Barcelo Villas Bavaro Resort

we have been back from ifa villas for a week and wanna go back already, 10 of us travelled from the uk ranging from 14 to 60 years of age and every one loved it.

We arrived in the evening and wanted to sleep of our jet lag but when we set of for breakfast we couldent belive our eyes it was so pretty and every one was friendly.

The food was good not verry varried but you can always find something, in the mornings they cooked fresh omlets and eggs infrount of you, they also had a smothy bar which was nice. lunch times and diners there was a buffet, a grill section, pasta bar and salad bar which was nice much more varied in the evenings.

You could also use 3 specialality reastrunts which was the mexican. japenese and l a carte we tried the mexican and japenesse and they were verry nice if you want to be waited on that is. you need to book these meals a day in advance but if they have space they will alway fit you in.

The rooms were verry clean the bedding and towels were changed every day and the maid cleaned them well. the air con was lovely especaily as it was high 40s when we arrived!!!

Entertainment was good be aware you might get pulled up to dance the maranga as i found out !!!! The beach disco was fun. There was also activitys going on during the day. every thursday at 4.30 they have a cocktail party you drink cocktails out of real coconuts there is a band there and every one gets up to dance. The animation team were great and verry friendly.

There was a free bus down to the beech and if you are staying at the villas there was a shuttle bus that would take you to and from your rooms we named this the LAZY BUS it always seemed we was the only ones on it !!

The beech is out of this worls just imagine clear blue sea and fine white sand scatered with tall palm trees trust me you have to see it to belive it.

as you might of guessed we had a wonderfull time sooo dont all rush too book leave space for us!!!

I absolutely love this place. Ive been there twice and im going back a third time next week. The 1st time I went with family, the 2nd for business, and this third time will be with friends. The food & service is awesome. The workers are in good spirits and are extra friendly. I am dominican born and raised in the us. Ive stayed at various other resorts and had to deal with snotty workers. i suggest Ifa to friends & family.

My wife and I rebooked our trip to Cancun due to the swine flu with only 2 days notice. We lucked our way into the IFA Villas Bavarro and were able to relax from the stress of this epidemic (not to mention our everyday lives). We found the resort to be mellow and serene. The staff were as friendly and as accomodating as can be. We had airline issues due to our lack of planning and the staff allowed us to use their personal computers to straighten them out. Nearly all activities require a reservation, but falling asleep under a palm tree is something that requires no forethought at all. As an all inclusive we were able to drink more than the cost of our room and didn't pay any additional charge. The reason Absolut costs $7 a shot is to cover the cost to import it. There are several excellant rums distilled on the island that you will miss when you arrive home. We opted to take an excursion, via catamaran, to the isle of Seona. I highly recommend you take this vacation within the vacation. The tour guide's advice was excellant and we found a photographer to take photos at 1/10th the price of the resorts. If you go , don't even bother with the merchants on the beach. You can find a better value witin the resort. U.S. dollars are the currency of choice but the atms only give out Dom. Pesos. Some merchants will try and take you on the exchange rate which as of 5/1/09 was approx 35 pesos to the dollar. I cannot give this resort enough praise.

Anyone who says this hotel was rubbish must need their heads testing. It was amazing. Beautiful grounds, gorgeous beach, great selection of food although not brilliant quality but was still fine especially as I'm a fussy eater. We stayed in the Villa part which was great and was a nice stroll through the grounds to get to the beach. The pools were brilliant, I especially liked the one with the three fountains as it doesn't tend to get as crowded as the one with the swim up bar and there's shaded areas in the pool which trust me are well needed as it's so hot there. The staff are all really nice, can't believe how hard they work bless them, and as we don't really speak any Spanish we still managed to get by as they do try to speak English as best they can. I Loved this place and wish I was still there, it was gorgeous. For anyone visiting I'd definatley recommend it, just remember to use bottled water when brushing your teeth as well as wouldn't risk the water there. We did the parasialing which was great and not a bad price at all. I also swam with Dolphins at Manati Park which was only $95 which includes the $30 entrance fee. There you can also watch the Sea Lion show and Dolphin show and walk round the park looking at all different wildlife such as monkeys, parrotts, crocodiles, turtles and loads more. I'd definatley recommend doing that especially if you want to swim with dolphins, it doesn't last very long but well worth the experience. Great bargain for the price paid and well worth the money spent, I can't wait to go back there!

Wow is a good way to describe this resort. My husband and I have travelled to many places in mexico,caribbean,europe so feel we are a good judges. I picked the IFA for its incredible value and thought that it came across well in the online pictures saying also that it had been renovated in 2008.We arrived with our 15 year old son in tow and flew down air transat arriving around 10pm. We checked in us and one other couple quick and easy. Our luggage was taken to our room and we were escorted to our unit. As soon as the fellow opened the door i was extremely happy as the room with the white linens and the tile shower stall with the rain head faucet was as exactly as I had hoped for and as it was described to me online. This place is spotless the rooms were so clean and everything shone. Separate toilet and shower was very convenient for the three of us everyone could use something with out getting in the way of each other.

The next morning we went to see the beach WOW this was so beautiful white sands turquoise water lapping the shoreline and palms gently swaying in the ever present breeze. Our beach was raked everyday and had no seaweed on the waters edge. Chairs were always plentiful and always good spots to be found.

The pathway from the rooms to the bach was clean and patroled always which was nice. Walkways around the complex were nice to go a different way and see the ponds with ducks and chickens and their young always walking along. so awesome. The staff was friendly very entertaining and always willing to help if you approached them.

The buffets were fabulous always hot and very tasty something new each nite and always plenty. The al a carte were nice Mexican was fab and the caribe was nice but not really our style. would rather not be waited on so the buffet were the way to go. Two large buffets and two beach restaurants Pikalos which was pool side and always had the best fresh hot pizza and fries good drinks too, The beach lunch place was good also buffet style burgers and salads all the fresh food you could want lettuce fruit all excellent. All outside excursions were around 80.00 to 100.00 dollars per person except for the parasailing which was about 45.00 each reccommend this. We went quadding and in the middle while you have a lunch stop were wer allowed to ride horses this was an unexpected surprise as i had wanted to do this , this was free no extra charge so the excursions were great and the best people leading them funny and very informative. We loved this place and would return again to the IFA price was less that all the people that i had ta;lked too so look it up you will not be dissapointed.

Just returned today from a 7 night stay at the Ifa and it was wonderful!. Our trip consisted of myself (25), my brother (22), and our mother (49). (We booked through Sunwing which was kind of another situation (our flights were delayed a few hours both ways which was annoying but hey, it happens when you fly sometimes, bring a book). Our check in process only took about 30 minutes, there were several other guests and the staff seemed to do their best to keep the crowd moving at a steady pace while still being friendly and courteous.

We stayed in the villas which I thought were lovely. At first I was concerned because it seemed like a long walk to and from the restaurants and beach but they have a shuttle service which is constantly on the go. We never had to wait more than a few minutes for a shuttle either in the lobby or at our villa and the walks were pleasant with little paths shaded by trellis' covered in vines.

The villas were more private and removed from the main areas, it was quiet at night and we were never woken up by birds or people or anything like that. Our room had 2 double beds, a desk, a mini bar stocked with water, a good sized walk in shower, AC which worked just fine and a little patio area with 2 chairs and a table. When we initially arrived we considered upgrading to the main hotel area just to be closer to everything but after spending one night in our villa and seeing how much we enjoyed it those ideas were quickly put to rest.

I noticed some people complained about no english tv channels but we had TBS and it was included in the regular package. We didn't really go there to watch tv but if you like to fall asleep with the tv on or something like that or if it is a concern for you, they do have TBS in english.

Also wireless internet service is available in the rooms for $8 for 24 hours or $20 for 3 days if you have a laptop or something you need to access. Additionally they have a small airconditioned room with about 15 computers set up where you can pay $3 for 30 minutes to go online if you need to.

We tried all of the buffets and restaurants and found they were mostly good. When I go back I don't think I will bother to go to the a la carte restaurants simply because most of the food available there was available at the supper buffet at one time or another and we preferred the casual dining of the buffets or snack bar. The food it self was good for the most part just some bits not to our taste (to be expected).

The snack bar by the pool served some of the best burgers, fries and pizza that I've ever had anywhere. There are lots of options as well as cheese pizza and veggie pizza if you are vegetarian. At the buffets there was always something delicious to eat. I am a somewhat picky eater and always found lots of good stuff. The breakfast is to die for! The supper buffet seemed to have some types of food which were available every day and then a few new items each day (different types of vegetables or various meats prepared in different ways from day to day). I tried a ton of different things, food and drink and never got sick. None of us did.

They have drink menu with a selection of about 25 different cocktails. We tried nearly all of them and liked probably 99% of them. The drinks were strong and Fidel, the bartender at the swim up bar, was great fun and happy to make us up all kinds of random things.

As stated in other reviews there are 3 pools. We spent lots of time lounging around the main pool during the day time. We never had any problem finding chairs and I often didn't appear down there until 10:00am+. They do seem to play a lot of the same music as others stated but that was fine with me, I personally enjoyed it. Up towards the beach there is a quiet much more shaded pool where I often saw people lounging with books. The third pool is by the animation area, I couldn't really comment on it as I didn't hang out there but they seemed to play more north american music and there was always lots of people swimming and sunbathing.

The beach is gorgeous. The sand is fine and white and the water is about a thousand shades of turquoise. They have tons of chairs down at the beach that you can drag around however you like.

For the most part we were not bothered to much by vendors. We did take a walk down the beach to the left on the advice of another guest who suggested we check out the shops there for our souveniers. The first little mall type looking spot on the left was kind of a pain with lots of haggling involved and it would be really easy to waste a lot of money if you didn't have some idea of what stuff was worth. A bit farther down near the beach chairs for the next resort over we found a single shop that had the best prices we found anywhere. If you go right from the beach at the resort you will find a little market and a bar area as well as some kind of lorimar shop/museum.

It is true there are lots of birds ranging from chickens and turkeys to peacocks running around the grounds but I thought they were charming. The staff work so hard to keep the place clean. There is no evidence that birds are around until you actually see/hear them. Every time we would go for little walks my brother searched for a peacock feather to take home with him but was unable to find any feathers at all, they are really on the ball as far as keeping the grounds clean is concerned. The staff are constantly sweeping and mopping walk ways and paths, the common bathrooms were always clean and stocked even outside the disco or entertainment areas which became quite busy at times.

Speaking of the animation staff, I really can't say enough good things about them. They were friendly and hilarious. I really enjoyed the shows which ranged from live music to comedy to a night of impersonations (there was a guy named Edward doing a Michael Jackson impersonation one night we were there and he was fantastic!). They all work really hard to put on great shows and are always getting people in the audience involved in funny games or dancing with them on stage. The dancers are wonderful and very good at what they do.

The animation shows end around 11:00PM which is just in time for the disco to open. Yes the music in the disco is loud, that much is true. They played a variety of music when I was there, all up beat but things ranging from spanish music to actual disco remixes but mostly they played a lot of modern club music. Usually they have some of the animation crew there dancing on top of lighted boxes and they are great. They will hop down from time to time and dance with people on the floor and several staff members seem to come just to hang out. They were all very friendly and we had lots of fun with them.

