Introduction:
Booked through Flight Centre, package through Air Canada Vacations. Traveled from May 19-27, 2007. AC Vacations provide the Platinum package, which makes a huge difference! Explanation to come…

4 Travelers aged 23, all looking for a nice relaxing vacation. Initially choosing between Cuba and Dominican. Have to say we made a fabulous decision. We were hesitant with the resort because of the fire and the reviews; however, DO NOT BELIEVE everything you read on here that is negative. We all took the info. into consideration; thus lowering our expectations, and really, it made the trip a million times better! I will provide more details in hopes that you will take everything I say into consideration.

Arrival:
The airport is really unique. They take your picture and then off you go to pay the $10USD each person to get in (don’t forget your $20USD to get out)! Have that ready, and for Air Canada Vactioners, you email them upon your return to Canada and they will refund you the Tourist Card $10 fee. The flights were smooth, on time and for Air Canada, they definitely have their packages together. However, due to a mix up with our travel agent, there was a little bit of a mishap when we arrived at the hotel. We left Calgary at 8am (MTN) and arrived at the resort at almost 10pm(EST), so obviously we were all very tired and finding out that you do not have a hotel room was quite irritating. However, the Bavaro Princess Platinum staff; along with the Air Canada Vacations representative at the resort, were absolutely amazing. Elia, who welcomed all of the Platinum guests, did everything humanly possible to find us rooms immediately. The weather was hot, about 30C in the day, but felt like almost 40C with the humidity! But that is what you go for right? Even at night, it was incredible, about 25C.

Platinum Perks:
We highly recommend that you take this package. Fortunately for us, this was a standard. If you have to add $20US, we say that is a very insignificant price to pay.
Your platinum bracelet provides you with:
-Free Room Service (7am-12am)
-Free motorized sport (Banana Boat or Snorkelling)
-Free 20 Minute massage for all individuals
- 1 Free reservation to Licey Restaurant ($30US each person)
- Robes and the most comfy slippers you will ever wear!
- A mini fridge with beer, water, soda, re-stocked daily.
- Satellite TV with American TV
- A mini bar in the room
- A nicer, cleaner room with Alarm Clock/CD player and DVD
- Access to Platinum lounge with lots of alcoholic and non- drinks (MMM Fanta, Orange Soda like old times, not reduced sugar), DVDs to borrow, free Internet, and a handful of staff that assist you. (Thanks Elia, Martires, Xiomara...) They were there from early am to about midnight! - Access to all other Princess resorts to eat at no matter what meal! Not only dinner, but also breakfast and lunch!

Rooms:
Seeing as we were able to get a taste of both, I have to say that they are all similar rooms. Same size, layout, etc…however, the main difference is the paint colors, bedspread, and cleanliness! Platinum rooms are cleaner and at a prime location. Near the beach!!! Our room was wonderful. The maids were great keeping them clean, bringing towels nightly (along with chocolates and a newsletter for the day to come with daily events, weather…). They do not smell unbearably bad. Again, you are in a tropical country. There is a beach; things are bound to get wet and sandy. Fact of life! You go on vacation not to have the comforts of home. You go to relax and have a good time. Plus, your room is really just a place to sleep right? The showers, yes they have pretty awful pressure, but regardless, you are going to have a hot shower. Rule of thumb, the colder your shower, the more pressure you get. Some days are better than others, but when you have to accommodate 750 rooms, tell me your shower won’t be as powerful than at home? You’re on vacation! Take what you have and appreciate it!
Plus, you get great service since the tram will pick you up from the platinum lounge or in front of your room, take you through the grounds, yell “Hola” or “Para Por Favor” or “Hey” and you’ll be dropped off wherever you want to be. The tram is great and we had no problems with it. Yes it can be full, but there’s another one that’ll come shortly. Patience!!

Staff and Service:
Honestly, everyone is friendly! They love when you speak Spanish, even a little bit. You will always hear them say ‘Hola’ with a giant smile! Remember to tip them too. If you received great service, give them a few dollars. Give the maid a couple dollars each day and on the last day, give her $5 each (2 in a room is $10). We noticed a lot of people not leaving tips. $1 goes a long long way. We left the platinum staff $40 on our last day to share amongst themselves. They need it more than you do. Just remember that!

Environment:
In terms of bugs, we didn’t have a problem. Just little ants on the counter of the bathroom, mosquitoes in the other room, where one couple was eaten, and the other had none at all. They used ‘off’, got bites, we rarely did, and my friend got one! The most important is sunscreen! Apply and re-apply, use the spray, more efficient and less time consuming! Be sure to bring aloe, it helps!! There were lots of animals all over the grounds. Turtles, parrots, peacocks, flamingos, ducks, and the occasional monkey Vicky. Cutest thing ever!! Get your pictures taken and enjoy them! We fortunately found the monkey on our last day and the photographers were nice enough to let us take photos with our cameras. We just gave them a tip at the end! That was nice of them!
You’ll also see spiders, lizards, frogs, roaches and crabs. Don’t be scared! You’re bigger than them; it’s their environment! Just like Canada has bears, coyotes, and deer’s, you don’t step on them or run over them on purpose because you’re afraid!

Shopping:
Not really what you go here to do, and the main things to buy are souvenirs. Big things to purchase are coffee, cocoa, cigars, jewellery and art. You will find a complex across the street from the resort, one to the left called Bavaro Plaza, some vendors on the beach (20 minute walk) and one still being built (more classy) called Palma Real, where a bus picks you up and drops you off. Honestly, don’t bother with the markets near the resort. They are pushy, saying, “Mah prend, you look in mah store” and “cheapy cheapy” which is contradictory, cause honestly, a $0.50 pen would be $10USD. If you like this sort of thing, go for it. However, go to Palma Real, there’s a few stores there without the hassle and prices on the items. As for the beach vendors, go there too. A nice walk and they are easier to barter with! There are no prices listed here, so ask how much, then take it down 50%. Otherwise, just make a low offer on what you think it should be. 2 for $___ works well too. If they don’t give in, walk away, and you’ll get your price pretty quickly in most cases. From experience, my group bought a lot of the stuff at the resort’s gift shop. It was relatively the same prices, and again, no issues with being pushed or sweating profusely because of the heat.

Food:
When you have 4 young'uns, eating food is essential. Keep in mind that you are going to another country. What you eat at home is obviously going to differ at other places. The food on the resort is not as bad as people say it is! Yes, everyone has his or her own preferences and tastes, but really. Do not over exaggerate! You’re given a multitude of choices. Plus, room service food is great. The chicken and fries are superb.

Buffet-
The Hispaniola is your buffet headquarters. You will eat here for lunch, breakfast and dinner, if you choose to skip out on the a’la Carte restaurants! In any case, the buffet has a variety that changes on a daily basis. You’ll have salad, meat dishes, rice, potatoes, beans, bread, pasta; an array of desserts and of course your American Station with, you guessed it, American food! The Nachos at lunch and dinner were a big hit.
Breakfast was great, you have cereal, pancakes, waffles, eggs, bacon, fruits, oatmeal, omelettes, to name a few, and the most immaculate fruit smoothies you will ever have. The banana was divine! Mix them up and you will create an incredible concoction!
The Chopin was the other, which required reservations. We did not try it because we took a gander at the selection and noticed the similarities to Hispaniola. Why waste a dinner reservation?

Restaurants-
The resort had a few: Sakura Asian Bistro, El Gaucho Steak House, El Pescador Seafood, Café del Mar (Beach café) and the French inspired Licey (Lee-say).
Sakura was okay! We had 3 Asians in the group, so we know our Chinese/Japanese cuisine. The Beef Rice was mmm.
Personally, our group found the El Gaucho to be the best! The Argentinean Steak and Grilled Chicken were magnifique! Plus, order the ice cream (helado) WOW!
We were not big fans of El Pescador, but you know what? This is just our opinion. If you are big seafood fans, don’t take our opinion to heart. We just all felt the food was heavy and did not sit in our stomach properly. It could have just been the seafood overload! At this place, we did not even get to have our dessert, which we didn’t need anyways!
Café del Mar was a nice touch. They served grilled chicken, pork chops, hot dogs, fix-ins’, desserts, and of course nachos. It was perfect for a day at the beach because you didn’t have to travel all the way back to the main lobby for food.
Licey was romantic and the staff was great! The food was not what they advertised it to be; but hey, it’s a free dinner. Take it with a smile! You will have a nice time with your loved ones! The breadsticks and cheese buns are great!

Recommendation:
You have access to all Princess resorts. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT! We were lucky to have buffet lunch at the Punta Cana Princess; the adults only resort. It was more than enjoyable. Clean, quiet and delicious!
You are showered with a multitude of a’la Carte restaurants for dinner. Both couples made 2 choices:
i) El Sombrero-Mexican Restaurant at Caribe Club. Very cute setting and good food. Try the Chimichanga’s. Tasty! Personally, our group was not too big on the beef. It was a little tough. We usually opted for the chicken since it was very fresh and they used white meat for everything. YUM-O! ii) Il Bacio- Italian Restaurant at Punta Cana Princess. We have to say this was the best meal we had the entire trip. You not only have fabulous service, but the food is amazing. Anything you order is great! Our group liked to mix it up so we could have a taste of everything. The tiramisu was divine. Go try it if you get the chance!

Pools:
I believe the resort had 2. Remember, this is where you go to just cool off, watch the Animacion team dance and have drink contests. It is not a place to do laps. We rarely used it, but if you want to relax, have a drink, and need to find chairs, this is where to go!

