Visited the property the week of May 4-May 11 2008. Set out for a relaxing week of sun and sand.

The Good:
-Beach!!!! Bavaro Beach Punta Cana has one of the nicest beaches I've visited in the Caribbean. Soft white sand, turquoise water and very little seaweed. Palm Trees all the way down. 45 minute walk down the beach to the market-Great morning exercise. During our visit did not notice any sandfleas or the like
-Resort Grounds. The Bahia Principe Complex is HUGE (Divided into the following sections-Bavaro, Punta Cana, Premier and Ambar) The grounds are beautiful and well kept.
-Japanese Restaurant (Maiko). Selected this restaurant as one of our ala cartes and would highly recommend the Fried Ice Cream for dessert
-Gourmet Restaurant (Cafe De Paris) The staff was fantastic and we were happy with our meal choice of lamb. Dessert was also great-order the carrot cake or chocolate dessert
-House Keeping Staff. Our room was kept spotless everyday, fresh towels when we needed them and even daily room decor with fresh flowers. The Staff work really hard-please remember to show your appreciation
-Lobby Bar: Had our daily drinks from here and were never disappointed. They make the best cocktails on the resort
-Pools. There is one enormous pool right by the beach. You have to see it to believe it. There are also pools closer to the villas; one open to all visitors and another pool right beside reserved for 'diamond' club visitors. Aparently there are also pools in the Ambar and Premier sections of the resort which we did not visit. The ones we visited were really clean and plenty of loungers and huts all around for shade

The Bad:
-"Critter" in main buffet. I know we were in the Caribbean and its hard to control sometimes but did not enjoy the surprise of spotting a cockroach making its way along the floor boards behind our table ICK!!!!!
-Italian Restaurant. Tried to order two different fish items off the menu only to be told both were unavailable that night. Went for the ravioli dish and pork dish. The waitress tried to dissuade me from ordering both (FYI; the ravioli dish only comes with 4 Ravioli, had I only ordered that I'm sure I would have been starving) The Pork dish unfortunately also equally disappointing since it was under cooked so didn't eat much of that anyways
-Gym. First off the gym is pretty far from the main part of the resort. Located in the "spa" closer to the main entrance of the complex-so thats a work out in itself. They gym only had 2 treadmills; one of which was broken and the other had only a 15 minute time limit. 2 Rowing Machines;1 completely broken and another barely usable and 1 eliptical machine also broken. So only did one visit there and decided to stick to the long walks on the beach

Minor Inconveniences
-Pillows. Expecting a 5 star stay, I was very disappointed in the paper thin pillows. Had to stack 2 to have a decent support under my head.
-Room TV. I realize I spent very little time watching TV on vacation but the remote they provided was a joke. Had 6 buttons on it : up/down for channel, up/down for volume, mute and power. The resort had access to many cable channels as well as the major American broadcasters (ABC, NBC, Fox and CBS) but had no fun running through 1-96 channels with just the up and down button

The reason I only rated this resort as average was largely because I had so many high expectations from this "5 star Resort." I've visited a few resorts through out the Caribbean including an Iberostar (Cuba), Riu (Jamaica) and Palladium (in Punta Cana as well) and the Bahia Principe Bavaro was no better than these other resorts which was somewhat a let down. Its a perfectly great resort if you don't have the high expectations (I would not class this as a 5 star resort). To be honest I think I enjoyed my stay at the Palladium Bavaro much more (and I believe that resort is classed a 4 star)

