Iberostar Dominicana Hotel, SALVALEóN de HIGüEY

If you booked this hotel but still have time to change it, do so! I got back yesterday from the Hotel Dominicana after staying there January 1st-8th. I booked my trip through Apple vacations. The hotel is about 15 minutes from the airport. When we arrived in our room, we noticed it was cozy but extremely outdated. We also noticed that our sliding door wouldn't lock (& we were on the first floor which could be dangerous if not fixed). After calling the front desk, they promptly had someone come to fix it. As the week went on we, we learned that the room had little nats and flies by the sliding doors close to the balcony. The second to last day, our bathroom ceiling started to leak and the water got all over our toothbrushes which we were forced to throw out and buy new ones. At this particular incident, the language barrier (we speak English) and the hotel's lack of customer service posed a real problem. A man came to our room and spent an hour fixing it prior to dinner when we wanted to shower. We asked for a new room but were told different stories by different workers (one young man at the front desk said they were full and told us to go to guest services which told us they could move us). By that time, we just stayed put, it was our last night. Other than that here is a quick run down: Pros: - BEAUTIFUL beach - Child friendly in every sense - Activities for all ages - Average brand alcohol - Many different restaurants to choose from (you will need to make reservations for certain restaurants - try the Asian one, the food there was the most edible. Be CAREFUL, what you eat at the buffets. DON'T drink the coffee or eat the salad. You will like clockwork get a stomach ache after each meal from the buffet. We did anyway... I suggest bringing tums on this trip b/c you will get an upset stomach at least 5x) CONS: - Entirely outdated, dingy, sometimes buggy room - The staff (while some of them especially the maids were EXTREMELY nice. Others, were ignorant and did not want to be bothered. If you do not speak Spanish, you will notice that they are not as kind to you. However, we still tipped through the trip at almost every meal. We also left money everyday for the maid & at the end of the trip, we left her goods that we didn't want to bring home. - The pool which was large but outdated and filthy at times with bottles floating in it & the bottom not vacuumed. We noticed one young boy try to tell the a staff member that the pool was dirty, and she literally COULD NOT be bothered. - The bathrooms by the beach often flooded - We were told that the buffet closest to the lobby area flooded during a rainy day while we were there - The vendors (watch out for them!) - the came every Wednesday and Saturday and they are relentless. They will swarm you. *Everything there is overpriced. We received massages on beach for 25 minutes at $40 a piece! They weren't real massages, they basically just rubbed oil on us. My lady started 5 minutes late. It was still nice to here the ocean during the massage which made it worth it, I suppose. We went on a banana boat which was $10 a person and totally worth it. But other than that, they are trying to scam you. $27 dollars for sun screen, $6 for a slice of pizza at the airport, $7 for a bag of chex mix. You get the idea... Weather wise, we received some nice days (sunny or mostly sunny) and other days it was light showers or it just poured completely. - We walked by two other hotels, the RIU and the Iberostar Grand Bavaro, they looked amazing... As far this hotel is concerned, look elsewhere.

The food was extremely disappointing. You only get three reservations for the ala carte restaurants, so you are left to the buffets, which serve the same mediocre food day after day, or the Star Rock cafe' with a very limited menu and small portions. We were successful walking in at the Oriental restaurant, which was very good. The Steak House and the Gourmet are also good, but you will be sitting in the sand at the Steakhouse.They do have some decent food at the grill for lunch, but they are very slow to react when they run out. A couple of days when they ran out they just stopped. As for breakfast the theme of the same food done about average is carried on. The scrambled eggs & bacon are under cooked, so ask for an omelet if you want eggs. The staff was not overly friendly. It seemed if you did not speak Spanish, you were not treated as well. The room was fine, our maid kept it very clean, but we had requested a King bed, and got two doubles instead, when I complained, I was told that they would have to move us far away, I asked how far and the reply was very far. You will also leave with a musty smell attached to all your belongings. The grounds are meticulously kept and the beach is extremely beautiful, however, you will have to get up at sunrise to reserve a cabana. The excursions they offer are varied, if a little pricey. The snorkeling offered at the dive center is very good and reasonably priced. The price was very low, but you get what you pay for. I would rather spend more and get better food. It is only 30 minutes from Punta Cana airport so it is very easy to get to. If they smiled more and tried harder with the food it would be a very nice resort.

