Great value resort

Beautiful grounds, very clean, friendly staff, great pool but showing it’s age. Best food we had at a resort. Lots of variety. Great entertainment. Would of preferred more live music in square for dancing.

Great resort.

First time at this resort but we felt comfortable as soon as we checked in. The grounds and the outside facilities were well maintained. The staff were friendly and accommodating. One area of weakness was in the buffet restaurant where the staff often had difficulty in keeping up with the demand for dishes, glasses and cutlery. Overall we enjoyed the resort.

Best experience yet!

this resort was Amazing! the workers Are so nice and friendly! I drinks were Super tasty And there were always activities around the pool. the food was to die For, it was so amazing. I never Got sick once, and I Tried new food. I would go back to this resort in a heartbeat!

Great resort !

This hotel was clean and well kept. The food was fantastic, the staff were always friendly and helpful. The rooms were clean. We stayed mostly at the beach as the pool was always full with towels on the chairs by 7 am, but that was ok as we are beach people any ways. Music playing at the beach and pool would be a good idea. But all in all it was a wonderful experience...

Great resort

The grounds were well kept, the food was amazing with lots of variety. The staff was very friendly. We had a issue in our room first thing but was fixed within 15 min...We do wish there was some music playing on the beach. We didn't get too much time at the pool as towels were always put on chairs before 7 am, but we preferred the beach anyways ..The resort was very nice and would go again..

Amazing resort

Everything is in walking distance. Staff very nice and helping. Live singer each night, and disco until 2 AM. Was there from 18 to 25 Feb 2019. would go back anytime!! Clean room, and well maintained. food awesome. Missing a bit of entertaining during the day, not always the same time each day.

Became very ill at this resort

We had a horrible vacation. Both my girlfriend and I became very ill due to bacteria consumed in the food or the water at your resort. This caused us to spend half of our vacation very ill and we spent several days in the hospital at Peurto Plata and the illness affected my kidneys, causing inflammation and a great deal of pain. We continued to remain sick when we finally returned home causing me to spend more time in the hospital here, and miss work. I can’t begin to explain how disappointed  [... read more]we both are. We got a few days out of an 8 day vacation. What a giant waste of money and time, not to mention the horrible feeling of being so sick for several days. We will never return to the Dominican Republic because of this. I think Iberostar should take some responsibility here and provide us with some sort of compensation here for our wasted time and money and our horrible experience at this resort hotel. Give it a go if you maybe feel like spending half your trip in a foreign hospital, maybe you're into that but I am not. You should not be dying to just make it home from a vacation. We paid a lot of money and took time off work to get a stress release and to relax. What we got was quite the opposite. Very, very disappointed and this leaves us with a bad taste in our mouths for Iberostar and the Dominican Republic. All of this aside, speaking strictly to the service received; the caliber of service was not as high as I expected when compared to what I have received at other resorts in other countries like Mexico, and for how much money we paid. Making dinner reservations at the a la carte restaurants was a gong show. We were told to use the Iberostar app by front desk staff, so we did. Then just about every dinner the restaurant would not have our reservation and we had to argue with difficult restaurant staff who would begrudgingly accommodate you after finding their manager. This is not something I feel like I should have to do at a paid resort vacation.

Great food

The resort was pretty much as we expected based on the reviews. The food was the best part, and the rooms were also very clean, although dated. The staff was all friendly and the resort did not seem overly crowded. Beach was not the best, but we knew that. Overall, a very good value.

Good resort, if your not a beach lover

We had 8 in or group ,worst beach ever! The storms previously had eroded the beach and brought up so much seaweed that most of it was not usable. Staff was great! They bent over backwards to make sure you had enjoyed yourself. Almost never did the soap dispensers work in public washrooms . Peacocks were a delight to see! Lots of pool games. If you go to many resorts then when you’ve seen one evening show you’ve seen them all! I give this resort 3 1/2 out of 5

Good but not great.

Grounds were beautifully kept. Food was very good. Ala Cartes also very good. Beach was ok. Garbage scattered a short walk from our beach. There was a smell of sewage in the main buffet at times. Rooms clean but outdated. Our garden view overlooked the kitchen of the next resort which was disappointing noisy and smelly. We were woken up very early every single morning by kitchen staff at the other resort. Other than that it was a pleasant time. Shout out to Robert at the main bu [... read more]ffet who took Care is us each morning

Mediocre resort

Most Staff were pleasant. Bar staff were standoffish and definitely expected tips every drink. 0ther guests reported same experience. Clean resort but not worth the amount paid compared to other iberostar resorts,

Amazing Resort.. We Loved it

The food was excellent and the entertainment. The grounds and pool areas were very clean There were a large assortment of shade areas This was our first time at this resort and will definitely visit again

Outstanding Service and Staff!!!!!!!!!

