There was 8 in our group going to the Barcelo. First time here for all of us. We flew Transat Air out of Halifax early Wed morning. The flight they tell me was good..haha..(I don't like to fly) and staff at the DR airport great. We arrived at the resort by 10:30 am but check in was not until 3:00.

My boyfriend and I had a ground floor room in the middle of everything. Building 10 Room 101 is a great room. For early morning arrivals pack gear for the pool so you can go swimming while waiting.

The food was awesome no complaints here. We ate at 3 a la cartes..with the Mexican being our favourite. "The buffett always had something we liked.

The beach massage is wonderful...$50US for one hour. The tour "Outback Safari" which you can book in the lobby is by far the highlight of our trip, Our guide Kenny and driver Watchie...took very good care of us. Make sure you ask him for a rum and coke Dominican style. If you go on the tour you will see Dominican life as it is. Tour through the country side..visit a home and school..swim in a warm river, have lunch and go on a river boat ride...boogie boarding in the ocean!

We hung out alot at the main pool...,very nice and clean. The pool bar could use another bartender at times..but Lenny our favorite bartender kept them coming...tips help! The staff is very friendly. The nightly shows are amazing! Lots of dancing and singing.,..believe it or not..they had a karokee nite and I sang a song...what a time!

There is security at the beach entrance checking for your arm bands and keeping others out. The beach disco is fun...with open concept so you get some fresh air and the music is upbeat with lots of sexy dancing.

There are some shops located on the resort and if you walk through the back entrance across the street there is a mall. Lots of nick nacs to take home. A 15 min horse and buggie ride or 1/2 hour walk along the beach will take you to the Flea Orange Market. Over 45 vendors there selling local goods. Some deals but mostly you have to bargain with them.

In all we had a blast..met some new friends and would definately go back again!

Just returned from another great holiday at the Barcelo.

Was previously there in November 07, and had a great holiday then too.

Thought Id send in a review, stating any changes since Barcelo took over.

Overall not too much has changed visually. The property still looks great, and is kept clean all day long. I cant believe how hard they work at this. There are ppl cleaning and doing landscape work all day here.

The rooms that we stayed at are still outdated ( we phoned before hand and requested the same room, which they did with no problem at all), but I did hear from others that their rooms were re-decorated and looked real nice and modern. They are in the process of redoing all the rooms, which of course takes time.

The rooms and buildings are kept clean all day as well, never once was there not someone in the building mopping and sweeping the common ways. Our room , as before, was cleaned 2x a day, with turndown service, and towel change at night , while we were out for dinner and dancing. The fridge was stocked daily with pop, water, beer , as well as goodies. If we requested more, they were happy to get us what we wanted.

The beach was great, and clean too. The water this stay was much cleared than last , and that of course is due to the weather. Seven days of pure sunshine, no rain at all. Although in the afternoon the winds would pick up and sand would blow, and unfortunately many complained of this. We didnt mind it too much , as the breeze was refreshing, and the other option would be the pool , and for us it was way to hot there.

The food, was once again great. It still amazes me on those that complain on food choices. There is aways something to eat somewhere, with many choices. If you wanted americanized food, then perhaps a holiday to another country is not for you. Be a little more open minded and try new things and thier cuisine, you might just enjoy it. The pizza is amazing and very quick. The only dissappointment I had was at the Mexican restaurant, and that being they didnt have any quacamole (which by the way was the best I had ever tasted , at our previous stay).

I have read in some reviews, that service was slow, and often understaffed. In the restaurants and buffet I didnt find that at all. Very promt with water and drink, and to clear dishes. Very freindly as well. The bars, on the other hand, in some cases could of used more staff, but I have to say, I dont think we waited more than 5 min to get drinks. Here I would get mad at other guests , more so than having to wait a few minutes for a drink. Some were very rude, and loud because they had to wait for a drink!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU are on a holiday, relax, talk to the person next to you, make new friends, enjoy watching the bartenders do their thing. If I were your bartender, I would ignore you too, as no one should be yelled at , as I saw some do. Very disrespectfull.

We didnt do any excursions this time, but did rent a car and toured around the Island, and saw some great things. I was a little worried about driving , but did ok. Made it back in one piece, with no scratches , or dents in the car. Very reasonable prices for renting cars as well. I did do it off resort, as it was much cheaper.

All in all a fantastic holiday, great weather , and met some great people, both tourists and locals. Would recommend this resort to anyone. And will return , next time for a longer stay.

Reading some reviews before the trip - I must say I was getting a little nervous!! What a relief upon arrival... flew Air Canada and had a wonderful flight..early day arrival and mid day departure for return flight ..which was a deciding factor when booking the trip as we had a 4 hr. drive home to Cape Breton once we landed. Our stay was from April 2 to April 9, 2008. Average check in and no wait check out.
The resort is just a perfect size for walkers.. the rooms are dated but spotless clean ...everything was in working order...no problems at all.. even for a ground floor room... no pests..nothing.
The main pool was huge..lots of refreshments...food was terrific...lots of choice.....daily theme for buffet...friends said a la cartes were delicious...we really do not book because we enjoy the freedom of the buffet..
Loved the stretch of Beach the resort is located on... Playa Dorada.....perfect for a stroll ...could walk for an hour straight ,one way, if you choose..wonderful...only complaint would be the mid afternoon wind which would blow the sand endlessly...but we found a solution for that and moved our loungers closer to the waters edge where the sand was damper and would not blow... that took care of the problem...
Lots of day trips away from the resort if interested... took the Outback Safari with tour guide Julian and driver Watchie...an awesome time !!
To sum things up, we were a large group and had a wonderful time. My husband and I would have no problem returning to this resort again.

Okay I know everyone is looking for the best resort with all the perks one offers...well Barcel is one of those hidden treasures!!

You can't go wrong with this resort - 6 al a carte restaurants, an acitivites pool, quite pool and a resort located directly on the beach!

There are well over six bars and the lunch beach/seafood al a carte turns into a disco/snack bar at night.

Oh yeah by the way looking for a relaxing massage - this is the place ilocated just off the beach in one of the little huts and the price is just right!!

We even travelled with special canandian coffee to brew a fresh pot everyday!!