Bars:
Our group did not really enjoy drinking. However, there are bars everywhere! The main lobby, the beach, by the pools, and the swim up. I tried a few drinks, such as the dirty monkey, banana mama, pina colada and my personal favourite, coco loco! The beer is remnant of Corona, but you cannot go to Dominican without a taste of ‘Presidente.’

Casino and Nightly Shows:
Good fun! It’s not Vegas, but a way to waste time. The hit in our group was Blackjack. Go have fun! Yes, nightly activities lack in the DR, but why waste a night in your room when you can do something?
I suggest bringing cards and travel games. It helps make your evenings entertaining. The shows are not Broadway quality, but they are trying to show their guests a Dominican’s good time! Mi Tiera was great, colourful and very well done. This was during Dominican night, which was a nice touch. This was a huge party where they had a band, dancing, some shops brought items out, and great food!

Beach and Activities:
One word for the beach: ‘breathtaking.’ What you see in the pictures are a true depiction, but much more outstanding in person. White sand and aquamarine coloured salty water. The beach was cleaned, no rocks or sharp objects in the sand. I know that one evening it was raked; so we took a stroll, wrote messages.
The beach has many chairs and palapas. They are not hard to obtain, and yes people do save the ones at prime locations, however, not a big deal, regardless, you will still get one if you look! There are 3 beds near Café del mar. You won’t get those unless you’re up at 4am I am sure. If you would like to try them, go at night and take pictures. In any case, the beach is worth every penny.
Activity wise, there is the Scuba Caribe. They offer tons of things to do. A lot of activities, such as kayaking, windsailing, catamarans, snorkelling equipment, body boards, paddleboat…are all free. You can also pay for parasailing, banana boats, snorkelling, lessons…which range from $10-$100USD. If your vacations package includes free activities, take them! We were lucky to do snorkelling and it was great. Watch for the salt-water first timers. It is not hard to swallow a mouth-full.
Also, when you are a first timer catamaran-er, ask the Scuba Caribe staff on how to operate the thing. We were kind of thrown into it, and had some problems getting back. Thank goodness someone was able to help us! Either way, it was great fun!

Went down to Bavaro Princess May 19 - 26th. There were 8 of us (2 families) 4 adults, 4 kids (two 15yr olds and two 12 year olds). We each had 2 rooms for 4 rooms in total - all in Building 72.

Arrived Saturday around 7:00pm. Greeted by drinks at the front of the lobby. Since we went Platinum - we rode to the "Platinum Lounge" for check-in.

Given our bracelets, information, and promptly had a rum punch at the platinum bar. Our Licey reservations where already made for us - we received a free massage each, and free snorkeling... Fantastic!
Headed for our room. There was a fresh fruit platter, a bottle of rum, and two tee shirts in our room - Nice!

This going well - until we turned on the TV while we unpacked. To our surprise the TV started smoking... BILLOWS of smoke coming out and also coming from the clock radio! Then the power went off in the hold building, all 8 rooms.
They "electrician" was called and worked on it until 1:00am to no avail... we were then put into a Non-platinum room for the night, Room 666 (kind of scary, eh?!) - had a very mildewy smell to it - was not impressed with this room.

Power was fixed the next morning and we all returned to our rooms. Not a good start to the vacation, but we got over it very fast when we started to explore the beautiful grounds and see that absolutely amazing beach.

My family as been to many places in the Caribbean, namely Cozumel, Ocho Rios, Cayo Coco, Holguin... but this beach is right at the top of the list. Ya-ya lots of topless women around walking the beach.. who cares... you kind of tune it out after a while.
By mid week there were alot of nice high waves - Yellow flag on beach - didn't stop anybody. We all had a blast in the waves - lots of fun.

Since we experience both platinum and non-platinum rooms, I did find a different. The Non rooms seem to be older and not as updated. Desperately needed a paint job. Platinum rooms had better bed spreads/large wall to ceiling mirror in bathroom, wet bar and most importantly seemed cleaner and better taken care of (which was the best part).
Never saw a bug in our room... saw lizards on the balcony, but that was okay! Water pressure was no problem and the airconditioner did its job. Lounge offered a Private bar, free internet and in the morning it was so nice to stroll over to the lounge and get a coffee or freshly squeezed orange juice, read the "National Post" or "Globe and Mail" paper which is there everyday, or check your e-mails and just sit on the couches there and wait for the others in your group to stroll in.

FYI - we used spf 30 and 45 lotion, reapplying after pool and ocean.... got soooo burnt that just laying on the bed hurt. Then the skin on my shoulders and back started to bubble and then just peeled right off. Looks very bad. I heard one girl saying the she used spf 60 and still got a burn.

The pool was beautiful. Spent time there everyday. There is plenty of pool activities (volleyball,water polo ,water aerobics,salsa lessons and much more).

Kids did the scuba diving, banana boat rides, snorkeling and the older boys went Para-sailing.
Word of caution - try not to fall off the banana boat ...you are going so fast that its like hitting a brick wall when you fall off!

The grounds are absolutely amazing, beautifully maintain gardens always being manicured.
You will definitely need the Trolley, as it is a long walk back to the main lobby from the Platinum area.

We really enjoyed the food - went to the Lobby "Hispanolia" Buffet everyday for breakfast. We loved it. My son had an omelets everyday, made fresh in from of you. The Bacon and scrambled eggs were great, loved the potatoes and pancakes and especially the French toast. Everything was hot and delicious.
Fresh juices squeezed right there.. The pineapple juice was the best.
Went for lunch a few times at the Hispanolia, very good no complaints.
We spent most of our lunches at the beach restaurant, they had hotdogs (which were very good), hamburgers (MUCH TO RAW for my liking) - avoided them, steaks, rice, potatoes, and the most delicious chicken!.
We went to most of the restaurants, even venturing to the next resort for Chinese (was not very good and the service was SLOW)... didn't even get to eat desert and the trolley came to pick us up..
While the 4 adults were at the Chinese the kids went next door to the Mexican (Sombreros). They were not to please with that either..
Went to Gaucho had Fillet mignon well done - it was very good.
The best restaurant we went to was Sakura, it was absolutely delicious. Loved the entrée with the spring rolls and chicken sticks we actually ordered another entrée!! We had no complains about the food.

Went to the Casino on the Monday night... played roulette - put $20 down and after a few turns ended up with $265 - then cashed out. Now that was FUN! My friend helped me, as I am not a gambler and didn't really know what I was doing!!

Lots of shopping just outside the main gate. Cheapy.. Cheapy.. I really did not like the constant bombardment of people telling you to come into there shop. To much haggling for prices. They expect much to much money for the stuff. I didn't like that there was NO prices on anything. They want you to put all the stuff you want on the table and then they will press on that little calculater and come up with some exorbitant price. One small plate for the wall (which in Cuba would have cost me not more than 5 dollars)... they wanted almost 30 dollars... I don't think so. Finally bought for 10$ because I really wanted it.
Two little boys came up to me and pointed to their stomachs and mouths.. I gave then a dollar each.
I much prefer Cuba when it comes to the shopping. Things are much cheaper, the prices are on them and there is a better assortment of cute thing to bring home to friends and family.
Others in my group went back to the shops outside the Resort another day - but there was no way I was going back into that Lions Den!! I stuck to the Souvenir shop in the Main Lobby.

On our last day, our bus was not picking us up for the airport until 4:00. Checkout was around Noon. We asked for late checkout and kept 1 room for the 8 of us to shower and get ready. Cost - $40 for late checkout
We moved all our luggage into that room and headed for the beach and pool. Around 3:00 we all got ready to head for the Main Lobby. When we went to give that last key in - they said "no charge".. great!

We stayed for our third year at Bavaro Princess from May 6 – 20, 2007. This was the first year we brought the children, ages 6 & 7. We are Canadian but booked with American Express Vacations and flew out of Detroit on Delta. Amex did not impress me as they gave no info about fire 2 months ago (I called them though as Debbie’s forums keeps us updated), but they had a great price. They contract out representation to VIP Tours/Travel Impressions. Wendys (not a typo) is the woman that is the rep at BP. She is wonderful. Gives accurate and concise information, and no really hard sell on excursions. Very personable. We did not upgrade to platinum for first time.

I won’t re-write a lot of the points in previous reviews, or get into the food debate. Obviously, if we chose to come back three times, we have no major issues with food or service. Instead, I will go over the updates and changes since our last stay, give some suggestions for menu choices at restaurants, and some information on children’s activities as reviews on that have been sparse to date.

Updates
There are a lot of improvements happening at BP. I am sure most are wondering about the fire. The Trapiche is nearly complete, and the management we spoke with indicated that the new McPrincess will be located outside of the restaurant complex, not in it. They are also building a permanent grill on the beach, in front of about building 75. The accommodations were fine, actually great for us --- the beach grill & bar were set up at Café Del Mar and it was less crowded than regular beach bar had been. There was another little bar set up on other side. As well, dinner reservations could be made at any Princess restaurant and at BP reservations started at 6 instead of 7 pm. Chopin/El Gaucho was open for breakfast & lunch too. We seriously never had a problem getting a reservation although because we were a larger group (7-13 depending on day) the times were not always exactly what we wanted. I will post link to pictures in forum once I get them loaded. Manager has also said he’ll email me a pic of new building once finished.

