Iberostar Selection Holguin: Great vacation

The hotel is big and very clean. The beach was beautiful and you could always get a lounge chair as the staff don’t allow people to reserve them all day which was great. We were very lucky that there were no shortages of food while we were there. The only thing that they didn’t have was mix for the fancy cocktails which was too bad. The staff for the most part were great especially the ladies at the kids club. I found the lobby bar staff to be extremely inattentive though and I’m not sure  [... read more]why. We we’re always friendly, patient and tipped. It’s very quiet in the evenings as it’s mostly families. The resort is very large at first but once you get to know your way around it doesn’t seem quite so big. I probably will return

Iberostar Selection Ensenachos: Best Resort

The resort was top notch. Beautiful spacious room, very clean. Excellent value. Wonderful staff. The beaches were beautiful. The water couldn't be any clearer. We felt like special guests. Already planning to return in January 2024.

Iberostar Origin Daiquiri: Good resort

Beautiful beach with shallow water. Almost no waves. The food was good with lots of varieties- chicken, pork, fish with side dishes. Excellent cappuccino in the lobby bar. The rooms are a little bit outdated but clean.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Never again!

We were very disappointed in so many things. The only hot meals offered at the buffet both lunch and dinner every day and night were limited selections of pasta and pizza. Drinks, especially wine, were watered down. No vodka, no orange juice, no blended drinks. No entertainment, including music, poolside until 4pm. Constantly had to ask for dirty glasses in room to be replaced. Air conditioning was so loud. Elevators never worked, buttons were holes that we were not going to stick our fingers [... read more] in so had to use the stairs all the time. We tipped everywhere but didn't make a difference in bar service or housekeeping. The only good thing was the weather.

Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul: Worst trip ever.

The hotel was old and empty. The had only had what they call cola and fanta in the main bar. Rum and rum are your only drinking options the had no vodka tequila whisky anything just rum. First day we got there the ran out of hamburgers we paid no attention cause we thought there would be more options. Nope. Hot dogs and French fries at the snack bar when the have and if you don't mind the roaches climbing all over the bar. Secondly the have a hot wings station that wasn't hot enough to fully coo [... read more]k the wings that were poured out of a bag over the grill along side/ on top of cooking chicken. No options at breakfast on only two cooking surfaces for the whole resort If u just want a beach and pool this is the place. Bring cup of noodles condiments snacks and pepto. Only way I would ever do this trip again if the 12 friends I went with were all sent back with me for free. Don't try any of the restaurants they all share the same roach infested kitchen the people in the hotel are amazing.

Iberostar Selection Esmeralda: Resort is average !

Hotel is nice and clean ,my room was close to the beach,buffet ,pool and other entertainment facilities what happened daily we loved ! Food was fair everyone can find something to eat ,but we can see some differences compared to previous years i been shocked no bread for the whole day ,not eggs for the breakfast (several days) we stayed 12 days but you can always find something ! Only thing i like to tell for management it's dirty dishes and glasses !

Iberostar Coral Esmeralda: Needs work

First time at an Iberostar, and will not be going back to any of their properties - 5 Star, was more like a 3 star. We wanted to try this group and thought this location, Coral Level Cayo Coco Esmerelda was a good option, lots of positive reviews... Resort was clean needs updates in some areas - for a year old, the buffet area needs an update in decor, something more modern, lighter summer colours Food was not at all like a 5 star - more like a 3 star - bar was not stocked well and ran out of  [... read more]beer, wine , sparkling wine. No soft drinks, no juices, ( tang for oj), no bottled water for a half day, limited liquor & Specialty drinks, Pina coladas, daiquiris were improvised with their own concoctions...the food was very limited, breads, cheeses, "salad bar" and grill were best options. Al la Cartes were disappointing...Italian had two pastas which they also serve at the 24 hr snack bar, and a lasagna which was OK. No chicken until our last night, at the Mediterranean, which was pretty good. 24 hr "snack" bar had good pizza and burgers & fries, but get there early as they ran out often....beach bbq daily at 1 was good when they had it, but the BBQ it self needs to be replaced, is VERY rusted...beach bar was pretty good for beer, and sometimes lead a good Pina colada The lobby bar at night was amazing with the piano player, saxophone player & violin player. The staff are amazing and did their very best, thank you to Juan Carlos, Beatriz, Hindrian, Alejandro, Lixander, life guard Denny. The house cleaning staff were very friendly and did an amazing job. Overall, we would NOT recommend this resort to anyone, unfortunately.

