January 26, 2005
08-06-2005 1:45 pm

January 26, 2005

color=#0000ff>   Iberostar Message BoardBackground
I lhave just returned from a two-week vacation with my wife and teenage daughter. We have stayed at this resort in the past and returned because we loved it. In previous visits, we only spent one week but this time we had two, covering Christmas, my daughter's birthday and New Year. We were not disappointed.

Because I have posted reviews in the past, I will not repeat information about the location and buildings in any detail. I will only say that, as usual, they were beautiful and clean. Moreover, the resort was nicely decorated for Christmas.

Summary of Highlights of our Vacation
1. We e-mailed the hotel in advance, asking for a general location in the building. We got it!

2. We liked the fact that there were people from many countries, from most to least frequent: Germany, France, Switzerland, USA, Italy, Spain, England, Russia, Austria and Canada. It was fun to meet different nationalities and learn from them.

4. The staff, particularly the Star Friends, worked extremely hard to give everyone an enjoyable time. They are there for you from 10 in the morning when they start organizing activities until 1 in the morning of the following day when they leave the discotheque. They are friendly, humorous, encouraging and just a joy to be with. We thank them all for a tremendous vacation.

Here are their names with a laudatory comment for each: Anna (for simply being such a lovely person), Archie (for lots of attention, particularly at dancing, archery and shooting), Cei Ce (spelling? for her perseverence with a dance and steps novice), Jack (for that ever-present grin and great dancing demonstrations), Jameli (spelling? for great stage work and for guidacne on the dance floor), Jose (for being a cool cat), Noel (for making towel gathering tan event to anticipate), Lucy (for her jolly smile all kinds of support for our singing), Martin (for great chats and constant laughs), and Mr. Ding Dong (for these crazy conversations).

5. Christmas was special, with Santa arriving by helicopter on the 24th, followed by a great gift-giving ceremony on the beach and then a delicious gala dinner at the buffet restaurant.

6. My daughter's birthday was special, firstly because we spent it in such a beautiful setting, far removed from the -20 degrees Celcius that we left, but also because of star treatment, capped off by a presentation on the nightly stage and a Happy Birthday sung by all. Then there was a beach party that night - we danced on the sand to two live bands from 10.30 to the wee small hours in the balmy air and strong sea breezes.

7. New Year was a blast. First there was another gala dinner (different menu) then a great countdown to the magic moment of 2005. Balloons, confetti, fancy hats and masks, noisemakers, dancing and music. We had it all.

8. Stage shows gave us great laughs from the antics of members of the audience who were willing to take part. The Star Band was versatile and the Iberostar dancers excellent. The Star Friends showed their acting ability to the full! Yes, some of the skits were corny, but it was all in good fun.

The stage announcers deserve mention: Mini and Arkel kept us entertained with their lively comments.

9. All staff were friendly - be they waiters and waitresses, barmen, groundsmen or room maids. The service manager even came around the pool one day, seeking comments and asking for any criticisms. He really wanted to know if there was anything that could be done to make our stay better.

10. Although not a resort activity, we took the snorkelling/diving day trip to Sanoa Island, courtesy of Dressel Divers. It took about 11/2 hours to travel each way to the Iberostar Hacienda Dominicus on the Carribean Sea. Here, the water was flat and the calm, on constrast to the rolling, sometimes wild waves on the Atlantic side. However, this made the snorkelling and diving great - the clear water gave us a chance to see coral and lots of marine life.

11. Spanish is the language of the staff, but they make every effort to communicate if you do not speak it. In our case, that meant English or French. Although the staff vary in their individual language skills, there was always someone who could communicate to people in German, Russian or Italian.

One or Two Small Gripes
No review is complete without a couple of complaints. Here are ours - which did not in any significant way spoil our vacation:

1. We turned off the air conditioning in the room at night but left the fan on. Unfortunately, it squeaked so we turned if off too. Consequence - a warm room in the morning.

2. We managed to mask the noise of a dripping toilet by keeping the bathroom door closed.

3. There was a small leak in the roof in the bathroom with a small amount of moisture that would drip on your shoulder from time to time.

Conclusion
We enjoyed a wonderful vacation and we thank everyone at Iberostar Dominicana for making it so.

 

 

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