Iberostar Selection Coral Bavaro - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

865 reviews

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  Disappointing Experience at Coral Level Despite Longtime Loyalty

  I’ve stayed at the Iberostar Joia next door more than 20 times—I visit at least once a year, sometimes multiple times—and over the years I’ve brought more and more friends along. This was our first trip traveling with teenagers, so we decided to try the Coral Level resort since we are Iberostar Club members and many of the benefits apply there. This was also our final year of a short trial membership. We booked six rooms for this trip, and unfortunately, five of them had issues at check-in. One family’s room was completely mixed up, another couple did not receive the king room they had specifically requested and were placed in a double instead, despite selecting their room category and location in advance. They were told they might be able to move in a day or two, but their teenage children’s room couldn’t be relocated, meaning the kids would have been separated from their parents. Another couple sharing a room with their daughter never received sheets for the pull-out bed. Despite multiple calls and messages—and being told repeatedly that someone was on the way—no one ever came for the entire stay. They ultimately had to get sheets from another room themselves. We arrived a bit early, but check-in took an extremely long time, and we didn’t get into our rooms until more than an hour after the official check-in time. This was largely due to the room mix-ups, along with repeated attempts to have us book excursions and attend a membership renewal meeting. Given how poorly the room situation was handled, we canceled the membership meeting altogether and decided not to renew. We had actually been considering upgrading, but this experience made that decision easy. Once we made it clear that we would not be renewing our membership, we never saw our assigned representative again for the rest of the trip. The resort itself is large and takes some time to get used to. I did enjoy many of the restaurants, and the service at most of them was very good. However, room service was disappointing, with limited options compared to other Iberostar properties I’ve visited. On a positive note, our housekeeper Daisy was excellent—the best part of our stay. She was attentive, friendly, and truly stood out. I also wish there was some sort of rewards or recognition program that acknowledged returning members who have stayed many times and spent a significant amount of money with the brand. Given the number of visits we’ve made and the fact that we were up for renewal, I would have expected a much stronger effort to resolve the issues and retain our business. Overall, this was a disappointing experience, especially compared to the stays I’ve had at Iberostar Joia. While I still enjoy the Joia resort, I will likely start exploring other resort options that offer a better overall experience for families.

  Apr 12, 2026
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  Beautiful place!

  My husband and I just vacationed at Iberostar Coral Selection in Punta Cana 03/2026. It was a very relaxing time! This property is the smaller of the 3, but feels more like a community with the only 162 two story bungalow style buildings. We loved it! They have pathways to go between all the resorts or you can get picked up by a golf cart. We had a second floor ocean front room. It was really nice, and the view was perfect! Especially for a morning sunrise. The lap pool was right below, and the beach bar/buffet/ Salty Soul restaurant right next to us. Perfect for coffee run or morning breakfast. The grounds and beach are very well maintained. We are beach people so we went to our same spot everyday . Tiki huts help to get out of sun. The sand is beautifully soft, the shoreline is miles long for nice walks. Hardly any seaweed and sand is very smooth for walking along. Just gorgeous! Staying at the Coral allows you to go to the restaurants at the other resorts. Make all your reservations for the week when you get there, the spots fill up fast. We enjoyed the Italian and Salty Soul the most. The main stage entertainment is at the resort next door but a simple walk over. Overall the resort property is beautiful and we would go back in a heartbeat! There were a few cons for us that I feel I should mention: The pool water is cold!! People swam everyday, but it took my breath away! ( the ocean is warmer!) Also the in room shower floor is not pitched correctly so the water flows into the bathroom area. We put multiple towels down to soak it up. This also happens on the balcony if it rains. The drain is small so it doesn’t drain fast enough. These minor issues would never hinder us to visit again or even to get the same room. The Pros outweigh these small complaints!! Overall we loved it! We would like to give a shoutout to some employees that went above and beyond. 1. SILVIA, who was an excellent housekeeper! 2. ISMAEL, who was the BEST bartender and works so hard! So pleasant every day! 3. YONAIBI, she was so nice! 4. PABLO, from entertainment was very fun. We would definitely recommend this resort!

