Written By: Geoff Millar, Owner, Ultimate All-Inclusive Travel Inc.
This month we will look at the remaining Iberostar Resorts located in the Dominican Republic, the 2 remaining ones in Punta Cana, 1 in Puerto Plata, and 1 in Bayahibe. Iberostar has a large presence in the Dominican. Each of the locations Iberostar has resorts provides a different vacation experience. As we have talked about, Iberostar is a family owned Spanish resort chain with resorts throughout the world. The nice thing about their resorts is they provide a consistent resort quality throughout their resorts but with completely different location experiences and in 2 flavors, Family and Adult only.
We will finish up the 2 remaining resorts located in the Punta Can area, the Iberostar Punta Cana and the Iberostar Dominicana. We will then move to their resort in Puerto Plata, and finish with their resort in Bayahibe.
The Iberostar Punta Cana Resort is a very nice family resort located on a beautiful beach, Bavaro Beach. It is located in a large complex with the other Iberostar Resorts in Punta Cana. You have access to the golf course, dive center, and coral lab located in the complex. It is a smaller resort than the Iberostar Selection Bavaro Resort and I would rate this resort a 3.5 – 4 star resort.
The Accommodations consist of a Standard or what they call a Double Room. This has a Garden View, then they have a Panoramic Double Room which is a high floor with garden view. We then have the Double Garden View which has slightly better garden view and comes with a small gift. We then move to the Romantic Jr. Suite that has a garden view but comes with sparkling wine, flowers, and romantic turndown service. This Jr Suite is slightly larger than the standard room. We now move to the Standard Ocean View Room with an ocean view from your balcony. The top category is the Family Suite with a king bed and a separate bedroom with 2 double beds. This room comes with complimentary toys and a play station in the room for the kids. All rooms come with either king bed or 2 double beds.
As far a dining options, they are varied. They have 2 International Buffets, and 6 sit down A LA Carte Restaurants. The A La Carte restaurants consist of Oriental, A grilled meat restaurant, a Fish house, an American restaurant, Mexican, and a French Restaurant. Room Service is not included at this resort. As far as bars the resort has 7 bars to choose from, a Disco Bar, 2 Lobby Bars, A beach Bar, a Pool Bar, an Ice Cream Bar, and a Patio bar.
Looking at activities at the resort we have a lot of both land and water activities. In the water they have snorkeling, scuba diving with a dive center on the property, kayaks, sailing, or just relaxing on one of the best beaches in the Caribbean. On land we start with the Kid’s Club. Star Camp. The Club is divided in to 3 age groups, 4-7, 8-12, 13-17. Provided are indoor and outdoor supervised activities, take advantage for an hour or all day the choice is yours. There is also a top-notch Spa facility with a wide variety of treatments. There is a cost involved with Spa treatments. There is also a fully equipped gym on the property with Yoga, Spinning and other classes. Other land activities include golf on the resorts golf course. Tennis, volleyball, pool games, nightly entertainment and the complexes casino. You can also just relax at one of the resorts 2 pools. The resort has an excellent wedding dept for destination weddings.
This resort is ideal for active families, family reunions, couples, destination weddings. Anyone that wants a very nice all-inclusive resort at a modest price on one of the best beaches in the Caribbean.
The next Iberostar resort and, the last one we will look at located in Punta Cana, is the Iberostar Dominicana.
The Iberostar Dominicana is another 3.5-4 star Iberostar Family All-Inclusive resort set on Bavaro Beach. UNESCO recognizes Bavaro Beach as one to the top beaches in the world. This resort is another smaller family resort sitting in a lush setting. The resort is built in more of a perpendicular position to the beach providing more protection from storms. The resort has access to the facilities in the complex that are common to the other Iberostar resorts in the complex have such as the golf course, the dive shop, the coral restoration center, and the casino.
Accommodations at this resort are made up of 6 different categories. They have the standard category, or as they call it the Double Category, then there is the Superior Double which is still garden view but on a higher floor. There then is the Double Garden View. This category is not much different than the Double category. The next is the Ocean View Double which has a peekaboo view of the ocean. Next, we have the Family Suite with a king bed and a separate room with 2 double beds. The last category is the Family 2 bedroom Suite which is 2 connecting rooms.
Dining is made up of 2 International Buffets and 6 sit down A La Carte Restaurants. The A La Carte restaurants are made up of Oriental, Mexican, Grill, French, American, and a Seafood restaurant. Room service is not included at this resort. As far as bars there are 6, the Disco bar, the lobby bar, the beach bar, the pool bar, the Ice cream bar, and the patio bar.
