Barcelo Bavaro Palace Deluxe

[tricia-m]

@@Tina G thanks love for listening to my rant. Don't get me wrong my wc (Hildabranda) is great. She responds ridiculously quick to my emails and answers all my questions.

 

I now wonder how long does the dinner take. Because in the end this would take the longest party of the program.

 

I am planning to bring and design my own centerpieces. I'll be making kind of a rustic chic tin can center piece with lace and simple flowers. Light and cheap!

[Tina G]

The world truly is very small! Yesterday I was tagged in a post on Instagram by my sorority sister. Her cousin recently attended a wedding at BBPD and he was a guest at Miss.Jali's wedding! I won't repost the pictures here out of privacy for her and her guest but she looked goregous and from what I saw her guests had an amazing time. Her guest who made the instagram post said "Amazing hotel if you need one in DR. Food, service, and people were great. ZERO complaints." 

 

Since I haven't visited the resort it was comforting to know that an acquaintance had such a great experience with our wedding resort. Just wanted to share since Miss. Jali has been so helpful and active on this forum. I can't wait to read her review.  

[tricia-m]

@@Tina G

Omg that's sooooo exciting!  I hope she posts a review.  Hearing that really does ease your nerves.  Just a little.  Haha.

Edited March 13, 2014 by tricia-m

[llewald]

Wedding Review!

 

Hello ladies, I have followed this blog for awhile and recently got married at BBPD on 2/22. I wanted to share my thoughts because I know other peoples entries helped me so much!

 

1. The resort is beautiful! It is extremely large, so be ready to walk. All in all, there is nothing to complain about. The views are fantastic and the ocean is picture-perfect! We were upgraded to the master suite, which was fantastic! Make sure to really ask about your free upgrade, if your wedding package included that. We were Club Premium, (highly recommend) and the Club Premium office was extremely helpful with all of our needs.

 

2. Dinner Reservations- Plan ahead! This was probably the biggest annoyance while there, which really wasn't a huge deal! Just be prepared to eat late because normal dinner times are reserved fast. When accommodating large groups, they will tell you they cannot book more than 12 people, but show them some "cash" and they will magically find a way We tried a variety of restaurants and enjoyed most of them. Top Choice for food- Japanese steakhouse (reserve the hibachi table)  Our worst food= seafood

 

3. Wedding!! Aris was our wedding planner and she had it all covered! We had a quick meeting with her a few days prior to the wedding to finalize all the details. We had the tangerine package and were very pleased with everything! Location- Garden Gazebo! OMG it was so pretty and private; peacocks and parrots were in the background! We were looking for a private and intimate ceremony and we couldn't have asked for more. The beach is gorgeous, but definitely not private for the ceremony. The decorations and flowers were wonderful, the musical trio was a great touch, and we splurged on the "cocktail hour" for our guests. All the guests said that the appetizers were the best! Our reception was at Bar Higuey- once again, spectacular! Everything is closely located to the gazebo and we were the only people there! The set-up is breathtaking and we couldn't have dreamed of anything better! I trusted Aris and went with the centerpieces that came with the Tangerine package and I'm so glad I didn't fuss over that! They were a fish bowl with flower and floating candle. Honestly, nobody pays attention to them and I'm so glad I didn't make the hassle to bring my own!

 

Music- We opted to rent the speakers and microphone and opted for no DJ. It worked out great and used an App that organized all of our music. The reception goes by very very quick and it was over before we knew it!

 

Wedding Food- All of our guests said, "this was the best food of our whole vacation" and they were not lying. We had the goat cheese salad, filet, and creme brule. It was FANTASTIC!  Our wedding cake was vanilla with strawberry filling with a butter cream frosting. Once gain, SPECTACULAR!!

 

After the wedding, we rode the train back, and continued the party at Bar Carey, the casino, and the disco. All in all, it was fabulous! I trusted Aris completely and there was nothing for me to worry about.

 

Photography- We went with Tropical Pictures and were very pleased. We got the silver package and our photographer got some spectacular photos! A few days after the wedding, we received the CD will all of the wedding pictures.

 

Ladies, I know it stressful trying to plan but believe me, it will all work out. They are professionals and do weddings several times a day. We had a wonderful vacation and wedding and I will now advocate for destination weddings!!

 

Let me know if you have any questions!

laurieewald@@gmail.com

[candacey]

Another wedding review (from Jan. 10, 2014)... sorry, it's lengthy!!!

