very upset and it ruined our evening for quite awhile. Reservations for the Japanese restaurant were all booked up for the week. We ended up eating at the buffet, which we ended up being satisfied with. That same gentlemen bothered us again the next day until my husband got a little tort with him and he stopped trying to sell us something. I planned on reporting this man to someone, but I didn’t want to pursue it, it was already the next day and I wanted to go on with my already too short of a vacation. Which brings me to our arrival story. We had an Apple flight, and Apple bus transport to the Resort, but the Resort had no record of us on their reservations. We were set aside while they looked into it and took care of another busload of folks who had just arrived. The bar girl brought a tray of these drinks to these people but completely overlooked us. I was hot and tired as our flight left 2 hours after we boarded due to an incident at the Ohare airport. For some reason our reservation was cancelled, and the resort was overbooked and they were going to move us to another hotel for one night. I was surprisingly calm and explained to the Apple Rep that we were only here for 3 nites and we’ve already lost our half a day, and we were bumped the previous Apple Vacation due to overbooking at a resort and it wasn’t looking good for Apple Vacation service. She immediately went to work and got us a room telling us they are moving someone else. It seems several people were being moved to another hotel for a day or so. I gave her a hug and told her Gracious!

Some servants weren’t very pleasant and some were. We did not go off the resort on tours etc. We did not feel it was very safe or worth our short time on excursions.

Bring all the cash you’ll need, neither the shop,nor the massage place would take credit cards. The cash machine is outside of the entrance gate…I walked up to the gate and got scared at all the traffic right there and never got any money. Some of the shops in the airport did’t take credit cards either, and the ATM would not give me the money I requested.

We travelled to Ocean Bavaro January 2006. Upon our arrival at 9:30 p.m., we were taken to a small lobby and told that our lobby was under renovations and that we had to be checked in here. That was fine but it took a very long time and it was very hot and no one even offered us any water let alone a welcoming drink. We had two older women with us and they were in need of some water. When we finally got to the desk, we were given our keys and taken to our rooms by a nice gentleman. When the door of our suite was opened, I could clearly smell that there was something wrong. When we stepped in, the floor was flooded with water. Our two older travelers also had the same problem with their room. The nice gentleman said that he would report it. He got on the phone and after a lengthy conversation he reported to us that they did not have another room and that we could go to the lobby in the morning and they would probably have something then. I did not sit well with this. The room was so damp that the ceiling was sweating and dripping on our pillows....it was so disgusting. We later were told that the mini fridge was leaking but that did not make sense for the ceiling to be sweating like it was.

I was not going to sleep one night in that room so I stormed over to the lobby which was quite far away and I found that the lighting in this resort was very poor. We had problems later on that week as well. When I got to the lobby they made me wait until 11:30 that night until the manager or so he called himself came out from the back and told me that they did not have anything available for us. I told him that if he did not do something for us, all four of us would sleep in his lobby the rest of the night. Well he was so upset at my comment that he went to the back and came out with a couple of keys and we were given two new rooms in the Italian side of resort.

A girlfriend and myself have just returned from a week away from work, husbands and children (Nov 12 - Nov 19). We flew out of Ottawa on WestJet. Wow - what a difference - the staff in flight were totally outrageous and had us all laughing and enjoying ourselves.

The resort - WELL let me tell you I am a very experience traveller to Dominican and other areas in the Caribbean. This resort was undergoing a lot of re-work, it was hilarious to watch them re-do the palm leaf roof at the buffet restaurant. These guys work very long and very hard hours each and every day.

Upon arrival, we were put in a room at the far back of the resort, the room was VERY musty and it had no boxsping on the bed, we said "no" to this one, it would have taken us approximately 15 mins at a steady pace walking to reach the beach, buffet, etc. The next room more of the same musty smell and our balcony opened onto a jungle of some sort - we were walled in on all three sides by bushes. This again was unacceptable. They eventually put in the 5th Block on the ground floor - now we are talking view.

My only real complaint was that it was so humid in your room that each and every morning there were puddles on the floor and we had to walk around with towels wrapped around our feet. Before anyone thinks of anything to say - YES we did have the air conditioning on at 68o.

The food was very good, a lot of people FORGET that they are not in Canada, USA, etc. so that the food will be differently prepared and served. They try very hard. I found everyone (except the front desk) to be very polite and wanting to please everyone ALL THE TIME.

