Iberostar Selection Hacienda Dominicus - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

13670 reviews

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  Iberostar Selection Hacienda Dominicus – Great Beach, Service, but Serious Health Concern

  This is not my first visit to Hacienda; I was here 10–12 years ago a couple of times. While I love Royal Beach in Punta Cana, I have to admit that there is nothing better than the beaches of Bayahibe (La Romana): beautiful white sand, minimal wind, warm and clear water. I know guests who have been coming to this resort for 10 years in a row. There are a lot of spots/activities for kids, but I'm not reviewing its. Service We arrived around 3:00 PM after a 7:00 AM flight. The first impression was not great due to construction near the entrance, but the reception staff, especially Jose, quickly changed that by finding us a comfortable room that matched our preferences. For the rest of our stay, service from the staff was consistently excellent. Location & Lodgings The resort is directly on the beach, about a one hour drive from PUJ. The grounds are beautifully landscaped and very well maintained. Peacocks, ducks, and geese roam freely, adding extra charm. The older two and three story buildings have been fully renovated while keeping their original character (note: no elevators). Rooms are modern, clean, and comfortable, with very good beds and linens. The layout allows you to walk under cover to restaurants, pools, and the beach in case of bad weather. Food & Bars The main buffet is very good, with fresh, tasty food and a wide variety of dishes. The French à la carte restaurant was excellent and worth highlighting, while the other specialty restaurants were less impressive. Everything was very clean, and staff were attentive. There are plenty of bars with mostly local and some imported drinks; the cocktail quality is good and the bartenders are friendly. Pools & Beach There are several large pools, including one with a swim up bar, plus many sunbeds and shaded areas. Even in high season, the pool areas did not feel crowded. The beach is the best part of this resort: pristine, very well maintained, with an enormous number of shaded spots. No seaweed, clean and clear water, fine white sand, and almost no rocks – perfect for swimming. The swimming area is large, with zones of different depths, and the beach feels secure and generally very clean, with no disturbance from vendors. Entertainment The entertainment team does a great job, especially on the beach. In the evening, there is music, dancing, and small shows or concerts in different areas of the resort, creating a lively but not overwhelming atmosphere. Serious Drawback – Illness Unfortunately, there is also a serious downside. Many guests, including my wife, several friends, and myself, experienced stomach problems with vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea. In most cases it lasted 24–48 hours, but for elderly or medically fragile guests this could be a serious issue. My personal suspicion is that the problem may be linked to the drinking water system. Iberostar has switched from bottled water to on site purified water stations where guests refill glass or reusable bottles. You must press and hold a button while filling the bottle, which means if one sick person uses the station, there is a risk of contaminating the button area and, indirectly, other guests’ bottles and hands. If you fill a bottle in the morning and take it to the beach, the water can smell off by the end of the day in the heat. Based on other online reviews, similar issues seem to be reported at multiple Iberostar properties in the Dominican Republic. Conclusion: The resort, beach, and staff are excellent, and under normal circumstances I would gladly return. However, the recurring stomach illness issue is serious and, in my view, needs to be addressed at a systemic level before I could fully recommend this hotel, especially for older guests or those with health problems.

  Dec 26, 2025
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  Wonderful Christmas vacation!

  Wonderful week. The beach is beautiful. The food was very delicious especially Christmas eve we had lobster and crab legs in the buffet. Staff all attentive and friendly. Only suggestions I can make is they need pool side servers. Beach service was excellent. Our housekeeper was so friendly and did a wonderful job every day. We would recommend and will return. Thank you Iberostar Hacienda Dominicus!

