Grand Bavaro Princess- All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

17022 reviews

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  Amazing hotel/holiday

  We've just come back from our stay here and we had an incredible time. There are a few things that could be improved which I will note at the end, however our overall experience was great. The hotel is huge and it's set up like an oasis. There are palm trees and water features everywhere and it's all kept very clean. The rooms are large, clean and modern. We had a platinum room which came with access to exclusive bars, with premium drinks (including branded and Corona beer) restaurants, a buffet, a separate pool, plus alcohol stocked in the mini bar. I would say that if you would prefer a quieter holiday with less people around in the restaurants/bars etc then book a platinum room. 200 out of 1000 rooms are platinum. There's multiple buggy's that take you from one end of the hotel to another, which come every 5mins but do get very busy at "peak" times. The food was always great, served hot and various options. It is sargassum season at the moment, so of course there was lots of seaweed on the beach, however the staff worked round the clock to clear it. Most of the staff are very friendly and incredibly attentive, anything you require they will do their best to provide. A few negatives: The WiFi connection is poor, it goes in and out and that can be a problem as everything in the hotel is done via the app- i.e booking restaurants, finding out what's on and viewing all food/drinks menus. We ended up having to take screenshots of the bar menus. If you ask for a drink menu they tell you it's on the app. The only places that are air conditioned are the rooms, the sports bar and a la carte restaurants. Everywhere else including all the buffets and bars have a few ceiling fans, however they don't make a lot of difference and it does get very hot. We were always able to get sunbeds, however adding a few more wouldn't hurt! Note- there are lots mosquitos so a repellent is a must! If you burn easily and want to avoid the lobster look, get factor 50 suncream. Overall we had a really amazing stay at the Grand Bavaro Princess and will definitely be returning in the future!

  Jul 09, 2025
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  Bavaro Experince

  It had such great food and the staff are very friendly and want to include all the guests in the activities the resort presents. I would go here again and again

  Jul 05, 2025
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  No is the only word they know

  Let me start with the positives. The property itself is beautiful and well maintained. There are many appealing amenities such as access to clean pool towels throughout the day, numerous bars, lots of restaurant choices, and chair availability most of the time. There are also tons of wildlife like peacock families, ducks, chickens, turtles, and even a sanctuary of guinea pigs. The best waiter on resort is Diodegrasio. He is compassionate and kind and does everything within his power to help you have the best experience possible on your vacation. He works morning and dinner at the platinum buffet. The bartender at the platinum pool was also wonderful- Jerry Jose. However, all that potential for a wonderful vacation is overshadowed by unfriendly, borderline rude staff. While not all staff were this way, 98% of those we came in contact with at restaurants and bars were, unfortunately, disrespectful or put out by any small requests such as asking for your water to be refilled. They acted as though you were asking too much of them to do their job. We received eye rolling when asking for simple things like a cola or a steak that’s cooked differently than medium. They would stare at you as you walked into the buffets, never asking to seat you or what you wanted to drink. Most of the time you had to flag someone down for service. We are very easy to please. All we ask is that if you advertise all-inclusive that’s what you offer. We want a clean place to stay, friendly staff, and all that you advertised before we booked. We have traveled to over 25 all inclusive in the Carribean and understand there are sometimes small inconveniences or things that don’t work properly. Those are things we can overlook as long as you are trying your best to make them right within your power. With that being said, none of our problems were fixed or really cared about during our stay. Let me give a few examples other things we experienced on our vacation. We do not drink alcohol. My children would ask for fruit in their nonalcoholic drinks and were told they could not have it as that was reserved for alcohol. I even had a bartender at the Japanese restaurant tell me it wasn’t his problem to fix when I politely asked him to change my sixteen year old son’s (who was clearly wearing a green child’s wristband and asked for no alcohol) virgin Miami Vice to virgin, and his reply “he gets it the way I make it- not my problem”. My family was told at the food truck that they could only have two items on the menu, even if they were ordering for another family member holding tables. When we asked for bacon at the breakfast buffet an hour before it closed, we were told they were not cooking anymore today- multiple days in a row. One of these days several of the waitresses laughed at my husband for asking a cook and being frustrated that they refused to bring more out. When we asked for a drink at the bar truck from the “bar truck” menu, we were told they could not make anything except pina coladas and daiquiris, even though there were fifteen non-alcoholic drinks on their menu. Another afternoon my daughter ordered fries from the food truck three hours before they closed and was told they were not cooking anymore more that day. The pattern was a lot of no’s. Not just that, but we upgraded to platinum so we did not have the bad experience that others had written about as standard guests and most of these occurred in platinum only restaurants and bars. We were also unable to use the beaches as the seaweed was stacked in huge, smelly piles along the shore . You have to walk directly through it to get to the water but if you make it that far you can’t stay long due to the smell of decay from the piles. My advice is to think very carefully about how you want your vacation to go before booking here. We will not make the mistake again.

