With a stay at Grand Bavaro Princess - All Inclusive in Punta Cana (Bávaro), you'll be a 2-minute walk from Cortecito Beach and 14 minutes by foot from Casino Avalon Princess. This all-inclusive property is 4.9 mi (7.9 km) from Arena Gorda Beach and 5.7 mi (9.1 km) from Bavaro Beach.
Relax at the full-service spa, where you can enjoy massages, body treatments, and facials. Before a night out at the casino, the 3 outdoor pools are a perfect way to relax and recharge. Additional amenities at this property include complimentary wireless internet access, concierge services, and babysitting (surcharge). Getting to the surf and sand is a breeze with the complimentary beach shuttle.
Grab a bite at Hispanola, one of the property's 10 restaurants, or stay in and take advantage of the room service. Snacks are also available at the coffee shop/cafe. Relax with a refreshing drink at the beach bar, the poolside bar, or one of 4 bars/lounges. A complimentary buffet breakfast is served daily from 7:00 AM to 11:00 AM.
Featured amenities include a business center, express check-in, and express check-out. Free self parking is available onsite.
Treat yourself to a stay in one of the 1126 guestrooms, featuring indoor private hot tubs and plasma televisions. Rooms have private balconies. Complimentary wireless internet access keeps you connected, and cable programming is available for your entertainment. Conveniences include phones, as well as safes and desks.
"This is a large hotel complex where accommodation is spread out over a very wide area in separate residential buildings/villas. There's a tram/golf cart service within the complex, which in theory is great, but in practice, the system is annoying: the carts wait at the end of the line until they're full, meaning you often can't get on if you're picked up along the way. Sometimes several carts would be queuing up.
The rooms were mostly clean. I stayed in two different rooms myself. However, the shower water pressure was weak, and on a few mornings, only lukewarm water was available. One morning, pressure washing started in the pool area around 6:00-6:30 AM, which isn't exactly pleasant when you're trying to sleep.
The food is generally 3/5 quality. Not gourmet, but not a disaster either. The pizzas at the buffet were better than at the actual pizzeria, which says something. The pizzeria's 'thin & crispy' was more like soggy dough than thin and crispy pizza. In the same place, the lasagna was quite alright, and it sometimes appeared in the buffet as well. I'd skip the sushi restaurant entirely: watery rice mush with a piece of fish thrown in. At the Mexican place, I got the wrong order, and at the Indian restaurant, the food wasn't spicy or hot even when specifically requested.
There are many restaurants and plenty of choice, but in many places, customer service and quality are severely lacking. Generally, the male employees gave a lazy impression, as if they were just doing the bare minimum. Female employees, on the other hand, smiled, chatted, and clearly made more effort. There were exceptions, of course, but few and far between.
Hygiene also raised a few questions. Birds flew around the food if you left your plate unattended for a moment. Once, I saw a bird fly into the steak restaurant area, where dishes were being prepared. Towels are changed often, but in the evening, they might not be available. Also, you didn't always get your towel card back when exchanging towels, at least not at the quieter pool's towel station.
The drinks selection is quite simple: beer, red and white wine were practically all of the same quality. The cocktails felt like they were all made from the same bottle, just with a slight change of color. You can get better for money, of course.
On the positive side, there's a different show every evening and activities for children. Waiters also circulate around the area. However, I missed having water stations where I could refill my glass myself without queuing behind food trucks or cocktail counters.
If you get the hotel cheaply and your main purpose is to be at a large resort, eat at the buffet, and indulge in alcohol, then it's fine. The facilities are good, but in terms of service, restaurant quality, and practical arrangements, the overall experience remained quite mediocre."