Guests will receive up to $600 in Resort Credits (in the form of credits). Credits are valid towards Star Prestige Package, specialized dining, spa and much more. Detailed specifics of the resort credit will be provided upon check in.
Important information: Redemption instruction will be given at check-in. Restrictions may apply. Resort Credit must be presented at time of service. Services and amenities are subject to availability and must be booked/requested upon arrival. All services and amenities purchased with resort credits must be purchased at full price. Credit is per room, per stay. Credits have no cash value and are non-refundable, non-transferable and must be used during guest stay and may not be used in future bookings. Credits may not be transferred to another property. Resort credits do not apply to contracted group bookings. The credit only covers part of the total amount of each service or amenity. Refunds will not be issued for unused Resort Credits.
Guests will receive up to $800 in Resort Credits (in the form of credits). Credits are valid towards Star Prestige Package, specialized dining, spa and much more. Detailed specifics of the resort credit will be provided upon check in.
Important information: Redemption instruction will be given at check-in. Restrictions may apply. Resort Credit must be presented at time of service. Services and amenities are subject to availability and must be booked/requested upon arrival. All services and amenities purchased with resort credits must be purchased at full price. Credit is per room, per stay. Credits have no cash value and are non-refundable, non-transferable and must be used during guest stay and may not be used in future bookings. Credits may not be transferred to another property. Resort credits do not apply to contracted group bookings. The credit only covers part of the total amount of each service or amenity. Refunds will not be issued for unused Resort Credits.
Enjoy unlimited rounds of golf at our Iberostar JIOA Hotels in Mexico, Dominican Republic and Jamaica for only $89.00* USD per person per day. Included in your golf experience:
Unlimited rounds of golf
Round trip transfers to and from golf course**
Shared Golf cart
Use of driving range
Drinks and snacks from the beverage cart***
*Payable in local currency, subject to the current exchange rate..
**Iberostar Paraiso Golf Club includes round trip transfers to JOIA Paraiso by Iberostar. JOIA Bavaro by Iberostar Golf Club includes round trip transfers to JOIA Bavaro by Iberostar. Cinnamon Hill Golf Course & White Witch Golf Course include round trip transfers to JOIA Rose Hall by Iberostar.
***Not included in Jamaica.
Resort Details
- Bella Vista
Buffet
- Casa de la Playa
Mediterranean
Dinner reservations are subject to availability for dinner reservations prior to arrival, please contact customer service desk at the respective hotel.
- El Galeón
Steakhouse
Dinner reservations are subject to availability for dinner reservations prior to arrival, please contact customer service desk at the respective hotel.
- Hashira
Japanese
Dinner reservations are subject to availability for dinner reservations prior to arrival, please contact customer service desk at the respective hotel.
- La Perla
Lunch Buffet
- La Tentazione
Italian
Dinner reservations are subject to availability for dinner reservations prior to arrival, please contact customer service desk at the respective hotel.
- Le Tourbillon
Gourmet
Dinner reservations are subject to availability for dinner reservations prior to arrival, please contact customer service desk at the respective hotel.
- The Grand Cellaran exclusive cellar with more than 200 wines importedfrom the most prestigious world wine regions
- Various Lounges/Bars- Robusto- Perla- Mirador- Larimar- La Escala- Cala Esmeralda
- 24-hour front desk
- Accessible facilities
- Accessible rooms
- Baggage hold
- Bell staff/porter
- Business services†
- Children not allowed
- Complimentary wireless internet
- Concierge desk
- Disco
- 24-hour front desk
- Accessible rooms
- Baggage hold
- Bell staff/porter
- Business services†
- Children not allowed
- Complimentary wireless internet
- Concierge desk
- Disco
- Elevators
- Exercise gym
- Free parking
- Golf†
- Housekeeping - daily
- Laundry/Valet service†
- Library/Reading Room
- Liquor store†
- Meal Plan Type: All Inclusive
- Nightclub†
- Non-smoking rooms available
- Pool
- Poolside snack bar
- Safe deposit box
- Sauna
- Shops and commercial services†
- Spa†
- Tennis court
- Tour/sightseeing desk
- Wakeup service
- Water sports†
- Star Wedding Package, Silver Star Wedding Package, Gold Star Wedding Package. Please contact wedding coordinator for complete information, locations and to reserve a date.
