hi there we stayed at the iberostar in 2004 and it was brilliant, told a friend at my gym and she has been twice a year since and loves it. food is excellent. best holiday for my children they loved it.

I hear the beach is a bit trash ridden these days according to trip advisor but I really am struggling to decide.

I stayed at the Iberostar Costa Dorada last August and whilst I think the hotel and all it's facilities - including pool, food (absolutely superb), bars, service, etc, etc - could not be faulted, the beach was extremely disappointing, well, in my opinion anyway.

Having said that, I went with my sister and her family who loved it so much they have booked to go again this year - but they are not beach people and would happily spend two weeks by the pool and going out shopping or day trips.

So I guess it's horses for courses.

Hope that helps.

Rose

Rose,

What did you find dissapointing about the beach?

Lee

Hi Lee,

Sorry, should have elaborated in my previous post.

I think the main problem was the amount of seaweed that we had to wade through or clamber over just to have a decent swim. Also, the water was a bit murky/cloudy and I was disappointed not to spot many fish - although there were quite a few people snorkelling a bit further out.

It just was not the most attractive beach I have ever seen. We knew before we went that the North coast didn't have the best beaches, so it was no great surprise when we got there.

Also, I think because I have spent many idyllic summer holidays on the beautiful, sweeping beaches of North Cornwall, my first visit to the Caribbean was a bit of a let-down (we're going back to Cornwall this summer!).

Like I said, the hotel is fabulous though!

Rose

We went to the ICD in 2004 and found the hotel and staff very good,the choice of food was exceptional.
As regarding the beach,it was ok but the sea was quite rough during our stay
HTH

If its any help I much prefer the beaches in the East, they are generally more what you would expect of a Caribbean beach with lighter sand and calmer, clearer sea. To get the white sand and really calm water you would have to visit the South but IMO they don't have many higher star rated hotels there.
I haven't stayed at either hotel so I can't comment on that but Punta Cana airport I felt was much less manic that Puerto Plata. I also found that there was less poverty evident in the East although outside of the resorts can still be quite a shock if you're not prepared for it.
Overall the DR is not known for fine dining, if you are used to eating at a high level here then I think you could be disappointed, you would get that in say Barbados but of course it will cost you. If you are just looking for good quality meals the higher * rated hotels do a good job usually.
We have had some wonderful holidays in the DR but it is still a developing country as far as tourism goes, you just have to accept that somethings won't be perfect and enjoy the sunshine.

Hmmm.. I know that the beaches will not be as white and pure as those in Cuba so thats not a problem but I wont tollerate a beach thats dirty and not maintained. I think our thoughts have changed now to that of Dreams against the Bluebay villas doradas. Both are on the same beach so this takes that out of the equation as my partner has been there and reccommends it. She stayed at Gran Ventana but we want a hotel thats new to us both.

I'm truly torn between these two now.

The Bluebay Villas looks modern, well appointed and have great reviews about food. Downsides are that its a pretty small resort although the Plaza in Play Dorada kinda makes up for it extending the places we can go and explore. We can also go to Ocean world as well as a good selection of excursions.

Dreams is massive, looks modern and well apointed. Have read some concerns about the food in reviews although more posative than negative. Premium brnaded drinks is also attractive. The large resort means theres lots to do and has a magnificent pool. Limited excursions because its in Punta Cana. Ocean World would be too expensive for us at this hotel as it doubles in price from hotels in the north.

Anyone care to make the decision for me

silverpixie1uk - Thanks for the response. I am a foodie without doubt but can apreciate that food might not be as good as I am used to. However my main concern is getting ill as I did in Cuba and Egypt. It almost ruined my holiday. As long as food is simple yet tastey i'm happy.

Beaches are another concern but only a minor one. We both love to snorkel and the calmer the ocean the better. I have to say that both our ammended hotel choices have pros and cons but deciding is really starting to stress me out!

Well I've been to the Iberostar Costa Dorada and I am going to Dreams in July. They are all valid points raised by the other posters, but have you considered the Iberostar Hacienda Dominicus in Bayahibe?

This has been my favourite hotel so far and the beach is gorgeous, it is the only one I would return to, don't get me wrong I had fabulous holidays at the other hotels I've been to but it is the only time I did'nt want to go home.

