IBEROSTAR PUNTA CANA
PLAYA ARENA GORDA
PUNTA CANA
Dominican Republic
Tel.: 1809 221 65 00
Fax.: 1809 688 98 88
Distance from Hotel to Town, 60 minutes.
Distance from Hotel to Airport, 30 minutes.
Quietly and without fanfare, Punta Cana has become the Caribbean's dream
destination. Until just a few years ago, these unspoiled beaches belonged to
seabirds, coconut harvesters and local fishermen. Now, a discrete selection of
world-class resorts has made this special place available to the rest of us.
Come to Punta Cana and the Dominican Republic for the glorious beaches,
world-class resorts, delightful people and incredible natural environment.
Enjoy distinguished Spanish-style hospitality at either of these
two beachfront resorts. The Iberostar Punta Cana and the Iberostar Dominicana hotels are located
next to each other and directly on the renowned white-sand beach of Bavaro. The
staff at each is warm and friendly and offers guests impeccable service. Enjoy
numerous amenities for a truly unique vacation experience.
This is an all inclusive, family hotel directly on the beautiful, sandy beach of
Bavaro. The hotel lies in the midst of a spaciously-designed tropical garden and
consists of 2 4-story buildings, 1 with 347 rooms and the other with 80 rooms.
Guests may make use of the foyer with 24-hour reception desk and 2 lifts.
Additionally, a bar, a café a hairdressing salon and a small supermarket count
among the hotel facilities. 5 air-conditioned restaurants (1 buffet and 4 à la
carte restaurants) with special non-smoking areas are offered to guests. Guests
arriving by car may use car parking and garage facilities. In addition, there is
a pharmacy, nightclub and Internet access (at an additional charge). A kids'
club and playground are available for younger guests. Laundry and room services
round up the offerings.
HOTEL AMENITIES
Poolside Grill; Tennis Instructor ($)
Towels (beach) ($); Safe Deposit Boxes (front desk)
Business Center ($); Exercise Classes
Children's Activities; Front Desk (24-hour)
Volleyball (beach); Currency Exchange
Wedding Coordinator ($); Doctor (on call) ($)
Ice Machines Nightclub ($)
Juice Bar ($); Physically Challenged Facilities
Massage Services ($); Barber Shop ($)
Snack Bar Billiards
Pool (outdoor); Activities Desk
Tour Desk ($); Poolside Meal Service ($)
Aerobics (water); Sauna
Car Rental Desk ($); Fitness Center
Towels (pool); Children's Playground
Gift Shop; Watersports (motorized) ($)
Disco; Multilingual Staff
Internet Access; Parking
Laundry Service ($); Medical Services ($)
Bars; Ping Pong
Spa ($); Breakfast Room
Poolside Beverage Service; Aerobic Classes
Tours & Excursions ($); Porters
Security (24-hour); Entertainment
Casino (onsite) ($); Flower Shop
Umbrellas (beach/pool); Coffee Shop
Watersports (non-motorized); Dive Center ($)
Hospitality Desk; Newsstand ($)
Internet Cafe; Physically Challenged Accommodations
Lounges; Miniature Golf ($)
Babysitting Services (on request) ($)
Beauty Salon ($); Pool (children's)
Aerobics (aqua); Wedding Sites (5) ($)
Elevators (9); Casino (nearby) (5) ($)
Restaurants (5); Golf (nearby) (5) ($)
Tennis Court: ($)
Lit For Night Play
Jacuzzi (outdoor)
Public
($) Denotes a fee may be charged.
Please note: Some hotel amenities listed above may have an additional fee
associated with them.
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
Bedding: 1 king bed and 1 sofa bed or 2 double beds and 1 sofa bed.
View: Garden or Ocean or Partial Ocean or Pool.
All accommodations include: bathtub, mini-bar, smoke detector, housekeeping,
television (remote controlled, satellite), ironing board, air conditioning,
ceiling fan, safety deposit box, desk, soundproof, internet access, maid
service, balcony or patio, coffee/tea maker, shower, hairdryer, telephone, iron
and crib (on request).