† Fees may apply
- Billiards
- Direct access to a beach
- Fitness center on-siteFit & Fun Fitness Program
- GeneralOther activities include:
- Aerobics- Yoga- Shooting tournaments- Archery- Basketball- Cycling- Billiards- Bocce- Gymnastics- Table tennis
- Golf †18 hole P.B. Dye golf course
Green fees, carts are at an additional charge. ($) - Motorized Water Sports †
For an additional fee take diving lessons at a CDC PADI GOLD PALM RESORT diving center, run by DRESSEL DIVERS INTERNATIONAL. This center organizes numerous boat trips and scuba diving and snorkeling excursions, as well as diving lessons.
- Nightclubs
- Non-Motorized Water SportsKayaking, windsurfing, beach volleyball, catamarans, aqua gym, the scuba clinic and snorkeling.
- Pool
Three pools, including an activity pool and lake pool.
- Sauna
- Shopping †
- Spa †
- Steam bath
- Tennis court
- Gambling †Spend an entertaining evening enjoying popular casino games like Blackjack, Poker, Roulette and Slot Machines (bar is included)
- On-Site Entertainment
Live nightly shows in theater/disco/casino
† Fees may apply
Customer Ratings & Reviews
TripAdvisor Traveler Rating
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Birthday / Vacay / Couples' Getaway
The rooms were clean and the grounds were beautifully manicured. The staff was friendly and helpful. We especially appreciated Armando, Eridania, Francisco, Yari, Anna, Daniella, Ortiz, Rosa, Lely and Augusto! It would be extremely helpful if members could make restaurant reservations. One night, we went to dinner at a walk-in restaurant and was given a wait time of 30 minutes. After about 50 minutes of waiting, we removed our names from the wait list and went to a different restaurant. The hostess from the first restaurant (I think her name is Vanessa) was very apologetic. She came and found us at the second restaurant, during our dinner, and offered a reservation time for dinner the following night. We appreciated her actions and accepted the offer. I am very glad that we did because my steak at the surf and turf restaurant was on point! Member inconveniences like these are potentially avoidable if member's reservations are accepted. Thank you
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Relaxing vacation in beautiful setting
Resort is beautiful. Staff is very polite and welcoming. Many dining options with good menu choices Alex and Jose were attentive and eager to please. Samuel at restaurants was magnificent and fabulous. Cristian at front desk was polite and helpful to our needs
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We will be going back!
My husband and I go somewhere tropical every January. We have never returned to the same place...however, we are planning to go back to the Joia in 2026! It was amazing! Great service, food, the best beach ever! When we arrived, check-in was very easy and quick. We found out that our "oceanview" room was the furthest from the beach that you could get. We were staying for 9 nights and we upgraded to "oceanfront" which was as close as we could get. The upgrade was about $600 total...well worth it! We absolutely loved this resort...but, the rooms are only OK. The beds are comfortable and there is decent closet space, but very little drawer space. A very nice jacuzzi tub in the bathroom. The vanity has 2 sinks but is pretty tiny. Good tile shower! When we got there the water wouldn't heat up. They sent someone right away and it was fixed with no further issues. The patio area is covered, which was nice and we had room service breakfast out there a couple of times. The layout of the resort is perfect - like a horseshoe. So everywhere you want to go is close. We loved every restaurant! The French was probably our favorite! The hibachi was fun and the only one you needed a reservation for. The poolside food was great too. The bars had topshelf options and they were quick to fill your drinks. The beach was incredible! Plenty of seating and if you like to walk, I challenge you to walk far enough where you can go no further...I don't think you can. It is the perfect walking beach...best we've been to! The entertainment was ok...we saw most of the shows, but really only enjoyed the circus and the singing trio...not sure if it's the same every week? One complaint we had was that we were there during nfl playoffs and the only place to watch the game was in the cigar bar. After about ten minutes, our lungs were burning and we had to leave. When you stay at the Joia, you are allowed to go to the other Iberostar resorts located nextdoor. We were told they had a sports bar, so the valet hopped in a golf cart and took us whereever we wanted to go...no game playing anywhere, but it was a fun ride :) The last night we were there, they had "White Night"...so be prepared and pack a white outfit. The evening entertainment consisted of the shows at 9:30 (Nice to have the later time so you can enjoy dinner without rushing) afterwards there was live music in the lobby area and dancing...fun...and then at 10:30 the disco in the bottom of the ship...small but really fun! Tip the DJ and they'll play whatever you want...good drinks too! We loved that this is a fairly small, adults-only resort. Easy to meet people, fun things to do, if you want to. Very relaxing and the perfect winter get away!
