While Barcelo Punta Cana is fairly inexpensive compared to competitors, the resort seems dedicated to mediocrity, with unmemorable food, tired facilities, and frustrating help.
Screaming children dominate the pool, with the noise drifting into the poolside rooms.
The biggest negative is the employees.
With a few exceptions, the staff ranges from indifferent and incompetent to downright rude, like the one who let a door slam in my face coming out of the restroom.
Many employees speak little or no English. As a result of the lackluster help, checking in turned out to be a long and complicated process.
And since no one bothered to mention that reservations are required for dinner or to assign us our restaurant for the evening, we ended up pleading with one of the nicer employees to find a way for us to have dinner.
He made a phone call and got us special permission to eat in one of the restaurants – which turned out to be practically empty.
The current owners are reportedly renovating the property, but some of the rooms still have discolored walls and 1970’s-style bathrooms with chipped tiles and rusty, broken fixtures.
The phone in our room was broken.
The system for acquiring beach towels was so complicated we never figured it out, although it apparently requires filling out and signing a special form.
The resort’s dress code for dinner is pretentious. The idea of bringing shoes other than sandals or not being able to wear shorts to an all-you-can-eat buffet at such a tired and undistinguished all-inclusive resort is ridiculous.
