|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Iberostar Grand Hotel Bávaro |
Iberostar Grand Hotel Bávaro: Iberostar Grand Hotel Bávaro Reviews |
| Total User's Score 4.1
|
By Occasion... |
By Traveller Type... |
| Based on 7 reviews |
| Excellent |
 |
3 |
| Very good |
 |
2 |
| Average |
 |
1 |
| Poor |
|
1 |
| Terrible |
 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| An incredible experience. |
| Iberostar Grand Hotel Bávaro |
User Rating:
|
|
Rich from N.J. >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Oct, 2009
|
|
Arrival: SEPTEMBER 17- 23RD
Arrival was swift and easy.
Rooms:
Room was very nice. Great shower, tub, view and bed.
Restaurants and Bars:
Lobby, pool and lunch pavillion. Dinner buffet and steak, Japanese, Italian. Japeanese was best, tho all very good.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Beautiful, beautiful and more beautiful.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
No tours, beach was so nice we never wanted to leave.
Other Comments:
An incredible experience. Allinclusive is the way to go. The folks who work at the Grand are terrific and all needs we met and / or exceeded. |
|
|
|
|
| We enjoyed our vacation at this resort. |
| Iberostar Grand Hotel Bávaro |
| User Rating:
|
|
Carol >
1 contribution(s) |
| Mar, 2009
|
|
We stayed at Iberostar Grand Bavaro from Feb 20 to Feb 27 2009.
This is our 21st all-inclusive and our 9th time to Punta Cana. I always like to know where others have stayed so I know what they are comparing so here are some other resorts we have been to recently: Excellence Punta Cana (EPC), Iberostar Grand Paraiso (IGP), Sandals Whitehouse (SW) in Jamaica, Excellence Playa Mujeres (EPM), Grand Lido Negril (GLN) and Royal Cancun. IGP and EPC and now this one are our favorite resorts to date.
One observation before I continue with descriptions. This resort is really not similar to the Grand Paraiso in Mexico at all. It has the same restaurants and menus and that seems to be where the similarities stop. A person coming to this resort would be best to treat it as a new resort and not with expectations associated with The Grand Paraiso, this is after all The Dominican and not Mexico.
Overview: The resort is a square with the ocean forming one side. The pools, gardens, grounds, restaurants, bars are all in the interior of the square. There are also rooms opening on to the back of the two sides of the squares. These rooms would have no view except of surrounding resorts. This includes the swim up rooms. The swim up rooms are on the backside of the side which faces the next resort over the Iberostar Bavaro. The swim up rooms are somewhat sheltered by bushes that would offer some privacy. The canal of water is just that a rectangular body of water that connects all the swim up rooms but does not flow into anything. When I saw the pictures prior to arriving I was thinking I would prefer these to ocean view but after seeing them I would not have wanted these rooms. The swim up rooms would be good if you prefer to hang around your room and not people watch or view much. There are very few ocean front rooms so doubt there will be much upgrading. The ocean front rooms are not the same here as Mexico as they do not sit on the sandy beach. The lower level rooms would not have much of a view as they are quite far back and there are buildings etc that would block the view. (I have provided a link at the end of this review to pictures. Photo 25 show the ocean front rooms and photo 26 show the view from the lower levels). The higher floored ocean front rooms would have gorgeous views of the beach and ocean. |
|
| Room: |
| Our room was room 7349 which was a perfect location for us. We were on the top floor, across from the ocean so we had a view of the courtyard, grounds, pools and the ocean beyond. Gorgeous!! (Photo 12, 13 and 34 are views from our room) The rooms are much smaller than Mexicos. There is no couch area, only a futon. This did not bother us as we sat on the balcony whenever we were in the room. The bathroom was disappointing. Grand Paraiso had one of the nicest bathrooms I have ever seen at a resort. I loved the French doors and the his and her vanities on either end of the bathroom. We had lots of space and vanity area in Mexico. This one is very small in comparison. There are two sinks but they are very close together with next to no counter space. The view was phenomenal from our bathroom even from the toilet, shower and bathtub. There are electric blinds for privacy but we didnt need them being on the 4th floor. Our butler came to the room immediately and with very good English explained everything we needed to know. He asked what we wanted in our mini fridge and when we asked for white wine it was brought immediately. The room had everything else we needed. There were snacks provided which were Pringles chips, nuts and some banana chips. Everything was replenished as required. The bed is one of the most comfortable beds we have had. There is not much for shelves and there are only two drawers in each of the night stands. We pack lightly but found the space limited. There was no net of any kind in our room but there are free to use computers in a separate room and wireless available around the lobby areas. Housecoats, slippers, pillow menu, clock radio by the bed, iron and board and a table for room service. Teak deck with two basket chairs, a small couch and clothesline finished off the balcony. There was a fruit basket when we arrived. The air could be set at whatever we wanted but goes off when you leave the room so does take a few minutes to cool down when entering. Also the ceiling fan was not directly over the bed. One thing we found was the only outlet in the whole room that worked for us was the one in the bathroom. Even the iron provided would only plug into the bathroom outlet. We had to be a little organized as between cameras, razors, curling irons etc this plug was in constant use. We had a Miami newspaper delivered most days and fresh ice was delivered daily. |
|
| Grounds: |
The Grand is very compact and if we did not have access to the other resorts we would have found it alone to confining. Everything in this resort is just a few minutes walk away. This Grand is not as large as the one in Mexico. With three other resorts to explore we never seemed to take the same path twice. We walked a lot and on every outing found things we had not found before. There are many different types of birds throughout the other resorts not to mention the beautiful grounds. We nosed around the Grand probably places we shouldnt have been and did find unfinished rooms. These really have to be sought out and from all outward appearance it seems construction has been completed. The resort requires a year or so to mature but all the plantings are there and will be very beautiful when they have grown a bit. The infinity pool in Mexico seems grander to us overlooking the beach. This was not a concern though as we spent all our days on the beautiful Bavaro beach.
