Iberostar Waves Dominicana vs. Iberostar Selection Bavaro
If you are looking to take a trip to a top-rated all-inclusive resort in Punta Cana, you are in luck! We are just back from our second trip to the Dominican Republic and have so much to share.
In 2023, we enjoyed our first all-inclusive vacation with our 3 kids at Iberostar Waves Dominicana. (Our full review of that trip can be found here.) In 2024 we enjoyed a trip to Iberostar Selection Bavaro as a couple. (Our full review of our stay at Selection can be found here.)
Which resort did we prefer? We compare the two resorts and give you our honest review to help you make the best decision for your next vacation.
Resort Layout
Now, let’s begin with how the Iberostar resorts are laid out on Bavaro Beach. If you are standing on the beach and facing the resorts, from left to right, you will begin with the JOIA Bavaro by Iberostar (formerly Iberostar Grand Bavaro). This is the adults only resort.
Moving on, next in line is the Iberostar Selection Bavaro, followed by the Coral Level, then the Iberostar Waves Dominicana, and ending with the recently renovated Iberostar Waves Punta Cana.
If you are staying at the Iberostar Waves Dominicana or the Iberostar Waves Punta Cana, you share the amenities of both resorts. This includes a beautiful pool area with 2 large pools, 8 restaurants, 6 bars, and 2 different theaters for nightly entertainment.
If you are staying at Iberostar Selection Bavaro, you have access to everything at the Iberostar Waves Dominicana, Iberostar Waves Punta Cana, as well as the amenities at Iberostar Selection Bavaro, which include an additional 6 restaurants, 3 bars, a 24-hour coffee and snack bar, a theater for nightly entertainment, and a large pool area.
If you decide to upgrade to the Coral Level at Iberostar Selection Bavaro, you have 2 additional exclusive restaurants, lobby and bar area, and a private infinity pool overlooking Bavaro Beach.
And then finally, there is the JOIA Bavaro by Iberostar. This adults-only resort gives you access to all of the previously mentioned resorts and their amenities, as well as 7 additional restaurants, 5 bars, and a dedicated pool area.
For the sake of this blog, and from our past personal experiences, we are going to be comparing the Iberostar Waves Dominicana vs. the Iberostar Selection Bavaro.
Guest Suites
Let’s start out with the guest suites.
Iberostar Waves Dominicana has over 500 rooms, with seven different room types to pick from.
During our stay in 2023, we traveled with our children, and booked the Family Master Suite. Our Suite was on the 4th floor and had impressive views of the pool area, as well as the beach and ocean.
The Suite had two rooms, one with a king-sized bed, and the other with two double beds. The two rooms were separated by a door. Each room had a closet, which provided ample storage space, a desk with chair, and a flatscreen TV. Each room also had a balcony with a table and chairs, as well as a drying rack for all of our swimwear.
The Iberostar Selection Bavaro has a total of 448 suites, with ten different room categories to pick from.
During our stay, we were in a Junior Tropical Suite. The room was very spacious with a large king bed and a seating area with couch and flatscreen TV. There was also a desk and chair with a few extra drawers for storage. The balcony was also spacious with a seating area and drying rack for swimwear.
Our suite was located in Villa 41, on the second floor. It was right next to the pool area and right on the main path to the lobby and main buffet. It was the perfect location for us.
Both rooms had a safe located in the main closet so you could lock any valuable items in it. Each room also had a mini fridge with Presidente Beer and Coke, which they kept fully stocked every day.
The bathrooms in each room were also very similar. Both were your standard bathroom with a sink, toilet, and a really nice rain shower with a removable handheld shower head. They had shampoo and conditioner available in the bathroom, as well as body wash, hand soap and lotion. There was also a magnifying mirror and blow dryer.
Now, a Game Changer for our trip in 2024 was the room keys at Selection Bavaro. It was a wristband that they gave you at check-in. This was great and so convenient to have access to your room right on your wrist. No digging through your bags and belongings trying to find your room key. It was so nice!
The Verdict: Guest Suites
When comparing the guest suites at Iberostar Waves Dominicana vs. Iberostar Selection Bavaro, we’d have to say that they were a tie. Both were wonderful and we’d be pleased to stay in either suite again.
