Reviews

Reviews from iHeartDR Customers

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100% Verified Reviews from Actual Customers

Only after our customers participate in an excursion they are sent a secure link to submit their unbiased review(s). 100% verified iHeartDR reviews, guaranteed.

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Macao Buggies & Speed Boats/Snuba review by: Sam B

Read original review on Tripadvisor
★★★★★

The best booking agent I’ve ever used

When booking excursions abroad, I often find it hard and slow to communicate. Dealing with Jhon at iheartdr was the complete opposite. I visited Punta Cana this week and booked two excursions through Jhon, and both excursions were fantastic (dune buggies and Bavaro splash).

What set Jhon and iheartdr apart from the other booking agents was his instant communication and fluent English. I was always able to speak to Jhon through online chat on the website. Our bookings weren’t the most straightforward, each one was for multiple people all paying different ways but Jhon dealt with it fantastically and patiently.

I couldn’t recommend using iheartdr enough. Pricing is extremely competitive, customer service is exceptional.

Thank you Jhon.

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Zip Line Canopy & Snorkeling Cruise review by: Camilletgordon

Read original review on Tripadvisor
★★★★★

First off, I loved being able to book my excursions before arriving. It took the worry out of carrying enough cash, or international card use charges once on vacation. Plus, it is the same exact vendors that your travel company will tell you about once you arrive at your resort.

Zip lining Review:
This was a beautiful zip lining course, that we absolutely wanted to jump back on and do it again. The staff was helpful and made us feel secure even on the highest and longest lines. I really like that you did not have to brake yourself on each line. It just allows you to enjoy the views and the ride. Very professional and friendly. Absolutely want to do this again!!

Marinarium Cruise Review:
Had such a great time on this cruise! The staff was super friendly and entertaining. The snorkeling excursion was great, if you are comfortable snorkeling/swimming and want to see more of the ocean make sure you go with the Advanced group! We made the mistake of doing the beginners, and missed the exploring part, but Jordan was kind enough to take my sister and I on a quick extra swim after the Sharks portion.

The natural pool was soooo fun! Seriously wish we could have stayed longer. There were several other cruise boats docked so it was like one big party! Make sure you walk around and mingle!

Lastly, when you get back on the boat for the return party cruise’ DANCE and enjoy yourself! We are on vacation!

Can’t wait to do this again on our next trip!

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Samana Excursion by Plane review by: Hvskiher

Read original review on Tripadvisor
★★★★★

This tour covered so much it’s hard to know where to begin! We were picked up at our all inclusive and driven to small airport in Punta Cana. The scenery was beautiful as we flew over the Domican to Samana. On the horseback ride each rider has their “own guide” who walks/runs beside you. I groaned at first thinking it was going to be a “pony ride.” Boy, was I ever wrong! My guide quickly saw I was an experienced rider and made it an enjoyable ride. These guides work just for tips and do a fantastic job.

The walk down to the waterfall is steep and strenuous even though there own stone steps. ( Remember you also have to go back up!) Seeing this beautiful waterfall and swimming in the lagoon was a first for me. The next part of the trip was a boat ride to an island beach. Great swimming and relaxing. Just moving around the island was an experience in itself.

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Bavaro Splash Speedboats & Snuba review by: Byron and K

Read original review on Tripadvisor
★★★★★

This trip was amazing. ..the crew was do much fun and patient. ..good drinks to! The weather was great and the corrals were beautiful.

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Jeep Safari review by: Scrapperlila2646

Read original review on Tripadvisor
★★★★★

Our group of four was picked up promptly by a friendly, professional tour guide Jay. We planned this trip to get to know more about the Dominican Republic and have some adventures as well. The trip to Christians plantation was very informative. Jay was knowledgeable and eager to share. We then ventured on to horseback riding and zip lining which were great as well.

We continued on to a small cigar factory where we enjoyed a smoke and rolled our own. We ended on the beach with a delicious dinner. The tour guides thought of everything even down to turning the jeeps around as we were on each tour. We all thoroughly enjoyed his trip and highly recommend it.

