Iberostar Costa Dorada

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! [Details]

This was my first time in the Dominican. I was not overly sure on what to expect, but was definitely happy! The resort is beautiful, the staff works so diligently to make sure that everything is perfect. The rooms definitely could be updated. The bathroom is a tub/shower with no shower curtain and the tub is very slippery with a sharp edge on the outside, which led to a nasty bruise. The biggest complaints we had were the beach and the lack of plug ins in the room. Extension cords and power bars are definitely something to pack [Details]

Went there about 20 years ago .Love Iberostar ,,in La Romana, Varadero and Enchinacos Cuba many times. Also Mayorca, Spain. [Details]

Resort is beautiful, food was delicious, staff are very friendly and helpful. Our daughter loved the kids star camp with Barbie, Lola and Catalina. Tavarez was amazing at buffet. Staff truly appreciate customers and are there to make your stay perfect. Second time at this resort and will definitely return again. [Details]

We traveled as a family of 4 (3 & 6 year old 2 adults). This was our first time in DR and we fell in love with this resort.
From the moment we arrived we noticed how immaculate the grounds were. There was a tropical feel, beautiful view of the mountains, a garden with birds, mangrove trees and lots of palm trees on property with shaded and sun areas. Check-in was easy and fast.

Entertainment staff are fantastic. They were always busy encouraging people to take part in activities, always smiling, dancing and brought out the energy. There is lots to do from ping pong, bingo, pool volleyball, drinking games, dancing lessons, a massive chess board, archery or darts. Never a dull moment.

Beach - beautiful views. It can get windy in this part of the island and some days there was a red flag. Lots of shaded areas and beach chairs. It's a close minute walk to the washroom or bar.

Pool - massive pool with swim up and ground bar. Everything is a close walk but not close enough to feel small. The pool is large with shallow end for kids, volleyball net, various nooks to hide such as the island or bridge and it's very clean. There are lots of pool chairs and we never had to worry about not having a spot.

Food and Drinks- great options, lots of variety to satisfy even the pickiest eaters, easy to make a reservation at restaurants, great staff serving and cleaning. It never felt like they were running out of food, everything was refilled frequently and fresh.

Rooms - cleaned really well, AC was perfect, each room has a balcony and space for unpacking all vacation items.

Kids Club- the staff are so lovely, the club is clean and has something for everyone. The staff created games at the pool and on stage each night and kids got a t-shirt for winning. Lots of fun!

This resort is so clean and the staff are incredibly friendly and attentive. We met a lot of people who were returning guests and stayed for many weeks - i don't blame them! [Details]

-Room I booked was not what I received. I was given one king bed for a family of four.
-Septic issues the entire 14 days. Toilets here clog daily for nothing, including all the public ones. Makes it challenging when kids need to go and theres no options.
-Main buffet is good enough, but the breakfast is setup ridiculous with no egg options except the ‘omelette guys' that create huge lineups that block all the other foods out.
-Vendors everywhere bugging you to buy stuff.
-Tipping doesn't seem to get you service, only membership.
-Beach is the worst of the resorts I've been to. Only 3/14 days usable, and full of random trash.
-Rooms have no temp control. You get warm or really warm based on the a/c being on-off.
-Pool is nice
-Service throughout is very lacking, with the exception of the beach bar staff. Pool bar caters to locals. [Details]

This vacation was the 13 time we have stayed at this hotel and obviously we enjoy the place. Hotel has everything you need to pass a very nice vacation if your looking to relax. It is not the hotel for you if you want to party. I believe it has a good program for children. Entertainment in the evening is usually quite good. [Details]

The hotel was clean and well kept for its age ( 25 years) . Not too much activity for adults or children so depending on time going your interpretation with kids running around. [Details]

Good layout of amenities/ buildings - places were easy to find. Bathrooms were a bit outdated and rooms were dim in the regular rooms. [Details]

Had the best time. Food was fantastic and the staff were helpful and friendly. Everything's in close proximity so not too much walking. Great beach too. [Details]