Iberostar Selection Esmeralda: Canadians must read ...

The property is beautiful, and the rooms are modern, HOWEVER, If you stay on the ground floor you will sleep with bugs.. we got moved to the third floor and found the bugs weren’t as bad. There were a lot of ants, mosquitoes and other small bugs in the room and completely unrelated to bugs, but we also found toenail clippings in the corner of our room. They cleaned the room but still didn’t clean them up, it seems they only make the beds and don’t clean anything else. They have 2 al a  [... read more]carte restaurants, Cuban and italian, and allow 2 reservations per week. They were both okay. The buffet was hit or miss, some days they would have food options and other days it was like grasping at straws trying to put a meal together, and even then it was average at best. There is a food shortage, so given the circumstances it wasn’t THAT bad, but like I said, some days were better than others. There is also a snack bar by the main pool that serves food all day, the pizza was great, but it isn’t always available and sometimes you would need to wait over an hour. The night snacks you had an option of fish, pork or a cheeseburger, the cheeseburger always comes undercooked, so I suggest asking for it well done. The bars were below average with limited selection. 1 type of beer, a few spirits, no sodas, and slow service. The frozen drinks came very watery and not thick and milky (Pina colada) or thick and icy (daiquiris). The wifi is strong when it works but can be very inconsistent and dodgey, it works on the beach and by the pools most times and in the room sometimes, but does not work in the lobby. You also get a slip of paper with your wifi login and you need to go to the front desk every 3 hours to re-activate the wifi. The beach is nice. White sand and turquoise blue water. There was a lot of seaweed but I think that washed in with the rain and they had workers slowly removing it over the week. The water is shallow and wavey, it was pretty windy when we were there. The amenities were lacking, it’s advertised there is a spa and water park. There was neither, we thought it might be at the coral section but we were told we couldn’t go there. The gift shop was terrible, they had corn flakes, candy, toothpaste and cigars. It was the size of a closet and only 3 people could squeeze in at a time. The service was very slow and we often felt like a last priority. 95% of the people at the resort were Russian and it was very clear they were favoured and top priority. The staff were younger (I’m only 30) and spoke more Russian than they did English. Some spoke zero English. One day I was at the front desk renewing my wifi and a Russian man aggressively came up beside me and talked over me to the agent to get helped first. The desk agent gave him his full attention and I was then ignored. When I called the man out and asked if I was invisible, he blatantly ignored me and continued talking to the desk agent, I then raised my voice and repeated myself and he mumbled something in Russian under his breath and the agent rolled his eyes and laughed. He then asked the man if it was ok to help “the lady” first… even though I was speaking to him first and we were there for the same purpose. I would like to point out, my friend and I are two females in our early-mid thirties and were very positive and happy / friendly toward everyone, very polite to the staff, not causing problems or making various requests. We are very low maintenance, and we had been tipping everywhere. So in a nutshell, this hotel is far from a 5 star and is closer to a 3 star. If you are Russian you will get better treatment and if you are Canadian I would probably just stay away all together. If you are looking for an updated room and a nice beach and don’t care about service, food, entertainment, drinks or being harassed and bullied by Russians then you might be ok with this hotel. I personally will never come back, and for an Iberostar it is an embarrassment to the brand (even for Cuba) At the airport we spoke to the other Canadians and they all had the same experience - poor service, entitled and aggressive Russians harassing them, bad food and feeling unsafe. Pros: modern rooms, beautiful lobby and property, amazing pools Cons: bugs in rooms, terrible food, terrible service (unless you’re Russian), no amenities (spa, casino, water park, water sports etc), entertainment catered to Russians (Russian music and Russian commentary)

Iberostar Origin Daiquiri: Iberostar Daiquiri - Cayo Guillermo, Cuba

The hotel was very nice and well kept. The staff were incredible! Everyone was so nice and gave the place a welcoming and relaxed feel. The beaches were beautiful, kilometres of soft sand, and a great place to get in the water and snorkel, swim or even do some diving (Coco Diving Centre was only a couple minutes walk down the beach, and those guys were wonderful to dive with, I highly recommend them!!) Overall it was just a great experience, we certainly look forward to going back! The only  [... read more]downside (being non-smokers) was that there were smokers everywhere. I felt bad for the staff who don’t smoke because a lot of the smokers would hang out around the main lobby and the staff that work there were stuck having to put up with less than courteous smokers. If this place were non -smoking, it would be as close to perfect as you could get!

Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: Above average for the class

The Iberostar Costa Dorada is a nice all-inclusive with a few problems which are mostly self-inflicted. First the good: -nice beach with absolutely no issues getting a lounge chair anytime of the day. you never felt crowded -ocean view room was clean and quiet, but a little dated and for some reason only had one chair. Great location close to the beach and away from the noise -staff are great, friendly and mostly helpful -food is average to maybe a little above average for this type of r [... read more]esort. Japanese restaurant is fun, mexican pretty good and italian maybe a bit below average but fine. Buffet is a bit repetitive but overall pretty good - you wont go hungry -easy to book restaurants (once you know how) and the rules seem to change -Bed was very comfortable -fairly short drive from the airport -Grounds are generally clean and well kept -liked the eco friendly aspect of the resort. No problem filling available water bottles from around the corner which eliminates the plastic ones -Booking the trip was fairly easy - Lisa did a good job of getting us what we wanted although i had to check spam folder the get my tickets - not her fault, just a warning The not so good: -communication is lacking. You learn to do things like booking restaurants (and in one case finding them), using the safe and finding activities on your own. There is no information provided by the hotel and the iberostar app is wrong a lot of the time. We missed a beach party and several daytime activities because the app or hotel signs had the wrong info. Finding the italian restaurant is a challenge because it does not appear on any hotel maps and is not marked - it is actually the open air lunch restaurant at night which is a brazilian restaurant on all of their maps -our room was dated but had a renovated bathroom. Looked nice but several of the fixtures were loose and the toilet seat was the wrong size and not properly attached. Not a big deal but why? -the bartenders, while friendly, aren't too imaginative and on several occasions gave me the wrong drink even though they confirmed what i wanted. Maybe a little casual about their jobs? -typical of this type of resort, the pool plays obnoxious "music" at high volumes throughout the day with the animation staff screaming into to the microphone frequently - stick to the beach -As often noted, there is a real seaweed problems on the beach in the mornings but staff do try to keep up with it. Didn't bother us but something to be aware of -limited evening activities. Like most of these resorts, the evening entertainment can be hit and miss and there arent a lot of options. Brandy in the lobby bar gets a bit old after a few nights -The first couple of nights a fogger came around to control the mosquitos. without warning you could be caught in a toxic fog. while there is a bit of a mosquito issue at dusk, a little notice would be apreicated. Overall you probably won't be wowed by this resort but you probably wont be disappointed either. I would give it a solid 8 out of 10 which could be easlily improved with a bit of communication.

Iberostar Origin Playa Alameda: Pretty

The hotel is pretty just needs some upgrades. The hotel staff were so lovely and accommodating from the buffet to the beach staff, always willing to assist however the front desk staff not so pleasant. Toliet paper was always missing everywhere on the resort

Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: Iberostar Costa Dorado

The hotel grounds were very well kept. The room was average but a little dated. There were no English channels on the tv which would have been nice for bedtime. The entertainment at night was horrible. The singers especially the female one was terrible and singing English songs. The entertainment was geared more for kids or teenagers. Would have liked to see more Dominican culture. I didn’t like that you couldn’t make multiple selections for a la carte restaurants. Instead you had to go ev [... read more]ery day to reserve a single restaurant. There was no servers coming to offer drinks around the pool. The reception staff were amazing and spoke perfect English and were very friendly and accommodating. It felt like a 3 star resort. Not sure if I’d go back.

Iberostar Coral Esmeralda: Beautiful resort

My husband and me took my niece here and we absolutely loved it! Very quiet, no excursions, but the staff were lovely and we enjoyed the food because our expectations were low. The fish, smoked salmon and omelettes were amazing.the resort is so new ( dec 2022) so the rooms are beautiful. I’d highly recommend.

Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: Above average resort!!

This resort has a excellent pool facilities with a swim up bar with many activities available!! The food was excellent with many choices for everyone!! The only negative part of the resort is the rooms are old, with old electrical problems!! By far the best part of this resort was the service you receive!! Any problems were taken care of right away, with many outstanding employees working in customer service!! The employees at this resort go above and beyond to make your time there good!! W [... read more]ith a added bonus!! The WIFI in the resort was the best I’ve ever had!! Fantastic!! After 15 days I didn’t get tried of there food!! That says alot!!

Iberostar Selection Esmeralda: Beautiful resort

Beautiful new clean resort, very warm friendly people, service was good, food was good and plenty, im not fussy about food, but very impressed, a breathtaking beach and ocean and unbelievable was great sandy, smooth beach. My best vacation ever and the best best beach. Looking forward to will be going back again next year.

Iberostar Selection Esmeralda: Great resort!

Beautiful resort. New and clean. Very updated and modern. Amazing staff, very friendly and helpful. Lady at the pool bar Dailiniet was so amazing. Always asking if we needed refreshments, very fast service always with a smile. Room was beautiful, some ants here and there but we were on the ground level so not much to complain about. Room was close to pool and lobby.

Iberostar Coral Esmeralda: Great resort

The food was okay one would never go hungry. The staff are pleasant and very grateful. Beautiful area nice and quiet if that's what you are looking for if not you go to the family side and enjoy the business of families. Beach is beautiful, newer development so not much shopping close by if that is what you are looking for. Rooms are clean beds are fairly comfortable. They periodically run out of drink mix so good idea to bring maybe your favorite flavored MIO or some other type of flavoring [... read more] for water works great cuz there is always water.

Hotel Bella Costa: Amazing vacation

Just stayed at Bella Costa with a group of 10. It’s my 4th trip to Cuba and i was worried about the food supply but we had plenty of options and it’s honestly the best I have ever eaten in Cuba The rooms are dated and in need of love but you go to Cuba for the beautiful beaches, not the to stay ont eu hotel room The staff at this hotel is amazing, special shout out to Pedro at the pool bar We talked about when we would be going back just to see the amazing staff The grounds are well k [... read more]ept, pool is clean & no shortage of sun chairs :)

Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada: Outstanding as always!!!

The resort was amazing as always. The staff were amazing and friendly. The food and drinks are better then most resorts we have visited. The rooms have everything you need for a comfortable stay. We have been to this resort 4 times and will be booking again soon. :D Love Iberostar Costa Dorada

Iberostar Selection Bavaro Suites: great golf/beach vacation

Just returned from Iberostar Selection Bavaro. Travelled as a couple. Beach is lovely with plenty of palapas for shade, never an issue finding one and miles to walk in either direction. Didn't really use the pool but it appeared to have ample loungers and shade as well. Grounds are beautifully maintained and lots of bird wildlife. The main buffet has much better service and ambience than the buffet closer to the beach. We found the food and service at the main buffet on par or better th [... read more]an other equivalent level all-inclusive hotels, and in particular with the amount of fresh seafood grilling each day. A-la-cartes were a bit more hit and miss in terms if service and quality. Booking for a-la-cartes was through "concierge" whose main goal appears to be get you to attend a "morning meeting" sales pitch. Thankfully, they don't bother you after the first "no thanks". Rooms are large, but dated (I believe some are renovated). Ours had a musty smell (was likely not used recently) but was able to air it after a day or two. They will ask (suggest to you) if want to upgrade at checkin. We didn't and were closer to the lobby than the beach which worked well for us since we were golfing most days. Golfing was great - did a 5 round package and stored our clubs there. Shuttle service to and from the course was courteous and prompt. Also can easily walk to or from the course if desired. It was our first time to this property and wasn't sure if we should be booking down to save a few dollars (IB Dominicana or IB Punta Cana) or up (Selection Coral Level or Iberostar Grand). In the end we felt we made the right choice and would book the same category and hotel again after spending some time at the Dominicana and Punta Cana where you have access to the facilities.