The Iberostar Dominicana is probably the lowest-level accomodation offered by Iberostar and is normally cheaper compared to Iberostar Puntacana (similar 4-story building) and Iberostar Bavaro (8-room casitas). The rooms are quite outdated and falling apart though the paint seems to be recent. The furniture is dated late seventies. The closet was occupied by ants. The shelves and drawers were dusty. The ice bucket was full of black mold inside. The bathroom was also occupied by little ants. The faucets and plumbing were of good quality however they have seen better days. The receptacles in the room were broken and the lamp electrical wire was sparkling. The air conditioner leaked on the floor at the entrance so we had to keep a towel on the floor before it was fixed by a technician. The TV-set was very old and was not working well. It also had a tiny screen (16"?). The Iberostar-branded shampoo, conditioner and shoe-shine supplies are replenished every day. The minibar (Brahma beer, Dasani water, Coke/Fanta/Sprite) is refilled every other day. Some of the staff are very friendly (usually the ones who sell you something) and the rest are very unfriendly. Never a smile. The worst impression is from the staff working in the lobby bars. They don't really care about what they do and how they do it. It looks like they are somewhere else at the moment or very tired of their work. I have seen a glass of water delivered with someone's lipstick on it to a client. It was replaced immediately when the client noticed that but who knows how clean the other glass was. You better order in spanish because nobody speaks english well enough to understand. There were a lot of large flies on the food stations, especially on meat products so I did not bother making a sandwich. The staff didn't seem to notice the flies. I hope the kitchens were cleaner. As this is probably the cheapest of the 5-star hotels offered by Iberostar, it seemed to offer the least freshest food among all the four. (we went and visually checked the variety, presentation and quality of food in other Iberostar restaurants). To us it looked as if whatever had not been consumed in the other restaurants the day before was transferred to Iberostar Dominicana the following day. Their salads all looked and tasted very strange. The ingredients didn't seem compatible and the dressings were awful. The tables were full of stuff but there was not much to choose. What we tried was not a 5-star food at all; edible but either very plain or sometimes disgusting. To my taste the coffee was overroasted and thus tasted like coal. Couldn't drink it even with lots of milk. The choice of wine was inexpensive spanish white and red Terra 2008 wine. The same wine was offered in the a-la-carte restaurants. The beach is crowded but if you walk aside a little bit it gets better. The sand is white and the sea is beautiful. There is a little coral reef good for snorkeling located 30 meters from the shore to the right of the beach. The dive center is conveniently located right on the beach. It offers PADI open water certification - 3.5 days (7 dives; US $510) and various open sea tours (at extra charge). The pool is quite large and spacious; it has several pools connected together. The jacuzzies and sauna are available in the spa center (reservation required) at no extra charge. We went to see one of the shows - Boogie Night. The animation team tried hard to make it live but a little extra vocal training and music lessons would not hurt. They were off most of the time with music and singing. People were leaving the show 10 minutes after it started. No free WiFi. Internet is $13/day (either lobby or in the room). English movie channels - $20/week. The safe in the room - $2/day. If you're really looking for a five star hotel try Iberostar Bavaro GRAND HOTEL and don't bother going to Iberostar Bavaro, Dominicana, or Puntacana. I wish someone told me that before I came here.

Just came back on Friday Sept,5. We had a great time the Hotel was clean and so were the rooms. The staff was amazing and so very pleasant (singing with a pleasant smile). The food was very good.Drinks were tasty ask for the Capriani (Lime with their rum and a taste of sugar) & shot of Mamajuana and the Presidente beer also good.Excursions were also nice. I would like to send a thanks to Edu, Iris, Emelio & Miltilda and the staff in the main restaurant.The staff is also great with the kids. Fair warning topless beach (Europeans) but have to have a top at the pool.If you see Roberto at the main bar in the hotel ask for the drink Happy Happy. I would definetly go back, well worth the money 7 nights and 8 days. The grounds were kept so very neatly. Keep a look out for the white chicken, he even takes a seat at the shows.Cool white sand and blue water. I could go on & on. Check it out for yourself ! You will have GREAT time

LOVED THE RESORT "FROM THE ROOM- TO THE FOOD-TO THE WONDERFUL WAY MY HUSBAND AND TWO GRANDAUGHTERS WERE TREATED-EVERYONE WAS HELPFUL AND COURTEOUS AND WENT THE EXTRA MILE-WE WILL BE RETURNING AND WE TELL EVERYONE WHAT A GLORIUS VACATION THIS TRULY WAS!

Booked into Dominicana but switched to lower level IB Punta Cana because hotel overbooked Rooms stunk with faded worn linens Thin useless pillows Warm minibar View of back door of restaurant Food bland but OK Wait staff, Iberofriends and gardeners wonderfuls Grounds and lush location amazing If this is how they treat repeat customers they have a ways to go

EVERYTHING WAS GREAT.SIMPLY THE BEST!!!! THANK YOU GUYS FOR EVERYTHING.SPECIAL THANKS TO FRANCISCO,JOHNY.B FROM LOBBY BAR AND ALL THE STAFF FROM MAIN RESTAURANT.I ALSO WANT TO THANK LUPIDA FROM ANIMATION TEAM.PEOPLE...YOU HAVE TO VISIT THIS PLACE!ITS A PARADISE!!!CANT COMPARE IT WITH ANY OTHER PLACE IVE BEEN BEFORE!!! KEEP DOING THIS GREAT JOB GUYS!!!! SEE YOU NEXT YEAR AGAIN!!!

I love to travel to new places all the time, and this was by far my favorite vacation. I just got back last Saturday, and although I hate going to the same place twice, I can't wait to go back. The personnel was amazing, and they're not doing it for the tips, they're genuinely kind and caring people. Don't worry if you don't speak Spanish, most of the staff is fluent in several languages. I would encourage you to go on the off-season like we did, as you're able to enjoy the resort more with less crowds. Also, get involved in the activities by the pool and the shows at night. Never be afraid of making a fool out of yourself, because everyone's just having a great time. If you go, make sure you go to the American Restaurant/Bar Rocke Cafe - see my favorite bartender Daniel!

Not one bad thing, the wave pool was the best for the kids! Great food, service, EVERYTHING! Iberostar Bavaro (Punta Cana, Dominican Republic) is also amazing...go there if you liked it here!

It was amazing i like it very much. The food is very good it has a variety of many types. What i like most was the beach it has a cool wheather. The pool is very big i think there can be to many to 150 people !!!! The hotel has many luxury it like a mansion of beautiful things...