April 25, 2004
Well, let's start with the good...the beach and the cleanliness. We have been to numerous resorts in the
Caribbean and Mexico, all of which were 5 or 6 star resorts. The
Iberostar Dominica is rated as a 5 star, but would qualify as about a 2.5 in our books. The beach was gorgeous. There were a lot of lounge chairs beachside and it was a great beach for those who like to take long leisurely strolls along the ocean. The sand was beautifully white. There seemed to be a lot of seaweed, but the beach staff did their best to keep it to a
minimum by using tractors to keep clearing it. We were never hassled by beachside vendors. There is also a place to go shopping where you can find great bargains...just be willing to haggle a bit and you will get great deals. Also of note, out of all the areas we have been to, this (not just the Iberostar but all of the resorts as you stroll along the beach) had the greatest number of topless women. It didn't bother us a bit, but just a forewarning in case you have kids that you don't want to subject them to all those breasts. The other good thing was the cleanliness. We did not have any issues with bugs or litter. Our maid did a great job. Considering all the drinks there were awful, the best thing going was the bottled sodas in the fridge. A note with a small tip to the maid kept our fridge very well stocked. The actual grounds were very pretty. One last positive note..we had no problems going thru customs at the airport and they got us thru fairly quickly.
OK...for the bad...which would be everything else. The food was horrendous. The buffets, the restaurants....everywhere was just plain bad. And unless you like horse meat, make sure you ask what it is your eating...because the chef stated that one sausage/burger looking thing was actually horse meat (although the little food sign doesn't state such). The buffets have the same food daily...careful of the meats and cheeses. They were left out all day and there was no way we would eat it...Our diet consisted of nachos,
French fries and ice cream...the only things tolerable. The drinks were not any better. Mixed drinks were terrible. There seems to be a premium for ice cubes...you are lucky to get two cubes in a drink. Even the fountain sodas were terrible..very syrupy. Poolside chairs were a luxury there. You must claim a chair by 7am or you will never get one. One tip: you can not get towels until 8am...so either bring your own towels or something to claim your seats or save your towel from the previous day and head out early to claim your seat. One of the most annoying things was that we have never previously incurred a true language barrier (at least not with the staff that deals directly with the tourists..ie: reception, guest services, gift
shop) until our experience here. We were unable to hold a conversation with 95% of all workers. Even at the gift shop, the lady had to show us on a calculator what our purchase rang up to because she couldn't communicate in English. One thing was very misleading to us, both from our agent and in the Apple brochures was that it was one of those stay at one play at all three. Well, if you stay at the Dominicana or Punta Cana, you are not able to eat or drink at the Bavaro side unless you pay for it. We were mislead on that, which cut our food options down (although I don't know that their food was any better). We did the beach front massages. They were
comparable with other resorts...it felt good however their English was also pretty poor. If you have the internet, I would suggest you use that to communicate with your friends/family back home. Phone charges average $20 (US) per minute plus service charges. The hotel has four computers that have internet access. It costs $3 US for 30 minutes, which seemed to be a fair and reasonable price. We were able to check and send email to let everyone know we made it, etc. There was not a whole lot of excursions to choose from We thought about going to Manatai Park to swim with th dolphins, but read a lot of bad reviews. Our rep pretty much confirmed what we had read, so we opted not to do that there. We did hear great things about the Outback Jeep Safari and the Kon Tiki Boat/Snorkel experience. Also, the people that stayed below us stated that when we took a shower, their room flooded.....and I mean flooded. Also, when we looked up to the ceiling while in the shower, we could see straight up to the room above us. We met other people who had air conditioning issues. The fridges never seemed to get real cold. One last complaint, which again, was an issue we had not experienced at any other resort. The water that you drink was purified, however the tap water and shower water is not. We had to brush our teeth using bottled water. Careful washing your face...the shower/tap water is very salty and burns if it gets in your eyes or on any cuts/scratches/burns. One last tip: I read on a previous review how friendly the dogs were by the shopping huts on the beachside (the place I previously mentioned to get good buys if willing to haggle). I am not sure how friendly or not those dogs were...but just be sensible..those dogs are not
mandated whatsoever to have vaccinations, so be careful.
More
Iberostar Resort Photos and Reviews
Tucan
| Paraiso
Del Mar | Paraiso
Lindo | Cozumel
| Hacienda
Dominicus | Costa
Dorada | Bavaro
| Dominicana
Destination
LINKS
Resorts
by COMPANY
|
|