Iberostar Punta Cana Hotel

we were originally scheduled to get to punta cana on feb 13, but the storm on the east coast forced us to arrive on the 14th. we had reservations at the riu bambu, but were informed that those reservations were no longer valid, since they had apparently oversold the hotel. our travel agent and apple vacations were able to move our reservation to the resort next door to the riu, the iberostar punta cana, and we could not have been happier. from check-in to check-out our experience was absolutely positive. o.k., so the food is not so great, but it was plentiful and we could always find something satisfying and filling. the beach is spectacular, and the thatched umbrellas were very much appreciated for two very pale new englanders. there was never a problem finding an unoccupied umbrella or lounge chairs, either on the beach or at the pool. we were there to enjoy the beach, pool, and sun, so did not take advantage of any of the trips that were available, or any of the resort activites, but they were plentiful, and we observed other guests having a great time. we did get a kick out of the activities staff, whom it seemed never got any time off. we especially enjoyed the anctics of "diaper boy" and "soopah man" the staff was terrific, and despite our very limited spanish, there was almost no problem communicating. a smile goes a long, long way. our room was very comfortable (we did not find the bed all that hard, as other reviewers have), the grounds are simply gorgeous, the weather was fantastic, and despite the not so great food, and the evening shows that were uninspiring, we look forward to returning to the iberostar. for the size of the resort and the large number of guests, we did not feel like we were just a number, but were made to feel very comfortable

We were at the Iberostar Punta Cana from 2.3 - 2.10. Hope our posting helps you prepare for your trip! Staff: We had very little problem communicating with the staff. We learned some Spanish before we left and most of the staff speaks at least a little English – we met other people on our flight who had major communication problems, we always got what we needed/wanted across. We tipped our maid every day with trinkets we brought with us or a few $$US – at the end of the week we tipped those people that really served us well during the week, talk to them though because they head home for their 3-4 days off in weird shifts so make sure you don’t miss one of them! Grounds: Gorgeous and immaculate – you will love the walk from the beach/pool up to the main lobby’s. Room: We had room 5161 it was near the Pool, very pretty view of the immaculate grounds – king bed. The bed and pillows are horrible, very uncomfortable lucky for us we had a few cocktails every evening and a few of those fruity drinks after a day in the sun you could fall asleep anywhere! Ladies, bring your own hairdryer, the one in the room is very weak and ours smelled funny. We weren’t in our room a lot but it was comfortable and always clean when we got back from the pool/beach in the afternoon. Pool/Beach: The beach and the pools were amazing. 2 identical pools, plenty of space to lounge and be left alone or if you want to be over with the activities you can do that as well. The Beach is huge and gorgeous, white sand, and plenty of room to spread out and they have 2 volleyball courts and a soccer court on the beach. My boyfriend did most of the activities every day where I just sunned myself, we had an amazing time and we were not harassed if we said no they went on to the next group asking them if they wanted to participate. We did reserve chairs everyday before we went to breakfast, we saw that “everyone” was doing it and even though it’s a pain it saved us from having to walk around later in the morning asking “is that chair taken” and dragging seats all over the place. If you don’t reserve a chair there are plenty around you just might have to do a little manual labor to get to them! Food: Let me start with this, I am a picky eater and I did not have a problem with the food at the hotel. If you are extremely picky you might get a bit bored but you will NOT starve. We did the buffet for breakfast every morning – the beach grill for lunch and we moved all over the place for our dinners. The ala carte’s are great – make your reservations early (like the day you arrive) as some of them fill up quickly. We actually went out 4 times, they don’t keep track very well so make 2-3 reservations the first day, then go back a day or 2 later and make another 1-2 reservations, it works! I recommend the Oriental and the Steakhouse (Americans avoid the ribs, they aren’t like home…) – the Mexican was only so-so and they have a Mexican station at one of the buffets that was better than the taco’s I ordered there. Tips: We did the Bavaro Runners day trip – it was a very educational trip but it was all day, our truck was overcrowded and most of the roads in the DR are not paved. I would not recommend this trip to anyone with a child under the age of 15, physically it’s a long day. If you are into seeing the culture of a place up close then this is a great trip – we prepared by going to a Dollar Store and buying things for children (crayons, markers, chalk, pencils, candy, etc) and we divided them up into individual baggies which we were then able to give to the children, they were a HUGE hit! We got a massage on the beach at the hotel, book early as if you get a little bit of a sunburn the massage won’t feel as good as it should! We got ours on Day 2 they were amazing only $50 for 1 hour massages and we loved being in the covered hut hearing the waves crashing around us, we did it in the morning so the beach was so quiet and relaxing. If you are looking for a resort where you can lie in the sun, drink, eat and just do a lot of relaxing then I highly recommend the Iberostar – if you need more out of your resort I suggest you keep looking, there are a lot in the Punta Cana area and some of them have everything but a zoo included…either way I recommend Punta Cana and just make sure to bring a lot of suntan lotion, the sun is HOT down there!

