Hotel Iberostar Bahia Reviews

What a fab holiday, no complaints whatsoever. There is building work being carried out but we didn’t even know it was happening!

Service top rate, food and drinks superb and the staff were always smiling and eager to please.

The entertainments team were fabulous and were on the go all day. The only suggestion I would make is having some quiet time by the pool as they play music from 8 am to 6 pm and it does get a bit annoying, but that is a minor niggle.

One of the best all inclusive holidays that we have had, my 10 year old daughter adored it.

The first week the hotel was quite quiet however the second week there were far more Brazilians holidaying in the hotel. This sometimes made you feel like you were wearing “invisible powder” as they always got served before you, although you were at the bar first.

We did the 2 day /1 night trip to Rio and were fortunate to travel we an extremely friendly group of “Macs”. I would recommend to anyone visiting the hotel to visit Rio the statue of Christ the Redeemer is worth the early morning flight. Book with hotel and not First Choice as it is much cheaper. If you can get on the Wednesday trip this will give you the opportunity of attending a football match Wednesday evening and more time for shopping. The Saturday trip is okay but the shops do not open until 2pm on the Sunday and the Amsterdam Gem stores are not open on the Sunday. Be prepared for the weather to be changeable in Rio but don’t let it spoil your stay. Beaches in Rio are just like the postcards.

The Turtle sanctuary in Praia is a must as the village offers an insight into the real Brazil. Havianas are excellent value and a must for everyone’s suitcase. I was part of a group where over 50 pairs were brought back by 5 ladies, whose age ranged from 30-60, as one said “it does matter if you are having a fat day your Havianas will always fit”.

Downside of the hotel is there is only a swim up pool bar to get a drink from and nowhere you can sit outside and have a drink. The entertainment in the evening was the same as all other Iberostar hotels and the disco is often taken over by Spanish/Brazilian and star friends playing House music, and children were allowed in the disco. This I felt was unsuitable as it didn’t open to 11pm and I feel there should always be one place in the hotel that adults can let their hard down without thinking of offending children.

Just come back from a lovely 2 weeks.

The hotel is stunning with the most wonderful decor. The rooms are spacious and very tastefully decorated. the pools and sun terraces are immaculate.

There is still work going on in the hotel but you do not see or hear anything.

The food in the buffet restaurant as well as the three speciality restaurants is excellent. This hotel really does deserve it's 5 star rating.

I would most certainly go again. We took the opportunity to fly the 1hr 50 mins to Rio which was well worth it, stayed overnight.

After a pretty long day travelling it was fantastic to see such a beautiful brand new hotel; although it was dark as we searched for our room, the grounds were all lit up and looked stunning.

Our room on the ground floor was 50 yds from the huge pool and only 75 yds from the swim-up bar! I knew it was going to be a "tough 2 weeks"!! Immediately to our right was the beach where palm trees offered a bit of respite from the sun.

What can I say, what a great hotel. The building work has now been completed, and even though the hotel was at full occupancy, (being Christmas) it didn't feel overcrowded.

We tried all the restaurants , and all of them were absolutely brilliant. The only down side is that in some of the bars the staff insist that they only have Demi Sec sparkling wine and do not stock Brut sparkling wine, however, in some of the other bars, they would go and get a bottle (or two) from one of the other bars when they ran out. We were there for the Gala dinner on Christmas eve, I have never seen so much food. Lobster, huge prawns, caviare and about everything else you can imagine. There were also fantastic sculptures made out of water melons and chocolate.

A beautiful luxurious and welcoming hotel in an idyllic resort. Staff were very friendly and helpful and all spoke excellent english. The hotel rooms were spacious and clean, had televison also. The beds (2 doubles in each room) were comfortable and made up with fresh clean bedding daily. Plenty of clean towels were provided daily and were often made into animal shapes on the bed with flower petals scattered about too. The mini bar was always well stocked and replenished with cold drinks (all-inclusive so no extra charge). Wide variety of foods available at all times of the day and night, local drinks included. Try the cocktails - there is loads to choose from! The speciality restaurants are very nice, you can try all three of these once a week during your stay - book in advance to make sure you get the chance. There was always plenty of entertainment in the evening and also around the pool in the daytime. The animation worked hard to make sure everyone was included. All round a great choice of holiday.

what can i say had a great time hotel brilliant,weather first week on off rain, second week a lot better, staff really friendly the hotel reps dan and kelly were terrific nothing to much bother,we went to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary arrived at room there was a bottle of champagne and a bowl of fruit with a note to go to customer service desk where we were given a iberostar t-shirt each.would recommend this hotel excellent, rooms big and spacious,food to suit everyone

Stayed at this hotel May 2008. this hotel is first class the staff are friendly and helpful, the only downside I would say is there is a language barrier but we have been told English lessons are being given,but afterall we were in Brazil. but the staff do try to be as helpful as possible. The food is first rate in the buffet and 4 al a carte restaurants. Entertainment the first week brilliant cabaret shows the second more fun, even when we had rain the entertainment staff excelled themselves singing dancing and playing music.

