We had a very relaxing time in Catalonia Bavaro Resort during our one week stay in June. For the amount of money we paid, it was all worth it. Thumbs up to Catalonia for giving us the most unforgettable and most wonderful holiday in Punta Cana. I salute all the staff for the effort they give to make all their guests enjoy every minute of their stay. They work really hard to entertain everyone. They always have a smile in their faces and they always look like their enjoying their job. The place itself was very nice, the grounds are well maintained. The food was good. There are so many choices in the buffet restaurants. Enjoyed all the specialty restaurants especially the Italian and the Mexican. The American and the Japanese Restaurants were good too. Book these restaurants after you check in as it's hard to get it booked. We were just lucky because I booked it immediately after we arrived, thanks to all the tips i got from Trip advisor's reviewers. The hotel room decor was a bit outdated but it's always clean and it's very spacious. The complimentary safe in the room was a plus because you don't need to pay extra for this. The staff, what can I say but thanks for all the effort you do. I would highly recommend this resort to anyone who wants to visit Punta Cana.

We stayed at Catalonia Bavaro Resort from June 22 - 27 and we were very disappointed with quite a few things.

Room - we stayed in building 23, 3rd floor, halfway between lobby and pool, good location. Clean room overall and nice size with sitting area (what was included in pkg) but there were problems. No towels when we got there so we called. Didn't deliver so we found the laudrymat next door and got some from them. Same thing the next day, no towels but they brought some later. No face cloths at all but they give you sponges. First nite toilet was continually leaking but they fixed it the next morning. No hot water every afternoon from 2-5 so you had to wait to take a shower unless of course you wanted to freeze. TV went off the day before we left and didn't come back on until late that nite - same for everyone there. A/C in room ok but could have been cooler. Blow dryer in bathroom would have taken an hour to dry my hair so I used mine. Blew the circuit out every single time and that was just with the tv on, no lights. Managed to get it dry tho. Keys to our room didn't work one day so we had to walk to the lobby and get new ones. We talked to another couple there (they will also write a review) and they had similar problems as ours, even the key thing. Beds of course are hard but that happens most places - we took a blanket and put underneath the sheet which helped. They have a huge spa tub in the bathroom that we were going to fill. It would have taken 5 days just to get it up to the halfway mark so forget that.

Food - now this was the disappointment - buffets were not good. I cannot believe that anyone could eat that food in the other reviews. It was amazing how they could take veggies and turn them into something that nobody could recognize and taste horrible. The one good items were the roasted chicken and fried chicken however my husband got 3 pieces and all were still bloody - didn't eat them of course and even the waiter went ewwww. Even the breakfast had limited food and they put salad and carrots out as a filler, we laughed. The nice thing was you could make reservations for the ala carte restaurants instead of waiting in line in the mornings to get a reservation. Ate at the Rodeo Steak House and the steak was tender (better than the buffets that were like leather) but just a little overdone. Mariachi, Mexican restaurant was our fave. We would have eaten there every nite had we known. La Toscana, Italian - tried 3 different entrees, just OK. There is a place by the pool called Snack Bar Pleamar and unfortunately we didn't try that until the last day - GREAT pizza!!!! I would have lived on that had I known. Heard from another couple the Japanese was not good so glad we didn't try that one.

Pool and Beach - Pool is nice and large but just no breeze at all due to where it is located. Beach is gorgeous and huge! There are plenty of palapas however you do need to get out there by 9 a.m. to reserve one, even tho they say you can't, cause they will be taken. Plenty of palm trees tho for shade also. Went to the bathroom by the pool and they had shut the water off so had to wash the soap off my hand in the pool - I think they have a water problem at this resort obviously.

Service - well, it was ok. Most were friendly but some sure weren't. My husband likes club soda but from the tap is flat and they would not give him a small bottle of it, which they had plenty sitting there for alcoholic drinks. It was like he was robbing their bar. Heck, he's not even drinking liquor.

Would be stay here again? No. I'm sure there are plenty of other resorts that will be so much better than this one. The beaches are gorgeous there tho. We have stayed at so many resorts and found this to be no more than maybe 3 star. We have always been easy to please too so you can either take this as advice or not but hope it helps in making your decision.

Just returned from the Catalonia Bavaro, really enjoyed our stay. For what we paid, it was total value for money. We've travelled to many different places around the world and have never got so much for our money.
We dined at all of the a la carte restaurants twice, the t-bone steak in the steak house was fantastic, the lamb and salmon in the italian were great, the japanese was an experience and the food was really good too, and the mexican was also really good. Although the food on the buffet was similar each night, there was so much to choose from, you could still have a completely different meal each night. The freshly made pasta sauces, where you choose your own ingredients, were gorgeous! At each meal time there were chefs cooking fresh food for you, at breakfast it was bacon, eggs, omelettes and pancakes, then at lunch and dinner there were pizzas, meat, seafood and lots of other things being prepared freshly in front of you.
You can never be bored at this resort as there is something to do from morning until evening, whether it was a volleyball tournament or a painting lesson, all organised by the activities staff, as well as all the water sports also on offer. But, at the same time if you want to lay back and relax, you can easily do this too! The activities staff are super-human, they do all these activities all day long in the heat, and then go on to put on the show at night and then the disco after that. It was nice to see that they made sure the few single people had a dance partner and they included them in the festivities, and the male staff were very gentlemanly and knew how to treat a lady!
The staff were all incredibly friendly and welcoming, and they work very hard, for very long hours.
We always felt very safe and never even saw or heard of any petty crime, which does sometimes happen in European resorts.
The rooms were really big by European standards, and very clean. The air-conditioning and free mini-bar were very handy in the heat! Anything we asked for came in Caribbean time, but it did come!
We did a free golf lesson one day, which was very good but it was maybe a little bit too hot to be doing that kind of thing! The golf course was beautiful and very well looked after. Golf clubs are available for hire at the resort.
I would highly recommend this resort to anyone, but remember you're going to the Caribbean, so chill!!

The Catalonia was a nice break, but the resort needs a break of its own. The rooms are almost in the need of a total remodel. The bathroom and the patio were the best aspects, but the hotel must not believe in hot water. Thankfully my room had just warm water, but my friends in another room was always cold. Also, we did not get any wash cloths until I asked for them and they only showed up that one day. One day we did not recieve any towel or hand towel, so I called guest relations and it took them about an hour to bring some to the room. The beadspeads were nasty. I never used one. They are the orginial from when the hotel opened.
The pool is great, but it is so large that it is difficult for the resort to keep it clean. An abundance of hair, bugs, and slim floated on the surface of the water. The beach is the best part of the Catalonia.
Dinning was good, but I am not a picky eater. My friends could only eat hot dogs and hambugers at the buffet, but the restaurants were okay. There is little variety although the buffets have different themes each nigh. Overall, I was glad to come home and eat some real food!
The staff was friendly, but most could not speak English. Do not expect to feel like you are some one special at this resort. There is no pampering like there should be at a four star hotel. I would rate it as a two.
Finally, I would not come back to the Catalonia even if I could go for free. There are many nicer hotels that are around the same price as the Catalonia in Punta Cana.