... and a link to even more pictures. We stayed at the Iberostar Punta Cana for 6 days in early February and this review would be good for the Iberostar Dominicana as well since we used all of the facilities of that resort too. This was our 3rd Iberostar resort vacation. Previous Iberostar hotels include the Iberostar Hacienda Dominicus in LaRomana, Dominican Republic (Jan '04), and Iberostar Paraiso Lindo in the Riviera Maya, Mexico (Jan '05) and I'll cite these hotels for comparison. This was our first trip to Punta Cana, and chose this destination because of the hurricane damage to Cancun/Riviera Maya, where we have vacationed at least 15 times. As I write this review, it is difficult to not make comparisons between the 2 destinations. Over all, we liked the resort and felt the Dominican Republic was an excellent value. Probably about 90% of the cost of the same vacation in the Riviera Maya, Mexico. The beaches are wide, clean and beautiful, but somewhat populated around the Iberostar and it's neighbor, the RIU hotel. If you like to walk though you can find miles of undeveloped beach. (see pictures) The surf was calm most days and you could snorkel right off the beach. There were plenty of palapas and loungers on the beach, but some had a broken reclining mechanism so we had to move furniture on the beach one morning to get the best palapa/chair combination. Plenty of chairs by the pool with shade too. If there was waiter service at the pool or beach, I missed it. The wait for a drink at the beach bar was never more than a few minutes though. The pools were nice and clean, but small by Iberostar standards, and we missed a swim up bar. Having been to Mexico so many times this just didn't seem right. The gardens are beautiful, especially considering it was winter while we were there. I would love to see this place in the spring time. Our first room was clean, but in need of remodeling. The bed was shot, especially where a person would lay to watch TV. We complained after one night, and we got a better room. The 2nd room was obviously recently remodeled, and this bed was surprisingly comfortable. The buffet food was great, even after 6 days I always found something to eat. I don't know why anyone would complain about it unless they were looking for a Big Mac. We ate at 2 of the ala catré restaurants. I had the grouper at the Tropical Restaurant and it was good, but the Mexican restaurant was a real let down. There was nothing authentic about this restaurant, not even the music, and we actually went to the buffet for desert afterwards. The bar drinks were good, if any complaint a bit sweet, and like the last Dominican resort we stayed at, they don't skimp on the rum. Their beer however, el Presidenté, should be impeached. I missed my Corona. We didn't take any tours. The only one I would have been interested in was Isla Saona, which we did in '04 from LaRomana, a much better starting point for this tour. Other than that, there really isn't much to do there, and that's another comparison to Playa Del Carmen in Mexico. Much better night life there. Well, that's it. I posted 10 pictures here, but there are many more larger/ hi res pictures on our home page, www.bill-and-val.com (look in photo gallery/travel pics/Dominican Republic) along with many of the resorts I compare this one to, and also a link to my email address, and there's even a link back to TripAdvisor.

