IFA Villas Bavaro Resort and Spa - All Inclusive

Let's start on a positive note. Very pretty, well kept grounds; clean rooms; beautiful beach. Okay then! The guests were about 85% Spanish/Hispanic: 5% French; 5% German and 5% other (including American). With this mix it seems that the resort does not need Americans and that's just how they made you feel. Very few of the staff had any grasp of English; the one English TV channel was the weather channel (for $8 a day you could get 5 more); American alcohol was limited and costs $7 a drink. Part of my problems were- I waited over 10 minutes for waitress service at the Cafe Dominicana bar while the waitress served other tables who had half full drinks; waited 5 minutes to get a restaurant reservation while the "Guest Relations" person answered phones and made calls; made three separate trips to reception to get cable service with more American channels. Overall I felt that they didn't need or want Americans. As for a list of things to watch - -No second buffet -Mexican restaurant was a buffet essentially serving tacos; other 2 reservation restaurants were GOOD -There are no washclothes -Typical European open bathroom area; not a problem but the shower was gigantic and the toilet area was about the size of a shoebox -Even the closest rooms to the beach were 200 to 300 yards away; could be up to a 15 minute walk -Food was average buffet style at best -Entertainment was terrible This is not a bad resort if you are Spanish speaking or want a vacation with nothing to do but rest and relax. I would not do this resort again or recommend it to my American friends

The resort is absolutely beautiful. The photos aren't near as amazing as the environment. The architecture is breathtaking. There are fountains and pools everywhere. Multiple bars and restaurants. The beach itself is amazing. They actually rake up any seaweed that washes up on the beach at night. The security is excellent. My wife and I felt very safe. There were some friendly staff members, but overall the staff act like anything they do for you is a favor. I found from personal experiences that staff in Mexico are much more friendly. I am bilingual, so the staff would almost change their facial expressions from bored to happy when I would change from english to spanish. BRUSH UP ON YOUR SPANISH BEFORE YOU GO! Very few people speak good english. [...]Other than a little unfriendliness from the staff and the trouble with finding our way there, everything was wonderful.Don't waste your time eating at the Mexican themed restaurant. Make reservations for their oriental and international restaurants as soon as you get there. Caribe the international restaurant even serves filet. The a la carte food is some of the best food you'll ever eat.

It's a great hotel for the package price. I would receive only 1 or rarely 2 towels each day. The glasses in the room were not replaced and the old ones not even moved. The staff lacks knowlege regarding their own hotel and are not helpful with tour arrangements; they will tell you that they don't know or don't do this/that. A computer can be rented a few doors away for $3 a half an hour and everything is in Spanish. I lost time trying to translate. You will enjoy the beach and the beautiful hotel pools with the inside bars. The jacuzzi is out of the way. Make reservations at the restaurants as soon as you arrive, the food is much better there. There is a dance club next door but it stays empty; some of the nightly entertainment shows are nice. If you get a chance, take the Funny Monster Safari tour. It's lots of fun and you get to go to the mountains and also see how local families live (home visits), do coffee and tropical fruit tasting, go horseback riding, see a sugarcane field and a cigar making demo. You will also be able to swim in the macao public beach-it's beautiful! Have your swimming clothes on b/c there is no restroom onsite. Make sure you negotiate the cost of the trip, we got it for $60 instead of the $95 they were asking for. Try to go on a good sunny day like we had. They give you drinks along the way and it takes about 7 hours. Take school supplies with you to give to the children in need (if you can); they really appreciate the items.

Das Ambiente , Essen, Personal und die Lage sind tip top. Wir haben uns rundum wohlgefühlt. Das einzige was zu bemängeln ist, im grossen Buffetrestaurant kann es ab und zu sehr laut sein. Wir können das Hotel aber mit ruhigem Gewissen Weiterempfehlen.