We just returned from a great week away in Punta Cana. We stayed at the Ocean Bavaro Spa & Beach Resort.

Flight: We travelled with Sunwing Tours and Sunwing Airlines. Flights were fine, little extras free on this airline you don't get on others. Welcome glass of champagne on departing trip, hot meals, hot towels, wine with dinner, soft drinks, snacks, and movies/music. Space not the best, Boeing 737, 3 by 3 rows. Only 4 hr. flights though. Be informed though, our flight was direct to Punta Cana, but on the way home, we stopped in Puerto Plata to pick up more people, plane was half full for Punta Cana, and the other half was for Puerto Plata. You may have to get off the plane, go through hand luggage screening and get back on the plane. We found it no big deal but many people were really annoyed. They didn't know, we did. Our travel agent informed us ahead of time, maybe booking online you don't get the personal service. Sunwing reps in Punta Cana gave us what we needed, picked us up just a little late for return airport trip, no problems with them.

A few things to remember to take, probably good on any trip: Candle (for air freshening or possible power outages), Air Freshener (I took both a solid and Febreeze Air Spray, both helped with the humid, sometimes musty smell in rooms), a clock with an alarm, face cloths in case they don't have any, bug spray (just in case of mosquitos, we only saw two...), Kleenex, and a lighter. There were no alarm clocks, face cloths we received on most days, no Kleenex, we bought some at the shop on the property, little expensive, and there are no matches given out by the hotel.

Rooms: Our first room was 9512, in block 95, very clean, but old as far as I was concerned. Few issues with cable tv, fan in bathroom, sliding door. We were told the next day we could move. Maybe they hope people won't return to move, but we did. First at 9:00 am like they said to be put on the list (our Sunwing rep helped us translate our issues and requests) and then at 2:30 to get a room key after other people checked out. We asked to be moved to block 100, in part due to this site, that informed us the building is newer. It is, only 2 years old and we ended up in Room 10108. It had a ceiling fan, larger tv, much newer tile work in the bathroom, newer bedding. Mini fridge kept drinks cold, pop and water, restocked every day. Water was hotter in mornings for shower, a little less so at night, when everybody is probably trying to use it. We were in the furthest building from everything but it was very quiet which we liked, overlooked a lovely garden area, and nothing in this hotel takes more than 10 minutes to get to. We enjoyed the walks. It is a much smaller hotel property than say the RIU complex and Bahia Principe.

Entertainment: The entertainment/animation team are outstanding. They were so friendly and energetic. The shows here were quite well done, more so than other resorts I've been to. The calibre of dancing was far better (obviously trained dancers) and they used lighting and pyrotechnics that I haven't seen before. One show was done at the pool all on the water, very effective. Another was a Michael Jackson tribute that was one of the best I've seen. They play games at the beach and other areas all day and the winners get bottles of rum at the beginning of the shows. They also play silly games with audience members before the shows, they were good for a few laughs. Those winners also got bottles of rum. They translate everything so well in 4 or 5 languages so everyone knows what's happening.

We were there with many French people (from France), English, German, Spanish, Portugese, many other Canadians and a few Americans.

Restaurants: The buffet restaurant was where we had breakfast and lunch. Our service was great, we had Wendy most days and she was fantastic. We tipped her on our last day to thank her for her great service all week. There is always something to choose from. It's not cooked always how we would or had a few things we wouldn't eat, but that's why we didn't stay eating at home! We never went hungry. We never got sick, a little stomach upset twice, but no big deal.

We ate at the Italian a la carte twice, we enjoyed the second time more, the Filet of Beef was delicious. The cannelloni were quite different than we would have expected but it was still okay. The regular pastas with sauce were fine.

We heard the Brazilian is great if you love coffee and meat. The meal is skewers of all different kinds of meat. We skipped this one.

We heard the Spanish was so-so, skipped this also.

We don't like Seafood so we skipped this one too, but we believe there is a supplement charge for lobster there.

We enjoyed the Japanese restaurant, where they cooked in front of you (quite entertaining) and you sit with up to 9 people at one of 4 tables. The food was fine, the beef was a tad dry for my liking, but the soup, appetizer (some sushi), chicken and shrimp, rice and dessert were quite good.