We just got back from this resort on Feb. 3rd. This resort is an excellent value and we would highly recommend choosing this place for your next vacation. You can use both the Punta Cana and Dominicana facilities. They are really the same hotel, but with different check-ins - that's the only difference. Staff - The staff is very friendly and accomodating. Most of them hardly speak any English which I felt was part of the uniqueness of the resort, but they do whatever they can to make your vacation an enjoyable experience. All of them make very little money, so if you go, please do what you can to give a couple tips here and there. Tipping is not required though. Food - The food was good. Don't listen to any of the reviews on this resort where they talk about getting sick due to eating the food. That is a complete load of crap!!! We DID NOT get sick at all. They have many ala carte restaurants to choose from. The Mexican and Tropical restaurants are OK, nothing outstanding, but still good. The excellent restaurants are the steakhouse, gourmet, and the oriental. The beef was excellent there. I was surprised to be honest. They have a bar and grill restaurant called Star Rock Cafe (Hard Rock Cafe wannabe!!!)that was good too. The 2 buffets are good, but not fantastic. Always plenty of food to choose from. OH, the best is the lunch grill on the Dominicana side. They have this huge charcoal grill down by the beach and about 12:30 or so they bring out about 4 chefs that cook excellent food. They cook something different each day - Ribs, Shrimp, Crayfish, etc. Outstanding. BEACH - AWESOME!!!!! One of the best (and largest) beaches on Bavaro Beach - no question about it. We walked up and down Bavaro Beach a long way, and this beach is one if not the best there. Sand is off-white, and so fine and powdered - it truly was amazing. We have been to Jamaica, Cancun, and Los Cobos, and this beach was the best. You are on the Atlantic, so the waves can be strong at times though. No big deal trust me. I would NOT recommend the snorkeling. We took the boat tour from the resort out to a reef. It was nice, but the waves were too choppy - we felt a little woozy from that. Took us a couple days to fully recover. Grounds - The grounds were immaculate. The grounds crew pays close attention to make sure all the bushes are trimmed, leaves are picked up, etc. Very impressed with the grounds. Rooms - Nice accomodations. Clean. The mini-bar was a great touch - stocked with beer, water, and soda. I don't care much about rooms when I travel because I am only in them to sleep anyway. Tips - #1 - You are guaranteed 3 ala carte restaurants, but if you go to Guest Services and are willing to do a same day late night reservation (9:30PM), you should be able to get in. We got into the steakhouse and Mexican ala cartes this way. #2 - The tourist card at the airport - Its $10 per person to buy it. You WILL need it when you leave Punta Cana. We bought it and then turned it in right away - Don't do this - hold onto it!!! Fortunately, we complained and they didn't make us buy two more. #3 - The casino is nice but small however no one wins there, so don't go there expecting to. #4 - Best alcohol is a rum called Brugal. Ask for Brugal Extra Viego (Viego is pronounced N YEA-HO). I am a Canadian Whiskey and not a rum drinker, but this stuff is the smoothest, most fantastic stuff. You can bring back 4 - 1 liter bottles - I did. They have some premium brand liquors there, but not many. I heard from a couple people that if you offer a couple dollar tip, they have more top shelf bottles behind the bar hiding!!!!! Nightlife / Excursions - Please keep in mind that if you are the big excursion type or like to do a LOT of things outside of the resort, OR looking for a lot of nightlife then this place is NOT for you. They have a disco there which is OK, but not great. Overall - Great Resort - I would highly recommend this place. We went there to relax and almost do nothing but eat, sleep, drink, and lay in the sun. If that is your idea of a great vacation, this is a PERFECT PLACE for doing this. Please feel free to email me at dougandtammym@yahoo.com with questions.

