Iberostar Selection Bavaro Suites - All Inclusive

Customer ratings & reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

13776 reviews

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  An honest unbiased review from the UK. We would return to the hotel!

  We have just arrived back from 10 days at this hotel and we had a great time. There are a lot of reviews that seem overly negative, however I know people have different opinions on standards so I thought I’d give my opinion from a first time visitor from the UK who speaks very little Spanish. 1. Cleanliness acres the hotel was impeccable- including restaurants, our room and the grounds- I never saw any rats, cockroaches etc. 2. We stayed at the Selection Bávaro, however we did not upgrade to Coral as it didn’t seem worth it for 2 extra restaurants and another pool. 3. The hotel is family orientated which was a compromise for us as we prefer adults only, however we found the quiet pool was great and Natalya at the Cool Wagon bar at this pool made the best cocktails out of all those I tried. 4. We picked this hotel due to the golf course for my husband- he said it’s a good course and in great condition. He says it’s short off the whites so good for higher handicapped players, however also 2 tees further back so great for lower handicapped players like him. We booked the tee times before we went out and were glad we did as it’s quite busy and slightly chaotic if people all turn up at the same time and trying to get the buggy etc for the game. He was picked up for free every morning and given free drinks and sandwiches as you play which was a great extra service- he would play here again. 4. Check in at the hotel wasn’t great, rushed and the guy was extremely disinterested- we didn’t have a clue what we were supposed to do or were to go, however I would put that down to the particular member of staff who checked us in because every time I had a query after that throughout the holiday the reception staff were very helpful. 5. I agree this is a Spanish resort, however we never had 1 problem with being treated differently because we were English and couldn’t speak the language well- I would say 95% of the team were extremely friendly and always helpful. 6. Was the hotel 5*? No but it was a good 4* 7. Our room was very spacious, i agree with lack of draws- there is only 1 and the shelving in the wardrobe area but this was more than enough space for us and as I was forewarned I took some small luggage bags to keep smaller items together. The room was thoroughly cleaned everyday, there were clean sheets and I didn’t not see any bugs at all. 8. The main buffet area was really good- a different theme every night and the food was very, very good. To be honest I preferred this section more than some of the al a carte restaurants we tried- Japanese- really good, we both really enjoyed the food here. Italian- I liked but my husband didn’t Mexican- not good and we would not go back, we didn’t even eat the full meal. Greek- lovely meze starter and desserts, I had to ask for my main meal to be cooked more as was a little too pink for me. We didn’t have time to try the French or steakhouse but those people we spoke to said they loved both restaurants For the hotel team- I would say your buffet areas are fantastic, maybe try to improve the à la carte restaurants more this year. 9. Beach area, sunbeds etc were fantastic- seaweed was cleaned so well and quickly every morning- really impressive. 10. The gym was fantastic, lots of classes and a good free weights section, there was also a running track so if you like your fitness you won’t be disappointed. 8. Lastly the hotel is geared for families, my one request to the hotel team is please create a quieter bar area for us adults there without kids or keep one of the fab beach bars open later so adults can go on there own and not have to be round all the craziness of the shows Tips I hope help 1. Take drinks bottles with you, 1 for water and 1 for cocktails that will keep your drinks cold, as the hotel is against any plastic you are given 2 large glass bottles to fill at various water stations placed in the grounds- having your own bottles helps. 2. Take some washing up liquid for the bottles otherwise they will be washed in the water by the team. 3. Do book your restaurant reservations quickly- I used both the app and the guest services team behind the glass doors at reception. 4. Don’t get sucked into the free breakfast and tour..you will waste vacation time, a firm no and the staff don’t press you anymore to do the tour. Would we revisit? Definitely 💯

