This is the second iberostar that we've been to and I can attest that it is better than the Iberostar Maya. I wish I could have given it 4 stars but there was just one too many negative things.
Location: I love that the resort is not gated or far off the road-gives you easy access to walking and leaving when you want.
General cleanliness/appearance: stunning. I loved the lobby, the bar in the lobby and most of the grounds. However there are a lot of cups/garbage laying around that stayed put sometimes overnight. They were painting a lot around the resort. Stairs, walkways, gates, walls... initially I thought great upkeep but we could not get away from the horrible and potent chemical smell. We were chatting with others at the pool about it and wondering why they didn't do the painting at pool close and why they were doing these things in the prime of the pool hours.
Room: The Air conditioning was great. We didn't experience the wind sound like I heard we might. We had ocean view and it was good. We could see the ocean and the pool area. The room was cleaned everyday basically before 12 and that was AWESOME. They did a spectacular job cleaning. You're given glass water bottles which were great but ours fell and shattered all over the room (I was sober I promise), and they're very heavy but I appreciate the sustainability. There's a safe in the room as well. However, they didn't replace the robes or wash cloths after the first day. Also, right next to the toilet was an electrical area that was WIDE open and not safe for a toddler (pictured). There were also little ants ALL OVER our room. I even brought bug spray and it still wasn't working. Anytime I took clothes out of the drawer, there was an ant or 2 on there that had to be shaken out. Anytime I looked at the floor/desk/counters really well, I'd spot a bug. And then multiple times my daughter would point them out in her bed. (She's only 2.5).
Pools: okay. Amazing concept of having MANY pools. There's probably 10 pools in addition to the main/toddler area. All are separated by walkways and are perfect for kids. However, they were all FREEZING. Very cold, very difficult for myself and my 2.5 yo to enjoy. The toddler area was even colder. She refused to go past her knees. All the kids were in the hot tub which that temp was what you'd expect the regular pool to be. It wasn't "hot," at all. I also saw reviews that you have to get there early to reserve a spot. I think as long as you're there before 9:30, you're good. The towel sitch was ridiculous. One location to get towels and it's on the other end of the pool and you have to return them to only that spot later. That's a pain with kids. There's also ZERO bathrooms at the pool.
Selection/coral: we stayed in the selection side and peeked at the coral side. Coral side seemed nice! But I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything by being on the lower end of the resort.
Nightlife: for adults maybe this is perfect but for kids, there schedule blows. They had a magic show at 9:45 pm, as well as a Freida show at 9:45pm. Our daughter would have LOVED to see these, but way past her bedtime. We did love the live music by the bar each night! My daughter danced her little heart out.
Kids things: despite the nightlife not being adaptive for kids, the kids club offered fun things like a park to use; face painting, dancing, a piñata one night. But most of these things were all around 8pm which made things tough. It was great though for bigger kids. It did seem like their kids camp for 4-12yo was amazing. They were very active with swimming, play, crafts, lunches, etc.
Food: about standard if not a point or 2 higher than other resorts like dreams/secrets. Their buffet was awesome. Hibachi was fantastic. The Italian restaurant, the Mexican was meh. Very small Mexican menu. The American bistro: very good blooming onion and kids Mac n cheese.
Beach: gorgeous. Plenty of seating.
Service: fantastic.
Biggest flaws:
#1: there are no bathrooms outside. Literally zero. If you're at the beach/at the pool, you need to walk all the way through the very large pool area, through the lobby, through the bar, to get to a bathroom. This makes it super difficult for pregnant women (me) and those drinking lol.
#2: the bugs in our room were horrible. That was unacceptable.
#3: the pool being cold was pretty miserable. Made pool time way less fun.
#4: the chemical smell isn't appropriate or safe for anybody to spend a day inhaling.
All in all would I recommend or come back? We had a great time, we really did. But we made the best of some of the crappier aspects ourselves. If I had to choose to come back here or try something different, I would try something different. So, unfortunately not. I wouldn't recommend :( read more