Hotel Overview
Location
Punta Cana - BeachProperty Information
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Hotel Details
Hotel Advisories
General Policies & Fine Print
Check-in Policy - Hotel requires a credit/debit card authorization or cash deposit upon check-in for incidentals; this will place a hold on your funds.
Convention Policy - Individuals attending a convention cannot book this property for their stay. If found attending a convention, guests may be subject to higher room rates upon arrival.
Transfer Policy - A price may display when children stay free, if your vacation includes transfer to your hotel.
General Information - Room taxes and service fees are included in vacation price. Minimum night stay restrictions may apply. Reservation changes may not be permitted unless authorized by the hotel.
Spring Break Policy - Bookings in the months of March and April will be subject to the following conditions:
- The minimum age requirement for check-in is 18. One parent or chaperone at least 25 years of age will be required per room for check-in.
- Students/youth between 16 and 23 years of age. Adults accompanying are responsible for the students’ behaviour. of the remaining nights.
- In the event that any guests engage in inappropriate behaviour or cause physical damages to the facilities, the Hotel Management reserves the right to expel the said guest without reimbursement or refund of the remaining nights.
Customer Ratings & Reviews
TripAdvisor Traveler Rating
15511 reviews
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Oct 05, 2024Maybe it was off season, but it was not as good as we were expecting. And watch out for the high pressure sales pitch!
We chose Iberostar after a first experience with the brand earlier in the year in Cancun. We chose this property in particular because it was adult only. Though some parts were nice, overall we were disappointed with our stay. First, both in our web check in and our in-person check in, we mentioned that we were there to celebrate our 30th anniversary. The hotel did exactly zero. We had low expectations - maybe a cheap bottle of wine - maybe just a mention. They managed not to even meet that minimal expectation. It didn't detract from an excellent anniversary on the beach, however. Second, after checking in, we were forced to listen about an 'opportunity' to join the Iberostar club to get our key - just spend an hour (or three) the following morning listening to 'information' - and don't forget to bring two forms of ID and a credit card. Oh yes, and after enduring a high pressure sales pitch and a few Mimosas, please sign this contract NOW without the opportunity to review with a lawyer and put several thousand dollars down on your credit card. Thanks, but no - a quick Google search told us all we needed to know. For that reason alone, I am never going back there. I get why you do it - lucrative business - and enough people see a value in it. I am not one of them. Third, many of the staff were less than stellar - the swim up bar staff was generally rude (yes, we tipped...), housekeeping was spotty (ignoring the 'do not enter' signs, iffy on cleaning and restocking), and our initial check in was not all that welcoming. That said, the staff at the front bar, dining staff, and many of the other staff were very good. Tobias - who worked the beach early in the week - was an example of superior service - went out of his way to make us feel welcome and even brought us coffee and tea to the beach. But it was surprising for a 'superior' resort, how spotty it was. We went next door for a couple of meals and it was a much more relaxing, friendly experience. Fourth, yes, it is off season, but it was hard to sort out what was open - the app was not accurate. Now, the other reviews describe the facility and it was very nice, and we loved the beach especially. We were able to secure beach chairs and there always seemed to be some open. And same with pool chairs - never a problem. Yes, it was off season. So, bottom line, it is a nice facility, there were some really nice staff, we had a good time and enjoyed our stay, but there were enough issues to make us not want to go back.
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Oct 02, 2024Awesome and accommodating
Everything about the adults only resort was excellent. Food was all wonderful in all of the restaurants on site. Top shelf alcohol and the bartenders were very accommodating to all of our requests! Our butlers Ronaldo and Cofe were awesome. Many thanks to our butlers!! We celebrated our 35th anniversary and they had our room decorated for our special occasion. They were always around and supplied us with whatever we needed immediately. We are not beer drinkers so asked them to remove the beer and replace with absolute vodka and juices. The beach and ocean were kept very clean, we spent everyday in the ocean. The main pool was a bit too warm so it was not refreshing at all. We noticed that the hot tub overflows into the main pool. Nightly entertainment was perfect for us! Our room was beautiful as was the bathroom with the jetted tub. Overall it was an awesome trip! Thanks again for making our special celebration awesome! And for Carlos trying to teach us Spanish!! Muchas Gracias!!