The Mexican restaurant was okay, Fajitas were good but come with the filling only, tortillas are at the appetizer table, and the Chimichanga was okay too. Margaritas served at first were nice too.

Reservations are required to get into the a la cartes. You make them at the buffet restaurant, where you can review the menus, and book for that day and the day after. We never had to wait to book (open between 7 & 3 pm, and then at night too). Choice between 6 & 8 pm sittings, we always chose 8pm to avoid too many kids, and we'd have more time to relax before dinner and not have too much time to wait for the shows that start at 10:00pm. You are not supposed to wear shorts or t-shirts to these restaurants and most people followed along. It was nice to see people a little dressed up for dinner, something you don't often see anymore.

Grounds: The grounds are always being worked on, this week they were re-thatching the buffet roof, and trimming the palm trees, we think to use on the roof. However, they tried to keep the disruption to a minimum, we found it no big deal. Staff are always cleaning up and were repainting a pond area, and refurbishing a block of rooms.

It was not super busy the week we were there, which was fine by us.

Massages: We had a one hour massage at the hut by the pool. This is run by Nature Spa girls. It was $30 US for one hour, $20 US for a half an hour. This is half price from the spa, which we toured, it looked very nice, but there was no one in it. The hut by the pool was busier. The massages there are a little more liberal than what you would get at a registered massage therapist in Canada but they didn't cross any boundaries. You come out of there very relaxed, a tad oily, but you feel better!

Shopping: There is a little mini market on the grounds that sell some clothing, souvenirs, and toiletries. The prices are in Euro dollars but they will convert the price to US dollars which are easy to deal with. We ventured onto the beach and headed to the left and passed one set of shops and continued onto another about 20 minutes away. You have to bargain there big time. We bought jewellery that started out at $195 US and we ended up paying $80 US. We think we did okay.

Pools: The spa pool was closed for renovation this week. There was a smaller pool open on the Ocean Cana side (basically 2 hotels in one here), and the main pool. We stayed around the main pool. The pool was fine, good temperature, laid out well. However, my only complaint is that it too could use a paint job. Many trees and palapas and chairs available, no trouble getting one, although again not a super busy week the week we were there.

Beach: The beach is lovely, wonderful soft white sand, warm turquoise coloured water. Lots of trees and palapas there too. Several chairs, quite spread out so you can find noisy or quieter spots depending on what you like. A couple of bars are there to get drinks and a grill for lunch, although we didn't eat there.

Staff: The staff here is one of the best qualities of this hotel. We didn't have any problems with anyone, even the front desk staff, which can be kind of touchy sometimes, but we managed ok, and from everyone from the maid, bellboys, restaurant staff, bartenders, animation team, gardeners, store staff, security guards on the beach, everyone was very friendly. We said "Hola" to everyone we saw and they were always happy and smiling when they answered back. They may not say "Hola" first in case they don't want to seem like they are bothering you but meeting the people is something we liked to do.

Noise: Noise was never an issue for us, however, if you stayed closer to the main Gaviota Theatre or main pool you will hear the shows that go on every night until 11:00-11:30ish. I can imagine that would be quite loud for anyone trying to sleep or with small children in that area.

Cafe: We tried the Cafe on our second to last day, just as well because I really liked the cheesecake and would have eaten way too many pieces had I gone more. You can get all sorts of coffees, teas, hot and cold and many sweets. It's air conditioned and quite nice for a change of scenery.

Bars: We found the Lobby bar nice after dinner while waiting for the shows to start. There is always a "drink of the day" posted on the sign there and every night we tried a new one. It lists the ingredients so you know what you are getting. Lots of people congregate there. The pool bar was also fine, and the beach bars weren't visited by us too often. We had no problem with the restaurant drinks, although the wine isn't that great, but that's not what we went there for.

We took several little dollar store gifts for the maid and each day laid them out on the pillow, so they know they can take them. Pencil crayons, markers, stickers, lipstick, lipgloss, eyeshadow, makeup bag, puzzles etc. On our last day we left behind a few things we chose not to bring back, like the candle, air freshener, magazines, a book with a note that told the maid she could take them and signed our room and name so she would be permitted to take them from the hotel.