We noticed many positive changes while we were there:
1. Returning guests receive a white bracelet while Apple Vacations guests receive green. Blue for new guests and Platinum were the same. As returning guests we received rum, fruit basket and T shirts, and a lot of staff welcoming us back.
2. The pool bar was not rigidly shut down at 5 pm as in past years. They started cleaning up, but kept serving til about 6.
3. There was an increase in quality & selection of American food: Besides the regular stations and the “American station” in main buffet, the food selections were more north American this year, although there were still a few European/Caribbean selections. A typical breakfast offering at the buffet was fresh donuts,hard boiled eggs, bacon, regular sausage, blood sausage, mashed yucca, a battered & fried vegetable or fruit, and a bean dish, as well as all the usual food stations. Heinz ketchup was available, as was maple syrup, and honey.
4. All juices were fresh. There was fresh orange and pineapple juice every morning at all restaurants. There were blended fruits as well.
5. There is a new internet room. It opened the day after we left but was fully functional on the day we left. It is where jewelry store was, in air conditioned bliss. It also offers wifi in lobby area for $10/day.
6. There were facecloths in the rooms this year.
7. There is a little cart that goes around the pool area offering a type of granita. It’s like a coarse slushy with a syrup on it. Everything is very sweet, my kids loved it (my husband called in the sugar shack).
8. The Scubacaribe guys don’t yell “Watersports” on the beach. They walk around and look for interested guests to call them over. Much less annoying.
9. The timeshare guys were still ever-present but a smile and no were enough, definitely not as aggressive.
10. They had guys from the spa asking at beach if you wanted to book a massage. (Last year, you had to walk to hut and see if anyone was there.) They didn’t yell either, and were polite, and stated clearly they worked on commission. My friend and I booked massages on the beach and were very pleased with promptness and quality of services.
11. The supervisors (white shirt/tie for men, a ascot type tie for women) eat in the buffet with guests. They are very visible & I can’t say we had a meal where we weren’t asked how everything was. I observed a few occasions where a guest was speaking with a staff member and a supervisor came over to ensure all was OK. On Tuesdays the managers (blue shirt/tie) are introduced before the show.

The restaurant tips

Main Lobby Buffet “Hispanola”:
Breakfast – You have to try to fresh donuts (located at omelet station on lower level). There is also a crepe station to back of lower level that a lot of people don’t know about. Also, on second level, there is a second omelet station and the chef there rarely has much business. There is hot chocolate by there to, in a crock.

El Pescador – Order the grilled lobster, it’s terrific. Remember warm water lobster is softer, so the grilling reduces that. El Gaucho – Have the Argentinian steak. . Sakura – The chow meins were very good. Have the deep fried (coconut) ice cream for dessert.

Chopin – Go to the grill and take the time to get something grilled for you. The chef does a great job.

For the kids
This was our first time taking our 2 children. It was clear the Dominican people love children. They were acknowledged constantly. The staff would say “hola” or “high 5” just passing on the sidewalk, the tram driver mimicked birds and the kids would be looking around. The waitstaff would ask them if they wanted special things, like making hot chocolate at the table in the am, and when I went alone with them, they would tell me to go to buffet and hung out by table, keeping an eye on them. At dinner, my picky eaters often did not eat a la carte meals. No problem, they would get fries or pasta from the buffets ajoining without an issue. The suites accommodate 2 trundle beds no problem, but the sofa bed is a double and we used that.

The property:
It is huge, but try to take time to walk around, especially through the animal area and the mangrove. My children were fascinated to discover a peahen and her chicks walking beside us on the road, and the peacock showing his plumes at the buffet. You can take bread out of the buffet and hold it in the water in the lobby and the turtles and fish will eat from your hands. So will the ducks and flamingos. We had a visitor in our room – a baby gecko that kept the kids entertained for a couple days.
Food: OK, my children are very picky eaters. They don’t like to try new foods at all. They lived on fries, pasta with butter, and waffles pretty much. The 7 yr old ate hot dogs & pizza, and the 6 yr old bacon. However, they never starved. They loved the ice cream—the pink is bubblegum, not strawberry. My 2 never had any stomach problems at all Little boxes of Cheerios and Lucky Charms were always available at breakfast and staff didn’t mind us taking them out, so I stockpiled for snacks and the plane.

Kids Club:
This ended up being my 7 yr old daughter’s favorite spot. The staff – Primotivo “Master Ping Pong”, Nathalie and Ana Theresa were terrific. It was a little confusing at first as there is no schedule to speak of, so I didn’t know where the kids would be and that freaked me out a bit, but after checking regularly, I got to know the routine. A printed schedule would be very helpful as an improvement. The culture is a lot less rigid than we are used to with our day cares, but generally it went like this: Opened at about 9. Kids stayed in club area and did whatever they wanted ---nintendo, games, crafts, soccer, etc and then at about 11 there might be a structured activity, depending on number of kids ( a couple days, my daughter was the only one there as my son wanted to stay with me, on those days, she literally called the shots….pool, beach, walk, etc) There was archery, dressing up as pirates, ping pong, . At about 11:30 the kids went to the pool for an hour. After that they picked up food at the grill and went to club to eat. They stayed in club area until about 3 pm when they went to pool again. At pool kids would be rounded up for a game, little show, or other activity. At 5 you pick them up. We gave my daughter a radio to call us, but she just used it to play with. At 8 pm they go around the lobby buffet collecting kids and take them on the stage for ½ hr-45 min. They have games, a fashion show, etc. You can pick them up at stage at end. On Fridays they do The Lion King. They pick kids up from pool area about 3-3:30 for practice. You take them at 8 for makeup (they will get you about 9 to take pics). At 10 they are on stage and then sit to far right of stage to watch show and are on at end again.

Suggestions for taking kids here:
You don’t need much for clothing: a few evening outfits (kids can wear shorts & sandals), and bathing suits & coverups. Laundry service is very inexpensive (most items about $2 for kids). So is a Tide to go pen. Get a long sleeve 50 spf boarding shirt for each kid. My daughter wore hers almost the entire time. My son just in the pool. The problem with sunscreen is that when it is re-applied, you have to wait for it to absorb and the kids don’t wait so it washed off.

Bring a lot of 10’s. They have monkeys, parrots, snakes etc at the pool & beach for pictures ($10 ea at lobby that night). I never have bought one of these for myself but now own about $90 in pictures of the kids. The pictures are always so cute I get sucked in.

If the kids get a temporary tattoo, do it the day of or day before departure as they don’t last.
My daughter got braids on the resort. They were gentle and did not do them tight. Make sure you bring a clear spray sunscreen to put on scalp (as well as hat!)

Overall, I was extremely pleased with our vacation with the kids at this resort. We felt they were safe, enjoyed themselves and we got our vacation as well. The only two areas I can see for improvement are: a schedule (even a general one) for the kids club, and a beeper or pager system for parents would be fantastic.

Just returned from a trip to the Dominican Republic. Punta Cana to be precise.

We took a TNT charter from Boston April 29, and returned May 6.

I had totally forgotten that the New England Patriot Cheerleaders were going to be on the plane with us until we got to the airport! It was a pleasant surprise! Unfortunately (for me and my buddy), they were at a different resort than we were. Looking back, that's probably a good thing because the wives may have strangled us (me anyway)!!

We stayed at the Bavaro Princess All Suite Resort. It was absolutely beautiful!! The grounds were immaculate!! We signed up for the Platinum upgrade, which was in my opinion a good idea. It wasn't a whole lot of money, but we were closer to the beach and the Platinum lounge, which made things easier.

We had a few minor annoyances (low water pressure, not a lot of hot water, not well functioning A/C, a few light bulb issues), but overall, I think it was a very good vacation. The beach is beautiful, nice fine white sand, no rocks or shells. If you want shade, you better get there early (8:00 AM or before), otherwise all the palapas (shade huts) are taken.

The pool was great!!! It has a swim-up bar that was quite a treat! Watch the bartenders though, they "forget" to put alcohol in the drinks pretty often, then disappear before you find out. A few dollars seems to do wonders with regard to service. Someone told us that the bartenders make about $200.00 a MONTH, and work probably six days a week, upwards of 12-14 hours a day, so they don't get paid very well. A few dollars means more to them than it does to vacationers, so don't be stingy, and you'll get good service. The other workers probably make even less, so be generous!!

The food was okay at best...nothing to write home about, but remember, you're not home anyway, so make the best of it. We met a seasoned veteran of the resort, and he told us that berfore the fire that burned down the building on the beach, that was the place to go for most meals, but we didn't have that luxery! We ate most of our meals at the Chopin, which was decent. If we had known earlier, we would have eaten more often at El Gaucho (reservations required). The steak was VERY GOOD!! I recommend it highly!! Pescadore was ok, but not great, Licey was the same. The main dining area (Hispaniola) near the main lobby was about the same as the others, although we ate breakfast there one morning, and the scrambled eggs were bad...yuck!!! I mean they had a bad taste and smell...

We went on two tours, one I recommend, the other I don't. The first one we went on was a trip to Saona Island, which is a national park. It was a nice island, but the beach was full of coral, and it was tough to walk on. That wasn't the worst part though. It was about a 2 hour bus ride from the resort to a beach where we boarded a catamaran for the actual trip to the island. I don't remember how long that took, because I was nursing a bad sunburn I got a few days earlier, so I wasn't really paying much attention. After a buffet lunch, we got on cramped speedboats for the return back to the bus. We stopped partway back to go in the water at a sand bar wher the water is only waist deep in most parts. There are HUGE starfish there, which was cool. Got back on the boats and returned to the bus for a two hour ride back to the resort. It wasn't a good enough trip to warrant four hours on a bus. That's not just me talking... many people on the bus were saying the same thing.

The second tour we took was to Manati Park , where you can swim with dolphins. That was a lot of fun for not too much money. I believe it was $75.00 per person, which included several shows (dolphins, sea lions, horses, a native story-telling show....a little risque in parts), and you could walk all over the park and see many animals.

