Barcelo Bavaro Palace Deluxe

[FutureMrsSam]

 

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.

 

Wow! So happy for a fellow Winnipeg bride I can't wait to see what you did for OOT bags etc

[Tina G]

 

Tina who??? Whoo?? I promise to write my review tonight. Just been busy with apartment hunting

Haha nevermind tina, diana is your soror! Her brother went to school with me and her cousin is also getting married at bbpd in July and that's my friend too! Small world indeed! I sent you a follow request in insta

 

 

Felicidades chica!!! Thank you so much for the review and allowing us to see pics. It looked like a fabulous time! For now I have the cocktail hour but I may get rid of it to extend the reception for an hour. I hate that they only give us 3 hours!

 

@@candacey Congratulations and thank your for filling us in on your beautiful day! I get so excited when I read bride's reviews. It helps ease some of my anxiety lol 

[Jill812]

I have been stalking this blog for 9 months - and with ONE WEEK until my wedding, and 4 days until departure, I am overflowing with excitement and questions! The blog has been super helpful, so hoping that someone will have some answers about this:

 

My travel agent said that there is a "welcome gathering" for new guests on the resort. I have tried to get more info in order to include it in my 1-week-countdown email to guests, but not getting a very straight answer from them. I am thinking about just coordinating my own welcome gathering at Bar Carey as others have talked about doing. Any thoughts?

 

Also, Has anyone worked with Elizabeth? She is my WC but has not responded to me yet; and Daniela has been responding instead.. few and far between. Good thing everyone on here has said not to worry about the lack of responsiveness. 

 

Thanks Ladies!!! 

[1BeachBride]

Keep hearing about wedding planners not responding quickly as wedding time nears.

[alycamille]

We leave in 12 days and my coordinator Ramona hasn't been replying for 2 weeks now. I just got an email from Daniela saying that she's on leave. Justttt perfect! I'm hoping everything is still fine once we get down there.

[Reign14]

I have been stalking this blog for 9 months - and with ONE WEEK until my wedding, and 4 days until departure, I am overflowing with excitement and questions! The blog has been super helpful, so hoping that someone will have some answers about this:

 

My travel agent said that there is a "welcome gathering" for new guests on the resort. I have tried to get more info in order to include it in my 1-week-countdown email to guests, but not getting a very straight answer from them. I am thinking about just coordinating my own welcome gathering at Bar Carey as others have talked about doing. Any thoughts?

 

Also, Has anyone worked with Elizabeth? She is my WC but has not responded to me yet; and Daniela has been responding instead.. few and far between. Good thing everyone on here has said not to worry about the lack of responsiveness. 

 

Thanks Ladies!!! 

 

I was just at the hotel this past weekend for a vacation/site visit. I met with Elizabeth two days ago...she's my new coordinator as well since Susana is no longer there. Elizabeth is a sweetheart and seems very capable. She said she's been working at the hotel since December, and used to work for a Melia hotel so she has experience. She picked me up in a golf cart from the adults only side and took me on a tour of the ceremony and reception locations, and then to her office for our meeting. So nice. Try e-mail her again, as she just e-mailed me our new confirmation yesterday. If not, I'd just deal with Daniela since she seems to be the one responding.

 

Perhaps try calling Mon-Thurs to find out what welcome gathering they're referring to. Most of their weddings are Friday and Saturday (none on Sunday) so early it the week is the best time to get in touch with them. I plan to do my welcome gathering at Bar Carey since it's so nice. It's the most beautiful bar/lounge I've ever seen. And it's huge so there's plenty of room for multiple parties, if needed. Elizabeth mentioned that it's also the standard meeting spot for guests before they're taken on the trolley to the ceremony location. Another good location for a welcome is the Chillout Rooftop, although there's no shade. But I found that the sun wasn't beaming this time of year, it was hot but bearable and not very humid at all. I think it gets worse in June/July/Aug. The bar is several feet away, but there were servers taking drink orders when we were up there.

 

Bar Carey is a more central location though. You can't miss it. Go for that. That may be what they're referring to anyway. Good luck!

Just got back from my site visit/vacation yesterday.Let me just say that I knew the resort was nice, but I was blown away by how classy and beautiful it was in person. We stayed on the adults only side, and the room was decent, but I hear they're much nicer on the Palace Deluxe side so we'll do that for the wedding. And the guests most likely will too. (I knew that from what other ladies have posted but we wanted to make this a relaxing vacation- i.e. no kids running around, crowds, etc.- so we chose to stay there anyway).

 

The pools are awesome, the beach is beautiful, the ceremony and reception locations are amazing. Everything was so nice.

 

We upgraded to Club Premium and had pretty good service, I can't complain at all. And the perks were worth it too....free massage, access to the spa, wifi, room service, etc. We met another couple that stayed on the adults only side too and said their service wasn't good, but they didn't do Club Premium.