Our wedding story is a lot different from many on this forum. My partner and I have been together for twenty years (since high school) and have two amazing children together. We decided that before I returned to work from Maternity Leave, we wanted to go away somewhere hot to FINALLY  tie the knot. We live in Canada, where we have been enduring a cold this winter that, with the windchill factored in, has  felt like -48 C (-54.4 F) on several occasions. We wanted our friends and family to join us on our vacation so we booked the Barcelo Bavaro Palace Deluxe to stay at. This resort is fabulous and has everything for people of all ages! 

I am in the process of writing a review of BBPD to share on Trip Advisor. I am also hoping to create a planning thread for the BDW site to share photos of OOT bag items, our vows, etc.

As for the wedding part, don’t worry about planning everything before you go. While I did communicate with my WC (Hildebranda) before I left (sent pictures of cakes and bouquets I liked), you meet with the her before the wedding to confirm colours, set up, etc.

We had almost 60 guests at our wedding and prepared 26 OOT bags. We gave them out at the airport , before checking in, so we did not have to carry all that extra weight. We had enough luggage to worry about as we were 2 adults and 2 children (aged 10 months and 3 years).

When we checked in, we were upgraded from Jr. Oceanfront Club Premium to Master Suite, which was awesome! I recommend Club Premium as it is just so much easier for booking restaurants, getting room service, premium drinks, etc. Our suite was beautiful and big and the best part was my hubby and I had a separate room from our kids! The maids made the couch into a bed for my son, and my daughter slept in her playpen. Our room was on the main floor and opened into a fairly large backyard, followed by the adults-only pool.

We were the only ones in our party to upgrade to Club Premuim and our guests were spread throughout the resort. Those with kids were in the family area and they seemed to group some of the other guests together. It was easy enough to find people at the pool or on the beach during the day.

After we checked in, we ordered room service and went for a swim. We did not realize the pool closed in the evening nor that we were in the adult pool with our kids!!

The next day we met with our wedding coordinator, Hildebranda. She was wonderful and had all of the details I had sent her on hand. We had chosen the Tangerine Package and met with her to confirm colours, table and huppa set up, food, flowers, etc. I gave her our cake toppers, guest book, flower pail, ring pillow, wedding party information, etc. I did not bring my own decorations or flowers.

Then we met with the photographer from Tropical Pictures (Michaela) and selected our package and outlined pictures we wanted included. Later that day, I went for the Tangerine Facial – the spa is amazing!!! They even fixed one of my nails that had chipped, at no cost. 

That evening, we had our rehearsal dinner at Coral Seafood Restaurant. As we could only reserve for 20 people, we invited our wedding party and their partners. Upon arrival at BBPD, our other guests booked tables at Coral at the same time, so many were able to eat with us. Unfortunately, this was the worst meal we had. The seafood in the buffet was rubbery and several meals were undercooked.

The following day was the big day! We woke up to a short rain shower (good luck?!!) and went for breakfast  and a swim with the kids. Then I went to get ready in the spa - I had my hair and makeup done. I asked for my makeup to look very natural, and was really pleased with how it looked. Originally, I planned to have my hair down but our wedding was on the windiest day so I decided to tie it back. I was actually super happy with the way it turned out, however, my hair clip kept falling out. We had to make a stop at the spa on the way to the reception to have it put back in securely. 

After my hair & makeup were done, the photographer from Tropical Pictures came to take pictures of me getting dressed, etc. She did a great job. We went with the Bronze package and later got sucked into spending another $600 to buy all the photos on CD. We did not want to waste any time out of the sun selecting which pictures to keep and which to get rid of.

We had our wedding on the beach – it was beautiful despite the wind.  I was really surprised by how many bystanders were taking pictures and even filming (weird). Thankfully, there was security preventing them from getting too close.

I had written our vows (with lots of help from this site) and a good friend of ours performed the ceremony – he was wonderful and added his own special, humorous touches. 

After the ceremony, we served sparkling wine on the beach and had a toast. Then TP took more pictures. I was choked that they charge an extra $100 just for having more than 10 (I think it was 10) people to photograph. I felt I didn’t even need a picture of everyone – I could have had a stranger on the beach capture that shot! Anyway, like I said, they did a good job.

After the pictures, our guests headed to Bar Higuey on the train while my partner and I stayed for more photos of the two of us on the beach and pier.

