Iberostar Waves Punta Cana - All Inclusive

The Good: Beautifully well kept grounds Amazing Beach, good pool area (shout out to Ms Love bartender) Clean Rooms, Good Housekeeping Energetic Entertainers The Bad: Food was bad to average. Service was bad to average. Most employees did not seem happy to serve us or even want to be there. Many did not understand English. I tried twice to set up a birthday surprise (room and in the restaurant) and both times it did not happen. It was very disappointing. The Ugly: I will not stay at this Iberostar again. FYI this is NOT a 5* Resort.

Our stay at Iberostar Waves Punta Cana had both positives and significant negatives. While the resort has potential and beautiful surroundings, the overall experience did not meet the standards expected from a 5-star hotel. Service & Staff – Major Disappointment The biggest issue during our stay was the attitude and behavior of the staff, especially at the beach bar and pool bar. On several occasions, employees behaved arrogantly and appeared visibly annoyed with guests. We also witnessed staff speaking in Spanish and making inappropriate comments about European guests when they believed no one understood them. This was extremely unprofessional and unacceptable for a 5-star resort. In general, the service was poor — slow, unfriendly, and lacking basic hospitality standards. Food & Restaurants The food quality was disappointing throughout the resort. While there was variety, the taste and overall quality were below expectations. Unfortunately, even the à la carte restaurants did not offer a better experience. Both the food and service there were subpar, which was surprising for a hotel of this category. Beach & Sunbeds The hotel was fully booked during our stay, which created serious capacity issues. There were not enough sunbeds on the beach or by the pool. Many of them, along with the umbrellas, were visibly damaged and worn out. Unless you reserved a sunbed around 7:00 AM, it was nearly impossible to find one later in the day. This significantly reduced the comfort and relaxation we expected from a luxury resort. Rooms & Facilities Although the hotel has been renovated, it is clearly an older property. The rooms feel poorly equipped, and several things were not functioning properly. The bathroom was in particularly bad condition, showing signs of wear and insufficient maintenance. The wardrobes were also in poor shape. For a 5-star hotel, this standard is simply not acceptable. Positive Aspects The hotel gardens are beautiful and well maintained, creating a pleasant tropical atmosphere. The exterior areas are definitely one of the stronger points of the resort. ⸻ Final Verdict Iberostar Waves Punta Cana has a nice location and attractive outdoor areas, but the poor service, staff behavior, food quality, and maintenance issues prevent it from meeting 5-star expectations. For us, it was an average experience overall.

We just got back yesterday from this resort. We had read reviews, looked into everything and thought we did our homework. For reference, we have stayed at Dreams, Iberostar and Bahia Principe in the past. We were told this is a 5 star resort and were excited about the "play at 2 and stay at 1". First thing I will say, this IS NOT a 5 star resort, it's not even a 4 star resort. If we had paid 3 star prices then I likely wouldn't be writing this but they charge 5 star prices. Let's start with the Pros: - The beach, you can't beat the beach, really well taken care of and long. It's stunning to be honest - Cleaning staff, very hard working and did a great job. Our room was always clean and stocked - Grounds were clean and groundskeepers nice And now the cons: - Workers favored spanish and often started conversations in spanish, many did not know english - There was something wrong with every one of our rooms, whether it was a safe that didn't open and patio door that stuck, a shower with no pressure and it took them awhile to fix it - The a la carte food was terrible (my wife actually compared the food to cuba) and the experience even worse. We went to the smoke house one night, waited 2 hrs to be sat (because they don't do reservations), told them we had a vegan and when they finally served us, I am sure they made a plate from the buffet for her. Asked to speak to a manager but no one came. Some families had been at this restaurant for 3 hours and still didn't get food. The only good a la cartes were the two you booked French and Mexican. - The buffet was inconsistent (some days they had bacon, some days not, most days no hashbrowns, hardly any variety at all and if you didn't get there early you were out of luck) - The workers attitudes were like nothing I have ever seen at Dominican. They were indifferent to the point they made you feel like an inconvenience when you asked for something. Lots of eye rolling and workers on their phones - There is no swim up bar and there was hardly any activity (music during the day etc) - The stay at one and play at two is misleading, there isn't really a second resort, its like a fork, you walk up one path and it branches out to the right (iberostar punta cana waves) and to the left (iberostar punta cana dominicana). Both resorts share the same beach access and same pools. I suppose the only difference is the restaurants but I didn't see anyone checking any bracelets. - There is not service around the pool or beach, no one comes by and takes drink orders, you have to go to the bar on your own for everything - Lastly (and this is trivial), prices at the store were outrageous. A bag of lays chips was 16$ USD. Now you, or the resort, might say this is just one client being disgruntled but I can assure you we spoke to at least 5 other families on this trip because we thought we were being to hard on the resort and we had never seen this before. We started every conversation asking them what they thought of the resort (not telling what we thought) and every one of them referenced some of what we said above. My wife had been to Iberostar in Mexico and Cuba and liked it but said this resort was nothing like those ones. Buyer beware. We'll never use the Iberostar brand again.

