Fantastic holiday and the best hotel we've ever stayed in.

FOOD. Excellent buffet restaurant, something for everyone, food always piping hot and good variety. (no stomach problems) There are also three a la carte restaurants which have to be booked, we didn't go in these as we found to main restaurant was so good. By the pool is an out door bar/restaurant which opens at 10am for drinks, late breakfast and lunch, at night this is the tropical restaurant. Again the food is excellent as are the drinks, lovely rum and slush cocktails.

The grounds of the hotel are really well kept, lovely gardens, flamingos, peacocks and terrapins in the lobby. We had read some reviews about seaweed on the beach, and yes there was some as the hotel is on the Atlantic coast but this is constantly being cleaned up, the beach is really clean and raked every day we loved it and spent most days there. The sea was lovely and warm and to the left side of the beach there is a coral reef with lots of tropical fish which was great for snorkelling, quite rocky in places though so a good idea to take some beach shoes.

We went snorkelling with the hotel based scuba team to sosua, fantasic experience the marine life was amazing, my husband went back a couple of days later and did a scuba dive with them which was the hightlight of his holiday, would definately recommend having a go.

Also did the jeep safari, the only day we ventured out of the hotel, this is a real eye opener to see how the locals live. Very poor country, the villages have no running water electric etc and the people live in wooden shacks, which does make you feel a bit humble when you're staying in 5* luxury but they very much welcome tourism and encourage you to buy souvenirs to support the locals.

The hotel staff are all really friendly and hard working, tips are very much appreciated as they work incredibly long hours for low pay, the odd couple of dollars is very much welcomed.

The evening entertainment was all done by the hotels entertainment team Star Friends, different show every night and we really enjoyed it all, the Lion King was the highlight and the Kids Club children were all involved in this dressed up as different animals. Baby Simba held up at the start was even a real baby dressed in a lion outfit and was amazing.

The whole hotel was kept spotlessly clean, the rooms were spacious and cleaned daily, the mini bar was well stocked with beer and soft drinks, the bed was the biggest I've ever seen, 6ft wide (apparently to cater for the americans) air conditioning great and definately needed as the temperature didn't fall below 30 degrees even at night. Hairdryer in the bathroom OK, looked a bit like a hoover nozzle but did the job, don't bother to take your own as the voltage is really low so it barely works, we took rechargeable batteries but there wasn't enough power to charge them back up so ended buying more.

Overall we had a fantastic time and would recommend this resort to everbody, families, couples and weddings this hotel has it all, if your considering this hotel for your holiday then go you will definately love it.

Food was best we've ever had. You get chance to eat at the 3 a la carte restaurants twice each but the food in the buffet restaurant was so nice we only had 4 al a carte meals. Breakfast brilliant with the freshly cooked omelettes and the fruit smoothies.

Hotel very clean - you could always see someone mopping, polishing, brushing, etc. All staff from cleaners, waiters, entertainment, reception were exceptionally friendly.

Rooms kept very clean and mini fridge stocked up more than every other day.

Entertainment was good - we're not really ones for joining in the rifle shooting etc but the Star Friends would ask you to join in and then respect your "no". Star Friends also provide the entertainment at night and then lead the dancing late into the evening.

We had a couple of trips out - the Outback Safari and Paradise Island. Both well worthwhile.

I would definitely visit this hotel again - definitely the best one I've ever stayed in. No sunbed race in the morning. You could always get a sunbed whether it was round the pool, on the terrace or on the beach. Sometimes the pool was too hot so you'd just pick up your towel and find a sunbed somewhere else. Good selection of books available in the hut where the sunbed cushions are housed.

I genuinely can't think of anything bad to say about this hotel.

Well - I cannot recommend the hotel highly enough.