My husband and I traveled to the Ocean Bavaro Spa and Beach Resort in Punta Cana for our honeymoon for 7 nights from July 10 – July 17, 2006. We live near Chicago, Illinois (USA) and traveled from O’Hare Airport in Chicago. I (Sarah) am 34, and my husband (Mark) is 43. We had never traveled to the Caribbean and were happy with our first trip there. For our honeymoon, we were looking for a place to completely relax, but were also looking for something with options should we want to do something more active. We normally love to be active in the outdoors, but this time around were looking for more relaxation. The Ocean Bavaro met all of our needs.

We booked the trip with Apple Vacations and were originally scheduled to stay at Natura Park. We received a call about 3 weeks before our trip informing us that Natura Park was over-booked, and were asked if we’d like to be upgraded to Ocean Bavaro. After much research of internet reviews, we decided to take the offer.

One of the reasons we originally chose Natura Park was its manageable size. We had no desire to stay at an over-sized resort where you had to take trams to get from your room to the restaurants and beach. We chose Ocean Bavaro for the same reason, and were very happy with our decision in this regard. The size was absolutely perfect for us. The grounds were beautiful and felt spread out, but it was never more than a 5-10 minute walk, even if you went from corner to corner of the resort. It allowed for leisurely walking, but we never felt like anything was too far.

Airport
It’s comical looking back on it, but our experience at the Punta Cana airport was a bit crazy. We assume your experience really depends on how many airlines arrive at the airport at the same time. For our trip, many airlines arrived at the same time, causing a mass of people trying to get through customs at the same time. There was absolutely no sense of a line, and no-one working at the airport to enforce a line – eventually this large mob of people just starting filling in on the sides of the crowd and pushing their way forward in whatever way they could. We really needed to be aggressive in keeping our place in line and forcing ourselves forward. I can see how some would be intimidated by it, it was mass confusion.

You first need to buy a tourist card, which you purchase at a desk situated as an island in the middle of the lobby. Once you get your card, you proceed to the customs “line.”

Once we were through customs, we found our Apple representative and bus very quickly and without problem. It was an efficient process. We had read in many reviews to be cautious of people posing as Apple representatives – they will sometimes wear floral shirts and try to imitate the look. We took the advice to look only for official Apple reps who could be identified by their badges, which only the Apple reps would be wearing.

We found that things moved very quickly at the airport once we were through customs. Someone grabbed our suitcases to carry for us as we walked toward the bus, and we weren’t sure if it was someone working for Apple, or someone looking for a tip. We had to walk fast to keep an eye on the suitcases to make sure they got on the right bus. There wasn’t much communication, so our best advice is to just be smart: know where you are going, keep your eyes open, be aware of your surroundings, and be firm. We did not feel unsafe at all; it was more a feeling of confusion with so many people and buses surrounding you at one time.

Check-in
The check-in process was really the only complication we had during our stay, and thankfully it happened first so we got it out of the way, and enjoyed the rest of our stay. The hotel says check-in is at 3 pm. There is a desk marked “VIP” check-in, which is supposedly where Apple guests were supposed to check in during our trip. There literally was no communication as to how our check-in process would work. Several of us sat at the desk for some time without any word about a check-in process, and finally we took it upon ourselves to enter a customer service office adjacent to the lobby reception desk, and found that this person was responsible for checking Apple (and other) guests in. I think we would have sat for many hours more had we not taken the initiative.

We arrived just before 3 pm, but there was no word on when our room would be ready. We specifically requested a room in Block 6, since this was the newest block of rooms and considered the nicest in the resort. A room in Block 6 was a condition we set for accepting a transfer to this resort. We were immediately promised a room in Block 6, and were told the room would be ready in 15 minutes. We got some food and a drink (a nice thing to be able to do while you were waiting; we were able to access the bar and food immediately). We waited and waited, and with no word from anyone, 15 minutes turned into an hour, and finally stepped back into the office. We were then told Block 6 was no longer available, but they could offer us a large suite immediately. We knew the room was in the building next to the buffet, which we had read was very old and noisy. We refused, and since we were promised a room in block 6, remained firm on the promise they had made us.

We quickly found it required a lot of POLITE firmness with the customer service representative to make ourselves heard. We stopped back into her office frequently during our waiting time to check on the progress; otherwise we felt we were just set to the side and forgotten. She was trying her best and was gracious, but there was obviously a lack of communication about the assignment of rooms, and when they were cleaned and available. It was several hours of frustration for us and many other guests before we finally got into a room in Block 6 as we were promised.

