My cousin and I (24 and 25 females) stayed at the Catalonia Bavaro Resort from June 22-29th. We set out looking for a relaxing trip but definitely not a boring one, and we were not disappointed.

Check-in: There was a big group of us checking-in at the same time so we actually had to go to a separate room behind the reception area to get checked-in. We arrived at about 11:30am or so and all of our rooms were ready, which was nice. The bell boy took our luggage and it almost arrived at our room before we did (luckily he saw us walking by and gave us a lift). Our villa was pretty much in the middle so it wasn’t too far from the main area or the beach/pool area.

Room: We had no complaints about our room. Very spacious and clean. There are plenty of lights for those that complain that the room is too dark, it’s just a matter of figuring out which switch is for which light. The hammock was a great touch too. The bath tub is huge like most have mentioned but I didn’t find that the shower was small at all. The maid service was good… sure sometimes we got to the room and it wasn’t cleaned yet (early-mid afternoon) but we were on the 3rd floor so sometimes it took longer to get to our room. The only problem that I had was that the doors can slam a bit so when our neighbours were leaving their rooms in the mornings, it woke me up. But other than that, we were very pleased.

Beach/Pool: Magnificent. The beach was gorgeous with its white sand and blue water. The water was calm (no crashing waves) and warm. Sure there was some seaweed but come on, you’re in the ocean, there is only so much a resort can do to stop that. The workers did do a good job cleaning it up on the sand though. Lots of loungers so no need to wake up early to get one unless you want one under the palapas. The pool was good too considering I’m not a pool person. The water temperature was great and the water was clean. Again, lots of chairs around, even if you went later in the day, just not much under the shade unless you are there early. The bar was also good (love the swim-up bar)… those bartenders work so hard.

Food/drinks: We really enjoyed the food at the Catalonia. To be quite honest, we were rarely awake for breakfast so we had it probably about 3 times in total, but those three times were great. The fruit shakes were one of the highlights of breakfast (banana yummm) and the omelet station was good too. My cousin and I are seafood lovers so when lunch and dinner came around, we had plenty to choose from. If you are looking for “North American” food, then you might be limited in your options but there is a pasta station, pizza, chicken, and I believe hamburgers as well. By the pool, there is also another buffet and a snack bar that doesn’t close like the other buffets.

The a-la cartes were pretty impressive (considering we were in the Dominican). We ate at all four restaurants- Japanese, Italian, Mexican, and American Steakhouse and never left hungry (or thirsty). The décor at each restaurant was a nice touch as well.

Now for the drinks, majority of the time we had the iced drinks such as Banana Mamma (yumm) and Pina Colada. They are not super strong but that was good enough for us… we could have always asked for them to make them stronger if we wanted to (the bartenders are really nice).

Night Entertainment: I didn’t have high expectations so I thought that the shows were good. The Michael Jackson show on Saturday was great so you need to get there early to get a good seat. After the show, the Catalonia band plays some music so guests can dance and the entertainment team grabs some guests to dance as well. It’s a great, fun environment. At 11 p.m. the disco opens. Now I’m just speaking from my experience but I had a great time at the disco. Sure it’s not like a club downtown Toronto but considering it was a resort disco, it was a lot of fun. It never gets super rammed but there were a lot of people when we went. For those looking for North American music, you may be disappointed. They play a lot of Bachata, Merengue, etc but they take requests if you really want to. My only complaint would be the bar service, sometimes it took a good 5 minutes to get a drink but the poor bartender was working really hard. The disco is open until 2 a.m.

Overall: My cousin and I had a great time. Being two single ladies, we were a little worried at first since there were a lot of couples but after a couple of days, we met a lot of other single people (and even couples) from all over the world (lots of Germans and Spaniards). We also felt very safe during the day and at night. The grounds were very well maintained and service was pretty good too. We blew a fuse the first night and someone was at our room in about 5 minutes and it was during a thunderstorm. We always had a phone call in the late afternoon/early evening from reception asking if everything was okay. The staff is very friendly and they work so hard.

We are so glad that we chose the Catalonia and we will definitely return. I tried to cover everything but please PM me if you have any questions.

My boyfriend and I just got back to Canada after an amazing, hot and beautiful one week trip to Punta Cana. Our Skyservice flight from Pearson was great as was the arrival into Punta Cana airport. It was very well organized (and airconditioned) when we arrived, and had little to no confusion as to where to go. Once we passed customs we went into a room to find out travel company (ours was nolitours) and they told us which bus to go onto to get to the Catalonia Bavaro.

Driving up to the resort after only 10min on the bus was great! I could not believe how fabulous it looked. It was all lit up as it was 9:30pm when we got there. There were vendors selling things in the lobby which only happens on Friday nights there. It is convinient for those travelers who don't plan on leaving the resort to shop.

We stayed in Villa 27 which was between the beach and main lobby so we didn't have a far way to walk to either! The room was clean but could use for some updating in the next little while. The first day we didn't think we had hot water but turns out we were turning the tap the wrong way! Sounds stupid, but it was opposite (towards the blue is hot and red is cold). So we found out the hard way....We had no water on the 4th day and so we went to customer service and they fixed it while we were at lunch! The TV was nice to watch before bed and it had so many english channels! About 100 channels in total and we found over 20 to be english (and they played good movies!). The blow dryer was great and always hot! The bathtub was the best, it was a two person one and actually filled up fast. One night i timed it at about 15min and it was soooo hot, which was great. No clock in the room though so bring an alarm clock or cellphone to get you up in time for excursions etc. Beds were very comfy compared to previous ones in Cuba. Although the pillows were terrible so bring your own! And finally, small bugs in the room but that was expected. They were almost impossible to see and they were only on the floors so we didn't mind. How often are you in your room on vacation anyways?