Travel: We upgraded to Premiair Gold, and I would definitely recommend it. Extra legroom, ice cream with the movies etc etc

Transfer: very smooth indeed, room keys given on the bus, short transfer time

Hotel: it is beautiful, clean, spacious (even though I understand it operates at near 100% capacity all the time!), with lush tropical grounds. Being tropical however, means that it does have to rain, and it did on several days, often early morning. This had one major drawback: The floors throughout the hotel, inside and out, without exception gain the attributes of an ice rink. They have a doctor on-site at all times - and I bet that he deals with people who have slipped over all the time! Be very careful.

Food: We were informed that the food has just been awarded as the best out of all Mytravel hotels, and it doesn't disappoint. Having buffet-type meals for two weeks does become a little jaded though (not much getting round it). There are 3 a la carte restaurants also, and they provide variety and are also high quality. Some nice additional touches: popcorn in the afternoon, and various other treats spontaneously appear (Paella on the beach at lunchtime - which was a highlight).

Drink: The bar staff are absolutely fantastic, with superb service, always smiling (not always the case when it is all-inclusive) and love their jobs. Cocktails are great, and my kids loved their non-alcoholic ones before dinner each evening.

Kids Club: Wow - we have 2 children (6 and 4), and they had a whale of a time. They did shooting, archery, mini-golf and much more, and came home with more medals than we know what to do with (as did every other child who went). The staff are great. But the highlight was the fact that the kids get the opportunity to get involved in the evening shows. This really is an amazing experience for them, on the first night my daughter was whisked away, put into a custom made (yes they had tailors altering costumes backstage for the kids!) catsuit and performing in front of 1000 people in the famed performance of Lion King (see the other reviews for details on this!). Other nights included talent shows, fashion shows etc - my daughter was hooked!

Pool: Beautiful, vast and always being kept clean.

Beach: Lovely, lots of seaweed yes, constantly cleaned by staff. However, if you walk 200 yards to the right of the hotel into an area not owned by the hotel, the detritus of the sea is washed up onto the beach and it really is pretty disgusting - so don't go right!

Staff: Incredible, from waiters to cleaners to the entertainment team - they love their jobs, they are happy, attentive and make you feel special.

Guests: The hotel attracts a broad mix of nationalities: US, Canadian, UK, German and French in the main - probably (when we were there) in that order of size. There are enough sun loungers to go round, and although the hotel policy is that loungers cannot be reserved, they don't police it at all well, and the best positions (ones with umbrellas) are taken by 8am and nothing is done to remove unattended towels - it's a fact of life and the only way to deal with it seemed to be to get up early unfortunately.

In summary - I can confirm that other peoples reviews were pretty damn spot on, and the hotel is a fantastic place to go, brilliant value for money and we will certainly go back.

Hotel is great.

The beach is a bit narrow and sea is rough but didn't bother us.

Entertainment staff are ace, they don't force anyone to join in. I enjoyed the vollyball, shooting and archery. Entertainment was surprisingly very good every night is different better than we expected it to be. Not much to do at night outside of the hotel, there is a casino a couple of hotels away and a small shopping centre most shops sell the same stuff.

Try the rum with coke or lemonade it blows your head off and it's dirt cheap to buy a botttle to take home. Go on the Jungle tour (small offroad truck) takes you through the hills to see how they live + horse ride and to secluded beach its a long day but worth it, its the best trip.

Paradise island is good for the snorkling, but I burst my ear drum unfortunately. Oceanworld is good, do the dolphin and sealion encounter its a little scary but really good.

People are really nice and genuine, most speak several languages fluently.

Overall really good holiday. this hotel looked a lot better than any others (5 star is more 4 star and a 4 star is more like 3 star in Dominican so worth paying extra)

The attitude and friendliness of all the staff was amazing. The range and quality of the food was excellent (no tummy bugs).

We have cruised a number of times and this hotel would compare favourably with the level of service and quality of food on the better ships.

The rooms were very clean and decently appointed. The tropical gardens within the grounds were immaculate and the bars and other facilities are fist class. The staff deserve more than a 5.

