Just back from two weeks at Iberostar Costa Dorada and thought I’d put in my two cents worth. Overall I thought this was a very good resort but I would NOT give it 5-stars, perhaps 4 at most. We have stayed at a 3.5-star resort that impressed me more overall. If we were to ever return to Puerto Plata we would definitely have ICD in our short list of places to stay however we aren’t likely to return to POP again since we like to go different places. Parts of my review may seem overly negative but it is what it is, my observations and my opinion. I would recommend the resort and it is very good but not outstanding and not 5-star. Read on for more details.
Room Block:
Building One
Arrival: Reception desk staff are excellent and willing to accommodate any requests as much as possible. I had requested a room with king bed and was very happily surprised to get a room in building one with an ocean view. Currency exchange was quick and rate given was decent enough. Rate changed during our visit but not by much. They will change US dollars, CDN dollars, Swiss Franc, British Pounds and Euros and all rates are posted. When checking in I would suggest avoiding the back side of buildings 2, 3, and 4, if possible, as there is absolutely no view of anything except the receiving area of the resort next door. There is no way that we would have accepted being in any of these rooms. The pool side of any building has a good view and the garden side of 5, 6, 7, or 8 will also be an OK view. If you want to see the ocean you need to be on the ocean side ground floor of building 1, 5 or 6. Having walked the entire grounds I believe we actually had about the best ocean view possible on the ground floor of building one.
Rooms:
Our room was clean, well-stocked and well-equipped but as many other people have stated in their reviews the décor is old and tired and needs updating. The only things that seemed relatively new in the room was the flat screen TV (which we barely used), the electronic safe (at US$2 per day – why not include it in the “all-inclusive” room price?) and perhaps the hair dryer in the washroom. Bed linens were changed regularly, towels changed daily, washroom equipped with basics but make sure you bring conditioner for your hair if you need it. My wife found out the hard way that it is not supplied in the room and at US$12 for a small bottle she decided to go without for two weeks. The bed was quite comfortable but the pillows were very flat and hard. If you like a bigger or fluffier pillow you are out of luck. We did get a few different towel animals from the housekeeper during our stay. Air conditioning is good but we found that the ceiling fan was sufficient for most nights.
Restaurants and Bars: On to the restaurants – the buffet has many, many, many choices daily however having stayed for two weeks there is quite a bit of repetition (as to be expected I guess). Anyone and everyone should be able to find something to eat and if you can’t, you’re just too picky and should stay home to eat gourmet macaroni and cheese. If you can’t find it at this buffet you can’t find it at any all-inclusive resort. Almost every imaginable meat/seafood was available at some point during our visit including lobster, roast beef, roast pork, chicken, lamb, many sausages and a multitude of different fish. Salads, cold cuts and cheeses are plentiful as are vegetables and fruits. Various pastas prepared before you with your choice of sauce were available every dinner. The food quality at the buffet is very good and both the bread/buns and the desserts are outstanding. The baker(s) at this resort is amazing and I wish he/she lived near us so we could purchase some of this amazing product. The resort had beach party BBQs on three of the fourteen days of our stay and these were lots of fun with good food. Kebabs were available one day with three different choices of meats. Paella was another choice one day. There was also paella available outside the poolside restaurant one day. The “a’la carte” restaurants were quite disappointing overall compared to true a’la carte restaurants we’ve eaten in at other resorts. Basically they have a served main course with self-serve appetizers and dessert. Personally I can’t really recommend the “a’la carte” restaurants. They aren’t worth the effort to make reservations and the food quality is the same as in the buffet. Anyone who says the a’la cartes at this resort are “amazing” has not been in a good restaurant with excellent to superior service. We have been in other resorts where the a’la cartes were amazing so we know. After eating at each of the three choices the first week we didn’t even bother with the Brazilian the second week and only went to the seafood restaurant because we had already made the reservation. If we return to this resort we likely won’t bother with the a’la carte restaurants. Having said all that I did manage to gain seven pounds over our two-week stay so the food overall was obviously good and plentiful.