Despite the frustration of traveling all day and not being able to get into a room when promised and start your vacation, we knew the staff were working hard and trying to accommodate us. We witnessed some rude behavior by other guests when their needs were not met. We were all frustrated, but angry and negative behavior really gets you no-where. It is possible to be polite and firm at the same time; the staff at least deserves this respect.

Room
Once our room was ready, we were transported by golf carts with our luggage to our building which was a nice convenience. Block 6 is considered the Spa building, and we found it to be the most luxurious of all the blocks.

On your first day of arrival the staff delivers a big basket to your room with wonderful fruit, cheeses, and meat. They also deliver water and beer; though the beer was never delivered to our room.

The room in Block 6 was a suite with a large bathroom – 2 sinks, a shower, and Jacuzzi, and it was all very clean, every day. We had a king sized bed, and two steps down led to a small area with a daybed, entertainment center with TV, and mini bar. The bar contained bottled water and Pepsi. We had read the fridges were to be stocked with beer, but that was never the case. I’m sure we would have gotten some had we asked, but there was really no need. There was a very nice small balcony with a plastic table and two chairs, and the view could not be beat. The balcony looked directly out onto the ocean and the beach. Just stunning. We really enjoyed sitting on the balcony in the evening after a long day at the beach. Block 6 is literally on the beach – you walk out the side door, and there you are on the beach.

We learned from other reviewers the idea of bringing small gifts for the maids. They work so hard and for so little, and seemed to really appreciate these gifts. We brought make-up, slippers, socks, crayons, pencils and pens, and things for children. We left several of these gifts on our pillows each morning with a simple thank-you note in Spanish (we don’t speak Spanish but picked out basic phrases from a book), along with 2-3 single dollar bills every day. If we needed more water, we left a note on the pillow asking for more, and by the end of the week our fridge was stocked full of water; more than we needed. The response from the staff cleaning the room was wonderful.

In general, learning a few Spanish phrases will get you far. Everyone on staff was so friendly and interested in saying hello, an “hola” as you walked by someone was very appreciated and a huge smile was always received. We found the staff to be incredibly friendly, warm, and helpful. Naturally, most speak Spanish only, so go there knowing this.

Beach
Absolutely gorgeous; this is what we went for. Beautiful sand, not too hot to walk on. We rarely had a problem getting chairs. If you walk to the far end of the resort where it borders the vendor huts there were typically more chairs to be found. Most of the time we were able to find sunny spots as well as shady spots under the wonderful thatched roof umbrellas. Only one day did it rain, and we sat under our umbrella the whole time and didn’t get wet, it was beautiful. The beach was very large and there was plenty of room to spread out.

There was a wonderful constant breeze on the beach. We never felt overly hot or stifled because of the breeze. It was very humid while we were there, but being on the beach was so refreshing.

There is a roped-off swimming area in the water, which was incredibly warm. The waves were not very high, and the swimming was good. The whole area where the resort is located is protected by a coral reef which extends at least a mile off the beach. This reduces the waves on the beach and makes the water pretty calm. There is no snorkeling directly off the beach, as the water is too sandy.

When you check-in you are given a towel card. Every day you need to give exchange your towel card for a towel at the towel hut on the beach. Do not lose your card or you will be charged. At the end of the day, you drop off your towel and pick up your card again. Only one day did they run out of towels, which was VERY aggravating. It was on the weekend, when a lot of new people had checked into the resort for a long weekend and they couldn’t keep up with the towels. Other than that, there were plenty of towels.

The animation team is out working the crowd in the morning and then late afternoon. They took a break from about 11 am – 3 pm. The music was very loud directly near where they were centered, so if you are looking for a quieter place to sit on the beach, we’d recommend not sitting near their speaker systems. They were not pushy at all, and there were quite a few people who participated in daily dancing lessons, sports games, etc. There are plenty of quiet spots on the beach to get away from the noise.

As you’ll read in other reviews, there is definitely topless sunbathing, mostly by the European crowd. It was subtle and natural.

Activities
We took advantage of the free non-motorized water sports at the resort. My husband sails, so we took the hobie cat out almost every day – it was amazing. You can take the boats out for 30 minutes each day, and you are required to sign up for a slot in advance. The boats literally skim the coral once you are out which is amazing. The water is so clear we actually saw brightly colored fish swimming around the coral.