To start off -- There were thirty two of us in a group that went. We stayed at the Punta Cana but used BOTH sides to drink and eat. Our ages ranged from forty-five to sixty-five. We are from north central Ohio. We have traveled together for the past five years to a different resort each year. My wife and I have been to nine different resorts. We usually stay one week but next year we are looking to extend our vacation to ten days to two weeks. Just for information purposes we have been on six cruises also. Sometimes we cruise to see where we may want to stay for our next vacation.......We have done many APPLE bookings and have only had problems a couple of times.... We are content to continue using APPLE.. This may be long... Our vacation at the Punta Cana was excellent. We totally enjoyed ourselves. The hotel staff was excellent and friendly and took care of our every need and problem. What else can I say. The food was good to excellent depending on where and what you ate. I have read numerous reviews where people complained of the same things on the buffets. This is true to some extent. However, if you search out the whole buffet area, we found good food items where we did not expect them to be. Pizza back in the corner. Pasta back in another corner etc. We ate at two specialty restaurants and had grouper one night that I thought was a little strong. It also appeared to me the grouper must have been LARGE which could lend itself to that??... We had Caribbean lobster one night at another specialty restaurant (No charge) on site and it was delicious!! When did you last have lobster at an all inclusive?!! The breakfasts were very good with a large variety and eggs cooked any way you wanted them as you waited. For any foreigners -- There is a European Buffet on the Dominican side and an American Buffet on the Punta Cana side. Both sides were Great! They serve ice cream at the buffets and there is an ice cream machine at the beach Steak House and ice cream by the beach bar. All good.... Desserts were as good as any we have had. The bars ---- The drinks were great and the bar tenders did a great job of mixing them in a reasonable manner. Not too strong or weak. They would add more or less if you asked. They were served in glass and were not small as at some resorts. They served in plastic at the beach for obvious reasons. You could also take a mug and they would gladly fill it for you... Our room was on the second floor and we had no problems whatsoever. Our housekeeper was Raida and she did a fine job. We left her two dollars each day on our bed pillow and she took good care of us. There is supposed to be an iron and washclothes in every room. CAUTION - They are taken as fast as they put them in the rooms by vacationers when they leave so do not be surprised if the iron is missing. This was explained to us by our APPLE representative, not the Iberostar people... Personally, we did not go there to iron clothes and would not have used it anyhow. The wash cloth situation is the same. Sometimes we had two and sometimes only one. I have a solution!! Take a couple of wash clothes from home "just in case"... You are on Vacation!! No need to get upset.... The A/C only operates if the patio door to the balcony is closed in case you need that info.. The hair dryer worked fine for what we needed and it is mounted and can not be taken... By the way -- when you get out of the shower it is handy to use to dry the mirror after you first wipe the mirror off. The shower is great with plenty of hot water... The grounds are beautiful and well kept. There are parakeets in a cage as you go to the buffets and "George the Chicken" is always around. He sleeps in one of the chairs over in the STAR entertainment area at night by the bar so look for him. He is very patient with people and kids alike. There are numerous flamingos in the area also. I was surprised that there were not more tropical birds in the area though. The entertainment would be rated by me from lame to excellent. A couple of nights we just left and went to the bars and hung out. Do not miss the Broadway Revue which is all in english. Another night there was a European Revue in the european languages and both are not to be missed!! They were fantastic!! They have some music around 9:00 P.M. and then hand out awards and then have the entertainment. I would highly recommend that everyone go to see the entertainment and see what the show consists of before giving up on it. If it does not meet your expectations you can move to something else. There is a Sports Bar (Rock Cafe) also across from the Dominican lobby and at the entrance to the Bavaro area. If you ask at the desk they can point you in the right direction to it and the shopping area. There is also the DC-6 Disco in the same area -open from 11:00 P - 3:00 A.M. Both are in the "Commercial Center" area. You will also find a gentleman rolling handmade cigars in the center if you are interested. And then there is the beach..... It is either the best or second best beach we have been on!! We never thought that Eagle Beach in Aruba could be beat but this is real competition!! It goes for miles in either direction. We can say that because we walked it. The sand is a fine grain and cool - even in the hot sun. There are always enough beach chairs and usually palapas if you get there at a reasonable hour. To address the problem of reserving chairs and whatever by