JOIA Bavaro by Iberostar (Formerly Iberostar Grand Bavaro) - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

15948 reviews

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  Completely happy vacationers, Louis and Laura Capasso USA

  Absolutely Amazing!! This was our third time visiting Joia Bavaro and we will be back!! We have become members because of the way we are treated and how welcomed we feel when we are there. The resort is beautiful, and the staff go out of their way to accommodate your needs at all times. The staff takes great pride in all of their hard work, and it shows through their smiles and happy disposition. From the entertainment group including Yeli, the supervisor, Smiley, Shaggy, Dai, and Sugar who make sure that you engage in fun activities throughout the day and night, never skip a beat!! The pool bartending staff, including Eric who is always singing and greeting each and every guest at the resort , and our butler, Jose, who went above and beyond to make sure that we had everything that we needed and that we were enjoying our stay on a daily basis, to the restaurant and buffet staff who greet you with a warm smile while attending to your every need during each and every meal. Alta Grazia is such an important asset to their staff. When we saw her, she went out of her way to greet us with the warmest smile and hug!! She remembered us from our last visit. Our previous butler, Danilo, also remembered us from our past visit and went out of his way to greet us with the biggest smile along with offering his services if we needed anything even though he wasn't our butler during this visit. We have been to other Joia's that were spectacular, but Joia Bavaro in Punta Cana is beyond spectacular!

  Oct 29, 2025
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  Rested well!

  Relaxing with my sweetheart! The pace we set and had a wonderful experience. The staff understood that we did not want any part of the time share up sell since we booked the Holiday to avoid meetings and rest well. Wonderful butlers with Reynaldo and Armando. The swing up pool is nice but FREEZING so gird your loins friends! Great food, pool, and people!

  Oct 24, 2025
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  Our Second Stay – Even More Wonderful Than the First!

  Perfect ✅ Here’s your review optimized and formatted for TripAdvisor — it keeps your genuine tone but adds structure and flow that make it stand out and read smoothly online: ⸻ This was our second time staying at JOIA Iberostar and our sixth trip to the Dominican Republic. Last year was our first visit to this resort, and we immediately fell in love with it. This year, we couldn’t wait to return — and once again, it exceeded our expectations! From the moment we arrived, everything was perfect. The staff is incredibly friendly, the resort is spotless and beautifully maintained, and the food is delicious. The service is truly top-notch. A huge thank you to our butlers, Armando and Raymond, who took exceptional care of us and made sure every need was met. Jary and Jessica were always kind and welcoming, and Johnnie was amazing as well! The sports and entertainment team was energetic and fun — a special shoutout to Shagi, Shugar, and Natalie, who made every activity enjoyable and memorable. We had another unforgettable vacation and are already looking forward to coming back. Highly recommend JOIA Iberostar Resort! 🌴✨

  Oct 24, 2025
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  Another wonderful trip but could make a few tweaks to improve

  This was our 7th trip to this beautiful resort and my wife's 9th trip. We went for our 10th anniversary and the entire staff was wonderful. They are what make this a 5 star resort or I would most likely rate 4 stars. Star Prestige beach: Maya, Manuel and the entire staff are excellent. Took great care of us every day. Butlers: Junior and Ray were wonderful and went above and beyond for our anniversary. Every day they were right there with whatever we needed. They really feel like old friends. Lobby bar: Bruno, Tomas and all the ladies that work there are amazing. So friendly, remembered my wife's drink orders and delivered everything with a smile. Room: Very spacious, mostly quiet and comfortable beds. Things that could be addressed to make things even better. The towel game at the beach. Star Prestige beach has cabanas that people put their items in at 6 in the morning but didn't arrive at the beach until after noon. Everything opens at 9 and if you aren't there in 2 hours your items should be taken out of the cabanas. Dress code for a la carte restaurants. They no longer require gentleman to wear pants which I guess is alright but when we go out for a nice dinner and a younger gentleman comes in with a backwards baseball cap, shirt unbuttoned half way down and wearing flip flops it is not the ambiance you want. Dress code states no open toed shoes for gentlemen but was not enforced. Perhaps the lines at these restaurants would not be as long if the drunks in t shirts shorts and flip flops were required to dress properly. I stated earlier the room was mostly quiet. Each night the entertainment was wonderful with the singers, saxophone or piano were all excellent and when you closed your balcony door the room was quiet. Friday night whatever they had going on was obnoxious. Door closed and could feel the base in my chest and hear the music. Didn't get any sleep until it was finished and we were leaving Saturday morning. Move that sort of thing towards the beach so people that need to get rest can.

  Oct 23, 2025
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  Loyal Guest — Still Love It, but a Few Issues This Time

  I’ve stayed at this resort more than a dozen times over the years. After a bad experience at another property, I discovered Iberostar and have been coming back ever since. I usually visit once a year, sometimes more, and lately I’ve been bringing friends along for group vacations. Our butler this trip, Danilo, was fantastic. We don’t ask for much, but anytime we did, he took care of it quickly and always with a smile. He really made our stay better. Our first night, we had to wait over an hour and a half to be seated at the French restaurant, Tourbillon, which was frustrating. The rest of the week, the wait times were fine, but the service inside was still on the slower side. The biggest disappointment this time was how food allergies were handled. My wife has allergies, and unlike past trips, the staff didn’t seem as attentive or accommodating. A few times, meals had to be sent back because they weren’t prepared safely. Room service was especially poor — it was slow, and the orders were wrong almost every time. My wife ordered a plain hamburger (no cheese, no bun) three times, and each time it arrived incorrectly. At the pool bar, two employees flat-out told us “no” when we asked for a gluten-free roll — but thankfully, Danilo stepped in again and made it happen. Later in our stay, we met Ruby, who was wonderful and made managing the allergy concerns so much easier whenever she was available. She and Danilo were truly the highlights of our experience. We also inquired about booking an excursion through the resort but found the exact same trip offered elsewhere for much less. When we decided not to book through the hotel, the staff member we spoke with became very rude — especially when we were simply trying to schedule our return transportation to the airport afterward. That interaction definitely left a bad impression. On a positive note, Ery at the pool bar was amazing as always. He’s incredibly friendly, quick, and one of the main reasons we keep coming back. It was great to see him back behind the bar. Black Mamba from the entertainment team was also outstanding — easily the best we’ve seen here. Overall, we still love this resort and will probably return, but the food service, allergy awareness, and excursion desk attitude definitely need improvement to match the high standards we’ve come to expect from Iberostar. We’ll likely come back again, but if things don’t improve, we may start exploring other resorts in the area for future trips.

  Oct 19, 2025