The only excursion we went on was the Marinarium Reef Explorer trip which involved snorkeling in the ocean, a nice boat ride with lively music, dancing and drinks on board as well as a stop at a natural pool where the staff would serve you drinks in the water. I would highly recommend it, we had so much fun. The excursion caters to both strong swimmers (my brother) as well as people who are less confident in their swimming ability (my mother) and people who can't even swim at all (me!). They will divide you into two groups, advanced and beginner. The staff were very helpful and I felt safe at all times despite the fact that I can't swim at all. Saw lots of brightly colored fish, coral, mantarays and sharks. Ofcourse all gear is provided. One bit of advice, don't buy the underwater camera at the hotel. I bought a disposable kodak one from one of the little convienience stores on the resort for $30USD only to find out they have reusable underwater cameras with a flash for the same price at the marinarium.

It is true to some extent that if you only speak English you will be in the minority here but we had a blast none the less and didn't feel it was really a barrier. Most of the maids and groundskeepers etc seemed to speak very little english but we had tons of fun with the animation staff all of whom seem to speak very good english. Most of the bartenders seemed to speak at least some english. On our last day the shuttle driver opened coconuts for us so we could drink from them. 99% of the staff were friendly and outgoing like this.

We felt very safe and comfortable on the resort. We were able to leave bags and the like along the sides of the pool unsupervised, nothing ever disappeared. I've read in the reviews for some other places about items going missing from rooms and such but we didn't encounter anything of the like here. In fact there were different times we actually left bits of money on the desk absent mindedly only to find it still there when we returned after the maids had been in. The only times they took anything was when we put the money in the mini fridge or actually handed it to them, not that I would recommend leaving money lying around.

Oh and one last thing to add, in the entire time I was there we barely saw any bugs, night or day. Every day there is a gardener spraying the entire grounds. I don't recall having seen any mosquitos at all, just one beetle looking thing and a few generic flies. We often left the and giant window in our villa wide open in the evening and no creepy crawlers found their way in aside from that one stray beetle.

All said, it was an amazing vacation and I'm looking forward to going back as soon as possible with friends. There was enough stuff to do to keep us busy and the atmosphere and staff were lively but if you wanted to just relax there were lots of places to do that as well. I will definitely be visiting this resort again.

Just returned from two weeks( Feb 20-Mar 6) and enjoyed every minute.

There have been some negative things said about this hotel and I will try to give my opinion on some of these.

Hotel Layout

There are two parts to this complex - the villas which are older little bungalows and the 2-3 story buildings which there are probably 8-10 of them. I stayed in the buildings (4101-4139) so I cannot comment on the villas. The villas are further from the main hotel part but do have a shuttle that you can get a lift.. Otherwise it is a nice walk but trust me it won't kill you.

Room

Our room was on the third floor and it was just as the picture shows on the brochure. There is no balcony which should not be a surprise to anyone because they do not advertise balconies. Our beds were quite comfortable obvisouly not the same as at home but you aren't home. Shower was good and we usually had hot water. If you try to shower at 5:00 pm then you might have a problem because everyone is coming back from the beach and getting ready for dinner. The area that the toilet is located is a little small and could be difficult for anyone that is large or has a disability as there are no hand rails which would assist people. The towels were taken early and returned late so there were times we did use our beach towel which we could exchange for a clean one every day. No problem with our key working and yes in our building the key was put in the slot inside the room to activate electricity and a/c. This is probably so people don't waste electricity which I can accept as a good thing. We had no problem with mosquitoes unless you left you balcony door open.

Food

Food was good. Two buffet restaurants, one beach and 3 a la carte restaurants and Pikolos. There was also a coffee bar - comfortable chairs and nice location to read.

If you could not be happy with this food then you really should not travel. For breakfast you could have omelettes or your eggs done any way but poached. There was bacon, fresh fruit, vegetables, cheese, lots of different breads and sweet rolls, cereal hot and cold. For lunch and dinner there was fresh meat or fish being cooked on the grill, there is always the pasta bar which was excellent, at night they often had stir fry, they had great roasted chicken, turkey, fish, goat, cold meats, cheese, salad, etc.

Went to all three specialty restaurants. I ranked them Carib, Mexican (buffet) and Japanese in that order. The Mexican restaurant does make the best Margaritas.

Yes you had to line up early to get a reservation in two days (line up starts around 7:30 am). Get in line early if you want to get an early 6:30 or 8:00 sitting - if you snooze too long the only time will be 9:45.

Beach location for lunch was great and Pikalo which has good pizza, french fries, hot dogs and hamburgers was also very good.

Beach/Pool

What can you say about the beaches in Punta Cana - they were beautful and you could walk for miles. Lots of chairs at the beach but again you have to get down there before 8;30-9:30 at the latest.

There were three pools, the small quiet one nearest the beach, the activity pool and the quiet pool near the villas and the theatre.

The pools were cleaned every morning, the walkways were washed down, the lounge chairs were scrubbed with soap and water the staff were constantly cleaning. Yes the lounge chairs are secured to the pool deck. Now the pool deck is the walkway from the reception area to the beach if people could move the chairs then they would be blocking the pathway which would not be safe.

Grounds were kept in great shape constantly kept clean. Yes there are roosters that start to crow at sunrise. There were also lots of hens with their baby chicks, ducks with the ducklings and turkeys with their babies. Staff was fine and they worked hard....yes they did not speak English but you can get by. There was also a nice Spa and gym if you wanted to work out.

I had a great time at this location and would recommend it to anyone. Three things you must consider before you leave for vacation. !) The food may be prepared different than at home 2) the hotel may not be the same standard as the hotels in your home land and 3) they may not speak your language. If you cannot accept these three things then don't get on the plane.

We stayed here for 2 weeks in Feb 09. It was gorgeous! It is more a 4* than a 3*. The service was fantastic, complex and beach amazing. The only thing that stops it from being a 5* is the food. If you go on holiday for food don't go here. The food is not bad at all, there is always something to eat and a good variety. If like us you go on holiday to relax, sunbathe and have a good time (and get fed while your there) then this place is perfect!!

We flew from Manchester to Punta Cana with 1st choice (who were very good). We paid £750 each, 2 weeks AI & all transfers & food on the plane. It was worth every penny. The resort is 20mins from the airport, reception staff were lovely, we were taken straight to our villa which was lovely and clean. (There are no tea and coffe facilities in the villas but that did not bother us). There is a buggy that drives around the villas all day and night but it's not far to walk anyway. All the staff were really friendly and they all speak English.

There are 3 pools (one quite lively with games and loud music, and the oyher smaller ones more relaxing). The beach is gorgeous and you do not get harassed too much, maybe a couple of times a day but they are very friendly and if you say no they do not keep going on at you. If you walk to the right past the next resort then the beach is empty there and palm trees are over the water.The only thing I heard people complaining about was sunbeds. People reserve them and there are not many around the pools. We always managed to find a couple by the pool or on the beach but they could do with having more. They shopuld have a rule that if you are not returning to your bed after half an hour then the towels will be removed as sometimes they were reserved for hours!

Mosquitos were not really a big problem, we took some spray and got a couple of bites. We both had sickness and dirrohea for a couple of days, I think it was from the food and spoke to a couple of others who had the same.

We did the Outback safari excursion and the Saona one. They were both really good (quite expensive compared to other places we have been but worth it).

We didn't go outside the complex (except on the excursions) there was a shopping centre just up the road and a casino a short taxi ride away. The resort put on shows (they were repeated the 2nd week) and we enjoyed them. There was also a disco open from 11pm-4am.

There are 2 buffet restaurants, a pizza snack bar and 3 restaurants (Japanese, Caribbean and Mexican). The Japanese was lovely, Mexican nothing special and we did not go to the Caribbean one.

Overall we had a lovely holiday, we went for the beach and to relax and it was perfect for that. It is a very safe resort and the locals are very friendly, they do not seem to be after your money. We only met a couple of people from the UK they were mostly Canadian and French but we did not mind this.

Food - good variety, quality varied- best meal was at the oriental restaurant

Service- excellent- very attentive and friendly staff except some reception staff; they all worked very long hours but somehow coped under the pressure

Room- clean, spacious, watch out for the random porn channels, clean towels provided daily, mini bar replenished with water daily

Drinks- must try the 'coco-loko'; lack of fresh fruit juice, nice smoothies at breakfast

Pools- beautifully maintained, make sure you visit the jacuzzi bar

Beach- lush

Honeymoon upgrade- nice lage room in central location; rum and fruit delivered a couple of days late

Overall- lovely relaxing break; would visit again

This was the best resort. Although it is a 3.5 star hotel it felt like a 5 star! Lots of variety for the food..has the best pools and the walk to the beach is really short and fun!!! Great shows at nights and friendly staff!

looking forward to visiting this resort for the second time !!!!!!!

Arrived home Christmas Day 2008 after a fantastic stay at the Ifa Villas Beach And Spa resort, 2 Adults 40's, 2 teenage girls, 1 10yr boy, booked with First Choice, (shop) total cost including insurance, airport gold car parking £2844. Could have saved between 7% and 10% had we booked online, however first choice refunded us £100 when we mentioned it! One important thing we were not informed about is the fact that it costs $10us pp to enter the Dom Rep and $20us pp to leave, which added $150USD to the cost of our holiday.

First Choice flights were excellent, leather seats, tons of leg room, good service so no need to upgrade. Transfers to hotel complex just 20mins. When we arrived we were dealt with instantly and the obligatory all inclusive wrist bands attatched, we were then escorted via golf type buggie to our 2 attached villas, which were really nice, each had 2 double beds, walk in shower etc plenty of wardrobe and draw space, flat screen tv, air con, room cleaned every day with fresh towels, by the way don't pack towels all beach and pool towels supplied clean and fresh daily. Must say it took a couple of days to get to know your way round this large complex, bit of a wild life resort with loads of ducks, hens n chicks, flamingos, peacocks etc all roaming freely all over, the place is truly enchanting. The resturants are very clean and well organised, you are shown to your tables which is a nice touch as there is a nice calmness to meal times, the food is good and all fresh, there is a section where pasta is cooked fresh to your instructions and a simlar steak and wok section. Must say the beach buffet and griddle had to be my favorite tho, great fish, steaks, burgers and salads washed down with the draught presidente beer served ice cold OMG need one now! The pools are all excellent and there is one to suit every taste, from the main pool with all the activities and swim up bar, to the quiter pools and spas. All very clean and maintained to high standards of hygene, as are all the toilets. A new disco opened on the complex during our stay, which proved to be a big hit. The resort has undergone a massive improvement programe which is quite obvious and a has excellent management and staff who all work and try hard to make your stay a happy one, as they did ours.

Best points, The Best ever beach, white powder sand with the slightest of pink coral, really has to be one of the best on the island.

Bad points, turn the music down and buy some new trax as it seems they only have one cd.

The Dominican republic is a lovely place to go if you want to RELAX by the beach.

It stuns me to read about the 'boring' experiences people have had when visiting the island is it clear that it is a place to chill out .

