Iberostar Waves Punta Cana

“Long but honest opinion - just returned!”

I have just returned after spending two weeks in this resort July 2024. The overall experience was good but there are a few things I would like to highlight. If you are booking this resort for luxury, peace and quiet or for a special event I wouldn’t recommend. If you are going for a vacation... more

I have just returned after spending two weeks in this resort July 2024. The overall experience was good but there are a few things I would like to highlight. If you are booking this resort for luxury, peace and quiet or for a special event I wouldn’t recommend. If you are going for a vacation and aren’t fussed on the room, noise or kids this is a great place. On arrival we were checked in at a decent speed, not really hanging about too much. The first room was disgusting, smelt damp, it had dirt up the mirrors and on bedside tables, the A/C didn’t work at all and there was someone’s pubic hair on the toilet seat. I immediately asked for a room change showing pictures of the reason. I was granted another room, again, it smelt damp and wasn’t overly clean (shower area was dirty) but it was better than the last one. The overall room decor was tatty and worn, the mini bar never got restocked once. The air conditioning is noisy and the balcony area was very dirty and had blood stains on the wall. If you are celebrating a special event or on honeymoon, this is defo not the place to come!! Now for the positives, the grounds to this hotel are fabulous, it’s kept with such care and the team work incredibly hard in high heat, to ensure it looks great. Everyone is so friendly, always saying hello as you pass by, bell boys on golf carts ask if you need to use the golf cart to get from a to b, most of the staff in the restaurants are fantastic. The food is great, we tried every restaurant, never had to wait for a table, we eat dinner at 6.30/7 but did notice it gets extremely busy after 8pm. The Greek, French and steakhouse were all 10/10. Overall we never had a bad meal in any restaurants. The buffet is good, but it is the same food on rotation so does get a bit boring after a few times. The main pool was quite crowed and had entertainment, we spent a couple of days here but felt the pool was always dirty and didn’t enjoy it so much. People seem to reserve the beds from early am. There is a quiet pool with a cocktail bar, which was fabulous, it wasn’t completely silent, there was still some kids enjoying the water but it was a nice level of background noise for reading and relaxing! The bar folk are mostly great, some make you feel like you are an inconvenience but these were a select few. The gym had excellent facilities and the nicest staff ever! We went every morning at 7/7.30am and took part in the outdoor workout of the day. We really enjoyed it and it set us up great for the day! It gets so busy at 8/9 though, you will struggle to get on the machines. The beach is fabulous, white sand and clear water! No problem getting a lounger, even later in the day. In 14 days I only experienced bad seaweed once. The grounds people were working hard on tractors to lift it and get rid of it. It did smell quite bad but it’s nature and there isn’t much more they could have done. Brilliant stretch of beach tho!! Overall, I would say this is not a 5 star hotel, perhaps a budget hotel which is overpriced (in my opinion). It is VERY family friendly. We enjoyed our time here but wouldn’t come back again!

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“1st time & high hopes to return with some improvements!”

After reading many controversial reviews, my mom and I decided to book two weeks at this hotel. We didn't have high expectations going into this trip, however based on the price and going to the DR every 2-4 months, we were slightly disappointed by certain aspects. Although we knew this hotel was... more

