Iberostar Grand Bavaro ★★★★★ Adults Only

I have a confession to make: before this trip I had never actually visited the Dominican Republic. Shocking, I know. I’d heard all kinds of incredible things about the scorching days and balmy nights, impossibly turquoise seas drifting idly alongside sand that could quite easily be sugar. I wondered how one could distinguish one opulent hotel from the next, each more sprawling and magnificent than the last. So what makes the Iberostar Grand Bávaro ***** such a unique paradise? The devil, of course, is in the details.

From the moment you arrive it’s not the sweeping grandeur of the resort that will strike you (stunning though it is) but the extra finishing touches that will knock you off your feet. I was greeted by no less than four smiling faces, complete with a sumptuous cocktail, as soon as I stepped into the Iberostar Grand Bávaro ***** – the genuine kindness of everyone who worked there being a theme throughout my stay. While the soothing cream palette and view of the Caribbean Sea glittering in the horizon were breathtaking, it was the thoughtful extras like 24 hour gourmet room service and butler service that made my Sea View Suite such an idyllic haven.

Of course, the Iberostar Grand Bávaro ***** is no stranger to the Caribbean tradition of grand resorts that feel positively palatial. Enormous pools (which, I hasten to add, are never short of sunbeds) are fringed by lightly swaying palm trees and the resort’s elegant ivory buildings. Lush golf courses invite you to while away fresh, bright mornings before hunkering down on the beach to toast under the Caribbean sun in absolute bliss. In fact, whatever it is that takes your fancy, the staff are always eager to make your tropical dreams a reality. After my stay at the Iberostar Grand Bávaro ***** it wasn’t simply a case of whether I’d come back or not – I’ll be counting the days until I can return!