I've had my Cruiser 37 for a year now. I like it very much. I'm not a particularly skilled or ambitious sailor, but it seems to sail better than I expected. It's quick and stable, and surprisingly dry (indeed I rarely have the sprayhood up). I specified the optional extra pair of winches at the aft end of the coamings, and these certainly help with single-handing (in fact, using delayed auto-tack on the autopilot makes single-handing a doddle). The split backstay doesn't seem to intrude, and is useful for wrapping an arm around whilst helming.
The 2-cabin version is the better choice unless you need to accommodate loads of people. The 2-cabin gives you a proper chart table, a bigger aft cabin, a bigger heads with an excellent shower and wet locker, and a huge port cockpit locker. The ladder for the swim platform stows vertically in the cockpit locker and gives easy access to it.
In terms of equipment, the basic specification is fairly basic, so I specified quite a lot of options. Bavaria's package offers are quite good value, so I have the Smart Sailing pack, the Comfort pack, the Anchoring pack, and the Navigation pack. I also added the upgrade to the D1-30 engine, in-mast furling, Garmin HD radar, a bow thruster, the Fusion audio system and the LFS pack of jackstays and harness points. I'd recommend all of these options as being quite desirable, and the benefit of buying them as factory options is that you know everything is properly and professionally installed. In the first year, I've had no issues with any of the factory-fitted equipment. The navigation electronics work flawlessly and integrate seamlessly, and the autopilot is superb. The Jefa steering is light and robust, and Bavaria fit the Jefa linear drive for the autopilot.
Having sold my previous boat because the teak deck was getting close to needing a very expensive replacement, I avoided teak on the new one. Instead, I specified DuraDeck everywhere. It looks good, it's easy to keep clean, it's unlikely to wear out, and it seems quite grippy even when wet. One downside of DuraDeck is that it does seem to absorb sunlight and get quite hot, so for Med use I might not want it on the side decks.
Other options I'd recommend are Ocean Line flooring (which looks much nicer), a microwave (fitted very neatly in the factory), and hot air heating (although you may not want that if you're based in the Med). I specified retro-fit heating, in order to get a hot air outlet in the heads, so this is perhaps the only factory option I'd suggest you avoid.
There's very little I don't like about the boat, which seems to have been very carefully thought out. The cockpit table is perhaps a little wide when folded down, but it's a good bracing point. The cockpit seats are a little short for sunbathing, but I guess this is a trade-off for having twin wheels, and anyway we don't get much sun in the UK! The berth cushions aren't great. The fuel gauge is hopeless.
In terms of where you might buy, I'd suggest you should buy close to where you're going to eventually use the boat. Then, if issues do arise, your supplying dealer will be fairly accessible. Based on my experiences, I couldn't recommend the UK Bavaria dealers at all, and indeed if I were to buy another Bavaria I'd probably choose a dealer in somewhere like the Netherlands.