 

I have to say though... this place is like 100+ small businesses being managed like a well-oiled machine. I don't know how they do it. It's huge. Everyone was very professional and pleasant. The only time we had "bad" service was at the buffet on the Palace Deluxe side, but that is probably because it was so busy. The food was good though. The service at the adults only buffet was MUCH better, but the food wasn't as good (presumably b/c there's less people so there's less options and the food is refreshed less often). But we always found something to eat.

 

I will say that the employees try to speak English, but they prefer Spanish so it's easier to communicate if you speak and understand Spanish well or are with someone who does. I speak Spanish and my fiance is from DR so we didn't have a problem communicating.

 

A few other random things I liked:

-Kids water park and Pirate's island

-Golf Course

-Restaurants were very nice (Japanese and Steakhouse [filet] were the best, Italian and Mexican didn't do it for me)

-Shows every night were entertaining,. very talented performers

-Pools were huge and clean. Palace Deluxe side had a swim-up bar

-Lots of places to lounge...Sports Bar, Bar Carey, Rooftop, etc.

-Resort is big but walkable

-Trolley came often, never had to wait long

-Always food and drinks when you need it

-Bar Higuey, Rooftop, Garden Gazebo, Catholic Church all beautiful

-Beach is clean, sand is soft, water is a beautiful clear blue

-Not far from the airport or the excursion locations

 

I'm glad I went in person to get a better feel for where everything was and how the hotel is situated. I know my guests will have an amazing time there. The beach and pools are lovely and there is a lot to do.

 

Just wanted to let you all know that I'm glad I chose this hotel and I am looking forward to the next visit and the wedding!.

[Trish Upshall]

Hello Ladies!

 

I just got back on Monday from my wedding at BBPD. The weather was beyond perfect, didn't rain a single day! I am at work right now so I wil try to touch on as much as I can.

 

We arrived Monday around 6:00pm, we let everyone get to their rooms and get settled in and then had everyone meet us at the Bar Carey (Lobby Bar) for 8:00 which is when we handed out our welcome bags. We had our kids with us, so we had the family deluxe room which gave us two separate rooms which was perfect for the kiddos!

 

The next day we met with the wedding coordinator (I had Aris and she was great) and went over all the final details. I gave her all my centrepieces, candles, thank you notes, table numbers etc.. everything I had for the big day and then went over some music suggestions etc.

 

We had our rehersal dinner at the Steakhouse, we were only allowed to make a reservation for a max of 20 people so we just invited thebridal party adn their significant others, our parents and our photographer and MC.  Yes, we brought a photographer down with us.  It seemed to be cheaper to do that than it was to use tropical pictures...though, I have been following tropical pictures on facebook and pinterest and their photos are amazing and because the day was SO busy and so hot that I didn't get to take as many photos as I had hoped.  Another perk to bringing the photographer down with us was that she was able to take pictures of our rehersal dinner and time at the pool etc.

 

Wedding day! I had my hair appointment at 10:30, the stylists there did an amazing job on all the girls hair, I was super impressed! The bridal suite was already booked so unfortunately I had to get ready in my photographers room which turned out to be fine but I would have preferred the bridal suite so try to reserve that as soon as you can. The flowers were delivered to the room about an hour before the wedding, the bouquets turned out very nice. We took some photos outside while waiting for the coordinator to come pick me up.  The wedding party met at the bar carey 30 mins prior and Aris collected them all there and they took the train over to the ceremony site as we got married at the garden gazebo (which btw is absolutely gorgeous and more beautiful than pictures) then she came to get me, the photographer and my maid of honour (as only a few people can sit on the golf cart). I walked down the aisle to "Marry me" by Train and there were some speaker problems so it delayed the ceremony a bit but Aris made up for the time by adding 30 mins to our reception. The ceremony was perfect (they got the spelling of my name wrong on the certificate lol twice so they are apparently sending me the correct one in the mail) but other than that there were no issues. There are peacocks everywhere and the garden is just perfect. everyone then went back to the bar carey (which is nice and air conditioned- it was SO hot the day of the wedding that everyone was begging for some cool air) and then we were picked up again at 6 to go to the Bar Carey which is right beside the garden gazebo for our dinner. We had the caesar salad, beef tenderloin and creme brule and it was all good, everyonel oved the food.  Dj was great, played good music - had no issues there and my MC was able to coordinate the rest of the wedding events (garter and bouquet and speeches) with the wedding coordinator and everything went great. It was by far the best day of my life and everything turned out as it should have. The coordinator had set up all my decor etc exactly the way I wanted it.

 

Oh and one more thing - with the photographer, when i first booked with Marlene a year ago, I was told that it was no problem at all to bring a photographer with me as long as they were a guest of my wedding party. Well apparently now you still hae to pay a vendor fee (which is ridiculous because she was a guest and she was taking pictures) but anyways, i ended up getting out of it because i was originally told there was no outside vendor fee.

 

We originally were going to extend the reception an hour but it is just so expensive and everyone was so hot so we decided to just bring the party back to the lobby bar and we went and put the kids to bed and my mom stayed in with them while we went off to the disco. It was nice to cool down and some people went and changed into cooler clothes etc (including myself lol)

 

The resort is gorgeous! a lot of walking cause it is fairly big but all the guests enjoyed there stay.