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Sep 30, 2024
BEWARE: So close to perfect…
I really wanted to give this resort 5 stars because I enjoyed so much with the exception of the last night. I found the food at all the restaurants we went to was very good. My friend has a severe food allergy to milk and butter. Unfortunately, she felt very unsafe because the majority of the waitstaff do not speak very much English and did not seem to know if either butter or milk were used in the preparation of the food. Sometimes we would have to ask 3 or 4 different people to get an answer to this question. One waiter even had someone bring butter to the table because they misunderstood when she asked if the bread had butter on it when it was baked. Any ingestion of milk or butter would have sent her to the hospital. She was also upset that she could not enjoy a single dessert all week because there were NO dairy free choices. Food allergies are very common now and it seems Iberostar needs to take this into consideration when choosing the menus. The rooms were good but as other reviewers have noted that although very clean, the decor is very dated. The rooms need to be renovated. The floors in the rooms are tile but can be very slippery if they are wet or if you open the balcony door. The hot weather and humidity outside combined with the cold air conditioning made the tiles extremely slippery. It also made our sheets and blanket feel damp 🙁 The pool water was so hot, I only went in once in the five days I was there because it was not refreshing at all. The beach had wonderful white sugar sand, and the water was cooler than the pool but still warm enough to stay in all day. The swim area was roped in but there was still seaweed that got into the swimming area. Luckily it was sargassum and easy to scoop up and throw out of the way. Other resorts we passed when on our Catamaran trip (fabulous time!!) had a different kind of roping that kept the seaweed out. It would be a nice addition to the beach area here but the staff worked hard to keep it clean. The grounds of the resort as a whole were immaculately kept. The large water feature the encompasses a large part of the resort was drained and they were doing renovations on it. Luckily our room did not face in that direction. I wouldn’t have wanted to look at it all week but I’m sure it will be lovely when the renovations are completed. Now to the most unpleasant part of the trip…the housekeeper made some beautiful shapes with towels and flower petals on the bed and chaise. I placed two items that my friend and I purchased when we were teenagers in one of the shapes made by the housekeeper. It is a joke we share and have given the items to each other back and forth for 36 years. You never know when you are going to receive it. That’s the fun of the surprise. My friend took pictures of the items and we had a good laugh about it and left the room for dinner. We came back to the room briefly after dinner before we went to the casino next door. We noticed that our beds were turned down and the towel shape was gone but did not realize that our items were missing. We went to the casino and when we came back we realized our items were missing so we reported it to the front desk. After approximately 1/2 hour, 2 hotel staff and security. (Or police, I’m not sure which) came to find out what we were missing. They assured us they would be checking the cameras and the information about who went into and out of the room. Then they proceeded to search our room including lifting up the mattress and searching our luggage. Although we had nothing to hide, it was unsettling because it made us feel as if they did not believe us and we were hiding the items or making up our story. Their English was not very good and they had me type our issues into a phone that translated English to Spanish. The following day when we went to check out, we were met by the Public Relations manager Joairy. She told us they were doing an investigation and they could tell that only my friend, myself and the housekeeper had been in and out of the room. She said they were going to search through the laundry that was taken from the room to see if they could find our items. She said they would contact us after we got home from our trip. After not hearing from the resort about our missing items, my friend essentially an email to Joairy asking about the findings of the investigation. She said unfortunately they did not find our items in the laundry and she was sorry our items were missing. We were shocked that was the response we were given from public relations. My friend emailed again saying we were displeased that our items were taken or stolen from us and asking how the resort was going to rectify the situation. Here was the response from Joairy: “We feel really sorry that this item so important to you is being missed. As I explained to you and your friend prior to your departure, and as also you could see, we executed the corresponding procedure to find it, such as looking for it in the room, checked cameras and saw the entries on your lock, and no one besides the maid and yourselves went into the room. The housekeeper was interviewed regarding this and the bag of clothes she took away from your room was checked carefully at the laundry before washing it. Probably, and please forgive me for the assumption, your friend took it to the next revealing of it more special and unexpected. But we gave it the importance you transmitted to us.” It seems we are left with having to accept that our items were stolen and the resort has no intention of any remuneration. If there is something you do not wish to be stolen, be sure to leave it in the room safe because Joia Iberostar does not seem to care that their staff steals from the guests. This left a poor taste in our mouth about our experience at the Joia Bávaro.