Wake-up Calls
On Request
Specific bedding and/or special requests are fulfilled based on availability and
cannot always be guaranteed.
FOOD AND BEVERAGE OUTLETS
American Rock Star Cafe, serving a variety of American food.
Cuisine: American.
El Conuco
Poolside Restaurant
Serving
continental breakfast (10am-noon) and lunch (noon-4pm).
La Cana, Open for continental breakfast and as a grill and steakhouse restaurant
for dinner, casual dress code for breakfast, formal for dinner, reservations
required for dinner
La Higuey
Buffet Restaurant
Serving a
buffet breakfast (7am-10am) and buffet lunch (12:30pm-3pm). Men are required to
wear a T-shirt with sleeves and Bermuda shorts.
La Maria Bonita(*), a la carte
Cuisine: Mexican.
General Opening Hours: 6:30pm - 10:30pm
(*) Denotes reservation is required.
La Pagoda(*), a la carte
Cuisine: Oriental.
General Opening Hours: 6:30pm - 10:30pm
(*) Denotes reservation is required.
La Sibila(*), Gourmet restaurant serving lobster as the main dish, a la carte.
General Opening Hours: 6:30pm - 10:30pm
(*) Denotes reservation is required.
La Yola
Ice cream
stand (11am-5pm).
Sport
In the outdoor complex, a freshwater swimming pool with a children's paddling
area as well as a sun terrace with sun loungers and parasols laid out ready for
use. It is possible to make use of the Jacuzzi, massage service, steam bath and
sauna. Sports enthusiasts may like to use the gym, aerobics sessions, archery
option, tennis courts and volleyball facilities. There is also a regular
entertainment program to provide some variation for guests.
Children's Programs:
Miniclub for ages 4 to 12 years old
Payment Methods
American Express, MasterCard and VISA are accepted as methods of payment.
Iberostar Punta Cana Review
My
husband, my 8 year old son, and I just returned from a week at the Iberostar
Dominicana (Aug. 14th-Aug. 21st). We had a great time!!
Beach: The beach was everything we had heard it would be. Lots of room, powdery
soft, fairly calm waves, and clean. The only downside at the beach would have to
be the lack of chairs (that are shaded). We never rushed down to claim them, but
lots of other people did if they wanted any shade! I was a bit put-off by the
number of people that appeared to "reserve" the best chairs at the pool AND the
beach, leaving the rest of us with nothing. But, you can't let stuff like this
ruin an otherwise wonderful trip.
Pools: The pools are nicely set-up, but not nearly enough chairs. I did notice
one thing about the Iberostar that seemed different from other resorts we had
visited. Usually, there is at least one bar for the pool, and at least one bar
for the beach. There was only one bar that sat between the pool and the beach,
and that you shared. This tended to make for a longer wait, although not bad.
Restaurants: The restaurants were good, although not excellent. We never went
hungry, and the food was just fine. Nothing to remark on either way, except that
none of us got sick, which is a bonus over Mexico, where we usually tend to. T
Room: he room was a nice large size. Plenty of space for the 3 of us, and in
nice shape. The rooms were set up in one large building that ran the length of
the property from the lobby to the beach. We were about midway down the
building, which gave us good proximity to everything. The row of shops was
behind our room, which was nice and convenient. Women, there is a blow-drier in
the room, but I wish I had packed mine. Definitely take yours!! Theirs was
sufficient for drying your hair, but only after a long, long time, and no good
at all for styling. Just didn't give off much air. Another important note- If
you take ANYTHING that needs plugged in that is any larger than a standard plug
head, you will need an adapter. The current is the same as in the USA, but the
outlets were slightly recessed, and large power heads couldn't reach in. We
ended up going down to the gift shop in the front lobby where there was a box of
adapters on the check-out counter. (cost about a dollar) It provides enough
extension to get past the recessed area, and allow you to plug things in (like
our digital camera battery!)