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Catamaran Sailing review by: Jeesselle

Read original review on Tripadvisor
★★★★★

Great adventure if someone wants to visit the Island reefs. We had a great time and the crew was very good in responding all our questions. The first stop snorkeling at the reef. It was amazing!! Even though we were afraid of snorkeling, the crew encourage us to do and we cannot regret a more fun activity like this one. Then we stop at a natural beach of what if feel was in the middle of the ocean. OMG, beautiful clean and sandy waters… Love it, would recommend this activity to all my friends… Go ahead and give it a try!!!

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Jeep Safari review by: Aversc

Read original review on Tripadvisor
★★★★★

This tour was wonderful! The guides/owners were very knowledgeable and kept the tour fun & upbeat! Would highly recommend this tour for families!

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Samana Excursion by Plane review by: Theresa

★★★★★

Such a memorable experience – I loved every minute of it! Thanks to the reviewers below on the advice to bring cash for tipping and to purchase some local goods! For reference, I tipped my horseboy and the tour guide $20 USD each and then purchased a cigar box which was around $50 USD. As past reviewers mentioned, the local horseboys are very poor and what you tip them is what they make for the day. Having extra cash on me was definitely useful.

I had some questions before the trip and Ari and Caribbean Dream were very quick to respond so that was much appreciated. On the day of the trip, the shuttle arrived promptly at 6:45AM at our hotel and took us to the Punta Cana airport. We waited around about 15 minutes for the other groups to arrive and then we received a boarding pass and then got on our private jet (it seats about 8 people).

The flight over Samana Bay took about 30 minutes and the view was beautiful. Once we arrived in Samana, the tour guide met the group and greeted us with Coca Cola and Rum (LOL). It was too early for Rum for me, but I happily took some Coke and we boarded the Safari Truck. The truck took us through the town and we arrived at a local house. We were seated outside and the local women gave us samples of coffee, cocoa, tea, and fresh fruit.

You can also purchase these goods as well as some handmade artifacts and things like coconut oil at the end of the tasting. We were then led to a small, dark room which was called the Mel Sigar Factory. He showed us how cigars were made and handed out samples to smoke. There were also cigars available for purchase. After the cigar tour, we were each fitted with a helmet and were each assigned a horse and a horseboy.

My horseboy was very attentive and helpful! Though there was a language barrier, he pointed out local fruits and vegetation (including pineapple, coconut, lemon, etc). He also carried my backpack and had the horse began at a light trot and then later began galloping. I was impressed that the horseboy was running right alongside the horse on the rocky terrain and was also carrying my backpack.

He also stopped every so often to take my picture at scenic spots. Just a note, the terrain is very rocky and the horseboy will go slower or faster for you depending on what you are comfortable with. We finally made it to the waterfall and there were so many other tourists at the main waterfall. Also note: There was a man there with a parrot and he perched the parrot on my arm and then proceeded to take our picture.

We didn’t have a chance to say yes or no to this, but then he proceeded to tell us that the picture with the parrot was $5. It was a cool picture in the end, but something to keep in mind. The two horseboys took us down a different route to another waterfall where there were only two other people there. We took a dip in the waterfall and the horseboys took pictures for us and watched our stuff.

After the waterfall, we went up a steep stairwell where my flip flop ended up breaking. My advice would be to wear more sturdy shoes unlike me so you don’t slip! We took the horse back and arrived back at the house for lunch. We had grilled fish, rice, beans, chicken, bread, pasta, and fresh fruits like mangoes and coconut. It was soo delicious! There were also various types of soda and water to drink.

We then got back on the truck and they took us to the pier to dock a speedboat to Cayo Levantado. We were given about an hour and a half on this island. I wish we could have spent longer here! It was so beautiful here and the water was so clear! There was also a bar on the island where one drink was included. I ordered an extra Coco Loco drink, which was $5. This wrapped up the activities for the day, and then we boarded the speedboat back to the Island and then got on the truck.

The truck took us back to the airport and then finally back to the hotel around 6:00PM or so. If you are contemplating whether or not you should book this trip, just DO IT! Definitely won’t regret it and worth the money.

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Zip Line and Hoyo Azul review by: Laura Mathus

★★★★★

The guides were so kind and informative. Hoyo Azul is insanely gorgeous and a must see, and zip lining is so much fun! I felt safe and well cared for on the hikes and on the lines.