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Sep 25, 2024
Birthday Bliss
From the moment we arrived at the resort, all the staff were extremely pleasant and attended to our every need. The resort was beautiful with well manicured landscaping and a luxurious pool area. Our room was very romantic boasting an ocean front view overlooking the pool area. I also loved that all of the dining was centrally located so there was no need to scramble to various areas of the campus for dining options. However, if you did not want to step out for dining options, 24 hour room service was readily available via your butler or the Iberostar app. The app was super convenient for things such as dining options, activities, fitness and much more! Lastly, our butlers (Houston and Jose) were truly AMAZING! They coordinated decorating the room with rose petals, chocolates and a warm jacuzzi bath for my boyfriend's birthday in addition to coordinating off resort activities. They ensured this stay world truly be memorable for both of us!
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Sep 25, 2024JOIA Bavaro/Grand Bavaro Hotel - A Great Experience for the Money
In general, I would say the review written by Suzy-Beach for her visit in March 2024 was spot-on (great job, Suzy-Beach!), and I highly recommend that anyone going to this resort read that review thoroughly (and then read mine too. :) ). Additional details beyond Suzy-Beach's review as follows: -The facility has now made your bracelet pass useable to unlock your room. This was one of Suzy-Beach's complaints; they heard you! -If you go in mid-September (when we went), you don't need to worry about reserving beach/pool cabana areas; there will be plenty to choose from with little competition. I can see how this would be a problem during peak time though! -In the opinion of my wife and myself, the best restaurant is, unsurprisingly, the Dominican one (Casa de la Playa). The food is excellent (try the Banana Mofongo!!) and they make special (Tiki) drinks that are ALL good and you can't get anywhere else at the resort. The French restaurant (Le Tourbillon) was...not good. But do you really expect good French food at a DR resort? I can't fault them too hard for that. -The La Perla (outdoor buffet restaurant by the beach) was closed for renovations while we were there. Too bad; it's really cute, so hopefully they can get it back in service soon. -We were told by another couple to try the steak/prime rib restaurant (Brave) at the neighboring Iberostar "Selection" Bavaro resort (NOT adults-only), as the steaks there were extremely good. We tried to go there, but were told there was a 1-hour wait! We said "no way" and went back to Casa de la Playa. While Brave is obviously at another resort, it seems like Iberostar should institute a reservation system for this restaurant since it is so popular. If we had known it would be so busy, we would have either made reservations in advance or simply not bothered walking all the way there. Oh well, we needed the exercise from all the eating/drinking we were doing anyway... -When we checked in, we were immediately told that we had "resort credit" and that we should meet with concierge folks first thing the following day. PLEASE NOTE: This is a sales tactic to get you to buy into Iberostar's membership system (almost like buying a timeshare). They will give you a 2.5-hour sales pitch (even though they say it'll only be 90 minutes), after which you should get some free stuff. We got a 30-minute couples massage at the facility's spa and a 3-hour catamaran trip. While these were nice, If I were to go back and do it again, I'd skip the sales talk and just buy the extra amenities (and probably get a better off-resort excursion). The massage that each of us received was very nice. -The facility was kept very clean, and people were super-friendly. Special shout-outs to Javier (aka. "Chocolate") and the events manager, "La Melaza" (not his real name, but that's what he goes by!), who were like best-buddies while we were there and went out of their way to make sure we had lots of fun. We loved doing archery with Chocolate!! Our room was kept beautifully clean by Rosa, and she even went to the trouble of making little animal towel sculptures (swans, elephants) with hibiscus flowers for us. She was so sweet. -Some of the shows are a bit silly, but some are REALLY good. My favorites were the "international" dance show (amazing!!), the Dominican dance show and the circus show. Too bad the circus show got cut short by rain!! We'll have to take that up with the man upstairs. ;) -I was looking forward to the on-resort mixology class, but the presenter (apparently one of the resort's chefs?) never showed up. I was kindof sore about that, but no big deal. -Staff are REALLY pushing hard two extra-cost shows. "Dolce" is