Though I had returned on 11/15 from a 5-day vacation at the IB Grand Bavaro, the memories are still fresh in mind. I had previously been to this resort last year also at the same time (the week before Thanksgiving). Again, no long lines at either Newark or Punta Cana. I had emailed the resort 2 weeks prior to going requesting a room closest to the beach on either the 2nd, 3rd or 4th floor. They gave me room 7118 (2nd floor) which was perfect! I had also requested reservations for three of the ala carte restaurants for times between 7 and 9 and got them all at 8 p.m. Upon check-in I was delivered a nice refreshing towel and a nice refreshing glass of champagne (might as well start off the vacation the right way!). Unfortunately, my flight from Newark had been delayed 2-1/2 hours and I arrived hungry, tired and a little bit frazzled. No problem, I was whisked away to my room to freshen up and then go to the buffet that night. My room had a large bed (which I requested), a nice floral display with a note welcoming me back, and a bottle of champagne on ice. What a welcome! I was welcomed at the buffet by my server from last year, Kennedy, who remembered me and said he would be at the Japanese restaurant for the next few nights, but in the buffet in the morning. When I arrived for breakfast the next morning he remembered where I liked to sit (outside) and how I liked to have coffee and juice (fresh). It was like coming home. The food in the buffet for either breakfast or dinner is still good. There are no complaints in that department. I ate at the Japanese, Surf & Turf and the Gourmet and had great dinners and service at all three. Being from New York, these restaurants are as good as any I have eaten at. The evenings after dinner are quiet but you can go into the lobby bar area and listen to some music. There is also billiards, a sports bar with TV’s and a cigar bar. I did not go to the theatre at night, because I was so wiped out from lying on the beach all day (LOL). The beach was just as lovely as last year. There might have been more seaweed than usual due to a storm off-shore, but who cares. I did not have any problems getting a chaise with a cabana at the pool or under a palapa at the beach even after 9 a.m. The only small complaint is the towel card (paper). They should go back to the way it was. The weather overall was perfect, although it did rain a little at night. For returning guests there was a cocktail party on the boat which was lovely. They do this every 15 days so it might not be available when you are there. Call ahead and check. For being a returning guest I received two shirts which were really nice. A big thank you to the manager. The Star Friends as always are amazing with so much energy. A big Hola to Boom Boom who went on his 3 day leave the next day after the cocktail party. If you have any questions, please contact me.

My parents needed a vacation and I searched every review board for all-inclusives in the Caribbean area with the best reviews, which lead me to the Iberostar Grand. My expectations were considerably let down.

Yes, the property is lovely, from the layout to the pools. And yes, the staff is all very friendly. That being said, we got rooms that overlooked the neighboring property so there was no view except a service road. The hotel echos like you would not believe.. I wouldn't count on sleeping in any day because you can hear every sound from above you, around you, and possibly below you. I couldn't sleep most nights which was a Huge problem because of noise from above me and then housekeeping shouting their conversations down the hall at each other.

For the activities, think of a glorified summer camp. They bug you all day at the pool trying to "sell" you into signing up and push after you say no. Once you sign up, it's just like they're camp counselors organizing kids games. I was excited that this resort listed archery as an option among other things but it turns out it's nothing more than a game.. they have ONE bow and you get only 3 arrows to try to compete against other guests. Plus they do it at the same time as the next door resort so if you're enjoying your "adults only" time, watch that disappear when you have bleacher seats (yes, bleachers! ugh) full of the other resorts kids yelling and booing. Definitely not for anyone with a genuine interest in the sport and gave me a very sour taste for their offered "activities."

Do not under-estimate all these reviews telling you what a pain in the behind it is to get reservations to eat. They will block you every way they can and try to tell you that your only option is the buffet, which was NOT good unless you watched them make your piece right in front of you.. otherwise it was all stale, cold, and gross. I tried calling weeks before we ever arrived to make reservations because of everything I read and could not reach anyone (aside from one lady who just yelled in Spanish and then when completely silent while I talked until I finally hung up from lack of response) and tried to do it on the website but that whole 'configure your stay' thing doesn't work at all. So we only managed to get to the surf & turf (good) and the Japanese (good).. the other option was restaurants next door where they drive you by golf cart, we tried the Mediterranean which was Terrible. Don't do it.

The beach was ok. It was nice and netted off but there was a lot of seaweed that you just could not escape. It was rather odd considering we walked down the beach across to the other resort lands and they completely clear, sand and water. Guess the Grand just got the bad spot on the coast.

The reason I give this 3 instead of 2 is because my parents just wanted to relax and they got to do that, so that was my goal. But quality-wise, I could have done WAY better for them.
If you're cool with getting up at 6-7am to towel-reserve a nice chair and lounge all day, and aren't particular about your food, then this place works. But if you're looking for things to keep your interest then you're going to be really bored/annoyed.

My wife and I went to the Iberostar Grand Bavaro for our honeymoon, and it was amazing! I would highly recommend this for any kind of vacation. Perfect for honeymoons, anniversaries or anything. The staff was superb, the food is great, and the hotel/pool at top notch. We had so much fun and I would go back in a heartbeat. I've never written a review of a hotel before, but felt it was necessary after spending a week at this hotel. The hotel is not over-crowded, which makes for a nice quiet day at the pool. The swim up bar is sweet and the fact that is all-inclusive makes it even better. We attended the hotel over veteran's day weekend in November and the weather was outstanding. It rained each day we were there, but it was always a quick shower that passed over and came at a perfect time (i.e. when we were heading in to the room to get ready for dinner, or late at night when we weren't outside anyways). We loved the pool area and spent most of our time there and relaxed in the cabanas they have available. It was never hard to find a location around the pool which was nice that you didn't have to wake up super early to snag a good spot. As far as food goes, I would recommend the restaurants over the buffet. The buffet is still very good, but the restaurant food quality is so much better. We attended the Japanese, Italian and Surf & Turf restaurants and loved them all. The staff in the buffet/restaurants was great. The staff all speaks English, so that was comforting. I know a few phrases and words in Spanish and they appreciate when you give their language a try, but it's no problem if you don't know a single word of Spanish. Room quality was great. We actually had an issue with the air conditioning in our room and they quickly resolved the issue and moved us to the room next door, which ended up being even nicer than the one we had. Overall, I give this hotel a 5 out of 5 and highly recommend it to anyone of my family or friends. You will not be disappointed if you go here, and like I said I've never written a review before but felt obligated to because it was so beautiful!

We visited few resorts in the Caribbeans in last few years - Riu Palaces, Beaches, Paradiso, Omni, Barcello - to name a few. Iberostar Grand Bavaro makes all of them look not so good. Service, cleanliness, restaurants, food, room services, facilities, bathrooms, swimming pools and entertainment is just incredible. Our butler Kelvin would do everything for us and check with us every day if things are excellent because very good was not good enough. Stephani, Boom-Boom, Happy Feet, Nikki, Elias, and many others made every day and night be a pleasure and full enjoyment. The shows of Michel Jackson, Ladies First are a Vegas class shows. Very beautiful. Gardens spectacular. This is the only resourt that does NOT smell mold but beautiful aroma all over. And yes, they do serve Jack Daniels here. And no kids so pools are crystal clean. We go Caribbeans twice a year. In our opinion it is the best place we have visited so far and we are definitely going back here. We do not need to look any further. Once a year we will go here. Price is up there but well worth it. We had a better room and flew business class so it was some more then you could get for less. We just like it that way. Iberostar and all amployees cheers to you. You all rock!