The IFA is a relitively large complex, with many pools to explore if your a pool person, but the beach offers more activities such as free hiring of the sea kayaks ect. which i thought was a bonus!!!

There are a few restraunts with different types of food like japanese and chinese. The food in the buffet restraunt is spanish and americanised so dont expect your usual food. However it has lots of variety with different fruit and vegetables, meats and fish!!!

There is a bbq everyday on the beach!! burgers, fish, chicken, ect. lots of variety!

The staff are very friendly !!!!

Your rep will tell you about tours and trips you can take that arent that expensive.

My boyfriend and I went swimming with stingrays and baby sharks for $70 each that included a boat trip out to the place and back with free drinks, snacks , snorkel and flipper hire and tranfers(they pick you up from your hotal in a open top buss covered in palm leaves!!!)

The entertainment on the boat is great and they have all of you dancing and playing games!!

Our room was gorgeous! it looked like it had just been renovated with flat screen tv , large double bed and HUGE shower!!!! all decorated to taste!!

We had a wonderful time and thought that we should put our experience on here because we read some bad reviews before we went that we think are not a true reflection of the IFA!!!

definatley go here!

Charlie and Gary

x

The hotel was fantastic, everyone was very friendly and we couldnt have asked for a better time. We stayed in the bungalow appartments which were full of character and very nice. We were a little worried when it rained and thought it was going to flood! There are lots of chickens, peacocks and turkeys that walk around the grounds and live outside the rooms! Yes they did wake me up but this made it for me!! The food was excellent, especially breakfast. There was an omelette chef, a buffet and a smoothie stand. We never made it to lunch as we were always so full up! The pizza bar was great, constantly replacing with fresh pizza and the restaurants were brilliant! The Caribbean one was a bit posh for us! But the mexican was spot on and the oriental one was also very good. Cocktails were great! The beach was beautiful, very clean with white sand and loads of palm trees. The sea was clear and mostly calm. Snorkelling was good, there was a bit we found after a few days with all sorts of fish around. The watersports was good (windsurfing was very basic kit though!)and free, but then they charged you 25 dollars to teach you how to use the catamaran and windsurf if you dont know how to. There are a few trips you can do from the hotl... go to Saona Island it is incredible!! Snorkelling was amazing, massive starfish and we even saw a sea snake! Overall, we had a magnificent time and would most definiately go back. The only dislike was the entertainment, it was really loud and awful! But then we dont like that sort of thing anyway, so bound to not like it! Book it!

Where do I start... From the moment you arrive the people couldn't be more helpful or happy. The staff from the Managers right down to the cleaners are very friendly and nothing is too much trouble. The accomodation we found to be of a very high standard and cleaned daily to a high standard with some very nice touches. The food was impecable with a huge variety that changed everyday. The complex is very well maintained even down to gardeners spraying the perimeter to prevent to many mossies !! The swimming pools, grounds and even the beach is cleaned constantly. The shops are well stocked with gifts from magnets to printed t-shirts. They also provide a full chemists with supplies for most ailments. In short we're saving to back already. !!

CHECK IN =easy straight forward no hassle,paid for a room safe at same time .staff helpful and freindly.

ROOMS=very surprised ,clean modern and massive ,walkin shower room with a very powerfull shower,maids cleaned every day,new towels etc .our rooom 3511.near the main pool looked out onto the lake at the back,so duck and chicks are hoping for you to feed them breead doughnuts etc.

TOILETS= immac always being cleaned like every where else

RESTRAUNTS/BARS=buffet ,always something to eat ,you would have to be more fussy than us not to find something to eat.

MEXICAN=not our likeing.

CHINESE=very good

COLONIAL=fish was very good .only eating place with airconditioning

STEAK HOUSE =on the beach recently burnt down ,

MAiIN POOLBAR=the pizza bar was great excellent pizza,s fries,burgers,chicken nuggets.oh and drinks!!,very good and freindly staff, the swim up bar very good also

OPEN AIRBAR = near reception=lovely seating area,and very nice staff,they will bring your drinks over to where you are sitting ,some very strong drinks here!!

CIRCLE BARNEAR QIUETPOOL=nice staff and good drinks.main bar when night shows are on

BEACH BAR=again good drinks nice staff

BEACH BAR DINNER TIME=loads of burgers/chips salads/sweets etc .oh and drinks too

MAIN POOL=very clean and spotless,loads of beds ,these are bolted down ,so they cannot be moved around ,a good idea.also no reserving of sunbeds .NO PUTTING TOWELS DOWN ,not much shade apart from overhead palm trees.

QUIETPOOL=very qiuet no music at all ,unless animation team was rehearsing for show,nice place to chill out ,also with a circle bar for drinks

OPEN AIR JACCUZZI=further on than qiuet pool ,through the villas ,just follow the walk way ,4 jaccuzzi in total ,with a bar there also ,very clean and tidy

SMALL POOL = this is on way to the beach again qiuet,with a small bar,clean and tidy area

THE BEACH =Wow words cannot express this area ,powder white sand ,lovely clear blue sea (paradise)lots of beds ,but not much shade near the front ,small palm trees for shade ,these go very quickly.lots of things going on ,boats /peddalo/snorkeling/paragliding .not much hassle from locals mithering you.also an outside market to the right side on the beach ,expect to get hassled if you go in .but just be assertive and they are okay,pay about athird of what they are asking .they wanted $15 for a big bottle of beer .i gave $5 and they seemed happy ,i think they think they get a bargian at that .but hey they got to make a living !!plenty of excursions to go on ,we had done them on a previous holiday so didnt bother ,safari tripwell worth doing.

HOTEL GROUNDS=immaculate well kept and tended daily.ask for a coconut and a fresh one will be given to you of one of the many trees around the grounds,they always taste better?there is a lake with heron ducks and birds ,which is very nice and tranquil to walk round and take pics of, always some staff somewhere cleaning around etc ,very on the ball with things.

STAFF=faultless always smiling helpful,and some nice lady staff oh la la !!well you get what i am saying .all reception/bar staff resuraunt staff /maids /gardeners,bell boys all very polite ,and a simple hola goe,s a long way.

FOOD=a very good selection in main buffets,loads of everything too .sweets especially vanilla buns ,great,after two weeks does get repetative ,but we went out to thee Hard Rock Cafe,to eat and drink ,taxi right outside reception ,pay about $ 7/8dollars about £5 tops for taxi ride.this is to the shopping mall where hard rock is ,but there are others bars resuraunts there also .and banks /atm machines,

ACTIVITIES= allsorts going on water polo /darts /beach volley ball etc.

TOURS= book in main reception area plenty to choose from ,also book resturaunts here.

OVERVIEW=only downside to this resort.

1= music too loud,always salsa dom rep music ,

2=onsite shop very poor ,we wanted some crisps and cola etc ,but they dont stock it

Overall ,the resort is excellent and i would tell anyone thinking of booking a holiday here . YES YES YES get it booked and enjoy ,sure you may find some niggles,but remember this is not a five star resort ,but to us it very very nearly was , a massive resort and a trek from the bottom villas to most of the places but a train takes you where you want to go anyway ,but well worth it when you get to where you are going.feel free to mail me at shaunconnolly@btinternet.com for any more info

We traveled to the Dominican Republic from July 15 - 21. Well, actually the 16 - 21 because Tropical Storm Fay caused us to have to fly back to the US from Puerto Rico and then back the following morning, but that is another story.

Once we got to the resort and walked in, it was fabulous. We were a group of four in our mid-twenties without children, and it was awesome!

We asked to stay by the middle pool which was the most popular place, and it worked out really well. We ate the breakfast buffet, which was loaded with fresh pineapple, very thick bacon and eggs made to order. Oh, and the fresh Dominican coffee was perfect.

The afternoon was spent at the swim-up bar with Domingo, who was very generous with the Brahma beer, which I must say beats Anheuser-Busch anyday. And if you do not want beer, grab a Cuba Libre (rum and coke). They are good too.

You see staff bring parrots and monkeys by the pool daily for photo opportunities. Be careful of how far you go down the beach to the bar. There is one bar at IFA that is close to the beach, and that is it. We found a bar that we thought was IFA, and we accidentally spent about two hours there and had a tab when we left. It was still reasonable though, and we laughed at our mistake.

If you like cigars and souvenirs, the market on the beach is great. You can save some money there. I was warned about fake dry cigars from the market, but I thought they all looked to be high quality, and I always keep cigars around; plus, there is rum, necklaces, t-shirts, coffee, etc. here to buy. The more you buy from one vendor, the bigger the discount. Everything is negotiable, and you do get haggled. Prepare your "No, thank you" before you go in. Some vendors are very nice though and allow you to browse haggle-free. Of course, we usually bought from these guys.

This is a wonderful place if you do not demand five stars and the greatest of luxuries. And there were many children there, so it is definitely family-friendly. I feel like we got more than we paid for. It was a great place to relax and enjoy some of the most beautiful beach I have ever seen.

They do not have much of a snack bar at night; this is a problem. Also, dinner reservations were a problem. All we could get reserved for four were two ten o'clock dinners. You can try to get in without reservations, but this is not guaranteed. There are of course two buffets, but they close at nine. So, plan your dinners, or you may find yourself starving at midnight if you miss the buffet. I believe you can actually still get pizza and burgers from the open-air pizzeria close to the main pool, but this is what I usually had for lunch everyday because you could go there in swim attire. Plus, the pizza is about the best I have ever had, and the burgers too.

Use sunscreen! Lots of it! I actually did not get burned, even in August, just a little red. But, it was because I was smart about the sunscreen. We came prepared with bug spray too, but we actually did not see one mosquito, not sure what all the hype is about.

This is a very European place. I found it an interesting challenge to try to meet and make friends with many people from other places and met some of the coolest people. There were a couple of other groups from the states, but Americans are the minority. I just tried to soak it all in and enjoy it. And I did.

The nightly entertainment on the beach is good here too. We did not pay to go out to the nightclubs because there was free booze and good nightlife at the resort. If I could have changed anything, it would have been to stay at least 10 days. I was so jealous of the Europeans there on their month-long holiday when we were there six days.

Definitely bring singles for tipping. It really helps out. We brought $130 for 6 days, but we spent a lot of time at the bar. My wife brought toys and good makeup to leave for our maids and their children. They were very appreciative and gave our room special attention.

As far as excursions, we were told we had to meet with someone from who we booked our vacation through (USAirways) about excursions. I felt we could trust this guy and what he was selling. We were told by him not to book through others but I am sure they are fine too. We went on the snorkeling/stingray shark swim/booze cruise. Yes, it was one excursion of about five hours. It was well worth it for our group. We had a blast getting to swim with nerf sharks and stingray and then to snorkel in the reef. What a beautiful place!!

I would love to go back here. We loved it. It is not a five-star resort, but it had some wonderful staff, food and fun.

Me, hubby and teenager were at the IFA Villas Bavaro two weeks ago (end of July). We flew American and were treated very nice. We then quickly made it thru the airport to our Turintor Tour Bus. So far so good.

