TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

The trip was okay. Me and my partner made the most of our time together there but overall the resort was whatever. The food over there was great (probably the best part of the resort) and the drinks were good too so no complaints there. They had live omelet stations, pasta station, steak and chicken stations. There was a nice variety of desserts, even a sugar-free area. The Italian and Japanese a la cartes were good Japanese was hibachi style and entertaining and Italian was good too, they turned the snack bar next to the pool into the Italian a la carte. Snack bar is good (make sure you're wearing shoes and a swim cover up to enter) A few of the days we had in the pool, there were quite a few dead bugs and leaves just floating around, only a few days they were really efficient with cleaning it up though. The bottom of the pool scratched up our feet as there are no pool tiles at the bottom, it got pretty uncomfortable at points throughout the trip. The pool was nice and deep besides that and had a little jacuzzi style area in the middle where you can sit and enjoy the jets. There's also a volley ball net beside the swim up bar but one side of the net is deeper than the other which makes gameplay a little harder for one side. The beach had two thin lines of seaweed running across the shore, which we didn't mind, but once you got into the water, it was pretty dirty. We didn't spend much time there because of that so not much to comment on. The rooms were good. The shower didn't have a door, which we found quite odd, but it worked over all if you put a towel down as a bath matt. The bed was nice and big, probably the biggest bed we've seen. We didn't use the TV at all, so no comment there. The safe worked well, no issues with it. The toilet had a good flushing pressure, so no worries with that. House keeping was consistent, nothing special though (even with tips). Entertainment was fine, if you have a good group of people with you you'll have fun. Mister iberostar and the karaoke night were our favorite shows. Other than those we found it to be just okay. The disco wasn't that lively its layout is a ring of higher ground and a few stairs leading down to the middle where the dance floor is. Not many people went to dance as in my opinion it's pretty intimidating to go down and have the whole ring of people on the outside watching. Me and my partner only went to dance one night when the resort was more lively and there were more people. There's bingo closer to evening time, a ping pong table, and large chess. We noticed that on the weekends a lot of locals spend the day at the resort so brush up on some spanish if you want to meet people. Another thing is that iberostar is a stop for a cruise so some people are only there for a day. So if you're a social person and trying to look for people to spend the week with good luck. Cats and peacocks roaming around the resort which we enjoyed. Reception for the most part was good, some really nice people but some snappy people. On our last day our flight was late in the day so we got majority of the day at the resort still, we had to check out at 12 and then put our luggage in a room at the side of reception, the room had an unpleasant smell and outside of it there were two washrooms, both with two smaller showers and a stall. As late check out was an option we thought it'd be okay to ask to pay for a room for an hour to shower privately and to be able to nap somewhere with AC (the bus we were on was at 6pm) but the first guy we asked gave attitude and asked my partner why we even wanted the room, told us someone else has it, and didn't try to check for us at all. We then came back to ask someone else and she went to check with her manager who said they can't do anything, but then she kindly suggested that we use the showers in the spa which is a nicer space. We didn't understand why it couldn't have been an option as we were willing to pay and it was a Tuesday so the resort wasn't full but we dropped it. Also, if you're paying for any of the additional room decor or birthday cakes before checkout, keep your receipt on you. They ask you to pay at reception during checkout but I asked to pay for everything before hand as I didn't want my partner to know how much everything costed, they allowed me to but when we went to checkout they asked me to pay again. Luckily, I did ask for a receipt the original time I paid, and it was dealt with quickly, but the price was still said out loud while my partner was there, and it wasn't preferred.