We also took the single kayaks out on the water. Paddling was so easy and relaxing.

You can also learn to wind surf, though not many people were having much luck with it.

In terms of culture in Punta Cana, this is an area we felt was lacking. When traveling, we like to absorb the culture of our surroundings. We felt there to be little intellectual cultural stimulation; we were very insulated by the resort. There are no towns to explore or no way to absorb yourself in the true life of the DR. Partly, this is to do the poor economy, as the resorts have made themselves their own mini-city separated from the outlying areas. There are some excursions which offer trips to larger cities in the DR, but this requires almost a full day of traveling away from the resort. This truly was a beach resort trip, with little other cultural immersion.

Bars
The bars are plentiful on the resort! They were all over the beaches, you never had to walk far to find one. The beer was pretty good, but definitely a light beer – Miller style. The frozen drinks on the beaches such a pina coladas and margaritas were from a frozen drink machine. Rum was readily available and it was so good!

The lobby bar was by far the best bar at the resort. The drinks were mixed freshly, and margaritas were actually shaken and not from a machine. Definitely take advantage of the drink specials which are advertised on display cards on the bar – they are amazing. Our favorite was the Amore Tropical and we still crave it.

Unless you are a super VIP guest, none of the all-inclusive drinks are top shelf; they are moderate at best. You can purchase a top shelf drink for $3 per drink, which was reasonable and we took advantage of it in the evenings. Bring your singles! Change is typically not available at the bars (see “General Advice” below).

Early in the week we got the novelty of “drink as much as you want whenever you want” out of our systems early. Just a reminder that a day full of hot sun and a drink in your hand at all hours takes a toll on the body! Pina Coladas were a great start for breakfast just one day, but it’s a long day! We were quickly reminded how dehydrating the sun can be and learned to pace ourselves.

Pools
The pools were beautiful. There were three altogether we had access to. The main pool has a swim-up bar which is so much fun. It was busy most of the time, but we never waited long for drinks, we were always served quickly. We spent most of our time on the beach so never laid by the pools, but took dips in them occasionally. It was much more humid by the pools and inside the resort because the ocean breeze didn’t make it in that far, so we stayed mostly on the beach.

Excursions
We wanted to get some snorkeling in and enjoy the water more, so we took a ½ day snorkeling excursion which we booked through Apple Vacations (the reps have a hut on the resort and are available every day if you need help or need to book tours). The bus picked us up in front of the resort, and then we went around to about 6 more resorts to pick more people up. This was a little long, as we drove from resort to resort. Once we got to the location, we all got on a big boat. We headed out not too far to a roped-off section of water. We got our snorkeling gear and floating devices, and jumped in the water and for about ½ hour snorkeled our way over to the roped off area. We saw a lot of really amazing fish along the way in all kinds of colors. The protected area had nurse sharks and sting rays in it. You literally swim right above them. There are also all kinds of fish in there. It was a bit crowded at times with people snorkeling, but it was amazing to see the sharks so close up.

Once back on the boat, they sent around fresh coconut and made pina coladas which they sent around in small cups. We took a boat tour of the coast which was beautiful. We saw virgin coastline as well as the fronts of many resorts. At one point the boat stopped in a natural bay area with a sandy bottom and shallow water. We all jumped off the boat and hung out in the incredibly warm and peaceful water. The boat played Bob Marley music and the staff walked around in the water serving cups of beer off a tray. It was a very cool experience. Looking back I would have liked more natural snorkeling, but the trip was nice for what it was, and it got us out on the water like we wanted.

Food

Main Buffet: We really liked the main buffet. I am a vegetarian (and I eat fish), and I found plenty to eat throughout our trip. I absolutely loved the bean dishes every day for lunch and dinner, and the fish was plentiful. Even without fish there was plenty to eat. My husband doesn’t typically eat a lot of meat either, and found plenty of selections, meat and non-meat. He was impressed by the carving station several times throughout the week. The food does get a little repetitive, but there was enough variety that you could always find something. The DR is not known for their food, and we knew that going into it and didn’t have high expectations. We loved the fresh fruit smoothies every morning; I still crave that banana shake. The fresh fruit was simply amazing. The mango was out of this world, you just can’t get fruit that tastes like that in the U.S.