Misc.: We found all the people that work at the resort extremely helpful and
friendly. They always had a smile for you, and jumped to help in any way they
could. We have to agree with the prior review that talked about the "cultural
differences" between the Americans and the Europeans. I personally try to
overlook those things, but they were still apparent. We were constantly being
forced off the sidewalk by the oncoming group that didn't give any space. I had
people butt in front of me in line several times. My son had so many problems
with people taking his toast from the toaster in the morning buffet, that he
came to me in tears one morning and asked me to do it instead. Who takes food
from kids? Again, a noticeable problem, but we need to remember that we all do
things differently, and things like lines are obviously handled differently in
Europe. Probably not intentional. (I hope) I have just re-read my review, and
want to add something...This resort is excellent. I have absolutely no
hesitation recommending it, and loved the entire stay. It is one of the better
resorts we have ever stayed at. I am simply listing the things that I noticed.
It sounds sort of negative, and I think I am highlighting those things just so
people know what we found. We were way more pleased than displeased!! If you are
on the wall, pick this resort!!! You won't be sorry.
Enough on the resort, and on to the island: The reports on the crystal clear
water and wonderfully soft sand are not exaggerated. Take a few excursions to
see more of the area than just the resort. I would have to highly, highly
recommend the Outback Safari Trip we booked through our Apple Vacations Rep.
There appear to be lots of companies that run this type of excursion, but we
were very impressed with ours for these reasons. The guides were funny! Very
engaging. Also very informative. While we drove through the wonderful scenery of
the island, the guide filled us in on local customs, history, etc. A wealth of
information!! One other big bonus. We DID NOT drive through towns feeding candy,
etc. to kids. Our tour company strongly feels that practice simply teaches the
kids to skip school and wait for the hand-outs. Instead, the Outback Safari
company sponsors several local schools, and supports them through donating part
of what we spend with them. If you buy a shirt, hat, bag, whatever, a part of
the money goes to the schools that they sponsor. The tour took us through a
real, local Dominican home, a coffee plantation, etc. We stopped at one area and
saw a couple of the cocks that they use for cock-fighting (but they DID NOT put
on a cock fight for us. I would have had a problem with that!!) At the end of
the day they took us to Macao beach, which had incredible boogie boarding. All
in all, one of the best tours I have ever taken on vacation (and I have taken
more than a few!!) We also did an excursion to the Marinarium and swam with
Nurse Sharks and Sting Rays. A very enjoyable trip, that my son really loved. My
husband and I love to snorkel, and really prefer to not be led around in a
group, so we didn't like that, but the coral and the fish were beautiful, and it
was neat to see the sharks and stingrays. A very enjoyable half day.
Oh, by the way, if you are staying at the Iberostar, there is a great shopping
area right off the resort. Just walk down to the beach, take a right, and walk
along the beach for about 5 minutes. You will get to a little row of shacks
where they sell lots of local goods. Be ready to haggle!! Take any price they
give you, cut it in half, and maybe in half again, and start there. You'll have
fun, and get some lovely things.
Money: Travelers checks are NOT widely accepted on the resort. I know it goes
against the traveling grain, but you will need to take plenty of cash. The shops
on the beach only take cash, and the places in the resort take credit cards.
There is a bank on the property, sort of hidden so ask at the front desk. You
can go in there with your credit card and your passport and get cash from your
credit card, but even the resort doesn't take travelers checks. Opposite of most
trips we have taken, so be aware!!
I think I have said everything I wanted to. To sum it up, this trip rated very
high on our favorites list. The water was second in line only to Bora Bora, and
that is hard to beat. Cozumel and Hawaii come right after the Dominican
Republic, then the Riviera Maya and Jamaica. The resort is lovely, the island is
inviting, and the overall experience is wonderful. You can't go wrong!
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