Property and Grounds
The property and grounds at both locations are absolutely beautiful with tall sprawling palm trees and tropical plants lining the pathways. The grounds crew at both properties were out every morning pruning and making sure everything looked immaculate.
Both resorts had ponds and water features by the main lobby and main buffet areas. The ponds were full of fish, turtles, and birds. It provided a beautiful and relaxing backdrop as we ate at the buffet or enjoyed a drink in the lobby.
The Verdict: Property and Grounds
When it comes down to the Property and Grounds of Iberostar Waves Dominicana vs. Iberostar Selection Bavaro, we have to give the slight edge to Iberostar Waves Dominicana.
The courtyard in-between Iberostar Waves Punta Cana and Iberostar Waves Dominicana is absolutely beautiful. We enjoyed our walks through the courtyard in the morning to the buffet.
During our walks to the theater at night, it transformed into a breathtaking landscape with everything lit up.
Pool
During both of our stays, we found ourselves staying by the pool for a majority of the day.
The Iberostar Waves Dominicana shares the pool area with the neighboring Iberostar Waves Punta Cana. This isn’t a bad thing because you get access to two large pools. There is a bar in-between the two pools serving up water and cocktails. There is also a small, shallow pool for the kids to enjoy.
Drink service at the Dominicana was somewhat limited during our stay, but when Maria “Drinky Drinky” is out at the pool, she is ready to keep your cocktail glasses full.
Iberostar Selection Bavaro has one large pool. One section of the pool has a shaded swim-up bar. This was a popular hangout spot for us during our recent stay.
The bartender, Mayelin, was outstanding and she sure knew how to help keep you hydrated and have a good time. She would also provide group shots for those sitting at the bar multiple times throughout the day. It was such an enjoyable environment.
The Selection Bavaro also has a large pirate ship themed kiddie area with multiple slides and water features. Our kids would have absolutely loved this if they were with us during our 2024 vacation.
One quick note regarding pool chairs. We never had an issue at either Waves Dominicana or Selection Bavaro finding any chairs by the pool. They had plenty of lounge chairs available in both the sun and shade. We also saw some mini cabana-like seating at Selection Bavaro that you could rent for the day.
The Verdict: Pool
When comparing the pool areas of the Iberostar Waves Dominicana vs. Iberostar Selection Bavaro, it is SO close! Both pool areas were absolutely beautiful. On one end, you have Maria “Drinky Drinky” serving your favorite drinks by the pool. On the other end, you have Mayelin and a swim-up pool bar mixing up some tasty shots and drinks.
Due to the swim-up bar, we have to give the nod to Iberostar Selection Bavaro. It was another Game Changer for us during our stay in 2024.
Beach
There really isn’t a whole lot to compare between the beach at Iberostar Waves Dominicana and Iberostar Selection Bavaro. Both are located on the beautiful Bavaro Beach.
There was ample seating with shade at both locations. The Selection Bavaro did have a Beach Bar that offered up great views of the ocean while we enjoyed a refreshing cocktail. They also offered up a quick snack, but we unfortunately never had the opportunity to try them – next time!
One thing that we did notice is that it seemed like the Selection Bavaro offered more drink service on the beach compared to Dominicana.
Both areas of the beach were also seaweed-free. During our daily early morning walks, we saw a tractor and equipment cleaning up the seaweed and getting the beaches ready for another day.
The Verdict: Beach
When comparing the beach area at Iberostar Waves Dominicana vs. Iberostar Selection Bavaro, we are going to give this one a tie. They really are so similar, and you cannot be unhappy on those white sandy beaches of Bavaro Beach.
Entertainment
The entertainment team at the Iberostar Waves Dominicana during our stay in 2023 was wonderful. The activities team was down by the pool almost every day looking for people to get involved in various activities in the pool and on the beach.
The evening entertainment that we saw in the main theater was also outstanding. Now, the headliner shows didn’t start until at least 9:30pm, so we never made it to those with them starting so late.
But the live singers and saxophonist were both so talented and very entertaining. They also interacted with our children which made it all that much more special and memorable.
During our stay at the Selection Bavaro in 2024, we experienced similar interactions with the daytime activities team by the pool. The one addition that we experienced during our stay was the Foam Party at the pool one afternoon.
