Catalonia Bavaro Beach, Golf & Casino Resort - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

16021 reviews

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  Really Not Worth It - Room Desperately Needs Maintenance

  I don't usually write a review while still on a resort but thought it would be helpful for those folks desperately trying to get a vacation booked after Cuban flights were cancelled. We did not choose this resort, we chose Catalonia Royal La Romana and were sent here (to the family side) at 10pm upon arrival as they overbooked. Then they brought us in a van without seatbelts to the Royal Bavaro and we were told also no rooms available. Third time's a charm as we were put in the family side of this hotel around 11:30pm. With the fact that this is not the resort we selected and paid for out of the way, will try to write a balanced review, our experience has been as follows: Food and Drinks: Good, no issues finding something good to eat except don't bother with room service. Buffet is good and restaurants were even better. Restaurant reservations were tough as we were booked into this hotel but supposed to have access to the other Royal side. Took a half day of our vacation to sort it out but at least we were able to try the reservations. The Tapas restaurant and BLoved were the best in our opinion. Cute little bars everywhere and a fantastic coffee shop up near the shopping area. Staff: They are lovely and helpful, especially if you tip. Super nice in the restaurants, ready to help you with anything you need. Tour desk staff were so nice, we had to change an excursion time and it was no trouble at all. Rooms: Regular rooms are absolutely atrocious. We had a standard Superior Room and the AC didn't work, toilet didn't flush, fridge didn't work, window wouldn't close and lock and lots of maintenance needed. We had to get someone to clean immediately as there were hairs in the tub and on the toilet. We have been to the front desk several times to request help, the AC was fixed so we tried to live with the fridge and toilet having given up enough of our vacation already. How this hotel charges the prices they do with such sub par rooms I don't understand. Finally three days in we broke down and complained to the front desk again about the toilet not working, my wife was almost in tears trying to make our case. They transferred us to a Privileged building reluctantly. Thankfully this room is much better, still no working fridge but we were thrilled. Beach and pool: Lots of spots on the Royal side, we didn't need to get there at the crack of dawn but there is a lot of sargassum and water isn't clear. I realize it's natural but the resort could do more to remove it from the beach at least. They cleared it maybe twice this week, we at least sat on the beach everyday. I went in once and couldn't see my feet, and pulled up my foot to find garbage (plastic netting) stuck to my leg. Sadly not like the Cuban beach we are used to. The pools are very nice but space is limited so arrive early. Pool on the family side is loud, but lots of activities happening if you're so inclined. Grounds: Really fantastic! Grounds are well kept with lots of spots for sitting, reading, hammocks etc. Overall this is not worth the price of this hotel (we paid almost double as we're supposed to be at a different hotel) so definitely not worth it to us). I've been to 3 stars in Cuba with rooms more maintained than this. Read the reviews: some people don't have hot water, or can't use the AC, others like us couldn't use the toilet or fridge. Not how you want to spend your vacation. I'm confident there are better resorts for your money in Punta Cana.

  Feb 21, 2026
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  Great Experience At Ayami

  Lissette y Manuel fueron muy amables en y nos dieron un servicio incredible en el restaurante de Ayami. Lissette and Manuel were fantastic and they served us wonderfully in the Ayami restaurant!

  Feb 20, 2026
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  Some rooms are better than others but it is clean.

  This hotel has lots of lush gardens, palm trees and shaded areas for walking. The pool is huge and very clean. It is an older hotel but kept up. The food is good and lots of choice. Nice long beach for walks. We enjoyed our stay there.

  Feb 20, 2026
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  Perfect spot for a quiet sunny getaway from the cold winter at home.