Went on the Rio/Iguassu Falls/Bahia package with First Choice for a 60th birthday celebration.
Superbly organised package. Excellent flight from Manchester to Salvador, plenty of legroom in economy class. Fifteen people doing the tour from this flight.
Spent first night in Salvador. Flew to Rio on second morning, Rio is amazing, no troubles with crime etc. Stayed on Copacabana beach at the Luxor Regente Hotel. Did Sugar Loaf Mountain ourselves on the first day. Christ the Redeemer was included in package on second day, Sugar Loaf and city tour paid for extra if done with First Choice. As we had done this ourselves, we got dropped off at the Maracana Stadium and did the stadium tour.
Very cheap in Rio for drinks and food, views from the mountain and statue are amazing.
Thursday flight to Iguassu was cancelled due to bad weather at Iguassu airport, spent all day at Rio airport before being taken back for another night in Rio.

Flew to Iguassu Friday, went immediately to the Brazilian side of the falls which were in full flow - absolutely stunning, soaked to the skin!
Stayed at the Mercure Hotel in Foz de Iguassu - excellent hotel. Went to the Rafain Culture show Friday night - superb.
Everything well organised by our guide, Rodrigo Mantovani who was brilliant. We wer offered an extra night in Iguassu if we wished - 6 of us took up this offer.
Went to the Argentine side of the falls on Saturday - once again breathtaking views. Some of us went on the boat ride under the falls and got soaked again.
Sunday was a bit disappointing as it rained all day in Iguassu and the helicopter rides over the falla were cancelled, the others who travelled on Saturday managed the rides which are apparently great.
Travelled to Salvador via Rio on Sunday evening, arrived at Iberostar Bahia about 1am Monday morning.
Crashed out for a week all inclusive at this beautiful new hotel, everything included and superb facilities.

A brilliant holiday well organised, having made many good friends. Thanks to all for their company and to my wife for a marvellous birthday present!

My wife and I visited the Iberostar Hotel, in Praia do Forte (Bahia, Brazil)last year for my 45th birthday and i have to say it was the best holiday of my life.
The hotel was fantastic, so much more than what i had expected!
The food was amazing in all the different types of restuarants there was to choose from.
The Staff at the hotel were very friendly, although they couldnt speak much english, they tried to be as frendly as possible.
We ventured out into Brazil to explore with some of the best tours and trips i have ever encountered. (the 3 day tour to RIO is a must, must to do....) These were book through our holiday company First Choice. We were told that the hotel reception had tours we could purchase but this IS NOT recommended. They state their trips have:
*Fully insured tours
*English speaking guides
*Esorted Security Guards
Although there trips are slightly cheaper, after speakin to a few other guests within the hotel. We were informed of a couple of horror stories. Issuing the fact of not using non-english company and guides. This infact turned out to be very true and a few accidents took place with other guests from the hotel whom had book through the reception for their trips and it was later revealed that the tours they went on were not insured, no security guards were there and they didnt speak english, so all the information told was in portugese! Their holiday insurance also did not cover any of their costs or accidents because of the local company tours they went with. So its recommended that for the trips BOOK with your holiday company, for a little extra cost your safety is guarenteed and you'll have english guides with you all day.
On the whole my holiday to Brazil was one unforgettable experience!!!! I shall be returning

Hotel is brand new.The recption areas, restaurants are very spacious and impressive.The staff are excellent-nothing is too much trouble and the maid service was fantastic.Any minor problems with the room were dealt with very quickly by reception and the maintenance team.The bar staff work very hard abd even though they do not speak very much english they are trying to learn.They was rarely a wait for drinks either at the bar or with waiter service.The grounds are fabulous with the main pool having daily entertainment and the quieter pool for relaxation.For anybody considering a holiday to Brazil this is a thouroughly recommended Hotel in a peaceful area.Praia de Forte is a 10 minute taxi journey away and here you will find plenty of shops bars and restaurants, although you probably wont want to eat out as the food in the Hotel is fantastic.
The one word of warning is the airport.
Once yo have gone into the departure lounge there are 2 shops, no bars and no smoking areas.They request that you go through 2 hours before your flight, but I would advise that you leave it as long as possible before going through.

I have just spent 2 weeks (15th Oct) at the Iberostar Bahia and it has some very good points, however not 5 star. There are no optics in the room, no fluffy robes and no beach bar. However the food is excellent, rooms spacious and beach is beautiful. George the First Choice rep is there to meet you off the coach and say goodbye and that is the total of his use.

All 3 speciality restaurant were very good however I felt the resort lacked a Brazilian feel and I could have been anywhere. Typical Iberostar hotel e.g. an impressive lobby bar, windy swim up bar and spacious entertainment room. Star friends as always worked extremely hard and although they were not fluent in English they tried very hard and every day you saw improvements. Nivea, a waitress in the buffet always had a smile at morning and night. The towel sculptures were a nice touch and tips were not expected however gratefully received. Remember you are entitled to 3 speciality restaurants a week, however whilst I was there they were trying to limit it to 5 a fortnight!

