August 10, 2004
08-03-2005 8:45 pm
August 10, 2004
color=#0000ff> Iberostar Message BoardHaving stayed at the Iberostar Costa Dorada last year and found everything to be first class we decided to stay at another Iberostar this year, this time the Iberostar Hacienda Dominicus.
Arrival and Check-In
After a 90 minute transfer from Punta Cana we arrived at the Iberostar at around 4pm, where we were greeted by the bell-boy's, who immediately took our cases off us and put them onto the golf-cart. We were then directed to the reception desk where a welcome drink was waiting for us as we prepared to check-in. Unlike the Iberostar Costa Dorada where you are given your wristbands, room card, towel cards and registration cards on the coach, you actually have to check-in at the reception desk here. The check-in was fast and efficient and we were then able to enjoy our cool drinks and have a look around the impressive reception area before being directed to our rooms where we were reunited with our cases.
Room
The room was excellent and was much bigger than the room we had at the Iberostar Costa Dorada. We had requested an ocean view and a high floor and that is exactly what we got. The rooms are very big and have air-conditioning, a ceiling fan, a TV and a mini-bar. The mini-bar should have been re-stocked every other day but ours was re-stocked daily! The rooms are incredibly clean and are cleaned daily. You are also given plenty of towels and these are changed daily as well. We tipped the maid daily and our mini bar was re-stocked each day and our towels were made into all sorts of different animals and shapes. The water pressure in the shower was excellent and hot water was always available, the shower was in a very large cubicle and this was really good.
Food
For the first 3 or 4 day's of our holiday the food in the main buffet of an evening was not as good as we had received last year at the Iberostar Costa Dorada last year and for these first few nights a lot of the food was cold. However after these first few nights the food in the main buffet improved dramatically and was excellent. Breakfast and lunch in the main buffet were always excellent. Food is available 24 hours a day in this hotel and everywhere you go the food is 1st class.
Breakfast was available in the main buffet until 10am but there was no need to worry if you missed breakfast because from 10am til midday a continental breakfast was available from the restaurant near the pool and this was always excellent. The breakfast there was very nice although there wasn't as much choice as in the main buffet but you still had the choice of: fresh fruit, salads, bacon, sausages, fried eggs, several kinds of bread and even cakes!
Snacks were available in the pool bar from 12 and they were very good as well.
From 12 midnight until 7am the Mexican restaurant re-opened as the all night snack bar.
We used all 6 of our A la Carte reservations and we visited the steak-house twice, the gourmet restaurant once and the mexican restaurant 3 times, we did not visit the Japanese restaurant. The Mexican restaurant was our favourite because the food in there was excellent and there was plenty of choice for starters and main courses, the shrimps in coconut for starters and kebab taco's for the main course are excellent. The steak-house was excellent as well and the steaks were cooked to order and the meat was very tender. We did not like the Gourmet restaurant as we did not think the service and food were as good as in the other speciality restaurants and the menu is fixed so there is no choice apart from your main course - we all chose the beef tournado and the meat was nowhere near as good as the meat in the Steak-house.
Pool/Beach
The pool area was very impressive and it was very clean, there were plenty of sunbeds with umbrella's and it never seemed crowded and there was never any need to reserve a sunbed a definite positive ahead of the Iberostar Costa Dorada. Another plus point was the waiter service around the pool and on the beach to save moving from your sunbed, this was not available at the Iberostar Costa Dorada. Another advantage was the swim-up bar where there was plenty of drinks to choose from and the bar-staff were excellent with serving and mixing cocktails and Mamajuana. Jean and Francescua where usually the bar-men at this bar and they were both very friendly and excellent at their jobs.
The beach at this hotel was absolutely perfect with white sand and calm, crystal clear water with absolutely no sea-weed. The beach here just does not compare with the beach at the Iberostar Costa Dorada, this beach also has the advantage of a beach bar right by the sea which was a great place to cool-off.
Entertainment
The entertainment at this hotel was practically identical to the entertainment at the Iberostar Costa Dorada. The Star-Friends worked so hard and there was always something going on in the hotel at day or night. The day-time entertainment was very good with lots of activities going on to suit all tastes.
The evening entertainment is the biggest disappointment of this hotel because the shows ranged from being ok to awful.
There are shows every night at 9:45pm but the best night for entertainment was the "Mr and Mrs Show" this was very funny. The rest of the entertainment included: "Mr Iberostar" Tropical and Dominican Dancing nights, "Vegas Night" and the worst show of them all "Black Light Theatre."
Before and after the shows you are given the chance to go on stage and dance with the Star Friends to Merengue music. This gets very annoying after a few nights because it is the same songs each night.
The shows get very repetitive after 2 weeks and a big downfall of this hotel is that unlike at the ICD in Puerto Plata there is not anywhere else to go of a night so unless you want to sit in the lobby bar until the disco opens, there is nowhere else to go. The lobby bar at the ICD definitely had a better atmosphere than the lobby bar here although the waitress service here was a major plus point.
Staff
Every single member of staff in the Iberostar were fantastic. They were so friendly and happy and they all worked so hard. From the receptionists to the waiters to the bar staff and even the Security guards they all wanted you to have a great holiday and there seemed nothing they wouldn't do for you. We did notice that English is not as widely spoken by staff at this hotel as it was at the ICD but when you go to another country you have to accept that English won't be widely spoken. We tipped several members of staff because they worked so hard and were so helpful and this was greatly appreciated although it was by no means expected.
Security in the hotel was fantastic they had so many guards it would be impossible not to feel safe here.
The grounds in the hotel are very well-kept and the groundsmen work so hard and are always smiling and whistling even in 100 degree heat! The resort is massive but it is kept immaculately clean. We never even seen a leaf on the floor it was kept so clean.
The bar staff are very good and you are never left waiting for a long time to be served. The drinks were generally excellent but there were a couple of nights where the beer was flat but this was no major problem as bottled beer was available if you requested it. There were a few times when you would not get the drink you requested a few other guests also mentioned this. Maybe it is because English is not as widely spoken at this hotel and the staff got mixed up. It was no major problem as the drinks are all paid for and it is no problem to order another one.
OVERALL
We found the hotel to be excellent and really enjoyed our 2 week holiday here. If we had to pick our favourite between this and the Iberostar Costa Dorada we would pick the Iberostar Costa Dorada because there were more places to go to of a day and night off-site and the food and drinks were slightly better. This is not to say that we would not return to the Iberostar Hacienda Dominicus because the hotel was excellent and truly deserves its 5 star rating it is just our personal preference that we prefer the Iberostar Costa Dorada.
If you are thinking of going to the Hacienda Dominicus make sure you do as you will have an amazing time.
Paraiso Del Mar Paraiso Beach Paraiso Lindo Paraiso Maya Quetzal Tucan Cozumel
Costa Dorada Bavaro Dominicana Hacienda Dominicus Varadero Bella Costa Tainos Daiquiri Punta Cana
Iberostar Reviews All-Inclusive Resorts Iberostar Iberostar Message Board Free Consumer Guides