Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: Beautiful Grounds!!

Third time there. We stayed there last week of April and it was a heat wave 35C everyday.Got there at 12pm and was in room by 12:45pm Booked Spa side and got room requested 2nd floor. Clean and large, air con nice not loud, bottle of rum in room full fridge everyday with as many beer, pop, water. Food was not bad, but it has been better in the past, selection varied, breakfast great, lunch ok, dinner was good. If you booked the seafood rest you could have lobster at least 3 times during the week [... read more]. Spa side (adults only) pool was excellent, lots of palm trees and shade, no problem finding a lounge chair no need to reserve like some jerks do. Beach was great but hot hot hot!!! We would go down at 7am until 10am, after that you would melt, lots of people got sunstroke (idiots). Of course at 8am on jerks would start throwing towels on chairs for the shady spots beware! All three beaches are nice! Lobby is wonderful and relaxing, order special cocktail drinks form the lobby bar, my favourite was the Hemingway, the wife liked the Blue Hawaiian. We had sun all week! Enjoy.

Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: Incredible resort

All areas were clean and welcoming. The ocean and sand were beautiful and the beach was quiet. The pool area was crowded and noisy however we remained on the beach. The food was delicious. That alone would make us return. We did the xtreme excursion and that was so much fun! We will certainly be returning.

Iberostar Origin Daiquiri: Awesome vacation !!!

I have been to this hotel several times and it never disappoints. We stayed from May 3-10 . It wasn't a great week weather wise because of the heavy rain but we had fun anyway. The rooms are refurbished and kept clean. The food was very good in the buffet and the Mexican...but we didn't care for the Italian. The beach is shallow and calm and the water is so clear....Heaven!! The grounds are always kept so nice and the groundskeepers work very hard everyday. The people are what make this hotel ex [... read more]ceptional. They are very hardworking and go out of their way to make your holiday special. We had a lovely dinner arranged with champagne and a Birthday cake. They had a nice table set up with flowers and special decorations..what a surprise for the Birthday girl.!!!! I have travelled many places but I always find myself back at the Daiquiri because of its charm and wonderful people....it's my home away from home. Can't wait to return......

Iberostar Origin Daiquiri: Was expecting more

This hotel is on a lovely beach. The grounds are nice and it is overall quite clean. When we arrived our first discovery was that the toilet did not flush in our room. However, we were moved quickly and were happy with the location of the new accommodations. The maid service was excellent! Thank you Sonia! Unfortunately the refrigerator did not work and the blow dryer was an antique. We did go to customer service. They were very nice but it took 4 days of going back again and again to have the b [... read more]low dryer replaced. There was no coffee supplied the room as it is in every hotel I have ever been to and one of the balcony chairs was broken. I must thank Raoul in customer service. He was very polite and patient. I have been to Cuba many times and keep going back because I find the people warm, friendly and helpful. It really adds to the experience. I did meet some lovely members of the staff and actually chose the restaurant on the beach every day for lunch because the waitress Medalys and the manager, Alberto, were lovely! We had a very rainy week and sat there a long time each day playing cards. They take care of the guests and keep coming over to check on you, smile and chat and ensure you have what you need. Thank you guys! I will add that I was surprised that some of the other staff were less friendly than I am used to. During that week the senior management of the hotel was visiting and there was a lot of activity around that. Perhaps that was a stressor that influenced the general sense that they did not have time for you. I also noticed the bar lacked certain choices I usually see, especially the pool bar. When you cannot get dark rum in Cuba there is something wrong! In addition, the food options between meals were very few. Hamburgers and hot dogs were the only thing available most days at the pool restaurant and not something I consider a snack! At night after 11pm the food was in the buffet and truthfully, not very enticing. The restaurants and buffet were quite nice for the most part, especially the Mexican and Cuban. The Italian restaurant lacked ambiance and the food was fair. We did do the outing to Pillar beach. I highly recommend it! Gorgeous and the little seafood restaurant is adorable with good food. Cayo Coco beach itself is spectacular! I would go back but sadly, not to this hotel. The positive did not really make up for what was lacking, especially when there are other options.

Iberostar Waves Rose Hall Beach: Really nice resort with friendly staff

the grounds are well kept, the staff are very welcoming. the jamaican food is great. the breakfast at little river buffet always serve satisfying. they have enough activities for everyone of all ages.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Fell Short in So Many Ways...

