It had always been a dream of mine to fly to the Caribbean. I fulfilled this wish with my husband in September 2001, and we went to the 5-star Hotel Barcelo Bavaro Palace in the Dominican Republic for two weeks. This was my first time experiencing all-inclusive, and I was absolutely thrilled. Here are my experiences:
The Hotel Barcelo Bavaro Palace (5 stars)
After a long flight, we finally reached the Dominican Republic. The transfer time of about 30 minutes by bus passed quickly, and we were able to check into our luxury hotel. Our vacation began with a glittering golden bracelet on our wrists. The spacious hotel, part of the Barcelo hotel group, is located directly on the beautiful white (!) sandy beach. There are 4 other hotels here: Beach, Golf, Casino, and Garden, all of which are connected by a shuttle train. In between were wonderful tropical gardens with palm trees and magnificent flowers.
In this complex, there were 9 buffet and 5 à la carte restaurants (2 of which for a fee), as well as 19 (!) bars, a shopping center, 3 show theaters, 3 discos, a casino, and a water sports center right on the beach.
The rooms were housed in 3-story buildings and had a terrace or balcony. We had a huge room with a terrace, air conditioning, and a king-size bed.
Our hotel had a pool with a whirlpool, and there were enough loungers and bath towels at any time of day – finally, no annoying reserving by other vacation guests. Right by the pool, there was a pool bar where there were cool drinks and snacks.
The food was offered as a buffet in the morning, at noon, and in the evening. I was speechless at the sight: wonderfully decorated, with a lot of variety and expensive specialties (seafood, lobster, etc.).
The beach at the Hotel Barcelo Bavaro Palace
We could reach the beach after just a few minutes' walk, and it was a dream. White, soft sand, coconut palms that provided cool shade, and an expansive beach. The loungers were very generously distributed along the long sandy beach, so everyone really had plenty of space for themselves. Umbrellas were not necessary, as there were palm trees everywhere under which you could lie. Right on the beach, there was a bar where we could refresh ourselves with cool drinks or cocktails.
The sea was very warm; we once put our loungers in the water so we could lie there for hours and enjoy the sea. We were very lucky with the weather and only had one thunderstorm. Unfortunately, this time of year is a bit tricky; there are increasingly quite heavy storms and thunderstorms.
Sports and entertainment at the Hotel Barcelo Bavaro Palace
You couldn't get bored in this hotel; there was a huge range of activities: 3 tennis courts, pedal boats to rent, a fitness center, aerobics, table tennis, sailing, volleyball and baseball, soccer, badminton, mini-golf, snorkeling, and much more. The highlight was the 18-hole golf course, which was also available to players with a handicap of 28. For an additional fee, you could rent a sailboat, go diving, and rent equipment for F2 windsurfing. We rented a sailboat once and sailed around the sea a bit. My husband dedicated himself to windsurfing and was often out on the wonderfully calm sea for hours.
There is always something going on in this hotel; there was entertainment on the beach and at the pool every day. Evening programs as well as free entry and drinks in the 3 discos were also part of the all-inclusive offer.
Conclusion
Vacationing in such a great hotel is something special for me; there was so much to see and try here that we by no means saw or did everything. We really liked the hotel excellently. I had never had such service at a meal – because as soon as my glass was half full, a waiter would come and refill it! The food and the dreamlike beach will really always remain in my memory. I can recommend this hotel to anyone who would like to treat themselves to a really beautiful vacation.
Photos by Sabine, meinhaushalt.at
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