DINING and EATING TIPS to any all-inclusive resort:

1. DO NOT have high expectations and expect a fine dining experience. The service is excellent, but food is generally very par with an occasional surprise. I’m not saying that you won’t enjoy your food, but from a foodie’s point of view I’d give everything a 2-3/5 spoons.
   • Restaurants are categorized by cuisine so you’re able to choose a cuisine of your liking for that night. My favorites were Sante Fe Steak Restaurant and La Fuente Spanish Restaurant. My least favorite was Kyoto…I would definitely pass on sushi in the Dominican Republic next time!
2. AVOID bread. Most are stale probably due to the humidity but an occasional dinner roll does not hurt.
3. EAT in moderation. Don’t overstuff yourself! Find what you love and enjoy it. It’s hard to turn down “free” food but you have to realize that you can’t eat it all. Don’t sacrifice how you feel because you wanted to eat everything.
4. Don’t be afraid to venture from the resort to try local foods. Although there are a variety of restaurants, the themes and style of cooking tend to be very similar. I didn’t have the chance to venture too far but here’s a list of casual local places that I tried: (reviews coming next blog!)
   1. El Pollo Borracho
   2. Los Waffles
   3. El Churro Charro
5. Brush up on your Spanish! It’s not necessary on the resort as most concierge, bellhops, and waitresses are able to speak English, but if you want to explore outside of the resort and speak to Taxi drivers, there’s definitely a language barrier. Definitely pick up on some basic Spanish or try the Google Translate app on your phone. It’s super handy, but let’s hope your phone service is great!

La Caribe (adults only) breakfast and lunch buffet.

La Comedie. French Restaurant.

Mexican Lindo. 

La Fuente. Spanish Cuisine

I may be a foodie and a little critical of the food and restaurants of the resort, but would I go again? Most definitely! It was such a great getaway and I loved restaurant hopping all the time. How can you say “no” to open bar and open buffets all day? After this experience, I can’t wait to try my next all-inclusive vacation!

“The Chef” and I have finally tied the knot and we just experienced one of the best weeks of our lives at the Barcelo Bavaro Palace Deluxe for a 6 night, 7 day getaway. My husband (still getting used to calling him this) booked this honeymoon as a surprise so I had no choice or decision but he did such a great job! Barcelo Bavaro’s Beach Resort had it all…

This all-inclusive resort included a variety of lunch buffet options as well as fine dining (proper attire and reservations required). Nighttime entertainment included casino, magic shows, dance shows, and more.The resort is extremely family friendly with tons of activities for children but also adult friendly with adult ONLY sections for those who need to getaway. My husband chose the Suite Ocean Front View Premium, which gave us a first floor ocean front suite with great views and easy access to the beach. Usually, first floor room views are limited, but this room was great! Our package gave us all-access to all areas of the resort including Adult Only pool and resort areas. Additionally, the Club Premium Concierge was readily available for all Premium club members at all times. The Club Premium’s concierge services, Nescafe coffee and a variety of hors d’oeuvres were served every day and breakfast is available every morning.

QUICK TIPS BEFORE YOU GO:

1. Book early for better rates! We booked a little later due to some last minute planning, but noticed the trends for future packages to be SO much more affordable if you book in advance. Obvious, but good to know for the future because we definitely want to return.
2. Meals are included so lower your expectations. Bread is consistently cold and stale here. I blame the humidity and the fact that everything is…well, FREE (or included). There are quite a few great options though…Those reviews are coming soon!
3. Dinner reservations are recommended but you can definitely arrive earlier. Our concierge setup dinner reservations to our choice of restaurants for every night we were there, which was very convenient. The earlier you book, the better chance you have at getting a normal reservation time. If not, you may end up with an odd reservation for 10:00 PM. We found it to be nice to have later reservations since it gave us so much more to do otherwise we’d be in bed by 9:00 PM.

4. Bring a travel mug or tumbler for your alcohol! I didn’t bring one, but noticed how handy it could be. It prevents multiple trips to the open bars since their cups can be so small. Some open bars offered drinks that cost additional money like the Vanilla Pina Colada, which comes in a hollowed pineapple, for an additional $5. Not bad!

5. Tip your bellhops, maids, bartenders, waitresses and waiters! These guys work so hard to please you and very seldom do they get tipped. When you do, they really appreciate it and you get top notch service and occasionally some freebies! They accept pesos as well as the American dollar here. Anywhere from $1-$5 or more is ideal.

The following Barcelo Resort Food Reviews coming soon:

1. Kyoto
2. La Fuenta
3. Mexico Lindo
4. La Comedie
5. Huevos 19
6. Caribe (adults only) lunch buffet
7. Bohio Bar

Local Foods (non resort)

1. La Pollo Borracho
2. Booth 21 (??) – local booth past the adult beach side near the water sports