May 1996

May of 1996, James Hinsch.

Bavaro Beach Palace at the Bavaro Beach Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

Below is the experience of James Hinsch and his first visit to the Bavaro Beach Palace at the Bavaro Beach Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic in May of 1996. This hotel at the resort had been rated 5 stars by several publications and at their own entrance way.

Summary.

This place was overall, one of the most fabulous resorts I have ever visited. It also was an exceptional value, clean, safe, beautiful, ...

The Deal.

The cost was US$100 per night per person (This was a special they were running. The usual price was US$110), tax included. This included airport transfers to and from Punta Cana Airport (15 minute drive), a room for 2 at the Bavaro Palace Hotel, all meals and snacks, all national drinks, all non-motorized water sports, and 1 round of golf per day. It also included drinks from the in-room mini-bar. There was an extra charge to eat at either of the two "gourmet restaurants", golf cart rental, or the use of water sports requiring a motor such as water-skiing. Water-skiing cost 250 Pesos per half hour (about US$19) per half hour. We stayed 4 full days and nights, arriving and departing in the afternoon.

Arrival.

I arrived on an American Eagle turbo-prop plane after connecting in San Juan, Puerto Rico from Newark. The flight was about 1 1/2 hours total travel time from San Juan and about 8 hours from the time I had arrived at Newark. The San Juan airport was clean and modern, putting some of the airports in America to shame. As we approached the airport, I could see that the surrounding area was basically uninhabited, without roads or anything else. Just miles of brush covered land with an occasional gravel road.

The Punta Cana Airport , which according to officials there, opened just 11 years ago. It is quite a sight to see. The entire airport is one giant grass hut. It’s walls are made of rocks (the kind you might cut your foot on in the ocean) and the roof is all thatch. It will remind you of arrival on "Fantasy Island". I must say that it is one of the most beautiful and pleasant airports I have ever seen. Immigration took a whole 30 seconds, baggage arrived in few minutes, and Customs waved us through, as they have on all my visits to the D.R. The tour operator, "Viajes Barcelo" was waiting for us and we almost immediately boarded an air-conditioned bus. My girlfriend and I were the only two passengers aboard for the 15 minute ride to the resort along a deserted asphalt road. Along the way, we passed a handful of road side shacks, and not much else. We did have to stop once because a herd of cattle blocked the road.

The tour operator went into the hotel with us and checked us in. We did not wait in line. Instead, we were handed two punch drinks and sat for about 20 minutes during this time. Finally, we were handed our room key, safe key, our wrists were strapped with identification bracelets, and I signed a few forms. It was now 4:15pm (only 45 minutes after landing in Punta Cana) and we were told that orientation would be at 10:00am the next morning. We were taken to our room and then left on our own.

The Room.

The room was nothing spectacular. 3 stars at most. It was not especially big or luxurious, but was quite comfortable. I would say it was a standard hotel room, very similar to a Marriott or Holiday Inn. This was "the best" room at the resort, according to the management. The bathroom was not marble, as stated in the brochure, but it did have dual sinks with a marble counter top. The tub was porcelain on steel, the floor was tiled, and the bathroom ceiling was a drop ceiling with traces of corrosion along some of the edges (one really had to be looking to notice). The towels were worn to the point where they should have been replaced long ago. Some had holes. Shame on the management that would allow worn, holey towels to be placed in a hotel room they try to promote as being "5 star". Throughout the stay, I tried to obtain better towels, but a search through the stack on the maid carts showed that most of the towels were in similar condition. I was able to always secure a couple of new towels from the stack.

We were given two beach towels in addition to the bath towels. They were blue and were in a little better shape than the shower towels. There was no provision to change beach towels during the day, and I asked many staffers about that. I found the easiest way was to swap them with the maids whenever I could. The standard procedure was to leave the beach towels in your room and the cleaning staff would replace them between 7 and 9pm each night. I recommend bringing your own beach towels if that is of importance to you.

The room had a king-size bed and 3 pillows that were unusually hard. I would say they were stiffer than sofa cushions, which made for difficult sleeping. The room included a small (by American standards) color TV (19 inch) with cable and remote. Our room faced parallel to the ocean and the balcony was angled towards the beach. The balcony was very small and could barely hold one plastic table and two plastic chairs.

Other room amenities included a small refrigerator and a very small chest of drawers (not sufficient, so we had to keep some of our clothes in our suitcases). The refrigerator was stocked with bottled water, orange juice, Coke, candy, a medium sized bottle of rum, and a pint of whiskey. All beverages in the mini-bar were included and it was re-stocked every day. This was an excellent convenience.

