Iberostar Waves Costa Dorada - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

9940 reviews

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  I will return!

  Overall Experience 4/5 - The most important question is: Would I return? The answer is yes. Grounds 4/5 The grounds are extremely well kept. Note that most cleaning occurs during the daylight hours. It can appear to be dirty in the wee hours of the morning but this is very quickly fixed when the staff arrives. In no time at all the grounds are sparkling. What made things unique, something that I have never experienced before, was the ability to get from the lobby to the restaurants and bars, to your room, without ever being impacted by rain..............without it being a massive one-building resort. While the grounds were not exactly my style (lots of tress), my style is one of personal preference. To conserve on electricity, the grounds can be vary dark during the very early morning hours. It was actually very peaceful, enhancing my morning coffee on the balcony. Buffet 5/5 There was always something great to eat. Fresh food was constantly being served. Theme nights meant that there was always something different in the evening, along with regular staple foods. The service was good and the staff was extremely helpful. Leidy was fantastic and by morning number 2, she knew or drink preferences. Bonus tips for her :) This was the fisrt time that I had experienced a pizza station that used fresh dough, and not the typical flat bread. It was pretty decent pizza. The snack bar buffet and the main buffet appeared to have identical food being served during lunch. While the snack bar buffet can be more convenient, it is more crowded. If you are looking for a more quiet meal at lunch, go to the main buffet. A la Cartes - No Score This was the first time that we did not make reservations for the a la cartes. They have a Mexican, Italian, and Japanese. None of those interested us, so we never went. The main buffet always had great food, though I do suspect that if we were there for two weeks we would have made reservations. Room 2/5 This was perhaps the most disappointing part of our trip. The rooms do not appear to have been updated since the 90s. The furniture matched. While there is a closet and plenty of hangars, there is no furniture with multiple drawers, like a dresser. My wife and I lived out of the closet, one drawer, and our suitcases. Bathroom was functional but small and dated. Only space for one person at a time, unless one was in the shower. There was no bathroom ventilation so the mirror would fog up very quickly. Electrical plugs were on the opposite wall from the bed. This made for the need for awkward extension cords and power bars to plug in CPAP and phone chargers. So that you are aware, the plugs are recessed so your standard phone charger plugs will not fit. TIP!!! Bring extension cords and power bars just in case! Maid service was very good as was the mini bar and towel service. Of important note, they only use glass bottles or cans. They provide you with water bottles and there are plenty of potable water refill stations. We thought that this would be annoying prior to arrival, but we actually liked this more than plastics water bottles. We got water when we wanted and needed it. We didn't have to constantly ask for more. Beach 6/5 Always plenty of chairs. Even if you showed up at 11am, you can always find empty chairs................just maybe not all at the same place or where you wanted, but chairs were available. There is plenty of sun, if that is what you want. There is plenty of shade, if that is what you want. There is something for everyone. Why a "6 out of 5"? This is the first trip out of 9 trips where there was a lifeguard on duty. He took his job seriously at the beach. He was firm, fair, and also very friendly. He kept people off of the rocks (good thing) and kept people out of the water when the flag was red. Note about the red flag - heed the warning! I was in the water just before the red flag went up. We got out of the water because the water was becoming too rough. The undercurrents were strong, pulling us out to sea, and/or pulling us East, and/or slamming use into the beach. Heed the warnings! Why a "6 out of 5"? The beach vendors were extremely respectful and appeared to self-regulate. Even when the security guard was not visible (though present), the vendors rarely went beyond the first row of beach chairs, and made themselves move along. Why a "6 out of 5"? A large portion of the beach is well lit during the dark hours. I felt extremely safe while enjoying my coffee and the sun rise. Pool 5/5 Always plenty of chairs. Even if you showed up at 11am, you can always find empty chairs................just maybe not all at the same place or where you wanted, but chairs were available. There is plenty of sun, if that is what you want. There is plenty of shade, if that is what you want. There is something for everyone. The pool is almost entirely 5' deep so be aware. There are some shallower areas but these appear to be primarily for children or adult play. Bars 4/5 Great staff and great service! There are no cheap slushies here. Each drink is made by hand, so it can take a little longer to be served, but well worth it. Not sure if there was a generic alcohol brand shortage or not, but I always appeared to be served brand name (decent quality) alcohol. Fountain pop dispensers are available to the guests to use, which was a real bonus. No need to stand in line (which includes the buffet). My only complaint was that there is no 24-hour bar. I am a naturally early riser (5am) so couldn't get a decent cup of coffee until 7am (buffet) and 8:30am (lobby bar). The coffee in the room is nothing more than coloured water. There is no cream, milk, or even whitener in the room. I did know this beforehand so brought my own Keurig machine................which took up half of my suitcase, but it was worth it. Entertainment 4/5 My wife and I are not really into the entertainment, but we did stick around most evenings to watch some. While it did appear to be generic and repetitive (like all of the other resorts) some of the staff were definitely adding some of their personal flair to it. We found some of the staff and their interactions with guests more entertaining than the planned entertainment itself. If their is one criticism of the entertainment, it was during the day and around the pool. During large portions of the day the music was less than ideal for a resort which has a mixture of demographics including seniors and children. Plenty of swearing and explicit references to sexual acts. Tips! 1. Bring a 2-prong extension cord and power bar, just in case. Not a 3-prong, just in case it doesn't fit. We read previous reviews and decided not to chance going without. We are glad that we did. If not, the wife and I would have needed separate rooms because I would not have been able to sleep without my CPAP machine. 2. If you are an early riser like me, bring your own coffee and/or coffee machine. Several travel machines exist. I was so glad that I did, enjoying a fresh coffee on my balcony and at the beach. 3. Realize and accept that you are in a foreign country and on vacation. I could not believe the amount of ignorance being witnessed by guests expecting their preferred alcohol, or perfect service in their preferred language. 4. Bring a simple floaty for the beach and pool. It was nice to simply float around, especially in the pool as it is deeper than most.