  Jul 03, 2025
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  Grand Bavaro Princess – A Beautiful Property with Disappointing Service

  As a concierge with professional hospitality experience, I was truly looking forward to my stay at the Grand Bavaro Princess, especially after reading about the resort’s amenities and admiring its beautiful layout and beachfront setting. Unfortunately, despite the impressive physical property, the customer service fell well below expectations. From the moment we arrived, there was a recurring sense of indifference from many staff members. While no one was outright rude, the general attitude was apathetic—borderline like guests were an inconvenience. This wasn’t a cultural observation of the Dominican Republic overall, as we stayed at two other properties during this trip and had far more positive and engaged experiences elsewhere. This property, however, consistently missed the mark. The food across the resort was underwhelming and, at times, simply bad. The beach, while picturesque in theory, was covered in seaweed during our stay, which I understand may be seasonal, but it added to the overall letdown. The peddlers on the beach were constant—a known issue in many resort areas, so not unexpected, but still worth mentioning for those seeking uninterrupted relaxation. One of the most surprising moments as a hospitality professional was my experience with the hotel concierge. I asked for help with a dinner reservation and was told to scan a QR code and call myself. That level of disengagement was frankly shocking. On another occasion, we requested assistance from a bellman for our luggage and waited 40 minutes—no one ever came. We ended up hauling everything ourselves, only to have someone offer help once we were already loading the taxi. The dinner reservation process was another disappointment. After calling to confirm, I arrived at the restaurant where several staff members stood by but none acknowledged me. I had to speak up to be directed to the host, who was unexpectedly aggressive and dismissive when he said we didn’t have a reservation. I calmly explained I wasn’t there to argue and was willing to accept a mix-up, but the lack of courtesy was alarming. Ironically, I returned to the concierge desk, and with a single phone call, where she found a spot for us at the same restaurant—highlighting a lack of consistency and communication. We declined the offer. Other issues included murky pools, which may have been the result of overcrowding and children, and the 24-hour pub/restaurant which served some of the worst food I encountered during our entire trip. There was no to-go option—unless you count wrapping it in napkins yourself. One interaction that crossed a line involved a different concierge who began asking inappropriate personal questions about my husband’s choices and whereabouts, even offering cultural commentary on how “Dominican men allow their women to make the decisions.” As a guest, and especially as a hospitality professional, I found that incredibly inappropriate and unprofessional. Overall, the Grand Bavaro Princess has beautiful potential, but the lack of care, inconsistent service, and poor food quality made this the least enjoyable stay of our trip. As someone in the hospitality industry, I don’t expect perfection—but I do expect effort, respect, and warmth. Unfortunately, those were largely absent here.

  Jul 03, 2025
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  Must book! Great for friends and family

  First time staying at all inclusive resort! One love the customer service. Staff always willing to help and give directions. The cleaning is top tier. Scrub bathroom, new linen on each bed and mop the floors before leaving each day!! Def make reservations ahead of time for select restaurants in resort. If not, buffet will be open for you. Decent drinks! 24 hour pub is nice and has a variety of food to try. Pool is open until 7p Love how there is a party each night or special theme. I would love to try the premium rooms or rooms on first floor to have my own swim up pool and have options of premium liquor ! Def recommend staying here! We stayed from 6/30-7/3 just enough for us to experience all the amenities and do one excursion! Also ! Family friendly! Kids have their own pool and 3 adult pools available Take the train when possible , if not everything is in 5-10 min walking distance Try the food trucks by the beach/ pool too

  Jul 02, 2025