advertised as a "sensory" experience - the way I understand it, it puts you and your partner together in a way that ....is fun. ;) You know what I mean. We didn't go to that one. We instead went to the Rocktails show (US$25 each), which combines mixing drinks with rock music. That show was a solid "meh"; I wouldn't recommend it. The drinks were bad (way too sweet) and the show was generally lame. Dolce is more expensive (US$75 each I believe), but has the potential to be quite a bit more fun (especially if you're not too conservative). All said, however, it would be nice if they could reduce the advertising push for this stuff. Once you've mentioned it once, we know these shows are out there; you don't need to keep shoving them down our throats. -Please, please, PLEASE bring tip money for the workers and keep the tips rolling. These folks work hard, 11 days straight (then get 3 days off), with most of them having to stay at the facility's employee quarters rather than returning to their own home at the end of the day. The employees do everything they can to make your stay nice, so please show them your appreciation. -The beach was kept very clean (best out of the neighboring beaches), and only had sargassum (seaweed) move in for the last 1-2 days of our stay. For most of our stay, the water was so clear that you could see your feet underwater when you were in up to your neck. Nice! -The drink delivery service to beach/pool cabanas was hit and miss. Sometimes, servers would be around relatively frequently, other times, not at all. The Iberostar app includes a function to order drinks by cabana number, but it doesn't work. THIS FUNCTIONALITY SHOULD ABSOLUTELY BE FIXED; it would make providing service to cabana dwellers so much more efficient (for both servers and guests)!! -Suzy-Beach mentioned that there weren't enough electrical outlets in rooms. The rooms now include USB charging ports in addition to standard US 110V/60Hz AC sockets. My wife and I didn't have any problem keeping our devices powered/charged while in the room. However, once you're on the beach or at the pool, there is nothing, of course. If your phone battery doesn't hold charge too well (like my wife's), I strongly recommend bringing a portable battery charger for use at the pool/beach. This was very helpful for my wife! -We had a walk at their Zone Ecologica, which was short and cute, but not very interesting (and some of it was in poor repair). They also have an Apiary walk further out, but it's a decent hike along the entrance road just to get there. We didn't make it there - I'd love to hear what others think of that! In summary, this trip was a lot of fun and the experience was good. There were only a few things that I would have changed, as discussed above. While I would say that our stay at another adults-only, all-inclusive resort in the Cancun area of Mexico a few years ago was of "higher quality" (i.e., better food, property condition), the on-resort "fun" aspect at Bavaro was better (thanks largely to Chocolate and La Melaza!). We would have no problem recommending this as a fun place to go, and it's good value for the price (particularly during the non-peak season).
*Prices per person based on double occupancy including round-trip airfare via U.S. certified air carriers (unless otherwise stated), hotel taxes and baggage handling, fuel surcharges, and all pre-collected U.S. and foreign taxes. Round-trip airport/hotel transfers are included in Mexico (excluding Loreto), Central America and many Caribbean Islands. Transfers not included for air-only passengers. Prices valid on new bookings only and in some instances, pricing may specifically apply to one of multiple flights on select departure days. All packages are based on the lowest hotel/air classes available at time of publication, capacity controlled, subject to availability and change without notice. Promotional pricing may only be available for a limited time. Restrictions & black -out dates may apply. Fees may apply for carry-on and checked baggage-view Baggage Policies. Some resort fees, environmental levies and departure taxes are not included and may be payable in resort. View Frequently Asked Questions for more information. Apple Vacations is not responsible for errors or omissions. Bookings are subject to the current General/Cancellation Terms & Conditions. All public charter flights Allegiant Air: PC 20-070/PC 21-043; Swift Air: PC 21-056; Viva Aerobus: PC 20-081; Volaris: PC 20-099 are operated by ALG Vacations Corp. Apple Vacations materials (including, but not limited to, names, trademark, service marks, logos, marketing materials, etc.) shall not be used, reproduced, transmitted or distributed in any way, except with the express written consent of Apple Vacations. CST2139014-20. This information is current as of June 3, 2021.