If you're interested in the typical souveniers, it's pretty tough. Everyone has the same stuff, no matter what shop you go into. Not a big variety, and most of it was pretty cheaply made. I did manage to get a decent t-shirt, but I got that in the resort, where the pickings were slim as well.

All in all, we had a very good time, and I would go back in a heartbeat! I think most of my traveling companions would agree that it was a good time. If we had a few more days, I think it would have been even better. Seven days just isn't enough. You need a couple of days to get acclimated to the place, so I think next time we're going to try for 10 days. No matter where we end up. That should be pretty good I think.

Traveled to The BP April 4-11 after much research on where to stay. Have to say thanks to all for the input.

This was our second time to Punta Cana so we knew about the beautiful beaches and what to expect in this country. The resort surroundings are very nice, although for some I can see it may be to large. We stayed in villa 117 and found the location to be close enough to both the lobby or pool/beach area. The rooms are large and roomy but do need a little attention. Room service was great, never had a issue with them and we even forgot to close our safe one day. Water pressure was fine and we never ran out of hot water. Have to say there is a sewer stench in certain areas of the resort.

Food and service was average for what is listed as a 5 Star by Apple. I know were in a third world country blah blah blah. We have. been at numerous AI resorts and this was the most disapointing part of our stay. The buffets were o.k. could always find something to eat. The Choppin is by far better and not as busy. The others we ate at I would give a 2 or 3 star. No one did get sick though.

The beach is great and have plenty of huts to hide under for a break from the sun. Get there early in the morning or you won't find one. Pool area is nice as well. Can never beat swimming up and getting a drink. Could use another bartender or two at the pool bar. Drinks are plentiful and will make what ever you request.

Entertainment in the evening is not very good. In fact there was nothing that was worth while to spend time to watch.

They could use a little more activities in the evenings, there is really not much to do. Seems everyone just hangs at the lobby. Go out and check out the local establishments, there is a neat little bar a couple blocks down to the left on the corner. Also all the shop to check out with-in walking distance. Casino is right out the front gate.

We traveled with a group of 28, with 10 high school seniors and their parents traveled to Bavaro Princess from Cleveland, via Apple on April 6 – 13 for a week in Paradise!

The grounds were beautiful, the rooms/accommodations were beyond expectations. The weather was perfect, mid to upper 80’s and not a drop of rain.

Other than the boarded up area around the restaurant that had burned, there was no sign of it. The staff more than compensated by having grills set up at both ends of the beach with burgers, hot dogs, pork chops, steaks, chicken, potatoes, peppers, etc. There was also a bar set up on the side of the beach that would have depended on the original building. The beach restrooms were still there and clean. No smell, no ashes, and if the rebuilding bothered you, the beach is so long, there was another place to go away from the noise.

The food was great everywhere. A la carte at to other Princess resorts was available, we loved the Petite Fondue, like the Melting Pot. Chopin served Breakfast, lunch and dinner as did the main buffet which had a different theme each night and many times, we were disappointed to hear what we missed when we had reservations elsewhere. No one got sick and we tried it all!

Pescador is now part of main buffet building, and most of our party got the lobster tail which was huge.

Apple also sponsored a Beach BBQ dinner on Tuesday night. Steaks, lobster, wonderful salads, desserts, etc. It was amazing. They greeted everyone with a mimosa.

The Casino was nice, the Areito disco by the other Princess hotels was fun for the seniors. We also took the snorkeling trip and the Outback Safari Jeep Tour, which was the highlight of the trip.

Executive summary: WOW. This was one of the three best vacations our family ever had.

We were a loose group of 18, ranging in age from 9 to 82, and we occupied 6 suites (3 families of 4, 2 couples, 1 grandma and daughter). Three suites were platinum and three were not. My husband and I traveled with our daughters, age 12 and 15. We went for the platinum upgrade and I am happy we did. We loved the service and convenience of the platinum lounge, and we used all our coupons (for massages, Liceys for dinner, and snorkeling) either ourselves or sharing with others in our group. We had beach towels delivered to our rooms (no towel cards!) and an extra set of bath towels which was nice since we showered often due to humidity. I can't say that we got better service than the non-plats, and our non-plat families were happy they saved the money, so that part is up to you.

The fire and the aftermath: There is a construction site between the bathrooms and the pool. It is surrounded by corrugated metal sheets perhaps 8-10 feet tall. You have to walk around it to get from the beach to the pool. It's not pretty, but it's not offensive either, and the construction area itself is smaller than I thought it would be.
There are no lingering odors of fire or water damage. We were not really bothered by construction noise except one day when the concrete was being framed and poured. You could move away from the noise easily, and I don't think you could hear much from the pool area unless you were really trying. One night I was awakened by the concrete trucks rumbling in. No big deal. See food and beach bars, below.

Rooms: The suites are huge, whether you are platinum or not. There are 8 suites to a building. The ground floor suites have patios and the upstairs have balconies. We had two cots in our living area, and still had room for the sofa, desk, coffee table. There is no door between the step-up bedroom and the living area, and the bathroom is a step down from the bedroom, so there was traffic and perhaps a little less privacy than we expected. The platinum suites are closer to the beach, but not drastically so. Hot water and water pressure sometimes went out, but I think it was more a function of perhaps other suites in the building using the water at the same time. We all managed at least one hot shower at some point every day.

Grounds: Spectacular and manicured. You can believe the resort pictures. The walking path through the "rainforest", the bird collections, and peacocks are a nice touch. The tram runs frequently in one (clockwise) direction. We needed the tram because of our 82 year old, and we had no problems getting anywhere we needed to go except just after the beach and pool closed, and just before the dinnertime rush to the restaurants. While when we first got there, the resort seemed overwhelmingly large, it is quite walkable.

Beach: The best I have ever been on. White sand, no shells or rocks, virtually no seaweed, and the sea was in shades of blue and aqua. Lots of palapas, but people "reserve" them sometimes by leaving their towels or flipping the lounge chairs on their sides. We even confirmed that people left towels out or flipped lounges the night before! When we had trouble finding an unoccupied palapa, we watched for ones (with towels only and no personal property) that were vacant for over one hour or more. Then we took over. No one ever asked for their towels!

You can walk for miles in either direction through other resorts, and there are shopping areas in both directions about a 20-minute walk away. During our walk, we got drinks even at non-Princess resorts. Look out for the timeshare salespeople. They usually wear shoes, so walk in the surf and you'll be fine.

Pool: We never went to the smaller lobby pool, which seemed pretty peaceful and more adult. The main pool features a very busy swim-up bar and a raucous area near where the animation staff holds contests, merengue lessons, games etc. Scuba Caribe also conducts their free scuba lesson in the pool from time to time. This pool is for cooling off and splashing around; it is no place to do laps!

Spa: There is a nice gym in the spa building, located near the main lobby, with a selection of late-model cardio equipment and weights. I know this only because I peeked in on my way to my massage. The spa menu and prices were pretty good, but the quality of the massages, manicures and pedicures was inconsistent. Several of our group attended the pool aerobics classes and the yoga class, and we were quite happy.

Internet and cellphones: The platinum lounge has 2 computers with a 30-minute time limit that was generally not honored by some ill-mannered guests. The lobby has internet access at a kiosk of 4 (or 6?) computers for a small fee. Those computers seemed generally available. Our cellphone provider enabled the Blackberry for calls and e-mails as we needed to be reached in an emergency. If you want to do this, check with your service before you go, and get accurate information and a commitment about pricing. One of our party tried to do it from DR and was hit with a $50 "fee" and a $3 per minute extra charge for each call or e-mail.

Beach bar and barbeque: This is a temporary-looking set-up on the beach, under two white tents. There is also an informal dining area partly under and partly outside a tent, with white plastic tables and chairs. The bar featured any drink you wanted, even blender drinks, and El Presidente on tap. Nothing wrong with that, and we were there constantly. The bartender was happy to fill our Bubbakegs, and we tipped about every other round. The barbeque served hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken, grilled vegetables, pork, steak, and even paella one afternoon. The grilled vegs were terrific; everything else was okay. The best thing about it was that it was close and convenient when we didn't want to leave the beach.

Buffets: Actually I believe that we all preferred one or more buffets over any of the restaurants. The huge buffet in the lobby, Hispaniola, had an Asian-themed night on Friday which was fair but on all other nights, if you couldn't find something to eat you just weren't trying. I found breakfast at Hispaniola overwhelming; it was just too huge. Dinner however was always good. Chopin was my favorite for breakfast and for lunch as it is smaller and calmer. I was always able to find what I thought might be a Dominican-style food at every meal (usually a fruit prepared in an unusual way, such as mashed bananas cooked with onion).
The buffets feature hot and cold dishes, fresh pasta stations, grill stations, fruits, desserts, breads... You can't go wrong.

Liceys: We used our coupons included with the platinum package. Frankly I don't think I would have paid extra for this restaurant, although it is nice to be seated and served as a break from the buffets. The food was pretty good and the presentation was delightful. The place is very reserved and quiet.

Pescador: One couple ate here and were underwhelmed, except that as mentioned above, it is nice to order from a menu and to be served as a change of pace from the buffets.

El Gaucho: We had an 18-person birthday party here on Easter Sunday. It was too large a group for the staff. One of our party sent her meat back three times and they couldn't get it together to serve the birthday cake. Argentinian steak is not the same as a good ole USA hunk of beef, and if you want your steak well done, go somewhere else or order the chicken.

Sakura: Two couples went there and loved it.

