Grand Bavaro Princess – a comprehensive review for this fully-renovated Punta Cana all-inclusive resort

What a surprise during our stay! Princess Resorts in Punta Cana might not have the fame of well-known brands such as Dreams, Iberostar and RIU, but they offer a gorgeous hotel. We visited Grand Bavaro Princess’ all-inclusive resort on our last trip and were absolutely surprised about how super modern it is, what delicious food they offer and the overall quality you get for a pretty affordable price. Grand Bavaro Princess All Suites Resort is a fully renovated all-inclusive resort in Punta Cana which is as new as a recently built hotel, with gorgeous gardens, a lot of native wildlife and comfy rooms with a contemporary design. But before mentioning all the amenities this Punta Cana resort has to offer already in the introduction, better read this comprehensive hotel review of Grand Bavaro Princess to see what you can expect when booking this full-service all-inclusive resort in Punta Cana.

This is a comprehensive review about Grand Bavaro Princess. You can find their separate family resort Princess Family Club Bavaro here. There are also hotel reviews available about Tropical Deluxe Princess and Caribe Deluxe Princess.
If not sure which all-inclusive resort to book, you can continue reading here about how to find the best all-inclusive resort in Punta Cana.

Where is Grand Bavaro Princess?

 Grand Bavaro Princess is located in Punta Cana, in the east of the Dominican Republic. It is part of the main tourist destination in the country with its countless all-inclusive resorts in Punta Cana. Grand Bavaro Princess All Suites Resort is nestled right to Bavaro Beach, the longest and most famous beach in Punta Cana. Its neighboring resorts are Occidental Punta Cana and Paradisus Punta Cana.

 The resort is a mere 14 mile- or 25-minute drive away from Punta Cana International Airport. It is recommendable booking your airport transfer in advance to avoid any hassle and guarantee a smooth start to your Punta Cana vacation. You can check the best airport transportation options from Punta Cana International Airport to Grand Bavaro Princess here.

 Grand Bavaro Princess All Inclusive is one of the few resorts where you are in the middle of local life. Compared to other remote Punta Cana all-inclusive resorts where there is absolutely nothing around except beach, coconut groves and wilderness, you can walk from Grand Bavaro Princess to some unique local spots (recommendable during daylight only), among them Corners Bar (a bar famous among ex-pats), Drink Point (a popular local nightlife spot in Punta Cana) and Delicias de Bavaro (a local restaurant with some of the best Mofongos (a local dish made with plantains) in the area). All of them are just around 6-7 minutes walking away. Find out more about it in the extensive Punta Cana nightlife guide.

 If you’d like further information about the location of Grand Bavaro Princess All Suites Resort Spa & Casino, you can check out its surrounding on the map of all Punta Cana all-inclusive resorts.

Overview of Grand Bavaro Princess

 When choosing a hotel in Punta Cana (read here how you can find the best all-inclusive resort in Punta Cana), it is important to know what to expect. There are tropical resorts, huge resorts, small resorts, contemporary resorts, party hotels and much more.

 Grand Bavaro Princess is one of the larger Punta Cana resorts, which is mainly due to having a (beautiful) mangrove area right in the middle of the hotel property. Exactly those mangroves and the surrounding green areas within Grand Bavaro Princess are home to one of the most extensive wildlife varieties I have seen so far in any of Punta Canas’ all-inclusive resorts. During our visit, we were able to spot flamingos, ducks, goose, peacocks and iguanas, among other birds and smaller animals. Hence if you love animals and Caribbean wildlife, Grand Bavaro Princess is a great pick for you. There is also a mini hiking path through the mangroves, allowing further impressions of this ecosystem.

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 But let’s continue this Grand Bavaro Princess review with a general overview of the property as you are probably not only traveling to the resort to see some animals.

 When arriving at Grand Bavaro Princess All Inclusive, you’ll see immediately to your left the bigger building of the Princess Family Club Bavaro, which is a separate resort from Grand Bavaro Princess. The details of this area will be part of the separate Princess Family Club Bavaro review.

 Getting into the lobby, you will immediately be greeted by the modern and contemporary design which was created when Grand Bavaro Princess got completely renovated a bit more than a year ago. This lightweight and modern design is also running like a common thread throughout the entire resort.

