Puerto Plata

Having been to various resorts in Punta Cana and Cuba, we were curious as to how Puerto Plata's Iberostar would compare. We came on the recommendation of friends who've been visiting this resort exclusively for almost 10yrs. Our friends were not wrong - we had a wonderful time! The staff are (mostly) friendly, the facilities are clean and well kept, drinks are good, and the food was very good - in fact, we'd say the food is better than what we've had at any resort in Punta Cana and Cuba. We loved the huge pool with the walk across bridges and in-water ledges and stairs to sit on. We can't wait to bring our family here next time. We will definitely be back!

We encountered a number of shortcomings of the Marien Puerto Plata Hotel. 1.The most important was a lack of understanding about basic sanitation.  This was evidenced by the fact that the cups and glasses in our rooms were not replaced clean daily. They were hand washed in the bathroom sink by the cleaning staff.  When I spoke to the representative at the resort, she said she would look into it.   And she did. The response was that the cleaning staff cleaned the sink before washing our glasses and cups.  I am not sure about how you feel about that.  But given that the bathroom sink is where one washes after using the toilet,  it is a pretty basic sanitation standard that the areas for toileting and cleaning dishes are never supposed to cross. I was shocked at this practice and the lack of understanding that this was not okay from basic sanitation standards.  I identified the above as the most important, because in my experience, this may very well increase risk and incidence of diarrhea and the spread of diarrhea amongst the travellers.  Intestinal bacteria is not easily killed with a wash in a bathroom sink.   However, that wasn't the first disappointment. 2.  The first disappointment was when we arrived at around 1030 AM, with our "VIP status".We were ushered to a small nice area, with air conditioning, the VIP centre. At the VIP center we were able to get WIFI and there was a limited choice of snacks and beverages.    The VIP center is where we were checked in.  In my many travels, for business and vacations, I have to say that I have never felt less welcome.  The staff were indifferent, not unpleasant, but definitely not welcoming and not pleasant.  There was no arrangement for any place for us to change into bathing suits and towels were not provided. Our suitcases were stored in the hotel lobby in plain site .  There was no luggage storage room or any effort made to provide us with any sense of security for our bags for the day.   Our rooms were not ready until 3:00.  And even at 3:00, it was not easy to get into our rooms. The staff were not helpful, they were "indifferent". I have travelled to the Caribbean a number of times with this kind of early arrival and every time before, there were arrangements for a temporary area to store our belongings, an area to change into our bathing suits and have the amenities, such as towels, to enjoy our first day of vacation. 3. The rooms at the hotel were okay, but the bed was somewhat uncomfortable. The airconditioning did not respond to any adjustment to the settings. It was cold. After a few cold nights ( no extra blankets), we turned the air conditioner off at night.  Better to be warm than not sleeping because of being cold. 4. The food was good, the 2 a la cartes that we went to had excellent food and service. One of the VIP benefits as I understood it was unlimited a la carte.  However, that was interesting because the restaurants did not take reservations, nor record one's room number,  so they had no way of ascertaining if someone had access to unlimited, 2 or 3 a la carte meals. It was definitely a matter of first come first serve for everyone. The food in the buffet was okay to really good. Nothing was bad.  But it was almost the same every day.   There were a few highlights, like the goat... that was delicious. 5. The childrens' center on the resort was a small building with few amenities. It had a schedule for activities which was not followed. When asked, I was told that it had changed and the manager had not updated it. And there were no organized activities going on to replace what had been on the "schedule". Not exactly what I expected from a resort that was "child friendly". 6. The VIP Beach Bar was really nothing to feel very VIP about at all. Just a small shack on the beach.  Nothing special about it at all. Again, the staff were indifferent.  7. I do want to say that we encountered  2 staff in the buffet dining area who were excellent!  So kind, friendly and went out of their way to give great service.  That was very much appreciated.  Regarding the staff service in the buffet area, I wondered if we may have hit an off week. Because the last day or two, there were new faces with much more enthusiasm, smiles and who delivered a nicer service experience. 8. I will wrap it up with this. I would definitely not recommend the VIP service at this resort because it really was money paid for nothing. 9. This resort was rated 4 star. Ted and I thought it would be generous to give it a 3 star.  The actual property looked nice for the most part, but all of the above is what makes or breaks a vacation more than the exterior appearance. 10. The one thing I didn't mention was the garbage on the edges of the resort and on the beach itself.  There was lots of it.  I am an early morning sort of beach person.  So I was up early enough to see the maintenance staff raking the beach of seaweed in the mornings and burying it in the sand... all good.  I understand why they would do that and see nothing wrong in it at all.  But then the same pieces of garbage, papers, bottle caps,  etc that were stuck in the sand the day before didn't get raked up or picked up.  11. Also, at the perimeter of the property there was always a person there selling drugs. So, that certainly limited my comfort zone in walking on the beach! 12. The last and perhaps a very important point, that is definitely no ones'  fault, was the beach itself. A nice beach, but I would not go there again because there were very rough waves. A number of days it was red flagged because of rip tides. In the interest of safety, on those days, the hotel had security on the beach ordering everyone out of the water.  (Which I understood the necessity of) Swimming in the ocean is one of my favorite things on a Caribbean vacation, as well as other water sports. These just were not safe to do on this particular beach.  It is my understanding that the water there is like that most of the time.So, if that is important to a traveller, I would definitely not recommend this particular area of Puerto Plata. This is the first time that I've had this kind of experience in the Dominican Republic, Cuba or Jamaica.

