Iberostar Waves Punta Cana

The big pools were so fun to play in, and the foam pool party was awesome. I loved the towel swans and the balcony, and the escape room was fun too. I wish I could do it again. I was excited to see kiwi on the desserts. 🎶 If you like piña coladas 🎶 you should go here. Violet age 10 and Leo age 7

I really enjoyed my stay at Iberostar Waves Punta Cana. The hotel is huge and beautiful, with loads to do during the day. There are lots of restaurants and food choices, and the meals were tasty with good variety. There’s a nice range of soft drinks, alcohol, and cocktails too. Staff were friendly and welcoming, and being so close to the beach was a real plus. Service was slow at times, especially for food and drinks, so it felt like they could use more staff. I also wish there had been drink service by the pool. Evening entertainment doesn’t start until around 9:30pm, which is late if you’ve been up since early morning at the pool. Food service ends at 10pm, and there aren’t really snacks afterward, which was frustrating when drinking or waiting for late entertainment. It’s a lovely hotel with great facilities, but service timing and availability could be better.

That bright blue Gatorade-colored water and white sand beach are amazing. The rooms are decent, and the front desk did a good job sorting out a room issue for us. The daytime entertainment crew was solid, but the nighttime shows were rough. The restaurants and buffets were below average, and staff in general didn’t seem very motivated. Service around the hotel was almost nonexistent, so don’t count on anyone bringing drinks to you at the beach or pool. This isn’t a North American hotel chain, and many people don’t speak English.

The beach and pool were lovely and had plenty of seating, but most of the rest of our stay was deeply disappointing. We found three cockroaches in the room. The coffee machine worked only sometimes, and we often ran out of cups. Restaurants also regularly ran out of coffee and cups, and dishes were often visibly dirty, with dried food on plates, glasses, and silverware. One plate had streaks that looked like someone had merely brushed food off. Food was often served completely cold at the buffet, smokehouse, Italian, and French restaurants. At the smokehouse we waited about 40 minutes between courses, and the food still came out cold. My daughter found maggots in her cauliflower after I’d already eaten from the same serving. Several people in our group got sick during the trip, likely from the food. Food safety was a major concern. Nothing was labeled, including allergens, which is especially dangerous since we have a child with a severe nut allergy. There weren’t enough serving utensils either, so foods could cross-contaminate. The resort had little to offer for activities or entertainment. There was little to no entertainment by the pool, and the shows weren’t engaging. We also asked for a blow dryer several times, three times at the front desk and with housekeeping, but never got one, even though other rooms had them. The experience fell far below acceptable standards for cleanliness and food safety, and we wouldn’t return.