(We were armed w. our CVS pharmaceuticals)

The Lobby was very pretty. The Lobby and walkway throughout the entire resort paved w. stone. We exit lobby on the opposite side past the main pool to get to our room (3104). This room was not in the villa section (we booked 6 mos ago) it was centrally located next to everything. It was a very pretty room. (We visited the villas section via trolly several times - it is the furthest section from beach but trolly goes back every 7 minutes and it is also quieter there. You'll also get to see some turkeys and peacocks there.

It took us about a week to get over our depression of being back into our nice Long Island environment. Everyone at the resort was very nice, polite and warm towards us. I wanted my daughter to experience the countryside so were took a truck safari w. Jonathan (tour guy spoke several languages) . We soared up the mountain, ate sugarcane, swam in the river, went to the beach, rode horses, etc.. This is a must do in D. R.

The buffets at the resort were very nice, good food everywhere.

I really hope the spirit of the dominicans continue to be a happy and loving one. When we were at the breakfast buffet we would be seated, waited calmly for our coffee, then ran to get our goodies. I noticed a few tourist that felt the waiters should hop faster - please pray for these empty people.

One of us had too many pina coladas (they have mixed drinks all over this resort). Please remember, too many pina coladas can cause you to sound like an orchestra in the bathroom!

When we were at the pool for lunch we ate at the Pizza place (they also have chicken nuggets & french fries). When we were at the beach they had burgers, hot dog, chicken, rice and beans, salad, fruits galore, wonderful. We also went to the three ala cartes - just book two mornings before you want to go. Caribe restaurant was the best.. The dominican coffee place was a nice place to sit in the evenings. There's also a place to internet and call back home w. reasonable rates (next to coffee place and small shops)

There are buses to casino and Palma Real Mall. Mall is small and a little high end. If you want a bargain go towards the beach on the right and the flea market there has alot of fun jewelry, coffee and beachwear. This was fun.

Only made it to the show at night once. We were alway too tired.

We had a great time and want to go back! Never got to use my pharmaceutical products. If you have any questions feel free to email me alquinones@optonline.net

What are all these complainers yapping about? Armed with some deep TripAdvisor reading about this place, two of us jetted off to Punta Cana. Checked in on a Sunday, checked out on a Wednesday.

BOOKING: I researched places based on our budget and found IFA VB among those listed on Expedia/Travelocity/Hotels/etc. I *almost* booked through one of those, until, on a whim, I checked the resort's website to see about availablity. Turned out, the dates we wanted fell inside a promotional window, so we got a 30% discount by booking directly through the website. Yes, 30%. Hooray.

Check-in & Checkout were unremarkable. Hello, we're here...here's your key, slap on the wrist band, off you go. Checkout was similar. OK, we're leaving, snip off the wrist band, here's your taxi. Ciao! (Taxi to/from the airport is 28 dollars each way & takes 20 minutes.)

Property in general: Spotless...and by 'spotless', I mean, without a spot. New-looking stones & tiles. Manicured landscaping. Fountains. Flowers. Chickens & baby ducks strut around. Zero trash, zero dirt, zero stains, zero cigarette butts or gum wrappers. Cleaning & maintenence staff swarm all over the place and it shows. White-glove inspection ready. Nice.

Room: We stayed in 4226. Room showed every indication of a very recent renovation. Smelled of fresh paint, new floor tile, fixtures were smart and modern. Other reviewers who pointed out the frosted-glass WC door were correct. It is what it is. 2 double beds, sheets and pillows were adequate, but then again I have no trouble sleeping anywhere, so I'm no help there. My main nit-picky pet peeve when I travel, though, is hotel showers. I usually just quietly tolerate the weak, lukewarm hotel granny stream, but not here. The shower is a heavy-duty blaster with no shortage of hot water. The shower is also newly renovated, with natural stone and glass bricks and gel/shampoo dispensers. Nice. TV/fridge/safe/towels...zero issues. Yes, your room key is needed for electricity & air conditioning, and all of that is shut off when you leave the room. Other reviewers who found that hard to comprehend need to pause for a moment and consider how smart a system that is. And the room cools off nicely again in minutes, not hours, after returning.

The beach is three minutes by foot, down a coconut tree-lined path. Plenty of beach chairs. Plenty of elbow room. The sand is powdery sugar and the water is clear with some grass that neither smells nor sticks. Swimming area is roped-off, smartly so, since there's a near-constant parade of waverunners, small motorboats, and Caribbean Festival party catamarans buzzing to and fro. Non-motorized water sports are provided by a commercial agency on the IFA beach. I got a snorkel/mask/flippers by plunking down a deposit which was returned when I brought the gear back. You can also sign out their kayaks, sailboats, windsurfboards, and bodyboards, all for free. Uniformed security officers patrol the beach, to keep aggressive vendors away. We were approached by a couple of the "My friend, my friend" types, but I've always been pretty good at making those people go away. Not dangerous, just annoying. The bazaar next to the beach has all the requisite t-shirts and painted gourds and souvenir bric-a-brac. Grill on the beach deals up burgers and hot dogs, bar has pina coladas and cold beer on tap. I'm getting nostalgic just picturing it.

Back to the resort: the pools are all unique and lovely. Main pool in sight of the reception is a kid's playground...if your kid likes a swim-up bar! Shooting fountains and water-soccer nets. And did I mention the swim-up bar? (I truly hope people were leaving the pool to take care of certain drinking-related personal functions.) Another pool, outside the reception, in the villas area, is quieter, more sedate. And at the tip of the resort property, furthest from the beach, is a jacuzzi bar, with four separate jacuzzis. There's a couple little shops on the property, a beachwear & art store, a pharmacy, souvenirs, and an internet center that charges 3 bucks for a half-hour online. The cafe/bar just outside reception is a perfect place to have one of a myriad mixed cocktails (with or without alcohol) and relax under fans on enormous comfortable chairs. That was our favorite spot. We did not take any outside excursions, and we did not attend the evening shows/performances.

Food: here's where I depart from many reviewers of this place: there is NOTHING WRONG with the buffets/restaurants here. The offerings at the buffet, especially at breakfast, were astounding. I usually don't pound a huge breakfast, but I went nuts on the breads and cheeses and yoghurt and fresh fruit. Lunch & dinner featured varieties of pasta, a chef manning the grill with steaks, calimari, pork chops, veal, chicken, local dishes like goat and unusual fish, salads and breads and juices and desserts and soups and excellent coffee. The water is purified and perfectly fine to drink, the buffet seating is uncrowded, the hours are generous, and the staff is cheerful and helpful. Seriously, if you're accustomed to finer dining than this, you should vacation at a far, far more posh place than this resort, Your Highness. You can reserve a table at one of two specialty restaurants, one Mexican, and one Asian themed. We ate at the Mexican place one night, it's a buffet as well. Excellent food, and an unhurried, pleasant change of scenery from the buffet.

Other guests: Vast majority of guests were Spanish-speaking. The rest were Europeans, mosty Eastern, according to my ear for languages. Polish & Russian. Much French, German, Dutch also spoken. We encountered almost zero native English speakers. However, language barrier with staff is non-existent.

Wrapping it up here, we left IFA VB stunned that we got such a value. A deep discount, a gorgeous and impressively clean resort, a beautiful and comfortable room, ample and excellent meals, helpful staff (but not pushy or disagreeable), postcard beach, sparkling pools, plenty to do if so inclined, plenty to NOT do if so inclined. We chose the latter. We sat on the sand, we walked miles of beach, we got comically sunburned, and now we're back home with awesome memories.

my sister and i went to ifa villas to lay on the beach and swim. it was the best place i could of picked. dont listen to the other reviews of this place. they are all wrong. its been totally renovated and perfect. beautiful white sand beaches w/ reddish pink flecks, 100 ft tall palm trees, clear turquoise water. the food was pretty good. loved their breakfast buffet. you can get by there knowing a little spanish. toppless beach. shopping on beach, can barter w/ them. disco that goes til 3 am. their rum is so good there. i suggest the pina coladas. food and drinks whenever u want them. they have an awesome japanese and seafood restaurant that u need reservations for. the japanese was the best. the sun is hot so bring sunblock. i give this place 5 stars! will go back.

We stayed at IFA Villas Bavaro from May 9 to May 17 with a couple of our friends. It was by far the best vacation we ever had. The only thing that was not perfect - the A/C in our room didn’t really work – and we just never thought about asking them to put us in a different room. Everything else was great. Food was fantastic and there was a lot to choose from. Previous review says that the main buffet was closed that week – but there was a huge buffet open so maybe we are not talking about the same place.

We loved the atmosphere in the pizza bar, Pikalo – and we especially loved Adison, one of the waiters. He was very nice and friendly. Most of the employees were very friendly, and always with a smile on their face. Those people work 12 + hours a day, for 12 days straight, and we were amazed with their happy attitude at all times.

Pool was perfectly clean – all of them, and there was always something going on there.

Bernardo is a host for all the fun events at the pool, and also for the evening show at the beach – he speaks at least 5 languages! He was quite amazing.

Isabella is your fun coordinator at the beach – she has the prettiest smile.

Signor Papo and his dancers were fantastic! We watched the show 4 times – every time it was different, and every time it was great!

Shopping at the open market at the beach was FUN! Whatever we wanted to buy – they would start with outrages sums – over $200 – and we would offer $20, and after few minutes of going back and forth – we would get a reasonable price. Be prepared for a lot of friendly hugs over there.

Since we came back all we talk about is our vacation. We really had a great time and next year – we will be going for two weeks.

Ok, so this hotel is NOT the Ritz....duh, but listen if you need a week away with your girlfriends for around $1200 INCLUDING flight, then this resort is just FINE! We had a blast! The pool is huge and so much fun, with music playing and drinks always available. The beach is GORGEOUS with a TON of lounge chairs available at all hours of the day. The weather was pristine and perfect.

The food is not 5-star, but that is what you get at all-inclusives. I don't understand why people complain about that. If you are going to go to an all-inclusive, don't expect the food to be like Mortons Steakhouse, you get what you pay for! Although I will say the restaurants were great, except the Mexican Restaurant wasn't that good, I wouldn't recommend it. The steakhouse was fantastic!!

The people there were SOOO NICE, you just have TO BE NICE TO THEM. If you are rude to people who work at hotels than you won't get a five-star service. But my girlfriends and I were very kind to them and be-friended them the second we got there. For 6 whole days they treated us like we were their best friends, always saying hi to us, bringing us drinks, and dancing with us at the disco at night!

Look, if you want the 5-star experience and AMAZING food, so stay at a Ritz or something. But if you are looking for a gorgeous beach, fun people, great drinks (they give you so much vodka in those drinks, it was hard to drink them), and an amazingly fun time, I was strongly suggest this resort!