Beach:
We have been to Punta Cana many times so knew what to expect, absolutely beautiful. There are no rocks here and very little seaweed. The actual beach area could have used some more sand in places but we saw sand being brought in while we were there. The water is the exact opposite of Grand Lido Negril. GLN was very calm and one could easily float or swim, this beach had waves the whole week and on a couple days they were quite playful. We like to play in the waves so again this was not a concern. If I want to swim laps I usually go to a pool. The beach is very busy with lots of people walking by especially since the flea market is adjacent to the resort. We did not have any vendors bothering us on the beach. There was never a problem finding chairs in either the shade or sun.
Pools:
I cant comment on the pools as we spent all our time on the beach. There were not any floats available at the time we were here.
Staff and housekeeping:
We never had problems with any services except breakfast (explained later). Our room was very clean, fresh towels daily, mini bar and snacks replenished. All employees were very friendly. We had turn down service where fresh towels were brought and chocolates were put out. We were on occasion offered drinks on the beach and a couple times cold towels. Neither of these events were regular.
We have never had a problem with communication at any resort previously. We are quite easy going and do not require much maintenance. In the past if we have required something we have been able to make it known. We did have problems at the breakfast buffet. The first morning we didnt see the egg station at first and asked an employee, the reply was no English. The second day we asked for hard cooked eggs and were taken to the butter. We gave up and ate what we saw after that. We did think it a little strange that the word egg would not be recognized. Not many of the employees speak much English but this didnt bother us. Besides these two incidents service was good. |
|
| Weather: |
Sun, sun and more sun. Everyday was gorgeous. Hot in the sun and cool under a shade hut on the beach. Our last morning we woke up to rain but cleared to cloudy by the time we were ready for breakfast, before noon the clouds had blown away and we were back into sun again.
Gym and Spa:
We visited these two areas while walking one day. The spa looked very nice but I did not partake in any of their services. The gym is above the spa and on a quick walk through looked like it had very nice equipment and a waterfront view. There is a schedule with activities happening all day long from yoga to arobics to group type sports.
Butler:
As I already mentioned our butler gave us a good orientation the first day. He got us a bottle of wine and tried to make reservations but was told all the a la cartes were full. This was a real downer as our first evening we had to eat at the buffet and we are not buffet fans. He did offer to arrange reservations at one of the adjoining resorts but we booked the Grand to be away from kids so we opted out. We did not see him again but in his defence we are very low maintenance and made our restaurant reservations through the concierge. We never had reason to call him.
Meals:
For all meals we had good service. The tablecloths were replaced after each occupant nice not to have stains and crumbs from the previous diners. The a la cartes are air conditioned and smoke free. We love to eat steak and lobster and both these were in abundance at both lunch and dinners. The theatre is air conditioned.
Breakfast:
I will skip over this meal as the service was good and the buffet had everything we wanted. Besides the lack of any English it was fine. I know I will be crucified for mentioning English while in Punta Cana but as I said we never had a problem communicating our few needs before. As another reviewer mentioned the buffets are not labelled in any way so figuring out what some of the items are is a challenge.
Lunch:
We had only one buffet to choose from for lunch. It was quite small and not a lot of choices. We missed not having a la carte like Mexico because as I have mentioned we prefer to order from menus. Fri and Sat the buffet was a zoo. We had to wait for a table, wait for service and stand in line ups for food. There was a conference that cleared out on Sun and thank goodness the rest of the week the buffet was much calmer, quieter and the service was better. There were even grill lobster tails on the lunch buffet. We walked over to the resort next to ours, Iberostar Bavaro and there was a larger buffet with anything you could imagine available. There were no ice cream bars at the Grand but there was regular ice cream. In the adjourning resorts there were ice cream shacks and soft ice cream. |
|
| Dinner: |
We tried all 4 al la cartes. I mentioned our first dinner was a buffet as the a la cartes were full. When we tried to reserve for Wed we were told all the a la cartes were closed with no further explanation. This was hard to overlook as buffet for breakfast and lunch were two to many and now to add a buffet for supper as well. Again we were offered reservations at one of the other resorts so the decision had to be made which was the better of the evils buffet or kids with a sit down meal. Two things that are very important to us on vacation is a nice beach and sit down served dinners. This is a big two thumbs down that at least one a la carte would not be available.
