We recently returned from a nice week at the Iberostar Dominicana booked with a travel agent through Apple. We were looking for a relaxing time with lots of sea and sand. We were very happy with everything at the price we paid.

There were some issues checking in, but Alexander at reception made up for it by putting us in a bungalow with a great view. Thank you, Alexander - you really made our vacation great!

Overall, service was good, and some of the staff members were especially kind. Staying so pleasant with the long days and weeks of dealing with tourists (of varying temperaments) cannot be easy! We brought our easy-going vacation attitude, a little Spanish and a stack of ones for tips, which made the week more enjoyable for us and hopefully for the staff.

The food was good, nice selections of seafood, meats, salads and fruit. The pastry chef really got creative with the desserts on Halloween! Expresso machines are at the buffets and bars, and drip coffee makers with bottled water in the rooms. We usually ate breakfast at the beach buffet after coffee on our patio and a walk on the beach. The seafood al a Carte restaurant had the best food preparation. The buffets are not air-conditioned.

I would have liked less sugary or more natural juices (like the great selection freshly made for breakfast) for the mixed drinks, but there were plenty of other standard mixers. The house champagne is better than the house wines, and if you want top shelf liquor you need to ask. The bar in the lobby seemed to have a better selection of liquors and was a nice place to hang out before dinner.

Beach and pool had plenty of shade areas. The music at the pool wasn’t too loud, and you couldn’t hear it from many places on the beach. The Riu next door had little shade and a lot of loud music. Beach and swimming areas are very sandy (no shells or rocks). At about 30-40 feet out, it is over an adult’s head. The Punta Cana pool (and entire hotel) has just been refinished, but the Dominicana pool has more trees. Also, the steam room and sauna at the spa were usually not very busy.

Other:
No swim-up bar -i.e. cleaner pool water
Bring insect repellant for the evening.
There was a good mix of people both in nationalities and ages at the resort. It seemed very family friendly – without feeling kid-centric or chaotic.
We liked the bungalows better than the hotel rooms
Older resort with nice mature landscaping, but kept very clean

We have stayed at the Iberostar Domincana ten times and each time we visit it gets better. It has become our home away from home. The staff is wonderful and can't do enough for us. They definitely make us feel like family. Rolando, the bell captain, is always there to greet us when we arrive. Rueben and Fausto at the front desk make any problem a "no problem." The food is delicious and always a great variety to choose from thanks to Chef Marcellino. A special thanks to Antonio who cooked our eggs to perfection every morning. Oscalita and Enrique are wonderful hosts at the restaurants and made it a special birthday celebration for our daughter during this last visit. Housekeeping does a great job keeping the rooms clean and we would look forward to coming back to the room to find their creative towel arrangements. The management staff working with Helena made our stay the best ever and we look forward to returning soon.

We stayed at Iberostar Dominicana nov 2nd to nov 9th 2012. The room itself was very nice and the grounds were beautiful. The food was average. The tropical drinks were horrible. The bartenders at the pool bar were not friendly at all. Maria the server at the pool area was outstanding. Johnny the bartender at Lobby bar was excellent. Very disappointed with this resort. I would not recommend staying at his resort nor would I ever go back.

We went to the iberostar dominicana for our first wedding anniversary. Overall it was a good trip. The hotel was nice and the staff friendly. The beach is lovely and the pool is quite relaxing. We were there during some construction, but it was handled well and wasn't something we particularly noticed.

The biggest downside is the food. None of the al a carte restaurants serve nice food, and although they have tried to make them different themed, none of them are authentic and the food was very average. It was particularly difficult as a vegetarian as none of the restaurants have a standard vege offering on their menus, so you have to ask for something special. In the French restaurant I got 3 potatoes and a few pieces of broccoli served under a silver platter. Very underwhelming. The Asian restaurant did a simple veg stirfry, and the only other option, the steak restaurant shockingly didn't cater for my tastes. The buffet restaurants did have a nice selection, but the food was left out for long periods of time.

It would be nice if they made some upmarket restaurants available but with additional cost. So you have the option of feeling like you are going out for a meal, and not just receiving mediocre or worst food than the buffet.

I would still recommend the resort, but probably won't be returning myself.