Barceló Bávaro Grand Resort — Attraction in Higüey

This establishment does not even deserve a one ⭐️

My friend and her husband, both in their late 40s, booked a week-long stay at the Barcelo Bávaro Grand Resort. The first few days were enjoyable and relaxing, but everything changed on the fifth night.

After heading down to dinner, they each had two shots of tequila. Soon after, the wife began feeling wheezy and wanted to return to the room. Both she and her husband are seasoned drinkers who know their limits and never overdo it, so this reaction was unusual.

As they made their way back, a security guard approached the husband. The details are hazy, but he recalls fighting back as guards tried to rip his gold chain from his neck. Somehow, they managed to get back to their room. Both began vomiting, became extremely lethargic, and blacked out. Hours later, they woke up bruised and battered—she had a black eye, and he was covered in bruises from head to toe. This was especially devastating 😢 since he had recently been diagnosed with aggressive cancer, making the assault even more brutal.

To make matters worse, their cell phones had vanished. When they reported the incident at the front desk, staff brushed it off. Yet, when they returned to their room, both phones mysteriously reappeared in a black bag. Shocked and shaken, they spent the following day confined to their room.

That evening at dinner, another couple approached them and said they had witnessed part of the attack and even tried to record it, though the footage was too blurry. My friend and her husband explained that they had no memory of the full event and strongly suspected their drinks had been spiked.

At that point, the only focus was getting home safely. They left in an Uber for the airport, vowing never to return. They described it as the scariest experience of their lives.

As a warning to other travelers, I started digging into whether their story was an isolated case. Unfortunately, I found many similar horror stories on Reddit and TripAdvisor‼️

We had originally planned a trip there ourselves, but after hearing this, we’ll be staying stateside. Tourists,...

Let me start with the reason for a 1-star review. THE FOOD. The food was so terrible that we left the resort for lunch and dinner the entire week.

If you have food allergies like Celiac Disease, DO NOT RECOMMEND. Stay far away from this resort. The food is gross, but also is not safe. My Celiac wife was living on fruit for the first couple of days and finally had enough. She didn't trust the staff to keep her safe, even if they could the other tourists she didn't trust. People often grabbed tongs or spoons from one dish to use on a dish that wasn't gluten-free. Cross-contamination was always high everywhere we went, so my wife was uncomfortable eating at any of the buffets. It would have ruined the whole week for her if she were to get sick.

While the resort provides a gluten-free card to show to the servers, it doesn't guarantee the food will be enjoyable or safe. After two days of trying the resort's food, we found the card to be of little help and decided to give up on the resort's dining options.

Now for the Pro's: The grounds are fantastic and clean. Our room was clean, and our house cleaner was terrific. The customer service was on par with what you'd expect. No better or no worse. Par. The weather was terrific. The amenities on the property were nice. The sailboat, kayaks, and included activities were nice.

Overall, will I be...

This is my 3rd time at this hotel and all I can say is that it is my last. The service here is horrendous there is no organization. Let me start with my check in, I booked the premium experience it is slow and a hassle they only had to people to check in a large amount of guests. We were rushed and not given any information about the hotel just a one page with some. There was no tour or map like I saw other guests get. They did not have time to book the restaurant during my stay. The room service and house keeping was bad. When servicing the room they always forgot a towel, rag or robe. The room was nice but nothing worked. Light were out the jacuzzi had brown water. The powers went out 4 times during my 4 day stay. When finally calling to reserve the a la cart restaurants no information on dress codes and once they said they reserved but never has when showed up to then restaurant. The food quality has decreased. I ate at the Kyoto the Japanese restaurant and I got sick 2 days of diarrhea. Also the food quality at the buffets are bad the lack of food an option are noticeable. No idea why I paid premium for? Again this is my last time here. Stay away!!! For the management what happens you guys were a...