Then, after a quick stop at the spa to fix my hair, the WCs took us to Bar Higuey. I cannot say enough about this place – it is beautiful! We paid for DJ only (no idea if it was DJ Mannia but he played great music. Even my music-snob guests complimented the music and asked if we made the playlist). We did have the DJ play “Thunder Clatter” by Wild Club when we walked in – we felt the end of the song was appropriate: 

“I hear it call in the center of it all
You're the love of my life, the love of my life.
I hear it all in the center of my heart
You're the love of my life, the love of my life.”

Our first dance was almost immediately after – we danced to “Marry Song” by Band of Horses. Our friend who performed the ceremony also acted as our MC and the WC told him when to do things so the evening ran smoothly. We had enough time to get everything in in 3 hours without having to pay for extra time. 

My dad, sister and brother-in-law all did speeches, which ended with my brother-in-law welcoming me into the family and asking  the DJ to play the “Pollo” Dance – which was absolutely hilarious! Everyone got up to dance to the “Chicken Dance” song – it was awesome! I recommend everyone does it!

For dinner, we ordered Caprese salad, Fish medallions (which was actually filets) and crème brulee. We really enjoyed our meal, however, a few people said their fish was undercooked. There was also some confusion with the kids’ meals as two children were under age one... we did not have to pay for them, however, we did order pasta for them. The mix up meant my son did not get his meal until much later than everyone else, however, things did get sorted eventually. Children under 12 (I believe) were half price.

After dinner, we cut the wedding cake. It was a rectangular three-tiered wedding cake (each a different flavour), decorated with fake sand and shells I had brought. It was so delicious but no one was really hungry, and we felt terrible that most of it was wasted. We also did the garter and bouquet toss. 

Following the reception, we took the train back to the main building. Our guests went to Bar Carey and I went to help put the kids to bed in my parents’ room. My dad and nephew then walked my back to Bar Carey, where I joined our guests for a drink. The pianist played “Here Comes The Bride” as well as “O Canada”, which we all sang to!

After Bar Carey, we headed to Strikers and then to the disco. I was certainly the centre of attention in my wedding dress at the disco, and to make it more obvious, my partner’s uncle pulled my onto the dance floor and spun me around like a princess. It was a lot of fun!

At the end of the night, we walked back to our room to find it beautifully decorated with rose petals.

My husband’s sister got married at BBPD three days after we did. She had her wedding in the Ocean Front Gazebo. The guests sat outside the gazebo and the location was very close to where ours was on the beach. They went with Mint Breeze package, but because they had more than 20 guests, the dinner was held one of the private banquet rooms (not in a restaurant). The room was closed in and nowhere near as nice as Bar Higuey. Also, the only beverages served were beer and wine (as opposed to International bar). The appetizers and cocktails on the beach were yummy, however, their wedding was on another windy day… and it started to rain while we snacked! For dinner, they ordered the steak and molton lava cake, which were both delicious. 

Overall, it was an amazing, memorable experience for everyone! I would not have changed a thing. Please let me know if you have any questions.

[tricia-m]

@@llewald

 

Congratulations to you and your new hubby!  Thank you so much for the review. Wonderful advice about the dinner reservations!  It's very reassuring that the food was amazing.  You hear such drastic reviews about the food but awesome news that especially the food at the wedding was great.

 

I am so happy that everything turned out amazing.  It goes to show that us planning brides need to trust in our coordinators and that our wedding will be the dream we've always wanted.  Thank you again!!!

 

 

@@candacey

 

Oh hunny, I think we are from the same bipolar weather city.  I am glad you got to get away from it's depressing weather. Congratulations to you and your spouse!  Hildebranda is also my wc, it eases my mind everything went so smoothly. We are booked in the Master Suite right now, I am crossing my fingers to get an upgrade! 

 

We are also booked with the Tangerine package, you mentioned the facial (totally excited for this) but you didn't mention anything about the couples massage?  I know this is included in the package, did you guys do this? If so, when?

 

Did your children enjoy the resort?  Did your family go to the "water park" at all?

 

 

THANK YOU AGAIN ladies, these reviews truly make our planning and nerves just a little more bearable.  I can't wait!  I am sure I'll come across a few more questions, but thank you again!  Best wishes to you and your hubbies!

[candacey]

 

@tricia-m: Yes, good old Winterpeg!!! It was so nice to get away for 2 weeks of sun and relaxation. Hildebranda was awesome, and she worked with Elizabeth, who was very sweet (not sure if she is new?). The Master Suite is incredible, but if you get upgraded, I'm sure it will be even more amazing!