  If Catolina Bavaro was a lady, she would be a "cougar":  Older than the others on the beach but beautiful, with lots of redeeming qualities. She knows she has to work harder to compete with the younger ones, and does. Of course, there are a few wrinkles, if you look for them but you can easily focus on the positives and have a wonderful time. The hilite of this resort is the huge campus itself. As you travel from the main lobby to the beach, along some lovely fieldstone paths, you find yourself walking past a centrepiece of palm trees, ponds, fountains and a great variety of native birds and the occasional feral kitten. Staff: Ignore all the online comments about staff. We found 99% of staff to have a smile on their face and sincerely working toward ensuring you have a great time. Especially the restaurants, bars, pool and activity directors. Never had a challenge with language, despite fact that I only know about 7 words of Spanish. *heard lots of French, Spanish, German and English among the guests). Room: Our room was clearly renovated and modern, with raindrop showers, plenty of hot water, LPV flooring and good AC. (We were in a Privilege Jr. Suite)   Food: our favourite place to eat, especially breakfast, was the buffet restaurant near the beach. The coffee shop up by the ala carte restaurants was GREAT as well (And busy ... doesn't open until 8:30 and always seemed to have a line (because it was so good) Same dynamic at Pizzaria and Creperie at the pool... always a line but SO worth the wait. Overall, food at the buffets was good but not great. A La Carte restaurants much better. Ranked: Steakhouse #1, Italian #2, Tapas #3 Golf/Tennis/Pickleball: Seemed to always be at least one empty tennis court and they are in very good shape. Pickleball limited to one court where fences go right to the lines, so clearly a converted court of some kind. Free round of golf per day so bring your Golf tees, shoes and balls (and clubs if you have the energy as they really jam you on the club rentals though: ($US50/day) plus cart fee (mandatory - no walking permitted) - so the "free" gold cost me $75. Th course is 9 holes and you can get 18 holes in easily in about 3 hours. It was a fun, simple, short course - very difficult to get in trouble. This resort is incredibly kid friendly. Lots for them to do, with their own play zone, pool, activity coordinators, etc. We were not interested in any of that and appreciated several places that were kid free but it was fun to see them having so much fun. WIFI: Great internet everywhere including the beach. We had a wonderful time watching the Olympics on our laptop at the pool, the beach and the main lobby. The wrinkles:> Prepare yourself for an absolutely terrible check-in experience. If I was the GM, I would blow up the whole process and start over. It is easily 10 minutes per guest and that is if everything is in order. In under a minute, our check-in person had confirmed our reservation, had everything he needed from us and it still took over 10 minutes. We were 12th in line from us all coming from the airport so watched several people take over 15 mins to get set up. (Meeting up with the Air Transat rep at the airport and getting on the right shuttle was pain-free, despite 3 huge planes arriving within 15 mins of each other - I always stress about that) > All views are not created equal and we were on the back of Building 7, overlooking a soccer pitch and a smelly ditch to handle rainwater, so spent zero time on our balcony or with the patio doors open. (We would have requested a new room but, given other comments online about AC and hot water, I didn't want to risk a downgrade inside for a better view outside) Tips: >Bring along some $5USD and $10USD bills that you can change just about anywhere into $1's for tips at bars, pool, restaurants,etc ... a little bit goes a long way down here. A couple of bucks at the buffet one day seemed to impact the frequency of visits to ensure our wine glasses were never empty the next day. Same at the beach bar. > spend some time on the cabana beds in the lagoon near the middle of the resort (about 150 yards above the main pool). Way more comfortable than chairs on the beach, with no wind, very relaxing and quiet ... feels like you are on Gilligan's Island > Bring your own washcloth and bar of soap > YETI Travel mug worked like a charm everywhere ... bigger, colder drinks   > Book restaurants as soon as you check in ... but do it online/on your phone ... do NOT stand in line at the one desk in the lobby that helps with this. However, don't make the mistake that I did. I expected a confirmation of my reservations via email which never came and, if there is a way to look them up later, I never found it ... take a screenshot of each of your reservations at time of booking. Only other alternative is to stand in that line in the lobby to get a printout ... and kiss 30 minutes goodbye to get to the front of that line. (Note: you can only book 4 days in advance so don't be panicked when you look out and see "no availability" (like I did, looking for a Valentine's Day booking.) Net: 2 thumbs up ... especially if you like cougars

  Feb 20, 2026
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  So close, yet so far.

  Spent 10 days in this lovely resort with one unacceptable exception. The quality of food and Staff service in all the restaurants was excellent. Golf course greens were immaculate but cart paths need filling in. Lack of Canadian liquor is bewildering considering the number of us that were there. Lack of music variety on the beach was deplorable and really became an annoying factor. Room was modern and spotless. Staff really are excellent throughout the whole resort. Its a busy resort and noise level was good.. Sports bar serve nachos but with cold cheese or worse none . Sometimes the game you wish to view is on , other times not. We went on vacation to enjoy the beach atmosphere and music. Unfortunately the terrible beach music selection ensures we will not return. I can always bring a bottle ( or 2 ) of CC but I need to enjoy the beach and music.

  Feb 20, 2026