My girlfriend and I just returned from a two week stay at this resort. We had stayed at the iberostar in puerto plata last year so we were familiar with the chain. We booked online though the Iberostar website and then arranged for our own flight to la romana - we saved a few hundred dollars doing it this way and will probably do this again in the future. ( I would only suggest doing this with a well known chain like Iberostar.)

First thoughts on arriving - this area of the dominican is much cleaner and better maintained roads than in puerto plata. The airport is fantastic by carribean standards.

The resort is beautiful - very large, almost too large as it is a long walk from the bach at the farhest end to the front lobby on the other. A nice pond with ducks, flamingos, swans, etc. (Dont worry - it really isnt that far, but feels like a long time when you need to skip away from the beach to book your restuarants, etc.)

The food here is amazing - the best i have had on an all inclusive. The a la carts restuarants were as good, or better, than what you would find here in canada - especially the japanese grill.

The buildings were clean and modern. If you are looking for luxury this wouldnt be your place - but value for money you couldnt ask for more - they are super clean, and are cleaned every day with fresh sheets and towels. Mini bar is stocked daily.

The staff at this resort cannot do enough to make you happy. That was probably the most noticeable thing - they are so friendly and eager to assist in any way. Special mention to augustin the bartender in the lobby and waiter at the restuarant - jose luis. Look these guys up an introduce yourself to them - they will make your stay quite pleasant.

The diving shop is very clean, safe and affordable. My girlfriend had serious concerns about diving as a first timer - they were patient and allievated all of her concerns.

As for excusrions - do NOT book the horseback ride to the cave - we did it and ended up asking to be taken back to our resort - very very very unsafe and not at all what was promised. It was dangerous and included a ride through a construction site.

On the ther hand - i think everyone should take a half day and travel to 'altos de chavon' - it is a recreated 17th century italian villa about a half an hour from the hotel and wow. (Many movies were filmed there and it is breathtaking.) I would suggest not doing the VIP tour because you only got to spend a half hour there and then had to leave to do other things while wishing you could just spend the day at the village - so see if you can just take a cab there and spend a few hours.

All in all i would give this resort a 9 / 10 and would suggest it to anyone - even the most picky traveller.

Cleanliness- wow. Every place was so clean. The seaweed that washed up on the beach overnight was raked and taken away. The leaves and any trash was picked up all day long. Our room was very clean . A+ in this category.
Room- was nice and well decorated. We were on the third floor and enjoyed sitting on the deck in the evening. The bed was comfortable. The air conditioning did not cool off the room every evening, but the ceiling fan helped to keep it comfortable
Grounds-- very good, Well groomed. There were orchids growing and many nice flowers. The paths were kept clean.

The beach-- aaaaaaaaaahhhhhh. Beautiful white sand, warm water. It even had some sunken bells(?) where you could snorkel and look at the fish. Plenty of chairs,but you had to play the towel game and go down early ( 6 ish ) to reserve your spot.
Star friends on the beach directed some activites such as exercise in the water, games on the beach and dancing. My husband liked them , I found them too loud. Later in the week we sat further down on the beach and that section was quieter.

Vendors in huts/ where not on the beach, but at the edge of the property. Funny to watch them and we did purchase some necklaces. Be sure to not pay the asking price.

Food-- not impressive, but I wasn't hungry. AT every meal lots of fresh fruit that was delicious. Loved the breakfast buffet. The Mexican a la carte was nice. The steak here is not like the steak we would get in the US. Not enough variety at the buffets. However, I need to say I am a picky eater. My husband is not and he agreed that there was not enough variety in the evening buffet.

Value-- hard to say. Atter talking to other people I think we paid more than others, but the particular week we traveled is always more expensive when you come from the northeast.
pool-- don't really know because we spent most of our time at the beach

Excursions - we took one to Santo Domingo which we booked through Apple. It was interesting . On the 1 and 1/2 hour drive in we were able to see parts of the country. the museums and Columbus's house were informative. However, the shopping at a unique street was too rushed.

We also took a tour to Sanoa Island with Dressel Divers. I really loved the snorkeling with an incredible guide that knew what to point out. We saw many fish, eels and 3 large stingrays.

However, I wish there had been a central location that gave info on the area. We had wanted to do other excursions and finding out the info was difficult.
We wanted to do a helicopter flight, but that was available only in Punta Cana on the week we were in the DR.

Would I go back? You bet!

