Staff is great, not too far from airport, casino next door, accomodations comfortable. The resort is spacious and well maintained.The food is not gourmet but still very good and varied, you have to find something you enjoy. Mexican restaurant was fun, get the beef kabob tacos you won't be dissappointed, the Seafood restaurant was also good, enjoyed the white wine. No sports bar, no 24 bar so work around that. Pool is kept clean, algae develops but is cleaned off daily. The activities are plentiful, take advantage of something you normally would not do (archery, yes I won). See Elvin at the pool bar, Nelson at the buffet, ask Lorenzo for a special omlette, Popie, Dee Dee and GG like to get you involved. Tipping is included, BUT a few US$ go a long way.

We (my GF & I, *GAY FRIENDLY) stayed at the Iberostar (Costa Dorado) Feb.14-19, 2013 and we had a wonderful time. No complaints. Thefood was great, the service was excellent, the entertainment was non-stop, the grounds were clean, the gym/spa was up to date, the pool was enourmous with plenty of activities going on all day, the beach was beautiful, and the staff were extremely helpful. The food: was offered 24 hrs a day, from Brazillian cuisine to local dishes; outstanding. The entertainment: every night, gave us no reason to leave the resort. Everynight was a 'theme', with live music, and lot's of dancing, we had a great time! Plus there's a disco that opens @ 11pm everynight, so the party continues into the early morning. The entertainment crew, work their butts off! The grounds: were very clean, take notice of the tropical scent while walking to your room. The room is a little damp, given that it is a tropical island, it kind of comes with territory. The staff: most speak multiple languages and all speak English. Whatever we needed, the staff was very helpful in providing. From a taxi to information, very helpful. The gym/spa: the gym has treadmills, elipticals, bicycles, nautilus, and weights. The spa offers a full menu of services. The beach: we're from Boston, we have seaweed and red tide up here. The water is refreshing but, rough. There is some seaweed but, that comes with the territory. There was a wonderful seabreeze and plenty of chairs. The pool: very big and a section for kids. Much hotter by the pool, no seabreeze! Plenty of chairs around the pool. We went and ventured out to Carnival, Damajagua, and to the Casino next door. The Carnival was a bit interesting. Glad we got to experience it. Damajagua was incredible. This was very exhausting and energtic! We hiked for approx. 6 miles on the day, slid down waterfalls, and jumped off cliffs! The Casino's small but, right next door to the hotel. It was good to experience it. Couple of tips before you go: TIP! The entertainment team (GG, Kerling, Joselito, Aris, Beanie, & Babyface)work their BUTTS OFF! Get to know them when you first arrive, take notice of how hard they work, & TIP THEM! The bartenders, work hard, TIP THEM! The maids, will keep your fridge stocked everyday as long as you TIP THEM everyday! No tip, no spring water, it's simple! Bring dollar bills for tips. We brought used baseballs, Crayola markers, & notebooks to pass out to the local children. When I gave a kid a baseball, it was like giving them gold! My GF & I, were completely accepted & comfortable. We never ran into any type of difficulties. We can't wait to go back!

My friend and I spent a week here in Feb. The resort is nicely designed and beautiful, but not as nice as others where we have stayed. Since this was on the Atlantic side of the island, the wind was often strong enough that sitting on the beach was not pleasant. However, there were plenty of lounge chairs in places where one could still see the ocean. The pool is unusually large. The room was fine and the food was fresh and usually very good. (We missed out on the special restaurants due to my illness.) I appreciated having a doctor on site since on the fourth day I got very sick and eventually was transferred to the clinic in town. The on-site doctor was very nice as were all the front desk staff. Considering the reasonable price this was a good value, but if I were to go back to the DR, it would probably be to Punta Cana.

I traveled to this resort last year with a group of four and was not overly impressed with the staff or attention to details on most items. However while a bit hesitant of returning my wife and I returned due to good flight times and great pricing. All I can say is this year was a complete opposite experience. Our flight through Sunwing was 5 hours late leaving us to arrive at the hotel around 3:30 am. The staff at reception were quite speedy with check in and also offering a bell hop with golf cart to take guest directly to their rooms. From the very first encounter with the staff the next day until our time of check out the staff was more than friendly and helpful. The staff all work incredibly hard for the guests from the grounds crew keeping the property in magnificent condition to the bartenders looking after all customers in a quick time frame. Weather for the last week of February was perfect 7 days of sun and no rain at all. I cannot wait to go back to this resort next year and highly recommend this resort to all.