Service: Restaurant/buffet service is pleasant but not effusive. If you are expecting to be fawned over, forget it. Our group tipped frequently, which may have helped, but by and large at the buffets it was difficult to get someone's attention for coffee or drinks. You can, however, get them yourself, which at the buffet, we did. The bartenders were generally excellent, especially Ruben at the pool. The waitresses and bartenders at the lobby bar were very attentive.

Shows: Oh, come on, you're going to Punta Cana, not Broadway! The shows started at 10 pm or later and I believe all reviews of all the shows are dependent upon how fueled with alcohol the audience is. There was nothing there all week to hold my attention much past 10:30 pm.

Casino: Oh, come on, you're going to Punta Cana, not Vegas! This was a small time and generally small stakes casino which looked like a former "Medieval Times" franchise. The blackjack and poker players among us spent a few hours and a few hundred dollars over there. No loss to you if you pass it up.

Excursions: We went on the swim-with-the-sharks snorkeling trip, which the kids enjoyed. The guides were wonderful. One of them took my daughter's disposable underwater camera and took all the pictures for us. Two families (4 adults, 4 kids) chartered a fishing boat for 1/2 day. The boat was in very good shape and the 3-man crew was very competent. They spoke only Spanish though, which limited the fishing stories we could understand! We didn't catch anything but two of the other boats did: 3 five-foot long mahi-mahis and another mean looking fish with sharp teeth that I couldn't identify. The captain keeps the fish, in case you're wondering. We also went horseback riding on the beach which was generally uneventful. Three guides took about 20 people on a slow walk along the public beach. Some of the horses went ankle-deep into the water, but that was it.

Shopping: There was a bus (free) from the lobby to the shopping mall a few miles away. Several went shopping and enjoyed the selection, clarity of the pricing, and air conditioning. Frankly I think they did better with the beads, hats and tee-shirts at the malls than we did with the merchants on the beach. If you don't like haggling, go to the mall. Next time that's what I'll do!

I disliked the shops right across the streets from the resort as well as their proprietors, but I don't like to be "enticed" into a store to see the same cr*p the guy in the next store is selling, and while I have never objected to paying a fair price, I just don't like the haggling process. I also don't enjoy being yelled at or insulted (in any language!) when I say no. But if you like that process, go ahead! There was a vendor night at the resort on Thursday which was incredibly crowded. We didn't think that the vendors or the resort was prepared for the numbers of people who took the opportunity to shop in the lobby area. My husband got hand-rolled Dominican cigars and was pleased at the quality and price.

Conclusion: It was a perfectly delightful week, perfect tropical weather, good times, good food and drink, and wonderful people. We will be back.

Background-
We vacationed at the Bavaro Princess from Mar 16 thru Mar 23. It was our second year and our ninth time to Punta Cana. We previously stayed at the Paradisius Palma Real and the Barceló Palace six times. We primarily take these vacations to relax and get on Dominican time as quickly as possible, thus our main focus is on the resort amenities and the dining.
We flew a TNT charter out of Boston and travel was good. There were no major hang-up and we arrived at the Princess in the late afternoon.

Arrival-
We purchased the platinum upgrade so we were driven to the platinum lounge for check-in. We had e-mailed ahead of time and the platinum club staff had arranged for our dinner reservations that evening. We quickly got to our room in building 74 ( one of the closest to the beach) which was very nice indeed. We later learned that we were assigned that particular room because we were return platinum club guests. The staff had also provided a fresh fruit platter, a bottle of rum, and two tee shirts as greeting gifts.
I would highly recommend the platinum upgrade as the staff really takes care of your every need. I think it is well worth the extra money.

Grounds/beach-
The resort covers a lot of area (96 acres) and is beautifully landscaped and maintained. There are trams that run from the main lobby to the beach area and we never had to wait more than five minutes for a ride. We walked from the beach to the lobby several times and it took us about 15 minutes.

The beach is beautiful with fine white sand. There are many Palapas for shade, but we found that they are all occupied with towels after 8 am. In order to reserve one, you will need to get to the beach and put your towels out prior to 730.
The Ocean here does have a little more surf than what we experienced in the Barceló area but supports boogey boarding and is far from dangerous.

Fire-
On our second night, we were awoken at 0215 by the staff pounding on our door due to the major fire that occurred in the restaurant complex near the beach Our room was about 50 meters from the fire so they wanted us out of our room. We spent the next two hours on the beach watching until the fire was under control and then returned to our room. We were very fortunate that it was a calm, still night or I believe the fire would have spread to additional structures.

Although this caused us some anxiety, the management and staff reacted quickly and alternate plans were in place by noontime, with all guests informed. They immediately opened the Chopin buffet for breakfast and dinner which in my opinion was better than the buffet at the beach complex. They reopened the Gaucho steakhouse in a section of Chopin and the Pescadores seafood restaurant in a section of the main buffet, the Hispaniola. Bella Pasta, the Italian restaurant was not reopened. The net initial effect was additional pressure on the lobby buffet, the lobby bar, and the pool bar but additional staff was added and I believe that overall, service actually improved over our previous visit last year. Princess deserves a lot of credit for their response to this unfortunate accident.

Restaurants-

Pescadores (seafood) We ate here on the first night and were not satisfied. For some reason, we just got left out of the loop and it took us an hour to get our food which was of course cold by then. The food was good and the manager apologized but it was not a good night. It seemed that all the other patrons were served in a timely manner but we just got overlooked. We did mention it to the staff at the desk and they did say that this restaurant received the most complaints for poor service. Last year we ate there twice and enjoyed it very much. I guess We'll try it again next year. Sakura (Asian) We ate here twice and enjoyed it very much. Food was excellent, service was superb and we had absolutely no complaints. It was a fun dining experience. note: try the Peking duck, it is very good

Gaucho (steakhouse) We also ate here twice and was very satisfied. Service was very good here also. The piano player on the boat is also a nice touch. note: I had the Argentinean steak both time and it was very tasty and tender.

Licey (gourmet) Ate here twice and we're glad we did. This is a very nice restaurant with nice presentation for all courses, great atmosphere and wonderful service. We received one complimentary dinner with our platinum upgrade and had to pay $38 US per person for our other meal. Pretty reasonable price for the quality of the restaurant.

Cafe del Mar- We did not choose to eat here but should have. It is right on the beach and the menu looks good but we skipped it. The cost is $48US per person.

We only ate at the buffets for breakfast and lunch and they were good buffets.

Service
The service at this resort was extraordinary in all phases. Maid service, bartenders, waitstaff, bellboys, room service were all hardworking and seem to try very hard to please all the guests. All venues are adequately staffed.

One minor annoyance is that there are no snacks (chips, popcorn, peanuts, etc...) at any of the bars.

A group of 6 of us traveled to Puna Cana from 2/24-3/3/2007. We are in our upper 30s and travelled with my parents and my aunt and uncle. We booked our trip through Apple Vacations and did not do the platinum upgrade. We have been travelling for several years now so I will do some comparisons based on our previous experiences which were:
Dec 04-11 2005 - Iberostar Tucan, Riviera Maya, MX
Jan 27-03 2005 - Barcelo Maya Beach, Riviera Maya, MX
Jan 23-30 2003 - Barcelo Maya Beach, Riviera Maya, MX
Jan 19-26 2002 - Tamarijn, Aruba
Mar 22-25 2001 - El Dorado Resort & Spa, Riviera Maya, MX
Jan 28-04 2001 - Riu Yucatan, Riviera Maya, MX
Feb 21-28 2000 - Iberostar Dominicana, Punta Cana

Size
While the resort itself is very large (96 acres), it really only has 750 rooms. Compare this to something like the IB* Tucan/Queztal in Playa Del Carmen which has a combined 700 rooms and is considered a smaller resort. What you get are rooms with alot of privacy. This is an all suites resort which is set up in two story bungalow buildings. There are trams that run throughout the resort. We did once walk from the lobby to the room and didn't find it to be too far for us. The trams are pretty convenient though.

Rooms
We were in room 083. The first two digits are the buidling number. Building 8 was only a few buildings back from the beach and I thought it was a great location. The rooms were large and roomy. They did show some age and need of updating. The blades on our ceiling fan were droopy from the heat and humidity. Our air conditioner was pretty loud but worked fine. Some people complained of their blankets smelly musty (ours were fine). Some people had problems with leaky pipes and problems with the sliding doors on the closet. Most issues we reported were taken care of pretty quickly like the deadbolt on our door which broke. They do provide a hair dryer, soap, hand lotion, tissues, shampoo, conditioner, bath gel, coffee/coffemaker, iron/board, umbrella, a refrigerator stocked with soda, water and beer. The water pressure was up and down. It seems to be worse in the second floor rooms. I took a bath the first two nights because it was so bad. I guess it just depends on the time of day and who else is using water because it did get better.

Beach/Pool
Beautiful beach! As is all of Bavaro beach. If you want a hut on the beach you must get up pretty early. As my husband is an early riser we always seemed to be able to get one that we all shared. We spend most of our time at the beach so it is a must for us. There were plenty of chairs though. One minor problem with this resort was the trash on the beach. Now it wasn't horrible, but other resorts have a better handle on this situation. The garbage cans were much too small (look more like ashtrays to me) and there were no ashtrays. Lots of cig. buts and straws in the sand. The pool is large and was never crowded and the is a pool bar on one end. There are showers beach side on two ends of the pool. These definately weren't the nicest showers I've seen and could use some updating. There was only one showere on the one side. The other side had a series of foot showers and then one enclosure with two showers. There was no point really in having two though because if one was running you barely got any water out of the other. There was a beach bar up in front of the dining area and this area is also where most of the beach activities took place. The map of the resort shows two beach bars, but there really is only the one. The other one is now something called Casa del Mar and appears to be used just for special occasions (honeymoon dinners). There were bathrooms on the side of Casa del Mar but they were never opened. The only bathrooms were the two sets next to each other near the pool and dining area. The bathrooms were pretty nice and were ususally clean.