This was our second year at the Hacienda Dominicus.It was even better than last time.Its a very elegant hotel without being stuffy.Its very easy going and appeals to any class . We found the food was very good and the staff very friendly. The grounds were very well maintained and the staff went out of their way to find fresh coconuts if you wanted one.The pool is lovely, although it is missing a few tiles. The beach is great .The sand is so white and fine,and the sea is so safe.
We love it so much we are taking our son and daughter in law and grandchildren next year. Cant wait.

We arrived in the DR via cruise ship in April where we had decided to book a day pass at the Iberostar. I had e-mailed Britta at the Iberostar prior to leaving and preregistered (it did take a couple of tries to get a response back from her but after the initial contact she was always quick in responding to my questions). We were instructed to bring our passports and a print out of her e-mail confirmation. We were able to depart the ship at 11:00. When we exited the ship we walked out a bit and were directed off to the left to wait in a line for a taxi. The line moved quickly. There was a group of nine of us going to the Iberostar. At first we were told that it would be $15 per person. When we stated that we wanted to be picked up at 4:00 we were told that the cost would be $20 each including the tip. This was a little strange since our driver wasn't going to be waiting for us while we were at the resort but there was no room for negotiation. We made sure that payment would be due when we were returned to the ship. I would NOT recommend renting a car here on your own. The driving is totally crazy. Our ride to the resort took about 20 minutes but I suspect it is really a forty minute drive. Cars, vans, and trucks use the third lane (a.k.a. the center divider line) to continuously and randomly pass each other. It was interesting to get a glimpse of some of the country on our way to the resort. There is a great deal of poverty but also some beauty along the way.

When we arrived at the resort, the guard did not ask to see any of our confirmation papers. The check in process was SLOW. There were only two parties in front of us but it took at least fifteen minutes to check in each party. When it was our turn, they couldn't find our registration so we had to fill it out again. The $45.00 fee (children up to age 12 are ½ price) did include all taxes etc. We paid in cash since I've read that there has been a great deal of credit card fraud in the Dominican Republic lately (of course we had our card # lifted right here in the US last year). We also brought our beach towels from the ship. They did have a service where you could put down a $10. per towel deposit and check out one of their towels. After we checked in they finally had some other staff come out who seemed to do a much faster job of checking people in. I only had to show them one passport for our party.

The inside buffet didn't start until 1:00 so we decided to head down to the beach. It was absolutely beautiful. Along the way on the walk we saw many gorgeous trees, flowers and also a pool of bright flamingos. There were lots of chairs but most of the palapas (palm leaf umbrellas) were taken. We were able to find one though and this is where for some unknown reason my teenagers spent most of their day. It was probably for the best since with all their late nights, I'm sure they needed some rest. While they lazed about, we went down into the refreshing water to enjoy the waves.

Around 1:00 we headed back to the inside buffet (it's a bit of a walk back to the check in building). The tables were elegantly set and a waiter took our drink orders. The buffet was quite extensive. There were carving stations, a made to order pasta station, paella, pizza, salad bar, fresh fish prep station, and a large variety of other foods available. There was also a fruit and desert bar with delicious chocolate covered bananas and tasty gelato with shaved coconut for a topping!

After filling our faces and our bellies, we headed back to the beach. We tried to snorkel here. It was pretty wavy so it wasn't so easy. After swallowing quite a bit of water while trying to get my snorkel gear on in the waves, I did manage to see a few fish by the man made wall. It was fun but exhausting. My husband and I took a short rest on the lounge chairs while my sister in law took the kids over to the little vendor area on the beach. After this we headed over to the pool. The pool was beautiful too and very large. There is a walk in section that is great for young children. There were plenty of seats here too. We swam up to the pool bar and did ordered a drink. The drink was supposed to be a non-alcoholic Strawberry Daiquiri but it was the worst thing I've ever tasted. After a couple of sips we left them there. After a short swim it was already approaching 3:30. The time went by so quickly, I could have stayed an extra couple of days! I wouldn't recommend a 3:00 pick up because it would seem you're leaving just after arriving! We never did have time to try out the free water craft or check out the rest of the resort. On the way back to our van, there were a few more vendors trying to sell things and although they were a bit pushy, compared to the ones in Haiti, they didn’t seem too bad. Our driver was waiting for us right in front where he told us he would be. He also had left us a couple of his business cards when he dropped us off in case we needed him. After another wild ride back, we were on the ship by 4:30.

Although the kids really didn’t do anything here, they said they enjoyed their day. At least we all enjoyed a nice lunch together and I’m glad they came along. We were able to not only experience a beautiful resort but also had the chance to view a little bit of the Dominican Republic! I think this is a great option for cruise passengers who only have a short time to spend in the area!