Iberostar Selection Bavaro Suites — Hotel in Higüey

My husband and I travel every year to an all-inclusive resort in and around the Caribbean and have generally been very pleased and satisfied with the experience. Ironically, it was a wonderful experience we had at an Iberostar twenty years ago that started us on these annual vacations. We have stayed at resorts in Aruba, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas, and Jamaica. Never have we had such a horrible experience as we did this year at the Iberostar Bavaro Suites, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. As, a result, this will be our last visit to an Iberostar resort of any kind. The visit in question took place from July 15th to July 20th, 2025. We took our two grandchildren and had connecting rooms.|The resort itself is fairly nice, but it is showing obvious signs of age and neglect. The toilet in our room was almost constantly running and would not always flush properly. There was a fair amount of torn fabric visible and hanging down from the underside of the bed, and the cabinet door on the housing around the mini fridge would not stay closed. The sliding patio doors on both rooms would not lock properly, and one of the doors was missing the security pin. The top of the thick curtains at the patio door in booth rooms were hanging improperly off the ends their tracks where the curtains meet in the middle. This made it impossible to keep sunlight completely out of the room (this exacerbated the air conditioning problems I will address later). None of these issues was especially major, but it is not what we have generally seen during our vacations to these resorts and certainly not what we expect from a resort in this price range. We reported each of these issues, but the only one that was ever addressed properly was the missing security pin at the patio door.|But the problems that absolutely ruined our vacation concerned the air conditioning and the lack of customer service, especially in regards to the cooling issues. Upon arrival, we noticed that the two rooms were very warm, and we assumed that the air conditioning had been turn off when they were preparing them. The staff tends to leave the doors open when they do that, and we know from experience that open doors can shut down the system. We lowered the temperature on our thermostats and left for some pool time. Several hours later, we returned to find our rooms even hotter; clearly, the air conditioning was not working properly. We reported the issue and were told that they would address the problem immediately. In the meantime, they urged us to check all doors to make sure none were even slightly ajar, thus shutting down the system. When we checked, the doors were already securely shut. That was clearly not the problem. My husband and I got very little sleep that night due to the temperature in the room, and when I checked my grandchildren in the morning, they were literally soaked with sweat.|We again called Guest Services, and my husband posted an “incident report” through the Iberostar app. We were told that there was a “general malfunction” with the air conditioning at the resort on the second day of our stay and that technicians would be resolving the situation shortly. Other sections and rooms at the resort seemed to be cooling properly, but our room never did. Over the course of our stay, my husband filed multiple incident reports each day, and they were almost always changed to “completed” or “cancelled” within an hour and with no change to the performance of the air conditioning in our rooms. We also complained to everyone staff member we saw, but no one could help us. The only time we were cool was when we were in the pool, the ocean, or at the Italian restaurant. |What made this situation even more frustrating was that no one seemed to care. At one point, we were told to request a room change, only to be told that the resort was full and such a change was not possible. They sent a technician to our room at least twice, and he was very nice. However, the room never got any cooler. In swapping messages on the Iberostar app, one staff member told my husband, “I am sorry you are dissatisfied with the temperature in our country.” Unfortunately, we encountered that same apathetic attitude at a number of places around this resort. Finally, my husband decided to go directly to Guest Services Office which, by the way, was cool enough to store meat. A woman named Rosemary assured him that she would resolve the situation immediately. She did not. However, she did offer to spread some rose petals around our room for my wife’s birthday… at a cost of $100 (perhaps she thought that was good compensation for no air conditioning). My husband also noticed a man named Joshua at the Guest Services Office, and later that day, Joshua stopped by our rooms. He stood in our very warm rooms (easily fifteen to twenty degrees warmer than his office) and told us that our air conditioning was working fine and that all other rooms at the resort were this temperature. My husband asked Joshua if he felt the temperature in our rooms was comfortable and reasonable; Joshua said that he did. We asked that, if that was truly the case, why was the Guest Services Office kept so much cooler. Joshua could not answer the question, stammering out a response about it being a smaller space with a different cooling system. When we again asked why they did not set that cooling system to the same “comfortable and reasonable” temperature it was in our rooms, he refused to answer.