Iberostar Waves Cala Domingos

We chose Iberostar Waves Cala Domingos after seeing the beautiful photos of the individual bungalows dotted around the resort. We also paid extra through TUI for a Premium Family Room with garden or pool view and terrace, specifically because the TUI description and photos showed a bedroom with a separate lounge area. As a family of four, having separate sleeping space for the children is very important to us. Unfortunately, the room we were allocated was in the block above the main buffet restaurant and was completely different from what we expected. It was one large room with the main bed, sofa bed and fold-down bed all together, with no separate lounge area. We also had a balcony rather than the terrace described by TUI. The hotel told us they were fully booked and couldn’t move us, and advised us to speak to TUI. The location of the room was also disappointing. Our entrance was directly beside the restaurant, meaning we sometimes had to walk through the restaurant seating area to access it. Although we had a distant hill view, we overlooked the car park, reception and the roundabout. There was considerable noise from the restaurant, including scraping chairs from around 7:30am until 9:30pm, as well as occasional loud music from reception and frequent bus beeping at the roundabout. The pool area also feels too small for the number of guests. Sunbeds were generally taken by around 9:30am, with guests reserving them early and leaving towels on them. The pool was also closed several times due to children having accidents, although thankfully these closures were relatively short. We also found that queue etiquette could be frustrating at times, with some guests regularly pushing in rather than waiting their turn - for food, drinks & especially queuing for the resort shuttles. We unfortunately had an issue with lost property too. My husband accidentally left brand-new Ray-Ban sunglasses at the restaurant. A waitress found them and handed them to reception, even providing a photograph of them. However, when my husband first went to reception, he was simply shown a box of sunglasses to choose from and his weren’t there. Despite repeatedly returning to reception throughout the week, the issue was never properly resolved. It was particularly frustrating as the correct process of asking for identifying details was only followed later. Drinks are largely self-service. There are soft drinks, water and wine available, but the selection is limited and there is no juice available outside breakfast. Except from the entertainment bar which is down by the beach. On the positive side, the food was genuinely very good. There was a great variety and the quality and flavours were excellent. At the busiest times some dishes did run out, but given how busy the restaurant became, this was understandable. The resort itself is beautiful and the location is lovely, but unfortunately our experience was significantly affected by the room we were allocated and the lack of help when we raised our concerns. We would strongly recommend checking the exact room type, location and layout with TUI before booking, rather than relying solely on the photographs.

Thank you very much veery much for the amazing stay

Thank you very much for the magic stay. Thank you Elena maitre

We came back for the 4th year in a row, it’s always a pleasure. Great food, lots to do for adults and kids. Staff all very helpful and friendly. Special shout outs for Katalina in reception and for the ever helpful Bass!

I am genuinely surprised by the number of positive reviews and by the hotel’s 4-star rating. Unfortunately, my experience has been very disappointing. The main issue for me is the food. There is certainly plenty of choice at the buffets, so the problem is not quantity or variety. It is the quality. The restaurant feels more like a slightly upgraded canteen than the restaurant of a 4-star hotel. Much of the food is bland, basic and mass-produced, and even breakfast has been disappointing, particularly the poor-quality pastries and tasteless cheese. Despite staying on an all-inclusive basis, I have regularly ended up eating bread, a few pieces of cheese or biscuits simply because very little of the food appealed to me. Of course, food is subjective, and many guests seem perfectly happy with the buffet. But if food quality matters to you rather than simply having a large selection, I would take this into consideration before booking. It is also a real shame that the hotel does not have a proper à-la-carte restaurant, even as a paid option, for guests who would prefer a more qualitative dining experience. Unfortunately, the room has not lived up to 4-star expectations either. The hotel highlights the fact that it has been renovated, yet the quality and maintenance of our room suggest otherwise. We found mould in the bathroom, the shower head could do with a thorough cleaning, the bath mat was stained, the bed skirts were dirty, and drawers came off their runners. The furniture itself feels very basic and low quality. The two main mattresses are extremely soft and sink so much that I sleep with my back curved. The third bed is even worse: you can actually feel the bed slats through the mattress. There are also issues with cleanliness outside the room. For example, the low tables around the children’s pool — the area we used — were visibly dirty and did not appear to be cleaned properly. The location and proximity to the beach are definite positives, and some meals have offered better options than others. I also appreciate that this type of large family all-inclusive resort clearly works very well for many guests. However, I simply do not understand the 4-star positioning. To me, this feels like a large, fairly basic mass-market all-inclusive resort rather than a genuinely upscale 4-star hotel. If your priorities are convenience, quantity, family facilities and having everything available on site, you may be perfectly happy here. But if you value good food, quality bedding, well-maintained rooms, cleanliness and a more refined hotel experience, I would strongly recommend looking elsewhere. Considering the price of the stay and the expectations created by the 4-star rating and the advertised renovation, the overall experience has been extremely disappointing. I would not return.