 Right next to the lobby, you can also find a wide array of amenities at Grand Bavaro Princess in Punta Cana, including some of the à-la-carte restaurants (see the restaurant section below for details), the sports bar, a couple of shops, a huge outdoor plaza for entertainment at night, the lobby bar and the main buffet of Grand Bavaro Princess. This agglomeration of facilities and services makes this a particularly busy area, especially at night, as there are many people around enjoying their food and drinks, complemented by nightly live music or performances, especially as long as the theatre is still closed due to Covid-19 hygiene protocols in Punta Cana. It is a perfect place to meet people, have a drink or simply hang out in the very cozy lounge furniture. There is also an ice cream truck open at night at this main plaza, which is perfect when traveling to Punta Cana as a family.

 Not too far away from the lobby you can also find the gym, a quiet pool and the spa of this Punta Cana resort. Adjacent to the main plaza is a lake, which is home to two further restaurants (incl. the super delicious Indian restaurant as you can read further below in this Grand Bavaro Princess review). The lake also hosts beautiful color games with its fountains at night.

 If you continue walking through the resort, you will reach the mangrove area described above with its wildlife diversity.

From here, it is just a 2-3-minute-walk before reaching the main accommodation area next to the beach. It is home to most of the rooms (regular Bungalow Suites and Platinum Club suites), the newly built coffee shop and the platinum lounge area with two further restaurants and a gorgeous bar and lounge area.

 Once reaching the area right at the beach, you can find all the other amenities of Grand Bavaro Princess All Suites Resort: the main pool area, the small kids water park (check out these resorts if you are looking for Punta Cana hotels with a huge water park), a beautiful buffet restaurant right at the beach, some food trucks and water sports activities. The northwestern end of the beach section is also home to the PBG restaurants, the Platinum club pool and an amazing chillout bar for Platinum club bookings on the second floor with marvelous views of the beach and the ocean. Check below for pricing, photos and advantages of the Grand Bavaro Princess Platinum Club. The following photo is showing the main pool area where most of the activities are happening during the day.

 In short, Grand Bavaro Princess All Suites Resort can be divided into three main areas. The section close to the beach is home to the main pool, the majority of the rooms, the coffee shop and the Platinum Lounge area; the mangrove section with a walking trail and lots of wildlife; and the lobby section with plenty of restaurants, the main entertainment plaza, many other amenities, some of the rooms and the Princess Family Club Bavaro (you can buy a day pass to access it from Grand Bavaro Princess), which is a separate part of this Punta Cana all-inclusive resort and will be topic of a separate hotel review.

 As mentioned, Grand Bavaro Princess is one of the larger all-inclusive resorts in Punta Cana. The distance from the lobby to the beach is around 2400 feet or 0.45 miles, the largest distance from the room to the beach can be 2800 feet, even though the majority of the Grand Bavaro Princess rooms are located 1000 feet or less away from the beach.

 But don’t worry about the distances, little trains and golf carts are running through the resort very frequently, so it isn’t a problem getting quickly from the lobby to the beach or vice versa.

The beach at Grand Bavaro Princess

 Talking about the beach in this Punta Cana resort review, Grand Bavaro Princess is located at Arena Blanca beach, a beach section belonging to the beautiful and famous Bavaro Beach.

 The beach at Grand Bavaro Princess is absolutely worth visiting. Bright and fine-grained sand, a beautiful view of the entire Arena Blanca bay and swaying coconut palm trees are creating the perfect Caribbean image.

 The beach at Grand Bavaro Princess also includes a separate Platinum Club section with separate beach bars, waiter service, huge and comfy beach beds and a beach club restaurant. Below you can read more about the advantages of the Platinum club and if it is worth booking.

 But also the regular Grand Bavaro Princess beach section is a true Caribbean beauty. Particularly the beach chairs caught my attention as they are not the typical old ones with the blue half-rotten polyester you find in some cheap all-inclusive resorts in Punta Cana. Rather you can enjoy refurbished beach chairs with material made out of higher quality. This is just one of the advantages you can enjoy as Grand Bavaro Princess in Punta Cana got completely renovated at the end of 2019.

Furthermore, Grand Bavaro Princess offers a buffet and food trucks right at the beach. Particularly the latter one made up for beautiful photos and were very popular among the guests, serving drinks and typical convenience food such as barbecue, hamburgers and hot dogs but also daily specials such as Paella or a delicious Asian chop suey.

 If you like walking, you can leave this Punta Cana all-inclusive resort on foot exploring the area – beachside. From Grand Bavaro Princess All Suites Resort, Spa & Casino, you can walk along the most beautiful Punta Cana beaches for 7.5 miles northwest bound and 4.5 miles southeast bound without your feet leaving the sand. A long beach walk is one of the things to do in Punta Cana you should never miss.

