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Editor’s note: Iberostar provided a complimentary night and media rate so TPG could get an inside look at the resort and its amenities. The opinions expressed below are entirely those of the author and weren’t subject to review by Iberostar, IHG or any external entity.
I’m a big fan of all-inclusive resorts, and as much as I love a culture-rich trip exploring historic sights and being immersed in other cultures, sometimes you just need a vacation where you park it by the beach with a drink in your hand to relax.
Over the years, I’ve spent time at many different types of all-inclusive resorts, from some of the best all-inclusive resorts in Mexico to ones you shouldn’t skip in the Dominican Republic. I’ve also experienced a slew of different brands that specialize in the know-what-you-pay-upfront experiences, including some food-focused and luxurious Grand Velas properties (the one in Cabo is truly something special), family-friendly Dreams resorts, adults-only Secrets resorts and Hyatt Ziva and Zilara properties.
But on my most recent trip to the Dominican Republic (which also happens to be one of my favorite destinations for a trip to escape freezing New York in the winter), I got the chance to experience a brand that’s not as well known for travelers from the U.S.: Iberostar, a Spanish hotel and resort company with properties in Europe, the Americas and Africa.
For points and miles folks, Iberostar might ring a bell, as last year the company announced a “strategic partnership” with IHG, phasing in its beachfront resorts into IHG One Rewards starting this past December.
Before we send reporters out to get a feel for how well Iberostar integrates elite loyalty perks, I wanted to get a feel for the brand as a whole. So, I checked in for a two-night stay at the Coral Level at Iberostar Selection Bavaro, a sort of boutique hotel-within-a-hotel concept tucked away in the larger resort in popular Punta Cana.
Here’s what to expect during a stay at the Coral Level at Iberostar Selection Bavaro in the Dominican Republic.
TANNER SAUNDERS/THE POINTS GUYWhat is the Coral Level at Iberostar Selection Bavaro?
The Coral Level at Iberostar Selection Bavaro is an upgraded all-inclusive experience within the larger Iberostar Selection Bavaro Resort in Playa Bavaro, Punta Cana, about a 30-minute drive from the Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ).
Iberostar Selection Bavaro is a huge resort itself that sits in an interconnected series of other large resorts, including the adults-only Iberostar Grand Bavaro, the family-friendly Iberostar Punta Cana and Iberostar Dominicana.
All that to say, it’s a mind-blowingly large complex — and the Coral Level has just 162 rooms out of the larger 2,000 Iberostar accommodations across all the properties surrounding it.
Guests who book in the Coral Level can access certain exclusive areas, including a pool with lounge chairs and a small bar, a beach area, a buffet and an a la carte restaurant called Salt & Soul. They have full rein of everything on offer at the other resorts (myriad restaurants and bars, several pools and the shared gym and spa), too, except for the more upscale, adults-only Iberostar Grand Bavaro. Coral Level has suitelike rooms and upgraded amenities, including “aromatherapy” (via a reed diffuser).
The all-inclusive experience also comes with several other inclusions that I discovered after going back and reading the resort’s website (the information was not presented at check-in) as well as through a helpful but glitchy app I could access via a QR code placed in my room. Those items included an hour per day of nonmotorized aquatic activities (think: kayaks and snorkeling) and one free trip to the spa hydrotherapy area, which I would have used had it been made known to me when I checked in.
How to book the Coral Level at Iberostar Selection Bavaro
You can book the Coral Level at Iberostar Selection Bavaro directly through Iberostar’s website or through IHG, with advertised rates starting at $524 per night based on double occupancy in the coming months. I compared dates on the two websites for three nights in June for two guests and got a rate of $316 per night rate on both sites, plus the option of booking for a whopping 105,000 IHG One Rewards points per night on the IHG website. That redemption comes out to 0.3 cents per point, which is lower than TPG’s valuation of IHG One Rewards points at 0.5 cents apiece.
When booking the Coral Level at Iberostar Selection Bavaro, you’ll want to use a credit card that earns the most points for IHG stays, as well as one that possibly offers automatic IHG One Rewards elite status for value-added benefits. These include:
IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card: Earn 10 points per dollar spent at IHG hotels and resorts, plus automatic Platinum Elite status.
IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card: Earn 10 points per dollar spent at IHG hotels and resorts, plus automatic Platinum Elite status.
IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card: Earn 5 points per dollar spent at IHG hotels and resorts, plus automatic Silver Elite status.