The room air-conditioner worked well, but did not have a labeled thermostat so it took some time to find the right setting. All light switches were the kind that light up when the light is off. There were lots of lights so lighting was quite sufficient. On arrival day, my bare feet were blackened by the dirty floor, but on all subsequent days, the floor was clean. The resort information in the room was inadequate, but I obtained a map down in the lobby. I also found the staff to be very unknowledgeable about any part of the resort at which they did not work.

Overall, the room was just fine, but certainly nothing to rave about. I saw some of the other rooms at the other buildings (which cost a little less) and they were downright tiny.

The Resort.

This place is huge. I would say it is as big as all the resorts along the beach in Boca Chica, combined, plus a good section of the main strip of the town of Boca Chica. They say it has 5 hotels, but each hotel has 3 or 4 buildings and each building is 3 floors with hundreds of rooms per floor. The entire resort is essentially spotless at all times, and covered with gorgeous plants of every variety. Lots of grass too, managed with a sprinkler system. The winding roads are made of fresh asphalt. The resort was celebrating its 10th anniversary during my visit. Everything is new, clean, and beautiful. It is obvious they spared no expense on landscaping. All kind of different plants, some times every few inches. Everywhere, in every direction, you are tempted to snap a photograph. And it just goes on and on and on. Quite incredible! The entire resort is connected by a maze of beautiful winding cobblestone and tile sidewalks, a some canopied walk-ways, brightly painted and beautifully coordinated arches, outrageous amounts of plant life, etc.

The Palace Hotel is situated on the border of the resort, right on the beach, and the Playa Hotel borders the other. In the middle is the Garden Hotel. I really couldn’t see much difference between them. They are different in architecture, but it would be hard to say that one is really better than the other. They are all so beautiful. If I had to pick, I would pick the Palace. The other two hotels are the Golf and Casino hotels, which are situated further from the beach. The Golf Hotel, of course, overlooks the golf course. Beautiful, beautiful, and beautiful. Not flashy. Well blended into an environment of tropical gardens, open air, and modern facilities.

The People.

I found the resort guests to be attractive and well dressed. The guests were made up mostly of couples of all ages, but some small children and singles were also around. Dress was casual throughout the resort. Shoes and shirt were required for breakfast. Shorts were not allowed at dinner. I would guess that the makeup was mostly from Italy and various Latin countries. There were some Germans and Canadians, but I never ran into an American.

Pools.

The pool at the Palace Hotel is a giant free-form thing and was one of the most fabulous pools I have ever seen. Not only was it HUGE, it was completely spotless at all times, with a tiled floor (shiny tile), an island of beautiful plants in the middle, two wooden bridges, a fountain, a powerful Jacuzzi in the middle, two childrens’ sections, two swim up bars, and the water was filled such that it continuously spilled over the edges into drains grates that ran along the entire perimeter. It was really fantastic. At night, it was all lit up and gorgeous. I give it 5 stars out of 5. The resort had at least 5 other pools, and even their smallest, worst, pool was almost as good or better than any pool at any resort I have been to. They make the pools at some of those other resorts seem like old tubs. Surprisingly, the pool remained empty most of the day. People seemed more content to lay around the pool than to go in it. I enjoyed the pool and ordered many drinks while IN the pool.

Loud music and silly games were played about 1 hour each day along side the pool, late in the afternoon. I personally found it annoying but those participating seemed to enjoy it. All surrounding beach chairs were adjustable and lined with very thick pads like you might find on expensive patio furniture. All chairs were "taken" by 8:30am, every day. Get up early if you want to hang by the pool. It’s not that it was so crowded, it was that the guests would throw their towels over the beach chairs and "reserve" them all day long while they were frolicking on the beach or eating. Most of the chairs were not occupied, but were not available either, because of this.

Drink service around the pool was excellent. Getting drinks was fast and easy as they had lots of waitresses, the bar was never crowded, and they moved quickly. This was the best service I’ve experienced in the Caribbean. Very prompt. I must say that the staff "hustled". This was not typical of the Caribbean. What was typical was that they sported a little singing and dancing while working. They seemed like they were having as good of a time as I was.

Entertainment.

There were two types of shows. Each of the 5 hotels put on a show after dinner and those shows were different every night. There was also a place called the "Tropicalissimo", which hosted the same show every night and required reservations. The hotel shows were not so good and amounted to not much more than silly games with the audience. The show at the Tropicalissimo was a Las Vegas style song and dance act that lasted about 1 1/2 hours. It put me to sleep and I noticed lots of the people around me were also falling asleep. Also, the layout for viewing consists of bench style seating on the main floor. The entire layout is not very conducive for watching a show. They really crammed us in there. I recommend not bothering specifically with any of the shows. You may be slightly entertained by the hotel shows, but it depends which one you catch on which night. I did see some fun dance performances. Those Dominicans sure can dance!