  Mar 29, 2026
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  Shout out to staff who went above and beyond.

  Shout out to our ambassador- Manny. What a wonderful, genuine , and attentive individual! Manny went above and beyond for us during our stay. Reuben from The Iberostar Club was also amazing - giving up his time off to help out in a crisis when we ended up needing emergency hospital services. Our suite location was perfect - a moment’s walk from food, 2 pools, and the beach.

  Mar 24, 2026
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  Relaxing, beautiful week at Iberostar Selection Coral Bavaro

  I would definitely recommend the Iberostar Selection Coral Bavaro. Just back from 6 nights during a very busy spring break week at the resort. Being a part of the Coral section meant that we had a nice quiet pool to escape to (away from the very busy main pool, which had loud music and activities all day), and a small, welcoming bar at the Coral reception area with really nice drinks. Though we encountered some technical difficulties early on (not being able to connect our rooms to the Iberostar app), those didn't hinder our experience. Food: better than average for an all inclusive. Food at an resort that caters to so many international palettes is really hard. The buffet at El Faro - for Coral guests only - (breakfast and lunch) had a broad range of options, and felt more private than the huge main buffets. Our favorite dinner experiences were at Kabuki (hibachi), the Greek restaurant, and El Faro for dinner. Reservations are highly recommended for Japanese, Italian, and the steakhouse. Everything else is first come, first served. Rooms: spacious and comfortable. I had a junior suite that overlooked the Coral pool. There's a nice couch/sitting area, and a desk with minibar (the minibar came with Coors Light, a Modelo, sparking water, Coke, Sprite, and a small bottle of white wine). I appreciate that the resort does not serve water in plastic bottles, but instead has refillable stations everywhere. The bathroom was roomy and modern. The housekeeping staff was great. The location of the rooms is perfect --- very walkable to the beach and to the restaurants/main building, yet set back enough that it wasn't noisy. One note - the pillows are quite solid, so be prepared! Service: really great staff. Special thanks to Elizabeth and Dayroby, who staffed El Faro during the day and steakhouse at night. They were warm and welcoming. Location: the resort is well located on Bavaro, and has plenty of beach seating. It's a beautiful stretch of ocean/beach. Overall, I'd definitely return. A nice, relaxing week.

  Mar 16, 2026
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  Vacation perfection

  Another wonderful trip to this resort is coming to an end and I don’t want to leave! This is our second visit to Iberostar Selection Coral Bavaro, the first time we have ever gone to the same resort two years in a row, and I wouldn’t hesitate to come back a third time. The weather was fantastic, service was wonderful, and the food was delicious. The El Faro buffet for breakfast and lunch is excellent and it’s our favourite for dinner as well since we enjoy dining outdoors under the palm trees. We also ate at the Greek and Mexican restaurants and enjoyed both very much. One small disappointment is that the only restaurant with reservations available during the entirety of our stay was the Japanese. No availability at the French, Italian, or steak house. This wasn’t a huge problem only because of access to the Coral restaurants El Faro and Salt & Soul. If we were not staying in the Coral level it would have been a major issue. The Coral upgrade is very much worth it to us, and not only because of the food. The Coral section of beach never feels crowded, even though the resort is at full occupancy. There are always lounge chairs available at all times of day - no need to get up at the crack of dawn to reserve a chair unless you have your heart set on a Bali bed. The main section of beach always looks very crowded to me, and the main pool is not my idea of a relaxing vacation - crowded, busy and noisy with loud music, games, activity staff yelling into microphones, people sitting at the swim/up bar all day without ever leaving to use the bathroom (eeeew!). Both the Coral quiet pool and beachfront infinity pool are much more peaceful and enjoyable. The gym is now open 24/7, which is a nice change. It is warm, and can feel crowded at times so the extended hours are appreciated. Though small it is well-equipped and kept spotlessly clean. Our rooms were also kept beautifully clean by our housekeeper Deisey, with snacks and minibar refreshed every day. A special shout out to Ismael at the El Faro beach bar not only for his always excellent service. He has been working at this resort for 19 years!

  Feb 19, 2026