Aside from the beautiful weather, I have nothing nice to say about the resort. From the minute we checked in, I knew this wasn’t going to be good. We arrived at the resort around 1am and given our experience with the flight, we were eager to get our room, unpack, hopefully grab something to eat, and go to sleep. Our plan was unfolding nicely until we got to our room…OMG. Room: When we opened the door, we were greeted with an overwhelming stench of mold and mildew. If that wasn’t bad enoug [... read more]h it was apparent that the room was not clean. The A/C didn’t work, the telephone didn’t work, the fan above the bed didn’t work and the tv didn’t work. Nothing worked…and to top it off there were no towels (little did we know, this would continue to be an ongoing issue our entire stay). We proceeded back to the front desk to ask that we be placed in another room. They told us that there were no more rooms available. After pleading with them for nearly an hour, they finally gave us keys to a new room (without the view which we paid for), but by this point we were happy to have A/C. I did however, return to the front desk to let them know that we still wanted what we paid for; a room with a view. They told us to come back in the morning but still couldn’t guarantee they would have anything for us the next day. I returned to the front desk around 9:30am the next morning and thankfully they had a room available , things were looking better, so we thought. Our new room wasn’t much better. The same smell resonated throughout the room, there was black mold in the bathroom and along side the A/C, but at least this one worked. The bed had no support, and again when I checked the towel situation, we only had two hand towels. I immediately called the front desk and asked them to bring us more towels and they said they would send someone. About 35 minutes later, someone arrived with two more towels, hand towels not bath towels. When I asked for bigger ones, she told me there were none and that there laundry service was broken. WHAT???? This resort has 800+ rooms and no laundry service?? We quickly discovered that there was also not hot water, so no clean towels and no hot water the entire week…ugh. Food - horrible and they never restocked anything once it was gone. Anywhere we ate (aside from the Japanese a la carte) was filthy. Amenities throughout the resort were horrible and it was common for the toilets to have no toilet seats. Service - what service; they were very selective of who and when they helped which made buying wifi cards and exchanging money nearly impossible. All in all, this trip was a niightmare and we couldn't wait to be home with hot water and clean towels.

Iberostar Origin Playa Alameda: First and last trip

Really bad hotel . We hated it and I spend the first night crying . The room was so dirty and the bed sheet as well . Bugs everywhere . The food was reaally bad and un eatble . Un friendly staff and so rode . Save your money for a good five stars hotel

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: lovely time

Great visit! Nice to see small improvements and you can tell management has taken the suggestions from guests seriously. Way to go! Was a great visit for May. We were concerned for the weather but it was nice. Warm and enjoyable taking a refreshing dip. The hotel was less busy and we didnt have to deal with long lines and staff had time to be attentive with all guests. Its nice to see familiar faces. We love the spa side and highly recommend you book this side if you are adults visiting. This  [... read more]was our 2nd time visiting and were married there last year with a small group . I would highly recommend weddings here as the hotel does not over book other weddings on the same day and have many beautiful options with choice of areas for your ceremony. Because our group was small we married in the gazebo! It was perfect! The grounds are beautiful and private. I would recommend the photographer. Very affordable. Bring lots of tips for those who help make your wedding memorable ! The beaches are gorgeous. we were sad to see many Palapas washed away since last year at the Megano beach. No fault of the resort the tide has raised higher up onto the beach. The island itself at times is affected by lack of running water and the hotels are cut off from time to time. one bizarre situation at our visit this past time was a shortage of cheese everywhere. This limited food options at specialty restaurants and affected the whole hotel. No biggie. Lots of other options. Do not visit Cuba with high expectations of food. We are always open to this and as a result it does not affect our great time! This is a lovely resort. Cuba hotels in general we have noticed depreciates quickly with the humidity and weather. The hotels try hard to keep up but are limited. Assume that a Cuban 4 or 5 star are more like a three star back home. If you are open minded and happy and kind it will make your vacation so much more!

Iberostar Selection Rose Hall Suites: Great Stay... Except...

Great hotel, great staff, great food. However the A/C broke down for the entire hotel complex on the last two days. The heat and humidity were unbearable, in particular at night when trying to sleep. The hotel staff tried to make the best of a bad situation. We saw it as one of those things like bad weather. Guests who just arrived lost out on the opportunity to eat in the a la cart restaurants because they were closed, because without A/C it was just too hot to be indoors. The hotel was smart,  [... read more]they moved the entire dining room to the beach for a beachfront dining experience that was actually quite good. Although the onsite tour rep from Airtransat Holidays was excellent, his ability to assist was limited. I fault Airtransat Holidays, I expected at least some follow up communications from them after returning to Toronto. One month later I have heard nothing. I also fault Iberostar for not having better maintenance of the AC. If I was their management, I would have put a repair crew and parts onto a plane and flown them in from wherever to fix the system in such a large hotel complex. Shame on you both, for only those reasons I may consider not going back to an otherwise lovely country and nice hotel.

Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: Potential Balance Unparalleled Beauty

My husband and I vacationed at Iberostar Costa Dorada April 22-29, 2015. We booked a regular room through Tripcentral and travelled via Air Transat Vacations, and we received first rate service. We base this review on the experience gained form 15 all-inclusive vacations at three repeat 5-star resorts in Varadero Cuba, Punta Cana DR, and Puerto Plata DR. Upon our arrival at Costa Dorada we were overwhelmed by the vast numbers of guests checking in along with us. We quickly discovered this would [... read more] not be a problem. We were efficiently greeted, offered a cold beverage, then assisted by a professional clerk, given our room assignment, key cards, instructions on beach towel card usage, a map of the resort and a meeting appointment with our Air Transat Rep. We were given a King room on the first level of building 6 with a partial ocean/beach view. While our luggage followed timely in the capable hands of a smiling porter we headed eagerly to check out our accommodations. We discovered our entrance was off a beautiful garden courtyard. The room itself spacious, a large bathroom to the right, with in tub shower, single sink marble vanity and hairdryer. Then past that to the right a huge King size bed with double night stands along the wall, then a high round table with two chairs. Upon entering to the left was a luggage bench next to a large seated desk area, offering a coffee maker with essentials and an ice bucket (ice machines located throughout each double building block) with glasses. Next to this a flat screen TV sat on a cabinet containing a mini fridge. The fridge held beer, soda pop and water, this was replenished daily. Our quiet and very private patio sat outside a large sliding door. It offered two comfy chairs with a table with a view onto a private, quiet, green area near the child daycare facility. There was never noise from outside, night or day. A partial view offered of both beach and ocean gave us reason to unpack our swim suits and head out to explore. We were very happy to call this room home base for the next week. We discovered the beach just a few steps away. We walked around the corner, from our room, along a flagstone pathway in front of building 5, past a foot wash/shower station onto golden sand. The beach is wide, with plenty of natural shade close to the Beachbar and beach BBQ/Grill area. There are palapas offering shaded areas and plenty of beach beds. Daily removal of washed up seaweed leaves the beach clean. The water depth drops quickly in some areas but this changes day to day depending on wind/sea conditions. The 'yellow' slightly saggy beach beds were a problem for us, they do not fully recline and prove to be very uncomfortable when laying on ones belly. We have been to 4* resorts with fully reclining 'blue' chairs that offer much more support. You are thinking we have a dislike for yellow but I assure you the comfort level and style was also pale in comparison to the sturdy blue recliners of other resorts. During our stay we had 7 days with no high wind and a gentle surf. The ocean temperature was very warm, sea bottom mostly sand with occasional areas of seaweed. We noticed that schools of fish were abundant. The buffet is a very large circular restaurant, divided seating areas, high palapa center ceiling, open along the exterior half wall to the outside, with option to lower curtains during wind or rain. The buffet is located close to the Spa/Gym and not far from the main lobby. From our first evening onward we chose to sit near the garden and, on occasion, we would see several of the resort's resident peacocks strut along displaying their colourful plumage. Our waiter Domingo was there at breakfast and dinner every day during our stay. He would greet us with warmth, offer a few mini Spanish lessons and always remembered our drink preferences. Following breakfast we went to either the pool or the beach. The first two days we choose the beach, the same palapa, daily became our private little retreat. As I mentioned earlier, I found the beach beds uncomfortable and by morning of the third day decided to book a therapuedic massage at the Spa. Poolside days that followed, allowed me to rest in comfort on a thick mattress of a fully reclining sunbed. During the mornings that followed I enjoyed few delicious mimosas, followed by short naps in the shade and a short walk to the beach for a relaxing ocean dip before lunchtime, oh the fun! We always lunched at the poolside buffet. The food here was excellent. Succulent rotisserie chicken, yum! Selections of fish, beef burgers, pork chops, steak, a variety of cooked vegetables, French fries, fresh lettuce and various vegetables, nachos, salsa, chili, cheese, breads, rolls, fruit, and deserts. Both poolside and beach activities