We enjoyed our vacation at this resort. There definitely are a few things that need ironing out but it has only been opened a few months. I would return to this resort as we love Punta Cana and we search for adult only. I would also return to Iberostar Grand Paraiso as besides the rocky beach we enjoyed that resort. We have also been to Excellence and I would recommend that resort for anyone looking for an adult only. Excellence offered different services than this one. I havent yet returned to a resort because I like to experience new resorts and new areas but this will go on the list as a possibility.
I have posted some pictures that can be found at http://tinyurl.com/d2v569 |
|
|
|
|
| This resort is truly a rising star. |
| Iberostar Grand Hotel Bávaro |
| User Rating:
|
|
Steve & Vicki from Bloomington, Indiana >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Mar, 2009
|
|
| |
|
| Background |
We booked the Iberostar Grand back in October 2008 for the period of March 14 21. We had visited the IB Grand Paraiso in Mexico in December 2007 and fell in love with all aspects (other than the beach) of this lovely resort. We couldnt wait to visit the new Grand on Bavaro because we are beach people and find the Bavaro beach to be one of the best in the Caribbean.
For reference, this was our twelfth visit to Punta Cana. We have also stayed at the Barcelo Bavaro Palace, Excellence, Grand Palladium Bavaro, Royal Suites Turquesa by Grand Palladium, Iberostar Bavaro, and the old Sunscape Punta Cana Grand (now the Oasis resorts).
We have also visited Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Cancun, Riviera Maya, Cozumel, Barbados, St. Lucia, Grenada, Aruba, Margarita Island, Curacao, and Maui Hawaii. |
|
| Flight and Arrival |
We flew scheduled air on United Airlines from Indianapolis to PUJ with a plane change at Dulles, Washington, DC. Flights were on time and uneventful. No charge for up to two checked bags per traveler with a 50-pound weight limit per bag on United for international travel. No food served on the flight from Dulles to PUJ; however, snack boxes were available for purchase of $6.00 US.
On the return trip, however, the plane was two hours late arriving in Punta Cana because of a mechanical problem. Our late arrival into Dulles resulted in our missing the connecting flight to Indianapolis, and naturally it was the last flight of the day to IND. We ended up spending the night in Washington, D.C. and arriving home at 6 p.m. the following day. We shouldnt complain, however, because the folks who were on the flight with us and were trying to get back to Kansas City, were told that they could not get there on any airline until Tuesday, March 24!
We arrived at PUJ at the same time as several other flights. As a result, the line for purchase of the $10 US tourist visa and immigration clearance was long and moved rather slowly. It took at least ˝ hour. People kept jumping and cutting in line ahead of us. This is a result of the queue lanes being too wide. They should narrow these roped off lanes down to the width of two people in order to prevent this from happening.
Luggage retrieval was also slow. It took at least another ˝ hour after clearing immigration for our luggage to finally appear on the conveyor. A lot of people were starting to panic because they thought that their luggage had not made it. We reassured several folks that it was not unusual to have a long wait for luggage. Eventually, most if not all of the luggage showed up.
VIP Tour Services provided coach transfer to the resort. We had no problem locating the VIP tour rep. They stand out in their bright yellow shirts. We were immediately escorted to the air-conditioned bus by a VIP rep. The bus was comfortable. Some people waiting on the bus were complaining about their lengthy wait prior to departing the airport; however, based on our experience, we thought it was about an average time. Transfer time to the resort was approximately 20 minutes. Our resort was the first stop for the bus.
We were greeted upon arrival at the resort with a chilled, moist, scented towel and our choice of either a pińa colada or champagne. Check-in was fast and easy. We were upgraded to an ocean-view room (our TA had mentioned on the booking that we were returning Iberostar guests and requested that we be upgraded).
On the day of our arrival, occupancy seemed to be low. Perhaps 100 guests or so. On Monday however, a number of guests were bumped up from the Iberostar Bavaro to the Grand because the IB Bavaro was overbooked with a large convention from Grupo LG Espańa. I would estimate that there were probably 350 guests there the rest of the week. The spots by the pool were pretty much taken for the rest of the week. |
|
| Room |
We were assigned room 7360 on the south corner of the top floor of the center building in the horseshoe layout of the three buildings. The view was gorgeous, overlooking the lagoon that harbors the Spanish Galleon sailing ship, the pool, and the ocean beyond.