The Iberostar Costa Dorada was an amazing experience. The resort was beautiful with very well groomed tress and plants. They had ground level lighting so you could clearly see where you were walking in the dark. The food was excellent and always available. The staff were very polite and very proficient. The pool and swim up bar was amazing and so was the bartender. There was always room around the pools and eating areas. There was no shortage of water anywhere on the resort. The only complaints  [... read more]we had on this vacation would be the pressure to attend the Iberostar club briefing and the outdated room.The room was dated and needs to be modernized. They pretty much chased us to attend the 90 min presentation about the club. It was only at the very end of the brief that they gave you actual information and pricing about the club. Unless you are avid travelers (3 or more times a year) the club is not worth the cost. Overall this resort was a 9/10 and easily 4 1/2 Stars. We totally look forward to staying here again in the future.

Amazing resort

we go back in a minute they are so professional special thanks to entertainment crew especially randy it is the best hotel we have ever stayed in and we have gone to alot of places over time i would recommend this resort to anyone had a great stay

Very happy with Iberostar

My best friend and I recently stayed at Iberostar. We were very happy with the resort. The rooms although slightly dated were very clean and the balcony was very nice. The food was great. Always stuffed and lots of variety. Vegetables and fruit very fresh. The pool was too cold for my liking but was very clean and pool bar was nice. I thought the entertainment was super cheesy but I guess that's just a matter of taste. The beach was our favorite part. Lots of shaded areas with ample chairs. Ther [... read more]e was quite a bit of seaweed but that's not something the resort can control. If you wanted to swim you had to walk to either side but not to far. Overall we had a great time and were super happy with our stay.

Not a five star hotel

I would start with a positive note. The grounds, the public area, the territory are amazing. The staff is friendly and ready to help. The rooms need renovation including bathrooms The territory around beach , just some meters further away from the hotel, is littered with plastic, shoes, tyres, etc. Plenty of sea weed on the beach. The dining experience was not quite nice cause one day we had a big cockroach tasting our food on the plate who appeared from under the table. I have pictures an [... read more]d a video. Most vegetables served were quite overcooked.

Iberostar Costa Dorado

We were impressed with the appearance of the resort, clean, and well maintained. This was our first visit to an Iberostar property and first to Puerta Plata. Our previous 25+ resorts have been usually in Punta Cana, Myan Riviera and Jamaica. Our visit was from Jan 21 to 28, 2019. Our room was 5018 , stated to be a Ocean View room (more on that later) Rooms are set up as mini suite, with a King size bed and a sitting area. We had requested a ground floor room as there are no elevators and my [... read more] old knees can't handle stairs very well. The A/C is controlled by an on/off switch near the bed. There was no screen option to the patio door so outside ventilation was not an option . The bathroom appeared to have been updated, now with a shower only, unlike the advertised tub/shower. Water pressure in the shower was very low, only the rain shower worked, the wall mount shower only dribbled down. The bathroom is small, with room for only one at a time and the toilet is behind the door . There is only one pool centred between the buildings and while there was no shortage of chairs, can be crowded for seating . There are two rings of chairs surrounding the pool, cleverly separated by hedges also in rings almost giving a maze like look to the area. Contrary to signs posted , people were reserving the prime location chairs early in the morning, leaving just the outer ring chairs open for anyone not up at 7 AM . Service and friendliness from all staff was excellent and indeed is a huge plus for the resort. Most staff we encountered were excellent. The entertainment staff worked very hard and provided lots of options for activities, like volley ball, archery, horse shoes aerobics etc. Likewise in the evenings, band, shows etc were very good. Food and service in Sakura was one of the better one of it's type we have seen (out of about 8 similar)Reservations are easy to get and are for 1 1/2 hours , however a large party we shared the table with arrived a half hour late and put a bit of a rush on getting finished before the next group. The Chef and serving staff are to be commended for their patience and skills. Rodizio also provided very good food and service, but some care should be given to controlling the cats which had occasion to jump up on a table. Breakfast in both buffet locations was good with fresh fruit and cooked to order meals done very well.  Evening and lunch meals in the same were adequate, food was plentiful, kept well stocked with enough options, with some minor variation on theme specialties. Lobster cooked on flat grills tend to be quite charred in taste, perhaps open flame grilling would improve the taste /texture.  Note the two buffet restaurants are open sided to the outside and therefor not air conditioned and subject to visitation by birds. More then sufficient bars and product were available and at the pool side buffet even had self serve beer and soft drinks, however some poolside service would be an improvement. Our two major disappointments however, were the lack of VIEW from our beach view room 5018, which offered a view of Star Prestige Beach Club and the multiple vehicles dropping off supplies and guests and the quite noisy exchange between staff at 7:30 in the morning. and the lack of a bathtub in the room  as my wife looks forward to a relaxing tub at the end of day. Overall I would say the staff, service, well maintained grounds and food were pretty good. The Hotel is less modern, then we are accustomed to and reflect an older era. I think management is doing a good job trying to ensure quality, withing the limitations they are given.