Staff:
I thought the staff was great and worked hard. Most were friendly and really appreciated the attempts at speaking spanish. If you really want to participate in the activities, I suggest you check the board regularly. I didn't think that the activities staff did a very good job of announcing the activities. They do announce them over the mic if you can hear it. They also walk the beach but don't really seem to approach many people, so ask them if you want to know whats going on. I realize too that they have to walk a fine line of not being too pushy. Having a late departure flight, we inquired the day before we left about the courtesy rooms. The bellboy gave us a key to one (in the hotel) to check it out. However, come the day of our departure when we went to get a courtesy room, we were told that we had to use the spa. I don't know what the problem was but we just used the spa to shower and change. It seemed a little crazy to us that they told us the day before that we could use a courtesy room and then the next day not, but it worked out.

Entertainment:
The nightly shows are really amatuer. I would recommend maybe only going to one or two. They are mostly dancing and lip syncing shows. The lip syncing is really bad. They are still mildly entertaining if you're looking for something to do. I felt that some of the entertainment after the show was better. Once night they had karaoke. One night they had a band. We never made it to the disco. If you play some of the organized activities and win, you will get presented an award certificate before the nightly show starts. Other resorts that we have been to actually give out a prize of somesort whether it be a tshirt, hat, bottle of rum, even something as great as a free horseback ride on the beach. This resort only gives a piece of paper. Its not terrible but I thought I'd mention how they compare to other resorts.

Food and Drinks:
I really liked the food. Having been to similiar places and now knowing what to expect helps. I have grown to really enjoy the food. We ate breakfast and lunch down near the beach and loved being able to sit outside and enjoy the beach. We ate dinner at the lobby buffet many nights and also tried Chopin and El Gaucho. The Argentinian steak at El Gaucho was great! One night the resort had a special dinner on the beach for all guests from Apple Vacations. We were told that this was the first time they did this so hopefully they continue to do it. It was fabulous. There was music, a dance floor and a great buffet that included steak and lobster. I liked the drinks too! The drinks you get in the evening in the lobby are usually the best. I had a few drinks that I got from the beach bar that were terrible. It seems to depend on how busy the bartenders are and belive me there are more than a few times during the day when the beach bar is packed. I really wish they would have had self serve beer taps (like the Barcelo in Mexico). It helps out the bartenders alot. I really wish they would make more accomodations for self service with the drinks. In the morning, if you want coffee, you have to get a cup from the servers. They do not keep coffee cups out so that you can help yourself. You can however get to the coffee, there just are no cups there. It is the same thing at dinner at the buffet. You have to get your drinks from the servers. This drink situation is one thing we really hated about the resort. Some of us did have some minor stomach problems, just be prepared.

Apple Vacations:
The bus picked us up at 5:55pm for a 9:50pm flight - almost 4 hours! We condsidered taking a taxi but Apple told us that we needed to be at the airport 2 1/2 hours before our flight and that we would only gain about 45 min. We were told that the USA300 people at the airport check-in leave 1 hour before the flight. We arrived at the airport about 7 and were through checkout and security around 8. That still left almost 2 hours in a very crowded and warm airport (luckily it was evening). Then we found out our flight was delayed 1/2 hour which turned out to be about an hour. It would have been nice if the Apple people at the hotel would have told us the flight was delayed (Which it was delayed leaving out of Hartford so there was definately ample notice). We definately would have taken a taxi! And what is the deal with the check-in people leaving an hour before the flight?? They shouldn't be able to leave until, at the earliest, the plane starts boarding.

Notes:
Saw in a book in our room that Princess is building two resorts in Riviera Maya!

Bavaro Princess Go Platinum all the way…….4*

Where to start, we got here feb 25 and there for a week. My wife and I are both close to fifty so we can go with the flow pretty easy. Our arrival was everything it said it was going to be with the meet and greet drink at the front lobby, then being whisked away to the separate platinum lounge check in. Everything went smooth, when we checked out our room I noticed beer, rye, vodka but no rum so I walked over to the lounge (15 second walk) and before I got back to the room 5 mins later it was hanging on the wall. Thanks to Flor for that.

The premium booze is great, I drink beer all day so I found the bottled Presidente my drink of choice. They even had Bud & MGD, like how great is that. We found each mixed drink to be an adventure.

There is always lots of bottled water available in the rooms and at the bars.

The Beach is totally awesome, you can walk for an hour in either direction, it is the best, Always a few rollers coming in past the reefs. The water is warm and clear past the rollers. If you want a palapa you need to get to the beach before 8, or bake in the beautiful hot sun. Lots of stuff going on during the day on the beach or just lay back and people watch, Wink wink. We were a 2 min stroll from the beach and everything is easy to get at. Bring a thermal mug with you so you don’t have to make as many trips to the bar.There is always a breeze coming in off the water and the sand is the nicest you can find. They could use a few more public washrooms on the property, theres only 1 by the beach.

The food was always very edible, and I don’t know how you could have the same thing twice if you didn’t want to, there are so many choices here and if you don’t care for them you can try the other 3 Princess resorts just down the beach. We walked down to the adults only for lunch one day, it was great. One day both my wife and I had a slight belly ache but it was gone after 12 hours of eating and drinking right. We agree with everyone else that Licey restaurant is the best, we had lobster and there was plenty.

Now how great is this, we are having our baileys and coffee on the balcony in the morning and a worker comes up and plucks a coconut down and cracks it open for us to drink. I think I am in heaven.

We had a few mosquitos later into the night on the balcony but they weren’t that annoying.

The rooms were clean & always had extra towels without asking. The hot water could be an issue if you showered when the others in the resort did or have a refreshing room temp shower. Room service was quick and painless.

The beach vendors were few and far between so you were never really bothered except down by the markets which made it fun.

Remember, you are in a different country, so go with the flow and enjoy. The staff tries really hard to please you and go out of there way to get the job done. Thanks Anna. Bring lots of one dollar bills, you will be tipping if your as happy as most us were.

My girlfriend and I went to the Bavaro Princess Resort. We stayed for 7 nights from Feb 17th thru the 24th. This is our second time back to Punta Cana. I first would like to let everyone that reads this, that everyone has their own opinion about their stay, and you are the only one that can make your stay in Punta Cana the most enjoyable for you. So with that said lets begin....

Beach - Beautiful as everyone else describes it. It is a part of the Atlantic Ocean and not the Careabean so the waves were a little more big, but who doesnt like hearing the ocean right? The beach was deeper in width than our beach at Bavaro Palace and they did not rake the beach as much as the last resort. It was very hard to find a lounge chair if you went on the beach later in the day, and for some reason they always ran out of clean towels. Tip: Go before 10am or go to the spa and get towels and bring them with you, that way you will have extra towel cards.

Grounds -

They were beautiful of course. Well maintained. The total resort is about 70 acres and the grounds crew works very hard. They always offered us coconuts and would cut them open for us to eat and drink. You can walk threw the mangroves which houses many different species of fish, birds, turtles, lizards, etc. that was very beutiful. It was fun to take some bread and feed the many birds, nothing like seeing your spouse or girlfriend get chased by a huge peackock for the bread she had in her hands. Priceless!!

Rooms - The room was very nice, we recieved a king bed, and i was told you can always upgrade your bed from twins to king beds if you just ask. We saw a few times different beds being changed in rooms. The TV had american channels which was nice. Many mornings I watched Saved by the Bell. The only problems we had were that there was no cold water, it was hard to regulate the temp. with the dials in the shower. Also our toilet got stopped up a few times, which I can explain later in the review ;) And the worst was the Cockroaches!! Now me being a guy didnt mine them too much but the better half did! They did have a note saying that they were going to "Bug Bomb" the room, we had a choice and we regretfully denied. We didnt like the fact that bug spray was going to be all over our clothes, and we didnt know what kind of bug repellent they used. Tip : put your clothes back in your bags and get them to do the bug spraying. Our maid was very good, we gave her a healthy tip of $10 midweek because of the backed up toilet and I left a note for her to leave flowers in the rooms everyday and that day and thereafter were flowers and a nice smelling, clean room. Also pleny of beers and water were crammed in the small mini fridge!!

Lounge - Lounge was quite big, with a very nice bar. A lot of people went to this bar at night, It was the most occupied place on the resort at night. Our favorite bartender was Roberto, he spoke good english and was always cracking jokes. I tipped him and the others well and i always recieved top shelf liquors which he poured secretively so he would not get caught because i didnt have the Platinum Package. They had a kid show at 9pm and adult show at 10pm. We didnt go to them but a lot of people seemed to enjoy them. They do have a internet station, however it seemed to always be out of service when we tried. Also we never got to see anyone play the piano but we could have been too late or early not sure.

Food

Lobby "Hispanolia" Buffet - The best one the two. The omeletes were awesome, worth waiting a few minutes in line. Lunch had a nice salad bar. Dinner had a great pasta bar.

El Gaucho Buffet - This was ok, smaller then the lobby buffet but right by the beach and great for convience. They also had a hamburger place where you could get fries, burgers, hot dogs, great for anyone who has kids.

Grill Bar - This was outside by the beach close to the El Gaucho Buffet however it was not everyday which was ashame because the bbq chicken and steaks, with rice potatoes, corn wer absolutely spectacular. We enjoyed it alot.

Bella Pasta - Ok food, nothing special. I felt like the pasta food at the buffet was just as good, plus the service was not that good, and it was super hot in the restaraunt. This was located by the beach in the building that the El Gaucho Buffet was in.