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Santo Domingo City Tour review by: Samantha García

★★★

This tour definitely left something to be desired. We started on a luxury Bus coach with a bathroom and ample room. We then stopped literally on the side of a highway where we were transferred to a small cramped bus with no bathroom even though the which started on the original bus had a shorter drive than us. Once on the bus the tour guide began explaining the politics of the Dominican republic.

I think that was what he was saying. I don’t know if he had ever used a microphone before. He held it so close to his mouth that the speaker was muddled and you couldn’t understand anything. Other people on the bus told him this but it didn’t help. The “English” tour guides at the stops were equally hard to understand.

This tour should really be marketed to fluent Spanish speakers only. Finally the day was about 14 hours long even though it was advertised as 11. Several passengers missed dinner reservations at their hotels. The 2nd shuttle back (we transferred several times, all on the side of highways) was too small and passengers needed to cram into the seats to fit.

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Segway Eco Tour review by: Toni

★★★★★

Loved it. Great tour, great guides, great experience! Well worth the money.

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Off-Road Truck Safari review by: Don & Ellen DeSanto

★★★★★

We both had a great time & our guide was very informational, during our ride to & at the various stops. Being our first time to Dominican Republic, It was great, seeing the countryside & people of DR, outside the area of our resort. Thanks for a full day of fun!

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Zip Line and Hoyo Azul review by: Fata Wijay

★★★★★

We chose the hoyo azul and zip lining combo and it was fantastic!! Loved the zip lines they were 8 different lines with amazing view. They hoyo azul was very beautiful and our tour guide (Alfredo) was very informative. Thank you for the great experienced.

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Zip Line and Hoyo Azul review by: Terrell

★★★★★

MIA IS THE CUTEST! The lunch could have been a little better but over all it was great. The tour guide to the blue hole was a little “bootleg” but over all the experience was a lot of fun. Shout out to Eve. Her sonrisa was beautiful.

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Fun Fun Cave / Zip-line Canopy Adventure review by: Renee & Corey

★★★★★

Awesome experience! Everyone from Carlos to the Chef was nice, pleasant and we loved our horse, Rola & Perrhona! My son has been telling everyone about the excursions! Thank you so much

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Macao Buggies review by: Jane

★★★★

It was a fun and exciting excursion. One that my husband and I both enjoyed. Though the “tour” wasn’t of what we thought we were going to experience (we thought our excursion was taking us to Hoyo Azul but it did not,) the overall experience was fun. Great excursion company with friendly staff. Next time we will just have to do some more research to make sure we don’t sign up for the wrong thing.

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Bavaro Splash Speedboats review by: Kimberly

★★★★★

This excursion is super fun and great!!! They’re very big on safety and making you feel comfortable before you tackle anything. My friend was nervous about SNUBA, but Nelson, who is the BEST, took the time to make her feel comfortable and she eventually made it down with the rest of us! He is so patient and wonderful. During the speed boating, they had different staff members keeping an eye on the track we were all on and made sure we followed the path.

Would whole heartedly recommend this tour! It was AMAZING! One thing that I would suggest that could be improved is to have a better projector or pull a screen down to prevent the awful glare on the instructional video. Thank you everyone on the tour who provided us such a great time!!!

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Adventure Buggies & Hoyo Azul review by: Jeff Clark

★★

Buggies are in terrible working condition. Not safe. Tires flat. No shocks. These are not ATV, UTV, Dune buggy at all. Not scenic at all. We rode through non scenic jungle, backwoods, dirty, smelly ocean. Not what was advertised. The excursion leads you to believe the buggies take you to the blue hole. Nope, you take the buggy ride through the armpit of Cap Cana and back. Then take a hike to the blue hole. Very misleading.

Blue hole was awesome, Michaelangelo (tour guide) was awesome; buggies- waste of time and money. Sure would like to know how to get our money back on that part of it.

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Saona Island Full Day review by: Jarred Cook

★★

While we heard rave reviews about how great Saona Island is, it definitely wasn’t what we expected. First off, the total length of our excursion was 11.5 hours, of which only 2 hours was at Saona Island and another 25 minutes at the natural lagoon…very disappointing. Pair that with constant interruptions at the beach from peddlers, and it wasn’t even relaxing. If you’re older or have difficulty climbing, this tour may not be suitable for you given the climbs in and out of boats and switching boats throughout the day.