  Dec 26, 2025
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  Family trip to Iberostar Selection Hacienda Dominicus

  We visited this hotel many times in the past. Our previous visit was in 2018. Our last visit was in December 2025. We love this hotel because of the sea. There is never any seaweed. The water is always clear and beautiful. The sea did not disappoint us this time as well. But the hotel was under the construction. Multiple areas were being renovated. Even though the renovations did not affect out stay, the price should have been adjusted accordingly. Unfortunately, it was not. This hotel is very overpriced. This comment comes from me, a travel agent and a fun of Iberostar hotels, who visited this particular hotel 10+ times in the past. The hotel did not get better, but the price increased without any reason. People keep coming here because of the beautiful sea, but for us it was the last time we visited. It's just not worth it. There are many other less expensive hotels that are much better. It's sad for me to write this, but unfortunately it is true. All negative comments aside, I do want to complement the staff for the service they provided. The people who work there are very good and guest oriented. I would especially like to compliment and thank Wanda who works on the front desk. She helped us to resolve key issue. Our room key stopped working and re-programming did not help. Wanda stayed with me until the issue was resolved. She accompanied me to the room and back, called the security for help with the door lock, was very professional and patient with me. She is one of the few who really deserve recognition from the management. I hope her manager will read this review and will award her accordingly. The people like Wanda make us, guests, feel welcome and secure.

  Dec 12, 2025
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  5 stars until I got sick

  this is from our two weeks trip to DR. one week in Punta Cana with Majestic, the second week at Iberostar H. Dominicus. Naturally i will compare the two hotels. check-in - it was a little underwhelming compares to Majestic. a little hiccup in the beginning and got solved. sales pitch - at Majestic we were not asked about buy membership etc. Felt really relax. At Iberostar, constantly someone came to ask you to go to Spa. I was told that we will have a concierge and we can only make restaurant reservations w our concierge. Our concierge came to greet us but he will meet with us the next day at 3pm in the lobby. What? NO, i am not coming to the lobby in the middle of the day. we ended up booking the restaurants on the app. the front desk never mentioned that. Afterall, the so called concierge is a sale rep trying to sell you the club membership. the room and the hotel ground is very well kept and nice. no complaints about that. restaurants food are not as good as the Majestic Elegance restaurants. the buffets on the other hand is better than the restaurants food. So if you cant go, you are not missing out a lot. The biggest selling point of this hotel is the beach. it is absolutely beautiful. nothing beat this. If i am going back, it will only for the beach. it was a 4.5 stars experience until i got sick at the end of the trip. my husband did get tummy ache but wasn't as serious as me. I got upset stomach and vomited for a whole day. I never got sick at Majestic and any other Caribbean resort. So do not tell me bc i am still adjusting. I avoided green salad at both places., but i think the biggest difference was the water. Majestic provides bottle water but Iberostar has their own water filter system. I had no choice but to use their fountain. I understand it is more environmental friendly and sustainable but unfortunately bottle water is still the safest bet for North American tourists. And they give you two glass bottle to go get water from the fountain is also quite a stupid idea. the bottle is not big enough, we had to go get water at least twice a day if you are using it for both drinking and brushing teeth. it is kinda ridiculous. i guess you can drink beer all day long. Will i go back again? i will go back for the beach, but not the hotel. if i can find another beach as nice, i will not come back for the reason that their water, IMO, is not safe enough for N.A stomach.

  Nov 28, 2025
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  18th celebration

  I booked this holiday for my daughter and I, a treat for her 18th birthday. I’ve never been to DR before so did lots of research. The hotel is stunning. The staff are very attentive generally. Excellent à la carte, our favourites were the Italian and El Colonial. The buffet was also a very high standard. The bar service at the pool bar and beach bars were great, I didn’t get their name but one in particular at the beach and pool bar went out their way to remember orders and do cocktails which weren’t on the menu. The lobby bar could sometimes be a wait whilst Spanish speaking customers were served first. The pool was amazing, huge with plenty of beds. Unfortunately the pool with the multicoloured ball wasn’t in use. We weren’t aware beforehand that work was being done and it was noisy at times around the pool. The beach was stunning. Soft white sand and clear water. Only one day there was seaweed and they worked tirelessly to clean in. The entertainment team work very hard and try to include everyone. Sexy black English was excellent and a credit to the hotel. We went to the entertainment a few times and this was good too. The rooms were fresh and clean, the bathrooms amazing and minibar restocked daily. I would definitely recommend this hotel and would go again without hesitation.

  Oct 31, 2025