were non-stop. Morning pool aerobics, beach yoga, Latin dance lessons, Spanish lessons. Silly poolside games, bingo, darts, washer toss, archery, shooting, zumba, tennis, on and on. If you want a busy fun filled day you will be kept entertained. If you want to relax, these games will not be a distraction, the music or noise level was never intrusive at either poolside or beach. We enjoyed both the games and the relaxation at our leisure. Aside from morning mimosas I suggest the pool swim up bar between 4-6pm. It is lively, a time for those who are young or young at heart, not for those who are prickly about a few adult jokes and conversation. It's a time for sharing a shooter or two, poured with finesse and expertise. Many thanks to pool bartenders including Angel, Yara, Juan Lewis and Emmanuel. The staff at Costa Dorada are 'mi familia'. You will be adding to your face book friends list after a week at Iberostar Costa Dorada. After our first dinner experience at the main buffet we didn't restrict ourselves to bookings and chose instead to dine where we knew the food and service to be excellent. During our stay we heard positive things concerning all of the a la cartes, especially the Japanese, however can offer no personal opinion. Following dinner we either walked the manicured grounds or along the serene glowing poolside, visited the exquisite orchid garden, browsed the market area, took in vendor displays, or headed to the lobby bar for an after dinner drink. During early evening there is a children’s time in the theater, followed by an occasional mid evening interlude of musical entertainment, then the evening theater show, ending with nightly disco time starting at 11:30pm. During our stay there was very little mid evening entertainment. This was disappointing. One evening a local band played both a variety of slow to fast paced latin and international music in the courtyard. We enjoyed this romantic time, dancing under the moon in paradise. This one evening gave us a teasing taste of what should have been a nightly feast. On another occasion, a one man piano/guitar entertainer, not so tasteful, played/sang his rendition of Elvis and Beatles songs/music. He was annoying, his performance unprofessional. He would start the song, laugh, then stop, restart, so on, if this was meant as humor, it was not perceived by the audience as being funny. The courtyard area is open, spacious and offers a venue in which nightly mid-evening activity could be offered, I hope this situation improves. How to be polite yet remain brutally honest. The animation staff work hard-check, they give 110%-check, therefore, the following opinion is not a reflection on the “entertainment team”. They work all day, then they are expected to work all evening as performers, this is not good management! A resort that booms during the day has to fall apart at night when working the same staff! Outside shows, troops, groups, need to be brought in at least 4 out 7 evenings. This would give the Iberostar staff time to recharge and an opportunity to mingle with the guests. They deserve100% review feedback. We strongly feel the evening/nightlife is sadly lacking, at least it was during our one week stay. We feel our week should be the reflection of any average week as most all vacations are either, 7, 10 or 14 days. A resort of this rating and potential should offer more “spirit” after dark, instead it is tired, slow, and, at times, boring. We went to the disco only one night, simply because the early evening boredom set a mood of tired eyedrooping. Located behind the main lobby bar area, past the lobby washrooms, this space is air conditioned and offers modern trendy decor and design. You have to take a look inside, even if you don't plan on indulging in a late evening of dance and/or drink. The music started out as true 70's early 80's disco, this was actually amusing and offered moments of nostalgia to a few exuberant couples. We enjoyed non-stop dancing to a good selection of top 40's modern dance mix music. All age groups were on the floor, everyone seemed to be having fun. Then things went to latin, loud and booming. The dance floor emptied and everyone had a look of puzzlement. Even with the lacking evening entertainment, we still feel this resort is a well deserving 4.5 star. It has a warm, welcoming atmosphere, it quickly becomes your resort, your place, your personal paradise. Resort staff are omnipresent, pleasant, helpful and gracious. Would we go back? Yes, without question, in a heartbeat. The critiques we've given offer suggestions with a positive, hopeful attitude. We hope the balance of night and day entertainment will be realized. Thank-you Tripcentral. Thank you Iberostar. We had an amazing experience at Costa Dorada, where azure ocean meets luscious land, truly a place of balance and beauty. Pauline and Don Spurrell