You do get unlimited drinks but the cups are small, so it’s hard to stay hydrated unless you stay by the cooler. The boat rides were a little crowded and there was a constant push to buy more stuff…photos, souvenirs, etc. The lunch was ok. A large portion of the chairs at Saona island were broken, so finding a place to stay was sometimes difficult. The guide got off the bus well before the rest of us, which seemed a little disingenuous.

Overall, we just didn’t like the excursion and would not recommend it to the traveler looking for a relaxing day in beautiful Dominican Republic.

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Samana Excursion by Plane review by: Marvin D

★★★★★

Great excursion combines multiple experiences (advice at bottom): 30 minute private charter plane to Samana island, open truck ride through town, horseback ride over rocky terrain to a beautiful falls where you can swim if you want, horseback ride back to local home where you sample homemade hot cocoa, hot coffee, hot tea (I say “hot” because I did not have any issues with these “water-based” drinks), sugarcane, and rum.

Then watch a guy make a cigar before your eyes; buy cigars if you want. Then homemade buffet lunch at the house – they have picnic tables set up under shade. Lunch and drinks were included, no extra charge. Then truck to pier where you take a 5-10 minute boat ride to an even smaller island that has a private beach to swim. Crystal clear water and free beach chairs available. Be careful of sea urchins in the reefs.

Then back on boat to truck to small charter plane. 12 hour all day thing. Advice: I would just wear a bathing suit and water shoes to make it easier, snorkel gear if you want, bring a napsack, a towel (for falls and beach), snacks (starving by lunch time and on your way back to your own resort), some bottled water for yourself and your horse tour boy (they walk next to you guiding the horse on that rocky terrain, hold your stuff while you swim, and help you clean up after swimming), change of clothes if you want (you can change at the house but you will want to keep bathing suit on after falls for beach visit later in the day.

After the beach, that would be a good time to change to dry clothes at their bathroom), antibacterial wipes, sunscreen! (Several people were already red/sunburn after horse ride), hat, cash to tip horse tour guide and main tour guide and to buy local items like cigars, artwork, foods, coffee, cocoa and oils.

I tipped horse tour boy $10-15 US and the main tour guide $20 US. But it was nice to have cash to buy other stuff like local cigars ($50-100 US), cocoa ($5-10), and coconut oil ($5-10). You can keep your back sack with you at all times and holds stuff you buy).

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Marinarium Snorkeling Cruise review by: Carol C.

★★★★★

This was an absolutely amazing excursion! The team on this boat are phenomenal. They absolutely love their jobs and they go above and beyond to make every guest feel VIP. It was refreshing to see such a great team of people. They were attentive, caring and entertaining. This excursion is not just any excursion, just when you think the fun is over the team is taking you somewhere new or bringing you out to dance or blending up a specialty shot.

There isn’t a moment of boredom. My only suggestion for improvement would be better direction and assistance with the snorkeling. It was my first time and I was a bit lost, however, I could have also just missed the speech about where to go. Otherwise, this was our FAVORITE part of being in DR.

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Zip Line and Hoyo Azul review by: Tiana Madrid

★★★★★

Wonderful time! Awesome employees!

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Saona Island review by: Brennen Sietsema

★★★★★

Our trip with Sandro was very fun and informative. The photographer that went with us took some excellent pictures which we later purchased. We very much enjoyed the stop at the natural pool with the starfish, the speed boat, and the complimentary libations! Our favorite part was the beautiful beaches at Saona.

Incredibly clear blue and lush palm trees in every direction! The included lunch buffet was very good as well. The cruise back on the catamaran sailboat and dancing was very fun. We met a lot of great people to share our time on the island with, and just had a fantastic time overall. Thanks so much!

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Iguabonita Cave + Hoyo Azul review by: Jennifer

★★★★★

This was excursion was amazing. We learned a lot about the history and wildlife of DR. Our tour guides really made sure we were having a wonderful experience are were very personable.

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Punta Cana Jeep Safari review by: Donna

★★★★★

We absolutely LOVED our Jeep tour. Anya, Nio, & Marco are top notch guides who show the Dominican Republic in such a wonderful light. The tour gave us a taste of their culture traveling by Jeep, horseback riding, zip line, rolling your own cigar & an authentic DR meal at a beautiful private beach…what more could we ask for!