The room was just as the photos in previous reviews depicted. Although not quite as large as the room we had at the IB Grand Paraiso in Mexico, it was still a luxurious room and was quite sufficient to meet our needs. There are individual reading lamps on either side of the king bed. The bed faced the slider leading out to the balcony so that if we had chosen, we could have awakened to the view of the ocean each morning.
The bathroom had dual sinks, a large marbled shower with an exquisite rain head. We always had plenty of hot water and good water pressure. There was a whirlpool tub in the front corner of the bath with windows on two sides that utilized electrically controlled shades to provide some measure of privacy. Forest Essentials brand bath toiletries by Gilchrist and Soames were provided and were replenished y housekeeping each day as needed. There was also a makeup mirror mounted on the wall. There were dispensers of both shampoo and body wash in the shower. These had a distinctly masculine odor however and the shampoo left your hair feeling like straw. Probably O.K. for most of the guys but the ladies will want to use the Forest Essentials shampoo and conditioner provided, or bring your own from home.
Linens and towels used in the room were of an extremely high quality thread count. They were specially manufactured for Iberostar at a high-end textile mill in Barcelona, Spain. Robes and slippers were also provided; however, if you are a big guy, forget these. I wear a size 12 mens shoe and the slippers covered about ˝ of one of my feet.
There was a clock radio with an ipod docking station. The mini-bar was well stocked with two types of beer, several types of soda, red and white wines, snacks including Lays brand potato chips in regular and lime flavors, plantain chips, and peanuts. There was also a large fruit bowl in our room upon check-in.
Our assigned butler met us in our room, explained all of the amenities of the room, and described his services. He pointed out the pillow menu and provided our selected pillow type. Dont really expect anything else from the butler during your stay. The instructions in the room said that if you would like to have internet access in your room to speak with your butler. We did and he said that they could provide an access point so we could use a LAN cable for internet access. We requested that such access point be provided and he said he would take care of it. We never received the access point and never heard from our butler again. Unless the butlers develop to the point that they are capable of providing the same level of service as the butlers provided at the Grand Paraiso in Mexico, it is a wasted service.
The television, a 32-inch flat panel plasma, had very few channels to chose from. It appeared that the satellite service was not functioning properly most of the time we were there.
We did have some problems with bugs in our room. They were primarily gnats but there were also a few mosquitoes. After our second day there, the staff began to spray the hallways each afternoon. The spraying did help. The reason for the existence of the bugs will be explained in the grounds section of this review.
|
|
The rooms have motion detectors built into them. After 15 minutes without motion detected in the room, the lights and air conditioning would automatically shut down. When you came back into your room after a day at the beach or pool, it would be warm but the air conditioning was extremely efficient and would cool the room back down in just a few minutes.
Housekeeping was excellent. I am convinced that the motion detectors in the rooms are tied into an annunciator panel for housekeeping. It was almost uncanny the way the housekeeping staff would never knock on the door, even when we were in the room later than usual some mornings; however, it seemed like that they were in the room cleaning within twenty minutes of the time we left the room. Towel art was frequently changed and the room was left immaculately clean. Turndown service was consistent each evening. They also seemed to take advantage of some motion detector based notification alert.
|
|
| Grounds |
The resort is rather compact and is easy to navigate. The layout is well thought out. All of the a la carte restaurants are grouped together on the south side of the resort. The sailing ship is harbored directly in front of the a la carte restaurants. The main lake pool is located in the center of the horseshoe close to the beach. There is also a smaller activities pool located adjacent to the main pool.
The plantings are all newly planted and small but will eventually be quite beautiful. Many of the sidewalks are still a work in progress. They are poured concrete and the staff is currently in the process of laying marble, slate, and coral coverings over these poured concrete walkways. The walking surface between the a la carte restaurants and the sailing ship is a teak wood decking. Beware; sections of the walking surfaces that are finished in marble and teak wood get extremely slick when wet.
As depicted in the photographs published by previous reviewers, the Spanish Galleon sailing ship sits in a manufactured harbor. This ship provides a stage on the top deck for bands to provide live music a few evenings each week. The lower deck of the ship acts as a nightclub. There is a modern sound system and large screen TVs. Music is always playing and there is a rather annoying video of a Michaels Jackson concert that plays on the video screens incessantly.
There has been much discussion on various forums about the color of the water in the man-made harbor. The water is definitely a dirty brown as a result of a huge overgrowth of algae that has already occurred in the water. This harbor was not designed as a natural aquatic ecosystem and was poorly engineered in my opinion (I am a manufacturing engineer). There is an insufficient degree of slope in the poured concrete bottom of the harbor and adjacent lagoon. Pumps are undersized to re-circulate and filter the water in these enclosures at a rate sufficient to prevent algae overgrowth. As a result of this, there are dead pools of stagnant water that develop, especially around the peripheral edges of the lagoon. These dead pools are breeding grounds for flying insects. In the late afternoon, I could see millions of flying gnats over these stagnant pools of water. The resort is obviously acutely aware of this problem. While we were there, they completely drained the lagoon enclosure; however the harbor area was left full of stagnant water. I did not discuss this with any of the staff but I hope that they must be preparing to implement an engineering solution to this problem. Given the fact that malaria is endemic in the province of la Altagracia where Punta Cana is located, this is a serious potential health hazard that must be addressed right away. This was also a frequent topic of discussion among the guests while we were there. |
|
| Pools and Beach |
There are two pools as previously mentioned. One is a free-form pool with two whirlpool hot tubs integrated into the pool. Water temperature was comfortable and the pool was kept immaculately clean. The activity pool adjacent to the larger pool was really designed for water activities and seemed to be infrequently used while we were there.