There were many bars throughout the resort and several Discos. There were two main discos that did not open until 11:00pm. One was open to the public, but not the employees. This was called the "Bavaro Disco". Right behind it was "Las Canas Disco (pronounced Las Canyas)", and this was also open to the employees. Both were high energy dance clubs, very nicely decorated. I had no trouble getting drinks (which were included). Highly recommended for the late night crowd, but wait until midnight. I liked the employee club best.

The resort has an area for employee housing and many of the employees live at the resort. It seems that about most are female, but those are just the ones working at the restaurants, bars, and pools. One employee explained that they get a deal where they work 12 hours a day, 5 1/2 days per week. In return they get room, board, and a small salary. I spoke with lots of employees. Many were from Puerto Plata (8 hours by bus, I was told) or Santo Domingo (3 hours by bus, I was told). I frequently asked whether they thought their job was a really good job to have, but none were overly enthusiastic about it. Most employees that I spoke with were in their early twenties. I was given the impression that this was a "so-so" job and not an intended career. This made sense since not too many were over 30.

The casino was small and not very energetic, but clean. It reminded me of a cruise ship casino.

The entire resort has wonderful lighting at night. This makes for a great place to take long romantic strolls either along the beach sidewalks or through the many gardens.

The beach, water sports and fitness center.

This place had no shortage of water sports equipment. In fact, they had racks and racks of sail boards, sail boats, paddle boats, kayaks, etc. The boats used for water skiing were way down at the opposite end of the beach from where I stayed, but they came and picked me up at my end of the beach. Water-skiing took place about a mile down the beach, beyond the resort property, where the land curved upwards forming kind of a bay, and blocked most of the wind. The area was too small and too shallow for good water skiing though, and the water was always too choppy. Since I was skiing along, when I became too tired and needed a break, the skipper and I just hung out and talked. On one of the days, I decided it was too windy, but they offered to take me if I wanted to go. This is in sharp contrast to the Gran Lido in Negril, Jamaica, where they would not take me out if there was even the slightest hint of chop, or dark clouds on the horizon. I was glad to see that they were very reasonable about this.

The fitness room was pathetically small - maybe 20 by 30 feet with only a couple pieces of equipment and some free weights.

During my stay (and always, according to some of the staff), there was a constant 25 - 35 mph wind that blows across the entire beach, coming from the sea. This makes for sail boards that zoomed across the water as fast as I was water skiing. It also meant choppy water. The wind never let up during my stay, night or day. I enjoyed it very much though, but not for water-skiing. There must have been a reef way out in the distance because I could see large waves breaking out there. The waves along the beach were 6 inches or less but the water was quite turbulent due to the constant gusting winds. The winds provided plenty of relief from the sun’s heat. As you move in towards the resort, the wind becomes less powerful, and by the time one reaches the pool area, the wind is just a nice breeze. Rooms that faced directly at the beach were subject to the constant pounding of the wind. My room faced to the side, and the wind was not a problem. The wind was a little troublesome for beach side dining.

The beach was miles long (my estimate is 1 - 2 miles) and was at least 50 - 100 yards wide. About a third of the beach (the part near the water) was flat and compacted without any trees. The other two thirds was made up of soft plush sand and every 30 feet in any direction there was a palm tree. The sand was as soft and silky as I’ve ever experienced and very clean. Every morning at 6:00am, what seemed like an army of workers, complete with power equipment, wheel barrels, and rakes, were on hand cleaning the beach to perfection. The sand underfoot in the water was also clean and soft, without much plant life or rocks to step on. The water gently slopes to only a several feet deep by the time one reaches the ropes, about 200 yards out. The beach was covered with thousands of very tall palm trees. They are approximately twice as tall as the tallest resort building, so no room would give a view over the top of them. One could spend the entire day in the shade of these wonderful trees. Also, their beach had lots and lots of beach chairs, so there wasn’t a shortage. The beach chairs were the type that do not adjust and are covered with plastic straps for support. Yes, this is one of the most gloriously beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen. Drinks are served right to your chair on the beach, and quite promptly, unlike other places I’ve visited. Although the waitresses are not waiting on you hand and foot, once your drink order has been taken, you can expect it will be delivered promptly.

Off the resort property, the beach vendors were organized. They did not prowl the beach. They were set a ways back from the beach, each in a flea-market style booth. They will try their hardest to sell you something, but will not follow you if you move on to another booth area. The sales area is also offset quite a ways from the water so they do not destroy the beauty of the beach. Along the water next to the resort property is every imaginable type of motorized water craft for rent, including jet-skis, various boats, and even ultra-light aircraft (if you dare)!

Check-out.