Hope this review was helpful

I am really disappointed with all the negative reviews and for those people who maybe didn't go to this resort as a result. Please remember that these are the same people who walk around nit-picking at anything and everything throughout their entire life. A holiday is what you make of it and this resort is fantastic. The rooms are very clean, the grounds are immaculate, the people are very friendly and a heartfelt "buenos dias" or "hola" is appreciated. The buffet food is basic, yes, but there is plenty of variety and there is something for everyone. The a-la-carte restaurants are actually really good and the staff is very attentive. The people who complain about the staff are the ones who treat them as servants. Give respect, get respect. We talked to a lot of the staff and they are the warmest and nicest in the Carribean. Please consider this resort, you won't regret it !!! Shame on the negative reviewers !!! HINTS: bring little gifts, not only for the maids, but random acts of kindness to the gardeners and pool staff will be very appreciated and will make you feel good too. Bring an insulated mug, it keeps your drink cooler longer and you are saving the environment from all those plastic cups. Wear your sunscreen at all times during the day !!! Finally ... Relax, grab a cocktail and HAVE FUN !!!!!

Bahia Principe was an amazing experience! There are no words to describe how great this resort really is.
I will try to give a good breakdown:

FOOD: The food was excellent. There were about 5 or 6 a la carte restaurants and about 3 or so buffets. The a la carte restaurants were exceptional. The service was great and the food was also great. I was able to try the Pescador restaurant, the garden grill, and the Japanese restaurant.
The Japanese Restaurant was alot of fun! The chef cooks right in front of you and gives you the preference of what to include in your meal. The service was amazing as well!
The Garden Grill was also amazing! I have never tasted a better steak in my life!
The Pescador restaurant was the highlight of the the week! The food was AMAZING! They offered a seafood buffet before your main meal which was also very good! You will not be disappointed with this restaurant!
The buffets (Bugambilia) were also very good. The food was a little repetitive toward the end of the week. However, the service was excellent, and they also tried different cultural themes.

BEACH: Anyone who has been to the Dominican knows that Bavaro beach is absolutely stunning. In my opinion, this is the best beach in all of the region! The water is crystal clear. The sands are easy on the feet. The only downside was that you had to wake up at about 5 AM to get a beach hut, but that's a pretty normal routine in these types of resorts! The beach bar was also excellent. I found that the drinks were made a little bit better as well. The beach aerobics/soccer was alot of fun! YOU HAVE TO TRY THE BANANA BOAT! So much fun!

DRINKS: Bahia Principe offered a good selection of drinks which catered to people of all ages. My personal favorite was "Bugambilia" which is a tropical paradise in a glass! "Dirty Monkey" was a fan favorite as well! Several non-inclusive drinks were a bit expensive, so my suggestion to you would be to stick to the inclusive drinks. I highly recommend the drink "MAMA JUANA" [I'm sure they will tell you all about that one ;-)]

STAFF/SERVICE: The staff was excellent. They always greeted you with an "Hola" and a big smile on their face. The first day we got there, we did experience a little animal issue in our room. However, the staff fixed the problem immediately and gave us a new room closer to the beach! The bartenders in the main lobby were some of the nicest people you could meet. They respected the company of different people. If you tip them, they will love you for the rest of your stay!

ROOM: One phrase to sum it all up: The best room I have ever stayed in. No problems with the toilets, no problem with the sink, no problems with the bed, no problems with the TV. PERFECT.

POOL: The pool is beautiful and enormous. It was the perfect spot to bring small kids, or simply just lounge around and drink! There was always music playing which really complimented the whole tropical paradise. There were palm trees everywhere! From time to time, the staff would gather people for water aerobics. This was alot of fun! The only downside to the pool was that it was very shallow (under 5 feet). Other than that, it was excellent!

OVERALL: This is one of the most beautiful resorts you will ever stay at! It was so much fun, and I would highly recommend it to anyone! ENJOY YOUR STAY!

My husband and I arrived a few hours ago from a one week's stay at the Bahia Principe Bavaro. (May 2 - 9,2008)
The service, facilities and staff were excellent.
We highly recommend it. The buffet had an abundance of various foods which would cater to a number of food restricted individuals (I am vegetarian andmy husband has gluten restrictions). There a re several a la carte retaurants (Japanese, French,Brasilian, Gril Cafe,Mediterranean) which is a nice change from going tothe buffet ever day.
The beach is endless.
Overall, a fantastic vacation getaway!