The resort is lovely. Shopping is fun if you like to haggle

Unfortunately except for the beach, it was'nt the paradise I was expecting. If I'd have wanted average, I'd have gone for a three star and paid average prices!

the resort is ok as the weather is as you would expect. but the cleanliness of the entire place leaves a lot to be desired

Iberostar Dominicano Bavaro resort very clean,brilliant clean beach,entertainment good.

Will go back when we've saved up.

The pools are great clean loads of beds the casino is fun.

Would suggest take $ not £ or even travellers cheques

We had option to fly from Gatwick near to us but following advice we drove to Manchester best advice we had if you fly from London you spend hours longer on the airplane 4 hour less going

The rooms are first class we had two like small apartments mini bar included

Great fun walking around they have flamingos giant toads humming birds and of course lizards

Would we go again defiantly

I didn't know much about Bavaro before going. Had heared plenty about the north part of the Dom Rep but not this east coast.

It is very nice!! We stayed in the Ocean Bavaro Spa & Beach resort. The beach was fantastic, clear blue water and soft white sand. We walked further along the beach, beyond the hotel boundaries and did notice it wasnt so clean further along.

It was a very pretty coastline. There were plenty of excursions available for people who didn't want to just stay in their hotel. We visited Saona Island. The trip was ok. Seeing the starfish was brill but the beach wasnt as nice as the beach at our hotel! We also did the Outback Safari. This was a really good trip. It took us into the countryside and tried to show us what life is like for the people. The hard-ship and poverty is heart-breaking, and it is such a contrast to the luxury of the hotels. My hubby and son also did a helicopter ride over the Bavaro coastline and they thouroughly enjoyed it.

Like most of the Dom Rep, everything is based on you staying in your complex. There are no resort towns with cafes and bars etc where you could stroll to in the evenings like the med, or on the continent. But this is the case throughout the whole island not just Bavaro.

We did take a taxi from our hotel to Plaza Bavaro, a local shopping centre. We did think there may have been a few nice shops there. But apart from Harrisons the jewellers, a bank, and a nice bar it was just like the beachfront stalls you find outside the hotel perimeter, and you were harassed by persistant shop holders. We went to the bank, Harrisons, the bank again and then for a drink for my hubby to recover! And then we were glad to head back to the hotel.

I would definately go back to Bavaro again but this judgement is based really on enjoying the hotel and the fabolous beach as holidays in the Dom Rep are based on your hotel rather than the area.

The weather was the only very minor disappointment (fair bit of cloud and some rain) although we knew full well we were odds-on to encounter some dodgy weather at the tail end of the rainy season / start of the tropical storm season (we witnessed TS Arlene first hand). Generally, it has to be said that the thunderstorms were awesome and when the sun shone - yep - it was certainly very warm indeed!

However, it was an excellent holiday overall in a superb location, great value for money and would definitely consider going back.

We thought the whole 'atmosphere' of the Bambu blew away the supposedly superior 5* Macao next door which, in comparison looked a little staid and lacking in fun and energy which the Bambu had in spades.

We spent one, short but relatively successful evening in Macao's Casino which would have been more pleasurable but for a very boorish local who seemed to think that he alone had some sort of personal ownership of the roulette table. In the short time we were there his losses would easily have paid for our holiday. [snigger].

PS - The one enduring memory was sitting on the beach one morning and seeing thousands upon thousands of brightly coloured butterflies floating by for hours on end. That was simply a wonderful experience.

Bavaro is a beautiful place to visit with a fantastic beach as such exceptional value. The locals are all very pleasant and you never feel ill at ease.

If you are looking to get out and about on your own that maybe this is not the place to come as there is little outside the complexes, other than organised trips, of which Monster Truck comes highly recommended.

However, if you work hard throughout the year and just want to get away from it all and chill out to recharge your batteries, then there is no better place I can think of. From the moment you get off the plane, to arriving in your
Hotel you are greeted with warm, friendly smiles from locals that are genuinely pleased to see you visiting their country.

The beach was good, however the waves & undertow could be alittle strong. Watersports were good but seemed a little expensive.Plenty of free sunbeds & shade available & beach very clean. No peddlars on the beach but in the adjacent "shops" the traders could be a little harassing.
Did not find any entertainment outside the hotel.
Poor facilities for competant divers.
Outback safari excellent & good value apart from the "hard sell" of souvenirs at the end but don't buy if you don't want to!!

The resort was only 1.5 hours from airport and was one of the nicest places on the island - although we were a bit far from any village