Hotel Catalonia Royal Bávaro - Adults Only — Hotel in Higüey

Heads up to all those people who are seeking a quiet relaxing (stress less) break away. ||We always normally visit Excellence Club, Excellence, Punta Cana for 2 weeks, but thought this time we’d try a change.|Just returned and quite honestly, please don’t go if you’re expecting a peaceful, quiet break. Blimey where to start …|Firstly the pro’s |After hours of waiting, the room we eventually ended up with was fine. An older room, but everything worked very well. Clean, and bed was decent size, and our housekeeper made sure we had all supplies every day without us asking for anything. Wi fi was excellent too. Couldn’t fault.|After eventually being put onto their website to make dinner reservations at various restaurants on site ( absolute special thanks to the excellent and lovely Angel at desk next to reception. He was without doubt the finest person on resort, and helped with anything we wanted. BIG THANK YOU ANGEL, you truly live up to your special name. We would have been lost without you x) we made reservations with no probs whatsoever, at the times we wanted. Food was generally good at every restaurant ( we loved the Japanese for the actual food itself. Lovely) and we tried them all, both at adults and family side, and all food was prepared to a good standard. No dodgy tums. Only strange thing at breakfast though in Thalassa buffet on one occasion there was no butter or marg, and we were told none today. Despite usual large selection of bread offered. I did query this, and was eventually bought 3 little pats of butter. Strange.|Drinks couldn’t be faulted. The great guy in the piano bar mixes the best cocktails too x|Now the not so goods.||Our coach arrived here mid afternoon, but we were wrongly dropped off at adjoining hotel Catalonia Bavaro. Left there until we looked around for someone to help. A buggy was found to take us over to adults hotel.|Sadly no welcome from staff on arrival. Lots of staff members hanging around but doing nothing. Even told by one lady staff member ( who we saw later sitting at a desk near reception. Curly hair) to stand away from reception whilst waiting ( we were nowhere near so don’t know what that was all about!) Check in was a loooong loooong wait. When eventually seen, they couldn’t set up app on our phones to book restaurants so were told go see staff at nearby desk every day to book your restaurants. Sorry not doing that every day. Fortunately we went to see lovely Angel next morning who saved the day. Our first room ( despite my contacting the hotel on various occasions before our stay, requesting a room in a quiet part of the hotel, away from any pools, this then being confirmed) was right out front by the very noisy pool ! We asked for a different room and was pleased they gave us a room at the back of a block. Unpacked everything, went to shower later only to find no hot water at all. Maintenance man then spent the next hour coming in and out of room to look but did nothing. Eventually he seemed to ignore the problem and just went off. My husband went repeatedly to reception who said ‘ just another half hour’ but nothing ever happened. until my husband lost patience and asked for the manager. We were then given a room between pools ( why not originally ?, and why allocate a room they know has no hot water in the first place ? Time wasting) this after hours of tired hot waiting around with no further help or room. It was later night by now 10.30, after a very very long journey getting here. Not a good start to the hols. |I’m naturally a cheerful, smiley person, as hey we are on hol, and so should be feeling happy. I greet everyone with a smile, guests and workers. Workers don’t have the easiest job at times, so always be pleasant and kind to all.It certainly helped on this holiday, as many people have mentioned, there’s a mix of attitude from the staff. We were fine, and never encountered any member of the team who was rude. We did find the women staff usually tended to be more friendly, We did meet some lovely staff who were always pleasant, Angel, Ana, (Dominiga x and the other lovely ladies in Thalassa, always so kind x) be prepared, there are some workers throughout the two sides that aren’t that way, and don’t care. It’s the first time ever, (and we’ve travelled the world) that we’ve seen this to that extent.So a mixed bag. I feel management should ensure ALL staff are required to be courteous and pleasant to guests ( they may not like us, but at least put on a reasonable front. They represent their hotel after all) The hotels more suited to locals, Argentinian, Columbian, Portuguese people. Not much English is spoken from the hotel team. ( Angel was the best bless him, and spoke great English.)