Great beach, the best we've seen in Punta Cana. The food is (almost always) the same every day, but the worst of all was the cockroaches we found in our room on the last day...

We booked this trip through USA3000 and Apple Tours... Didn't know what to expect and weren't to concerned because the trip was dirt cheap! We were amazed at how beautiful the resort is and it was so big that we discovered that we hadn't even seen the whole place. Our room was next to the swim up bar pool and the pizza restaurant... the pizza was delicious, fresh and available all day! The beach was incredible, beautiful water and lounge chairs for relaxing. If you get to the beach later in the morning then you have to search out lounge chairs. We snorkeled right from a tour out of the resort, it was inexpensive and the site was nice lots of pretty fish. The all-inclusive package was great the food and drinks were all very good, they gave me the dominican rum when I asked for it on the rocks, we also enjoyed the mama juana... the grill by the beach was great and they had a nice assortment of foods to choose from. The buffet restaurant across from the spa is better than the one by the check in desk. It was less crowded and the wait staff was more accommodating. The room was so nice it looked brand new. We had a stocked mini fridge with sprite, coke, beer and water... some of the other guests said they didn't have that. The people that worked at the resort were friendly and we met one of the managers and we were impressed with how much he cared about the resort and the guests having a great time. We met some great Canadian ladies and enjoyed the days on the beach with them :) We walked the beach and there were no shells, I collect them and was shocked that there were none. The sand was pinkish and really clean. Overall we had a wonderful time and would recommend this resort and go back.

It is what you make of it! yes, the food is different to say the lease however it was good. I will give you tips because this is most important for your stay! 1-bring 300 one dollar bills 2-bring 16 oz plastic cups. 3-bring lots of suntan lotion. 4-GO TO BREAKFAST BEFORE 8:30 or the flys will bother the heck out of you..all the resturaunts are open air! 5-Don't exspect to see alot of americans there. 6-If you need to use a computer its only 1 us dollar for a half an hour. 7-make sure if you sign up for a snorkle trip that you don't have to take a 1 hour bus trip...you can snorkle right from the beach out front...they will take you to a reef for 25.00 for 1.5 hours. 8-Fishing should be no more that 90 dollars a person for 4 hours trolling. 9-tip your maid evdery day and she will keep soda and beer in the frig. 10-go around the whole complex the first day and you will find your spot. we liked the pool across from where the shows are held. 11-While your checking in turn around and see that guy sitting down....make reservations for the resteraunts. you can only make one at a time so you may have to go back every day...otherwise you will eat at the buffet all the time..if you check in on saturday then you can make reservations for monday....and so on! 12-the guy from captain cooks that walks around is shady. 13-get a safe for your room...20.00..its worth it! 14-the beer is good..its called BRAMA and I liked it. 15-the drinks are good also however the liquer is cheep brand called Harmony. 16-When the maids clean your room they open the windows to air the place out...thats when the bugs get in....however, they are just jungle bugs you have to exspect. If you go to an Island...there will be bugs...no problem! 17-as far as getting a chair at the beach....if you wake up early and start your day by 8am..no flys at breakfast, no line to make reservations for dinner, no problem getting a place to relax. 18-anyone who writes a bad review is up to late...if you wake up at 930-10am you will not like this place! You must get out of bed and start the day early. the sun is hot at 8am. 19-Three pools to choose from and All are wonderful in their own special way! 20-there are no hot tubs...I don't know why people are complaining about the hot tubs...they have four whirlpool tubs around the bar that is located the furthest from the beach. you must go there and have a feww drinks with Lois the bar tender. The tubs are not hot tubs! hello, hot tubs in 90% weather! Have some sense! 21-Taxi to IFA Bavaro from air port is 18.00...don't let them charge you 30 like they try! 22-The beach is loaded with things to do including..kyaking...oh, yes it comes with all inclucive...you must give 30.00 for a deposit and then you get it back when you return. 23-There are many rude people from Germany, france and Spain. Yes, thats right rude people! They butt up in line and knock into you while your walking..but thats there problem not yours! 24-the best pizza I have ever had is at there pizza place for lunch. Don't forget to look at the whole menu there! They have inside outs that are out of this world. 25-If you walk the ground every morning you will find coconuts and the workers dressed in green will cut them for you...get a few straws from the bar! remember, bring your one dollar bills because its nice to hand out a dollar or two to all the nice people working there. 26-There are plenty of spring water bottles given to you in your room every day! if you want more its not a problem. 27-Topless woman are everywhere so if you are from the US and you want to go topless...this is the right place. you may want to go tanning first to avoid burning!. 28-Shopping is nice on the resort with pricesw ranging from 2 to 30 dollars. The huts on the beach are full of huslers and they are a pain in the butt to deal with. You can use your charge card on the resort. Oh, they charge by the paso so take exchange chart...get it on-line and print it! 29-Shots of Marajamama are real good. its the Island drink and is good. Make the b ar tender chill it first!!!!! 30-leave your wife at home....just kidding! If you want more info feel free to contact me at remaxgold@aol.com

Arrived at the IFA Bavaro Village on the 9th in the evening. The check out was quick and everyone was escorted to their rooms-the resort is pitch dark at night time. To my surprise, the rooms were above what i expected. They have been all renovated and are clean, modern and spacious. I have stayed in resorts that claim to be a 5 star rating, but i found these rooms much nicer. The air-conditioning worked very well-infact i was cold most of the time! The fridge was always stocked with bottled water daily, and the cleaning ladies were very friendly.
The beach is beautiful. The water is clear and warm-if you are looking for a nice beach get away-this is your destination. There are plenty of chairs on the beach. There isnt a lot of shade, but that didnt seem to bother many. The only thing i found annoying was the party boat that went by every hour with blasting music. Also, there is alot of noise from helicopters and other boats-but after a couple of days, you seem not to notice it anymore. There is a bar and place to eat during the day on the beach, so you can literally spend the whole day there.
There are three pools at this resort. The main pool by the village is large, but very noisy and busy. The other two pools are smaller but much more relaxing if that is what you seek.
The buffets were ok. There is plenty to choose from but I strongly suggest you book the restaurants in advance for a really enjoyable meal. The Caribe restaurant was delicious. I never made reservations, i just paid the hostess at the door and always got a table. The problem with reservations is that you often get a table late in the evening-often too late to eat.
There is a spa on the resort. They give great massages at a good price. You can get a 50 minute massage for 50 dollars. After, you can use the steam room which is very relaxing. They dont tell you this, but once you book a massage-the steam room is free, so take advantage of it-it was great.
There is internet on the resort which is the quickest way to communicate to those back home. They charge one dollar-and you can use it for about 20 minutes per visit. I also called collect from the hotel room twice, but the internet is the best way for sure.
The only real problem i had with this resort are the prostitutes that are walking around. They sleep and eat at the resort-so you see them in the buffet areas-quite strange. This is a family resort and they shouldnt be there-it was quite sleazy to see them talk to men to try to make deals. I wish management would keep that businness off the resort-especially because Dominican's HIV rate is out of control.
I found the staff hardworking and friendly-no issues here. Enjoy your stay at the IFA Bavaro Village-as the week comes to an end...you will wish you had longer!