There are lots of activities available should you wish to participate however there is no pressure to do so.

We have just returned from the Dom Rep and the Iberostar Costa Dorada is a fantastic hotel.

The staff are so friendly and smiling, genuinely so, and they cannot do enough for you. The entertainment was professional not the animators who look after the kids in the daytime, but really great singers and brilliant dancers.

The audience participation was very good and no pressure is put on you to get involved if you don't want to. The food is excellent and so much choice. Three speciality restaurants and all superb. The hotel is very well maintained with cleaning and repairs and gardening going on all the time.

The rooms are spacious, the pool is huge with no problem getting sun bed around the pool or on the beach. There is plenty to do, archery, darts, rifle shooting, volley ball, water sports, free diving lesson in the pool and all the usual stuff you expect from a 5 star hotel. There were lovely touches, like flowers decorating the towels in your room every day put there by the maids.

This is the only time on holiday that we have not minded tipping, they are so poor that you don't mind giving the staff a little something because they are so obliging. We went to Ocean World which was disappointing as it is still under construction and after we swam with the dolphins there was not enough going on to keep you there all day.

We were collected at 8.15 am and picked up at 4.30 pm, and really we were just killing time for 3 hours. If there is 1 complaint it is that the drinks have very little alcohol content, but if you have a rum type cocktail you have to ask for 151 rum which is kept under the counter, and this is normal strength rum like at home, but you have to ask.
There was some rain, but it was early morning or early evening and did not interfere with our enjoyment.

We would definitely go there again and would definitely recommend taking children. A very good time was had by all!

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Iberostar.

On the coach to the hotel we were handed our room key, towel cards and welcome pack as rooms had already been issued before we had arrived. We requested a king size bed and sea view room at the travel agent and that is exactly what we received. You can hire a safe key at reception after the porter has taken your bags to your room, it costs around $30.

The hotel was exquisite, well maintained and the staff were very accommodating. The Flamingos, Terrapins and Peacocks that greeted you at reception were a definite plus.

The weather was lovely, when it is very hot I

We stayed at the Iberostar Costa Dorada for the 1st time and it was absolutely fantastic.The maids were in the rooms every day really cleaning the rooms.

If you tip the cleaners they will also keep on replenishing your fridge. The staff were very polite and friendly. The staff will all greet you in the morning or evening by giving you a hola or buenos dias etc. The hotel itself was absolutely spotlessly clean.

The restaurants were fantastic something for everyone and all food is prepared and cooked in front of you. All food was boiling hot and when you have finished you can keep going back as many times as you want.

The waitresses and waiters were great. They are very enthusiastic and are waiting on you hand and foot. We were treated like royalty. Once you have sat down with your meal the staff are ready to offer you a drink, either tea, coffee, wine at tea time etc.

All the entertainment staff are great. They try and get as many people up as the can and they work their socks off.

The nightly shows are great and you can see that very hard work goes into them. Everything I can say about this hotel is it is fab. None of our party was ever ill and we were here for 2 weeks.

It was great and all our party have booked to return to the hotel in November again next year. All the staff deserve a pat on the backs. They work so hard and are great.

The hotel is fantastic, 5* for sure.
rooms are realy big, mini bar stocked up every 2 days, maids are brilliant leave fresh towels daily in different shapes with flowers.

Hotel is fantastic, definitely a 5*.

Entertainment team are brilliant they work so hard to make sure your holiday is at its best. They work 16 hrs a day for hardly nothing, but they are constantly on the go playing different games throughout the day. You must see the Lion King show its fantastic as well as all the other show's in the evening.

The beach was ok alot of seaweed though.

Weather was great around 30-33 only rained a few times and when it did was after 4pm which was good.

Ocean world is a must, it was amazing we did the sea lion encounter which was very funny.

Helicopter ride was great.

We would definitely go back to this hotel as its the best one we have stayed in and the best holiday we have ever had.