||Now sadly a bigger issue. The hotels advertised as a quiet tranquil place. Sorry but for a lot of the time it’s certainly no so. Also, don’t know where the person who said it was mainly older guests got that from. Certainly not true. Think 18 -30 club. and sometimes older loud groups. Please, if you’re older, and wanting a nice quiet peaceful break, please this place is not for you. Take note if coming in September especially as it’s a quieter month for Dom Rep hotels, at the weekends especially, its madness. Young locals get cut price rooms and during our stay they totally took over the supposed ‘chilled relaxing pool’ screaming, shouting diving, even piling into the lovely ornamental fountain pool. People were leaving the quiet pool area due to this. They were even in the very expensive ( but reduced rate for locals) exclusive suites. Groups of youngsters. shouting, screaming. Security did nothing. One couple we spoke with mentioned locals kicking a plastic bottle around outside their room in the corridor at 2.30 in the morning ! The local people, also Columbian, Argentinian, Portuguese, were the majority of guests at the hotel, and to be honest didn’t seem to like anyone else at all. Groups( older adults not teens) around (and in) the chill pool, shouting and generally acting like they owned the place, ignoring everyone else. ( and we noticed some had the ‘exclusive’ beach bags. Wow what a way for guests in the more expensive rooms to act. No manners Rude !) Once again, security did absolutely nothing. People were again leaving the poolside as had enough. Should you have to do this on your lovely holiday. Polite and caring guests pay good money to stay here too ! Just ignored.|Also during our whole two weeks, at times there were various guests playing music from their speakers in the chilled pool area. We did ask for one group to please just lower the sound a little ( especially as there’s already another pool within the adults hotel that’s more party, and plays music, which is fair enough, so why not go there ?} They just turned their music higher. Eventually my husband went to complain at reception, and someone did come and tell them to stop. ( don’t bother asking for help at the poolside BLoved restaurant. They just ignore any issues, and don’t care less) Why spoil the quieter chilled area, where the hotel itself doesn’t play music there for that very reason? Don’t want to hear other peoples music blasting out thanks. Rude inconsiderate guests. What happened to earbuds ! We gave up in the end. Also there were times when people were smoking and flicking ash into the pool water. Lovely ! |There was never any peace, except for early mornings before everyone came out. Then the days gradually got louder and louder.. We chose a corner spot out of the way, hoping for peace. It didn’t happen. There’s also frequent processions of people being bought through the quiet poolside by staff members trying to sell timeshare premium rooms. |It was a relief to go back to the room and get ready for dinner every afternoon. |No one begrudges anyone having a good holiday, but have a bit of respect for those around you. We don’t all like a constant racket ! Especially beside a pool that’s in the chilled area.|We usually love relaxing beachside, so hoped this would be better. Sadly constant beach venders make it impossible to relax. They even come onto the property trying to sell. There’s people with parrots too that sell photos with them along the beach.|As an added final note: checkout a nightmare. Why have just one person on reception at the busiest times. Especially if guests have planes to catch. Plenty of workers standing around doing nothing. My husband waited in line for AGES. A group of four guests at reception, there forever ! I lost patience eventually, and luckily a manager was walking by. I politely asked why there’s no organisation at reception for peak times. Guess what, someone then came straight away to see to my husband. We hoped to grab lunch at the nearby restaurant after checkout. We were first in when it opened, then waited three quarters of an hour for our simple salads. Bolted food down so we could be ready for our coach. This should not happen. I strongly say to any UK visitors, make sure you arrive about an hour and half at reception when checking out, as you’re liable a looog wait. ( Arrive even earlier if you want food before leaving) Otherwise your coach will arrive whilst you are STILL waiting to check out, and I’m sure it won’t wait around for ages whilst you do so. Crazy ! And not professional at all for what’s supposed to be a four star ? hotel.|This place is sadly not for us which is a shame as there are some really nice parts to it ( besides noisy guests).I do notice on Tripadvisor interestingly there are very few reviews from UK guests.|If you like a lively none peaceful holiday, hearing other peoples frequent speaker music , and a sometimes don’t care attitude, this place is for you. And before anyone comes on here and says what I’ve reviewed is not true, and that some people will moan at anything, well you are probably one of those who contribute to enjoying a lively holiday, and think everyone else should too. Might be nice for some people to consider others around them. Everything I’ve written is a real honest review of this place, if you are seeking somewhere lively for your whole hols.|Quite honestly we were glad to go home for some peace ! and that’s the first time ever we’ve had to say that regarding a holiday. |Back to ExcellenceClub, Excellence Punta Cana for us next...

