September 15, 2004
08-03-2005 8:41 pm
September 15, 2004
color=#0000ff> Iberostar Message BoardIn a word the hotel is excellent. We stayed at the Iberostar Costa Dorada in June 2003 and think the two are about on par in terms of quality. One of the only downsides I can come up with is the lack of air conditioning, don’t get me wrong this isn’t down to the hotel being tight or anything it is just the design. As it is all open plan with very few enclosed building air conditioning can only be used in the a la carte restaurants, night club, shops and most importantly the rooms. It is not a major issue but sometimes at night we wanted a place to sit with our drinks that was a bit cooler.
The grounds are amazing and extremely well kept, you can’t believe the number of staff this hotel has just to make it look really nice and operate efficiently. The pools are excellent, the main pool was usually quite busy but there was never a problem getting a sun lounger and always lots of room to swim around comfortably. There is a slightly deeper second pool which we liked a lot as it was a bit quieter and warmer in the mornings, it is not that big but good for a few ball games or a float on a lilo. The third pool the games pool was never that busy but we didn’t use it at all. The pool bar is also a major bonus as nothing beats being able to jump in the pool when it is really hot and swim over and get a nice cold one. We expected to see Ricardo like so many of the other reviews had mentioned but instead we got Jean who was an excellent replacement (he can still do the Ricardo special), French/Spanish are his main languages so only knowing English made it a bit harder but all the more amusing when ordering drinks.
The beach is also lovely and although manufactured you wouldn’t really notice unless you are being picky. The sea is a bit salty for my liking but hey I preferred the pool so who cares, it isn’t the deepest though and you can walk all the way out to the buoys (if you are over 5’6”) that stop you going any further. The man made reef is quite good as well and there are lots of different fish to see, but I am no fish expert so others may think it isn’t as good. The lighthouse bar also makes for a nice touch as after all the salty water I really needed a drink. You can also book to use the non-motorised water sports on the beach but we didn’t so can’t comment.
We thought the food was really good with lots of variety, we did have a few stomach issues but put it down to the change in diet/climate and it didn’t really bother us to much, nothing an Imodium couldn’t solve. The a la carte restaurants are very nice and we used all 4 (the gourmet was also free to use unlike some reviews mentioned) the Japanese being our favourite. I won’t spoil it any more just try them all and make you own mind up but go a couple of times to each and it breaks up going to the buffet.
The rooms are excellent, we were in block 3 I think maybe 2 anyway it was the one next to the pool and was very well placed, although there is no bad block I don’t think except the rooms right next to the theatre which is block 1 (again I think). The rooms come with a bath/shower or walk in shower so if you have a preference make sure you ask. The air conditioning is really good and all rooms have a TV (with enough channels to keep you occupied) and a mini bar (which only has soft drinks/beer) and is refilled every one or two days, not sure if tipping makes that much difference as we did almost every day and it didn’t always get filled.
Finally, the bars, these were all very good and getting served didn’t take long at all, at the end of the day there is no rush as you are on holiday just take it easy. They will make you any drink you want as long as you can explain it well.
A couple of points to note:
1. The hotel is quite enclosed so there isn’t really much option for leaving it and there is not really anywhere within walking distance to go to. So if you don’t want to be stuck in the hotel all the time go somewhere else or go on lots of excursions.
2. We went in a group of 5 aged from 19-28, we had a good laugh and made some good friends, I can see how it may be a bit dull for young singles though, Cancun maybe a better option there.
3. The reception staff were the only unfriendly people we encountered (and not all of them), they were quite quick to snap at you and not always that helpful even when we were in the right. Also saw them cutting the claws of a crab that found its way to the reception and then playing football with it (not that nice really).
4. If you want to do some trips I can recommend
a. The Crazy Bikes (Quad bikes) it is a good laugh and you get to see a good bit of the countryside.
b. The Saona Island tour good for topping up the tan and going on speedboat/Kat. c. We also went on one of the monster truck tours around the towns/mountains/sugar cane fields etc. This was really good not sure of the official name though.
d. I don’t recommend the Los Haiti National park tour though as it involved a 3 hour drive in both directions (Not nice). The actual tour was nothing special also.
Paraiso Del Mar Paraiso Beach Paraiso Lindo Paraiso Maya Quetzal Tucan Cozumel
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