guests early in the morning --- Is it right or fair?? Probably not. Is it going to end or quit?? NO!!! I dont have any answers to this but people complain about it on the boards all the time. I think that until someone actually does something about it or the problem gets solved, I would recommend "reserving" your spot because if you do not -- everyone else will and you will be left out... I hope you understand my view on this. It is not to be selfish but if you do not do it, you will be left out in the sun or whatever while those people get the good spots. Enough said!!! There are members of the staff on the beach every day attending to the people's needs and then there were a few that were there to entertain. Watch out for Louis the Cop as he is always anxious to harass you on the beach!!! LOL!! The pools..... They are great also. The same goes for reserving places as I stated above. The pools have padded lounge chairs and are very nice and comfortable. There are beach towels available at the towel hut between the two pools. You will need towel cards from your check-in package or contact the desk. We found there was not a lot of things outside of the resort to do. We did the "Outback Safari" tour and enjoyed learning the area culture and would recommend it. There is not much shopping but some did go on a shopping type tour and said it was okay. Some played golf and said the course was great and to expect it to cost $100. U.S. for nine holes if you rent clubs. We walked down the beach to the beach vendors and we did buy some things. Remember to "negotiate" for the best deal... Usually one half of what they ask for. Make a game out of it!! It can be fun. For instance, I started out for two cartons of Marlboro and a pack of cigars equal to oppus fuente it was $110. ---- I ended up paying $50. --- I asked for the cigars First so he could not pawn something cheap off on me later because I would not know the difference!! Then I asked about the cigarettes and then started bargaining. If YOU are happy with the price you pay in the end, that is all that matters.... I also heard that the dominican cigars are very good and equal to the cubans. Hearsay only... Also a note on that "other" tobacco.... It was my understanding that if they catch you with it in the Dominican Republic, you are in BIG trouble. I did not research it but that is what we were told... If you tend to want it, I would urge you to check yourself and avoid a ruined vacation or possibly a ruined life..... Remember to tip for good service. These people work hard for their money and giving good service deserves a tip!! I tried to cover everything that might be of interest to most people. Any questions?? Email me and I will try to answer them.

Resort is in excellent condioton, well kept and clean. There are exotic birds walking around the grounds. The grass is cut and smells amazing! The pool is clean and comfortable. Relative big! The food in the buffet can get repetitive, but I wouldnt say thats a bad thing, since most of it is tasty. The a la carte restaurants are very quiet and romantic. The service is really good and fast. The French restaurant has lobster tails- for all you lobster lovers- it was soooooooo good. The portion was very generous. The Japanse restaurant is so-so. I would have to say the French one is the best! The casino is not very big- but who really cares- The beach is very clean and the sand is soft and warm. I've been to Puerto Plata and the beach here is 100 times nicer. The water in the ocean is clean and warmm- no sea weed, no rocks. The vendors try to make a buck- but who can blame them. Its all part of the experience. Dont be afraid to bargain- they are used to it and I think some vene enjoy it. The massages were great, so good the time was quickly over. The jacuzzi is nothing special- cold walter and pressure was weak. The rooms were comfortable- absolutely no problems. The maid cleaned our rooms every day. Just tip her every day and not all at once. The Star frieds were the best- Very energetic and very friendly. Try to participate as much as you can, and dont worry about looking stupid. The night club was really good. But it really starts to get crowded closer to midnight. Good music and great dancing competitions. The activities wre definitley worth doing. We did a lot of them- -Parasailing- nice view of the surrounding hotels -Catamaran cruise- breezy and relaxing. Got to swim in the middle of the ocean with starfish - called a "natural pool" Visited the Saona island and had some really good cocunut there. -ATV cars- adrenaline rush- very nice. Beautiful views -Horseback riding- dont do this your first day or you will be in pain for the entire trip. Also beautiful views -Manati Park- Swimming with the dolphins. A little over priced- i would say to stick with the other Ativities. Actual swimming time: app. time 12 minutes. Rest of the time we spent in the park, looking at exotic birds, alligators, ext. Speed boat- nice and breezy We really took advantage of all of the excusriosn, and we were happy we did so. Better than over-eating and burning on the beach Def wish we could go back, but this year Iberostar was a pit pricey- so we are going to stay at Riu Bambu- right next to it. Hopefully it will be just as good. Feel free to email me- I'll be more than happy to address all of ur questions Have fun, and enjoy Final note: Definitely dont hesistate to come here!!!!