The rooms at Grand Bavaro Princess

 Even though Grand Bavaro Princess is a fairly large resort with more than 1100 rooms (+ those at Princess Family Club Bavaro), it is absolutely easy to choose the right room as they only distinguish between three different room categories:

• Bungalow Suite
• Platinum Suite
• Honeymoon Platinum Suite

 All suites are – as the entire resort – completely renovated, super modern and sparkling clean. There was not even a single grain of dust on top of the shelves or other surface areas which are hard to access. The deep cleaning processes to ensure extended cleanliness and to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in Punta Cana seem to work very well.

 Besides this, the bungalow suites are coming with a white, shiny design and lots of space as all Grand Bavaro Princess rooms feature an impressive size of at least 700 square feet, perfect for families and couples alike. Amenities include a separate living area with a sofa bed, a large balcony or terrace, a spacious and fully-equipped bathroom with a separate shower and toilet, a 50 “TV with cable TV, air-conditioning, free WiFi (which works pretty well throughout the resort without too much of reconnecting) an electronic safety deposit box in the room, a daily replenished minibar with water, soft drinks and beers and a coffee making machine. Grand Bavaro Princess rooms are coming with either 1 king-size bed or 2 single beds.

 Regarding the amenities in the room and the general design, the Grand Bavaro Princess platinum suites are not so much different from the bungalow suites, which doesn’t matter a lot as they are brand-new and well-equipped anyway. Upgraded amenities in the platinum suites include a Nespresso coffee maker (compared to a “regular” coffee maker in the bungalow suites), a hydro massage bathtub (compared to a “regular” bathtub) and an additional television in the living area. The most important advantage of the Platinum Suites is the access to the platinum areas of the resorts, which is outlined further down in this Grand Bavaro Princess hotel review.

 Honeymoon suites are having a rounded bed, 1 romantic dinner per week and 1 lobster dinner per week included.

The rooms are distributed over approx. 90 (!) buildings, each building being home to 12 rooms. Due to this scattered layout, Grand Bavaro Princess absolutely doesn’t feel like a huge resort, which gives it a more intimate vibe.

 If you are traveling to Punta Cana as a family, you should also consider one of the Family Club rooms. You can read all the details about this section within the resort in my separate hotel review of Princess Family Club Bavaro. Deciding for one of those family club rooms also grant you access to the larger water park at Princess Family Club Bavaro which otherwise is not included for guests of Grand Bavaro Princess.

Booking and Prices at Grand Bavaro Princess

 Even though Grand Bavaro Princess doesn’t have a lot of room categories, it’s worth having a closer look at how you are going to book your Punta Cana vacation. As with most all-inclusive resorts in Punta Cana, Grand Bavaro Princess is available throughout all major booking platforms. They all come with their distinct advantages and with different prices, which are interesting to consider. Furthermore, it is also worth checking the website of Princess Resorts in Punta Cana, as they offer competitive rates as well.

Website	Your Advantage	Grand Bavaro Princess
Apple Vacations	Great package deals and interesting promotions
Booking	Get up to 10% Genius discount on the already discounted rates
Expedia	Online travel agency with great deals, personal service and good reputation
Hotelscombined	Powerful hotel search engine by Kayak
Princess Resort Website	Book directly through the hotel and enjoy additional perks and discounts when registering for free for their My Princess program
Travala	Get a 25 USD welcome bonus (register here*) + 2% cashback
Tripadvisor	Compare prices and reviews on one site

 As you will see when checking prices, a stay at Grand Bavaro Princess’ bungalows suites will start at around 180-200 USD in the low season and around 280-300 USD in the high season. The platinum rooms are currently only around 50 USD more expensive per room per night. A rate of 25 USD per person is a true bargain as you can see below when discussing the Grand Bavaro Princess Platinum advantages. Of course, these prices might vary.

 In case you haven’t booked your flight yet, you should also check if a package booking consisting of flight, transfer and hotel might be cheaper. Sometimes this is the case, sometimes not. Just have a look at the current package deals.

