IBEROSTAR Waves Rose Hall Beach

We arrived to a seamless check-in by Khalil, who greeted us with a smile and made sure we had the appropriate number of beds in our room. I had added an extra child before arriving so without asking, he offered to have two doubles instead of a king in the room. A thoughtful perspective from him! Though we were initially put in a room in a building undergoing construction, front desk was apologetic and secured me a room in a quieter building for the following night. I would recommend avoiding any rooms starting with a "1" until the construction is finished, as hammering starts at 8am. So, while it was inconvenient to have to change rooms after one night, I was grateful to have a much quieter place for the rest of the trip. The grounds are lovely. Grounds crew are constantly out cutting grass, trimming bushes, sweeping, mopping, etc. There was NO sargassium on the beach which was pleasant and unexpected. The water was warm in the ocean, clear most days and there are shallow reefs that can be snorkelled. From what we can tell some upgrades have been completed in rooms. Our first room had a tub/shower combination, our second room had a walk in shower. I love the feature of having a door that divides the living space from the entry way. It muffled the noise from the hallway. The room darkening blinds were a blessing as well, as we faced east and didn't get blasted with morning sun while we were trying to sleep! The Star Club was hit or miss, but that's no fault of the resort. The entertainers there were excellent and spent a lot of time with my kiddos (7 and 12) when they were available. Some days there were just no other kids. The one full day the 7 year old went, he didn't want to leave. They did art, activities in the pool and on the beach, went to the buffet, they were very well cared for. I had a massage at the Spa which was located in the sister resort, "the selection". Highly recommend that experience, I saw there were massage tables on the beach as well. The spa was a serene environment and I was treated like a queen. While we were on the resort, the employees went on strike for a day. My concierge messaged me directly to offer to go and get food for myself and my kids; that wasn't necessary, as hotel staff that were not normally deployed to the buffet all pulled together and made sure the guests were taken care of. It was an impressive sight to see. We tried out the tennis/pickleball courts, which also had basketball and soccer nets - one day there was someone there giving out equipment to use, the other day there was not, with no explanation. So bring your own stuff if you don't want to be disappointed! The night time activities were hit or miss. Sometimes there were things on the schedule that didn't happen, other times there were activities running that were not on a schedule that were a pleasant surprise! When karaoke was running and the right people were in the sports bar, it was super fun! There is a ping pong table in the lobby, a few pool tables around the resort, and at the towel hut there are pieces of sports equipment to use. There are mini soccer nets on the beach and a beach volleyball court. Dressel divers have a station on site to arrange scuba and snorkelling trips, and you can take out kayaks, paddleboards and hobie cats for free. The food at the Italian place was our favorite, followed very closely by the Smoke house. I loved that the a la cartes were walk in only and had plenty of room. You need reservations for the Japanese restaurant, which is very loud as a fair warning to people who get overstimulated by that. The buffet at breakfast was our favourite with a different fresh pressed juice available every day, and assorted coffees, teas, and other juices, sausages, bacon, hashbrowns, pancakes, sweet and savoury items. There was no boredom at those meals. The jerk hut was where we did most of our lunches as the chicken and coco bread were SO GOOD. Do not miss this chicken! The patties were mild enough a kid could eat them, too. There was one pool that was divided by a barrier, separating the swim up bar section from the activities section. The pool could have been cleaner; it was murky when I tried the free scuba demonstration and had lots of sand and floating bugs. There were poolside games that happened a couple times a day, and prizes to be won. The night time shows were impressive, we saw a magic show, a fire show, and a Michael Jackson tribute - all were excellent. Be kind to the people selling stuff on the beach. It's a poor country and they're just trying to make a living. They are receptive to smiles and politeness, and won't push once you decline. They'll wave every day you walk by. If you want your hair braided, go see Paula - she's quick and so sweet! There are no shortage of bars on the premise, and filtered water stations throughout the resort. It really does feel like Iberostar thought of everything. I liked the experience enough to commit to coming back here for the next 10 years (and its sister resorts). Overall, we would recommend this resort. Come with the attitude that you'll entertain yourself, that way you'll appreciate what the staff do come up with even more! Have to give the proper shout outs to the staff that truly made us feel like we were welcome/at home - thank you for making our vacation so memorable! From the entertainment team, Skinny, Fines, Sparkles, Lady KK, Miguel, Big Wayne Eric at Olivettis - might be the most polite server we have ever had. Christopher at beach soccer who schooled my kids for hours one day Camilla, Shanty and Cassandra at the buffet - again polite, attentive Sasha at the spa gave a relaxing massage Akelia and Rhodell (sorry if that's spelled wrong?) from Star Club went above and beyond to ensure my kids were happy Leroy and Chad at SP beach Nicklaus at the smoke house V with dressel divers who convinced me to try scuba even if it's just in a pool! Thank you everyone <3 We will be back! Jess Aidyn and Ethan Read less