|While the air conditioning issues absolutely ruined this expensive vacation, it was not the only customer service problems we encountered. When we arrived, “Rudy from New York” explained that he would be our concierge and that we should ask for him if we needed anything at all. Rudy said that he would do whatever he could to make our stay as enjoyable as possible, and he explained that he had already scheduled our “Welcome Back” breakfast. Many, many people on our Iberostar Bavaro Facebook Group had warned us that the breakfast was a two-hour hard sell for a timesharing plan, and indeed, we had been subjected to similar sales pitches several times in the past. When we explained to Rudy that we were on vacation and were simply not interested, he urged us more aggressively to attend the breakfast. When we again said no, Rudy dropped us like a scalding hot potato; we never saw him again although we did ask for him repeatedly in relation to our air conditioning issues. However, he had already made his escape (so much for making our stay as enjoyable as possible).|When we unpacked our belongings on day one, I discovered that I had forgotten toothpaste. In the past, we have always found that resorts have small amenities such as this on hand for their customers. I went looking for “Rudy from New York”, but he was not there. When I asked another man at the concierge desk if I could get some toothpaste, he laughed and asked incredulously, “For free?” I was quickly pointed in the direction of the gift shop where I purchased some very overpriced toothpaste. My husband later found that we could have ordered a courtesy “dental kit”, including toothpaste from the Iberostar app. I find it hard to believe that the concierge I spoke with would not have known that.|We were told that diet beverages were not available for the mini fridge in our room, and that is a major problem for me since I am diabetic. Again, we have taken similar vacations for the past twenty years and have never run into this problem. Coca-Cola Light has always been available in our rooms. We have stayed in the Dominican Republic, and while some resorts only have Presidente beer, they could always bring us Presidente light. This resort could not do so, and they told us that American light beers were also unavailable. Later during our stay, my husband saw a staff member walking through the lobby with a cooler with a Coors Light sticking out from the top. Perhaps as an olive branch, a staff member brought us a bottle of local rum. We had already tried that rum at one of the bars and did not like it, so we said thanks, but no thanks. Two days later a full, but open, bottle of the same rum was left in our room. Again, we did not touch it (pro tip – when ordering a drink at one of their bars, specify the type of liquor you would like them to use. If you do not do so, they tend to use cheaper, substandard ingredients).|The food at this resort is substandard at best. We found the Kabuki restaurant to be the only exception. There is a steakhouse that is supposed to be very good, but we could not get a reservation even though my wife tried to make one as soon as we checked it. Iberostar does not let you make reservations until you have checked in, and everything is usually booked for at least two days. So you generally spend the first two or three nights eating at a buffet-style restaurant with, again, pretty bad food. But while the food is generally bad, we found the staff working at the restaurants to be exceptionally nice.|The entire staff at the Italian restaurant, the Star Rock Café, and Jorge at the buffet near the lobby to be especially good. The chef at the Kabuki restaurant was wonderful, and Francisco and Ernesto at the swim-up bar were always professional, energetic, and very friendly. Our housekeeper was also phenomenal. It is a shame that such wonderful people are left to work at a resort that is so clearly in decline.|When we returned home, we reported all of the above to our travel agent, Yuri (who is amazing, by the way), and he filed a complaint. Iberostar’s first response was to offer us two night’s free at the upgraded Choral resort next to where we stayed. This was an impractical offer, as we believe they were well aware. Air fares from our area to Punta Cana are such that it would simply not be worth it to fly there for just two nights. To make it worthwhile, we would need to pay for additional nights, and based on our recent experience, we were not interested in giving Iberostar any more of our money. If they had offered to replace our ruined vacation in full, we would have considered the offer. That would have also demonstrated that they were genuinely interested in making things right with us.|Iberostar’s second offer was to refund us the cost of one night’s stay. While we found the offer insulting at best, we also felt that it was the best they were going to offer us. They demonstrated once again that they simply do not care about us and what we went through. There are too many other places to stay, and we will not be going back to an...