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Still a 5-star experience, but some downgrades and don't count on the Zumba classes...
My husband and I stay at this adults-only luxury property (formerly known as the Iberostar Grand Bavaro) once or twice a year for the last 10+ years, so we obviously love it there and we became Club Members in ~2018 after our 5th visit there. It is still a 5-star experience with wonderful staff/service/food/drink, but we have seen changes over the years with many downgrades - especially post-COVID era. In fairness, that was a tough time for the hotel/resort industry and many hotels/resorts downgraded service in that challenging financial climate. We enjoy the quality of the food with much of it imported from Spain as well as fresh local produce offerings, drinks are often top-shelf although cocktails have been reduced in alcohol content over the years, and nightly entertainment has been especially downgraded over recent years. With the exception of the Circus, which is top-notch, gone are the days of the Michael Jackson Show, the Beatles Show, top singers and dancers, and top productions all held at the theater. Now most of the shows are held by the Galleon boat area open to the weather and often cancelled due to rain or hurriedly stuffed into the Lobby area at the last-minute with improvised seating. My main complaint is that I'm one of many who likes fun exercise while on vacation and due to shoulder injuries, my main exercise is Zumba. While there in December 2024 for an 11-day stay, I found that 5 of 11 Zumba classes had been cancelled with little or no notice in a 7-day period. Those staying at the JOIA property can go to any of the properties for short Zumba on the Beach classes, or go to the main gym for Zumba where most of the Zumba classes seemed to start late and end early and on 2 occasions were cancelled without notice leaving me a wasted 30+ minute round-trip walk when I could have used my vacation time differently... The new palapa between the JOIA and Bavaro properties now offers some short Zumba classes, which is great and I wish they were longer, but those were run by the main gym personal and were the most frequently cancelled. My recommendations? 1) Bring back the top-notch shows and move them back to the theater; 2) Keep the Circus Show - it's great; 3) Advertise better when there is a good show or Zumba class at one of the neighboring properties and give easier access to that info on the app at the JOIA property so we don't have to go searching hotel by hotel at separate properties for nearby entertainment or Zumba; 4) Increase Zumba offerings at the main gym and make the classes longer and reliable. There should be back-up staff available to avoid schedule changes and cancellations; 5) Perhaps put JOIA Animacion (Entertainment) Staff in charge of Zumba classes at the Palapa between the JOIA and Bavaro properties. They are more reliable than the main gym staff at the Palapa and are easily reached when there is a complaint or if no one from the gym shows up for a scheduled class; 6) Add the time and location of Catholic Mass offered at the Bavaro property on Sundays to the app for all properties. More people would attend if they knew it was available. We had to taxi to another town for Mass for a couple of years when it was not offered at the Iberostar during COVID years; 7) I haven't seen fresh flowers in our room in years. It was a nice touch - as are the towel decorations on the bedspreads (all housekeeping staff should be trained in that skill - I'm sure it would increase customer satisfaction/delight and could lead to improved tips for housekeeping staff as well).