 Exclusively for this Grand Bavaro Princess review, we have done an extensive check of different booking websites, tour operators and travel agencies to find out where you can find the cheapest prices for your vacation. For this price comparison, I have assumed three different scenarios:
Scenario 1: couple looking for a cheap Punta Cana vacation in low season, lowest room category (bungalow suite), 15 November – 22 November
Scenario 2: couple looking for a Punta Cana holiday with VIP experience during high season, platinum suite with club services, 15 February – 22 February
Scenario 3: family (2 adults, 2 children 8 and 14 years) looking for a family holiday at Grand Bavaro Princess during summer, bungalow suite, 15 July – 22 July

(mobile users: please turn your device to landscape mode to enjoy the best view of this table)

Booking website	Rate remarks	Scenario 1	Scenario 2	Scenario 3
		Click on the prices to see the current rate
Princess Resort Website	refundable (slightly cheaper non-refundable rates available)	1564 USD	2901 USD	2917 USD
Princess Resort Website (My Princess)	free registration for My Princess; refundable (slightly cheaper non-refundable rates available)	1376 USD	2553 USD	2567 USD
Expedia	refundable rates	1564 USD	2901 USD	2808 USD
Booking.com	Genius rates, free registration necessary; refundable rates	1376 USD	2654 USD	2525 USD
Apple Vacations	tour operator cancellation conditions; rates include shared airport transfer	1320 USD	2633 USD	2557 USD
Travala	refundable + 2% cashback; optional crypto payment possible + 25 USD bonus if you register here	1407 USD	2611 USD	2551 USD

All prices were taken on the 20th of August 2021.

 Interestingly enough, there wasn’t one single page that was able to score the lead in all three categories.

 In general, Hotelscombined* showed the most attractive prices for Grand Bavaro Princess. However, being a metasearch engine, you can’t book through Hotelscombined, they send you to other online travel agencies. Some of the lowest prices featured by Hotelscombined led us to pretty unknown booking websites like Travelup with no track record and an unknown reputation.

 The hotel website of Grand Bavaro Princess* was offering some very attractive prices as well – but only if you register (for free) for their MyPrincess members’ program. By joining, you can expect discounts of around 12% (up to 20% for special promotions) and added amenities like a fruit basket and a bottle of rum in your room. They offer refundable and non-refundable rates – make sure to pick the offer fitting best with your travel conditions.

 If you are a Genius member at booking.com* (which is easy to reach by just registering) you can also take advantage of some very attractive rates. The 10 to 15% Genius discount marks a big difference and accounts for very competitive rates of Grand Bavaro Princess which are worth looking at.

 Expedia*, which usually does offer very competitive rates when it comes to all-inclusive resorts in Punta Cana, wasn’t able to score some of the lowest rates for Grand Bavaro Princess All Suites Resort Spa & Casino this time. While their rates were generally in line with booking.com or the hotels’ direct offers, they didn’t have any cheaper promotional rates or members discounts during our test.

 Apple Vacations*, one of the biggest package tour operators in the US and especially strong for vacations to the Caribbean and Mexico, also offers very competitive prices which are worth considering, so make sure to check them for your travel dates, especially when looking for package deals to Grand Bavaro Princess. You’ll also have shared airport transfers from Punta Cana included and are secured by Travel Protection Plus.

 In short, it pays off to compare different offers. The best websites to check for the best Grand Bavaro Princess prices AND conditions are Booking, Hotelscombined, Apple Vacations and the website of the resort.

 Very important: Prices can vary from one day to another, they might also be different depending on the country where you are located. Make sure to check booking, payment and cancellation conditions, as they might vary widely. It pays off to compare different platforms, but it is also worth to skip some of the cheapest offers if you don’t know and/or trust the company. If booking directly with the hotel or with renowned platforms like Booking.com or Expedia or leading tour operators like Apple Vacations, Sunwing Vacations or Virgin Holidays, you are usually making a good decision.

Restaurants and bars at Grand Bavaro Princess

 Are you feeling hungry after so many price comparisons and different websites? Don’t worry, once you arrive at Grand Bavaro Princess you can feast on delicious food and tropical drinks. Besides that everything was so super modern in this Punta Cana all-inclusive resort, the variety and quality of the restaurants were what surprised us most during our stay, particularly considering that Grand Bavaro Princess All Suites is a resort in the mid-price segment.

 Let’s first have a look at the key facts. Grand Bavaro Princess features a wide array of culinary options, among them 8 (!) a-la-carte restaurants, 2 buffets, 1 sports bar, one food truck area, one coffee shop and 5 further bars. For all platinum room bookings, there are additional 3 exclusive restaurants and 4 more bars. That’s an impressive selection for an individual hotel in Punta Cana.