We had a problem with our key not working once and it was because we put it with our camera. It is magnet and so is the camera so the reception desk told us this would deactivate the room key. It took about 5 seconds to re-activate it...not a problem at all!!

The food was great here, no major complaints. however the buffet was open for breakfast at 6:30- 10 and lunch from 12:30-3. I found this to be awkward because my boyfriend and I wanted to eat around 10:30- 11 and we really couldn't. Crepes were awsome!! We had so many over the course of the week. I recommend the apple and chocolate ones. The a la carte restaurants were clean and had very fast service! No waiting, no lines, no problems. Sometimes the food was overcooked but i'd rather that then have it raw. I wasn't about to let that ruin our vacation. Both my boyfriend and I would recommend the pasta at lunch and dinner in the buffet, it was made to order and very very tasty.

We spent most of our time at the pool because it had lots of seating, a swim up bar, great music, beautiful sun, a breeze and shade if needed. We brought our own towels (in bright colours) and i suggest this to anyone because everyone else at the resort has the blue hotel towels and its hard to see where you put your stuff. Also, if you lose it then you have to pay i think $20 per towel...maybe even more.

The drinks were fabulous!! They made exactly what you wanted and the bar tenders worked their behinds off! Just a warning (good or bad), if you tip the bar tenders then they will make your drinks stronger! Try the caiprina drink!!

We also did the 4 wheeler excersion. It was 3 hours for $70 (for 2 people, so $35 per person). It was so worth it! My boyfriend drove and i took videos and pictures on the back while holding on. You go all over the beach and the island and stop off to swim in the Atlantic! Well worth it.

The shows at 9:30 each night were awsome! The dancers looked great and i have to give them credit for dancing in that heat! There is a popcorn machine in the lobby for a snack during the show and it is very tasty.

All in all we had a fabulous time! Well worth the money and very relaxing. I love visiting the South because it is a totally different culture, lifestyle and pace of living. Be patient and have fun with the staff. They love their jobs and are there to make your vacation even better. Neither of us let the little things bother us and we just enjoyed every minute of it. We highly suggest visiting the Catalonia Bavaro!

This was my third time in the Dominican and I have to say it was also my most meamorable visit. The overall hotel property is huge. My room was close to reception, which was perfect for nightly entertainment, bars and dinner. However, it was on the complete opposite side of the beach and pool so it was sort of a walk to get there. The resort has many places you could eat at. Two buffet, one by the pool and the other by reception. There is also a grill at the pool which is always open that serves amazing pizza! Then there are four a la carte restaurants, which include: American, Italian, Mexican and Japaneese. The American and Mexican were my top two. Be careful with the meat there because for some reason it always tends to be undercooked. There is also a crepe cafe where the gift shops are, which is absolutely incerdible. They are only open in the afternoons and serve all kind of things from crepes to banana splits. Also, of all the hotels I have been to this place has the nicest cocktails I have ever had. I highly reccomend the Banana Mama and Miami Vice. Amazing! The bartenders are by far the friendliest staff. Some staff are WAY friendlier than others. I did not find the service to be too great. Our maid for some reason always forgot to leave towels, any towels! And when I called reception it took 45 min to an hour sometimes until someone brought them by. I found the nightly entertainment to be okay. I went to the disco once or twice and it was never ever full or very busy. The beach was not the nicest and huts were ALWAYS taken. I woke up at the crack of dawn one day to try and reserve one, but they were already taken. I went with my boyfriend and we both had a good time! We always tipped and found that some of the staff were much better to us.

My husband and I usually have no complaints, but unfortunately we had something to complain about everyday at the Catalonia. It started the first night when we had NO hot water. Little did we know this would continue the whole week. They have a beautiful sunken tub and the only time I could use it was to give myself a cold sponge bath. Don't think we could have used it anyway because it would have taken all day to fill it and it wouldn't have been pleasant with frigid water.
Towels were replaced only when Guest Services called your room or if you could run someone down.
The mini-bar in the room was only stocked when you complained as was the coffee machine. Keep in mind that the water from the taps should not be used so you need to brush your teeth with it as well. Bottled water is a neccessity, it should be well stocked!
The sheets always felt gritty, like they had been washed in sand.
The TV is old, and never gave you a good picture. The volume was either too low or too LOUD, especially the commercials. They supposedly have sattelite, but there is really very little to watch and as with everything else it was not working for a day as well.
The phones need to be updated as well. Our phone was always full of static, and one day the cord broke off of the hand set. Standard answer to everything is "it's not just your room, it's everywhere on the resort". Repair man came & had to fix the phone line from inside as well as outside.
I think one of the worst things as if the above wasn't bad enough was the Buffet. The birds were left to fly from one table to the next and were feeding off the buffet before any of the guests! Thank goodness for the Pasta station or I would not have eaten at all! (it's behind glass & someone cooks it for you)
The ala carte restaurants were disappointing. Portions were very small, but we had no birds joining us for dinner!
This was supposed to be a relaxing holiday for my husband and instead I have never seen him so upset.
Although the grounds, beach and pool are beautiful spend the extra money & go somewhere that is newer with a closed in buffet. If you insist on going to the Catalonia, eat at the Snack Bar. It's the only place worth eating at.
Better yet, go on a Cruise........it's worth the extra money!