What We Love
- Tee off at the Iberostar Bavaro Golf Club created by designer P.B. Dye.
- There’s a babysitting service 24/7, StarCamp programed activities for children and teens.
- Get a beachfront massage or relax at the spa's Jacuzzi.
Things to Know
- It's 20 minutes from the airport.
- There’s a CDC, PADI and Gold Palm Resort Diving Center on-site.
Location
Punta Cana - BeachProperty Information
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Resort Details
Dining
Amenities
Activities
Hotel Advisories
General Policies & Fine Print
Check-in Policy - Hotel requires a credit/debit card authorization or cash deposit upon check-in for incidentals; this will place a hold on your funds.
Convention Policy - Individuals attending a convention cannot book this property for their stay. If found attending a convention, guests may be subject to higher room rates upon arrival.
Hotel Spring Break Policy - This hotel cannot guarantee a spring-break-free environment.
Transfer Policy - A price may display when children stay free, if your vacation includes transfer to your hotel.
General Information - Room taxes and service fees are included in vacation price. Minimum night stay restrictions may apply. Reservation changes may not be permitted unless authorized by the hotel.
Customer Ratings & Reviews
TripAdvisor Traveler Rating
10105 reviews
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Oct 27, 2024Solid 4 Stars
We had a great trip at the Iberostar Dominicana! Overall, it was a good experience. The beach is beautiful and the waves are pretty calm! You can use non-motorized beach equipment for free for an hour a day! The pools are a perfect temperature and were perfect for cooling off. Most of the staff were very very friendly! The only time we had a couple unhappy people were at the pool bars when they were getting through lines of guests. A couple things to note: - The Dominicana is the non-renovated one and we had traditional room keys (the Punta Cana and other Iberostar’s have the key card on a bracelet. The traditional cards got demagnetized two different times which was annoying. - Our room was fine for us… a lot of open space and tall ceilings. Only issue was the shower drain didn’t work well so by the time we finished showering, we were in an ankle deep pool. - The food is fine. I thought the dinners were great (Italian was our favorite). Breakfast and lunch were not great… we stuck to pizza and fries every day. - There were A LOT of kids. Great for families, but if you aren’t looking for that vibe, either upgrade to the Selection or Bavaro or find another hotel. If we stayed here again, we would try to upgrade to the Selection or Coral Level. They got nicer rooms, other dining options, private pools and beach chairs.
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Oct 24, 2024Avoid!
What a complete debacle this holiday turned out to be! First off, we shelled out around three grand for a week during the off-season—seemed like a steal, right? But the organization from Love Holidays and the hotel? A total shambles. Let’s kick things off at the airport. We paid extra for a private taxi, only to twiddle our thumbs for over an hour waiting for the driver. The car was a relic from 2001—scraped and battered, more suitable for the scrap heap than a holiday! The woman who ushered us to the vehicle immediately began hawking tours, setting the tone for the week. I received no less than ten texts about these “fantastic deals” during our stay. It felt like a sales pitch from the moment we arrived! The hotel? Well, it was decent—definitely not five-star material, but a solid four. The rooms were clean, but the reception experience? Absolutely horrendous! The staff barely spoke English or German, which is shocking in the tourism biz. After an agonizing check-in with zero hospitality, we finally got our keys and headed to our room, which, to be fair, was alright. Now, the main buffet restaurant was a pleasant surprise, with a decent variety of food. But the themed restaurants? An absolute catastrophe! We ventured into the Italian joint, and if we were Italian, we’d have been mortified. Their version of lasagna looked like it had come from a nightmare, and the starter? I could whip up something more appetizing at a buffet! And the staff? They seemed utterly uninterested. It was clear they were overworked and underpaid; they even told us as much! When we waited ages for our starters, their response was basically, “Who cares? We don’t get paid enough to bother!” Then there was the nightclub experience—oh dear! The DJ was dreadful, turning what should have been a lively party into a snooze fest. Even the free drinks couldn’t lift the mood; most folks were leaving early, visibly unimpressed. Let’s not forget the hotel staff who approached us with travel tips. One charming fellow named Victor convinced us to attend a timeshare presentation for a “free massage.” My husband talked me into it, despite my better judgment. The presentation stretched into a torturous 3.5 hours, culminating in a pitch for a timeshare at a whopping $27,000! What a ludicrous scam! On the bright side, the pools were lovely, always clean, with plenty of sunbeds. The beach was a short stroll away, which was a bonus. But then, the relentless sellers on the beach became a real pain. One chap even woke me from a blissful snooze to peddle sunglasses! The hotel seriously needs to rein these folks in; they were far too aggressive. Finally, when we checked out, the receptionist didn’t even bother to ask how our stay was. Just a quick “bye.” Really? In a five-star place? So, if you’re after a genuinely relaxing holiday, do yourself a favor and head to Mauritius or the Seychelles instead. This place felt more like a tourist trap, where guests are treated like walking wallets based on their nationality. What a farce!
