IBEROSTAR HACIENDA DOMINICUS
Playa
Bayahibe
Higuey, La Altagracia, Dominican Republic
Local Phone: 809-688-3600
Fax: 1-809-686-8585
Distance from Hotel to Town, 30 miles (48 kms).
Distance from Hotel to Airport, 25 miles (40 kms).
Beautifully set on a sandy beach framing the Caribbean, the Iberostar Hacienda
Dominicus claims the same outstanding features which make Iberostar the best of
All inclusive Resorts.
Step into this lobby and you'll see why. Life size cattle and horses of
sculptured iron, and an authentic wooden sugarcane splicer used to make
molasses, lend flavor to Dominican lifestyle. Furnishings in rich deep purple
and mint green, tiled floors of lemon and lime mosaic and polished carved tables
are part of this hacienda style entrance. You're eyes will pop when you see the
three monstrous chandeliers with cherubs, hand tooled from what appears to be
500 pounds of silver for each magnificent piece. It is indeed the amazing
creativity from a well known artist, who works with metal from retired
airplanes. One of the tidbits of information, you won't commonly recognize on
your own.
Lagoons with fountains deliver soothing sounds in harmony with a sensational
visual of flourishing gardens, bursting with blooms. Villa style blocks of rooms
surround one of three swimming pools.
Dining is always rated highly by Apple clients with any Iberostar Resort The
Hacienda Dominicus offers five restaurants, three specialty restaurants with
Japanese, Mexican and a Steakhouse, a casual palapa restaurant, plus a buffet
restaurant with a huge selection of fresh foods and 'show cooking.' The decor in
'El Ingenio' will make your mouth drop open. Green mosaic tiles in every shade
on walls, and Latino accents with color and pizzazz could almost distract one
from the sumptuous buffet, but not quite!
Accommodations: Attractively appointed rooms in two and three story blocks (with
elevators) have two double (looked like 3/4 beds) or one king bed, in-room safe
(fee) , mini-bar with water, beer, soft drinks, ceiling fan, Satellite TV, some
bathrooms have shower only, others with tub and shower, hairdryers, balcony or
patio. 498 air-conditioned rooms.
HOTEL DETAILS
In perfect harmony with the environment, Iberostar Hacienda Dominicus is an
extremely modern complex comprising 8 bungalow-type, two story buildings
surrounded by extensive tropical gardens. This beachfront All-Inclusive resort
offers four a la carte restaurants, two floodlit tennis courts, a magnificent
pool area, an Internet-Café, daytime and nighttime activities, shops, slots,
boutiques and a supermarket.
Beach: The hotel is situated directly on a beautiful beach of fine white sand,
with direct access from the hotel.
Total Rooms: 496
Year Opened: 2001
Credit Cards: Visa, Master Card, American Express
HOTEL RESTRICTIONS
No springbreakers.
There is a coupon system for the a la carte restaurants.
Each room must have someone who is at least 21 yrs old.
No pets allowed
Must be 18 years old to access the disco
HOTEL AMENITIES
Ice Machines; Gift Shop ($)
Tour Desk ($); Pool (outdoor)
Towels (pool) ($); Sauna
Casino (nearby) ($); Babysitting Services ($)
Conference Rooms ($); Wedding Site
Bars; Beauty Salon ($)
Dive Center; Laundry Service ($)
Fitness Center; Medical Services ($)
Golf (nearby) ($); Tennis Courts (lighted) ($)
Ping Pong; Tours & Excursions ($)
Poolside Beverage Service; Security (24-hour)
Aerobic Classes; Children's Activities
Volleyball (beach); Bar (swim-up)
Currency Exchange; Basketball Court
Internet Access ($); Doctor (on call) ($)
Lounges; Front Desk (24-hour)
Hospitality Desk; Multilingual Staff
Tennis Instructor ($); Pool (children's)
Towels (beach) ($); Poolside Meal Service ($)
Spa ($); Billiards
Aerobics (aqua); Children's Playground
Watersports (non-motorized); Barber Shop ($)
Beach (onsite); Disco
Jacuzzi (outdoor); Entertainment
Massage Services ($); Parking
($) Denotes a fee may be charged.
Please note: Some hotel amenities listed above may have an additional fee
associated with them.
HOTEL FACILITIES
Barber / Beauty Salon
Boutique Shops
Disco / Nightclub
Laundry / Dry Cleaning Service
Meeting Rooms
Physician on Call
Pools
Number of Pools: 3
Outdoor Pools: 3
Swim-up Bar
Adults can enjoy a refreshing dip in any one of three outdoor freshwater pools,
and sunbathe along the spacious sundeck, with sun loungers, towels and parasols.
Pay a visit to the swim-bar, while younger guests enjoy their very own
children's pool.
