We were a group of 6 that were all adults with 2 - 18 year old girls. Reading through earlier reviews, some scared us to death regarding getting sick. Others concerning opinions about the resort we decided to go with the majority and assume that it was overall good. Unfortunately one of the 18-year-old girls in our party broke her foot a few days before our trip. Our travel agent supposedly called ahead to request a wheel chair, rooms close to each others and close to the beach/pool. Our flight was delayed 4 hours so we actually didn't arrive until 9:30PM. Our assigned rooms were near the construction, furthest from everything. You cannot do anything over the phone at this resort, we had to walk back to the front desk and ask for a room that would suit our needs. That was not possible that night but they made it happen the next day by noon. Inconvenient, absolutely but like others said the resort will always try to accommodate your needs.
The rooms were nice, our new one was in a perfect location that allowed us to get to the dining, pool, and beach and lobby easily. 4-5 star rooms in the US, no, but again very clean, no smell in either of ours and the housekeeping staff did all they could with any request you had.
The food: we ate at buffets in the morning and for lunch. We made a reservation for dinner every night at one of the restaurants. The breakfast buffet had to have between 75-100 different items that included 16 hot dishes across 2 stations, 10 different fruits (the mangos were the best I ever had, must have ate 2 cases), cereals, yogurt, home made donuts and churros that were hot out of the oil, a bit greasy as expect but delicious, 10 different pastries and so on. Also include fresh juices daily.
Lunch was pretty much the same every day but they always had a special station daily. One day was lobster paella that is the best I ever had, another day, grilled veggies, etc.
Dinners were at the restaurants and our favorites were cajun, japan and gourmet. The lobster appetizer at gourmet was the best. One complaint about the reservations was that we always had to do 6:30 or 9:30 because everything else was booked by people who didn’t show up because there were many empty tables. We were lucky enough to have no real stomach issues until one person had some problems on the last day. I think it comes with the territory but take the precautions that others already wrote about.
The pool is nice, beach is just beyond words. If this doesn't make you happy, stay home because nothing will.
The staff is just unbelievable form the waiters, Jorge, to the entertainment team. These guys are everywhere all day and night and always with a smile. They have to be tired but they never show it. Always up beat and you can interact as much or as little as you want. They go out of their way to remember your name. I know this is all-inclusive and it says tips included but leave tips, as much as you can for good service. It is the right thing to do and it really is appreciated.
Overall, we had a blast. There were little things here and there that we could complain about but get over it and enjoy the people, the resort and your friends and family.

First I want everyone to know that this resort is so great , that I have visited it 3 times in the past 2 years. The rooms are jr. suites and are very spacious and kept extremely clean(every day) The housekeeping staff are so nice and fill your mini bar with what YOU want everyday or upon request. the beverage refridgerators are not so cold, but we put ice in the sink and that was fine. I took Avon perfume sample bottles for gifts this last visit for the girls who cleaned our rooms and they were so excited and appreciative. This made us happy because these people are so poor and such hard workers. they are all so nice and pleasent to be around. the food here was very good except the steakhouse, the meat was very tough and not cooked properly.We loved spending time at the lobby bar. The battenders were so much fun!! We had a blast. I would recomend this resort to anyone except familys with small children , as the beach is topless. Depending on how much your ok with your children seeing,and trust me, you will see some sights that you'll never forget. TRUST ME!!! HA HA there is always entertainment in the pool area and at the lobby bar area. The RIU has a very nice club, or disco as they call it only a 2.oo taxi ride away. My youngest daughter who is 19 y/o wants to go there after WE graduate from college and I cant wait to take her there!! I have nothing bad to say about this resort except the ac is not to cool but you can handle it and no american beer. But El Presidente is pretty good. Do not go here in the summer months , as the heat and humidity is out of control and almost unbearable. I found that My November trip was the perfect weather it was totally Beautiful. No problem getting in the specialty resturants. all and all this was the best vacation site I have ever went on and I will return a fourth and fifth and sixth time. HAPPY VACATIONING!!