We just returned from a week's stay yesterday. This property does have a weird layout as noted by others. Long and narrow so those who stay at the villas side of the resort will have a longer walk to mostly everything. It was 1900 steps from our room to where we sat on the beach each day. That's 0.6 mile each way. The hotel is beach front but does not have any ammenities or rooms right on the beach except for a beach restaurant/bar and bathrooms about halfway back. We estimated about 100 yards of sand from the end of the path across the beach to the water. There are golf carts that will take you to the reception area from the villas area rooms but we seldom saw them and we never used them. All the paths on the property are cobblestones so think about the shoes that you take with you. I'm glad I did not take my heels or thin soled shoes. The villa style single story units house functional hotel rooms with really small bathrooms but have a front porch with chairs and a table. The ocean and beach hotel rooms do not have outside balconies for seating. The rooms were clean and I didn't see any bugs. Bottled water is left daily in your room refrigerator. The key to the safe in your room is $3 day. They were large enough that the investment was a good one. The food at the resort was functional but nothing to rave about. The Caribe restaurant does not serve house wine. So if you have a reservation there, please note that the bottle of wine you select will be billed to you room. The concierge never told us that when we signed up. We did not eat at the Mexican or the Japanese restaurant but didn't really hear a lot of positive feebdack about them. Americans at this resort are a minority so you won't hear a lot of English and the social norms are different. Because of this, the buffett style restaurant is kind of a free-for-all. Just grab your plate and go for what you want. Someone even took the tongs out of my hand at the fruit bar because they wanted watermelon. I found this really annoying even at the bar. The concept of wait your turn was not evident to us. A lot of smoking everywhere as well. You may not smoke in your room but eveyone around you does so you still smell it which we also found bothersome. The need more smoke free zones although they did offer not smoking tables in the buffett restaurant. Most staff did not have a good command of English but the front desk were able to assist and understand our issues whether over the phone or in person. Staff at the restaurants and bars were very attentive always taking dishes or refilling your drinks which we really liked. The TV in the room has European and Chinese channels and Spanish channels. The only English channel was TNT and another which always showed old reruns. You will not get any American news at all. The other interesting fact is that on the villas side of the property house roosters, turkeys and peacocks which roam around. As soon as they are up in the morning -you are too! If all of them are making noise at the same time it makes a racket. The rooster normally started crowing between 5-5:30am. The beach is very nice and has plenty or chairs and shade. The roped off swim area is probably the smallest out of all the resorts we walked by. The problem is that the boat lanes are immediately past them so the water is very active with boats and tours going by alll the time which kicks up the sand. If your thinking relaxation - this beach isn't it especially with the mini speed boat rentals next door. The incessant drone of the 16 speed boats going back and forth all day long was annoying. Other resorts had a larger swim area and they went farther out into the ocean so the boats were be farther out from shore. We took the snorkel tour to the reef which isn't far off shore. The price started at $30 each on Monday but by Thursday it was 2 people for $30. Not sure if Thursdays are always half price. The experience was fine but the reef wasn't that colorful and there are a lot of party boats in the same area so we didn't see any fish that we couldn't see snorkeling off shore from the beach. This was dissapointing for us but we did see 2 sting rays and a small sea snake off shore right from the beach along with the usual assortment of small tropical fish. All in all, this resort was fine for the rate that we payed but we would try something else if we ever return to PC. Note: Don't rely on the bellman to take your luggage to the reception area when you are checking out. A half hour after our call, he was a no show so we had to drag our luggage over the coblestones to reception ourselves since our ride to the airport was waiting.

Where to start? My husband and I have read plenty of these about this resort and not all good. But who ever has wrote the bad reviews must of stayed at a different place than we did. Gorgous simple gorgous are the beaches and the pools. Plenty of shade and sun. The staff were all polite and tried very hard to communicate with you even if there english was poor. The bartenders made sure everyone on their shift were having a good time. I have never taken a more relaxing recharging vacation in my life. I just hope my battery stay up until I can get back. Yes we will go back and we will stay here unless there prices do something stupid. The food was food. Not gourmet but not alpo neither. There was a new salad every night on the buffet and different items also. Breakfast was about all the same but really what can you do with breakfast. There was a omelet guy so it was all good. The people who have written bad reviews like I said must have been at a different place. IFA keep doing what you are doing. Cleaniness the staff was scrubing every day so it was as clean as an ocean front properity can be. The rooms were rooms but most of you aren't going to stay in your rooms. And if yuo are to bad for you because the scenery is beautiful. I would and have recommended this to all of my friends already and will continue to.

We were very pleased with the resort. We were originally scheduled to go to Cancun but canceled out and rescheduled here without much research. We did not go wrong. The resort was very clean. Every morning the entire place was washed down.... every table, chair, sidewalk, everything.

The beach was one of the best we have ever seen. Several hundred yards deep with palms everywhere. The softest, whitest and coolest sand. It was very easy to take a chair into the sun or the shade. Plenty of chairs for everyone. Staff were constantly raking palm leaves and picking up around the beach area.

There are three pools on the resort and most people stayed around the main pool with the swim up bar. This was also where the activities and entertainment staff was during the day playing music and getting people involved. You were usually able to find loungers any time of day, no towel games. The small pool in the ocean villas area was never crowded, great for relaxing or reading. The other larger pool at the Margarita bar was also a very nice pool although we did not use this one.

We tried the Mexican specialty restaurant and enjoyed the food and atmosphere there. We did not try the other two specialties. The rest of the time we ate at the buffet restaurant. It had good food. Many of the side items were the same every day but the main course was usually something different every night.The grill in the buffet made everything from squid to beef fillets to chicken breasts to tacos. For breakfast the grill made excellent omelets. Freshly squeezed juices were also available. Desserts were excellent. Near the main pool is a pizza and snack shop. It made great pizza and burgers. A great place for a quick lunch while at the pool. There was also a grill and bar on the beach.

The rooms were very nice, no complaints. We stayed in the ocean villas section which I think had been remodeled in the last year or two. The bathroom, shower and sink area were all done in stone. Huge walk in shower was very nice. We had two double beds, would have preferred a king but these were ok. They were a little on the hard side but we were able to rest well. The room had been made larger in the remodel by taking the balcony and making it part of the room so there was no balcony, just the front rail that you could hang towels and suits on. A sliding door opened up and there was about a foot to the railing.

Can't say enough about the staff. The servers were very good. The housekeeping did an excellent job. The grounds staff kept every thing very clean and picked up. You never saw a leaf or twig on the ground, definitely no trash. Our only complaint about the trip was that we missed our flight connection and had to reschedule to another airline and sure enough, they lost our luggage. We informed the hotel that this had happened and that we would try to have it routed to the hotel and they could notify us when it arrived. They said they did not do messages. We informed our Apple rep and he said that he would speak to them. He was also very helpful and made a phone call for us as well. We arrived Friday night and made some calls on Saturday and then Sunday morning trying to get our luggage. After we spent $45.00 at the internet call center talking to the airline, we walked through the lobby and just happened to ask about it at the front desk. They let us look into a store room and there was our luggage. It had arrived Saturday evening so we went longer than we should have without it and spent $45.00 that we didn't have to. We were not real happy. I think the front desk staff could be more service oriented.

Even with that one glitch, we would still return to this resort, It was a very nice vacation.

Do not believe the reviewer who says that the juice was fake and the alcohol was terrible and that the food was the same everyday. This is just not true.

I stayed at this hotel from April 4 to the 11th in the Village section. While the food in the buffet was not Top Notch, neither was it terrible or the same everyday. The juice at breakfast was freshly squeezed. I watched them do it. The orange and apple juice was in a fountain style but all others were fresh. The alcohol was also not a problem and sometimes they even put too much in the drinks!! The swim up bar at the pool was awesome. Sometimes I took a Banana Mama with no booze and sometimes with. You don't want to get drunk in the hot sun and then not be able to enjoy your evening.

I can't say how the Villa rooms are but they look nice from the outside.

The staff at the entire resort are so eager to please and friendly that is really makes you enjoy your stay.

The grounds and rooms are so clean and beautiful and the beach of course is awesome.

We got a good deal and really enjoyed our stay.

we went newyears eve 08/09 to bavero,unfortunatly things didnt get off to a great start as our plane was diverted to bermuda after some people were drunk durning the flight. we arrived late 14 hrs on the plane AARRRGGGG. we found the hotel staff upon arrival really friendly,our rooms were average. PILLOWS were like bags of rubble. little ants every night on the floor crawling up onto our bedding,the card key kept failing and we had to keep getting it reset as did other guests we met. The food was great, plenty of choice, we found the pizza eating area fab... the entertainment was great the first few nights but we noticed it was all more or less the same sort of idea each night. we had a 5yr old and a 16yr old with us and it was difficult to find a balance of anysort. the more tanned you got the less polite the staff were with you. beach location was great, hotel ground were beautiful, thankgod they provided a mini train service to your villa from the main lobby it was a god send.... the trips out were very expensive, but id reccomend the samoa island daytrip it was brill. just disappointed with the nightly entertaniment.....we spent many nights paying to watch movies in our rooms with the kids....

We had a wonderful stay at this hotel. Staff were great. Accomodation was excellent. We had our wedding 3 days after we arrived, it was the best. Petra, the Wedding Coordinator, took care of everything. She is the best, she made our trip the most memorable of all. If you are wondering were to get married thats the place to go. She replied to my email quickly and when we meet to make all the decision concerning the wedding, she was there to help. We stayed 14 days and loved every minute of it. I would recommended it to anybody. We were a group of 17 people, some with children and everyone of them like it. Hope you like it as much has I did.....

I have very mixed reactions about my stay here. For one, I have to give the staff credit they were all extremely friendly. I can't say much for the food, however I am a fairly picky eater. The pools close at 6PM which is kind of a drag, and as friendly and outgoing as the staff is, they play the same songs over and over again. I have stayed at the same resort for 2 straight spring breaks because of its value, but they didn't change the music at all. "Boom Boom Boom Boom, I want you in my room" constantly. Our room was beautiful, but the AC was either full tilt or nothing. A friend got sick on the trip, and it would have been 95$ to see the doctor, who wouldn't even take his temperature. Bring sunblock and medicine, or you will have to pay 15$ or more for basic medicine or sunblock. Some of the older guests seemed to be getting annoyed by the spring breakers. I guess it depends what you are into, however I still had a good time and do enjoy the resort.

This is a beautiful resort, close to the beach, good food and very friendly staff. the entertainment team was great.. The disco is now open until 4a.m. This resort is very clean. I will be returning next year. Thanks for a great week.

Colleen from Canada

I was a very nice place to enjoy our vacations.

We have just returned from a week at the Ifa. My family and I were in this hotel for New Years vacations. The hotel is very nice and we have never experienced such incredible service before.

The staff is so nice, there are many activities to do, and the food is fresh and different from restaurant to restaurant.

We stayed on every night at the show.

The pools are lovely, also the beach.

Maybe this hotel is not as big and luxurious as other hotels in the same area, but it is a nice place to enjoy the great weather, the beach, and the sun,

All the waitresses and attendants were wonderful, Fast check in, Towels for the beach, Recreational team, baby sitter,

The Spa is ok, also the gym.

Good coffee at the Cafe Dominicano and delicious fast food at the beach restaurant. Restaurants a la carta are great.(Caribbean, Mexican, and Chinese)

I recommend this place!

Overall I would say this is a nice hotel where you can enjoy a lot for a rasonable price.

Very definately a four star resort. Just spent 7 days, 6 nights here and the resort is as beautiful as the pictures would indicate. For those who complained of bugs, I saw two mosquitoes and a few flies and gnats. Hello! Across the street from the resort is the Jungle. I am amazed that is all I saw.