We spent a week over Christmas at the Iberostar, Punta Cana. We could not have had a nicer room, grounds, and staff. We were happy with the activities and the dive staff. Every employee we met greeted us. The food was fine. We were not expecting 5 star meals in an up and coming country. Santa even flew in in a helicopter on Christmas Eve. Children were involved in the activities too. Our 11 year son had a good time. We would stay there again.

Me and my husband have just returned from the IPC having stayed there from 11-1-06 to 25-1-06, and we have had our best holiday ever! Nearly everything about here gets our thumbs up, although we do have a few misgivings. I'll get these out of the way and finsh on the many positives! The worst thing about this holiday was the fact that the hotel allows local photographers to come onto the complex with various animals for guests to have their photographs taken with. Although lots of the guests seemed to find it amusing and 'cute' to do this, we didn't. Our friends who were with us agreed that this shouldn't have been allowed. We think it's extremely cruel, and it upset us to see it happen daily. In particular the snake that was paraded about appeared very dry and couldn't even lift it's head up. I only saw it once in the two weeks, whilst the other animals were taken out much more. I wonder why? The photographers had to hold the poor thing's head up. We also heard that the lizard they had had been swung by it's tail upside down. Disgusting. Why the hotel allows this is beyond me. I will be complaining about this to Iberostar direct. Our other main gripe is that a lot (not all!) American guests thought that the only means of communicating with each other was to yell, scream and howl. We tended to hear this a lot in the pool area. I know a lot of it is just people having a good time, but when you hear this kind of din day in and day out, it puts a bit of a downer on YOUR holiday. We didn't think the wine was nice at all in the bars and buffet, but it did improve in the restaurants. Despite these things the holiday was FANTASTIC. Room - excellent. No musty smell. Very clean and mini bar stocked every day if needed. Bar - staff very friendly and quick to serve. No queues. Pool - people seemed to get up VERY early to reserve despite the signs telling people not to. Quite a few people also put towels on beds and then didn't come back all day. Gardens/grounds - fantastic; always well maintained and cared for. Beach - beautiful white, powdery sand. Sea is lovely and warm but a little bit too choppy. Food - delicious. We loved the Oriental and the Steak House. The sirloin in there is divine!! Not as keen on the buffet but it did have a wide choice. La Miramba does fantastic fish, in particular Red Snapper and Tuna Steaks. On the last day my husband had the paella which was served near the beach and he loved it! Shows - On the whole they were great, especially the Broadway and Festival Caribe. The staff were very professional. We had heard quite a few negative comments about the shows but we loved them. Overall, we would definately return and would recommend it to anyone in two minds about going. Brilliant holiday!! Just keep the photographers out!

We vacationed at the Iberostar Punta Cana from January 17-24. We have also stayed at an Iberostar resort in Mexico and the Punta Cana is right up there at the same level. This is a great chain of resorts to stay at. The facilities and grounds are just marvelous. In my opinion, when you stay at an Iberostar resort, you will definitely have a wonderful time. The Punta Cana and the Iberostar Dominicana are on the same grounds and share the same beach and pool, but have separate lobbies. Keeping in mind that we traveled on Tuesdays, the airport was a cinch. No lines really and no delays with customs. You have to pay $10 (US)per person for tourist cards (which you need to give them back when you leave). You also fill out immigration cards when you get there in order to get your tourist card. We spent everyday relaxing on the beach with a cocktail (or more). It was wonderful to just do nothing except relax and bask in the sunshine. The weather was great overall -- we had some rain during the day, but it never lasted more than 10 minutes. There were a few evenings that it rained heavily, but you can make it to your room or lobby without getting wet because everything's connected. No day was a wash out. The beach has the softest white sand I've ever seen; it was like powder. However, it can get quite windy and the sand blows everywhere. It can be harsh at times -- but it was worth it to have a breeze. Tops are optional on the beach and as usual, the ones that go without are usually the ones who shouldn't! Not a biggee for me -- but I know it is for some so I figure I would mention it. I went down every morning around 8AM to save a few chairs under a palapa, but there were few others down there at that time. You can probably find chairs