Golf: NEARBY
La Romana Golf Club
Holes: 0
Tennis
Number of Courts: 2
Outdoor Courts: 2
Lighted Courts: 2
Water Sports on Site
Sunfish Sailing: Complimentary
Scuba: Additional Charge
Snorkeling: Complimentary
Wind Surf: Complimentary
Other Sports Available
Horseback Riding: Additional Charge
Bicycles: Additional Charge
Other Sports: air rifle shooting, archery, basketball, volleyball, boccia, darts
Health Club / Spa
Aerobics: Complimentary
Jacuzzi: Complimentary
Massage: Additional Charge
Nautilus Equipment: Complimentary
Sauna: Complimentary
Spa: Additional Charge
ACCOMMODATION CATEGORIES AND DESCRIPTIONS
Arrival/Departure Time:
Check-in-time: 3:00 pm Check-out-time: 12:00 pm
Early check-in and late checkout on
request, and subject to availability.
Children Policy:
Children 3 and under are free of charge,
when sharing room with 2 paying adults.
Maximum Occupancy:
Standard - 3 adults or 2 adults and 2 children.
Standard, Rooms have full bathrooms.
Bedding: 2 double beds or 1 king bed.
All accommodations include: desk, wake-up calls, bathtub (private), safe deposit
box: ($), telephone, coffee/tea maker, hairdryer, air conditioning, blackout
drapes, ironing board, shower (private), television (remote controlled,
satellite), crib (upon request), housekeeping, balcony, ceiling fan, non-smoking
accommodations, smoke detector and iron.
Mini-bar
stocked every other day
($) Denotes a fee may be charged.
Specific bedding and/or special requests are fulfilled based on availability and
cannot always be guaranteed.
FOOD AND BEVERAGE OUTLETS
Captain Nemo Disco, international drinks and cocktails, open daily from
11:00pm-2:00am.
El Colonial(*)
Gourmet a la carte dining. Reservations required. Men are required to wear a
dress shirt, long pants (no jeans) and dress shoes. Must be at least 10 years
old.
Cuisine: International.
(*) Denotes reservation is required.
La Hacienda(*)
An a la carte restaurant serving Mexican cuisine. Reservations required. Men are
required to wear a dress shirt, long pants (no jeans) and dress shoes.
(*) Denotes reservation is required.
El Ingenio
Serving International cuisine buffet style for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Men
are required to wear a shirt with sleeves, and proper footwear (no sandals).
Bermuda shorts are allowed.
Faro Bar, on the beach, national drinks and cocktails, open daily from
10:00am-5:00pm.
Japanese Restaurant(*) - An a la carte restaurant serving Japanese cuisine.
Reservations required. Men are required to wear a dress shirt, long pants (no
jeans) and dress shoes.
Cuisine: Japanese.
(*) Denotes reservation is required.
Lobby Bar, serving international drinks and cocktails, open daily from
10:00am-1:00am.
Pool Swim Up Bar, National drinks and cocktails, open daily from 10:00am-8:00pm.
La Goleta Steak House (*)
An a la carte Steak House. Reservations required. Men are required to wear a
dress shirt, long pants (no jeans) and dress shoes.
(*) Denotes reservation is required.
Theatre Bar,, serving international drinks and cocktails, open daily from
8:00pm-11:00pm
ACTIVITIES & ENTERTAINMENT
Daily Activities & Entertainment:
Tennis, Table Tennis, Volleyball, Aerobics, Watersports, Archery.
Nightly Activities & Entertainment:
Features slot machines and game room.
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION
Children's Programs
-During the day, Lucy's Kids Club offers an extensive, varied program of
activities for children ages 4-12. Activities include games, singing and
painting from 10:00am to 6:00pm. Plus a kiddy disco.
Children's Facilities
Playground
LOCAL ATTRACTIONS
Tourist Attractions Nearby:
-Saona Island: 10 miles(16 kms)
-Eastern Natural Reserve Park : 2 miles(3 kms)
-City of La Romana: 15 miles(24 kms)
-Bayahibe (local fisherman village): 2 miles(3 kms)
Iberostar Hacienda Dominicus Review
Just
returned from 6 nights at this lovely resort (Nov. 17-23). This was our 11th
all-inclusive vacation, our 5th with the IB chain. We're in our 40's, and
brought our daughter (18), her boyfriend (18), daughter 15 and son 11.
Traveled to Santo Domingo, Mr. Silva's guy, Joe, was there to meet us and he
whisked us away. Took 1.75 hrs to get to the resort, but it was a pleasant
jaunt. Would prefer in future to fly to La Romana, but price was a factor for
the 6 of us.
We had emailed in advance our room requests, and they were granted. We had 2
side-by-side rooms in bldg 7 with nice garden views; even the beds we had
requested. These rooms are close to the pools and ocean. We also let them know
that we were repeat customers, and they thanked us for choosing the IB chain,
gave us t-shirts, rum and plates of fruit in the room. Also invited us to a
"repeated guest" cocktail hour where we could meet staff/upper management. Took
a great group photo, which they delivered to our room the next day. Was a nice
touch.