High quality teak wood lounge chairs with thick pads and Bali beds were provided around the pool. There were quite a few cabanas with white canvas coverings to provide shade as needed. Some lounge chairs were in a very shallow portion of the pool as well. In our opinion, there were too many Bali bed cabanas and not enough with lounge chairs around the pool.
Because no towel cards are utilized, people have a tendency to leave their towels in the cabanas when they are finished and it is difficult to tell whether a particular cabana is still in use or not. Staff collects towels at the end of each day but they probably should go around more often and collect towels from those cabanas where no other personal belongings are left behind. The same is true for the palapas on the beach although they were much more readily available during our stay.
The beach is typical of Bavaro. There is a slight slope up from the water for about twenty feet and then the beach levels off into a nice flat area. There are a number of palm trees, although not as many as there are in some other areas of Bavaro. There are quite a few palapas constructed for use of guests at the Grand. The occupancy rate of the palapas was very low for the entire week. There is a need for some additional sand to be brought in for the flat area of the beach in front of and surrounding the beachfront palapas, as some sections were quite rocky.
Water is clear and the swimming area that is roped off is seaweed free with a beautiful sandy bottom and very few rocks. There was some minor wave action but it was never onerous because of the offshore coral reef that mitigates the wave action. |
|
| Spa |
| Vicki visited the spa once during our stay. She had a facial, which she thought was fantastic, and some sort of a seaweed body wrap, which she also enjoyed. The atmosphere was very soothing and relaxing and the staff very professional. We are not frequent spa visitors and rarely partake of the services offered at these resorts. This spa, however, seems to be as good, if not better, than any we have experienced, but seemed a bit pricey for some services.
|
|
| Restaurants and Bars |
There are two buffet restaurants and four a la carte restaurants from which to choose. The buffets include the Bella Vista which was open for breakfast and dinner. This buffet was located at the very end of the south building in the horseshoe layout. The food here was great. Just about anything you could desire was available. There were theme dinners each night. The Bella Vista was a fully enclosed and air-conditioned restaurant with al fresco dining available in front of the entrance.
The second buffet restaurant is called the Perla and is located on the beach. This is an open-air buffet and was only open for lunch while we were there.
All of the food at both buffets was excellent with one exception. Be very careful if you get a hamburger because they just dont know how to cook one. We got hamburgers from the Perla buffet and from room service that were essentially raw in the middle. We sent one back that we got from room service and asked for a well-done replacement. The replacement hamburger was just as raw as the first.
The four a la carte restaurants include the Hashira Japanese tepanyaki restaurant, the EL Galeon surf and turf restaurant, the La Tentazione Italian restaurant and the Le Tourbillon French/Gourmet restaurant. We ate in all four a la cartes and enjoyed all of them. Our only two complaints would be that the meat cooked on the tepanyaki grill in the Japanese restaurant was a bit too salty for our taste and all four a la carte restaurants were closed on Wednesday, forcing the guests to dine at the buffet or at another hotel.
Unlike the Grand Paraiso in Mexico, there was a no wine menu from which you could choose as part of the all-inclusive package. There was basically one house red and two whites. They were good wines but we missed the varietals selection offered by the Grand Paraiso.
Service in all of the restaurants was quite attentive. All of the servers are uniformed and white gloved. The staff seemed to sincerely want your dining experience to be memorable. One nice aspect of the surf and turf was that the meat was sliced for cooking at a station that you could visit and pick out what you would like.
Bars included the lobby bar, the pool bar, the theater bar and the bar on the sailing ship. Service at the bars was superb. Drink quality was excellent and many top shelf liquors were available on request. Some of the great bartenders include Wildon, Leonardo, Tomas, and others whose names escape me now.
Wait staff from the restaurants that made our visit memorable include Wilfredo, Caesar, Itzy, Juana, Gregory, Jorge, Danis, Cedento, Carmen, Renny, Altagracia, and Nathaniel. These folks bent over backwards to provide anything and everything that we needed. |
|
| Concierge Desk |
Each building had a concierge desk located on the first floor. The concierge was supposed to be available to make dinner reservations, transmit special requests to your butler (the butler would draw a bath for you any evening while you were out at dinner and the shows), and provide general customer service as needed. Some of the concierge staff were very professional and helpful (thanks Anna). Others, not so much.