This is an older resort we got to our room unpacked spent day at pool which was not very clean.came back to find out we had no hot water and the fridge didn't work.shower head was broken.also there was left over shaving cream all down the wall from previous occupant ..it had been there awhile…so no I won't be going back [Details]

Relaxing and enjoyable week overall. Friendly staff and lovely grounds. Landscaping is very well done, with the orchids especially beautiful.
The rooms are a little dated, particularly with respect to electrical outlets for charging devices. One of our party became ill after eating at the pool restaurant one day at lunch, which resulted in 48 hours of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. No one else in our party of seven became ill, but most of us ate lunch at the main buffet instead.
We are repeat visitors to this resort and will return again! [Details]

This is my second time at the resort and definitely not my last. The staff is amazing, excellent food, entertainment and beautiful surroundings by the pool and beach. [Details]

perfect vacation [Details]

We had been to this resort about 18 years ago and liked it very much we decided to go again. The lobby is open and beautiful with reception to the right, the bar/lounge to the left and plenty of comfortable seating throughout the lobby area. You walk through to the plaza area with more seating and little tables for enjoying your favourite beverage or just relaxing.
The stores and specialty restaurants are along the right side of the plaza and the entertainment area is to the left. As you continue along you find gorgeous gardens with beautiful orchids and palms that provide you with shade even as you enjoy your time at the pool. You'll find a swim up and walk up bar in the centre and a little further along is the snack bar with similar selections to the buffet. This restaurant is located close to the beach which also has plenty of palms for shade, another bar and at times bbq or special events.
The rooms are located along the way on both sides of the walk from the lobby to the ocean in 3 story buildings.
We stayed in an ocean view room , it had a king size bed that was comfortable enough but not enough of a pillow selection for me. The bathroom has a walk in shower with a rain shower head and a hand held wand also. The vanity is low with a bowl sink that the silicone was broken away so that the sink would move if you happen to lean on it. I also, as an older adult found the toilet too low. I would rate the room a 3.5. [Details]

We went with some friends, so that was fun. The staff are amazing!!!! We enjoyed the activities that they had on the beach....horseshoes, bocce ball, archery, and volleyball.
The beach was wavy and had a ton of seaweed that we barely went in. The pool was so loud that we only sat there only one day. The rooms are extremely outdated. No plugs beside the bed. The tub/shower had no shower curtain, so water got everywhere! The toiled had difficulty flushing. The beds were comfortable and our housekeeper was so sweet!
The food was good, something for everyone. The wifi was good and works everywhere.
There are people standing along the shore on the beach asking you to walk down and shop at their shops. We did go to their shops to support the local, but everything was very overpriced and they were a little pushy. We did buy some shirts and a towel.
The locals come in on the weekend, so it is a little busier on those days and nights
We made the best of it and enjoyed laying on the beach soaking up some much needed sunshine! [Details]

The hotel, beach, and pools were nice but disappointed with the lack of information provided to people who had never been to iberostar hotel before. Did not get any welcome drink or info as to where to fill up water bottles. Got there around dark and bell hop did take suitcases to room which was nice. I asked at front desk where to find out when and where activities were to take place and they said at towel shack or on screen by restaurant. Went to towel shack and they said I needed to download app. Downloaded app but needed to go to front desk to get access as asked for password which I didn't need. Looked on app on Sat. to book a la carte reservations before we left on Thursday and only had one for the Italian restaurant for Sun at 8:20 pm until we left according to app. The other restaurants said to go talk to concierge. Talked to someone later and they said we should have talked to concierge as we could have got in but then what is purpose of app. We did not end up going to any a la carte which was disappointing but maybe our own fault as we did not go to concierge. Recreation staff did not always announce on speaker when things were going on. Wanted to try aerobics and stretching on beach but I guess there was never enough people so it was cancelled as far as I know. I did do some water aerobics but if there were not 5 to start they cancel. I find that once the program is started more join in. On first night when we just got there, waited in line for a drink for probably 10 minutes by bar where they have nightly entertainment for a pina cola and they did not have any; asked for baileys; none of that either that night. I did go back a couple of night later and they did have baileys tho. It would have been nice to have instructions where water and ice are located for rooms. I did talk to other people at the resort and they said they did have drinks offered to them when they came in and instructions so maybe we were just the unlucky ones! It would be nice if they had more labels indicating what food is being served too. Serving staff were great and staff were friendly. Rooms were clean and comfy. [Details]

