We booked this vacations months in advance and ended up traveling the day Hurricane Issac hit the island. Thanks to Apple Vacations, we were well informed of our flight changes and still arrived that day. Other than a little rain, we saw no weather issues. Weather stations always make it sound worse than it is. The hotel is connected to Iberostar Dominicana and, with us being there at the low season, a lot of areas were closed which meant a lot of walking. Even if it wasn't low season, expect some good amount of walking.
The buffet is so-so. Same goes for all exotic islands - avoid raw foods and just use common sense. The drinks taste artificial and overly sweet. I was drinking water towards the 2nd half because I couldn't take the flavor. With us being there for 7 nights, we got 3 confirmed reservations at the mexican restaurant, La Sibila (French) and La cana (Steakhouse). You can ask for reservations the day of and see if they have anything available but its limited which we found strange since the restaurants are less than half-empty whenever we went.
Now, on to the staff, we never thought we would care about the entertainment. But, with our 2.5 yr old toddler, she went CRAZY over the daily mini-disco at the stage area. I've never seen her so excited over an event and you can tell the staff was warm and caring the way they hugged and fussed over the children. Big hugs to Mirian & crew. The Teenie club takes the kids from 9:45 - 5pm which is huge block of time for parents. We would love that but our little one was too young. The big show at night are always entertaining and the ice breaker prior always left me in stitches. All the Star Friends were incredibly friendly and fun, wished I could have take them home with us. Even the wait staff were charming and always had a smile for us and our daughter.
Our room was decent for a junior suite. Toilet had problems and bathroom probably needs a little renovation but it suited our needs. AC malfunctioned on the last day but fans helped. Pool area was beautiful but bathrooms are a little far. The beach was AMAZING with soft sand and clear waters and I wish we had more time to use the kayak or catamaran. Wireless internet was $40 for 5 days which is very reasonable for a resort but slow and spotty in the rooms.
I would come back in a heartbeat and with family if the resort would just improve the quality of the food. The amazing staff was almost enough for us to return but it would be a sacrifice. Otherwise, we enjoyed ourselves immensely and had a great time!