We met two other couples on our first full day at the resort and became friends. We attempted to book a dinner reservation for all six of us at the Jambalaya restaurant at the Bavaro hotel and it proved to be a real challenge. At first, we were told by one concierge that it was impossible to book a reservation for six people. She stated that they were only allotted reservation space for two people at a time. We went back later though and saw another concierge who told us it was possible and that she would book the reservation and send the ticket to our room. To make a long story short, it almost took an act of Congress and three full days to book this reservation but we finally got it done. The concierge staff blamed the difficulty on the managers of the restaurants at the other hotels within the Iberostar complex and said that they were not always very cooperative with them. The General Manager of the entire Iberostar complex should address this. If you book and pay for the Grand, you should be treated like royalty at the other resorts. We sure never had any problems booking dinners at the other Paraiso hotels (the Beach, Lindo and Maya) when staying at the Iberostar Grand Paraiso in Mexico. |
|
| Anamacion Staff and Shows |
| The anamicion staff worked very hard to make the visit memorable and did a great job. Their boss, Yinilli, was a real customer service oriented young lady. I stopped by her office one day and spoke with her. I made a recommendation that they should consider offering karaoke on the ship at least once per week. She immediately got on the phone and told me she would make arrangements to have karaoke on the ship one night before we left. The next day I ran into her and she told me she had completed the arrangements for the karaoke event and sure enough, the next evening we had karaoke in the nightclub on the lower deck of the sailing ship. There were at least six singers and a large crowd to boot. We all had a great time. Thanks Yinilli! Other anamacion staff members that helped make our visit memorable were Ross, Conan and Oscar. They kept the activities going without being loud or obtrusive. The shows were very entertaining. There were some evenings that the shows were provided by true professionals and the quality of the singing and dancing was very high for Punta Cana. |
|
| Summary |
This resort is truly a rising star. The architecture, art, and furnishings are exquisite. The food was great, service was impeccable and the entire resort was kept immaculately clean. Yes, there are challenges to be met and some improvements yet to be made, but overall this is a fantastic adults-only retreat that provides a high quality vacation. Service is outstanding for the most part and most of the staff seems to be well trained, although some need improvement.
The most serious concern that must be addressed involves the stagnant water of the harbor and lagoon. If this is not satisfactorily corrected, it would prevent us from returning; otherwise, we will be back.
The following link provides photos, anamacion schedule, spa services and prices, and a resort map: http://tinyurl.com/d86vt7 |
|
|
|
|
| We could not have been more pleased with the service. |
| Iberostar Grand Hotel Bávaro |
| User Rating:
|
|
Jeff from Michigan >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Feb, 2009
|
|
Arrival: Jan 31 - Feb 7, 2009
We arrived in Punta Cana at 2:30 in the afternoon. We got thru customs very quickly, the line never stopped moving; we where thru in 10 minutes. Our tour operator routed us quickly to the resort. The time from plane to front desk was just over an hour.
We were greeted and offered champagne & Pina Coladas as we checked in.
Rooms:
Knowing this was a brand new resort & having seen on-line pictures, our room was exactly as we expected: king size bed, flat-screen TV & whirl-pool tub. The only downside was that it faced the Ibero Bavaro resort, so we had no view of the ocean (though, we probably could have asked, but we didn't).
The Grand Hotel offers a 'butler' to service your room. Our butlers (Lewis, Marcos & Tony) were available to provide any services we needed; including delivery of flowers & fruit the evening we arrived. Later in the week, Tony drew us a very romantic bath in the whirl-pool tub while we were away to dinner.
Restaurants and Bars:
The food in all the restaurants was incredible; this includes the ala carte & buffet. We dined at the buffet, in the Surf & Turf, the Italian & the Japanese; the French was not yet open, but it should be open by mid-February. The staff was very attentive, with the exception of the Japanese. We happened to be there on opening night, so service was a bit slow; the food was fine none the less.
Despite being 'just' a buffet, we could get fresh lobster, crab legs & filet mignon each night.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Without question, Punta Cana has the nicest beach we have visited; this is our second time to PC, we've also traveled to Negril, Montego Bay, Puerto Vallarta, and the Mayan Rivera.
The pool area was very nice, with an assortment of lounging options. We had our choice of lounge chairs beside the pool, lounge chairs setting shallowly in the pool, and of shaded beds for an afternoon nap.
The grounds are freshly planted, so there is not yet any mature growth on the property. |
|
| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel: |
We went on the full-day Bavaro Runners Safari Adventure excursion. This took us to a local school, a sugar-cane field, and into the mountains to visit a home which actively farms cocoa & coffee beans. After lunch we went horse-back riding & finally to a local beach.
The Star Friends at the Grand Hotel offered many activities, but they were not pushy & would leave you alone if you simply said âno thank you'. Of note, we met Conan our first evening; he remembered us by name & chatted with us each day.