  Mar 30, 2025
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  Great Resort

  This was our first time at this resort and we were so pleased at the amenities, atmosphere and overall experience here. Although, next time, we will book 10 days. Danny at the front desk was able to change our room within hours of checking in. We were on the 3rd floor but due to mobility issues, we prefer the ground floor. The room was perfect, clean and smelled fresh when we checked in. Huge variety of food in the main buffet and snack bar near the pool. Specialty restaurants, Sakura (Japanese) and Italian restaurant were great. My favorite was Sakura. The resort is very well maintained and landscape always impeccable. Danny, Liz and Braylin at the front desk were always available to answer questions and provide advice and recommendations. Many bars throughout the resort and always accessible. Nightly entertainment was never repetitive. Resort has it's own private beach. Great family resort for anyone with small kids.

  Mar 25, 2025
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  Family trip

  The beach was awesome and the food was great excellent service and people. The actives were awesome and get to win prices too. The place is beautiful and beach was the best part. The activities on the beach was the best part and weather is super nice. My buddy Nija was the best he host me in the activities and was awesome.

  Mar 25, 2025
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  Great Value for Money in Puerto Plata

  We went with 4 kids and 2 adults. The resort is older, but very well maintained. Any issues we had were minor and addressed immediately. The staff are lovely and helpful. The beach is clean and while there is seaweed in a portion of the water, there are many spots to go in where it won't bother you. The pool gets messy by the end of the day (mostly palm tree debris, some bird droppings), but it's open to the air and always clean again first thing in the morning so hard to complain. The rooms are basic and clean, nice showers with decent soap/shampoo. The filtered water system is great, easy to stay hydrated. The food was varied, fresh and mostly excellent. We tried the Mexican and Italian a la carte. The Italian was pretty good but we actually preferred the usual buffet. The snack bar and drinks selection were great. Activities are so fun, and it's really the staff that make it. We did the pickleball tournament, sea kayaks, karaoke night, dominican folklore show, dance lessons and lots of giant chess. We felt it was extremely good value for money.

  Mar 24, 2025
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  Great hotel, wonderful people

  As a first time visitor to Puerto Plata, this hotel was recommended to me. Everything was great at check-in and my room was lovely overlooking the swimming pool and the beautiful grounds. As I knew no one at this resort. I approached a member of the animation team as to the show that night, etc. Well this gentlemen turned out to be a very good friend. His name was "Joy" and he headed up the animation team. I did not lack for dance partners in the evening. Ninja always made sure I had a good time. I loved the cooking classes daily on the beach, from Paella to San Cocho, my favorite Dominican soup. The food in the restaurants was good. However, it was the people who served me as a solo traveler that made me feel special. My breakfast waiter always had "my same table" ready for my arrival. I never lacked for hot coffee! As with most resorts, there has to be a con. It was the service at the lobby bar especially in the evening prior to the nightly shows. People just form a long line and it took forever to get served. Also their bars do not have bar stools so socializing with other guests doesn't happen. I hope management finds a way to address this problem. Thank goodness for the lovely cocktail waitresses as I used then to get my drinks. Also, the concierge, Manny. did a great job of handling my excursion requests as well as Millie. I definitely loved the atmosphere of this resort and all the various activities. By the time I left my weeks vacation, I felt like I had an extended family.

  Mar 24, 2025