Grand Bávaro Princess — Hotel in Higüey

This was my second time at this resort. At first the good things:||- The food is good, never been sick of it. Food is never cold. |- There are lots of a la carte restaurant which you can all use, just make a reservation on the app. There is: Teppanyaki restaurant, sushi restaurant, indian restaurant, trattoria restaurant, italian/pizza restaurant, steakhouse, mexican restaurant and fish restaurant. |- The coffeeplace is nice too with coffe specials and fresh made crepes. |- The animators are nice and polite, respectful, not doing Sanky Panky things. Especially Dalvin is a very decent, polite boy. |- The rooms are big and clean, clean sheets daily. Mopping the floor daily. |- When your toilet is broke they send someone inmediatly to repair. |- Check in and out goes easy and fast.||The things that need improvement: |- The minibar is not really cooling, so the drinks are not cold. |- There isn't a daily show in the theatre. Some days there is, but some days not. Also the lion king show is not good quality show. |- The water in the pool is not very clear due much spilling drinks in it. I understand, but this could be better though. |- In the app is the program of animation, but it is not clear at what location, if it is on the beach or near the pool. |- In the weekends it is too crowdy because there are too many locals. |- At the evening are less trains riding over the resort, and they are full because everyone needs it to go to their room or restaurant. It is possible you have to wait for another train, which takes long time. ||Now the part which is really bad, and why I will NEVER come back again: ||First time I went there with TUI travel agency. I booked a package for my stay and flight, which was over 2500 euro for 16 days. I travelled alone, because my boyfriend is Dominican. I wrote the hotel if it was possible that my boyfriend would stay with me at the hotel and what the costs would be. They answered ofcourse he can stay with you! Just ask at the reception with your check in, we arrange it then. They also will tell you the extra costs there. ||When I arrived, I asked at my check in if he could stay. Ofcourse, no problem. My boyfriend works in the afternoon and night, so at this moment he wasn’t with me yet. They told me to come at reception when he would arrive at midnight. ||At midnight (1.00 am) I went again to the reception. My boyfriend was at the gate after many hours work and a 30 minute drive. The told me: you have to pay another 1600 euro for him staying with you. Do you want us to let him in? ||It was insane! Thats the price for a room for 1 person. But I already paid for a room and he would stay with me in the same room! ||Ofcourse I didnt said he couldnt enter, send him back 30 minute drive in the middle of the night, and after I flew 9 hours to be together. So I paid this insane amount of money. ||He works 6 days a week, 6 days a week he came back to the hotel with his motor, in the middle of the night. The security was always making issues because he is dominican! I paid damned over 1600 euro for his stay and they treated him so bad! While he did wear his bracelet and they should recognize him during a 16 day stay! ||We did went back at the hotel in september, because the other things where good. The a la carte restaurants open at 6 pm what made that at somedays we were able to eat diner together before he had go to his work. And also because there was a 24/7 open sportsbar, where we could eat and drink something when he came back from his work. ||This time I booked a room for 2 persons at Agoda site and I booked a flight myself, so no package deal. This time a 16 day stay cost me total less than 3100 euro, while first time for same stay I had to pay almost 4200 euro!!! ||One week before arrival they sent an e-mail that the main pool with poolbar would be close! We did not receive any compensation for it! ||Rest of the stay was fine, till 2 days before we would leave... my boyfriend forgot his bracelet at his work.. (he is an acrobatic, so he can't wear it while he is doing his job). He didn't LOST IT, he only didnt had it at that evening and would have it again the next day. Reception did not let him enter the hotel! They sent him away, after hard working till 1.30 am and a 30 minute drive!! It was 02.00 am. They said he could enter if he bought a new bracelet! I asked will we get the money back when he delivers his other bracelet tomorrow and they said no!! It would have been our last day and night together, before I flew back again to my own country. THIS HOTEL RUINED EVERYTHING!! It has no service at all and it's all about MONEY!! ||They also were discriminating at the foccacia restaurant. He couldnt enter with a t-shirt, because his sleeves were too short. But it wasn’t a tanktop!! People (men) with shorts and flipflops could enter though! ||But they ruined our last day and night together! And THEY DIDN'T CARED...