This is a beautiful facility. The grounds are well manicured by workers who are out there every day, flowering plants, coconut trees and even orchids. The pools are cleaned daily. There are few insects both flying and crawling. The only wildlife are little geckos, stray cats and dogs and the occasional little crab crawling around. It’s very tranquil. It’s not a party place. It’s adults only. Most of the people were couples over the age of 30.|The feature that I liked the most were the private pools. Many of the rooms have their own private pools accompanied by deck chairs, and people were enjoying those to the fullest. It was great to be able to wake up in the morning and walk outside and soak in the pool for a couple of hours.|There are actually two spas, the main spa and then the beach spa if you want to get a massage on the beach. Although smaller they offer pretty much the same services as any spa.|There are several restaurants. The food is not outstanding. In fact, of all the resorts I’ve been to, the food here is the worst. Even the coca-cola is bad. It comes in a huge bottle, and once you pop that top there’s a limited lifespan before it goes flat. Most of the cokes that I ordered came flat. I ordered chicken one time at the Asian place, and it came out about two minutes later. That chicken was cooked some time during the afternoon and had been sitting there for who knows how long. It wasn’t very good.|Not all the food is bad. The breakfast buffet is decent with a lot of fresh fruit and a very large variety of breakfast foods from cereals to mangu and salchichas. Cheeses, donuts, eggs, omelets, bacon, breads, oatmeal, flapjacks, waffles, potatoes, they have it all, and it’s pretty good.|The Bloved restaurant near the beach serves pulpo at dinner, and that was fantastic. The vegetarian place had a sweet plantain appetizer that did not disappoint. Also one time we got the attention of one of the cooks and made a request for mofongo. We set up a time, and that guy sent out the best mofongo that I’ve ever had, and I’m a mofongo-aholic. This guy just wowed us. What a nice guy for fulfilling that special request.|There is also a food truck that serves hamburgers, hot dogs, French fries and nachos. The nachos were out of a bag with cheese sprinkled on them. The hamburger was overcooked and not seasoned. The guys working it just didn’t have experience cooking or eating that type of food. I saw some people giving their burgers to one of the stray dogs that hang around. Next to the food truck is a juice bar, and this is fantastic. There are several recipes of juices. My fave was the banana/pineapple/orange juice concoction. You can also request any mixture of juices that they have. The beach bar is nearby so you can ask them to add a shot or two of rum.|The workers were all extremely attractive. All the mens were 20s and 30s, tall and slender. The ladies were all breathtakingly beautiful. They make a old man wish for younger days. They all seemed very nice. I very much appreciate how friendly they were to Precious. Both men and women recognized her and greeted her warmly. Sometimes people would come over to chat with her. The supervisor had some sparkling wine sent to our room. We asked him why he did it. He said just because Precious was so nice. Precious is a wonderful woman, and I always, always am very appreciative when people recognize that and treat her so kindly.|The beach area is nice. There are a lot of trees, and there is a lot of shade. You can put your lounge chair in the sun too if that’s what you want. All in all it’s a very, very nice resort, and you will have a wonderful vacation if you choose to stay there.|A couple of warnings: First, the mattresses are very firm. If you have back problems or if you can’t sleep on a firm mattress, then don’t go there. After we asked, some guys came to our place with some blankets to try to make the bed softer, but it really didn’t make it any softer.|Next, the only beer they serve is Presidente, and it is sewage.|Also, bring a set of tools to fix any plumbing problems. You might also want to complete an HVAC apprenticeship before you come. The air conditioner died in our unit. We called, and they sent a guy who fiddled with the thermostat for a couple of minutes, then he said he’d be back in five minutes. He never came back. We called again. They said they were looking into it and that they’d call us back. They never called back. Then one day we saw a maintenance dude walking along and asked him to come to our unit. He came. He said he was going to add some coolant. It got cooler for a couple of hours. Then it died again. We were sleeping or trying to sleep at 29 degrees Celsius. |Finally, be aware of the Exclusive Traveler Club. When you check in you will be greeted by handsome young mens wearing slacks and a collared shirt. They’ll welcome you and start a conversation. Eventually they’ll offer to meet for lunch or breakfast so they can show you all the resort has to offer. They’ll eventually get around to talking about the Exclusive Traveler Club. They will give you a hard sell, and from what I am told, they are very good at what they do. If you are considering this program, look up “Exclusive Traveler Club Reviews” in a search engine before...