 

Here are some pics - hopefully they load :S

 

 

[Reign14]

Yes! our wedding is at 3pm at the garden gazebo! That is awesome that you were able to do a site visit!

OK so I didn't see any weddings while I was there I only saw a reception going on in Bar Higuey on Saturday the 26th and heard the music playing. The place was lit up with colors...it was so pretty.

 

Hope your ceremony and reception were everything you had hoped for! Please let us know how it went when you have a chance.

 

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!! Congratulations!!!! That's so exciting!!!! The cocktail hour is not necessary esp if your guests are like mine and plan to stick around to see you take photos. I believe the crazy hour/extra hour was worth it for my group. The time goes by fast in between the dances and dinner, dessert etc. and we love to dance. So it was worth it for me. I wish I could have afforded to extend it another hour but no go.

 

Thanks so much, we're excited! 

 

Now that I've seen the resort it's easier to make my wedding decisions. Think I'm going to go with the Garden Gazebo for the ceremony location since it's shaded (and we'll have the little one) and then Bar Higuey for the reception since it's right there. This way the guests don't have to walk far to get from one place to the other. We'll head to the beach for pictures so they won't be able to see us take them, so I just have to find something for them to do in the meantime. I was thinking cocktail hour, but I'd almost prefer to extend the reception instead (since you said it's worth it). So my new dilemma is what to do with the guests for the 30 mins-1hr we're taking pics. Doesn't look like I'll be able to incorporate the rooftop into my plans b/c it's so far out of the way of the ceremony and reception locations. I'll be using Bar Carey for the welcome reception b/c it's sooo nice and they have a bar right there. 

 

Thanks for your help and all the advice!!! Hope married life is treating you well!

 

Edited April 30, 2014 by Reign14

[Trish Upshall]

OK so I didn't see any weddings while I was there I only saw a reception going on in Bar Higuey on Saturday the 26th and heard the music playing. The place was lit up with colors...it was so pretty.

 

Hope your ceremony and reception were everything you had hoped for! Please let us know how it went when you have a chance.

 

 

Thanks so much, we're excited! 

 

Now that I've seen the resort it's easier to make my wedding decisions. Think I'm going to go with the Garden Gazebo for the ceremony location since it's shaded (and we'll have the little one) and then Bar Higuey for the reception since it's right there. This way the guests don't have to walk far to get from one place to the other. We'll head to the beach for pictures so they won't be able to see us take them, so I just have to find something for them to do in the meantime. I was thinking cocktail hour, but I'd almost prefer to extend the reception instead (since you said it's worth it). So my new dilemma is what to do with the guests for the 30 mins-1hr we're taking pics. Doesn't look like I'll be able to incorporate the rooftop into my plans b/c it's so far out of the way of the ceremony and reception locations. I'll be using Bar Carey for the welcome reception b/c it's sooo nice and they have a bar right there. 

 

Thanks for your help and all the advice!!! Hope married life is treating you well!

Trish, you literally posted your update 2 minutes before my last post! Haha.

 

I'm so glad to hear it went well. Isn't it beautiful there? Your pictures are gorgeous and you looked flawless! The boys looked adorable too. I was there but didn't see any weddings. Although we spent a lot of our time on the adults only side. Glad you loved the garden gazebo. Not a bad idea to have a break b/w the ceremony and reception and take the guests back to Bar Carey so they can cool off. My ceremony starts at 4PM, so I think I'll do that, and have the reception start at 7PM.

 

Questions... how many guests and tables did you have, and what did you do for centerpieces?

 

Happy for you!

Not sure why that post appended to the end of my previous one...but it was a separate post when I first typed it...here it is again...

 

Trish, you literally posted your update 2 minutes before my last post! Haha.

 

I'm so glad to hear it went well. Isn't it beautiful there? Your pictures are gorgeous and you looked flawless! The boys looked adorable too. I was there but didn't see any weddings. Although we spent a lot of our time on the adults only side. Glad you loved the garden gazebo. Not a bad idea to have a break b/w the ceremony and reception and take the guests back to Bar Carey so they can cool off. My ceremony starts at 4PM, so I think I'll do that, and have the reception start at 7PM.

 

Questions... how many guests and tables did you have, and what did you do for centerpieces?

 

Happy for you!

 

Thank you!!  I will try and post more pics once my photographer sends them!

 

Yes the resort is soo pretty, beach is gorgeous and i loved loved loved the garden gazebo. we had 6 tables and 35 guests, for centre pieces I brought down small square glass vases which surprisingly enough didnt break at all and had fake flower arrangements to put in them, Aris filled them with sand for me so you didnt see any of the stems etc.  They looked great and had many people ask for one after the reception. then i had small tealights around the table and thank you cards on the plates. You must be getting so excited!

Edited April 30, 2014 by Trish Upshall

[DrVic]

@@Trish Upshall: Thanks so much for your review! My wedding is getting near so I'm so happy everything turned out how you had hoped!