The first week the hotel was quite quiet however the second week there were far more Brazilians holidaying in the hotel. This sometimes made you feel like you were wearing ";invisible powder"; as they always got served before you, although you were at the bar first.

We did the 2 day /1 night trip to Rio and were fortunate to travel we an extremely friendly group of ";Macs";. I would recommend to anyone visiting the hotel to visit Rio the statue of Christ the Redeemer is worth the early morning flight. Book with hotel and not First Choice as it is much cheaper. If you can get on the Wednesday trip this will give you the opportunity of attending a football match Wednesday evening and more time for shopping. The Saturday trip is okay but he shops do not open until 2pm on the Sunday and the Amsterdam Gem stores are not open on the Sunday. Be prepared for the weather to be changeable in Rio but don't let it spoil your stay. Beaches in Rio are just like the postcards.

The Turtle sanctuary in Praia is a must as the village offers an insight into the real Brazil. Havianas are excellent value and a must for everyone's suitcase. I was part of a group where over 50 pairs were brought back by 5 ladies, whose age ranged from 30-60, as one said ";it does matter if you are having a fat day your Havianas will always fit";.

Downside of the hotel is there is only a swim up pool bar to get a drink from and nowhere you can sit outside and have a drink. The entertainment in the evening was the same as all other Iberostar hotels and the disco is often taken over by Spanish/Brazilian and star friends playing House music, and children were allowed in the disco. This I felt was unsuitable as it didn't open to 11pm and I feel there should always be one place in the hotel that adults can let their hard down without thinking of offending children.

Don't try to compare Brazil with Cuba, Mexico, Dom Rep as it is a new tourist area and the others have been open for years. I am sure anyone who chooses it in 2007 will not be disappointed and will get excellent value for money. Expect 5 star and you may be disappointed but you will get 4*+, and who knows by 2007 it may have achieved 5*s

Finally I would like to say Hello to Vanessa, Sam, Leanne, Rob, Connor, Ann, Les, Derek and Marlene and thank them for their company and the laughs we shared between 30th Sept and 14th October. I think I speak for us all when I say ";We had a ball";. and I brought the ";bronze Adonis"; home with me (joke)

We stayed at the Iberostar Bahia for 2 weeks in August! We had an absolutely fantastic holiday!

The hotel was clean and friendly, with all the facilities you would expect to find in a 5 star hotel! The swimming pool is excellent with plenty of sunbeds. The entertainment was great, there was always something going on! You could never get board! The rooms were more like superior suites then hotel rooms! All balconys have an excellent view, and your mini bar is re stocked daily!

The food in the hotel was outstanding! They serve food contantly, you would never go hungry in this hotel, the food is served to the highest standard as well! There are an array of restaurants to choice from:-

Breakfast
* Main buffet restaurant
* Beach Snack Bar

Lunch
* Main Buffet restaurant
* Beach Snack Bar
* Steak House

Dinner
Main Buffet Restaurant
Japanese
Mediterean
Steak House

Ice cream and snacks are served all day!

Snack are served all night at the main buffet restaurant

There a great variety of food to choose from including fresh fish, salads, pizzas, pastas, steaks, chicken, pork, vegatables, fruit, cheese, you name it the hotel does it! My husband came back a stone heavier.

The bars are also fantastic, they are many bars, so getting a drink of your choice is never a problem.

The beach was absolutely breath taking it can only be described in one word 'Paradise'.

The town of Praia do forte in beautiful, with an array of shops, bars and restaurants, it also has a turtle sanctary which makes a great day out!

Brazil it self is a beatiful country filled with colour and full of culture! There is so much to do and see, two weeks isn't long enough!

The only downside is that you come home longing to go back

The hotel had officially opened two days prior to our arrival and certainly lived up to its five star rating.

A very high standard of accommodation was on offer with excellent facilities.

My sister and I went all inclusive and found this to be excellent value for money as it included all drinks and cocktails and extensive menu choices in both the main and speciality (Brazilian, Japanese and Mediterranean) restaurants.

The golf course is still to open, but this didn't bother us, nor the fact that building work was still going on to complete the third accommodation block. In fact, it took us three days to realise where the building work was going on!

My basic Spanish came in handy as many of the staff spoke limited English (if at all), but I understand that they are currently taking lessons. However, they remained very polite and extremely helpful despite the language barrier.

The weather was a bit mixed. Starting hot and sunny and then raining around lunchtime, but often brightening up later in the afternoon. However, this is to be expected, as June is traditionally a Brazilian winter month.

We booked a two night trip to Rio which although cost more than half the original holiday cost, was a must and enabled us to see the main sights and join in with the football celebrations. We partied on Sugar Loaf Mountain in a sea of yellow and green as Brazil celebrated it's win over Ghana.

We were both very impressed, by the standard of the hotel; it's staff and facilities. Overall an excellent holiday experience and one that we would highly recommend.