Now, the evening entertainment at Selection Bavaro was a bit of a miss for us. Unless we missed something, we didn’t see the live singers and instrumentalists that we saw at Waves Dominicana.
We were able to stay up for the headliner shows a couple of the nights during our stay, but we ended up leaving during one of the performances. It just wasn’t for us.
The Verdict: Entertainment
Now, for the verdict on entertainment. We are going to break it down by daytime entertainment and evening entertainment.
When looking at daytime entertainment comparing Iberostar Waves Dominicana vs. Iberostar Selection Bavaro, we give the win to Iberostar Selection Bavaro due the Foam Party at the pool. This was another Game Changer during our most recent visit and honestly one of the highlights of our trip.
When it comes to evening entertainment, we give the win to Iberostar Waves Dominicana. Again, we don’t know if we just missed out on the live singers and instrumentalists at Selection Bavaro, but we missed that during our stay in 2024 and we found ourselves in the lobby at Iberostar Waves Punta Cana on several occasions enjoying the music.
Food
Last, but not least, the food. This might be a little bit of a longer section, but you know we say it time and time again, that food is a BIG part of our travels. It can really be what makes or breaks the vacation.
During our stay at Iberostar Waves Dominicana, all of our breakfasts were eaten at the main buffet, Higuey. They had a great selection of your traditional breakfast items and even had an omelet station.
We ate all of our lunches at La Marimba and La Cana, which were located down by the pool and beach. Both offered up hot dogs, burgers, pizza, pasta, salads, fresh fruit, nachos, and dessert. We found ourselves going to La Cana every day for the nacho bar. It was so good!
During our stay in 2023, we were limited to the number of reservations that we could book at the specialty restaurants for dinner. Upon check-in, we were able to make 3 reservations at the specialty restaurants.
Unfortunately, we were only able to get reservations at La Marimba, which was the new smokehouse. (Our full review of La Marimba can be found here.) The other restaurants that piqued our interest were all booked. That left us with the buffet for dinner for remainder of our trip, which was enjoyable.
During our most recent stay in 2024 at Selection Bavaro, all of our breakfasts were enjoyed at Los Haitises Buffet. They offered up similar items to what we saw at Iberostar Waves Dominicana.
Lunch was always eaten at Sibony Beach Bar. We enjoyed the nacho bar with homemade chips and toppings, almost every day. They also had a couple of days with fresh-made tacos, which were also amazing!
We also have to point out the Star Cafe at Iberostar Selection Bavaro. This was a 24-hour coffee and snack bar. We made multiple stops throughout the day for and iced coffee and quick bite to eat. A welcome addition to our 2024 vacation to hold us over from meal to meal.
Now dinner at Selection Bavaro is where we saw the biggest difference. Shortly before our vacation, Iberostar dropped the reservation limits and requirements for most of the specialty dining restaurants, which allowed us to enjoy as many specialty restaurants as we wanted.
We enjoyed dinner at Brave Steakhouse, Kabuki (Japanese), and Il Forno (Italian). You can find a link to our full reviews of those specialty restaurants by clicking the venues’ names above. We also enjoyed the main buffet for dinner on several occasions.
The Verdict: Food
We enjoyed the food at both the Dominicana and Selection Bavaro. We thought both buffets offered up a large selection of food options. But due to the Star Cafe and the specialty dining at Selection Bavaro, we have to give the win to Iberostar Selection Bavaro. The Steakhouse and Hibachi far exceeded our expectations, and we thoroughly enjoyed them.
The Final Verdict: Iberostar Waves Dominicana vs. Iberostar Selection Bavaro
So, there you have it. Our honest opinion comparing the Iberostar Waves Dominicana vs. Iberostar Selection Bavaro.
In the end for us, it would all come down to the final price of the vacation. If it was close enough in price, like our last vacation, we would pay a little extra to stay at the Iberostar Selection Bavaro. This provides us with the added amenities at Selection Bavaro, as well as the ability to venture over to the Waves Dominicana and Waves Punta Cana if we please. (But really, you can’t go wrong with Iberostar Waves Dominicana either!)
Both of these resorts offered us an unforgettable vacation and we really think that you will be happy booking reservations at either of these resorts. We know that we cannot wait to go back to a little piece of paradise.
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