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Our Trip
Overall we enjoyed our stay and would recommend to future guests. Upon arrival we were greeted with friendly staff with a towel to refresh our faces and a nice non alcoholic drink. We did have to wait 1 hour past check in for our room which was a negative but we had lunch at the buffet with great food selections and quality was excellent. The room was very nice. We selected the swim out room with butler service. We did not like the swim out room as it backed up to a loud all inclusive with no view. Butlers are extremely friendly but not worth the additional fees, they do very little for you. For example, they are not allowed to reserve a spot at the beach or pool which was something we expected. This is very common at other all inclusives when you pay additional. Also, they could not get the dinner reservation at time we wanted to dine at the one location requiring reservations. We Loved the pool area! It was very clean and many cabanas for shade or sun. Great swim up bar.
- Advisory*Important Information* The Dominican Republic imposes various restrictions each year for Easter. They usually begin the Thursday prior to Good Friday and run a few days past Easter Sunday. The following regulations may be enforced: -Motorized water sports may be banned -Non-motorized water sports may be limited or banned -Alcohol consumption may be restricted (most resorts get a permit enabling them to serve alcohol to nonnative people during the ban) -Music may be limited or silenced
- Check In: 3:00 PM
- Check Out: 11:00 AM
- Minimum Check-In Age: 18
- Minimum Guest Age: 18
- General Policies:
Check-in Policy - Hotel requires a credit/debit card authorization or cash deposit upon check-in for incidentals; this will place a hold on your funds.
Convention Policy - Individuals attending a convention cannot book this property for their stay. If found attending a convention, guests may be subject to higher room rates upon arrival.
Transfer Policy - A price may display when children stay free, if your vacation includes transfer to your hotel.
General Information - Room taxes and service fees are included in vacation price. Minimum night stay restrictions may apply. Reservation changes may not be permitted unless authorized by the hotel.
Spring Break Policy - Bookings in the months of March and April will be subject to the following conditions:
- The minimum age requirement for check-in is 18. One parent or chaperone at least 25 years of age will be required per room for check-in.
- Students/youth between 16 and 23 years of age. Adults accompanying are responsible for the students’ behaviour. of the remaining nights.
- In the event that any guests engage in inappropriate behaviour or cause physical damages to the facilities, the Hotel Management reserves the right to expel the said guest without reimbursement or refund of the remaining nights.
- Pet Policy : Pets Not Allowed
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*Prices per person based on double occupancy including round-trip airfare via U.S. certified air carriers (unless otherwise stated), hotel taxes and baggage handling, fuel surcharges, and all pre-collected U.S. and foreign taxes. Round-trip airport/hotel transfers are included in Mexico (excluding Loreto), Central America and many Caribbean Islands. Transfers not included for air-only passengers. Prices valid on new bookings only and in some instances, pricing may specifically apply to one of multiple flights on select departure days. All packages are based on the lowest hotel/air classes available at time of publication, capacity controlled, subject to availability and change without notice. Promotional pricing may only be available for a limited time. Restrictions & black -out dates may apply. Fees may apply for carry-on and checked baggage-view Baggage Policies. Some resort fees, environmental levies and departure taxes are not included and may be payable in resort. View Frequently Asked Questions for more information. Apple Vacations is not responsible for errors or omissions. Bookings are subject to the current General/Cancellation Terms & Conditions. All public charter flights Allegiant Air: PC 20-070/PC 21-043; Swift Air: PC 21-056; Viva Aerobus: PC 20-081; Volaris: PC 20-099 are operated by ALG Vacations Corp. Apple Vacations materials (including, but not limited to, names, trademark, service marks, logos, marketing materials, etc.) shall not be used, reproduced, transmitted or distributed in any way, except with the express written consent of Apple Vacations. CST2139014-20. This information is current as of June 3, 2021.