The Gym & Spa opened during our visit. While we did not use the gym, my wife took advantage of the Spa, booking an 80 minute message.
Other Comments:
We cannot say enough about the staff: first rate all the way. Everybody we encountered was very helpful. From the time we climbed out of the airport shuttle until our departure, we could not have been more pleased with the service. Notably: Gregory, Melvin, Leonardo, Cecilio, Ramon, & Neomi in the restaurants; our butlers Lewis, Marcos & Tony; and Rosario & Wilnet in the front of the hotel.
This is a small hotel, and all rooms are not yet finished; as a result, we were not crowded. We had no problem finding seats near the pool, or getting reservations at any of the three ala carte restaurants.
This is our second visit to the Iberostar in Punta Cana; our first visit was 10 years ago. It was very interesting to walk thru the grounds of the Ibero Punta Cana / Dominicana and see how the landscape has matured, giving it a completely different feel. We also realized just how crowded it was & how much space we had at the Grand Hotel.
I've mentioned that this is a new hotel, it opened December 20, 2008. As such, it is still a work-in-progress. The French restaurant is not open yet, one wing of rooms is still being finished & the Presidential suite is still in the construction phase (this led to a bit of noise at the pool; it is easily ignored as simply background noise). |
|
|
|
|
|
| Old Reviews - Iberostar Grand Hotel Bávaro |
| Iberostar Grand Hotel Bavaro |
Steven
Newtown CT
|
| November 2008 |
|
|
My family and I completed our sixth Iberostar vacation (Porto Plata, Riviera Maya, La Romana twice, Punta Cana twice). We have brought several families along with us on some of our vacations, and have recommended Iberostar to countless others. We always look forward to these family trips, and see Iberostar as a trusted “second home”. Our trip to Iberostar Bavaro from 12/22/07-12/29/07 proved otherwise.
The trip started well. The resort responded to my e mail, and placed us in a beachfront room (316) based on our family’s loyalty to the resort chain. My three children (ages 22, 19, 17) were in the adjoining room (315). My oldest daughter Elana placed her cell phone in the safe found in the room (315) but noted that it was not functioning. She closed the safe door with the phone inside, but it would not lock. That evening (12/23), I reported the broken safe to the hotel desk, but was told by the front desk clerk, in a rather curt fashion, to “come back tomorrow”. I was a bit surprised by his lack of help in this matter – why not simply record the room number and have it fixed the next day? He would not listen to my reasoning. We all had forgotten that the phone was left in the closed but unlocked safe. No one in our family attempted to use the phone the entire vacation.
On Friday, December 28, we began to pack for the return trip home. It was then that we had noted that the cell phone was missing. My entire family and I searched for the phone, but it was not found. I reported the the theft to the hotel management. They dryly stated that the phone could not be stolen – “there are no thefts at the resort”. We must have “misplaced it”. We insisted that the phone was taken from the room, and that it was in a non-functional safe. I was asked if any other people had entered the room. My three children insisted that no one had. One evening, I was escorted to room 315 by security who verified that the safe was indeed broken. They also placed a “key reader” in the door. They were able to determine that only one house keeper had access to the room. She had eight years experience in the hotel. A theft was therefore “impossible”. My request for an incident report was turned down. My questions about a police investigation were rebuffed entirely. Without these reports, an insurance claim would be impossible.
On our return to the U.S. received the phone bill which lists a total of 177 calls made to numbers within the Dominican Republic with a total cost of $548.25. These calls were made from 12/24 – 12/28/07 on my daughter’s phone. None of these calls were made by anyone in my family. It would appear evident that my daughter’s phone was indeed stolen.
We all can overlook the fact that this resort was not at its “best” the week we there. It appeared under-staffed and over-booked. The Christmas season can place extreme pressure on a “people business” such as an all-inclusive resort. That can explain the less than stellar service and the absence of the overall cleanliness that we have come to expect. This is understandable. What I cannot accept is the way in which my family and I were treated by the hotel and its’ staff as it relates to this theft. We were made to feel like the guilty party. We were simply told that these things don’t happen here. We were given no support whatsoever. This is what I feel cannot be overlooked.
Most importantly, after phone calls and letters to: our travel agent (Doylestown Travel), the resort itself, Iberostar in Miami, and their international headquarters in Spain we have not gotten ANY response whatsoever.
Simply put, an excellent place to stay if nothing goes wrong, BUT a disaster if something does.
|
|
|
|
| Iberostar Grand Hotel Bavaro |
Hasina and Karl
|
| April 2007 |
|
|
I am married to my best friend. That was the highlight of the trip.
The Iberostar Bavaro is not a place to wed for the bride that (1) doesn't want to get ripped off (2) doesn't want to have to micromanage (3) does want to have to worry.
Leading up to my arrival after emailing my wedding coordinator Raiza and chatting with her I had very little concern that there would be much involvement on my end. All I needed to do (I thought) was finalize the welcome reception for our guests.