I was afraid the staff would have attitudes as I have been warned about Jamaica but they were very friendly. The food was great at Caribe and I had two fillet mignon dinners there at no extra cost. Bambu was good and the Jalisco better than I expected from reviews here. You have the same foods every day at the buffet for breakfast and lunch but you can choose eggs and omlettes made to order along with meats breads fruits, pancakes, french toast etc. Food will not be an issue unless you expect unlimited lobster and cavier everyday.

Drinks are locally produced and the best beer Presidiente is only at the beach bar.

English was about the fourth most common language and the staff mostly understands very little. This is why you pay a lot more for a 5 star resort. If you know no spanish, the trip will be an adventure as it was for me with un pocito espanol.

Finally, you will be surrounded by europeans and they think nothing of lighting up cigarettes everywhere. As sooo advanced as they are culturally, they will smoke without concern for those who wish not to be exposed.

It was a great stay.

I was in Punta Cana in Ifa in October and had wonderful holiday.

The hotel is clean and the staff is very nice. Mainly the staff of animation and dancers (good times spent with them).

The food is very good too.

the rooms are reasonable but you got what you paid.

In short: nice hotel, nice staff, good beaches and great animation.

Very good value resort – just turn the music down!

Stayed for 2 weeks end of July. A lovely stress free and relaxing holiday

Accommodation

We were in a main apartment block close to centre of resort. Pleasant short stroll to all facilities including beach. Guests in villas at top end of resort would have a fair walk and perhaps feel a little out of the action. However there is a hotel courtesy bus. Room spacious and comfortable. Excellent shower. Air conditioning faulty in our room (didn’t cool enough). Complained but wasn’t fixed while we were there. Frosted glass around shower and toilet offers limited privacy but not a major problem for close family and good friends! Only one room key activated at a time so don’t bother asking for a second. Be aware the room towels are all taken away from you about 9am and not returned until 6pm. This is an irritating nuisance but we simply hid one towel from the maid so we could use it during the day.

Watch out if you have young children using the TV. There is explicit porn freely broadcast all day.

Reception

We checked in at night so didn’t have a queue. The reception staff I met spoke English OK. A tiny bit of Spanish is helpful. Easiest way to change large dollar bills is to ask a porter. Book the a la carte restaurants at the Information desk at the right of reception.

Pools

Three very nice pools plus a Jacuzzi pool area. Very high standard of cleanliness. The main pool near reception has a swim up bar. Reasonable number of loungers. Only thing that really grated was the loud music that blared out most of the day. Mainly Salsa but sometimes heavy drum beat Garage/House dance music. Not suitable for an afternoon sunbathe snooze. Music at the smaller pool was slightly less intrusive. Tthe upper pool was quiet.

Food

I thought the all-inclusive buffet was perfectly adequate. There was a wide choice of food at each meal and it also included a choice of freshly prepared dishes cooked at the grill. The service was generally excellent. Waiters attentive and constantly clearing used glasses and plates. The food needs to be covered and protected from birds flying in. Also there was no escape from salsa music played constantly even during breakfast.

In addition to the buffets there are three a la carte restaurants for evening meals. You need to reserve tables for these and they book up fast. Also you are supposed to dress up a little and men should wear long trousers. There is a Caribbean theme restaurant “Caribe”. Food and service excellent. Wine list available at supplementary charge.

The Japanese theme restaurant “Bambu” is particularly pleasant. The Mexican theme restaurant “Jalisco” has a la carte deserts but a buffet for main courses.

Entertainment

There is surprisingly little publicity advertising for the in-house entertainment . On the beach in the morning there is a Salsa/Merengue class and aerobics in the sea. At 9pm there is a nightly show on the beach stage. The dancing show is colourful and energetic but the comedy show night has laborious, predictable sketches in Spanish.

We didn’t go on any excursions because the weather was very hot and we didn’t want to be stuck on a bus or boat for hours. Also the party boats seemed a bit rowdy for my taste but would probably be great fun for the 18-30 gang.

We went to the nearby shopping centre and had a pleasant Tapas lunch but overall the shopping centre is largely deserted and dull.

Beach

Absolutely stunning beautiful beach. Swept clear of sea grass every morning. Easy snorkling with fair number fish close to shore (in left side roped off swimming area). Plenty of loungers and limited shade from palm trees. Guests have I hour free use of some sea sport equipment each day. Eg snorkel, windsurfer and pedalo. Pleasant to stroll along the beach to take a look at neighbouring resorts. However the security guards are on the lookout if you try to sneak in without the correct coloured wristband.

Bars

Generally the bar staff were friendly and efficient. There was a fair range of cocktails made with local spirits. Branded spirits could be ordered at extra charge but I never really thought it necessary. The nicest bar is the “Café Dominicano” close to restaurants. The drinks are served nicely in real glasses while sitting in a very comfortable open lounge.

Overall impression

This was our first Caribbean all-inclusive holiday so I admit I have limited experience to compare. I realise other resorts may be better and more luxurious, however in my opinion I thought the Villas Bavaro was an excellent choice. The weather while we were there was superb. The staff were generally excellent. The standard of cleanliness around the resort was extremely high. Take plenty of small US Dollar bills for tips. I needn’t have bothered getting Dom. Rep. Pesos because everything is priced in Dollars. Many people don’t bother with anti malarials here because mosquitos are few in this resort. I only got bitten when I lay on the grass in the shade.

There were a few niggles that could be improved with little effort if the management wanted. eg. Reduce the music to a less intrusive level, replace clean towels immediately, protect the buffet from birds and don’t soak the pathways in the evening. However overall this was a thoroughly relaxing and enjoyable holiday. I would certainly recommend this resort

There is nothing like this in the U.S.A-

The price that we paid for 3 people CANNOT BE BEAT!.It included air. round trip transfers to hotel from airport, all you can eat and drink, free entertainment, beautiful beach with turqouise blue water,and white sand without debris, only seed weed, which is a natural occurence, free paddle boat, snorkling equipment,.You will need a deposit for snorkel equipment, but you get it back. You will have to pay for fishing trips, scuba diving, para sailing, and other excursions.Maid service is provided only if you place the tag on your door requesting cleaning, They will not enter your room

unexpectantly.This service is provided up to 5pm.

They have apartments, villas, and regular hotels rooms that can

accommodate a king size bed or two queen size bed and a nice size comfortable chair.Ample closet space for your clothes.

A large travatine bathroom with a water closet, and huge shower., and a vessel sink and hair dryer. There are three large pool areas. If you like peace and quiet ,there is a pool for you.If you like fun and excitement and music and little people, there is a pool area for you. if you like a small pool they have one for you. Midday you will be served pizza, hamburger, french fries,chicken nuggets, but for breakfast you have buffet style with all kinds of cheeses, fruits, breakfast meats, made to order omelettes,pancakes, french toast, breads. cereal or if you just like coffee , they have another section that is relaxed and peaceful where you can order gourmet style coffees.in the evening you have a choice to go buffet or make reservation for the restaurants. MAKE reservation early in a.m. or day before.

My family and I had a ball.- and will recomend others.

My best friend and I went to the IFA Bavaro Villas from 6/12-6/16 and we loved it. I read all the reviews before going, and I can't really say that any of the complaints were a problem with us. The rooms were better than we expected, the resort was beautiful, and the beach was within walking distance...must closer than we expected. I think the people who are disappointed must have had different expections, but for $113 a night for two people all inclusive...that is a fantastic deal for what we received. The food wasn't amazing, but I enjoyed it. The people were very nice to us. It definitely helped that I knew a little Spanish...I think many people who were rating this resort negatively must forget that they are in another country...their native language is Spanish and their culture is not to be necessarily speedy at getting things done :-). That is just one of those things you have to be sensitive to when staying at an especially inexpensive resort in another country.

We didn't do any of the optional excursions because we were more focused on being lazy, but other people indicated that they had fun.

If you are looking for a luxury resort with everything catered to, then I wouldn't recommend this resort...but if you are like me and on limited funds and want a great value....I definitely would stay at the IFA!

Went down by myself, (as a single female) to relax and visit friends who moved there. Just remember a Dominican minute can take a 1/2 hour....

The front desk registration went well enough, one person (Maximo) needs to be nicer to the guests, I found him rude and demeaning. .Dinner reservations can be made starting in the morning, opposite the reception desk, you must make them in person - we ate at the Japanese and the Caribe, both were nice. The buffet food was good, the wait staff works hard, just remember you are in an island situation, the buffet is open so you can admire the scenery, birds will make every attempt to steal food to enjoy...(remember,you are in a island setting...)

Make sure you get an extra card for the room, the electricity runs only when the card is in the holder - no electricity means the air conditioning goes off...The only negative I have is the housekeeping staff - I always tip at the beginning and each day..even tho it's an all inclusve. Used towels will be collected early - 9am the days I was there, fresh towels were returned late 6pm one day! - also, they will leave the doors/windows open while mopping the floor, inviting all the mosquitos in to feast. They don't have wash cloths, so bring your own if it's important to you - they do have dispensers for gel/shampoo/conditioner in the shower area in the section I was in Rm 4414-- bottled water was supplied and they happily gave me extra's.Internet cafe was good 30 minutes/3.00 American. The tv in the room did not have any shows in englist except for the China business news.. Tehy will charge you to get shows that you and the kids can watch...

I felt very safe in the area, lots of security were visable. always checking to make sure only guests were using the facilities.

Marketplace on the beach you need to haggle, they expect it and no one pays the first offer... I did well by finding out what prices was offered and walking away, the next guy would beat the offer....

Just because it's an all inclusive PLEASE...remember...you don't have to start drinking as soon as you wake up - I did see some people who thought is was appropriate to take over one pool and make it uncomfortable for others. Thankfully there are 3 pools and a jacuzzi area - wish I realised that from the beginning I would have gone to the jacuzzi area earlier. The spa was totally relaxing

Just got back from the IFA resort in punta cana, overall it was pretty good, the beaches were top notch, but only 1 bar on the entire beach, makes for alot of walking, the market is good and the people are friendly but very very very pushy with getting you to look at their stands, the food was decent but not great, they could of used more sun chairs on the beach as they ran out quickly, The room service was not good, we actually went 3 days without our room being cleaned and it is a choppy reno, only 1 english channal half the time, unless you pay 8usd a day, it says there is a mini bar in you room but it is only for water, they will not stock beer. the bathrooms shower is good but the toilet is funny- probably 8inches of room around toilet, you cant sit down really because there is no room, phone didnt work and there are no clocks, we are 25 years old and went with a couple, we didnt complain as we arnt that type, we did have a good time i just want to kinda give a headsup, this is our 5th trip and weve definatly styed in better like a rio or bahia but this was not too bad for around a grand, hope this helps.

It was a little run down, but that was no big deal. Food was great. The people working there were not very friendly. I have been to the Dominican 10 times and always everyone had a smile and said Ola, not this time. The beach was at least 1/8th of a mile away, you didn't make many trips back to your room. When I go next year this will not be one of my choices.