We never got “sick,” but we did find ourselves a bit nauseous at times throughout the week. We were prepared for that in advance, and had plenty of Pepto Bismol and Immodium. We know that was because the food was prepared and cooked in things we aren’t used to eating, so we tried to eat in moderation to avoid anything severe and it worked out pretty well.

Several of the friends we met from England were very sick with stomach problems for several days; it kept them to their rooms. They remarked that the people they met from the U.S. were not getting sick as severely as the people from England. We couldn’t figure that one out, but that was their observation.

A note on wine: if you enjoy good wine, don’t have high hopes in the DR. The house wine, to us, tasted like water. There literally was no taste to it. In the a la carte restaurants they will offer you a bottle of wine to purchase for $15. Since the house wine was so poor, we didn’t want to take a chance on spending that much money for a bottle of wine. We decided to stick to the rum and were happy with that decision. Do, however, try the mamajuana if you get a chance. It’s a local mixture of rum and honey stored in a bottle with roots and sticks to give it an earthy flavor, it was almost like a port. We really liked it.

A La Carte Restaurants:

Definitely book these as early in the morning as you can, they fill up very quickly. We tried to eat most of our dinners in these restaurants just for variety.

Mexican: We never ate here, as it sounded pretty generic.

Japanese: Amazing! Very highly recommended. The food was just excellent, and the cooking entertaining. This was our favorite restaurant by far.

Spanish: We really enjoyed the Spanish restaurant. It was a relaxing way to spend a dinner, quiet and romantic. We had a wonderful server bring by a cart of after-dinner drinks, and after my selection of sambuca, he proceeded to pour it into two glasses, light the liquid on fire, and then performed a show by pouring the bright blue liquid on fire from glass to glass. It was quite a show! He was wonderful and had a great sense of humor. You will recognize his unique laugh if you run across him, treat him well.

Italian: We did not have a good experience at the Italian restaurant. The food was bland, and our main entrees were the same food that was served at the buffet, just larger quantities. We actually left before finishing our meal. All of these restaurants share the kitchen with the buffet kitchen, so the food is very similar in some cases, even though you are ordering off a menu.

Brazilian: As I am vegetarian and they basically offer meat selections, we did not eat here.

Coffee House: This was a nice place to stop in the morning or the evening for some specialty coffee drinks. My husband had a beautiful frozen mocha drink one day with chocolate drizzled on it and it was quite a treat. They also made fruit smoothies which were very good. A note about coffee: the DR only serves instant decaf everywhere. I don’t drink caffeine, which was not a problem to deal with for a week, but just something to know in advance.

People
As other reviewers have mentioned, the majority of the visitors were European. We found this to be wonderful as we both love Europe, and almost felt like we were on a European holiday. We met many wonderful people from England, especially our new friends John, Julie, Ryan and Shania. It was great fun meeting new people and enjoying the tropical environment.

General Advice
Take lots of one dollar bills!!!! We can’t emphasize this enough. We read this advice from another reviewer before we left, and don’t know what we would have done without them. You will not be able to get American cash or change at the resort; we ran into others who had a hard time with this. The staff works so hard, so we were sure to leave a dollar to our server at the buffet, to the bartender, the maid, and anyone else we might encounter that helped us. It’s amazing how much a dollar bill can go in the DR, it really is appreciated and while it wasn’t much, we felt it was the least we could do. We found it sad outside of the resort areas how devastatingly poor the country is; the resorts are really very insulated. We tried not to forget this as the staff waited on us during the week we were there.

Overall, we loved our trip to Punta Cana, and really enjoyed the Ocean Bavaro. It was extremely clean and friendly, and had everything we were looking for. It was a perfect honeymoon for us. Beautiful weather and a beautiful location, it was a very special trip and we still think of it and smile and long for that ocean breeze.

I stayed at the Ocean Bavaro from October 8-15 with three friends. We read mixed/negative reviews on the site prior to travelling. We remained optimistic and are glad we did. Here is our review:

Flight: We flew USA3000 from Detroit to Punta Cana. Very good flight with very attentive staff. Everything went without incident.

Arrival/transfer: Customs procedures were quick and uncomplicated. We were met by an Apple representative and quickly directed to a large bus that would deliver us to our resort. Our stop was the first of three. The busride was, at most, 30 minutes.