The restaurant options are as following:

• La Hispaniola Buffet
• El Trapiche Buffet
• Chopin Buffet (for Platinum Club only)
• Wasabi – Sushi and Caribbean fusion cuisine (à la carte)
• Samsara – Indian à la carte
• La Hacienda – Mexican à la carte
• El Gaucho – steakhouse à la carte
• El Pescador – fish and seafood restaurant à la carte
• Focaccia – pizzeria à la carte
• Tanuki – Asian à la carte and Teppanyaki tables (show cooking)
• Il Tartufo – Italian à la carte
• Rebels Sports Bar – pub food à la carte
• Platinum Beach Grill – grill à la carte (for Platinum Club only) 
• Soho – gourmet à la carte (for Platinum Club only) 

 In general, the quality of the food is outstanding considering that we are not talking about a high-end all-inclusive resort or a 500 USD+ hotel in Punta Cana. We had hardly anything which wasn’t delicious or which was overcooked, with very few exceptions. Furthermore, the thematic restaurants are living up to their name, you can immediately feel that you are in a different world (which is different from some cheap all-inclusive resorts, where the seafood restaurant, the Caribbean and the Mexican restaurant are serving similar food, just with different names and decorations … ).

 It is important to know that most menus of the themed restaurants are pretty limited when it comes to variety, which is – in our opinion – absolutely fine. First of all, you have 10 restaurants to choose from (8 à la carte and 2 buffets as a non-platinum member), hence most likely you are only dining once in each à-la-carte restaurant, even if you are staying a full week. Second, we prefer to have a smaller menu with great food instead of a wide menu with average food, because with limited food items, the team in the kitchen knows exactly what they have to do. If you are interested, you can check the menus of each restaurant here at the Grand Bavaro Princess website* (scroll down to the restaurants listed and click on “see menu”).

 We haven’t been able to try all restaurants during our stay at Grand Bavaro Princess, but we tried hard. 😉

Important to know: Grand Bavaro Princess follows a no-reservation policy for their à-la-carte restaurants, which means you can visit the themed restaurants on as many days as you want. It is first come first serve. If you arrive during peak dining hours, you might have to wait a bit, but obviously can get a drink in between.

 Our favorite restaurant was Samsara, the Indian restaurant. It was indeed typically Indian with the flavors that make India so special. After our stay, we found out why. The chef of the only public Indian restaurant in Punta Cana (which is called Pranama and ranked in the Top 10 on Tripadvisor and is super recommendable) was involved when creating the menu, designing the decoration and training the staff – which you can absolutely feel. There aren’t a lot of Indian restaurants in Punta Canas’ all-inclusive resorts, but what we ate (and felt) at Grand Bavaro Princess’ Samsara could bring them the No. 1 spot with regard to Indian food in Punta Cana, in addition to the public restaurant Pranama in the Corales area.

 Another great pick is the Wasabi restaurant, which was heavily influenced by a renowned Asian chef as well. We just ordered sushi here, but this was among the best-presented sushi plates we had in all-inclusive resorts in Punta Cana, comparable with those fantastically decorated sushis at Hard Rock Punta Cana or RIU Palace Punta Cana.

 We also splurged at the Platinum Beach Grill and ordered two baby lobsters (which are included in your Grand Bavaro Princess Platinum all-inclusive plan) for lunch, which was a feast eating right at the beach.

 Even the main buffet La Hispaniola was extraordinary considering that we are talking about a resort in the mid-price range. There was a huge selection of basically everything. Compared to other all-inclusive resorts with similar prices, we were happy to find salmon, delicious crunchy bread, various kinds of cheese, quinoa, couscous, freshly prepared fruit juices (without sugar – hard to find in the Dominican Republic) and a huge selection of local and international warm food at the breakfast buffet. For lunch, I was impressed to see a Taco station (with really good Tacos!), a made-to-order salad station and an impressive selection of salads and vegetables (incl. some not so cheap and common items). Even the pizza at the buffet was quite delicious, which you can’t take for granted in Punta Canas’ all-inclusive resorts. The only negative point I found was some overcooked vegetables (especially broccoli and asparagus), which is quite common at Punta Canas’ buffets.

 Besides the main buffet, there is also another buffet right at the beach, El Trapiche, which allows you to have breakfast and lunch with fantastic ocean views. Check out the Princess Family Club Bavaro review for further information.

 Right at the beach, you can also find the Princess food trucks, which are offering quick and easy bites for in between. While I didn’t try the food here, it was always pretty busy and you can’t deny that these food trucks at Grand Bavaro Princess have a prime beach location.

 The only place which didn’t impress us was the Chopin buffet. While the setting of the restaurant next to the lake and the mangroves is truly spectacular and the decoration of the outside seating area lets you feel like in a super chilled but sophisticated lounge, the selection of the food here was very limited and just included the basic items from the main buffet.