Great Resort. Grows On You. Would Go back!

Sunwing Issue We were supposed to leave around 3:30 pm EST from Terminal 3. We came to the airport early as we had VIP access once checked in. By 11:15 we saw that our plane was delayed about 5 hours. On a check on the pervious WG410 flight from Toronto one week before we saw a similar delay so not happy. We were given ‘weather’ as an excuse but the plane was coming from Punta Cana so very unlikely since other planes from there were not late to Toronto. It seemed like a poor excuse. We we [... read more]re given $20 each to spend for food so we got at least something. Since we had VIP we missed the 2 gate changes that occurred between when we checked in and when we left so that was at least good for us. The incoming plane came in just before it was supposed to leave so we knew it would be even later. All said and done it was almost 6 hours late. Suffice to say the people that were delayed 5 hours getting to Puerto Plata the week before (Jan 10th) were once again delayed coming back as they had to wait for us to get in before their WG411 flight left Puerto Plata. Not a lot of happy faces. This fiasco made our bus drivers at the airport in Dominican have to wait 6 hours. The hotel staff were not happy with the delay and with Sunwing at all. Sunwing does not have a very good name, at least not at this resort. When we got to the resort it was almost 3pm their time (They are AST). We had no porters and it was dark and hard to find the room. To top it off the doors to the rooms slam shut VERY hard which was not great having 10 – 15 couples come to their rooms at 3am and have they many doors slam hard. I will NEVER do Sunwing again! Rooms There are two main groups of buildings with pool in between. 3 floors each side. You can walk from one building to another in the group while having shelter from rain if need be. You can basically get close to the beach and all the way back to the lobby and restaurants while staying within the sheltered area of the group of buildings. We were in the ‘7’ block of rooms. That made us close to the pool and very close to the snackbar. We had room 7103 (floor 2) We had a chance to look at an Oceanview room (first floor) but it was not as close as we wanted and quite frankly in a busy area so we kept our Gardenview room. Gardenview room was the best for us as it had a great view of trees, flora and gardens and it was very quiet. As stated before, be careful as the door to the room slams shut HARD! They had fairly basic showers in the room we had but we did see other rooms that seemed to have a more updated look. The cleaning of the rooms is great and never had any issues at all with the staff. Fridges are kept well stocked and they can provide more water if need be. Do not drink the tap water, only use it for tooth brushing and nothing else. There was no bottles of alcohol in the rom and did not ask for it so not sure how that works. We did get Presidente beer (their house brand in Dominican), water and sugar and sugar free pop. We got a nice size balcony with two chairs and a table. There was also a white plastic dryer on the balcony wall you could pull to expand to dry clothes on. The lock to the balcony was not working but since we were floor 2 we did not press it. Bed and pillow were comfy and we had a king bed. Safe was good and had no issues with it. They do not have any super deluxe rooms like swim up etc. Took Canadian electronics and had no issues charging and using the plugs but not many. Musty smell in the room but was normal for tropical destinations and we got used to it. Air conditioning and fan were perfect if in fact sometimes even too cold. Food and Drink Coffee is good in the restaurants but the espresso machine in the lobby bar is best for cappuccino etc You can self serve your coffee, tea, water, cappuccino, ice cream etc on the property. Alcohol was good. You get Presidente beer only and not top shelf booze which is normal. We are not too picky so for us was not a big deal. You can pay more for top shelf stuff if you want to. We did get them to make a bloody mary numerous times for us. Not a Caesar but as close as you will get there. Be careful though as some were making it with Ghost Pepper sauce and calling it ‘Tobasco’.. hottttt!!! There are 3 nights you can do a sit down dinner. Booking was quick and painless. We did not do Mediterranean but instead did the Japanese (twice) and Mexican once. There are 3 sit down restaurants. Mexican was great but since my partner is Mexican there was a hint of it not being fully authentic but in some aspects it was close. Japanese was terrific. We want two nights in a row. You get dinner and a show as it is Teppanyaki style. You get soup and appetizer followed by the ‘show’. You can get two items from octopus, chicken, beef and shrimp. It was phenomenal and by far the bets food there. The main