Beach/Pools/Grounds: Grounds of the resort are fabulously maintained as is the pool area and the beach. The landscaping staff is AMAZING and they work incredibly hard to keep the place up. Orchids growing in many places really add to the appearance of the resort. Beach is well maintained every day and I can’t see how anyone could complain about a little seaweed that appears on occasion. The peacocks, flamingos and turtles all add a certain something to the overall resort. You never really know where one of the two peacocks will turn up including on top of the thatched roofs of buildings. Many of the various types of palm trees and plants have signs in front of them to inform you of what they are. The pool is constantly being cleaned. There is one person who seems to spend most of the day just walking around inside the pool washing the sunscreen oils from the wall of the pools. Unfortunately a “ring around the pool” has developed particularly in the centre Jacuzzi area that is quite unappealing. The pool is large with lots of room for activities and swimming. Unfortunately the “towel game” is rampant! If you want a lounger at the pool, especially on weekends, you need to be out with your towel to “reserve” your loungers by 8 a.m., if not earlier. Signs are everywhere FORBIDDING reservation of the loungers but this is not enforced in any way. Just one example is: My partner and I sat for almost five hours next to reserved chairs one day with no sign of the “occupants”. They finally showed up, stayed for about 30 minutes and then left their “reserved” seats not to be seen again to the point when we left for our room about two hours later. So that is over seven hours of non-use of these chairs! Things like this happen daily. The resort should either enforce the policy or lose the signs and somehow add more chairs! The signs also FORBID topless sunbathing and this policy does seem to be enforced but topless is permitted on the beach with a few people choosing to enjoy the sun this way. The pool is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. only.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
Entertainment by the “animation team” was just OK, that’s about it. Daytime activities ran regularly and many people participated. There were daily surprises around the pool each day. I won’t detail the surprises here since it could spoil it for future guests but the surprises were VERY entertaining. Evening entertainment was hit or miss. It’s really too bad that these extremely hardworking staff are made to be “jack of all trades” working from 10 am to midnight doing some things really well but others not so well. While the evening shows were different every night there was a certain “Groundhog Day” similarity to each. The pattern for the entertainment was exactly the same every night. If I had to listen to “Everybody clap your hands – applause, applause, applause, applause” for one more day I could have gone insane. The animation team tries so hard but most nights the shows just don’t make it. Perhaps I was expecting too much? The band is quite good, the singers not as good and the rest of the animation team should be split into day-time and night-time and the night-time people given some professional training. The dancing choreography is not good and only one or two of the animation team could be considered dancers.
Other Comments: BARS/DRINKS: We aren’t big drinkers but the drinks and the bars were OK. Beer was cold and decent tasting. The mixed drinks were OK but nothing special. My partner was definitely NOT impressed with the wine – red, white or even the rose. Having tasted the white and the rose I can see why she wasn’t impressed. If you like good wine (or even decent wine) you won’t find it. Realizing this is an all-inclusive we couldn’t expect great wine but this was not on par with the wine at some other all-inclusives we’ve been to. International brand liquor was available at the lobby bar and theatre bar but you have to be specific when ordering. There is a good selection of whiskey, rum and even liquers. I may have made a serious dent on the Frangelico supply with my after dinner drinks.
Security & Safety: Security at the resort, both during the day and more so in the evening, seems to be very good. The nicely dressed guards in their white and blue uniforms move the beach vendors along quite quickly if you aren’t interested. They will make sure that you know when the beach is “red-flagged” and tell you not to go in the water. In the evening the beach guards are armed with long guns of some type but they are covered with a cloth bag. In the evening the guards will suggest to you not to leave the resort area when you are walking the beach. Walking the more isolated (but well lit) parts of the grounds in the evening you can expect to encounter an unobtrusive guard somewhere and you really do feel quite safe. We played a game of “spot the guard” during our walks as well as when sitting on our patio in the evening. You could almost always find one but they aren’t always obvious. Darker clothes are worn at night by some of the beach guards. The room safes seem to be new and are electronic. Put your belongings in, pick you own code, close the door and you’re done. We didn’t hear anything from anyone about any problems with the safes or safety/security during our two-week stay.
BIG DOWNSIDE – SMOKING!:
You will breathe second-hand smoke! It didn’t seem to matter where I sat down I was surrounded by smokers. My partner and I couldn’t believe the number of people that still smoke. While smoking is not permitted in the Brazilian or Mexican restaurants or in the buffet it was permitted in the pool restaurant with ashtrays on nearly every table and smokers permeating the air with pollution. Smoking in the lobby, smoking in the center plaza, smoking in the lobby bar, smoking by the pool, cigarette and cigar smoke permeating the air in the theatre for the nightly shows (even though it is designated more than half non-smoking). We ended up changing our seats and tables in the central plaza and in the theatre most nights trying, usually unsuccessfully, to get away from the smoke. Even trying to walk to the buffet restaurant in the evening you are accosted with smoke while walking down the “hallway” to reach the restaurant. Yes, it is an open air, but covered hallway but who wants to walk through and breathe all that smoke while on the way to dinner? Simply disgusting and offensive.
Summary:
In summary, ICD is a GOOD or very good resort, 4-star or thereabouts and certainly worth a visit. I realize that parts of this review seem quite negative but we did have a very good vacation and can recommend this resort. It is probably overrated but it does deliver a good vacation experience overall and as previously stated we would consider returning if we ever return to Puerto Plata.