junior suite room very clean ,one towel person (2) facecloths you need to request. Coffee maker with coffee ,no creamer. Staff pleasant and accommodating. Luna at front desk was exceptional. There were a lot of older folks and found it trying getting in and out of the pool…a railing should be installed.

We had a great stay. The staff were pleasant. The pool(s) were kept up and the bar service was good. The rooms were always clean. Issues were dealt with quickly ( air conditioning broke down, they offered us another room) and they gave us free late check out.

6 of us just returned back from this resort last week,the grounds where very nice the beach was great.when we arrived the three rooms didn't have towels or bed covers but I didn't sweat it they came right away to help us out that was great. The food was ok bit of a line up to get your food at times.we are RUI members so it didn't compare to the RUI resorts but then again it was a lot cheaper they need to revise there web site a bit because I like to have a few beer sitting on the patio there is no beer or liquor dispensers in the rooms like advertised so went up town bought my own rooms are a bit outdated but like I said we had a great time there didn't sweat the small things.the shows where good drinks where good

The resort complex is massive with several hotels linked together. The shuttle service is very effective at moving people from hotel to hotel. The noise from the pool area made it difficult to relax in your room due to the fact the distance is very limited.

The first week we were there was fantastic. The service was excellent, the staff helpful. Within 24 hours, once the hotel stated to fill up to always full capacity the hotel changed completely. There was always something missing on the buffet tables, the staff was rushed. Beach towels not replaced on hang to dry on our room's chairs, etc. Very disappointed.

Check-in, room cleanliness, food quality, drinks and entertainment very good, beach was good, the 3 pools were nice, 1.25 hour bus ride from the airport a little bumpy, quiet resort during my stay, WiFi slow and one had to re-activate such every 24 hours, disco dark/dreary with mostly Spanish music being played, the circus show at the theater was amazing, late check out was available for $35 U.S. until 6pm, left luggage/valuables in the room/safe until departure, weather ok with a few light rain showers during the week, jacuzzi's near pool not working during my stay, low lighting in my room, had to let water run for 5 minutes or more to get hot water to shower

My husband and I have never been to the Dominican, so this was our first experience. This resort is HUGE! There are so many different accommodations available, ranging from hotel-style rooms, resident suites (this is where we stayed), and even personal villas. We stayed for 7 days and often spent our days pool hopping from one pool to the next (there are several! With several pool-side bars!) until making our way down to the beach itself, offering a variety of cabanas and loungers to hang out on. Resort has a strong security presence, which makes us feel safe, and ALL of the staff are incredibly friendly, hospitable, and helpful. Most of the poolside bartenders are incredibly doting and will continue to make and bring drinks directly to you without even asking--excellent service! What really won us over though was the restaurant selection. Even without a VIP membership, we had access to 9 different restaurants so we could try something different every day! I would definitely return for another trip.