Activities are pretty much the same as the other Iberostar Resorts in the complex. They include the complex’s golf course, dive shop, and casino. In the water there are the usual, snorkeling, paddleboards, sailing, kayaks and scuba diving, an extra cost, and just enjoying one of the best beaches in the Caribbean. On Land they have the kid’s club, a fantastic spa, a workout center with yoga, spinning, and other classes. There is always nightly entertainment as well as a disco and daily pool activities. They have a great Destination Wedding dept.
This is a great resort for families, couples and groups that want a smaller resort with access to a lot of activities and a great beach. Cost wise this resort stands out as a great value for what you get.
Next, we move to the Puerto Plata area and the Iberostar Costa Dorada. The Puerto Plata area is more than just beautiful beaches. It is also one of the nicest towns to see and study fantastic colonial architecture with some great shopping. The resort does sit on a beautiful beach just 5 minutes from town. The resort is designed in the old colonial style. This resort is a very nice 3-3.5 star resort and provides a different view of the Dominican that is farther away from the hustle and bustle of the traditional resort areas like Punta Cana and provides more than the beach as the main attraction.
The accommodations at the Costa Dorada are a little simpler and more basic in design than some of the other Iberostar Resorts. They are made up of 5 room categories, Standard or what they call Double. This category is garden view, Double pool view, double ocean view, Jr. Suite ocean front, this category has an obstructed view of the ocean but is closest to the beach, and the 2 bedroom family room which is really 2 connecting room. This category comes with toys and play station for the kids. For the adults the family room comes with complimentary baby sitting until 10:00 PM. There is not room service at this resort.
Dining at the resort offers 2 buffets and 3 sit down A La Carte restaurants, a Mexican, Teppanyaki, and Mediterranean. There are 3 bars on the property, a swim-up bar, a night club and a lobby bar.
As far as activities there are a variety of water and land activities. In the water they have, snorkeling, sailing, kayaks, and a dive center where they have scuba diving at an additional cost, or just enjoying the beach. On the land there is tennis, volleyball, golf on one of 2 courses nearby at an additional cost. There is a great Spa and a fitness center, or you can go into town for some shopping and viewing the old colonial architecture. They also have a wedding center for that beautiful Destination Wedding. There is nightly entertainment and a night club on the property.
This a great resort for those budget minded clients or those that want to relax off the beaten path in a less touristy area of the Dominican.
Lastly, we move to the Bayahibe a little known area that sits on the Caribbean side of the island just outside of La Romana. The 3.5-4 star Iberostar Selection Dominicaus Resort offers beautiful calm beaches and lush grounds in this small fishing village. It has something for everyone and sits next to one of the most beautiful national parks in the Dominican. They have a lighthouse that sits on a point and makes a beautiful backdrop for that Destination Wedding. IF you fly into Punta Cana this resort is about 1-1.5 hours from the airport. It is better since they put the new road in.
Accommodations at this resort are varied and are made up of 11 categories. It starts with the Double or standard room that either comes with a garden view or move up to the superior Double that sits closer to the beach. We then have a Jr. Suite and the Jr. Suite Deluxe. The deluxe sits in the newest part of the resort and comes with concierge service. We then move into the Suites starting with the Penthouse Roof top Suite with great views, next is the Premium Ocean Front Suite, then the 2 story Torreon Suite, the Suite with separate living room, and finally the Family Suite which is 2 connection rooms. All Rooms and Suites come with king bed or 2 double beds. 24 hr. Room Service is available in all room categories.
Dining consists of 2 International buffets and 4 sit down A La Carte restaurants. The A la Carte restaurants serve, Mexican, Gourmet, Steakhouse, and Oriental. As far as bars the resort has 6 of them, enough to quench the thirst of any drinker. They are a Coffee bar, a beach bar, a night Club bar, a Theater bar, a pool bar, and a lobby bar.
Activities abound at the resort. It sits on a beautiful beach that is very swimmable because the resort is located on the Caribbean side of the island. In the water you have sailing, kayaks windsurfing, snorkeling, and a dive center with scuba diving at an additional cost. On land there is a well stocked fitness center, a spa, tennis, volleyball, and golf on one of the courses close by. There are always daily activities at one of three pools on the property. There is nightly entertainment as well as a night club. There is a wonderful kid’s club divided into 3 age groups with supervised indoor and outdoor activities. This is the perfect place for your clients to have their destination wedding with multiple wedding locations on the resort.
This is a great resort for clients who want an upscale resort that is located in an area that is out of the main tourist area of Punta Cana yet provides something for everyone. Great for Destination weddings, Groups, couples and of course Families.
This concludes our tour of the Iberostar Resorts in the Dominican Republic. Next month we will conclude our tour of the remaining Iberostar Resorts.