The Catalonia Royal Bavaro is a beautiful resort with lots of restaurants and amenities. I chose a privileged room for the added perks, but aside from the closer distance to the beach, we didn’t take advantage of any of the perks (discounts on spa/dinners). The room itself was large and spacious, but not well lit. The location may have been shaded, but the lighting inside was very dim. The beach was full of pretty palm trees which provided a lot of shade, but there was quite a bit of seaweed along the shore. We explored the family resort for more dining options and the beach/pool. The family buffet had excellent variety for dinner. Tao Cat and Bloved had tasty options for meals, but Sorrento’s pizza was not very flavorful. The NYE buffet at Thalassa had delicious variety as well. The employees including bellhops, servers, and security personnel were welcoming, friendly, and attentive! They care about providing the best service.
We requested late check out which was included in our reservation based on availability. We asked the night before and were told to check the day of check out. We then called the morning of check out and were asked to come to the lobby which was a bit of a walk from our room. When we arrived, we were told we could not check out an hour late. We understand limited availability especially around the holidays, but were frustrated that we weren’t simply told “no” when we called. Aside from front desk difficulties, we had a wonderful stay!