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Oct 22, 2024A mixture of some really good things and some that need improvement
We booked our package holiday with BA with an all inclusive and premium room for 2 adults and 1 child. We were given room 4170 in the older building and we’ve noticed some strong persistent smell of mould so we requested another room. We were moved to 4174 which eventually proved the same so we asked to meet the manager. We spoke with Alex who listened to us and showed understanding of our concerns. He moved us to 5170 in the other building where they’ve done some renovations. The new room is visibly better - recently painted with newer furniture and bathroom. It’s still quite humid, we can feel it in the bedsheets and pillows, but at the smell is not so strong. I guess this is the best we can get in the circumstances, so we appreciate the willingness of Alex to help and resolve as best as he could. The grounds are really beautiful and well maintained - landscaped with lots of palm trees and flowers. There are two pools and a nice beach so something for everyone. There are enough chairs around the pools but we do go there early as we are still on London time. The beach is nice, there is some seaweed but not too much and it doesn’t affect the beauty of the beach. Obviously it’s quite wavy as it’s the Atlantic but that’s OK. So far we have only tried the buffet and the food is as expected for this type of family resort - good choice for all tastes, even if not the best we’ve had in the Dominican Republic. The one thing I don’t like in the buffet is the lack of A/C - it can feel very hot and the lack of ventilation allows some flies to get in. We haven’t been able to try any of the restaurants yet as they don’t take bookings so whenever we went they were full. I think it’s possible to get a table if you go at 18:00 but that’s a bit early for dinner for us. I can’t say much about the entertainment as we are still jet lagged and can’t stay up that late but this is not that important for us and we don’t mind. The staff is a mixed bag - some are more enthusiastic than others, but the cleaning ladies are definitely diligent. Overall this is an average Caribbean resort, I honestly don’t think it’s 5 stars, I’d say more 3.5, and your stay will depend a lot on what room you get. I hope they will renovate all the rooms so that all guests can enjoy their stay.
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Oct 20, 2024
Not 5-Star Quality – Disappointing Stay
In summary, for a 5-star resort, the experience was far below expectations. Unless they seriously address food quality, service, and cleanliness, I wouldn’t recommend this hotel to anyone—especially non English speakers. You can get better value in the Caribbean, just don't come here. The limited positives: - The room was large if dated, and the beds were comfortable. The bathroom was OK, though the shower didn't drain properly. - Housekeeping was generally good. - Maria at the pool and the lobby bar staff were a standout—friendly and enthusiastic. - The gardens were beautiful and well-maintained. - The beach was nice, despite the presence of ants. - The entertainment team worked hard to engage guests and were lively throughout the day. Beach / fire party was great, and they put a lot of effort into daytime activities. Negatives: - The air-conditioning didn’t work well in all rooms in our group, and they often felt damp. - The service was inconsistent—many staff spoke very little English and didn’t engage if you couldn’t speak Spanish. Some staff were helpful, but others made it feel like getting a drink was a favour or would just disappear when asked for something. - Drinks were poorly made—mixed drinks weren’t blended well, and frozen drinks separated quickly with no straws or mixers provided. - The food was terrible—everything was lukewarm, and there was no proper food rotation. I got very sick for two days, as did others. - The vegetarian options looked good on paper but were dreadful in reality. Really bad signage on buffets, struggling to deliver edible vegetarian options in a la carte and the language barrier making it impossible to ask for alternatives as suggested on their website meant I ate a lot of pasta and chips. Staff were not at all trained on this. - The pool was warm, scummy, and incredibly loud. The ents team are great but there was no quiet spot to escape the noise which felt constant, I wanted to shove their speaker into the pool after a week. -There’s almost no air-conditioning outside the rooms in the resort, making meals uncomfortable and sweaty. - People smoking everywhere, on balconies and around the pool and on beach. Just put in some smoking zones so at least you can avoid it if you want. - The à la carte restaurants were just as bad as the buffet, with food delivered often not resembling the menu, and the utterly ridiculous way they manage tables. Either allow pre booking like any other 5 star resort or use some kind of proper signage to explain what is happening (i.e. open tables, waitlist, full) - queuing up to find out if you can queue up and then waiting 10+ mins even once you are called back because the staff don't have the slightest control (or interest on controlling) the people waiting meant it wasn't fun to eat at these restaurants. - Cleanliness was lacking—plates were left out overnight around rooms, dirty tables in buffets, and there was a wasp/bees nest by the pool bar that was never addressed with bugs landing on everything constantly. - My key didn’t work on arrival, the staff who took us to the rooms used a master key and said it would work later, it obviously didn't. When we went to reception later, instead of apologising, they blamed it on me putting it near my phone even though I hadn't gotten my phone out of my bag when we arrived at the room. This pretty much sums up the service levels the whole time. Also no drink was offered upon arrival. Overall, this hotel is not 5-star quality. Also look carefully at the good reviews on this hotel, they all have very little background and the same people in the photos. Having been asked to complete surveys multiple times whilst staying (especially when eating), and those staff saying they need to take pictures of the scores, I wouldn't be surprised if they are faking reviews.
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Sep 28, 2024
Different kinda vibe.
This was my 4th time at this resort. I was traveling alone, everything went really well, the staff was amazing. They always make the effort to speak English and remember that we're in their country. The downside was the quality of the food and entertainment at the pool, some of the choices was cold or very dry, this had never happened with the other times. Not much entertainment by the pool, the staff didn't get involved, fewer games. The bar staff are awesome, Maria is the best!!