Just returned from a 1 week stay - everything was great. The place is extremely clean and any maintenance issues were attended to immediately (the path to the pool area bathrooms was muddy due to the rain and the very next day gravel and new stepping stones were added). Placing the water dispensers and pop machines facing outwards so you can serve yourself and not have to wait for a bartender is brilliant. We especially enjoyed the service from Maria by the pool - she’s amazing! Only complaints - the food on the buffet is usually cold and the app doesn’t always list the correct activities.

Kenny & Randy made our Star Prestige experience exceptional If you’re staying at Iberostar Waves Punta Cana, I would strongly recommend upgrading to Star Prestige - it’s absolutely worth it. The private Star Prestige bar and beach area are run by Kenny and Randy, and they are fantastic. Always friendly, always smiling, and genuinely focused on making sure guests have a great experience. Nothing is too much trouble, and their attitude really adds to the relaxed, premium feel of the area. The Star Prestige upgrade itself is a big plus — better quality, branded drinks (including Grey Goose), no queues at the bar, and a much quieter beach with more comfortable sunbeds. It feels calmer, more exclusive, and far more enjoyable than the main areas. Kenny and Randy truly go the extra mile and helped make our holiday even better. If you’re visiting this hotel, Star Prestige is well worth it - and these two are a big reason why. Highly recommended.

I wasn't sure what to expect but I had a fantastic time. Great rooms, beautiful pool area and decent food. I would give the food a 7/10 overall. The buffets in particular were very good. We spent 5 days and honestly did not want to leave. The distance to the airport was also a great selling point! My stay definitely exceeded my expectation. The only thing is that they didn't have a smart tv, which I guess is a minor issue. Also the shower heads are a bit strange and not adjustable. We also found it a bit difficult doing a very early morning check out so that's something to note. But otherwise, a beuatiful stay and I returned home very relaxed.

Excellent experience! This is my second time at an Iberostar Resort and we enjoyed it. The location was good not too far from the Airport. We met Daniel one of the porter's, when we arrived at the resort, very nice person. He was very helpful and funny too! Love the hotel entrance, elegant, clean and staff were very welcoming. Thank you to Karen for being so kind and helpful during our visit. The Atmosphere through the entire resort was great! We saw Families and Friends having fun and enjoying themselves. Our Room was very clean and location was great not too far from the and main hotel. No noise during the night which allowed us to sleep well. Thank you to Elizabeth for making our stay comfortable! The food was good. We had a variety of food, every night a different theme which allowed us to enjoy different food. Thank you to the Manager of the buffet! He was very helpful and friendly. The staff at the Buffet were all very accommodating. The entertainment was Amazing and Captivating! Lot's to do on the beach, excursions etc... The Pool area, had fun games and the food was good. I had the pleasure of meeting Carlos very nice guy. Everyone was so helpful including Carlos. I also met Eudis from the Bavaro resort he was really nice to us, very informative and passionate about his job. It was a pleasure meeting him. Thank you to the staff for making our vacation Enjoyable and Memorable! I would highly recommend this resort! The Airport staff are very honest. My daughter lost an item and when we were leaving one of the security guards and staff assisted us in finding it. Very grateful to the Airport staff. Thank you to everyone involved.

Our third visit to this Iberostar, I believe the Dominica and Punta Cana sections now both come under "Waves" although there are still 2 check in desks, so be sure to book what you wish as there is a Iberostar "suites" next door as well. Glad to see that standards have been maintained since our last visit. Bar staff work hard to make great drinks, buffet food is fine and the room clean and everything works. The grounds are beautiful along with the beach which is cleaned of the sea grass regularly. Some of the speciality restaurants are now first come first serve which works well, although on one night the restaurant was booked for a private party which went on beyond its time period. A notification on the app would have been useful. A great night club on site which opens at 11pm is a boon for those who enjoy clubbing to the early hours. Non motorised water sports/Hobie Cats are still available without cost although this year I was charged $20 for the week at the booking desk even though I declined the insurance cover. This seems to be a new charge since my last visit.

This is the second time we have come to the same resort. It’s purely down to the warm welcome and very friendly atmosphere with staff now treating us like family. My wife celebrated her milestone birthday last year where we were a big group and after the special treatment we decided to come back this year again with no regrets at all. A special mention to the following staff who go above and beyond with exceptional customer service Ginny at the checkin desk Johana, Emmanuel, Genesis and Mia in the Iberostar Prestige Lounge and not to forget Lewis in the Prestige Dining area and our very helpful ambassador Scarlet who guided us for any of our needs during our stay. This is a family friendly resort and I would recommend it for your next vacation if you need a break from the United Kingdom Winter. They have a nice Beach Front seating area with an exclusive Prestige Area also for Star Members. Drinks served are also top brands with everything available for you to choose from.

The welcome I got the first time and this time again was amazing the whole team is friendly. We were checked in by GINNY on arrival. She was very nice to us and the best part was when she remembered we are back for the second time ❤️. We were taken to Prestige reception when we got another beautiful welcome by EMANUEL . In the bar there is MIA and GENESIS are very friendly serving customers with big smiles everyday. SCARLET was our guide showing us places and recommendations very professional. Lunch time and Dinner time, a beautiful soul LEWIS always serving customers with a smile and respect . We are looking forward to visit again we feel like this is our second holiday home.