  Jan 23, 2026
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  Great Resort but not quite five star

  stayed here Jan 8-15th for a family vacation. This was our fourth time to the DR but first to this Iberostar location. We booked through our travel agent and planned on having an ocean view room, but were surprised not to when we checked in. Pros: -beautiful, well-maintained grounds -stunning beach that was consistently clear of seaweed. - kind and hardworking staff - well-maintained pool area Cons: - language barrier: a few of the staff spoke good English, and I felt like this resort was meant for Spanish-speaking guests. - saw one of the waitresses at the main buffet taking shots with a group of visitors. - Our room was comfortable but dated - The A/C did not work very well in the room -Our hotel room lost power on three separate occasions. Each time I called the front desk, I was told they were sending a technician up, but no one came. The lights came back on their own, though. - Our concierge tried to get us to go to a special breakfast at the Coral section. He was not up front about the fact that the breakfast was for a sales pitch for their vacation club. If I hadn't been suspicious and asked, we would have lost precious vacation time sitting through a sales pitch. After this, we never heard from the concierge again. - The App was completely useless when it came to booking restaurants. I had to go to guest services and book through them. - The buffet food was better than the restaurant food. The Mexican restaurant was appalling. Bland food and no decent guacamole. The margarita was good, though. - The drinks were watered down and bland. -stained pool towels. - The smoking in public areas was terrible as well. Especially since there were children in the area. My conclusion is that if you want to stay on this property, it's better to pay a little more for the higher-end sections. Or go to one of the higher-end resorts on Bavaro Beach.

  Jan 20, 2026
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  Lovely stay with minimal issues

  First time in the DR. Stayed here from January 11-18, 2026. We booked last minute to come with another couple. Upgraded to Oceanfront room at check in, $80 USD/$105 CAD per night. (First 3 days were in Building 31, Room 1311 then were in Building 29, Room 1291 for rest of stay) PROS - Beach absolutely beautiful - Lots of Dining options. Food was very good no matter where. Our favourites were the Steak House and The Japanese. Reservations needed for these plus needed at Italian. - Rooms are large, clean - Grounds lovely and very well maintained - Oceanfront rooms are awesome but pricey CONS - Most of the staff did not speak English very well, if at all. Very difficult to communicate what your needs are. - Getting roped into the "Membership" meeting. Do not do it unless you have lots of money and want to waste 3+ hours of your day. We received free messages so it was sort of worth it. Be warned if you don't do this "meeting", Concierge will pretend getting you into the restaurants that need reservations very difficult. PUSH them to get you in. Don't give up. Our Concierge Jean, was a newbie (only worked for 2 weeks) and he got us into the Japanese after saying he couldn't because I kept bugging him. Try the APP as well to book but Concierge or Guest Services is your best option. - Our first room (Building 31, Room 1311) was a disaster. The toilet didn't flush, the shower flooded and the sink leaked. Maintenance came 3 times in 2 days then my husband finally had enough and had us moved. Then they gave us the run around when it was time to move rooms. No communication. Took all day. Had to go to reception twice to get it done. Overall, very nice resort. Our issues were minimal in the grand scheme of things and dealt with accordingly with only a bit of attitude. The resort was a bit large for us but we had a lovely stay and enjoyed ourselves.

  Jan 19, 2026
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  Rats infected hotel

  We’ve been to Iberostar selection 3 times at different locations (Mexico, Dominican Republic, etc). This time we went with a group of 12 family members. Long story short, there were rats in 3 of the rooms of our group. We have been moved to different rooms (villas 51, 52, 53) at 1.30am when the rat appeared. Even in one of the new rooms, my kids found rat excrement and needed to be relocated once again, unbelievable! Guest services offered us a dinner at the Coral restaurant and massages, trying to “compensate” the bad moment. We have pics of the rats excrements and the chats with guest services, apologizing and recognizing the problem . We will never go back to a Iberostar. And we are debating whether to move ahead with a litigation and legal action.

  Jan 18, 2026
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  Great Day at Iberostar, Even with the Rain

  I had an amazing day at Iberostar! I visited with a day pass and really enjoyed my time. Even though it rained a lot that day, I still got to try the food, which was very good. When the rain slowed down later, I pretty much had the pool to myself. It was still a great day, and there was plenty to do even with the rain. All the staff was very friendly as well! Highly recommend.

  Jan 17, 2026