Pescador - Right across from the Bella Pasta. Awesome Grilled Lobster and stuffed fish. Good service. One of my favorites.

Licey - Pay Rest. did not attend. sorry!

Chopin - Basically a fany buffet restaraunt. Good food, service was good, and it had a nice atmosphere.

Sakura - Basically chinese food, but actually was quite good, service was the best here, atmosphere was good as well.

Snack Bar - This was located in the Bella Pasta restaraunt and opened at 12 am. basically fried food which was good after a long day of drinking. But remeber its fried food in the Domican Republic at 12am or later. Be careful ;)

Pool - It was very nice, seemed a little dirty, pool bar was fun and we met alot of great people.

Activities - They had a nice selection of activities on the beach and the pool. They had a volleybarll tournament, dance lessons, yoga, and some drinking games. They also had kayaking, windsurfing, sailing. But it was a little too windy and the water seemed to rough.

Service - Service was pretty good, everyone is friendly, some restaraunts and buffets at different days were slow and you had to fend for yourself to get a drink.

Tips - These people work 12 hour days for about 11 days straight. From what i found from talking to them, the grounds crew makes about $4 a day, $7 a day for the chefs and maids, and $11 for the bartenders. So with that said. Tips are appreciated. Dont be cheap!!! They appreciate anything and will return give you more than excellent service. Gifts are appreciated, clothes, and even toothpaste helps them immensly. If you give a little they give alot, simple as that!!

All in all, it was a great trip. Yes we did get a little sick, spent sometime basically in the bathroom, but nothing more, and we just took some immodium and pepto and we were fine the next day. Take things in moderation and you'll be alright. Remember its a third world country. So if you dislike the sausage that they served for breakfast, dont give a bad review on the food, just dont eat it, that simple.

We just returned from our vacation at the Bavaro Princess. Because of the many negative reviews lately, I will reiterate all the good things that we experienced. I guess some people are very hard to please (or were in a parallel universe). This was our 10th trip to Punta Cana and our 2nd trip to the Bavaro Princess. We will definitely be going back for a 3rd!

SunWing Airlines
I was very apprehensive about booking this airline. We were very pleased and would fly SunWing again. The flight out of Ottawa was scheduled for 5:00 am and we left at 5:10 am. We were delayed by 1 hour on our return due to the head count matching up to the manifest.

The flight attendants were very friendly and we enjoyed a hot meal down and back. We also had free champagne down and free wine on our return.

We were the only airplane at the Punta Cana Airport so we went through immigration and customs very quickly. Also, the Bavaro Princess was the first stop on the shuttle bus.

Reception
We arrived at the resort at approx. 11:30 am. We had to wait until 3:00 pm for our rooms. This was not a problem, as we expected this would be the case. We had our wristbands and promptly got a drink and something to eat.

We had a special check-in area for SunWing Tour passengers so it was quick and easy. All front desk staff spoke excellent English and we had no problems with communicating. We had requested a certain building location ahead of time and we were very happy to learn that we got what we asked for.

There were 8 of us traveling and we wanted to be near one another. The resort couldn’t have been more accommodating to us.

A very special thanks to Nicole, Angel and Armando for making our stay so special.

Rooms
We were in the regular suites in Building 34, just one building from the beach. The rooms are very spacious and I actually found the bed to be quite comfortable, and the pillows soft.

We never had a problem with hot water or water pressure. I took showers twice a day and had hot, hot water each time. Our room was cleaned at different times each day – never the same time twice!

Beach
As usual, the water and beach were fantastic! We had so much fun jumping the waves. It was very disappointing to see bottle caps and small pieces of glass and cigarette butts in the sand. They do their best to clean up each evening, but you had to be careful of where you walked.

Pool
This is where all the action is. It is a long, meandering pool in a beautiful setting. There is also a swim-up bar. We chose to spend all of our time at the beach.

Restaurants

Lobby Buffet
This is the superior buffet (over the beach buffet). Wait staff are more attentive and there is a larger selection of food. We enjoyed it a lot.

Beach Buffet
We ate there most mornings because we don’t typically eat much at breakfast. The wait staff were unattentive and there were never cups and saucers set out on the tables. The food was good, but not as much variety as the lobby buffet.

Beach BBQ
This is set up right next to the beach buffet. The food there is fantastic – freshly bbq chicken, steak etc. It was a big hit with everyone. The chicken is mouth-watering.

Bella Pasta
We had a great meal here. The food was good and a good variety.

El Gaucho
We ate here twice. Be careful because there are two versions of the menu. I ordered the Beef Filet, which was really good. Unfortunately some of the others didn’t have it on the menu and ordered the Sirloin steak. They said it was terrible – tasted like leather. The Argentinian steak was okay, but I really lucked out with the Beef Filet.

Sakura
The Asian restaurant – we had a wonderful time there. The wait staff was very attentive and lots of fun. The food was the best!

El Pescador
We didn’t eat there.

Chopin
A very nice buffet as well. They have an excellent pasta station where the chef cooked shrimp in garlic butter and served it with a tomato sauce. My husband loved it. Also, they have a fresh, roasted turkey. The meat is freshly carved on your plate. They also have a piano player and singer to entertain you for about 20 minutes. It was a beautiful setting.

No one in our group got sick from the food.

Miscellaneous
For the first time, we did see mosquitoes. We brought down insect repellant and used it only once. I did kill a couple of mosquitoes in the shower.

We chose not to go on excursions, as we just wanted to R&R on the beach. It was a lazy vacation and we loved every minute of it.

We didn’t have the Platinum package and don’t feel it would have been worth our while.

We went window shopping at the Bavaro Palace – every store seems to carry the same items. Because we’ve been to PC so many times, we didn’t see a need to buy souvenirs.

The Dominican people are so happy and friendly. That’s why we keep going back to this country. We will be going back again next year – and possibly to this same resort.

Everyone we met who worked at the Bavaro Princess was very friendly and did everything they could to make our stay enjoyable.

Just returned from a wonderful week at the Bavaro Princess. There were a total of six of us and all of us thought that this resort was fabulous. We booked platinum and were right across from the platinum lounge and few steps to the beach. The staff at the platinum lounge was wonderful and very helpful.

Overall the food was pretty good, almost all of us did get sick at least once, but we expected it. Traveling to a foreign country and eating different foods do not always agree with everyone. That said, it was worth being sick for a day. The food at Pescado and Licey were amazing. The service was a bit on the slow side but it didn’t bother us, we were never in a hurry. The buffet in the lobby was also good, they have an excellent pasta station for lunch and dinner.

The rooms were beautiful and well maintained. The maids did a good job of making sure everything was in perfect order. We had hot water everyday, I’m not sure about the negative comments on that. The water pressure was decent, not like I have a home, but who cares……we were on vacation and just enjoying being in such a beautiful place.

The staff was amazing, they always said hello and gave you a smile. They were eager to help you in any way that they could. The bartenders were so friendly and funny.

We are a group of 8 adults who have previously stayed at the Bavaro Princess. We greatly enjoyed our return visit and would go again.

The staff at this resort were very friendly, helpful and we had no problem communicating with them. We would like to thank Angel, Nicole and Armando for all their help and consideration during our week holiday.

The resort is large with several two storey buildings, but easy to get around by tram. The landscaping is beautiful and the maintenance is evident everywhere. The beach is racked nightly and the pool areas are shaded by palms and flowering bushes. The suites are s

pacious, clean and well appointed. The balconies for each suite is quite large and the views are beautiful.

The beach is the best. White sand, turquoise water and great for walking. Lots of palapas and palm trees for guests to relax under while enjoying the tropical breezes. Many activities offered for those who want to participate.

There are several restaurants: Sakura (Asian) is superb, Chopin (buffet) is also great, the lobby buffet has a large variety and is quite good, Bella Pasta is also good. El Gaucho (steak) is okay, but we suggest that you don't order the sirloin steak as it is very tough and not enjoyable. We did not go to Pescador (fish/seafood) this time. The lobby buffet is better for breakfast than the beach buffet. We found the beach buffet never had coffee cups or salt & pepper on the tables. Service was slow and inconsistent. The service at the lobby buffet was far superior in all respects. The McPrincess snack shack for burgers, hot dogs, and french fries is great.

There was no diarrhea/vomiting or illness amongst any of our group and although we saw some mosquitoes, insect repellent was all that was needed if people wanted protection.

My husband and I along with two friends save up all year and every January book a trip somewhere warm. This year we booked a trip to Bavara Princess, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic for January 13 – 20, 2007 and I would have to say that after 6 trips this was the most disappointing.

We booked this trip from Montreal as it had an early morning flight, however once at the airport this flight was delayed 5 hours. After a long day we finally arrived at the hotel at dark. The Sunwing brochure featured a cocktail and cold towel upon arrival at the hotel but we received none. We also had to ask the Sunwing representative on the bus to repeat the message in English as French was all he used.

Early into our vacation at the Bavaro Princess we noticed a large number of guests at the hotel were experiencing severe cramps followed by diarrhea, including the four of us. As the days wore on the cramps and diarrhea got worse. My husband is a Paramedic here in Ontario and has 20 years experience and helped numerous people try to feel better. The immodium helped with the diarrhea for the day it was taken but the cramps never went away. A woman was taken to the hospital by ambulance as she had diarrhea and vomiting so bad that she was dehydrated. By Friday I was in bed with diarrhea and vomiting. We mentioned this to our Sunwing Representative, Emilio, and the hotel staff but had only been advised to get immodium. I’m not sure what was going on at the hotel but diarrhea and vomiting was not the way I wanted to spend my vacation. I hope that you will look into this matter before someone dies.