As far as building locations, I'd look for buildings 5,6,7,4, and 3 for rooms.
The evening entertainment got loud at night (started heating up at 10pm), and
I'd think it would be hard to sleep in buildings 1 or 2. Of course, if you're at
the entertainment (which was fun!), you wouldn't notice.
Stayed the 2 days before at the Oasis Canoa (you can see why the IB is #1 in
this area, and Oasis #3), and walked over to the IB. The desk crew was very
kind, let us preview our rooms and book an a-la-carte restaurant for our first
night. Miguel at the desk, and Britta (she seemed to be everywhere) were
gracious and exceedingly helpful.
The IBHD is smaller than the Lindo/Maya complex, so it seems more friendly,
intimate and is a short walk from one end to the other (maybe 5 min?). The
gardens are meticulously maintained and lush, without feeling too jungly like
the Tucan in Mexico. Also not as open feeling as the Lindo/Maya, which we liked
a lot. It was a joy to walk through the resort and look at all the exotic
plantings. FYI: easily negotiable for handicap persons, and there's a boardwalk
that leads across the beach all the way to the ocean for wheelchair access.
The buffet is served in an area that looks a lot like the Beach/Del Mar.
Breakfast/lunch buffets are well stocked with a huge variety of food; lots of
fresh fruit (which I saw the server washing in sanitizing solution before
cutting). Staff wear hair covering, gloves to prepare and serve food. Everything
is very clean. NO FLIES at all in the buffet. We ate each night at an
a-la-carte; the Colonial has a limited menu (2 appetizer choices, 4 entrees -
pretty similar to the Lindo's), but we enjoyed the lobster and fish. Service was
formal, but friendly. Did see small children there (no under 13 at the
Lindo/Maya, which I think I prefer) and had to wonder how they liked the formal
atmosphere and menu limitations. Ate twice at the Japanese, which is very good;
freshly prepared, and just like the Beach/Del Mar's Japanese - same menu. Try
the octopus if you dare, it's very tender. The Mexican buffet was the best - you
could eat solely off it without ordering off the menu! Also enjoyed the
steakhouse (same menu as the Lindo/Maya), where we had salmon, tenderloin and
ribs (kind of sweet, my daughter says like at US Chinese restaurants). Buffet
included the blooming onion, rather than them bringing it to the table. It was
fun to see the same potato, corn on the cob, etc. as at the Lindo. Literature
states that you can only eat at the a-la-carte's 3x/week, and we had one
reservation clerk tell us that after we had booked for 3 nights (plus the one
booked in advance). We just waited until she went to lunch, then approached
another clerk, who booked us with no problems for the rest of the week. We
prefer the a-la-carts, as the buffets get tiring for 3 meals/day all week long.
Pool was warm enough to swim in all day, as was the ocean. There is some drop
off as you step into the ocean, as well as a few rocks over to the right side of
the beach, but the ocean was great for floating around in and had no undertow.
Very soft sand underfoot, as well. If you bring a banana out beyond the
lighthouse beach bar and snorkeling masks, you'll see all kinds of fish, and
feed them, too!
Lobby bar was great for pre-dinner cocktails and had many name-brand liquors.
They have a bar, as well as cocktail listing there. They have prompt wait
service in the bar, as well as any lobby couches, pool. Unsure about beach
service.
Towel games at the ocean. It was hard to find shady spots mid-day. We had found
2 chairs for our group of 6 but were yelled at by a women who said we took hers
(we didn't), and then that we "spoiled her view" because the chairs were in
front of the 8 or so she had reserved with towels. Not sure where the rest of
her group was. Pretty rude, but there you have it. We departed. After that, we
staked out chairs at the pool, where there were few people, then hiked to the
beach to swim.
They said the resort was sold out for Thanksgiving week (US), but the place
didn't feel crowded at all. Very few people in the pool, more at the beach.
Never much line for drinks at the bar, and no problems making dinner
reservations.
Weather was warm and humid - mid-80's with occasional summer rain showers. Only
one overcast day, but it's the tropics, so expected.
Internet can be purchased at the desk for $5 USD for 30 minutes. They have 6-8
computers, not all of which work at one time, sometimes very slow connection,
other times fast. Daughters enjoyed keeping in touch with their friends. Books
for trade in the internet room, as well as in the towel hut. Pool tables behind
the internet room.
Tons of fresh towels at the towel hut. Lots of happy staff (including "happy,
happy, Lenny") who go out of their way to include you in games/events if you
want. No pressure, however. Games going on all day; son played and won in a
volleyball game, then got his Olympic style award that evening before the show.
He is quite proud of his medal.
Public restrooms are very clean. I'm an RN and I notice these things. There's a
check-list by the door that the staff uses to keep track, and it's obvious that
they refresh/check the restrooms out at least every hour.
Will we return? Definitely. In a minute. This place is an undiscovered joy. And
I never thought I'd say I prefer it over the Lindo/Maya!
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