December 15, 2004
08-03-2005 8:37 pm
December 15, 2004
color=#0000ff> Iberostar Message BoardWe decided to try the Caribbean side of the Dominican and chose this resort because of the great reviews. I have to say that I have travelled throughout Mexico, and the Caribbean extensively, and this was by far the nicest resort/beach I have ever been to. They are awarded the top beach in the area, truly a 5*
ARRIVAL
We flew into La Romana, quickly passed through, short ride of 20 minutes to the Hotel, had our room info handed out to us on the bus to avoid line-ups at the reservation desk. Upon arrival we were given a cold drink and brought immediately to our room. I had e-mailed the manager ahead of time requesting a room in block 4, closest to the beach. Contrary to what Willliam USA said, we had a beautiful oceanfront room, which are only in block 4. The room was huge and we were pleasantly surprised with the King bed and 2 twins, and the bathroom was huge/tub, marbled, very clean.
BEACH
White sand, large/wide, treelined with palapas for people who want shade and full sun for worshippers, perfect! Water was warmer than Punta Cana, sandy bottom for quite a ways out, clean, no rocks or seaweed, turquoise and wavy. What I liked was it was so much quieter than Punta Cana, most activities took place around the resort, no many motor boats and no fuel fumes in the air, much calmer atmosphere. There was also no topless allowed at the pools or around the resort, only at the beach. They had a manmade coral reef where the kids could bring bread and feed fish, they enjoyed that, don't forget to pack snorkels! Contrary to the malaria advisory, for Punta Cana, I didn't see one mosquito, and in the evening everything is pretty much enclosed. We were advised to take anti-malaria meds though, but not necessary, my son had an allergic reaction and is now full of hives, luckily it occured upon arriving home.
RESTAURANTS
The buffet changed nightly and had something to please everyone, breakfast were excellent, served in the main diningroom first and from 10 on near the beach at another snack bar. Lunch in the main diningroom, or more casual in the snack bar, where sandals shirts are a must. and on some days outdoor BBQ's where you could eat in your bathing suit, these were great lunches, quite a varity.
a la cartes
French - was very good
Mexican - great starter buffet, real authentic mexican but wasn't fussy for the main course
Steakhouse- Didn't think I would be having a great steak, but I was pleasantly surprised, it was fabulous! My favorite
Japanese- Another great choice, chef cooks in front of you, plenty of food, start with sushi platter
Every restaurant was very nicely decorated the the theme in great colors, ceramics, marble. Bathrooms were gorgeous and very clean !
ENTERTAINMENT
We had 2 children 9 & 11, and we hardly saw them. There was a kids club where they had planned activities for them, they could participate or not. Mine chose to stay most of the day with them, they ate lunch togehter, played water-polo, had races where they won prized, caps medals, and they had an evening kids show where they danced , or put on performances, and were included in some of the adult shows in full make-up, costumes! They had a ball and we also had some alone time. As for the adult shows, they weren't Broadway productions, some cute, some boring, but this wasn't important for me. There was a very nice main bar lounge with a singer where you could sit and relax, a casino room with slots. My husband brought his laptop which wasn't necessary because there was internet access for only $2 per 1/2 hour. Many nice shops within the building but we didn't any shopping besides buy rum for $7 for 40 ounce bottle in the hotel.
We have already decided to go back again next year because we found it to meet all of our needs, perfect beach which is key, clean accomodations, and great food ! I highly recommend this resort to anyone, its sure to please! The pictures on the site do not do it any justice, the grounds and decor is stunning!
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