A friend from Pa.

the food was good not great but good . The room was clean everyday very late .I am talking about 5:00 and later

We stayed there for 2 weeks at the beginning of august in the Villas(cabins) and enjoyed it very much. We chose this resort due to buget reasons, and it has a good price/quality relation.

We have been already 3 times to the DR and the resort is one of the most beautiful we've been in (see videos / fotos).

But it also has some downfalls you should consider before choosing it.

First of all, service in general is somewhat chaotic, especially concerning the room.For example, somedays they forgot to put waterbottles, on other days they forgot to put the blankets of our pillows, another one toiletpaper ran out, one day we were suddenly locked out of our room ( reception computer only booked 7 instead of 14 days). So,nothing really terrible, and everything was fixed when we mentioned it to the personal, but

it's annoying.

In the buffet restaurants the food selection is quite good, but not so rich as in "Luxury" resorts, which is understandable because you pay much less. What's not so nice is, that, in the restaurants ,different to other resorts were you normally self cater drinks,

all drinks are brought to you by a waiter, even water. The problem is that there are too few of them (or they are to slow), so when your drink comes, sometimes you've nearly finished your meal. Tea spoons also seem to be a rare commodity, as at breakfasts we had to ask them to bring one nearly everyday.

The tematic restaurants are nice, and are available on reservation.

Another thing to consider is that if your at the villas(cabins) you have a pretty long walk to the restuarant(10min) and from there to the beach(another 10min), total 20 min. The walk is nice because you pass throught the beautiful gardens,

but on hot times of the day you may get cooked by the sun.

The beach is nice, but there is also a handicap. During the day there is a constant boat traffic so close to the swimming area that it is live threatening if you swim beyond the designated area.

It really seamed a boat highway, and they pass as close as 1 meter to the limit of the swimming area. Also there is not much to see when snorkeling and the most interesting zone is just

outside the swimming area, so go there at your own risk.

Also the bar and restaurant at the beach are really shabby, and getting our food there seemed to us a health risk as food is uncovered out in the heat with beas and wasps also trying to get their share.

Well, as a summary, you get what you paided for but it would be a much better experience if they would improve certain things.

My wife and I stayed for five nights. The actual cost of the stay worked out to be about a third of our costs, with airfare being about two-thirds. I will give the plusses and minuses of our stay:

Plusses:

• We felt it was fairly inexpensive

• The staff there was friendly, as were the Dominican people as a whole

• If you spoke a little Spanish, they really appreciated it

• There are three restaurants besides the buffets – the Mexican was not bad; the Japanese was pretty good, and the Colonial was very good

• When we had problems, the staff worked to resolve them in polite fashion

• There were several vendors trying to sell excursions, but they were not pushy

• Neither were the merchants at the nearby shops (but, of course, they were assertive)

• Several nice pools to choose from – One was an adult pool

• Several free water sports to choose from

• Beach was very nice

• Rooms were fairly roomy and clean

• The grounds were pretty and clean

• The pizza and hamburgers near the main pool were pretty good

• If you drink, there was no problem getting them throughout the complex

• For a small fee, you can go to an internet room

• You can buy prescription drugs over the counter at their pharmacy for low prices

• You can go to a local casino using a free shuttle

• You have the opportunity to meet a lot of interesting people from all over the world

• If you like rum, this is the place to be

• The hotel provides security throughout the compound

• Beach is partially lit at night

Minuses:

• The walk to the beach was about ¼ mile (350m)

• The language barrier made things somewhat difficult for native English speakers; I know quite a few Spanish phrases and could get along, but about 80% of the staff spoke little or no English; If you speak English you are by far in the minority in Punta Cana

• The food at the beach buffet was not very good – most everything, including the burgers, tasted fishy.

• The drinks were served in very small and flimsy plastic cups

• The choices of alcohol were limited and they only served one type of beer; if you desired premium drinks, such as Jack Daniel’s, etc. you were charged; (regarding certain drinks such as bourbon, scotch, etc., they were unavailable unless you paid for them); you also must pay extra for wine at the restaurants

• Again, if you drink, there is no mini-bar or alcohol in your rooms

• None of the rooms have close access to the beach

• If you need a safe you must obtain a mechanism to lock it for 3 USD/day

• The compound is expansive, so you will do a lot of walking

• Pools all closed at 7:00 PM, but you can swim at the beach all night

Some things to note: The buffets were a little better at breakfast, average at dinner. Also, my wife lost an earring in the bed that was a fake diamond, but later in the day one of the maids left it on the nightstand for us to find. Also, at the concierge desk, a guy named Jesus was very helpful at resolving a problem we had with our air conditioning – he spoke very good English.

Every morning a rooster would crow (this was kind of cute) – if you need a wakeup, this is good – We were able to sleep through it though.

Overall, this is a very nice place. If you are looking for a five star place, this is not it, but you will enjoy yourself.

We booked our stay thru USAir Vacations, which gave us the best pkg price. I searched enough ahead of time and was happy with the price we paid for four of us. We brought our son 37 and grandson 14, so we needed two rooms. Normally we pay for two close to what we paid for four, so when my husband would comment that something wasn't par, I would remind him that you get what you pay for. Overall rooms were very adequate. We stayed in the center of the resort, the closest building to the reception desk. Which put us near or central to everything, the pool with the swimup bar was in front of our building, the pizza bar a little further up, the main buffet building for breakfast was to the left of our bldg. We were close enough to the beach that it was a nice walk through another section with a small pool and a second buffet bldg. used for breakfast and lunch. the spa and exercise bldg. is directly across from that bldg. then a little further down the path to the beach. All the activity was at the beach including all night entertainment. We walked down two nights in a row, but most of the shows are in spanish and we know very little.

I was really glad that I had read reviews before going because I read that they take your towels early and don't bring them back til late...true, also no washcloths ever. So I brought washcloths and hand towels. Also no clocks in the rooms, I brought clocks.

Take lots nof sunscreen, we used spf 30 and only my husband got burned, but it wasn't bad, we just kept loading it on. Casme home with tans.

Food wasn't wonderful, the same pretty much everyday. Japanese restaurant was very good but not air conditioned. The Caribe restaurant was good and it was air conditioned. We didn't go to the Mexican restaurant since my husband doesn't care for spicy food and I had read a review that it wasn't so good.

One thing that I do want to mention is that most of the reviews complained about the reception desk being slow, not nice etc., so we were prepared to encounter the worst. We were so pleasantly surprised and caught off guard by our check-in . A young gentleman by the name of Julio was so friendly and jovial and spoke very good English (which was a big concern from reviews).

One other thing that I thought might be helpful to know is that there are 3 sections to the resort. I'm not sure which was built first, but we stayed in the middle and we were very happy with the accomodations from that section. The section furtherest from the

beach, seems like it's another resort on it's own. It appeared quiter and was really pretty lit up at night. That side is where the ala carte restaurants are.

Liquor is bottom shelf and if you want a name brand it will cost you around 7 or 8 US dollars.

Hopefully this helps,just remember you get what you pay for.

One more note, there's not much else to do besides lay by the pool and eat. Activities at the beach are okay but not much as far as night unless you go into Punta Cana.

The hotel was beautiful. There are 3 pools and so many bars. We stayed right outside the main pool area with the pool bar. The room was great except for issues with ants in the toilet and sink area. We complained about it several times, however nothing was done about it. Another issue was that the cleaning maids came to pick up every single towel in the hotel room at 8am. No towels were given back to us until 5pm. The presented a problem if we woke up late or needed to go to the bathroom. The toilet and shower areas are a little see through..however it wasn't a big deal. There are no channels in English, so if you are looking to watch some tv since there is nothing else to do in the evening, then good luck with that.

The food was the biggest issue. We went to the Mexican restaurant the first night, and the food smelled spoiled. It must have been sitting out for hours. I ordered a drink and that was warm. Never went there again! We did go to the oriental place, and loved their food..and continued to go there every single night of our trip since the other food in the hotel was horrible. At the buffets, there was flies in the dressings, and at one point we saw a bird just sitting there and snacking on the food, and no one did anything about it. The water was good, since no one got sick from it. We ended up having the same meal every day: bread for breakfast (with water), pizza and fries (with soda), and oriental food (with other drinks).

The service of the hotel was overall pretty good. People barely spoke English but we were able to get around pretty easily.

The beaches were gorgeous, but get ready for ScubaCaribe to hassle you for money. They come up to you at every possible moment for you to sign up with them to do activities. If you are interested in that, that's great, but we were there just to lay on the beach and relax and when people are constantly hassling you, it's annoying. We did venture out to the other beaches during the day, and guys hassled us there, as well. We were 3 young women, but still be careful when venturing off your resort. Never do it at night, and stay in groups.

There is a market and also internet cafe where you can go on the internet for a reasonable price and also make calls to America if needed.

The hotel also had buses that allowed you to go to the casino and shopping center. We didn't want to venture on that since we weren't interested in either, but both a good option if getting bored on the resort.

Some things to always bring: lots of sunscreen, bug spray (my friend got 35 bug bites within the first couple days we were there), something to do in the evening to keep yourself entertained. They do provide bottled water in the refrigerators in the room. There is a downside about that because electricity only works when your room key is inserted in a slot when you are in your room. You only get one room key so when you leave the room with that key, everything turns off - all lights, air conditioning, and refrigerator. We did get a safe key for a reasonable price, as well.

Overall, I wouldn't come back to this hotel, because of the food. The only things to do at this resort was eat/drink and lay on the beach...and if you are left with only one option, you are gonna end up baking in the sun starving to death. I would def try another resort after talking to other people at the airport and hearing about their food options.

My friend and I were originally supposed to go to Cancun, but at the last minute got our trip changed to IFA Villas Bavaro Beach.....what a huge mistake! We would have taken our chance with the Swine Flu in Mexico then vacationing here if we knew what was in store for us. First we paid to have an ocean view room, but when we got to our room we opened the curtain to see a view towards the pool. My friend called up the front desk right away and we were told there are no ocean view rooms at this resort and there was nothing they could do! So, we got scammed into paying the extra money.

Then you would think that alcohol out of a soda gun would be awesome but it was not. It was watered down and disgusting. If you wanted any alcohol not out of the gun (ie- Absolut) it was $7 for a shot. Not something you expect when you are paying for an all-inclusive trip.

The food was not impressive either. The buffet was the same every day and not much of a selection. The staff was not very friendly and very little english was spoken.

The only thing that we enjoyed was the beach. It was a very pretty beach with plenty of palm trees for shade and the water was crystal clear.

Overall, the trip was a huge disappointment and not worth the money.

This hotel has the worst drinks and menu in Bavaro, Punta Cana.. I was there for 6 days, 5 nights and they had no variaty of any sort on their buffet menu.. Every day they had the same stuff on buffet.. So if you go there for a week or so, be prepered to eat the same stuff all of over every day.. alcohol and juice are even worse that food.. the artificial juice they serve are the worst on the market... nothing natural.. juice is all artificial and cheap stuff.. I would say that even cool aid is a millionare treat.. i'd rather cool aid 100 times more than that horrible stuff.. You'll die drinking their juice for a week.. and don't get me started with they alcohol they offer... Oh, my God! Could there be anything worst.. to be considered with this resort.. i'll give it one star....