Iberostar Selection Varadero: Awesome!

So many people had much to say about resorts in Cuba but our resort was great! The food, people, location, rep, beach - everything was perfect. We met people from all over the world. We felt very safe and we were treated so well. It worries me how the Americans may change the tourism there - I hope not.

Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: Outstanding Resort!

There is not one thing I would change about this resort. The food was great, the rooms were nice with a beautiful view, the beach was beautiful, the pool was clean, and there was always various entertainment.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Great Resort - Clean and Relaxing

We stayed for 5 days and had a fantastic time. This was our second time in Cuba and enjoyed this resort more. Our only concern with the resort is that we did not have any towels (beach or bath) and we didn't receive them until the second day. The staff was helpful and apologized but it seemed liked many of the guests we talked to had similar issues.

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: Brilliant beaches!

Hotel was as good as it could be for Cuba, the staff was excellent as always. The food is great (if you're trying to lose weight). The only con on our trip was that laundry had no clean towels for the room but plenty for the beach.

Iberostar Origin Tainos: Cuban have changed! Disappointed!

Been to Cuba many times including Havana, Varadero, Holguin, Santa Maria since 1996. Iberostar to my understanding is a better service and food hotels chain from internet reviews. Unfortunately, this is not true. We have 10 people, 5 rooms booked in the main building, none of the patio doors works properly, as a result, it was so noisy until 2 to 3 am so no one can sleep well. Service at front desk are rude, bar tenders at the lobby are terribly slow and not sincere. Food are the worst among all [... read more] hotels we have been. The Japanese restaurant serve only grilled salty foods. The price they charged compare to other resorts that we have been are not worth. Resorts we've been to: Breeze Varadero, Brasas Del Caribe, Tuxpan, Brisas Guardalavaca, Sol de Luna, Sol de Mares, Rio de Oro, Husa Caya Santa Maria, Iberostar Tainos is not worst to stay. Last but not the least, the Sunwing's counter check in person in Cuba was so rude and not helpful. One of our golf bag was broken. I would say this was the worst experience from all our Cuba's trips. Cuban are not as nice as in the past, they changed.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Iberostar Laguna Azul

The resort was beautiful. Enjoyed the beach and all the pools . Entertainment at night was great. Availibility of drinks was good. Room was a long way from the main entrance. All in all it was a great vacation.

Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: Clean, Attractive, Compact Resort

Went second week in May and the weather and temperature of the pool was perfect. Beach has a lot of seaweed (raked daily), crushed shells in sand, and there was a considerable amount of wind pick up usually around 11:00 a.m. so cannot comfortably stay at beach past noon. Plenty of palapas and chairs at beach and pool. Food and atmosphere at main buffet I found to be very good. Tried Japanese and Brasilian a la carte restaurants which were good. Rooms were dated but clean and fine. Three story bu [... read more]ildings with no elevators. Attractive surroundings and everything is within short walking distance. Daytime entertainment good as well as the entertainment staff. Evening entertainment could use some improvement as not as varied as Iberostar Punta Cana / Dominicana - i.e. band for dancing each evening, and there was not any professional shows the week I was there only audience participation. Locals come in on weekends and national holidays which makes it very busy and loud. Staff on the whole were very pleasant.

JOIA Rose Hall by Iberostar: 5th Time in Jamaica - Best Resort Yet

Postive notes: Resort is more beautiful than online pics. Very short walk from room to buffet, beach or pools. Lots of straw umbrellas and chairs. Food was amazing, fresh and large selection. Lunch BBQ on the beach and evening pirate party on the beach with live band was fun. Buffet and A La carte restaurants - delicious (especially surf and turf). Staff very friendly. Butler and Concierge will do all they can to help you day or night. Needed in room breakfast because of early ck-out at 4:30 am  [... read more]and butler arranged it. Wifi was great. There were weddings almost every day. Lots of activities planned each day but no pressure to join. Hired a cab thru Sunwing Rep to spend day in Negril, Rick's cafe, shopping. Driver Ransford Samuels (nice guy) stayed w us all day - good value and learned lots about Jamaica and their way of life. Small Downside: Smelly stuff comes out of black pipe on beach (not sure what that was). Bring boat shoes if your feet are sensitive - there are lots of small rocks on the way into the sea. I slipped and fell very hard on a cement square with a manhole cover in beach area because I did not see it. It was the color of the sand and the sand made the sloped sides as slippery as ice. I told the front desk, the concierge and so on and nothing was done to either paint it or put something on it like a plant or table so people won't walk on it. I would recommend they replace the carpets in the hall ways. It is a humid climate and the humidity makes them smell.

Iberostar Origin Daiquiri: Nice resort

Resort was nice and staff was very pleasant. Rooms were clean and resort grounds were well kept. Beach was the most beautiful I have ever seen and the water was warm and we lucked into beautiful weather our whole vacation.Food was good with lots of variety and a la cart restaurants were good with good menu selections.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Very Nice Resort

Overall the staff were very friendly and accommodating. The beach is amazing and had more than enough lounge chairs for everyone. The rooms are nice but could definitely use updating but the rest of the resort was in very good condition. The pools looked very nice although we did not end up using them. The a la carte restaurants were very good but the buffet was repetitive and not the best with the exception of the food stations for the omelets, pizza and pasta.