 Getting thirsty while reading this comprehensive Grand Bavaro Princess review? You can visit one of the 6 bars the resort has to offer (+ 4 Platinum club bars). A huge drink selection is awaiting you, even I can’t say a lot about the quality of cocktails, as we are only rum and beer drinkers. 😉

 Our mojitos were not the most impressive ones we ever had, but they were good. The brands of alcohol to choose from have been absolutely sufficient – Canadian Club, Ballantines, Johnny Walker Red Label, all kinds of good Dominican Brugal rum, Stolichnaya, Smirnoff Vodka and Gordons Dry Gin were just a few of the premium brands you could choose from in every bar at Grand Bavaro Princess.

 Beers included were mostly Presidente, but you could get Heineken and Corona in the Platinum Club section.

 Another nice feature is the newly built open-air coffee shop which just opened at the end of 2019. Even it is located in the Platinum Club Section, it is accessible for everyone at Grand Bavaro Princess, including those guests at Princess Family Club Bavaro.

Entertainment and service at Grand Bavaro Princess

 Service at Grand Bavaro Princess was absolutely fine. Everyone was super friendly, everyone did his job, everyone was helping us when we had any questions or any specific requests. I always call it an unobtrusive service, which is just perfect.

 Regarding entertainment, you can enjoy the full program of a typical all-inclusive resort in Punta Cana. Grand Bavaro Princess counts with 3 tennis courts, a well-equipped (but a bit cramped) gym, table tennis, a beach volleyball court and several activities such as aerobics, archery, aqua gym or water polo. Furthermore, there is an on-site water sports center, where Hobie cats, surfboards and kayaks are included.

 At night, you have plenty of entertainment around the main plaza, usually with live music or other show performances. The theatre is still closed due to Covid-19 restrictions in Punta Cana, which, in my opinion, is not a disadvantage as people are gathering more together outside and making Grand Bavaro Princess more active at night. There also have been regular live DJs next to the food truck area which made up for a nice beach experience at night.

 Another thing worth mentioning is that Grand Bavaro Princess All Suites Resort, Spa & Casino is one of the few all-inclusive resorts in Punta Cana that has a disco with public access. While this comes with a small disadvantage that drinks are usually not included, the big benefit is that you can easily get in contact with the local people without actually leaving your resort. Surely it has to be noted that the disco is still closed due to Covid-19, but once it will open again, it will be accessible to the public as well.

Another entertainment option (day and night) is Rebels Sports Bar, with its pool and kicker tables and arcade machines, which are especially popular among teens and young adults.

Platinum Club (VIP Level) at Grand Bavaro Princess

 I have mentioned the Platinum Club already a few times in this Grand Bavaro Princess review. While “Platinum Club” sounds like a membership, it absolutely isn’t. You just have to book the Platinum Suite to enjoy the privileges of the resort’s VIP level. Let’s have a closer close if it is worth booking Grand Bavaro Princess’ platinum rooms.

 First, let’s look at the advantages of the Platinum Club (sometimes people also call it “Platinum Private Club Bavaro Princess”, even though it isn’t a private club):

• Exclusive lounge for Platinum guests
• 3 Platinum restaurants (see restaurant section above for details and below for our experiences)
• 4 Platinum Club bars, incl. a rooftop ocean view lounge
• Exclusive beach club with waiter service for drinks
• Platinum Club pool for adults and children
• Upgraded room amenities as described above (Nespresso coffee maker, bathrobe, etc.)
• 24-hour room service
• Private check-in at Platinum Club Lounge
• Bars with additional premium brands
• Daily turn-down service and beach towels in the room
• 1 lobster dinner per week
• Reservations for à la carte restaurants.
• 10% off all spa treatments.
• Princess beach bag.
• Exclusive on-site transport for Platinum guests

 If you have booked a Bungalow Suite and want to upgrade on spot to Grand Bavaro Princess’ Platinum level, this is possible – subject to availability. The rates are varying depending on your length of stay, so the best is to ask for the best price upon check-in. You can expect it to be around 35 USD per person per night.

 However, it is usually more economical and affordable if you prebook your stay at the Platinum Club. Simply choose one of the Platinum rooms when booking your vacation at Grand Bavaro Princess and you are good to go. Especially when doing the price comparison showcased above, I saw prices for the Platinum rooms for as low as 25 USD per person per night (surcharge compared to a regular bungalow suite) which is an absolute bargain and (basically) a no-brainer. Of course, these prices might not always be available. The surcharge for a Platinum Room at Grand Bavaro Princess can vary according to the season.

 As with most all-inclusive resorts’ VIP levels, there are a lot of advantages and additional services, even though you won’t need all of them. We haven’t used the room service or spa, nor is the turn-down service important for us. But we understand that each guest has his own preferences.