We went to this hotel with high expectations but come away very dissatisfide.The check in desk staff where unpleasant to say the least,the room was at the back of the kitchen no view at all,the chamber maids did not clean our room till after 6 oclock,the meals had no variety at all, catered for dominicans and south americans too much,theres at lot of building work going on at the moment,but looking on the bright side that should be finished in few years time,noise on the beach from building work,helicopters,speed boats,water taxis etc etc.There was a couple of good things to say about the hotel, the rooms are a good size and well thought out ,the grounds are nice 3 nice pools,{the sun beds are bolted down so you cannot move into the shade},and one really nice barman called Kelvin, apart from that they need to retrain there staff in hospitality

This was our second time at the IFA Bavaro. May 9-16. 2 Yrs ago my husband and I stayed and we had the best time. Had NO complaints about the resort. We brought a family of 4 w/ us this time. It was there first time in the Dominican and picked IFA for there first trip. WOW! The resort has changed so much (for the good and the bad). I'm not one to complain about resorts. We have been to the D.R. 4 times and never once have I complained. This trip I had a few issues. Did not let it ruin my vacation.

The check in was a breeze. Our travel agent booked us an ocean view room but we didn't get them. It was okay because I really don't hang out in my room much. We requested to be close to the beach. We did get rooms close to the beach. When we got to our room, it was so hot in the room. Well, the A/C was not working. I went to the front desk. They sent someone up to look at the a/c. Nothing was done. They ended up by coming 2 times and nothing was done. I know they like money. With my little Spanish, asked him to fix the a/c and gave him 10.00us. Let me tell you the A/C worked PERFECT the whole week. He was very happy and so were my husband and I. The family we traveled w/ had no problems w/ there room. I noticed if you take your room key w/ you lights and a/c turn off. I brought an old credit card but it didn't work. I spotted a maid w/ my little Spanish she set me up w/ an extra key again few bucks helps and everyone is happy.

I thought the food was horrible. They closed the main buffet the week we arrived. I booked the Mexican and Oriental a la carte. My husband was so sick from the Mexican. It was our 2nd day and he was sick the rest of the trip. He didn't let it ruin his trip. Just had to be real close to a bathroom and drank tons of H2O. WE loved the Caribe and Oriental. Tried to avoid the buffet. Was very disappointed w/ the selection of food.

Breakfast was okay. I really liked the Pizza bar. We ate lots of pizza and fries. We did enjoy the beach grill.

The beach was wonderful. Plenty of chairs and shade. The staff was on the beach at 10:00am w/ plenty of music. My husband drove the little speed boats w/ the locals. Was going to book w/ Scubacaribe but gave my husband the run around.

My husband and I booked massages on the beach through the Spa. WOW! They did a great job.

The family that came w/ us had 2 young ladies whom wanted there hair braided. There were 2 locals whom walk the beach giving prices to have hair braided. On one of the last days the 2 young ladies went and had there hair braided w/ Mona. They walked down the beach to a little hut. Once they were done and paid the amount they requested. Mona was hassling them to pay her. Telling them they had paid her boss and they needed to pay her. Mona would not let up following them to the resort. Finally Mona stopped and returned to her hut. Be careful if you have your hair braided. Go to the Spa to have it done. Safer..

We spent a couple of days by the main pool. With my husband not feeling all that great we stayed close to our room and the bathroom. The pool has changed and looks beautiful. It was very clean. The swim up bar was great and Miguel was fantastic. He has GREAT customer service skill. He enjoys his job. We brought him a nice bag full of gifts for him and his family.

I do have to share w/ you that the locals check in for the weekend and are very rude. My husband and I were going back to our room after being by the pool all day. I noticed a local w/ his small child hanging out at the pool. I looked again and the child had his bathing suit pulled down and he was peeing in the pool. I made a comment and the local (dad) said "it's okay"

My husband and I noticed that there was a change in staff. We thought the staff was great. Amazing how many hours they work per day.

Our room was always clean and fridge was stock w/ plenty of soda, water and beer. We put out gifts and money every day for our maid. The rooms have changed from 2 yrs ago. I thought the rooms were very nice and bigger. The only complaint was when I did want to watch a little T.V. there were no English channels. My husband did catch a Red Sox game one night in Spanish. He was too sick to join us for dinner, he was very happy to be able to catch a baseball game.

Would not return to the IFA but would return to the Dominican and stay at a different resort..

Upon arrival I was disappointed with the condition of the lobby. The lobby was old and needed repair and the grounds leading to the resort needed a lot of maintenance. The condition of our room didn't change my initial dismal impression of the facilities. The first room would not open, the key didn't work, in the next room the lights flickered off and on and when maintenance came he had to go outside and hit the main electrical switch to get the lights to stop flickering. Needless to say after flying all day I was not amused by the conditions. In all fairness though I was comparing the accomodations to the Riu resort in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, which is a beautiful resort - even grand in comparison.

We found the food to be boring and similar every night. They very seldom served seafood which is my favorite and I think if your facility is 50ft from the ocean you would have lots of. The evening entertainment was the highllight of the resort - very good. The disco is to small for the large speakers that literally hurt your ears. And if you are looking to do a little off the beaten path sightseeing forget it, Punta Cana is not developed, so no shopping in quaint village shops, or hanging out with the locals. Overall it was the worst vacation that I have experienced and I regret that I booked it for 7 days. IExcept for the fact that I did meet a very sexy gentleman with a French Accent who arrived Dec. 11 and was to depart Jan 7, unfortunately I left the next day and didn't get his contact info. If that is you please write me a line.

first off as we arrived to the hotel the room lighting was so light you couldnt see one thing. second off the shades were broken so there was no way to get any light into the room the hotel is so spread out you mostly have to walk alot and take ur bags up too the floor was so slippery cuz of the way they built it i must of fell over 10 times. the food was discusting no selection for vegetarians everything was meat!!!!!. and if u wanted to eat some cheese there would be bugs and spiders all over the food either way. even the pizza had ham and all that stuff on it we had to make a special order every day so they would take into consideration people who dont eat meat. then you have to make reseravation for a restaaurant 2 days in advance and you dont even get a time until 10 pm 2 days passed we went to eat in theese restaurants let me tell u nothing special at all first of all there is a limit in starters and appetizers u can only have 1 dish out of 4 dishes of selections and a desert thats it and it was small portion and the fish made my husband sick.third of all we would expect the dairy restuarant to atleast have sometrhing dairy and nothing seafood everything was seafood and nothing like macaroni or something regularly you would eat. nobody speaks english not even that i know out of all my trips ive ever took the tv should be someting tourists shiould understand it doesnt. ONLY FRENCH AND SPANISH somehting that they have in common which sorta sounds like they dont care about americans but for us to pay 8 dollars a day to watch our language and not even that they promised to put it on and they wud always say were coming in 5 minutes no1 ever came until the trip was over and they ddint even offer our money back we were better off without it . the pool was a mess there was no regulations for any1s towels and limited seats the seat were frkn screwed down to the floor like someone was going to steal a cheep chair almost every chair was broken. and u would have to wake up at 5 in the morning tro acatually get a good seat not even that if there was no room at 9 there is no room on the beach tthere is a limit on the chair!s we basically sat on the floor the whole vacation . then there was a black out maybe 10 times weve been there . no power hot water runs out of the shower. 2 towels a day so if u wanna take a shower in the morning thats a problem. the bed i cant even imagine how squeeky and discusting it is all stains and the sheets were bally so they were old. i dont even think they change the sheets when your there for yur stay no alarm clock so basically your screwed 18 dollars for the key for the safe ,,,, theres no balcony many things on there site say they have alot of stuff which is pure lies!!! they dont state everything they have and what they say they have they dont even have. NO BELLBOY WEN YOU LEAVE so u gotta cary your bag down 3 flight of stairs and take a ten minute walk to the front. a 25 cent bag of chips was 2 dollars! anything else was very expensive everyone there is always begging to do things for you but they of course cost money. the pool was dirty worms and bees everywere in the pool!!! topless old ladies is just nasty and all men wearing there wifes underwear ppl in boxers this place is just sworming with disrespectful people

We stayed at the IFA Villas Bavaro in punta cana. Don't stay there ever! They had no activities for you to do. Most of the hotels in Punta Cana they have dance lessons, games at the pool, Spanish lessons, things like that. This hotel had none of that. The only thing they offered was water polo and water arobics and that was only once a day. Not to mention that the food was more for the for the European Countries. You could find something you liked that usually was the pasta. I just don't fell this hotel wants any americans to stay at this place. I did write the company it's self but I have yet to hear anything from them. PLEASE WE HAVE STAYED AT ALOT OF RESORTS IN PUNTA CANA, STAY SOMEWHERE ELSE NOT HEAR!!!!!

Very, Very disappointed with this resort. This was our fourth trip to the Dominican and we have loved it everytime.....except this time. This resort was a 2-star at best. First the good: the rooms were very nice. The a la carte restaurants were nice. That's about it. Now the bad: With the exception of the "Cafe Dominicana" bar, the drinks at the resort were horrible. Oh, they have top shelf liquor, but it's not all inclusive. You must pay $7.00 per SHOT (not per drink) for any top shelf liquor. So, for a Long Island Ice Tea, you're looking at over $30 for the drink! The bars were very ill-equipped. You have to repeatedly ask for ice in your drinks, and one bartender told me the reason there were never any limes at the bar was because they were too expensive. Also, unless you ask for alcohol in your drink, you don't get any!! Unless the drink is on their menu, they don't know how to make it. For example, I ordered a martini (which I had to pay $7.00 for), and they didn't know how to make it. How much more basic than a martini can you get??

My daughter's air conditioner in her room did not work, so she was finally moved after 2 days...to another room with an inoperable air conditioner! After 4 days and much complaining, the air conditioner was finally fixed.

I speak a fair amount of spanish, but I was surprised at how little English staff members speak. I can't even imagine someone going there who speaks no spanish....they'd be lost.

There is a large local contingent always present at the resort. The resort is located right next to a "suburban" residential area of private apartments/townhouses. ALL the residents have access to the resort, so it gets very crowded.

As mentioned earlier, the a la carte restaurants were ok. The central buffet was not.....the same food every single day...no variety. Same with the pizza snack bar, and the same with the beach snack bar. Whatever you do, don't order a hamburger...it doesn't taste like any beef I've ever had before.

The animation team was a joke. They too were very predictable....same thing every day....stretching and volleyball. That, coupled with EXTREMELY LOUD music blaring on the beach (and I might add, many of the same songs over and over and over again....enough already). And speaking of the beach, there are NO umbrellas of ANY KIND on the beach. Every other resort in the Dominican has thatch-roofed umbrellas for those not wanting to stay in the sun all day.......not this place.

If one had never been to the Dominican before, or to an all-inclusive before, one might think this is a nice place. But believe me, spend a few more dollars and go elsewhere. We have previously stayed the the Grand Oasis Resort, and the Sunscape Resort (coincidentally, located right next to each other). We had a wonderful time at both resorts and would highly recommend them over this place. DO NOT STAY HERE!!!