It was breathtaking and well worth your money! We highly recommend this tour for singles, couples, and families. Our daughters (12 & 8) LOVED the experience & my husband & I did as well!

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Punta Cana Jeep Safari review by: Kyla

★★★★★

My husband and I absolutely LOVED the 4×4 Jeep Safari. It was an incredible, fun day and we enjoyed every second of it. Don’t hesitate on this one. It far exceeded our expectations. The guides are amazing people and made it so much fun. There was more education than expected when we visited Cristian’s home and it was really interesting learning about local plants and fruits and learning and tasting the steps of coffee and chocolate making.

The horseback riding and ziplining were amazing, safe and were for all age/fitness levels. You don’t have to climb any rickety trees or cliffs, there are stairs! They took photos the whole time and posted them to their facebook page and we can download them for free. That was an unexpected surprise that we REALLY appreciated. Lunch on the beach was wonderful.

There was more road driving than we expected, but the roads are not very busy and it was easy. I would not normally be comfortable driving in a developing nation, but it was easy and the group stays together. It was worth every penny and I would recommend this tour to anyone. I loved that they keep it as a smaller group. We had 13 people total….our group consisted of teenagers to grandparents and everyone had a blast!

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Punta Cana Jeep Safari review by: Chad Otto

★★★★★

One of the best tours we have ever been on. I have taken several tours in all parts of the world and this is tops. Great service friendly one on one interactions. Super nice that it is a small group. We were lucky to only have one other jeep, but even if it was a full tour it still would have been very intimate. The tour guides took great care to make sure we were safe and comfortable along the way.

All of the stops seemed genuine and not a tourist trap. Be sure to bring along extra cash as you will want to make purchases along the way. The lunch on the beach was incredible. Really was the highlight of our Punta Cana stay! I would highly recommend this trip to anyone. Also driving the jeeps were a bucket list item for us too…check that off the list. Marco and Christian were so nice to meet and great listening to all of their stories.

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Bavaro Splash Speedboats review by: Chad Otto

★★★★

Snuba was a fantastic experience! Very nice that it is included as part of the total cost. The boats were fun. Nice to go speeding around the bay. The guides were very helpful and entertaining. Would recommend this trip to others!

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Punta Cana Jeep Safari review by: Sina

★★★★★

Amazing experience, lots of things to do, beautiful scenery, small group, great guides.

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Punta Cana Jeep Safari review by: Edward

★★★★★

Hands down best excursion in the Dominican republic small group guided tour of the mountains . Day full of fun and excitement and a small taste of many things from the horseback riding to zip lining in cigar manufacturing. A nice tour of the real American culture with out push to buy anything if you are inclined to buy cigars or farm products it is at your own free will. I highly recommended excursion you will not go wrong on this trip. Very pleasant and upbeat staff

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Zip Line and Hoyo Azul review by: Rachel

★★★★★

This was great. If you’re scared to zipline, don’t worry — the first few lines are slow and easy while you get used to it. The guides make sure you’re always clipped onto something (even while you stand on the platform to wait your turn). I was a little nervous going into it, but they quickly put me at ease and I had a blast.

Their photographer got some great shots (way better than the ones my husband and I took) and it was fun to come home with a bunch of photos on a disk. Definitely add the Hoyo Azul trip. The water was cool and it was shaded, so we could swim without having to keep track of when to reapply sunscreen. We had fun jumping off the little dock. So refreshing!

They say to wear water shoes but if you walk slowly and carefully on the big rocks leading into the water, you’ll be fine barefoot. Bring a towel — they aren’t provided at the park.

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Catamaran Sailing review by: Judith Erazo

★★★★★

The catamaran crew’s attention was really impressive! They assisted in every possible way.. Very friendly and knowledgeable. Drinks and appetizers were also good. I booked this trip with I Heart DR providing me with the best of their service and interest in us having a great time at the boat. Everyone was so nice and all the trips were on time!! Great job guys!!! 😉

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Cap Cana Adventure Buggies review by: Paul

★★★★★

The Buggy Adventure was a very fun experience. We were able to drive at our own pace. I would recommend bringing along a bandanna, as it gets quite dusty when following other drivers. The only suggestion I would offer is to allow one to purchase individual photos, instead of having to buy the entire album from the tour. I would highly recommend this tour.

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