I have just come back from Puerto Plata after 15 days stay from 19th October. I've got to say this was the best holiday ever! The Iberostar was amazing, even though it's not 5 star compared to London standards i would say it is definitely a top 4 star. The grounds are amazing with flamingoes, turtles and peacocks. The beach was lovley, and all the other reviews that complained about seaweed are ridiculous. It's the sea! If you want completely clear blue waters then go on the Paradise Island excursion where you get to go snorkelling. The rooms were large. We had a 3rd floor room that overlooked the pool which was lovely. The beds are enormous and comfy and the maids clean the rooms throughly. The food is great and we didn't get bored of the buffets at all because there is so much choice. The entertainment team were very hardworking and ensured everyone had a good time with there shows. The staff were friendly and the level of service was amazing.
The weather was very hot and we only had two days of rain.
Me and my partner flew with Thomas Cook. The flight there was good getting there, but coming back it was terrible. My boyfriends TV wouldn't work and they didn't do anything about it. The food was dire also.
Anyone thinking of going to the Dominican Republic should definitely stay at the Iberostar :)
Joyce- London

We went to the Costa Dorada from the 13th until the 27th october. We absolute loved this hotel. 20 minutes from the airport. check in was a breeze and our bags arrived to our room with 10 minutes of us getting there. The pool is huge and there are plenty of sun beds for everyone. All the staff at this hotel are absolute fantastic the star friends are awesome especially cheeky monkey and elle. They work non stop all day and night, i dont know how they do it.
The kids club was amazing Mamma Maria and Jlo take great care of all the children and keep them entertained all day with different activities. At night they either have a show or a mini disco. my daughter loved the shows. she did greese, snow white, a fashion show and a toy shop one. all of which she loved. she only ate with us twice on holiday as they take all the children for there dinner and they all eat together which i thought was a nice touch.
we loved the buffet food at night. something for everyone. we only tried the mexican which wasnt very good to be honest especially when u had the buffet with such a varity. I do wish i had tried the brazilian though.
The shows were the best i have seen in an AI hotel especially the lion king show.
We did 3 trips which were Ocean world which was excellent but if u dont do any of the encounters its not worth going to.
We also went to Paradise Island which is amply named absolute fantastic. the reef is unbelievable. well worth going to.
And finally we went on a Jeep safari which was out of this world our guide Angel was awesome. we went to a school and to a village and met some lovely locals. then off we went to do boogy boarding which was brill. if ur going to do a safari i would recommend this one as the mega trucks seems a bit more of a scam and also jungle safari is a chartity ehich gives back to the community.
I have been to costa rica and cuba and i would say this was the best out of the 3 over that way.
I do have one sad tale to tell. on our last night our camera got stolen. which is such a shame. so please be careful. all our memories lost. we would have gladly given whoever the camera just for our memory card back. so sadly no photos to show u how beautiful this place is :(

Just returned from the icd and have to say was really disappointed. Despite reading previous reviews I actually thought that the ones that were not so good were just being fussy. How wrong was I, this hotel is deffo not a 5 star but I suppose to dominican standards it is, so dont be fooled by the brochures. The entertainment team do work hard but just do your head in, and if your not part of the "crowd" then just completely ignore you. The best bar lads are the ones down on the beach and as far as any of the others are concerned they are just plain ignorant especially those on the pool bar.
The food is okay and best is the brazillian main problem is that its always lukewarm or cold. Weather was fantastic and best part of the hotel is the beach and the sea.
This hotel is mainly suited to young couples or young families, def not reccommended for older holiday makers unless your in a large group but there is no escaping the techno rubbish they play constantly. So take note out there Im not a snob by any means but when you pay alot of money for your holiday and work all year for it you really do need to have some quiet moments where you can relax and that was only the beach area. Although there are quite a few sunloungers round the pool they are really uncomfortable and its far too crowded. If you are thinking of booking to stay at this hotel do your research first and make sure its the right place for you. If you are looking for a quiet relaxing holiday this is not the hotel for you but if your wanting a lively and bouncing holiday then this would be a good choice.

After reading various reviews on here before travelling I must say we went with an open mind !! When we arrived very pleasantly surprised, a warm welcome & very pleasant and spacious lobby area awaited, enough staff to care for the huge crowd that descencded on them from our full coach & they had the exceptional idea of check in on the coach whilst travelling to the hotel from the airport ( why this isnt done everywhere i dont know)
what a fab idea, key and all details within an A4 envelope and also all inc wristbands also fitted at same time so once we got there after the long flight no messing around at reception in long queues- Fantastic!!
After a great start things just got better from the proximity to beach & facilities within the hotel. Great staff never once came across a miserable face ( well none of the Dominican's anyway), yet they work so hard and such long hours and nothing is ever to much trouble, they have so little in this country and yet are so cheery and pleasant we all could do with taking a leaf out of there books!!
Hotels rooms are spacious and immaculately cleaned everyday by the maids, handy mini bar within room with chilled bottled water, pop and beers, nice balcony and also satelite TV.
The choice of drinks for an all inc hotel was massive none of this cocktail of the day and watered down beer and fruit juice, u could have any cocktail you chose from the menu or get them to make anything up you wish, they had lovely fresh coffee and fresh milkshakes made to order which both my partner and little girl were very partial to. Beer was very nice, Brahma which we get bottled here, and every spirit and mixer u cud ask for. The food in the restaurants was lovely, loads of choice, very varied and fresh and well cooked ( no bad tummys for any of us at all - now thats a first!). Anybody would find it hard to complain here as there was food in abundance, no queing up to get it as such a large and spacious area with loads of show cooking to a different theme each evening. Fresh fruit, veg,salad everyday as well as over 10 main course variants and vegetarian dishes gallore! The breakfast equally good with the usual cooked options available, omlettes to order, fresh eggs, bacon & sausage,beans, tomatoes. Then there were smoothies and fruit juices in an array of flavours, loads of fruits, yoghurts and cereals with nice cold fresh milk and fresh bread baked daily. There is an option to visit the Mexican & Brazillian restaurants also which were equally nice but mainly for meat lovers! Kids enjoyed all the entertainment of an evening although we prefered to stay in the lobby bar for quiet drinks. Seen a few coments on here being critical about the clientelle within the hotel and all I can say to that is unfortunately the Chav's money is the same colour as ours and the hotel cannot help who decides to descend on them- they just deserve a medal for putting up with the ones that pile there plates so high that they drop half the contents on there way back to there tables, drink so much that they forget which rooms they are staying in and have no volume control on there mouths. ( Unfortunately it just leaves a lasting impression Im sure for stereo typing the rest of us Brits and Americans that are civil and have more respect).RANT OVER!! All in all gotta be the best all round package holiday we have had and I cant understand how anybody can find anything derogatory to say about the hotel, resort or Dominican as a whole! Recommended to all!