Iberostar Punta Cana

The Iberostar Punta Cana is part of a three resort Iberostar complex in Punta Cana. The first thing we noticed is that the grounds are immaculate – the gardens are absolutely beautiful. Nothing stays on the ground very long without being picked up. The three Iberostar hotels are the Punta Cana, the Dominicana, and the Bavaro. Guests at the Iberostar Punta Cana are allowed to use all of the facilities at the Dominicana and everything but the bars and restaurants at the Bavaro. This is because the Bavaro is a higher ranked hotel and I guess they don’t want us getting something we didn’t pay for.

The Iberostar is a very European resort and while many people will complain about staff’s inability to speak English perfectly. We are always amazed at their ability to communicate with people of so many different cultures without ever losing their smiles – we give this staff a big thumbs up for their language skills.

The fact that this is a European resort means that European customs will prevail. Punta Cana is known for many superlatives, but at the Iberostar it’s Punta Cana topless. Topless tanning is the norm, but don’t worry – you won’t even notice it after the first day.

Also, I don’t know if it’s true, but Europeans do seem to smoke more – so you will notice a number of smokers at this resort.

Rooms

The rooms are well laid out and seem to be kept quite clean – all 346 of them have air conditioning, a mini-bar and a room safe (charge of $2 per day). We had a choice of either a large double bed or two singles as at most other hotels. There was also a ceiling fan in the room, which was a nice touch – allows you to move some of the air around the room. The room did have that humid must smell when we arrived – bring a room deodorizer.

Beach

The beach is at the tip of the Arena Gordo beach and is one of the most beautiful in Punta Cana –just a few minutes walk from the open-air beach market. There is a shipwreck out on the reef just a little ways down the beach that you can snorkel out to, very cool. However, when we were there they had a swimming area roped off on the beach so that you couldn’t swim out to the reef, which was very disappointing. There are lots of water sports going on in front, which may be why they roped it off, but I still went out early in the morning before any of the water sports began.

Pool

The pool at the Iberostar Punta Cana is enormous, a fun pool to play in or sit around. There is a separate kids’ section as well. Remember, when you have good facilities for kids, they’re going to show up – there are a lot of kids at this hotel. The place is well set up for them as well: lots of highchairs, activities, etc. There is a lot of walking at this hotel though, so maybe pack an umbrella stroller for toddlers.

Food

The food is decent at the Iberostar Punta Cana, we were always able to find something to eat at the buffet restaurant. There are 3 a la carte restaurants that require reservations (Mexican, Caribbean and the Steakhouse). We went to the Caribbean a few times and were quite happy with the food.

Tips for the Iberostar Punta Cana

Bring a room deodorizer as rooms often have that humid musty smell.

Men need to wear pants for dinner.

There is quite a bit of walking at this resort.

Bring a big wad of $1 bills for tipping (dollar store jewellery and hair stuff is appreciated by maids). I always leave them school supplies as well.

Bring your own snorkeling stuff and swim out to the reef early in the morning before the beach gets busy.

Contact info for the Iberostar Punta Cana

Tel.: (809) 221-6500

Fax.: (809) 688-9888