Checkout was a nightmare. I had no bill to settle since it was all included, was second in line (if you call it a line), and it still took an hour. They observed no specific lines and the European tourists were crowding around from the sides as though I weren’t even standing there. Ultimately, by girlfriend managed to get someone to wait on us (at the other end of the desk). After 45 minutes of chaos and frustration, I requested to see the manager. I was told the manager "was not available". The assistant manager was of little help, and continued to work on 4 or 5 simultaneous checkouts while I tried to explain that there could not be a mini-bar charge since the mini-bar was included with my room. Finally, he agreed and signed a paper giving me, "permission to leave the property". He never really argued with me. He just sort of repeatedly ignored me, leaving me standing there wondering if we had something in dispute or what. This was no "5 star" hotel from this perspective. I’ve experienced better procedures at a cheap motel. I attribute it to the lack of a manager being present during peak check-out time.

Problems encountered.

Despite the wonderful surroundings, great food, and excellent food and beverage service, the hotel had a poor lobby staff.

On check-in, we requested an extra room key and were told "tomorrow". Tomorrow came, and I was told, "Sorry. There was a problem," the clerk explained. "Tomorrow". Tomorrow again came, and the same guy gave the same story. This time, I told him, "No. Not tomorrow. Now." He than came up with the extra key, explaining how he did not realize it was "me". He thought it was real funny, too.

It took three requests to get the bathroom light in my room fixed. On the third request, I was told that somebody would be sent to my room "immediately". One hour later, I got tired of waiting and personally went to the front desk and requested an explanation. They could not explain, and again, just indicated "right away". This was a matter of replacing a light bulb, as I had explained from the beginning. The light did get fixed that night, sometime while I was at dinner.

The day before checkout, I asked the guy at the front desk what I needed to do to get to the airport when I leave. I explained how I had been brought by "Viajes Barcelo" (arranged by the hotel), and that they were supposed to take me back to the airport as well. The guy told me to just show up in the lobby two hours before my flight and they would be here. There was nothing I had to do. At the beginning of the checkout procedure, I repeated this. I was told, "They’ll be here. Just wait." I waited and waited. Finally, I again confronted the "assistant" manager. He called "Viajes Barcelo" and they told him they had come, waited a half hour, and since I never presented myself at the "tour desk", they left without me. He asked them to come back and they did. When the tour representative arrived, I explained to her what had happened, and indicated she might want to inform the "assistant" manager not to inform guests to "do nothing except sit and wait". We explained how we had been waiting and asking and waiting and asking. She told me "no problem". My girlfriend interjected, saying "Yes, it IS a problem." The tour representative just said, "I meant no problem for me!" Now THAT made me laugh.

You have to sign for EVERYTHING. Even to use the fitness room, which only can support about two hotel guests at a time. You have to write down your room number, date of departure, current date, print your name, and sign your name for every single drink. It gets to be a hassle after a while, especially when your hands are wet from the pool. Not a big deal though, except that the price of the drink or whatever is on each paper, and I kept subconsciously thinking I was going to get a bill for all those drinks!

Very little English is spoken, except by the resort management. Most of the other staff spoke virtually no English. All of the menus I saw were repeated in 5 languages, but you must refer to the Spanish version when ordering. I spoke Spanish and the young staff loved to have conversations. In fact, it was like they could not get enough.

Food.

Food was pretty good, but not great. It was at least as good as any other Caribbean resort I’ve visited, including those expensive places in Negril, but nothing like on a Royal Caribbean cruise. I ate one night at the Palace Restaurant, which was supposed to be the nicest place at the resort to eat and cost extra. The food was excellent, but not exceptional. Service was excellent, but not exceptional. The meal came to US$120 for two with a bottle of inexpensive champagne. They accepted credit cards, and would not allow me to add in a tip, so I tipped in cash. They did not expect a tip and seemed surprised.

Food is available from 7:00am through Midnight. The beach is lined with places to get food or drink every hundred yards. Good food too, like grilled lobster or strip steak, right on the beach, as well as standard sandwiches, burgers, soup, shrimp, etc. Getting plain old munchies was pretty much impossible. To get any kind of food, you had to order it, but service was very fast. Again, the staff hustled.

Money.

Throughout the resort, Dollars are NOT accepted. This was the first time in the D.R. that I experienced such. Only Pesos or hotel credit are accepted. Money can be changed at the front desk of any of the 5 hotels, 24 hours a day at the current exchange rate, but at times, it was an excruciatingly slow process and the money cannot be changed back to dollars (I was told). The reason it was sometimes such a slow process was because the money exchange is the same line as the checkout (at the Palace)! Hotel credit can be established with a major credit card. I used Pesos in the gift shops, to order top shelf liquors and champagne at the bars, and to pay for water sports. The best thing to do is change your money late at night when there are no lines, but do not change what you do not plan on spending. I think I changed money about 10 times because I kept under-estimating how much I would spend in Pesos. It was not clear to me why I could not exchange back to Dollars, especially when I was handed a written receipt for each money exchange transaction.