 What we particularly loved about the Grand Bavaro Princess Platinum Club were two things: the rooftop bar and the Platinum Club lounge area.

 My favorite place definitely was the PBG bar and chill-out lounge right at the beach on the second floor of the PBG building. It is designated like a rooftop lounge with a fully-equipped bar, the choice between high chairs and cozy sofas, well-selected relax and chill out music and a fantastic view of the ocean and Punta Canas’ beaches. Coming here for the sunset hours and enjoying either a cocktail or a chilled beer is truly priceless. They even serve Corona beers, which is quite uncommon in Punta Canas’ all-inclusive resorts.

 Another great place was the Platinum Club lounge. While the Platinum reception area felt a little bit like an uninspired empty room, the lounge right next to it with the bar and the Chopin restaurant was so delightful and sophisticated with the decoration and the nature around that it was a true pleasure to have a pre-dinner drink there.

 Talking about drinks as a Platinum guest – you have some upgraded options as well. While the selection of drinks at Grand Bavaro Princess is already pretty high as a regular guest (as indicated above in the bar section), you enjoy additional amenities at all bars as a Platinum member.  Some of the additional brands for Platinum Club guests at Grand Bavaro Princess All Inclusive are Kahlua, Cointreau, Disaronno, Chivas Regal 12 years, Don Julio, Tanqueray, Gordons Dry Gin, Absolut Vodka, Malibu and some more. You also can drink two of the best Dominican rums, Barcelo Imperial and Brugal Leyenda. If you are into beers, you can choose between Heineken, Budweiser and Corona, even though they are not available at all bars. À-la-carte wines or champagnes are still for a surcharge though.

 Concerning food, the big plus is the Platinum Beach Grill restaurant at the beach (PBG). Especially for lunch, it serves as a great place to eat fresh seafood a-la-carte, such as salmon or mini lobster, included in your all-inclusive stay.

 For dinner, you also can get some fine cuts of meat and fish (incl. shrimp carpaccio for example) at PBG, even though we felt the difference to the other dinner restaurants was not that big (as they all served delicious fares).

 Right next to PBG restaurant you can enjoy a separate pool for Platinum Club guests, including a swim-up bar. There is also a separate Platinum beach section with plenty of very comfortable 2-person beach beds, which are more than comfortable to spend the entire day on. You can see that everything is super new here.

 In the end, you have to decide if it is worth the money to book the Platinum Club Level at Grand Bavaro Princess All Suites Resort Spa & Casino as everything depends on your personal preferences. For example, for us, it was priceless to eat those mini lobsters from PBG restaurant for lunch right at the beach and enjoying our Corona beers and other drinks at the rooftop bar for sunset, both with fantastic ocean views. If you love to order room service or are lounging the entire day at the beach in the premium beach beds, Platinum Club is also absolutely worth the money (as room service otherwise is not included). On the other side, if you are a pool person (as in my opinion the main pool offers more diversity) or don’t care that much about some extra treatment, you are absolutely fine with the regular bungalow suites at Grand Bavaro Princess, particularly considering that the food and drink standard in general is pretty high.

 As mentioned, a platinum room for just 25 or 30 USD more per person compared to the bungalow room is an uncomparable bargain, if it is more than 50 USD per person you should compare the Platinum Club advantages with your own preferences.

Interchanging facilities between Grand Bavaro Princess and Princess Family Club Bavaro

 I have already mentioned Princess Family Club Bavaro a couple of times in this hotel review of Grand Bavaro Princess. It is a separate area in the resort and especially suitable for families. You can see the separate review of Princess Family Club Bavaro here.

 It is important to note that guests of Grand Bavaro Princess and Grand Bavaro Princess Platinum Club have access to all the facilities and services mentioned in this review here, but not to Princess Family Club Bavaro, even it is located within the same property. On the other hand, if staying at Princess Family Club Bavaro, you have access to the entire Grand Bavaro Princess, but not to the platinum services at Grand Bavaro Princess All Inclusive.

 Furthermore, even there are three additional Princess Resorts in Punta Cana (Punta Cana Princess (adults only), Tropical Deluxe Princess and Caribe Deluxe Princess), you don’t have access to these resorts (nor do other Princess guests have access to Grand Bavaro Princess).

Safety Protocols and Hygiene Standards at Grand Bavaro Princess

 Due to the global Covid-19 outbreak, it is more important than ever that hotels are complying with the safety protocols and health regulations to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in Punta Cana and elsewhere. Thanks to the extensive guidelines and laws from the government of the Dominican Republic, this works particularly well here in the country. While Covid-19 is still an issue, entry regulations are stable and easy, hospitals always had and have sufficient capacity and the suppliers and tour operators are working hard to maintain a highly sanitized environment to guarantee a worry-free vacation for you.