After reading many controversial reviews, my mom and I decided to book two weeks at this hotel. We didn't have high expectations going into this trip, however based on the price and going to the DR every 2-4 months, we were slightly disappointed by certain aspects. Although we knew this hotel was slightly outdated, we still took the chance to book here since we mostly care about animation, and the beach. The check in process was not too long given we had taken a taxi from the airport so there weren't too many people. We were originally assigned a room which was far from the beach and we did not find it convenient. We upgraded to a room closer to the beach. The room which we upgraded to (40USD per day) was on the second floor. The AC was extremely weak and the toilet wasn't working. The day after, we request an immediate room change and Bartolo in guest services was super accommodating. We were very content with our new room with very strong AC and a functioning toilet (room 1262). Shoutout to our maid, I can't remember her name but she was a doll!! :) The rooms were cute, spacious, and I really liked the high ceilings. The bathrooms were newly renovated and very modern compared to the room itself which was a little outdated but totally sufficient. The beach was very spacious with lots of huts available throughout the day. The seaweed situation was rough on some days, but other days it was crystal clear. I will never let the beach influence my thoughts on a hotel since it's obviously not in their control; just a note for travellers who really value the beach; is isn't the best spot. The food.... Yikes. My mom and I are not picky eaters but let me tell you, the food was extremely disappointing. We have been to so many all inclusives and this was a huge let down. The options at the buffet were extremely minimal and not very appetizing and honestly I did get quite a few stomach aches after eating. To be fair, we did not do any sit down restaurants which I heard good things about, but normally I have no complaints regarding the buffet. It definitely needs improvement. The snack bar by the beach is where we ate the most throughout the day and was the best food, as well as the 24 hour Star Cafe which had great sandwiches and pastries, but you can only eat so many sandwiches until you become one! Lol. As a frequent traveller to the DR, I was extremely offended and disappointed regarding the service at this hotel. I am a Canadian who speaks fluent Spanish, and better yet, speaks the Dominican lingo since I am there every 3-5 months. I would always be animated, kind, and friendly with waiters, bartenders, towel guys, bell boys, and let me tell you, a lot were VERY RUDE. Totally not acceptable. The hostesses at the buffet also had severe attitude. It seemed like the only time they were happy was to let us know 10 minutes before that the buffet was closing. There were the few staff members who were super kind like at pool bar and a couple of waitresses in the evening theatre. But the vast majority, rude and impolite. Prior to coming to this hotel, I had no idea about this whole "green" thing (environmental friendly). Listen, I am all for saving the turtles and protecting the planet, but how does a hotel not have any cutlery at a beach bar? What do they expect us to eat with, our hands? Found that odd. No plastic cups (easier to get sick in my opinion; my mom caught a cold in the first 3 days), finding napkins was a challenge itself, and no garbages throughout the hotel. I highly recommend bringing a stainless steal water bottle as they do not have water bottles either, just water/ice stations throughout the hotel which you have to go fill up your water (they give you 2 glass bottles in your room). Okay okay, I guess it's enough with the complaints and it's time to talk about the aspect which in all honesty, was the reason we came to this hotel which was... THE ANIMATION TEAM. Wow. I have nothing but amazing things to say about this team. Everyone was so welcoming and kind. We actually knew Fresita from a previous hotel and decided to follow him to Iberostar and we are SO happy that we did. The team worked very hard all day and night, with a good 12-14 members. You were able to see the dynamic, the energy, and the love. And we truly felt it. THIS is the reason we would come back. Shoutout to Fresita (the best!!), Looky Looky, Cocodrillo, Alf, Lulu, Bubbaloo, Black King, Johnny Bravo, Bobby, Chocolina, The Baby, Wanderful, Coca Cola and their amazing, kind, vibrant boss Coco Loco, for an amazing two weeks which we will never forget. Overall, I do believe I would return to this hotel however, I would hope for improvement because it a) is need and b) has such potential to grow and be even better. Thank you for the experience!

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“Cockroach Cleanliness Issue”

My family and I just returned from a 7 day vacation at this resort. First room was infested with 10 cockroaches and bed bugs. The next day we were then provided an upgrade at the Coral level section of the resort. Upon inspecting our newly assigned room, we did find a dead cockroach beneath the ... more

My family and I just returned from a 7 day vacation at this resort. First room was infested with 10 cockroaches and bed bugs. The next day we were then provided an upgrade at the Coral level section of the resort. Upon inspecting our newly assigned room, we did find a dead cockroach beneath the sofabed which was promptly removed by housekeeping. Otherwise, the facilities at the Coral level were very nice (infinity pool, beautiful beach, el Faro buffet and restaurant). We were also offered two free massages to make up for our poor first impression. All the staff were very friendly, polite and helpful. Our daughter got a bad stomach flu on the fourth day and we took her to the onsite medical clinic which you have to pay for upfront and then submit a claim to your medical insurance provider (they refuse to bill insurance). The night before we were eating at the Japanese restaurant and my son had a live cockroach run out from under his plate. Clearly cleanliness is an issue for this hotel. Not sure that we would ever return or recommend this hotel.

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