at any time. There's also a beach bar conveniently located by the beach. I thought the food was fantastic. There was a large variety that I thought catered to the many cultures of those visiting the resort. The buffet was great --my only minor complaint is that they don't always label things clearly. The signs are in 4 different languages for each dish, but in terms of the fish you don't always know what type of fish you're eating. Everything I tried was tasty and great. Breakfast at the buffet offers a wide variety of choices as well. If you can't find something to eat, you are way too picky. We also ate at the Steakhouse and the Asian Restaurant -- both were excellent. The steakhouse is right near the beach with sand floors - be prepared to get sand in your sandals, but the food was great. The lunch restaurants by the beach were good -- not as great as the main restaurants, but I had no trouble finding things to eat. They also have a huge grill out by the beach that offers different selections daily. To eat in the speciality restaurants, book your reservations the day you arrive if possible -- they book fast. When we arrived, we were given a room with 2 double beds. I called the front desk to tell them we had specified a King size bed and our room was switched within 15 minutes with no problems. The room was basic, but very nice (it was not a suite). We don't spend much time in there anyway, so we don't need anything fancy. There are no flatirons in the rooms and none are available -- bring a travel iron. Also, you need a special adaptor for US "appliances" (ie Hairdryers, irons, etc). They're available in the gift shop and are less than $1. We did have one day on the weekend when our room wasn't cleaned until very late in the day, but that was it and you could tell it was weekend help. The lobby bar was busy every night, but the waitresses always make sure you have what you want for a drink. The lobby is an open building so you can get the breeze coming in and there's usually musicians and dancing (ladies -- you may want to pack a light sweater for the evenings). The entertainment shows are fair - not really my thing. The casino's nice, but small (Slots, Blackjack, roulette and poker). There are excursions available, but we didn't venture off the resort. We watched the Steelers playoff game in the Rock Cafe and that was a blast. We met alot of other Americans there -- 99.5% steeler fans that day. We only had nachos and didn't see the menu -- but the bartenders were great. There are gift shops on this side of the resort as well as the Dominicana side. There's a row of shops on the back of the Dominicana side and a few small shops located by the Rock cafe. Down the beach there are some vendor tents as well where you can barter for better prices. They really want US dollars. The bartenders and restaurant staff had a decent understanding of English and usually got what I needed without much issue. The maids don't speak much English at all, so that was much tougher but we managed. We left the maid a $2 tip everyday and our minibar was always filled. The staff is very friendly. Overall, I don't think you can go wrong with this or any Iberostar hotel. We would definitely go back -- it was a wonderful vacation.

Me and my parents traveled on Janurary 16-23. Check in: They will give you your room but pick up the towel cards and the safety diposit box key. If they say they dont have it call the manager and they'll give the item to you right away. That's what happened with us. Resort: The resort has beautiful grounds with many animals. It is about a 3 minute walk from the lobby to the beach. Some people say that it is annoying to walk to Dominicana for most of the activities but I found it better to walk more. Its only a minute away. The internet is at a cost of 5 us for 30 minutes. Room: The room was excellent. The tv's have cnn and espn so you don't have to go on the internet. The bathroom has a seperate women wash and has a hair dryer. In my opinion bring your own. Leave a dollar tip every day and the maid will make you something with the towel and fill your mini bar to the most. Ask for extra pillows in the lobby because it took my mom 7 hours and 6 calls just to get 2 extra pillows. The pillows are REALLY SOFT and the bed is bouncy. Give them 10 dollars in the lobby to give you a great room close to the ocean. Entertainment/service The service is average. When it came to the lobby and cleaning service it was a 2.5/5 star. The entertainment is great and id give it a 5 star. The only shows that I enjoyed was Mister Iberostar,Men vs Women, and Iberogrammy. Food We ate breakfast in the buffet on the Punta Cana side. It has a lot of variety and is good. Don't go to the Tropical Specialty Resturant. The food and service is bad. The steakhouse and the oriental were good with many varieties of food. My stay at Iberostar Punta Cana was good but we went their because Riveria Maya was closed. But i enjoyed the vacation