Check-In Services: It was a very busy lobby at Ocean Bavaro, as one might expect, at 11:00 in the morning. All Apple arrivals were directed to a courtasy deck and given towel cards. Rooms were not available until 3:00 p.m. I don't think that is unusual at all....besides, we went directly to the beach and also had lunch....who cares about a room?

We wandered back to check in at around 4:00. The clerk seemed a little anxious that we were clearly the last to come around. (We didn't see any reason to hurry.....it's vacation after all.) We had requested two rooms in the same building, since we were travelling together. Our friends were placed in a building quite a distance from us, but with a little haggling, it all worked out. The clerk delivering our luggage took care of the problem in short order and it was fine.

Rooms: We had two rooms in Building 5, one on the pool side and one on the garden side. It was SO convenient. We were a few steps to the pool, a few steps to the beach and same to the restaurants. Our friends had a nice little view of the beach on their side. Our rooms were clean and well-kept. We had plenty of hot water and our maid was wonderful.

NOTE: THESE PEOPLE WORK LIKE CRAZY! REMEMBER THAT!

The buildings are all open air and tile floor.....very beautiful. Complaints on the site regarding noise are likely caused by this.....once again, totally expected.....it's a vacation resort. Some folks stay out late, some go to bed early....we were able to sleep just fine.

BEACH: Absolutely gorgeous. Warm water. Palm trees. Need I say more?

POOLS: Big. Nice. We like the beach so did not spend much time here. NOTE: There is always a big party going on around the swim up bar. We stopped in occasionally, but didn't hang around long.....it got pretty rowdy. (You might like that!)

FOOD: Okay....I have to say I get really tired of hearing people at the resort, on the plane and on sites like this complaining about food. Sheesh, it's the Dominican! The food is different! Take advantage of this! Have fried plantains or bananas for breakfast! Have the paella for lunch! Try all the wonderful cheeses and breads and fruits. There is absolutely no way a person can go hungry at this resort.

We tried each of the specialty restaurants; Mexican, Japanese, Spanish, Italian and Brazilian, in that order. Liked them all. Would go back to each of them given enough time.

The snack bar and Bahia beach cafe were both handy for something quick. I even ate a burger, just because it sounded good, and it was great! If you want McDonalds....please, just stay home.

Coffee shop was a treat also. Special coffees like Starbucks. Nice idea.

BARS: At least no one here complains often about these....how could you? They are plentiful with friendly staff and always open somewhere on the grounds. Our favorite spot was the little bar by the main pool after dinner. We met so many great people there from many countries.

That, by the way, is the best part about this place.....the cultural diversity. Take advantage of meeting new email pals from all over the world! What a wonderful opportunity!

The weather was beautiful.....only one day of rain......nice and hot and sunny....sigh. Miss it already.

We actually never went to the shows or to the disco.....too busy meeting new friends. However, we heard the shows were very good.

My boyfriend & I stayed at Ocean Bavaro from July 17-24 2006.

The resort itself is quite nice & clean. Our room was in block 7, on the first floor. I thought we were in a very nice location, right on the beach! If you plan on going to bed early it may not be a good spot for you as we were able to hear all of the daily evening shows & they go on until 11pm. The beach is gorgeous & quite well maintained.

On July 20th my boyfriend was quite ill, so much so that we went to see the resort doctor. He immediately sent us to the hospital. We remained in the hospital for 2 nights, my boyfriend had gastroenteritis. While in the hospital, we met 4 other couples, all from Ocean Bavaro. That sends up warning signals for me!

If you're looking to relax on the beach, it wont happen. They do many activities on the beach during the day & you will be bothered quite often, unless you're at one of the far ends.

Towel service was absolutely ridiculous. There was only one day when we had all of the room towels delivered without having to call & complain for them. And yes, we did tip the maid daily. Beach towels were just as difficult to get. We literally had to fight with the guy the day we returned from the hospital to get fresh beach towels.

We watched one evening show and it was awesome! I was very impressed with that.

We were only able to go to the mexican restaurant, and I was happy with the food there. The buffet isnt bad either, I can be a bit of a picky eater & I could always find something to eat. The pizza is pretty awesome but the plain cheese & the ham pizza's always go the fastest!

We were able to go on one tour, the atv tour. I would definitely recommend it, we had a great afternoon atv-ing & seeing more of the Dominican Republic.

There is a definite language barrier if you dont speak any spanish (like us!)