Arrival. Upon our arrival to the hotel with 10 of our 30 guest we checked in and were provided with a room next to an empty lot on the edge of the resort. Though our travel agent (my father in law) and I requested an ocean view room , at least since we were bringing 30 people to their resort at the end of October slow time.
A new coordinator KATTY demanded that I met with her immediately where she inundated me with items that I thought were already resolved. After a long day of travel desperately wanting to spend time with me friends and family that had tra so far I was stuck in a well air conditioned tiny little office with the coordinator and one of the people from my wedding party. We left her office at approximately 8PM.
The next morning when I located the coordinator to provide my final decisions. She admonished me for not returning to her the previous evening with my conclusions. She chastised me, the bride. I was too tired and alone and felt that I had done something wrong. UNTIL the wedding party member that meet with us the evening prior pointed out that the wedding coordinator advised us that she was leaving for the day after we met and that we had agreed to meet the following morning.
When I complained about the room the coordinator realized we had been given the wrong room. We were given another guests room. A guest with the ( Go figure!) same last name as my husband. How could this happen well big surprise to the hotel when there is a wedding at times family members that attend have the SAME LAST NAME. Which is how the assigned the rooms. It was an easy mix -up forgiven until the front desk accused us of purposefully switching the rooms. This was the first instance of many where the resort failed to take ownership of let alone remedy there errors.
We paid an extra 2K for a full bar premium private reception. We received mediocre liquor that I had to tell other guests was not for their consumption. The Bartender knowing full well this was a private event was happy to serve anybody and everybody. I let husband handle that he and his friends are very proprietary when it comes to liquor and beer.
The wedding day itself my original coordinator Raiza appeared. With her winning smile I rested assured that the rude behavior of Katty that now even my guests were complaining about would come to an end. WRONG. IN my gown I decided I had to take the arm band (for the inclusive meals) off. It just did not coordinate with my wedding gown. Just be for I disembark from my private golf cart to walk down the aisle. I see KATTY and tell her I had to remove my arm band would she be able to get another please. She chastised me for removing the arm band. Literally at the end of the aisle for me to walk to meet my husband.
The aisle was not wide enough for me to get down let alone with my mother. I am a size 8. They did not envision that somebody would walk down the aisle. I purchased extra bottles of champagne I clearly explained to KATTY this champagne was to be served at dinner with the the lobster that we were required to provided for with additional payment. As I am signing the documents I see the champagne bottles being popped and handed out to guests.
All and all I made it a point to tip Raiza who was so helpful and friendly leading up to the event and when available upon our arrival. Katty got and deserved nothing. She made problems that were unnecessary and she was exceptionally rude.
The staff overall at the hotel was nice. By Staff I mean the Bartenders and the chefs. The Pool people that double as talent for the evening were very talented and very RUDE. The front desk staff I would terminate with 1 weeks notice if I was their manager and run the front desk myself.
My husband and I feel in love with the resort two years prior to our marriage. We would've returned yearly to celebrate. We will now go to another resort. I encourage an bride to explore another resort and visit it before you confirm your wedding. Much changed in two years and not for the better.
Other problems:
salon appoitnments never materialized
the karaoke machine ahd been broken for weeks though I was assured it was available repeatedly
coordinator did bare miminium
everybody got sick except for me
food tasted bad- it is more European now, though the country is in the carribean
2 months to get marriage license in Spanish
Good side:
I got the man of my dreams!
The cake was really good
The ocean is always good
the hair dresser Raiza was really good and does all types of hair
The sun was warm
The food was better refrigerated
Marriage license is really pretty- colourful with lotsa stickers. |
|
|
|
| Iberostar Grand Hotel Bavaro |
|
|
|
| I just wanted to fill you in on our wedding at the Iberostar Bavaro in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. We got married on October 25, 2006, when we arrived we met with the wedding planner to pick out my flowers and the location, we chose the beach! That is all we had to do until the day of the wedding. I was picked at my room in the golf cart and they brought me right to the beach where my husband was waiting. We chose the guitar trio and they were great! The ceremony was performed by a Judge which was in Spanish but they also had a translator. The ceremony only took about 10 minutes, perfect!!! Then we got our pictures taken by Ricky who I would highly recommend. He was very friendly and made me laugh so I wouldn't have a cheesy smile. Once the pictures were over we ate dinner at the Steak house, the food was good, it was just extremely HOT in there, no AC. I would definitely recommend having a destination wedding. Everything was perfect. I want to do it again!! With the same guy of course. I would give it a 10 out of 10! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dominican Republic Hotels with CARIBBEAN TRAVEL NETWORK
|
|
www.hotel-dominicanrepublic.com Hotel-DominicanRepublic.com offers you exclusive discounts on hotels in Dominican Republic, with maps, photos and hotel information. We offer you a simple, fast and secure way to reserve hotels in Dominican Republic.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 
