TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

This was supposed to be a birthday celebration. I have spent my birthday at an iberostrar in Jamaica last year, with sparklers and cake, and thought of going to DR this year to do the same. It was a bad idea. BEACH: Unswimmable due to seaweed. It's not the hotel's fault there's seaweed in the ocean--but it is the HOTEL'S FAULT FOR FAILING TO CLEAN IT UP! It just sits there for days along the shoreline and piles up, at the knee-high level, so you can't access the water. The water then is dirty because the water grabs the seaweed that sits on the shoreline and it floats there near the entrance....Please see the photos for yourself-- the seaweed does not lie. You can see where the fresh one is, and where the old one, and then the oldest one that hasn't been cleaned out is... the photos were taken on the 27 of May (2025). BIRTHDAY/SPECIAL OCCASION: Made the butler aware of it. He informed that because the hotel is against plastic (although coca cola came in plastic bottles), there won't be any balloons/decorations, (unless we brought that ourselves) or anything special like candles/sparklers, again, because the hotel is against fire (although the hotel did put on a fire show, and used sparklers inside the theater for other shows) but he will do us a favor and organize those. A few days before birthday, I even spoke with the hostess of the restaurant that I wanted to visit for my bday, and asked if they could do candles and cake--she said all of that is organized by the butler, and that they cannot do anything unless he organizes it. Of course he did absolutely nothing. No decorations (not even a happy birthday banner, even though I saw the "happy anniversary" banner at some other door), no candles, no "happy birthday" messages. Nada! I happened to run into the compliance manger in the afternoon on my bday, and complained, she said she'll pass the message to the hire-ups. In the evening, the restaurant that I wanted to go to was closed, and the others had long lines/queues, so we just went to the buffet. The compliance manager happened to be there, and we met eyes, she recognized me. When we came back to our table with food, our table was decorated (it was not decorated before), and at the end of the dinner, the staff brought cake and one candle. They sang a HBD song. I am thankful, but I can't stop thinking that if the compliance manager wasnt there at the buffet checking the place out, and if she did not see me or recognize me as the girl who complained earlier---none of the happy birthday stuff would have happened that day. At the checkout, a few days, later, I saw on the screen that cake, decorations, and other stuff for special occasions cost extra money: $300-400. And that's at 5 star (?) all-inclusive resort. Ridiculous! DINING: If the buffet is closed, and it is closed at least once a week for dinner, then good luck trying to get into the restaurants. You'd need to wait between 50 min to 1,5 to get in if you're not there at 6PM. The resort offers classes until 6pm, and at least one or two restaurants are closed per day, and that all creates a rush hour/traffic at 7-8PM when the majority of ppl go to eat to the remaining ones. You will also be lucky if the app (buzzer) works correctly, or you may not even get a message that there's a table for you. SMOKING: It should be smoke-free, but ppl smoke everywhere, inside the lobby too, and it is not regulated. Gross. TEMPERATURE: Too hot everywhere. The hottest room--is the fitness center. I know... unbelievable. ELEVATORS: The hotel turns them off on purpose to save on electricity. They only worked in the afternoon when ppl were expected to check-in. I know this, because I asked. SPA: Sol and Giselle do a good-quality job/massage. I recommend! STAFF: was friendly. No complaints here.

We booked this trip with another couple after reviewing several resorts. We’ve never stayed at an Iberostar resort and this trip will be the first of many to come I’m sure. We’ve been to Punta Cana many times, mostly staying at the Hard stock which we always enjoyed with our kids and other family. However, we thought this time we would branch out and were so happy to have had a wonderful experience. My main priorities are great, safe food, top notch service, and clean rooms and amenities. Iberostar didn’t disappoint but there is some room for improvement. Service - top notch across the board. Our butlers Jose and Shester were wonderful. Jose was on “duty” for most of our trip and was so accommodating and helpful throughout our stay. Anything we needed, he would go above and beyond to make us happy. Thank you Jose. Food - I’ll eat just about anything back home but am very picky when it comes to presentation, consistency and most of all, being safe to eat when away from home, in another country. All I can say is WOW! Even comparing to the Hard Rock which I’ve always enjoyed, I was so much more comfortable eating here after a couple of days. Selection is extraordinary and the quality is top notch. VERY pleasantly surprised. Room Accommodations - here’s where I think there’s room for improvement. No question the rooms are clean and tidy. However, they’re starting to get tired and could use a refresh. Housekeeping did a great job of ensuring the rooms were kept clean. I didn’t mind the layout at all. Hotel Amenities - All good here accept two items - the main pool is in need of servicing and the gym has limited capacity and some old equipment. Pool - There was algae in the grout throughout the main pool and tiles were falling off in many places. This didn’t prevent our enjoyment of the pool but it really does need to be treated. I’m sure this is a very difficult thing to do given how much activity the pool gets. And I realize being next the to ocean probably doesn’t help. However, I have not experienced similar conditions at other resorts in Punta Cana so clearly it can be dealt with. One other issue is actually getting a spot to lye down by the pool. If you’re not down there by 7am, you’re not getting a bed to lye in. If you’re there after about 8/9, you’re not even getting a chair. Can be very frustrating. Gym - the rooms are not big enough and the equipment is in need of a refresh. Personally I was hoping to see a rowing machine which is what I use back home, but I was able to make do with the equipment provided. It’s not bad nor unusable…I just expect a bit more from a highly rated resort such as this. As a side note, while we enjoyed sitting under the palapa huts on the beach (we never had a problem getting one), the beach was constantly blocked by washed up seaweed. We’ve never seen it this bad in Punta Cana. Not sure of its the time of the year, or some other anomaly but it was very inconvenient to get into the ocean constantly battling with it washing in. And while it was being trucked away from time to time, there wasn’t enough equipment to keep up. Not sure we can blame the resort directly but it’s definitely a problem. Overall, a wonderful getaway with another couple friends of ours. Notwithstanding my constructive criticism above, we all enjoyed it thoroughly and can’t wait to look into our next stay either here or at another Iberostar resort.

Fantastic adults only all inclusive resort! Great people, food, drinks, service, pools and cabanas, beach, room, views and entertainment. Staff was always smiling! Especially waiter Santos. Our butlers Cesar and Eduardo made the stay seamless, from early morning coffee delivery set up, to an anniversary surprise, and much more throughout the week. We normally don't revisit locations but we will definitely return to this special place ??

Can I give this more than 5 stars??? Best vacation ever. A resort is a resort but what makes this one special is the people who work at this resort. From our butlers, Houston and Armando, to the pool bartenders, Ery and Tobias, to the restaurant workers, Yari, Samuel and Benjamin. A major shout out to the sweet young lady who made our eggs, Rubelis. She made a major impression on our. The entertainment staff was top notch as well. Smiley was great as were all the ladies working in entertainment. Even the front desk employee who checked us in, Camilo. Hopefully management will read and acknowledge mentioned employees because they are what makes the resort. Keep up the great work. We are already missing the place and making plans for our next visit. I never knew a resort could be this well run. Thanks many times over.

The butlers Edward and Danello were amazing. Their level of professionalism and service was beyond anything I’ve experienced. They were there to assist any any way that they could. The rooms are clean and well appointed. The grounds and landscaping is gorgeous. Daily and evening activities always available to make your trip fun and you don’t have to leave the resort if you don’t want to. The food is good and not having to make reservations is awesome. I traveled with 7 other couples and the sentiment was the same across the board. Great place for couples who want to wind down and escape the daily routine.