We stayed at this resort in July for a wedding, and our experience was horrible. We arrived at the wedding party, and from the moment we checked in, there was no overview of the amenities. We were told to find everything on the app. They also tried to get us to attend a “breakfast” at their higher-end section of the resort, claiming it wasn’t a timeshare meeting but merely a chance to show us around. However, when we declined the friendly attitude of the “guest service” rep changed. Throughout the week, we noticed that the staff was not friendly; often, they wouldn’t make eye contact or even speak to us. Often it would be something as simple as us asking politely for a coffee cup for breakfast and they would just walk away, grab a mug return with it sit it down, and then walk away with no words spoken. The air conditioning in the hotel broke down for a day and a half, and they offered no solutions, displaying an attitude of indifference. We frequently missed housekeeping service, and on the day before we left, we spotted the housekeeper in our room after 5 PM. When we offered to leave and come back later, she tracked us down in the hallway and insinuated she was off the following day. She asked if we liked how she had been cleaning our room, which came across as her asking for a tip. My husband ended up tipping her, and then she walked away. On our floor, there was a leak in the ceiling, and their solution was simply to place a bucket underneath it. Consequently, for the whole week, there was a bucket in the middle of the hallway. Moreover, we often saw security personnel hiding on our floor. They frequently positioned themselves on window sills, watching TV since our floor wasn't busy and was closer to the end. The hotel itself needs repairs and a thorough cleaning. It is advertised as a 5-star hotel, and I have no idea how that is even possible. Everything seemed old and outdated, especially the rooms and bathrooms, and the only set of elevators had holes and cracks throughout. The food was just okay, with only buffet service available in the morning. Room service ends at 10 PM, and breakfast is not offered through room service. The pool area is nice, but guests receive only one towel per person via a card. If you lose the card or if the towel gets taken, there is a $25 fee. The pool bar was average, but they often served certain people ahead of others. My husband would wait 10-15 minutes for a drink while watching others get served immediately. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone, and I definitely won't return. The old, outdated building and rude staff made our stay disappointing, and the fact that we couldn’t wait to leave speaks volumes. Read less

Just returned from a ten day stay at this place...interesting, indeed. First, the ocean front, junior suite that we reserved and paid for was apparently not available, so we received a standard room...upon questioning the room, I was eventually told that they would "upgrade" us to what we had originally reserved...helluva upgrade, huh?? I would call this place all-inclusive-lite as there was definitely a shortage of both bars and restaurants, with when they would actually be open being a daily guessing game. Both interior and exterior construction was going on so noise, dust and debris were a daily encounter. The overall place was a bit dirty, especially the pool, but we learned to live with that. Room service was also hit and miss, some days towels only, some days nothing (not even fresh coffee), several days they did clean the room as it should have been, so that was good. WE were assigned a personal concierge, who was a nice guy , but our only contact with him was a 7:15 am wake up call to ask us if "everything was alright?" Italian restaurant was excellent, Hibachi restaurant was also good, other than that the BBQ restaurant had a take-it-or leave-it menu and the cafeteria/buffet basically sucked. Beachside jerk, burger and dog joints were good, but finding them open or closed was a crapshoot. Overall, they have their work cut out for them to get up to speed and I wish them luck. We went there after many years at the old Holiday Inn resort up the beach, but as they changed hands recently and I am a Priority Club points junkie, we gave this a try. One and done, not to return. That's all I know. Read less

This was an amazing overall trip. I’m never disappointed with Iberostar. From the people greeting you at the front door to the excellent service I rate this hotel a 10/10. The chill vibe is next level. Never ran out of cool drinks and fresh food. Food tasted amazing at every location, but my two favourites definetly had to be the Japanese and Italian restaurants. Amazing menu selection and great service. Let’s not forget the amazing jerk chicken by the beach that kept you energized and fed throughout your day. Hands down, can’t say it enough. We will be back to this resort. Thank you for an awesome vacation Iberostar!! Read less