Booking & Check-In:|When booking, I specifically requested two separate beds since I was traveling with family. I even called in advance to confirm this detail. Upon arrival, I was told my reservation was for a single king bed. This was not only incorrect but also incredibly frustrating, as it took a long time to get corrected.||Room Conditions:|The rooms are uncomfortably hot. The air conditioning barely works, even with the fan on high and all doors closed. A foul, sour odor appears frequently around the resort and inside the rooms. While cleaning temporarily reduces it, it always comes back. The shower head was broken, and the toilets barely flushed and were uncomfortable to use due to their awkward design. Everything about the resort feels extremely dated and in need of upgrades.||Service, Staff & Communication:|The most disappointing part of this stay was the service. Many staff members were dismissive and rude, creating an unwelcoming atmosphere. Requests were often ignored or mishandled. For example, I asked multiple times for silverware for my daughter and never received it. Another time, I requested coffee and milk but was only brought mugs with nothing else. Responses were often a quick “yes” without any follow-through.||Getting any service also took forever. Want a drink? Expect to wait 10–20 minutes at the bar, with servers showing little urgency or care. I understand “island time,” but this went beyond that—it felt like the staff simply did not care. I even spoke to other guests who shared the exact same frustrations, so these issues were not unique to us.||Resort App & Requests:|The resort’s app was essentially useless. When I submitted requests through it—such as a step stool for my child, which was clearly listed as an option—I only received “denied” messages in response. When I tried to resolve it by calling reception, I was transferred five different times before being hung up on. I had to call back again just to get a simple request addressed.||When I requested a sofa bed for my child, housekeeping came to set it up but never brought blankets. One issue after another piled up, to the point where I honestly felt like I was living through a bad prank.||Unclear Rules & Miscommunication:|Throughout the resort, rules and access points were incredibly unclear. For example, when attempting to obtain towels, we were denied without explanation. The staff member refused to actually speak and instead pointed to a chalkboard written entirely in Spanish. When we explained we could not read it, he simply shrugged us off with a dismissive attitude. Only the following day, after finding a different staff member, did we learn there was a 6:00 p.m. cut-off time for towel distribution—something never explained or posted in English.||Similarly, upon check-in we were told that our stay included access to the entire Iberostar property, including Bávaro and neighboring resorts. This turned out to be false. While walking along the beach, we were stopped and told we could not continue because the other area was reserved for Coral or higher-tier members. This was misleading and disappointing.||Entertainment & Activities:|Nothing ever started on time. Almost every show ran about 20 minutes late, and rarely in the order listed on the schedule. It became impossible to trust the program as advertised, which made planning around entertainment frustrating.||Food & Amenities:|The dining buffet was uncomfortable due to the lack of air conditioning. Only large overhead fans attempted to cool the space, leaving much of the food—especially cheeses—sitting over melting ice and visibly deteriorating.||On top of that, the resort experiences temporary brownouts where power and services are unavailable. One lasted over an hour during our stay. These outages are unpredictable and highly disruptive.||Another major downside was the aggressive sales tactics of the vendors allowed on the property. Even after politely declining, they would continue to follow us, pressuring us to visit their stands. This was uncomfortable and inappropriate for what should be a relaxing environment.||Grounds:|The one bright spot was the garden maintenance. The landscaping and grounds were well cared for and beautiful. Unfortunately, this was the only consistently positive aspect of the resort.||Overall:|Between the booking issues, poor room conditions, unclear rules, misleading information, aggressive sales environment, brownouts, broken facilities, disorganized entertainment, a nonfunctional resort app, and consistently unprofessional service, this was an extremely disappointing stay. What should have been a relaxing trip felt frustrating at every turn.||We will not be returning, and I cannot recommend Iberostar Bávaro...