This is a beautiful facility. The grounds are well manicured by workers who are out there every day, flowering plants, coconut trees and even orchids. The pools are cleaned daily. There are few insects both flying and crawling. It’s very tranquil. It’s not a party place. It’s adults only. Most of the people were couples over the age of 30.

Many of the rooms have their own private pools accompanied by deck chairs, and people were enjoying those to the fullest. It was great to be able to wake up in the morning and walk outside and soak in the pool for a couple of hours.

There are several restaurants. The food is not outstanding. In fact, of all the resorts I’ve been to, the food here is the worst. Even the coca-cola is bad.

Not all the food is bad. The breakfast buffet is decent with a lot of fresh fruit and a very large variety of breakfast foods from cereals to mangu and salchichas. Cheeses, donuts, eggs, omelets, bacon, breads, oatmeal, flapjacks, waffles, potatoes, they have it all, and it’s pretty good.

The Bloved restaurant near the beach serves pulpo at dinner, and that was fantastic. The vegetarian place had a sweet plantain appetizer that did not disappoint. Also one time we got the attention of one of the cooks and made a request for mofongo. We set up a time, and that guy sent out the best mofongo that I’ve ever had, and I’m a mofongo-aholic. This guy just wowed us. What a nice guy for fulfilling that special request.

There is also a food truck that serves hamburgers, hot dogs, French fries and nachos. The nachos were out of a bag with cheese sprinkled on them. The hamburger was overcooked and not seasoned. Next to the food truck is a juice bar, and this is fantastic. There are several recipes of juices. My fave was the banana/pineapple/orange juice concoction.

The workers were all extremely attractive. All the mens were 20s and 30s, tall and slender. The ladies were all breathtakingly beautiful. They make a old man wish for younger days. They all seemed very nice. I very much appreciate how friendly they were to Precious. Both men and women recognized her and greeted her warmly. Sometimes people would come over to chat with her. The supervisor had some sparkling wine sent to our room. We asked him why he did it. He said just because Precious was so nice. Precious is a wonderful woman, and I always, always am very appreciative when people recognize that and treat her so kindly.

A couple of warnings: First, the mattresses are very firm. If you have back problems or if you can’t sleep on a firm mattress, then don’t go there. After we asked, some guys came to our place with some blankets to try to make the bed softer, but it really didn’t make it any softer.

Next, the only beer they serve is Presidente, and it is sewage.

Also, bring a set of tools to fix any plumbing problems. You might also want to complete an HVAC apprenticeship before you come. The air conditioner died in our unit. We called, and they sent a guy who fiddled with the thermostat for a couple of minutes, then he said he’d be back in five minutes. He never came back. We called again. They said they were looking into it and that they’d call us back. They never called back. Then one day we saw a maintenance dude walking along and asked him to come to our unit. He came. He said he was going to add some coolant. It got cooler for a couple of hours. Then it died again. We were sleeping or trying to sleep at 29 degrees Celsius.

Finally, be aware of the Exclusive Traveler Club. When you check in you will be greeted by handsome young mens wearing slacks and a collared shirt. They’ll welcome you and start a conversation. Eventually they’ll offer to meet for lunch or breakfast so they can show you all the resort has to offer. They’ll eventually get around to talking about the Exclusive Traveler Club. They will give you a hard sell, and from what I am told, they are very good at what they do. If you are considering this program, look up “Exclusive Traveler Club Reviews” in a search engine before...