It was ok, not good or great. The food was bland and white washed there were few local dishes and nothing had flavour. If you like eating mediocre hotdogs, pizza and burgers everyday for lunch this is the place for you. This resort could have been anywhere it did not feel like the Dominican Republic. Beach was to dangerous and wavy to use plus was very far from our rooms. This is a pool resort not a beach. The pool was nice but noisy (only one pool) full of 20 somethings getting drunk and partying. The only good cup of coffee at the lobby bar didn't open till 9 am. And the drinks were weak and fake tasting no fresh ingredients. Room was old and had problems we had to move rooms once and gave repair personal fix our shower and faucet in the other room [Details]

My partner and i had a wonderful week at this resort. It had everything we were looking for and we would definitely return. [Details]

Reason for vacation was to celebrate a wedding anniversary. Booked this all-inclusive vacation with the highest rating 4.5 we could find online.

Upon arrival, we checked-in at the front desk, we were given a room in block 5, first floor. Came in to the room, greeted with a bottle of Brut (which locally known as Champagne). This bottle is chilled in ice bucket.

First impression of the room is it does not look the same as on the picture posted online or on their website. Our room was missing a living room furniture section. This issue was never been brought up to front desk during our stay.

First night was okay, the second night started to becoming uncomfortable due to bug and cat? noise coming from outside at night. This has been brought up to front desk on our 3rd day in the evening. Front desk staff informed us to come back tomorrow in the morning to talk to manager. 4th day, we came back from our excursion at around 4pm, spoke to front desk, they switched our room to block 9, 3rd floor.

The room looks way different from previous room. This room has a complete furniture as shown on pictures posted online. The TV is inconsistent throughout different room. Our previous room had a smart TV (where we could watch movie stream online). However, with our current room the TV is not wifi compatible. Majority of channels are in Spanish. This was a problem for us who do not know how to speak Spanish. This issue was brought up to front desk and no solution was offered.

Excursion varies in price depending on the excursion agent you book it with. We booked ours with the travel agent under the hotel. We booked 2 days of excursion (Thursday and Saturday). The Thursday excursion pick up time at 0820am. We came in at the meeting area at 8am, waited until 0840. We started to get worried if we actually missed the tour. We had trouble finding a staff who understand English to help us connect with their excursion agent representative as she is off-site that time. At 0905am, we got the excursion agent representative on the phone and informed us that our names were not submitted for the trip that day. Someone from the tour agency will come to pick us up.

Also, the package tour that we paid and signed up for was different tour packaged scheduled for that day. We insisted to do the tour we know we paid and signed up for instead of changing our plans for that day. The Tour director was able to accommodate and corrected all the misunderstanding from the tour agent from the hotel.

Also, we missed out on all the hotel entertainment schedule for our first 2 days of stay. We were not informed of the hotel schedule at the check-in. When I asked them as we feel like lost and doest not know what is happening in the hotel, front desk advised us to scan the qr code and download their app.

Their app has a great user-interface (UI) but thats about it. Restaurant and Bar operating hours is not accurate or updated. The messaging is not active. We solely use the app to check the schedule, which is the only thing that is accurate.

I have never been to an all inclusive vacation where hotel staff (not servers/bartenders) eat and use facilities with guest. If you are interested to experience that then you will definitely see it in this hotel.

If you do not speak Spanish this will be a problem. It was really hard to ask questions, order cocktails, and build rapport with staff as majority of staff are non English speaking. This is a lesson for us. We just got an impression that if you go to a destination vacation hotels and resorts they are mostly tourist friendly. This means able to communicate in English.

