Rating:
"We booked this resort based on our previous great experience with other Iberostar resorts over the past two years. Unfortunately we were disappointed as it did not live up to our expectations. Right from the beginning as the hotel was overbooked and we were bumped into the Catalonia Dominicus next door and could not even get into the Iberostar until 3PM the next day. It was interesting to note that the relocation to the Catalonia was executed with extreme efficiency and indifference. We met quite a number of other couples that had been bumped as well leading us to believe that this was a common occurrence. In addition there was no compensation offered to us for the inconvenience, other than big smiles and the staff telling it was unfortunate and we hope you enjoy your stay. On our check out we were asked to sign a waiver to the effect that we would not seek compensation for the overbooking, I did not understand this and just threw it away.

The grounds at the Iberostar Hacienda Dominicus were very nice in that the landscaping architecture was spectacular, the rooms were and facilities were exceptionally clean although not as spacious as advertised (they were average size). The beach sports equipment (kayaks, sailboats and windsurfers) were all relatively new and in great condition. The buffet restaurant offered a wide variety of international items. Consistently there was a varied selection of grilled meat but they tended to be cooked past well done and were quite chewy. Vegetarians selections were excellent in that there was always fruit, vegetable and bean dishes always available. We dined at two of the available a la carte restaurants, and were disappointed as the food in both was less than average quality and not as good as I expected from my previous experience with Iberostar. The atmosphere at the steak house was almost geriatric as the restaurant was very large and mostly empty. At the Mexican Restaurant, there was a rather large bird living in the upper structure of the restaurant, even though this is an indoor restaurant. It began throwing stones and feathers from its nest above onto the diners below as the main courses were served. We noticed a number of guests cutting the visit short, as we did, we saw them later at the buffet. We cannot offer a review of the Colonial Restaurant (gourmet) as it was fully booked with the exception of having one seat open on one night, I think it was silly for them to even offer this to a couple. I suspect losing the days at the beginning pre-empted our chance of getting a table at this restaurant.

The beach was very nice, with lots of local snorkeling in the nearby reefs. If you wish to get a spot with some shade I suggest going down and reserving loungers with your beach towels by 8 AM. Prime spots get taken even earlier. We would do this and then go for breakfast and return after an hour or two, this appeared to be the common practice. Overall the resort is nice, clean, well maintained. The food quality was only average but with good selection at the buffet. All things considered we did enjoy the stay but it is definitely not a 5 star resort like Le Meridian or Prince Hotels. We gave it a solid 3.5. One other note, the resort is a 2+ hour ride from the airport. I'm not sure if we will be returning to this one."
Reviewer: reviewer3965
Date: Apr. 15, 2011