JOIA Bavaro by Iberostar (Formerly Iberostar Grand Bavaro) - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

15689 reviews

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  Trip to the Dominican!

  What a great stay! The people and the place were amazing and we would come back in the snap of the moment. So many fun things to do here!! Educardo and Cesar were extremely helpful and got us everything we needed asap. Activities were so much fun with Alex, Dai, Javier, Luz, Edy, Tobias, and others! A memorable trip!!!

  Feb 21, 2025
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  Relaxing from start to finish!

  We traveled as a group of five couples and were treated like family by the staff at the resort. Rosa in the Star Prestige lounge, the entire team at the Members beach club, butlers, and waiters in the dining rooms made sure all the guests in our group had everything we needed, every taste bud satisfied, and every comfort! It was such a relaxing trip. I wish we could have stayed longer!

  Feb 20, 2025
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  February warm up.

  First time at this resort for my husband and I. We had a wonderful time and the resort was great. Beautiful beach and pool area. Our room was clean and had everything we needed. Edwardo was our butler and he did a wonderful job making sure we had everything we needed, checked with us daily. We were able to eat dinner at all the specialty restaurants, the food was good along with the service. No issues getting in as others have posted. The breakfast and lunch buffets were also good. Only thing, if you go to the pool after 7, do not expect to find a spot, as most are taken by then. Was up early one morning, around 5ish and noticed people with flashlights at the pool reserving their spots for the day. We were told if items were left more than 2 hours with nobody showing up, they would be removed, did not see this happen, just the usual no win situation with the pool loungers. Would definitely visit this resort again.

  Feb 19, 2025
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  Nice resort

  We had early in our stay written a review as we had several concerns the first few days. It was our second visit to the resort, staying 2 weeks. Jose, our butler, spoke with us right away stating that management took our comments very seriously. Jose went over and above to ensure our stay was as comfortable as possible and that our concerns were addressed. Very professional. Thank you. That is why I deleted my first review and we are resubmitting. The stay did improve. We did not enjoy the Italian restaurant due to the menu selections and food quality the two times we were there. All the other restaurants were very good. My husband enjoyed the beef and steak and I loved the salmon and lobster. Excellent service in all the restaurants. The omelet cook in the morning buffet was wonderful, friendly and she attempted to teach us Spanish each morning. The fruit selections were excellent. We give all the staff high ratings for service. We loved the room and the bathroom view was incredible, we had an ocean view on the top floor. We had issues with the bath tub not draining and overflowing, but that was dealt with right away. No further problems. Housekeeping was excellent. The resort is beautiful and well maintained. There is an adorable community of feral cats that are fun to see, they are not a problem to the guests, and I commend the resort for keeping them. They were there two years ago as well. The pool area and cabanas are lovely. Of course, you need to be down there by 7 am if you want a choice spot. But at all resorts this is the case. Not sure what would be a better system. They do a good job of monitoring cabanas that guests save and aren’t using. The beach is beautiful with very little seaweed. The bar service is very good. A fair selection of cocktails and spirits in the lobby bar. One suggestion is to use fresh lime juice in the margaritas and lime based drinks, not syrup. I found the mixed cocktails were lacking in freshness. The wine is fine. Nice selection of rums. Entertainment in the evenings was ok, it became rather repetitive with a 2 week stay. The bar lobby entertainment most evenings was lovely with the saxophone and singers. There were evenings where it was very loud with techno music, which we did not enjoy. We found that the resort is gearing itself to a younger demographic. Several guests are only there for 3 to 4 days. Bubble pool party, loud music and it has become more of a party atmosphere. There was a large American conference there when we stayed. Very loud and busy. We like to go to resorts that are quiet and relaxing, more of a boutique luxury resort. That is the main difference we noted this trip. We did leave an expensive dental appliance behind at Check out. Jose located it and Guest Services were efficient at getting it shipped to us. Thank you. We don’t like the morning sell up talk pitch when you first arrive. We skipped it this trip as we knew the content and preferred to be relaxing. All in all, it is the staff and the gorgeous kept grounds that make this resort beautiful. We appreciated their environment friendly practices, very commendable.

  Feb 18, 2025
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  Great Birthday trip!

  Spent 4 days here celebrating my sister’s 60th birthday. The resort is beautiful and i had a great time! All the staff were wonderful, especially our butlers Houston and Junior who went out of their way to decorate our room for her birthday and were always available if needed. We had a swim-up room which had a great patio to eat breakfast on. The crowd at the resort is older and it is a somewhat quiet crowd which we appreciated. Great beach and pools.

  Feb 17, 2025