 

The couples massage... how could I forget??? Was soooo great! My hubby has never really been for a good massage before and he loved it! They did a really deep one for him and he wanted to go back! We saved our massage for the second week as our first week was so busy (with 2 weddings, etc and most of our guests left after the first week). Bring your bathing suit and spend some time in the pool, steam rooms, etc. afterwards. He thought it was hillarious running from the steam room to the ice cold pool to the boiling hot pool - some entertaining camera footage from that experience!

 

The kids loved the trip too. My son said he did not want to come home until summer time and it was such a treat not to have to suit my daughter up in her snowsuit every morning! Typically, our routine was to head to the buffet for breakfast (ate made to order omlettes, fresh pancakes and fresh fresh fruit pretty much every morning), go for a swim (either in the ocean or in the pool), have lunch (usually buffet), nap, swim, have dinner (usually a la carte at 6:15 PM).... very laid back and relaxing! Because our room opened onto the adult-only pool, my partner and I would hang out there while the kids were napping. It was awesome! Bring a baby monitor, if you have. We did go to the free kid's pool several times as a few of our guests with kids had rooms there... it is great! We only went to the Pirate's Waterpark twice as noone else in our party were Club Premium and therefore had to pay to go there. It was cool but a bit much for my baby girl. My son loved the mini golf too. I am sure your son will love it!!!

[DrVic]

Awesome reviews @llewald and @candacey. Can't wait for my wedding in two months!

[Huskergirl9]

Thank you ladies for the great info and reviews!  I have two months to go as well, getting super excited!!

 

After reading through posts, should I try contacting Hildebranda before leaving for BBPD?  Sounds like most of our decisions will be made once we arrive.  We will be arriving 3 days prior to the wedding.  

 

We have selected the Mint package on the beach.  Pretty small group, so no dance reception.  We will basically use what's included in the package.  

 

One question that has been brought up with our guests is:  Does the Wi-Fi work well throughout the resort?  We are going to pay for everyone to receive Wi-Fi as most of our phones will use this for messaging one another. Does anyone know the current pricing/room?

 

Also,  Has anyone noticed if the BBPD has changed their wedding package rates for 2014?  All my info is from 2013 & I've noticed brides from years back post later that prices increase.  Just curious, guess we are stuck no matter what. 

Thank you ladies for all your info, help, and advice.  Looking forward to hearing from some more of you as you return. 

[tricia-m]

@candacey That sounds so lovely to be away for 2 WEEKS!  But at least our weather now is letting up and the sun is shining on all the lovely potholes we have. :s

 

Omg, I cannot wait for the massage and facial!  I feel like our time is so restricted since we are trying to do everything within the week that we are there. But I'll just keep telling myself everything will be fine.

 

I am so happy that the resort catered so well to your small children.  I am positive my son will not want to come back either.  Haha.

 

Thank you again for answering my questions.  I am so excited!!!

 

 

@tricia-m: Yes, good old Winterpeg!!! It was so nice to get away for 2 weeks of sun and relaxation. Hildebranda was awesome, and she worked with Elizabeth, who was very sweet (not sure if she is new?). The Master Suite is incredible, but if you get upgraded, I'm sure it will be even more amazing!

 

The couples massage... how could I forget??? Was soooo great! My hubby has never really been for a good massage before and he loved it! They did a really deep one for him and he wanted to go back! We saved our massage for the second week as our first week was so busy (with 2 weddings, etc and most of our guests left after the first week). Bring your bathing suit and spend some time in the pool, steam rooms, etc. afterwards. He thought it was hillarious running from the steam room to the ice cold pool to the boiling hot pool - some entertaining camera footage from that experience!

 

The kids loved the trip too. My son said he did not want to come home until summer time and it was such a treat not to have to suit my daughter up in her snowsuit every morning! Typically, our routine was to head to the buffet for breakfast (ate made to order omlettes, fresh pancakes and fresh fresh fruit pretty much every morning), go for a swim (either in the ocean or in the pool), have lunch (usually buffet), nap, swim, have dinner (usually a la carte at 6:15 PM).... very laid back and relaxing! Because our room opened onto the adult-only pool, my partner and I would hang out there while the kids were napping. It was awesome! Bring a baby monitor, if you have. We did go to the free kid's pool several times as a few of our guests with kids had rooms there... it is great! We only went to the Pirate's Waterpark twice as noone else in our party were Club Premium and therefore had to pay to go there. It was cool but a bit much for my baby girl. My son loved the mini golf too. I am sure your son will love it!!!