My colorful and charming suite TANNER SAUNDERS/THE POINTS GUY
When I arrived at the hotel, I was dropped off at the main (and massive) lobby of the Iberostar Selection Bavaro, from which I was then whisked away on a roughly three-minute golf cart ride to the private reception area of the Coral Level.
Iberostar Selection Bavaro (including the Coral Level) is basically a giant complex of rows and rows of double-level, brightly colored buildings — with the Coral Level suites gathered around their own private reception (which includes a small lobby bar) and other exclusive amenities. I was assigned a junior suite with a little terrace facing out to the Coral Level pool.
I found the room to be charmingly beachy and loved the simple but chic design, which included a turquoise-striped pullout couch, pops of bright pink in accent pillows and a side chair contrasting against otherwise earthy tones that reflected the beach not far away. It’s worth noting this room had a sunken living room, though accessible rooms are advertised online for people who need a single-level room.
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On the side wall, there was a large TV with an easy-to-use QR code allowing me to stream content from my phone directly to the TV — an amenity that every hotel should have in 2024. There were also a desk area with a chair and charging ports for working, a coffee maker, a wooden box for ice and an area with some chocolates, teas and cups and saucers.
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In the cabinet below the desk, I found a refrigerator stocked with glass bottles of Coca-Cola and Sprite, canned Presidente beers and a glass bottle of water. The brand has a focus on sustainability (more on that later), and single-use plastics are not used on property. My only complaint is that I never found a bottle opener in the room to open the sodas, and as a Type 1 diabetic, it would’ve been nice to have a Coke Zero in the fridge (though a single one did appear the next day).
In the double-sided closet space, there was plenty of room to unpack, hang my shirts and store my suitcase. Robes, an iron and ironing board, umbrellas (which are great for when a quick afternoon rainstorm comes in), a safe and comfy-looking flip-flops were also available.
The bathroom had a long but shallow single-faucet sink with full-size hand soap and lotion pump bottles. I really enjoyed the rainfall shower, where incredible-smelling Lavanda pump shower gel and hair products by Botanicus were stocked.
And then there was the terrace, reachable from a glass door opposite the couch with two chairs and a table leading out to the exclusive Coral Level pool. I love a good outdoor space — and this one was exactly that, allowing for easy access from the room to the pool or the small bar that popped up there each day.
That said, on the other side, there was a hedge with an alleylike walkway with access to various stores whose buildings backed up to the Coral Level pool. While a retaining wall and the bushes were there to hide the alley, the plants were thin enough that I could see all of the space from my terrace, including what appeared to be a spot some employees might use as a break area, taking away from the exclusive ambience of the space (and generally something guests shouldn’t see in the first place). For people who like maximum privacy, this could be an issue on ground-level floors, so I’d request a second-level room with a balcony.
A decent variety of restaurants
Having spent enough time at all-inclusive resorts to know that the larger ones like this all essentially offer the same options (think: teppanyaki with a show or some standard Italian eateries), I mostly tried to keep my dining experiences to the Coral Level-exclusive restaurants, though I did venture out to one of the other buffets.
For my first meal, I visited El Faro for the lunch buffet and was impressed by its small but mighty offerings, which included a large variety of sushi and grilled options (like lobster), tons of cheeses and meats, sandwiches and a host of other random things you might not ever eat at home but will gladly add to your plate on vacation. The food was all decent, but the real winner of this lunch buffet was the fact that it was exclusive to Coral Level guests and it wasn’t overly crowded, so you could take a minute to actually look at everything around you without feeling the need to grab quickly and decide later.
The breakfast buffet was a similar experience, offering everything you could want from a morning buffet: various types of made-to-order eggs, the typical breakfast meats, breads and pastries and more.
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That night I returned for an 8 p.m. reservation at El Faro, which hosts a Spanish festival every Tuesday night. I was seated outside on the deck by the beach, a dreamy spot, and was shown the menu for the night: Spanish tapas that consisted of a delicious shot of tomato gazpacho, patatas bravas, Iberian ham croquettes, Iberian sausage and pork loin, Manchego cheese and pan con tomate. It was a great little starter for a single person, and halfway through my meal, a man and woman started performing Spanish music and dancing. For the main course, I had paella, which seemed to have little more than tiny shrimp, but it was still filling and tasty enough to keep me happy. So was the free-flowing white wine.