I am very excited about going to Dreams PC but the beach and sea won't be as nice although I think it will be a classier resort.

Go to the Hacienda Dominicus, you won't be dissappointed!

We kinda ruled out the south because there was nothing to do excursion wise that we could find. The 2 hour drive to resort also put us off.

Well we did the Saona Island trip and the helicopter ride and they were superb, as I understand it the trip to Dreams from the airport can take up to 1 and a half hours and I think it took about that to get to Bayahibe and the roads were ok.

Trust me you should look at it again but if you have definately discounted the south then book Dreams PC. In my view the Hacienda Dominicus was much nicer than the Costa Dorada, I think the Costa Dorada is over rated.

I did a review on a well known rival travel website under my other name treesrbrown, you might want to take a look.

see saw wrote:

I did a review on a well known rival travel website under my other name treesrbrown, you might want to take a look.

Feel free to copy your review to HT!

Pippy

Mr Parsons I might be being a bit unfair here because it was some years ago now but Mum and I had a terrible time at what is now the Bluebay when it was just the Villas Doradas. From reading recent reviews they do seem to have fixed the place up now but my concern is still the beach access which is over a wooden bridge that spans a swampy area. The water was stagnant and smelt awful, we saw rats running along the bridge rails and both got bitten so badly by the mossies that breed there, that we were both ill.
The other issue we had here was the amount of single men who booked prostitutes into their rooms, as they had wristbands one has to assume that the hotel knew what was occurring. I overheard one child ask his mother why that man had a different wife every day. I'm afraid these men are not the type of people I really want to meet on holiday.

Although the Bluebay does now look very good, personally I would want some kind of assurance that these issues had been rectified before I would book there again.

There were many other problems at this hotel back then and we were able to get a part refund from the TO on our return but you hope not to have your holiday spoilt in the first place. It was that bad back then people were calling it Villas Disasters.

Tht does sound awful but like you said, recent reviews are very good. I'm still concerned about the size of the place and if it will occupy is both for 2 weeks althought there is the plaza to visit at night which is meant to be pretty good for a change.

Mr Parsons,

Have you booked anything yet?

I havent booked anything yet but i'm planning on doing it this week. Its looking like we are swaying towards dreams. There is a slight chance we will end up going back to the Gran Ventana but only a slim chance really.

Hi

In July 2006 we stayed at Sunscape the Beach which is now renamed Dreams. The resort did not feel too big and the grounds were beautiful. Even if it was really busy it never felt like it because there were numerous bars to enjoy and you could lounge around with a coffee or cold drink and watch the world go by. Not having to make reservations was a bonus and there were so many restuarants to choose from and even on the occasions they were busy, we were given a pager and we went for a lovely cocktail at the bar or for a nice walk, but we never waited long before being seated. The service was excellent also. There was the main area for the entertainment in the evening which was generally good when we were there, but if you wanted something quieter and more intimate for adults then the cocktails and drinks in the piano bar were lovely. the beach bar didn't close until late in the evening also, they had a disco and a casino so you had a lot of choice.
The spa and treatments were wonderful and you could even have a massage on the beach at sunset if you wanted, or for a special occassion you could book a meal on the beach with the tables set and your own waiter (this cost extra). The gym was good and well equipped when we were there.
The bedrooms (we had a four poster bed) were very luxurious. If you didn't want to leave the beach for lunch then they did a daily barbeque with cold drinks available. The beach was nice, albeit not the crystal white sands, but we had terrific fun in the waves further down the beach. The hotel had cordoned off a section which was calm and more suited to snorkling, although we didn't see that many fish. We had organised for a private car to transfer us from the airport to hotel and I think it was about 1 hour, they were building a new road which was meant to make the transfers quicker and easier, but someone else may know if it was completed. All the holiday reps were downstairs and there did not seem to be any shortage of tours, albeit they may take longer to get to or may be more expensive ie having to go from the south to the north etc.

I realise a lot can happen in 2 years so this is obviously not an up to date summary but we absolutely loved the resort.

keanda

Hi Keanda,

Sounds like you had a lovely time, we go in 14 weeks and counting and I can't wait! It's nice to hear of other peoples experiences.
I don't think the road is fully finished yet reading other posts, but hey it's a holiday and mine starts once i lock the front door for the airport.