Iberostar Bavaro - Punta Cana???

[Dee Dee]

I am planning a vacation for 2 weeks in Oct of this year & one of my choices is the Iberostar Bavaro. I have read alot of good things about this place on the net but couldn't find any info in regards to how the place is for small children ( age 2 yrs & 5 yrs ). We don't need alot of childrens activites & we are planning to stay just at the resort, so we don't want a very loud place with partying etc.

Also, is the beach at this resort have large waves or just small lapping ones? My kids love the water but youngest was afriad of the loud ocean when we took her to Mexico this past March..maybe it was the age..not sure. In any event, are the waters calm enough for them to sit & play in lets say knee-deep to waist high water for a 5 year old child. I had heard the unertow was quite strong at this beach?

Know anything about the kiddy pool?, can you see the ocean from it , if you sitting around watching the kids? Any babysitting services available..and if so were they good?

How was the food in regards to the kids not getting sick? What about the heat, it is very uncomfortable..? If it's very hot during the day am I just better to keep the kids in t-shirts & shorts rather than swimwear to protect them or is the sun less brutual in Oct?

Thanks for any info you can pass along. I posted a previous message asking for info about travelling with young children & then realized I didn't mention the resort we were interested in OR the ages of our children.

 

[rabble rouser]

dee dee, i don't usually supply touristy info. as everyone has their own biases about what what constitutes a good holiday but you seem very anxious for an answer so here goes.

first of all there is no difference in sun strength in DR vs. Mexico. they are both hot, especially compared to Manitoba in october. simple rule-hat and sunscreen at all times; t-shirt over bathing suit between 11:00 and 4:00 -even when swimming-should prevent sunburns. that said weather in october is unpredictable. you are still in hurricane season, perhaps Mexico is less likely to be affected but don't count on it.

i am not sure what you mean by Mexican Riviera: Merida or the Cancun/Playa del Carmen area. if you mean Cancun then avoid it all costs (personal bias here) it is obscenely overdeveloped and should be boycotted by all tourists.

you are unlikely to find small lapping waves unless your resort is located in a sheltered bay, the only other place i have encountered them is in MoBay Jamaica which despite the name is not all bay.

one last piece of advice-if you think you& your kids will enjoy some of the water sports-kayaks, paddle boats, sail boats etc. then pack their PFD's if you have any, resorts may not always have the right size for your kids.

check the archives here, there may be old posts relating to your resort. hope this helps.

 

[Crystal]

hi Dee Dee, I did not stay at this hotel but the Allergo bavaro. The waves depend on the wind, which they have. I was there in June the waves were pretty mild. You could stand and not get knock down. I am not sure were this hotel in located, but if it is like in front of ours, the kids should be find. It is shallow for a little ways out. Wear water shoes and use sun screen, But it was not as hot as Cancun. Nice breeze, plus coconut trees!! Very friendly people!!!! October weather might be diffrent with the storm season. Have a good time!!

 

[Hootie]

DeeDee -
I stayed at the Iberostar Dominicana in April of this year, which is adjoining the Iberostar Bavaro. The Bavaro has nice accommodations, each being quite private, so I am sure you will have lots of peace and quiet for the little ones.

The beach is awesome. The Iberostar has nice palm beach umbrellas (palapas?) along the beach to shelter you from the sun, which I noticed many resorts did not. There are some waves, but I did not find them to be a problem. The water does get deep fairly quickly, so you may want to watch that. The pools are also very nice.

There is a "Kids Club" at the Iberostar, and the kids performed one night before the entertainment, which was really cute. I am not sure what all activities they do there, but the kids I saw seemed to be having a good time.

The food is good and there is quite a variety at the buffet - including lots of fries, spagetti, and other things that kids usually go for.

Hope you have a wonderful trip.
Susan