On my second day, I ended up at the La Palapita buffet by the pool at the Iberostar Dominicana, about a 10- to 15-minute walk from my room. Before I got into the buffet, I noticed a grill area serving up burgers and hot dogs, which honestly always hit the spot on a lazy pool day but decided to venture into the buffet to see how it compared. I was impressed with the selection, which wasn’t too different from the exclusive Coral Level option but did feature a beautiful assortment of pastries and cakes, as well as a made-to-order salad station. That said, it was very crowded and people waited (not long) for nearly any hot food station.
At my table, I was offered wine and went with rosé, which turned out to be rather sweet. All in all, the whole experience would have been excellent for a family or group looking to grab a quick meal by the pool and desired options for everyone.
For my last dinner, I went to the Coral Level restaurant, Salt & Soul, where the cuisine is described as “avant-garde seafood gastronomy with a Caribbean touch.” Located above El Faro, the open-air restaurant was beautiful, and I enjoyed looking out at the ocean and the glowing pool down below. I savored fish tacos with pineapple sauce (though the salsa was clearly missing pineapple) and a big bowl of watermelon gazpacho. For my main dish, I ordered the cioppino casserole, or seafood stew with a piece of sustainably caught blue lobster (more on that below), shrimp, calamari and fish in spicy tomato sauce. Frankly, it was a lot of food, but as a seafood lover, the shrimp and lobster went down easy.
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At the restaurants, I found all of the service to be quick, deliberate and not much more — and that was fine. I always got what I needed, usually with a smile or nod.
The bars TANNER SAUNDERS/THE POINTS GUY
At the Coral Level check-in area, there’s a small bar area that serves coffee, alcoholic drinks (with more premium liquors than you’ll find at the other resort components on the property) and light bites and snacks throughout the day and into the night. It also has some outdoor seating, but it really felt more like a quaint club lounge than a lobby bar.
I never found a stand-alone bar (like a sports bar or piano bar) to enjoy across the entire resort. Rather, every bar tended to be serving another area, like the large lobby bar at the Selection Bavaro doubling as the bar for the nightly entertainment or the “Beach Club” bar for Coral Level guests doubling as the bar for the buffet and everyone coming up from the beach. I did love having the little pop-up bar set up daily by the exclusive pool, though.
Unlike many all-inclusive resorts, where you find yourself waiting and waiting for a drink, the service was fast and the bartenders did a great job of making rounds when things were busy. As for the drinks themselves, I’ve found it best to stick with what I know I like and can’t be too hard to mess up, typically Malibu and Coke Light. A few bartenders even held up the (reusable) plastic, beach-safe cups to show me the liquor pour before adding in the soda — a nice touch, in my opinion. I also saw lots of people enjoying resort classics like pina coladas and daiquiris, but those sugary drinks just aren’t for me.
The resort is very big TANNER SAUNDERS/THE POINTS GUY
In theory, the Coral Level could be a great little place to stay put for a vacation, but the reality is that there’s simply not enough to do or eat there without venturing out into the larger resort. So, if you’re looking for something more compact and with fewer people, Iberostar might not be the best place, but if you want plenty of options spread out over a large footprint, this resort is a good option for you.
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In fact, the complex is so large that the Iberostar app actually has a GPS map feature that will help guide you to where you’re going — and I used it frequently. I used the map to help me get to the live circus-themed show on my first night, and it was very helpful. On my return, I attempted to retrace my steps by memory and got lost. Thankfully, another couple attempted to do the same thing and saw me going down a dead end they’d just come from and warned me to turn back.
One option to get around is calling for or flagging down a golf cart. Helpful for people on the golf carts? Yes. Great for the people on the pathways? Not so much. In certain areas, the resort felt like a golf cart highway and the drivers veered around people milling about. At night, the resort felt underlit, so much so that on multiple occasions I jumped into the grass when I saw a golf cart coming quickly around a curve to avoid being hit.
But the layout did allow for one piece of comfort: never having to fight for beach or pool chairs (more below).
The beach is absolutely gorgeous TANNER SAUNDERS/THE POINTS GUY
My favorite part of my stay at this seemingly never-ending Iberostar property was the fact that the beach never seemed to end — and I’ve never seen so many options for lounge chairs, ranging from your standard chairs to daybeds with umbrellas to bird’s nest-like couches and even chic geometric beds that looked like tiny houses. Not to mention, rows and rows of thatched..