We booked a Sonoma Island tour through a Sunwing representative for January 16. We attended the tour due to the fact that we paid for it and could not get our money back but definitely didn’t feel like it. The tour started and ended with a two hour bus ride. Upon boarding the bus to the hotel, we were guided to another bus by the tour representative before he left. Once boarding this bus we were informed by this tour representative that we were on the wrong bus as this one was not going to our hotel and he escorted us off the bus. We paid him a few dollars to make arrangements for us to get back to the hotel. I understand that this is not a Sunwing exclusive trip but I wanted to make you aware of the tour company that you were representing.

We had a group of twelve people (eight adults, four children) and not one of us was satisfied with the resort. Although the beaches and pool where very nice the rooms, food and service where terrible.

The Rooms: Our group had four rooms. Three of the four rooms smelled like mold. We had to demand a new room for one of the families in our group due to ants in the bed. The water pressure in the showers was very bad and the "hot" water was luke-warm at best.

The Food: The resort has a reservation system for all the restraunts except one buffet. Of the seven nights we where there we had to eat at the buffet all but two due to the lack of open tables at the other restraunts. To make reservations you must be at the front lobby at 8:00 am the day before you want the reservation (I don't know about you but I enjoy sleeping in on vacation). We did not have any meals at this resort that would be anywhere near five star. Most of the time we ate the fresh fruit and noodles from the pasta bars.

The Service: The best way to sum up the service at the Bavaro Princess is that the staff just does not care. At meals it was hard to get served drinks. At most meals there was not enough silverware on the tables. Of the two times that we did have reservations they messed one of them up (they tried to make us eat at 10:00 pm instead of 8:00 pm). They charged $24 US for a two minute local phone call from the room. When we complained about the smell in the rooms they did nothing about it. There where times of the day when you could not get anything to eat. The bars and restraunts hours where not convienent. The entertainment was not very good. The only pool was closed from 7:00 pm until 8:00 am for chemical treatment. The public restrooms were not clean.

My wife, 9 year old daughter and I just returned from a 1 week vacation at the Bavaro Princess. We have traveled extensively in Mexico and the Caribbean at 4+ and 5 Star all inclusives. We do understand that going to the Caribbean is different than the US or Canada.

The Bavaro Princess is a 4 Star Property, not a 5 Star.
We now know why there are such differences of opinion on the Bavaro Princess.
People get a 4 star property when they expected a 5 star and then have some disappointment.

Why a Four Star and not 5 Star:

Bavaro has quantity but not 5 star quality.
1 main buffet (Hispanolla), about 8 side restaurants, plenty of bars, nightly entertainment, 2 pools, great beach, kids program, and excellent rooms. The problem is that a 5 star is defined by the quality of the service and Bavaro Princess does not come even close to 5 star. Also, you will never walk out of any restaurant bragging about how superb the food was. Its okay, you will find something to eat and you will not likely complain too much but its definitely average. Yes, some people do get sick from the food and that can never be 5 star. Unfortunately, the management at the restaurants just do not care about the quality of the customer experience (except that Miguel the manager at the Sakura restaurant is uniquely different in that respect). He actually understands the importance of customer service. The manager at the Bella Pasta restaurant could not care less because the customers leave after one week and will probably not say anything.

Restaurants - Food
Main buffet Hispanola is okay. Always chicken, fish, pasta, beef, breads desserts and yes, always average. Service can at time be a problem - watch out for your kids. Breakfast is the best meal at the Hispanola.

Bella Pasta - real average but service will turn you off. They really do not care !

Chopin - a more upscale buffet and average but better than Hispanola.

Gaucho - steak for the average customer. Its okay.

Sakura - Chinese, Miguel the manager, will make sure you leave happy. Ask for him if you are not totally satisfied. He is the only manager that actually understands customer service.

Licey - not included unless you are a VIP- Platinum guest. The extra dollars are not worth it. Good but again average.

Cafe Del Mar - Okay not great.

Pesquador - Seafood, okay, average.

McGrill at the beach- basic burgers and hot dogs good for the kids. Make sure everything is well done.

Out door buffet at the beach - Most people eat lunch at the beach at a basic buffet probably because Hispanola just does not even motivate anyone to walk there.

Overall, everything about the food is okay but you will not be walking out with any particular good feelings or telling anyone how great the dining experience was. Some people do get sick. Definitely not a five star but four star. The service is disgusting at Bella Pasta and spotty at others. Some managers just do not care which is very disconcerting.

Beach
The Bavaro Princess is on a great beach along with many other hotels. You can go for a long walk on a beautiful beach and great water. Good cover from the sun is provided by palm covered umbrella type structures. Plenty of lounge chairs.

Pool
Two pools one at the beach and one near the main building. Most entertainment and activity is at the beach pool. The pools are good but they are not the huge expansive pools that you might be expecting.

Nightly Entertainment
Piano in the main lobby was never used.
The live band was really good.
The nightly show on 2 to 3 occasions was good and the rest was spotty with some depending on the guests to do the work.
Four star commonly give these but five star usually provide better quality where you walk out saying that was a good show.

Kids Program
Good. The gal who runs it is very good with children and they can come and go as they please.

Accommodation - room
The rooms are really good. They look good, are clean, everything works and problems are fixed quickly. Do not take a junior suite in the main building complex because they are the cheap seats and we heard complaints.

The Property
This is a large beautiful property. Be prepared to walk or take the shuttles that come around often. We actually like walking so we loved the property.

Our second Christmas in the Caribbean

Bavaro Princess was top notch. Food, entertainment, activities were plentiful. Service was outstanding with Air Canada Vacations - the flight, check in/out, accommodations, transfers, and Platinum upgrade is worth the money for the services provided in the "private members lounge."
If you are looking for a relaxing beach vacation, check this out.

As mentioned by others:
- drink plenty of bottled water, you can help yourself to as many bottles as you need all day long to stay hydrated and avoid illness - try all the different restaurants - one free gourmet dinner at Licey's included with Platinum although we were disappointed with the food and the service at SaSakuraAsian cuisine)
- beach and pool were clean with plenty of sun or shade and animation team kept you entertained and active all day long
- gym and massage were a great retreat to get out of the heat and sun
- resort is huge, 10 minute walk from one end to the other on clean cobbled pathways with manicured grounds and exotic birds (or you can tram it)
- shows changed each night of the week (7 day cycle) which included dancing with the guests, a nightly ice breaker with volunteers from the audience, and then a show by the animation team... very talented young actors and dancers.
- tipping is recommended for all services and a basic knowledge of Spanish helps (hubby got by with his Italian background)

Our Favorite tour - the sunset cruise at Marinarium a definite must for couples. Bring your own beach towels (provided at the hotel) and swimming with the sharks is optional.

Our Worst nightmare - they forgot to pick up our luggage at our room when we checked out... make sure it gets delivered to the storage area promptly or bring it with you. Check out is at noon and our bus didn't come until 6:50 so you can still enjoy all amenities as long as you are wearing the bracelet. At 6:30 as Air Canada luggage was put out to be loaded on the bus, we noticed ours was missing. We alerted staff who contacted the Platinum lounge to locate our bags on our balcony (a few other guests bags were missed too) and had them delivered promptly as the bus arrived.

To avoid hassles, we did not leave the resort to shop except for the tours, and purchased souvenirs at the resort and airport. Get your rum and cigars at the duty free shop as it will be confiscated by customs officers at the airport. Put aside $20 US /person for the departure tax, you cannot leave the country without paying it.

Just back from PUJ and thought we would write a quick review of our stay at the Bavaro Princess in mid-December. We flew with Air Canada vacations and had the platinum upgrade. This allowed for a quick check in at the Platinum lounge and a great room in building 75, right on the beach!

We won't go into to much detail, but we have been to Punta Cana six times and our experience here was fabulous. From our room, to the extra touches with platinum club, to the a la cartes, and the beach, we really enjoyed everything. We walked daily up the beach and used some of the facilities at the PC Princess as well. The weather was fabulous...sunny and hot, and you really appreciate the mature grounds of a hotel like the BP instead of the new open concept hotels like the PC Princess and the Ocean Sand/Blue. The Chopin buffet was great, our gourmet dinner at Licey was fabulous, and the buffets were good as well. We sampled many foods, ate at all the a la cartes, made sure w e drank lots of bottled water, and did not have a hint of upset stomach The bartenders were friendly and quick, and our platinum bracelet got us cold bottled Presidente, premium drinks (we had way to much Baileys), a bar in the Platinum lounge, and one in our room.

We were always on the beach, so we did not spend time near the pool, which seemed to be quiter than other resorts we have stayed at. The beach just to the north in front of the Paradisus had major waves so it was great for boogie boarding and playing, while to the south it quited down quite a bit. The beach was cleaned and groomed while we were there and there was absolutely no seaweed in the water.

Our maid service was great, even turn down service in the evening while we were up at the lobby.The grounds were large and beautiful, with tram service every five minutes or so (much more frequent than the Melia). Plenty of shopping in front of the hotel and to the left and right 20 minute walks on the beach.

Everybody looks for something different in their vacation. If you are looking for a beautiful beach, mature landscaping, little upgrades to enhance your experience, and friendly faces to say hola to everyday, we can recommend this hotel without hesitation

Questions e-mail pdvander@hotmail.com PS air canada vacations did a great job...thanks mylene!

We stayed at the Bavaro Princess last week – our 9th trip to an AI resort in the Dominican – always to a 4+ or 5 star resort. We had booked the Punta Cana Princess but upon arrival discovered that since there last year they were now a