Overall a pleasant 7-night stay. Lots of peacocks in the property All blocks are smartly interconnected. If it rains, you can walk from the beach to the lobby (long walk) without getting wet Kids Club (Star camp): - For 4 - 12 years - Infant/Toddlers can stay and play in parent supervision in some hours - The best compared to all other AI resorts we have been to. - Every Star Camp staff is beyond amazing. - Tons of indoor/outdoor activities. - Enclosed mini pool and playground in the camp - They take the kids out to main pool, beach, and also to buffet lunch. - DJ for kids at Route 66 once a week. - They choreograph the kids to perform a show on stage in the theater. Room: We were in Family room which is 2 connecting rooms (one with 2 twin beds and other with King bed). We highly recommend it if you have multiple kids. We were in Bldg 7, facing the middle of the pool. Only Family rooms get a Playstation upon request. Use the app to request multiple baby items (check the pic I posted) Pool: - There is ONE gigantic pool and is the main hangout area for all guests - One corner is shallow for kids. - Yes it gets dirty quickly, collects sand from guests' feet and dried leaves from the surrounding trees. I noticed pool cleaning every morning but that was it. They should clean it frequently during the day. Food: There are 3 ala-carte - Sakura (Japanese) is a great Hibachi experience. - La Hacienda (Mexican) serves delicious food. - The Italian ala-carte dinner was below par, we didn't go back there - Buffet is above average, menu is mostly the same everyday. They serve special cuisine on certain days. - Download the app to make reservations (some guests were not aware of this) - Live cooking on the beach almost everyday Adult activities: - Multiple tournaments everyday: archery, darts, dance class, volleyball, etc. Winner gets a bottle of Dominican rum. - Beach party - Beach is great, never struggled to find a spot Fitness: - A mix Zumba, HILT, yoga sessions everyday ( all sessions were great ) - The trainers are awesome and eager to help Theater: - This is the weakest area. - It's 50/50 depending on your taste. - If you are into Karaoke, you will enjoy the karaoke night. - Dance shows are OK. - Route 66: In-house dance club

Like many others we have experienced other all inclusive resorts and had high expectations for the Iberostar Costa Dorado. The issues began at check in , we didn’t get the room we booked and we had to pay an additional $350 on top of what we paid already. We were assigned a concierge who was supposed to take care of all our needs . He was only available to coax us into the hotels sales pitch for the star program which is a joke because you really don’t get anything better than the regular guests. They wanted us to pay $3000 and all they provided was a bunch of scratch on a piece of paper we were told they couldn’t share details because we weren’t members. A total scam. There is no quality control food temperatures etc.., most of the refrigerated food was not cold at all and I never saw anyone making sure it was. We were ill with diarrhea most of our visit. Our electricity went out 3 times while we were there for 7 nights. All of the fountains and water areas were dirty with algae and not once saw anyone cleaning them. The fountain at the front of the hotel is rusty and looks like garbage and didn’t run. Like that’s what you want your guests first impression to be? The courtyards had grass over 6 inches and debree everywhere no grounds maintenance. The wind blasts on the beach and the chairs are buried in dunes again no maintenance no one raking or leveling the area it all really looks junky definitely not 5 stars 3 1/2 at best. We were very disappointed overall with the condition of the resort and the lack of seeing anything being done to improve any of the issues. The stack was good not great or over the top. We will not book this resort again.

To start, ignore the comments from a lot of people claiming the rooms are dated, the food is basic, that the beach was dirty. That was a complete lie! This place was amazing, the staff was awesome. The waiters in the market place and cleaning staff were so friendly and accommodating. I would like to specifically mention Lucy, our concierge. She was the sweetest lady there. She made sure my bf, who burns easily, had his aloe ready. The staff went out of their way to make us feel so comfortable from the moment we arrived. Fernando who also works for iberostar was awesome! We had massages, and hair treatments and everyone was so professional. Can’t remember the waiters name in the market place with the glasses (bad memory for names lol) but he made sure to take care of us every night and kept our drinks refilled. The security guards were very informative. I never feared our things would go missing and our car was well protected. The pool was always clean and the entertainment was so fun. The food is very mixed but delicious. A lot of a la carte but multiple restaurants & the market place is stacked with food/alcohol. I’ve stayed in many hotels in Dominican Republic and I promise I will be going back to Iberostar very soon. Loved it! And to the staff, thank you for everything you do.

What a magnificent experience! The people were absolutely wonderful. The food was great. I could not have asked for more positive in restful vacation. There were lots of wonderful sites to see, and the water was calm. Lots of beach time and a whole lot of sun.