Staff (bell boy, servers, bartender etc) feels like non genuine with hospitality. Handing them tip gets treated differently compared to non tipper. It does not matter if your vacation package included gratuities. In my opinion, tourist are taken advantage and harassed on tipping. Make a good observation and you will see how staff and locals react around you.

Food is not world class so do not get your expectation high. Stay away from chips as they are not crunchy. On time I had the chips for nachos, it was already not crunch as it has been out expose for so long. I mentioned to server, nothing has been done. Burger patties still got waxed paper cooked with it. Mentioned to cooked, took the patty from my plate. I saw the whole batch on the platter still has wax paper being served. I wonder how they cook their burger patties?

Lastly, I want to mention that Iberostar Costa Derorado had a $500 coupon marketing during our stay. I have to say that it was an obvious marketing strategy. The coupon composes of $25 - $50 applicable to respective purchases. Did not end up using anything. We tried using for our tour excursion but the travel agent did not accept it. Two coupons was crossed out right off the bat upon giving to guest. Anyways, do not get hooked on this. Be warned!

I almost forgot to mention to get ready to keep calling front desk during your stay as the safety box will keep on breaking.

Will not come back and will not recommend the hotel. I will think about Puerto Plata but so far I can spend my money elsewhere.

JS [Details]

First the good. The Dominican Republic is a beautiful country. The resort is lovely - clean and the amenities are quite nice. The pool was big and the water clean. The beach was outstanding. The gym was clean and well equipped. The nightly entertainment was acceptable but the crowds a bit overwhelming. Our room was big and the cleaning staff were very attentive. The balcony overlooked the ocean - that was worth the upgrade. The staff are friendly and the service is quite good (especially if you seed small gratuities throughout the week for exceptional service). The tours are very good - we did the City Tour and Paradise Island which were fun and educational. Even the obligatory cigar factory stopover was fascinating as we watched them making cigars live! There is but a single negative - the food. While quantity is never an issue at any resort the food in the restaurants needs upgrading and the menu in the buffet and snack bar needs some variety and quality control (often overcooked). Now, to be fair, they are just coming out of Covid and perhaps in a years time it will improve. But for the food quality this would be solid 4 especially because of the staff and beautiful setting. I hope to see future reviews comment on improvements to the food quality as this resort could easily live up to a 4 - 4.5 star rating and we'd love to come back. [Details]

Not sure how this hotel got a 4.5 star review [Details]

This is a very nice hotel, staff were friendly and efficient and the food was very good. There was an amazing variety. [Details]

Very good resort i would go bAck .. of course you get the odd person that doesn't like there job and are not very nice … but the majority made our stay very good [Details]

2 weeks of sunshine with amazing staff. Extremely helpful and any request was attended to immediately.
They have been working hard to improve hotel since being closed for 7 months. Noticed improvements daily along with more staff returning to work as capacity increasing.
Looking forward to returning later in the year! [Details]

very very nice resort , drinks and buffet was to the max, new year reception was exceptional, definitely going back there !!!! [Details]

Was not as nice as another Iberostar I stayed at in the past, also upon arrival soap and shampoo bottles were empty and was a condom wrapper in one of the house coats [Details]

Second time at this hotel was GREAT vacation lots of activities and an amazing staff ,My wife and I have been to many different resorts over time but this place is the top of my list, the room had been upgraded since the last time we were there the bed was very comfortable and the walk in shower was excellent we where given a welcome back fruit tray and a bottle of rum and an invite to a cocktail party to meet the management , will be going back next spring for a longer stay. [Details]

We have been here for 3 day so far and we just love it. Some rooms don't have the greatest view, but you can be upgraded easily and quickly. The food is very good. Everyone is friendly. The beach is kept in immaculate condition. Stay here and you will not be disappointed! We will be back! Do not listen to the negative reviews... This resort is fantastic! [Details]

Staff was great, facilities and grounds were nice. Rooms a little outdated but fine. A good all inclusive that was in a great location to get out and see the local area by taxi or walking. [Details]