Second year we’ve stayed here. For context, We've been to many AIs - Valentin Imperial Maya, Royalton, NOW Sapphire, The Moon Palace, Privilege Aluxes, Marina el Cid, Grand Sirenis, Grand Palladium, Iberostar Quetzel, Paraiso, Lindo, Grand Bahia, Sandos, Dreams Dominicus, etc.

Overall, the resort is well-managed but the grand prize for excellence goes the to FOOD TEAM - food presentation at buffets snd and a la cartes is beautiful.

CLEANLINESS Resort is SPOTLESS. Grounds and rooms are kept immaculate as are the beach and the pools. Groundskeepers work tirelessly keeping the plantings beautiful around the resort. LOVE the fact that there are no disposable water bottles - so environmentally friendly.

Beach/Pool The week we visited in Dec – no seaweed whatever and the water is walk-in ready -- free snorkling by the Iberostar flags (better in 2023 but Mother Nature can’t be controlled!) Spectacular sprawling beach. main pool is gorgeous and huge. Plenty chairs.

Gym The gym is great! Our entire family worked out every day.

Pickleball This resort now has four courts and a handful of people used them daily. Paddles and balls are complementary and readily available. (unlike the PDC Iberostar that charges, which frankly is ridiculous considering Walmart sells sets for $15!)

Rooms Building 79 was quiet and we slept great… Our room was always clean by the time we returned around 6:00 pm. Housekeeping was good and we received new towels, etc daily. Minibar and soap were not consistently refilled but no biggie. Safe worked fine.

We brought 5 young adults 18-26 - their rooms were on 1st floor, ours on 2nd floor. Less buggy on patio HOWEVER -- outside steps are TREACHEROUS AND SLICK WHEN IT RAINS - so will request a first floor in the future.

Food We are picky and healthy - for the 2nd year were very happy with the food. Buffets are GORGEOUS and always full of delicious options. Nothing ever runs empty even in the later hours - incredible variety. Love the proximity of the buffet to the beach -- super convenient and love the open air dining. We also enjoyed the bars -- if you take fresh fruit to bartenders, they'll gladly make you a drink with it. The passionfruit margaritas were fantastic.

Service at buffet There was a change in service since 2023. Perhaps due to understaffing, but at buffets, after receiving our initial water/drinks, servers vanished. They only returned to collect dirty plates. Last year, servers offered drink refills, etc. Also, there are no spoons readily available at lunch or dinner in the buffets - odd.

The ice cream at the pool and in the buffets is delicious -- love the waffle cones!! Plenty of healthy salad topping options available at every meal, which we love.

A la cartes Loved steak house and hibachi! Greek restaurant was severely understaffed and we had to fill our own water and wine glassses. The hostesses have ATTITUDES - like they’re doing you a favor by getting you in, even on a light week.

Staff on phones Another stark difference we noticed this year - everywhere we went, staff were on their phones. Hardly a smile or hola from anyone when we walked by, unlike last year. They don’t seem happy.

Housekeeping requested pictures Several of us were approached by housekeeping staff to pose for pictures. In 30 years of going to AI resorts, this was a first. No idea where these pictures end up, or if employees are incentivized to take pictures with guests or what. Odd.

Location Just 30 minutes from the airport.

Tips/Tips Bring drink containers with lids to enjoy cold drinks in the pool and plenty of $1/$5 for tips. They are appreciated by staff.

Shout-outs to exceptional employees Daniel at lobby bar Erlin the hibachi chef Eduardo “Bronnie James” in buffet and steak house Maria - head of entertainment Chef Belkis - very kind to our daughter with celiac

All in all – a solid resort. Just a few minor HR kinks to work out. Appear to be employee satisfaction issues but hopefully management will figure out a new plan to turn...