Stayed June 27th to July 3rd. The Iberostar Bavaro is a great choice if you're going to Punta Cana, DR. The Bavaro is much nicer than the sister hotels (Punta Cana & Dominica) that make up this big resort. If you're a beach person this is the place to go as the sand is like powder, the water beautiful, and I never had a problem getting a sun lounger near the beach bar! I'll break this review down in sections:
First - This was my first trip to the Dominican Republic.
Arrival at the airport - No jet ways - it's the old fashion climb down the air stairs as most smaller Carribean airports are. That's OK because stepping from the air conditioned plane into the sun and heat/humidy is why you go! The ground transportation area is very uncoordinated even though I had transportation booked in advance. It's the old routine of every sky cap trying to grab your bag for a tip to give you any sense of direction. Seasoned travelers will have no problem - newbie's keep your wits and look at signs - you'll find your shuttle company.
Second - Now the hotel - it's great!
The rooms are big, comfortable, well equiped, and clean! The smell that many talk about being in their clothes is due to the humidy - get over it! Mine was cleaned early every morning after I left for breakfast. There is a seperate tub and shower in the bath and the size of the bathroom is certainly big enough - people keep talking about how small the bath is - how many people are trying to be in there at the same time? LOL
I had a king bed that was very comfortable with nice linen. The air conditioning was not that cold but a huge ceiling fan over the bed made the room temperature just fine. Mini bar was stocked every day.
The food was good at the specialty restaurants - I had reservations at 3 - the gourmet, steak house, and cajun. At all of the restaurants the food was good although the service staff is very week. They are not polished at all and seem bent on pulling dishes from under your nose. Certainly more training is definitely needed here. The buffet restaurant is setup terribly!! The dining area is seperate from the buffet line which is laid out in a smaller room that is always clogged with diners trying to navigate a buffet line that can cause collisions of diners, staff, and small children caught in the confusion. The walk from your table to the "buffet room" will likely have you balancing your meal trying not to crash into other diners trying to get into the buffet line. Go at a off hour and there will be less people. The hotel certainly needs to rethink the food setup here - there is no natural flow, organization, or thought to how a buffet should flow.
The pools are nice but nothing to rave about and the pool bar is more occupied by kids and preteens than adults. I never saw more than one bartender and the liquor brands are mostly local bar brands so don't expect any top notch.
The beach - saved the best for last - it's beautiful! If you're a beach person you'll love it for it is huge! The beach bar will quench your thirst and if you're hungry they have hot dogs, fries, and grilled ham & cheese sandwiches. If you want more selection the restaurant at the pool has plenty to offer - it's right off the beach. There are no waiters on the beach as other Iberostars have so you are on your own to get your own drinks.
I would recommend this hotel to others even though I may sound picky, however if you really want a treat try the Iberostar Tucan in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. The Tucan really has it altogether and you won't pay a fortune like the Iberostar Grand up the coast charges. I'll be staying at the Iberostar Paraiso del Mar and Iberostar Cozumel this fall so I'll have more to compare. If you have any questions please email me through this site I'll be happy to try an answer any and all.

Having been to the north of the Dominican Republic last year (2007) we decided to go back but to the East Coast this year. We loved the Iberostar last year and decided that as they seemed to be among the best on the island we would go to the Iberostar Bavaro. We were not disappointed. However there were one or two negatives along the way.

FLIGHTS AND TRANSFER
The flight to the holiday was great with what seemed like a lot of legroom. We flew with Thomas Cook and they recently increased the legroom. The inseat TVs were great and provided plenty of entertainment for my wife and I and our 15 year old daughter.

Transfer to the hotel was over in 30 mins and then it was time to check in and see our junior suite for the first time!

CHECK IN and ROOM
The check in proceedure was simple and straight forward and all had been organised in advance of us arriving. Great news said the man behind the counter - "as both families are travelling together we have put you beside each other!". Great but we had no idea who the other people were. Even better they had a 14 year old and the two kids never looked back. Neither did we as the two sets of parents set about drinking the bar dry each night and not remembering much about the walk back to the apartments.

We were originally given a room towards the middle of the complex and towards the new luxury hotel that is being built (no noise so ignore other comments about building work). Seemed great but there was a musty smell which wasnt right. My wife was really quite concerned and we opened the cupboard to find a puddle in the bottom I became concerned. The source of the smell came from the bathroom as there was quite a lot of damp on the walls. Clearly visible and undoubtedly causing a smell. I spoke to reception and we got moved the following day to a new room down towards the beach - it was great and the help in moving was superb.

The rooms themselves are great. A bit more space but the daughter found sleeping on the settee a bit uncomfortable. I can understand why it was like a brick! But the sun and the sand made it a bit easier.

STAFF
What can I say they are all great. The Star Friends work their socks off and seem to be there 24 hours a day. If you want to play games all day and win a Star Friends Winner T-Shirt then there will be plenty to keep you happy.

FOOD
Brilliant. I think that sums it up.

Breakfast was great either up at the main restaurant or down at the beach restaurant.

Lunch was the same but the hotdogs from the beach bar were to die for! Salads a plenty though, and if you like Smoked Salmon you will love this place.

Dinner - We only ate in the main buffet restaurant a couple of times and spent the rest of the time in the a la carte restaurants. They say you can only book three a week, but there are always cancellations.

The gourmet restaurant -La Coupole - was tremendous and as everyone seems to say have the lobster starter as it is amazing. The steak is also melt in the mouth. If anything there is too much to eat, but great surroundings.

Of the other restaurants we loved the Japanese and the steak house but were not so keen on the Cajun. Everyone's taste is different but to be fair you won't be disappointed. We went to the sister hotel one evening for dinner at the Mexican. It was brilliant but no where near enough and we ended up having a starter to start with and again to finish.

FLIGHT HOME
Awful!! Absolutely terrible. It seemed to have less space, the seats were like bricks, there was no multi channel TV etc. It was trully awful.

OVERALL
This was a fantastic holiday with great friends that we met while there. The beach at this resort is amazing. Pure white sands, crystal clear water. Perfect.

I would recommend this hotel to anyone.

One final word of warning though - make sure you lock all your belongings away in the safe. Our friends had an iPod stolen and we heard about other things going missing. But we were fine.

Enjoy