We stayed at Grand Bavaro Princess for a week. To start with the positives, the property is visually beautiful. The landscaping and restaurant interiors are well designed, and the à la carte options, especially the hibachi and Il Tartufo, were solid. Some staff members were genuinely kind, most of the parties were fun, and the coffee was surprisingly great.
Unfortunately, the negatives outweighed everything. Our room had a strong mold smell and a large dehumidifier that filled with water every 45-60 minutes, which we had to manually empty ourselves or it would shut off. Instead of switching rooms they just sent someone to spray and cover the smell. After seven days, both of us had headaches, coughs, and itchy eyes, and all of our clothes smelled like mold at the airport. The bathroom drains smelled like sulfur, mosquitoes were constant, and housekeeping skipped days. The pool water was cloudy with debris, umbrellas were limited, and beach vendors would not leave you alone. Worst part is the st even hotel staff repeatedly pressured us to attend a membership presentation and would not take no for an answer. For the price, it felt very overpriced and we would not return. Lastly, food was mediocre, tasteless, one time I ate packaging paper that was mixed in a vegetable dish. Stay at your own risk.