Visited this resort February 6 to 13 and thought it was wonderful. We paid for the Club Premium and it was worth every dollar. The view when we first walked into our room was outstanding. We were in building 6 and were directly on the beach. With the Club Premium you also received express check-in and check-out and they looked after your every need, ie. a la carte reservations, golf reservations and pick-up, spa reservations. The room was extremely clean and contained everything you needed. The robes and slippers were a nice touch. The cleaning schedule seemed to change from morning one day to afternoon the next so you pretty much knew when your room would be done. We tried Chez Gourmet, Las Brisas and La Comedie (next door at the Palace Deluxe) and were pleased with each one. The steak at the a la carte's was phenomenal. Nothing wrong with the buffet, either. Lots of choices. Beach was well taken care of with lots and lots of loungers. The pool, although cold (as at any resort) was a good size and very clean. Lots of great employees more than eager to serve you. We will definitely return!

My husband and I made our 3rd visit to this particular resort - previously in 1987, 2012 and then last week Feb 6-13 2013. We had chosen it as our "go to" for an annual vacation however after experiencing theft from the room it has turned us off enough to never return again. The beach is absolutely the best...always chairs available pretty much anywhere you wanted to be - the west side being the quietest (also furthest from the bar). Kept very, very clean and is the perfect 'relax and recharge' spot.
Food in most restaurants was superb to very good esp the Gourmet, Spanish and La Brisa - favourite was the La Fuente which is the Spanish one. La Comedie which we did not go to this year but did last is also amazing. Buffet is ...well buffet. You can always find something to eat although choice is a bit repetitive by the end of a trip.
The downside to this trip and the reason we will not return is that the maid stole from our room - my beauiful beach wrap purchased in Mexico in 1989....treasured for almost 25 years. We were absolutely stunned as have traveled Europe, the Carribean and throughout Canada and the US and never ever had anything ever taken . We met up with other travellers who had experienced the same thing the same week...seems like it is only one or two items per room.....always women's clothing, always higher end, smaller pieces.
Go enjoy the resort, just lock up anything you really like or leave it at home. Unfortunately for us it is now tainted as we had always raved about the location and promoted it to others. We will probably go back to the Iberostar and Gran Bahai chains in the future.

I really don't have too much bad to say about the Barcelo Bavaro Beach, except the food was not up to expectations.
Pros: Adult resort-really enjoyed the quiet beach and pool area. Loved the beach volleyball, but not too much for activities at the adult resort, but that was OK. We walked down the beach to the Palace Deluxe Beach(we had full access to this part of the resort, which had way more activities, including bocce, shuffleboard, sailing, pingpong, games, kayaking and other water sports. Workers were helpful for these activities.
The nightly entertainment was very good, and a nice way to cap off the day.
My wife has Irritable Bowel Syndrome and some foods affect her. The bartenders prepared a drink called a "Baum Ba" or something like that, that seemed to help her condition. Thanks to the friendly and helpful bartending staff.
Guest Services was especially helpful to arrange mealtimes and give direction about most anything on the resort. Big thanks to Evelyn and Esmeralda!!!
Access to the beach was great from all 6 buildings. I suggest building 6, where we were, or building 5, as they were very close to the restaurant on the beach, which had a buffet over lunch time and a very nice A la Carte in the evening. You could also get drinks to enjoy on the beach right there.
Went golfing one time. All you pay is the cart fee of $65 each time you play. Bring your own clubs! The Lakes course is very highly rated. Lots of water = bring lots of balls! PB Dye design. Beautiful.
Security was always evident, even late at night.
Lots of places to access internet. Just buy the time. Cheap!
Cons: As a Canadian, we expect some of the foods we enjoy at our best restaurants would be typical for a 4 1/2 star resort. There was some good food, but not consistent, even at the a la cartes. Steaks weren't done to order and there was no choice as to what you want with your steak! Not an enjoyable experience. Salmon was great, fish was good, lobster was horrible. I think I enjoyed the pasta bar at the buffet. Put in what you want. They don't have real cheddar cheese like we're used to.

My husband and I just returned from the Barcelo Bavaro Beach resort. It was an amazing experience! The staff was incredibly helpful and kind, even going so far as to decorate our room with champagne and rose petals when they found out we were celebrating our anniversary. Every staff member we interacted with was courteous and we never had any issues with communication. Travelers need to remember it is their responsibility to learn the language of the country they are visiting and not the other way around. While in the Dominican we met people who spoke English, Russian, French, German, Chinese, and Portuguese. I feel like the people who complain about a language barrier forget how spoiled Americans are in the fact that English is the prevailing second language choice of foreign speaking people. Be grateful for this; don't take it for grant it.