Terrible experience at Gran Bávaro Princess – This is NOT a 5-star hotel||From day one, our experience at this resort was disappointing. We completed the online check-in in advance, but it was pointless — we still had to wait in line and re-submit all the documents. There wasn’t even a welcome drink, something any decent resort offers as a basic courtesy.||To get a somewhat acceptable room (with better location, closer to the beach), one of the staff members told us he could help us with a better placement “if we gave him whatever we felt like for the favor.” In other words, he was clearly expecting a “voluntary tip” for something that should already be part of the standard service. This kind of practice is unacceptable in any resort that calls itself 5-star.||The room we were assigned was in unacceptable condition: the sofa armrests were completely wet and smelled terrible, the headboard and bed frame were filthy, and when we touched the mattress, it was soaking wet — not just damp, but drenched. The room was also full of mosquitoes, the air conditioning didn’t work, and the balcony door was broken and insecure. A technician came and "fixed" things quickly, but when we returned at night, the room was hotter than outside. Calling reception was useless — no one answered. We went in person and were treated with poor attitude. After waiting nearly an hour, we were shown other rooms, but none had a king-size bed.||What made this worse is that we were there to celebrate our anniversary, and yet we had to sleep in separate beds that night. We only accepted it because we were promised a proper room the next day — without more hassle.||When we returned for the room change, we were told to stand in a very long line, as if we were checking in all over again. We asked to speak with the manager, who was on a lunch break — and the staff casually said “they can take as long as they want.” Eventually, we were moved to a supposedly better room (although it was the same category as the one we booked), which had no blankets or umbrellas — and, to our surprise, cockroaches in the bathroom.||We tried calling reception again to ask for the missing items, but again, no answer. When we went in person, the staff mocked us, saying “How come you don’t have a blanket?”||We decided to push through and enjoy our anniversary as best we could. But the issues just kept coming:||The air conditioning still didn’t work well in many common areas.||Some staff are friendly, but many act like they hate their job and treat guests poorly.||The pool is poorly maintained.||The shuttle service is chaotic: drivers don’t stop at proper stations, carts are overcrowded, and elderly guests are left behind as others rush in.||Room service is not included, even in an “all-inclusive” package.||Wi-Fi is terrible.||The mobile app barely works.||No one tells you that you need to speak with a specific person at 8 AM (for same-day) or 3 PM (for next-day) restaurant reservations. We found out days later from a waiter.||When it comes to food, there’s variety depending on taste. The Focaccia restaurant was the only one that met true quality standards — excellent food, professional and attentive staff. In contrast, the steakhouse was a disaster: we waited over an hour for a simple filet mignon, and when we asked, we were given a made-up excuse instead of an honest apology.||Public restrooms are in poor condition, one of the two sinks in our room was out of order for the rest of the stay, and the toilet clogged easily. The water pressure in the shower was terrible, making showers very frustrating. On top of that, some staff members pressured us to leave positive reviews right in front of them, which likely explains the misleading high ratings this hotel has online.||To make matters worse, the rooms are clearly not well maintained, with visible signs of neglect both in infrastructure and cleanliness.||Bottom line: This was the worst hotel experience we’ve ever had. We wouldn’t recommend this place even to our worst enemy. It is absolutely NOT a 5-star hotel — not in service, not in maintenance, and definitely not in guest care.||We will update this review...

Grand Bávaro Princess – A Five-Star Experience (in a Parallel Universe)

If you’re looking for a truly unique holiday, where you get to test your digestive system in ways you never thought possible, the Grand Bávaro Princess in Punta Cana is the place for you! Sure, they advertise five stars, but in reality, it’s more of a gastrointestinal adventure that should come with a warning label.

Let’s start with the basics: You’ll get sun (a given in the DR), relaxation (if you can relax with the constant sprinting to the toilet), and… well, lots of toilet sprints. The hotel guarantees you’ll spend more time in the bathroom than at the beach. Don’t be fooled by all the "luxury" talk – this place is a weight loss hotel in disguise. Day one, you’ll indulge like it’s your last meal on earth, then spend the next few days experiencing a level of digestive distress you didn’t think was possible. I’ve dropped so many pounds I’m pretty sure I’m unrecognizable. Thanks, Grand Bávaro Princess, for making this the ultimate weight-loss holiday, albeit one where you’ll need to visit the emergency bathroom 5 times before noon.

And let’s talk about the bathroom… because what’s a five-star resort without a little water in your bathroom? Nothing says “luxury” like the soothing pitter-patter of water dripping from the ceiling. It was like a live performance of "rain on the roof" — until the ceiling actually crumbled onto the bathroom floor. The only thing more impressive than the water leak from the AC was the hotel’s prompt action. By 9 a.m., they had someone in to re-plaster the ceiling. Five-star service, indeed! No sarcasm intended, I was impressed by this. What I did not appreciate was the staff using our towels to clean up the floor, leaving us with no means to dry our selves after our morning shower.

Now, if you're a fan of unsolicited sales pitches, you’ll be in heaven here. The Royal Holiday Group reps are roaming the resort, and are handing out once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to buy into their time-share program. I mean, who wouldn’t want to lock into a long-term commitment after spending one night in this paradise? Sign me up!

Pack your own meds, folks. Paracetamol, ibuprofen, and a whole stock of diarrhea tablets should be your travel essentials. Trust me on this one. You’ll be so grateful you packed them.

Now, let’s get to the “romantic beach dinner.” I’ll admit, the sand art and candles in the sand were nice. Very picturesque. But that’s where the magic ended. For $160, I expected a meal that didn’t require me to send it back, And the salt – oh, the salt. I’m pretty sure I swallowed more salt than a saltwater fish, and my lips were so dry I thought I was going to turn into a raisin. We didn’t even finish our meal, made our excuses, and fled back to our room to use the facilities.

continuing on the them of food, the all inclusive buffets, let’s talk about the “fresh” food. Honestly, I’m not sure how they do it, but the majority of the buffet is somehow perfectly engineered to be cold and unappetising. And again! The salt!

And the cherry on top? Customer/Guest service desk couldn’t care less. When we mentioned our grievances (you know, the whole ceiling collapse and stomach issues and $160 meal), the staff’s response was a simple, “Okay.” That was it. No apology, Just a blasé “okay” like they hear complaints about crumbling ceilings and explosive diarrhea every day. Amazing.

They did however complete a technicians report, to get the ceiling repaired, but everything else was ignored.

In conclusion, if you enjoy a vacation that feels more like an endurance test for your digestive system, this is your place. If you want 5-star luxury and service, keep looking. The Grand Bávaro Princess is more like a 5-star adventure in self-discovery. And by self-discovery, I mean discovering that your stomach hates you.

Would I come back? Only if I wanted to lose weight and test the limits of my bathroom endurance. Otherwise, I think I'll be sticking to a safer bet next time.

We still have 3 or so more days left...