 The same can be said about Grand Bavaro Princess as well. There is an extensive Covid-19 protocol in effect that regulates the sanitary standards in the hotel. While this includes the typical measures like social distancing, deep cleaning and frequent sanitizing, we were also able to experience on our own that this all-inclusive resort complies with the Covid-19 guidelines. Only in the gym you had to take care of your own sanitation.

 During our visit, we could particularly observe the following best practices:

• When using public spaces (bars, restaurants, the train, check-in, etc.) it is mandatory to wear a mask. If you forget your mask, the staff will happily hand you over one and/or remind you gently (without being pushy).
• All areas, especially restaurants, are operating with limited occupancy.
• Hand sanitizing stations are available throughout the hotel and before the restaurants.
• When using the buffet, you get a disposable glove to serve your food with the serving tongs
• You can find a Covid-19 kit in your room with hand sanitizer and disposable face masks.
• Plexiglass separators were mounted at check-in desks, some bars and buffets.
• The theatre is closed and got substituted with open-air live entertainment.
• Chairs, tables and sun loungers are set apart to guarantee social distancing.
• All restaurant menus are only available digitally.
• Employers are wearing their face masks.
• Deep cleaning and sanitizing of the rooms after each departure.

 We felt totally safe during our stay at Grand Bavaro Princess and felt that the Covid-19 guidelines were implemented in the right dimension. They were serious about keeping everything super clean and avoiding any risk of contagion, but the measures were not overly strict to not disturb the guests’ peace of mind. We haven’t seen any area at Grand Bavaro Princess where the Covid-19 regulations have been ignored or where we could imagine a potential (health) security risk for guests.

Excursions from Grand Bavaro Princess

 When visiting Grand Bavaro Princess in Punta Cana, you should also consider leaving your all-inclusive resort for some days to explore some of the treasures and natural beauties the Dominican Republic has to offer. Some of the highlights include Isla Saona, Los Haitises National Park, the Samaná Peninsula or Santo Domingo.

 If you are interested in excursions from Grand Bavaro Princess, you should check my recently published article about the 35 best excursions and tours in Punta Cana and beyond. If you are more of a DIY adventurer, you can have a look at the possible day trips from Punta Cana or other things to do in Punta Cana.

 But even if you don’t want to do that much sightseeing and just want to have some fun, Grand Bavaro Princess’ excursions get you covered. Particularly ziplining and dune buggy tours in Punta Cana are super popular and guarantee a blast, while you also can consider to hop on a party boat and have fun on one of Punta Canas’ catamaran tours to the natural swimming pool.

Summary

 Before our stay, I never had an idea what the Princess Resorts are standing for as they are a low-key brand that can’t compete with the shining popularity of AM Resorts, RIU, Hard Rock or Iberostar. Their resorts have been under my radar for a long time, which has changed with our experience at Grand Bavaro Princess.

 This Punta Cana hotel is a perfect choice if you are looking for a premium (but not high-end) all-inclusive resort in the mid-price segment. It is completely renovated in all areas, which makes it a perfect option if you prefer modern hotels with a contemporary design. The rooms at Grand Bavaro Princess, which is called “All Suites Resort” not without a reason, are super spacious and have all the facilities you need for a pleasant all-inclusive vacation in Punta Cana.

 Furthermore, we were absolutely surprised by the food and the selection of drinks. The hotel made great efforts and I was told that the gastronomy is the part which has improved most during the last 2 years of Grand Bavaro Princess All Inclusive. You can see that they put in some serious efforts in creating a unique dining experience without charging a luxury all-inclusive fee. We particularly loved the Indian dinner (one of the best in Punta Cana), the design of their themed restaurants and the general selection of food and restaurants.

 Grand Bavaro Princess is probably not the perfect choice for you if you prefer a small and compact resort (in this case, check out their sister hotel Tropical Deluxe Princess or other small hotels such as RIU Palace Macao or Serenade Punta Cana) nor if you want to splurge in the best luxury resorts in Punta Cana. However, it is a perfect option if you are looking for a fully refurbished hotel, spacious rooms, beautiful nature, various wildlife and a full array of culinary options, all for an affordable price that isn’t breaking the bank, but which sets it apart in terms of quality from the cheapest all-inclusive resorts in Punta Cana. It is also a great option for a relaxed family holiday in Punta Cana, especially when considering the Princess Family Club Bavaro.