buffet I believe was 7 – 10 am then 1 – 3 pm and finally 6 - 10 pm. In between is the snackbar by the beach. Late night the Mexican becomes the 24 hour snack bar and they have a surprising amount of stuff (ie you can get eggs at midnight there). Buffet was great and open on most sides so there is a chance for birds and bugs. Just a heads up. As well at the snack bar you will find there are a few wild cats that roam the property so do not be surprised. Entertainment At night there was a cigar bar right by the lobby bar and theatre area and they had a good range of cigars to choose from. We went to most nights entertainment and it was things like Michael Jackson night (Amazing), latin night, karaoke and Lion King. The animation team is just top notch and you do not want to miss the shows. There are a few columns in the way so get your seats early if you can. The main entertainment starts at 9:30 pm but there are other things going on stage about an hour before that. There is a bar right in the auditorium that is way easier to get booze from compared to the lobby bar right outside. We did visit the disco twice which is just past the lobby bar. It opens at 11. Nice place with a route 66 vibe as well as the front of a truck inside the disco (Don’t be surprised as it honks and flashes its lights). It was quiet when we went but it was just when it opened so I assume it gets busier later at night. There are nights where in the main courtyard by the lobby where there is music and dancing. We did see that if you exit the front of the resort, just to the right is a Casino. We did not go and there were mixed reviews on the casino. There is not a casino on site of this resort. Shopping We did pick a day to go to Puerto Plata’s main square. A Taxi costs $40 US for a 4 hour ‘city tour’. The cabbie stays with you the full 4 hours and you really can go anywhere in town that you want to go. Of course as we expected there were a few times the cabbie introduced us to ‘his brother’ or ‘his friend’ who wanted to sell us something but that was no surprise. Town is a bit run down. We went to the Amber museum (also run down a bit). It cost $2 US each and we spent about 10 minutes there. We also did a shop as Las Sirenas which is a grocery store (a bit like Walmart). Food and rum prices were ok. Shopping at the resort was not much. A few high end stores and there is a store that sells snacks, sunscreen, Dominican souvenirs etc. Property Overall the property is very well kept up… trees and bushes trimmed, clean outside etc. The only knock is that the rooms themselves seem a bit dated and also since there is only one pool it must be hard to ever fix and update it which is likely why it is showing its age. Walking by the gardenview rooms (behind the ‘7’ block of rooms) there is a nice area to view the trees and birds and aloe plants as well as another area where there are Orchids. We found this to be the best way to get to the lobby and food. Only one main single pool and it needs a bit of work. In the middle is a ‘hot’ tub but like most / all in these destinations it was just slightly warmer than the pool. Pool is cold as well as the ocean itself. Even on a very hot day the pool was shocking to get in to. I know that with the ocean they can do nothing but it would help if the pool was warmer. Not sure if time of year had an affect. Beach and pool were quiet and it was never an issue finding a seat or shade for that matter. They had older yellow loungers and newer grey back ones (where you can elevate the head and knees). Go for the new ones if you can. Beach was nice but as you get to the water there is quite a lot of seaweed. They did try on a few days to clean some of it up but there were parts of the beach where if you waded in you had to go through seaweed first. Final Tips - Remember its $20 US to exit the airport so have your money ready and make sure to get a receipt as you will need it when you check in - There are tighter restrictions on what can go in carry on. For example if I had ground coffee I would not have been able to do carry on… even things like soap bard and blocks of candy (like fudge) must be checked in or you lose it!

Loved this resort

My wife and I loved this resort. From the moment my wife and I got there to the time we were leaving the staff were very Friendly and a happy atmosphere. The rooms were great clean and the fridge was always stocked. The food was awesome. A great place for you to get away would definitely go back again

Very nice resort!

This was my first time going to Perto Plata, and I liked the fact that I chose this resort. 1. The food was good, there was always a different variety every night. 2. There was always something going on, so if you decide to take a break from laying on the beach- there was entertainment during the day, evening and night. 3. The rooms were nice, and staff very friendly.