Palladium Bavaro Punta Cana

Came back from a trip last week to the Grand Palladium Bavaro Resort and spa.

Overall, I can honestly say that the resort is nice, well kept but way too big. Entertainment is inexistent unless you are willing to walk completely at the end of the resort. The staffs were OK but not too friendly, even if we try to communicate with them in Spanish. We were tipping them all the time but at the end we understood that it doesn’t make a difference in the service, so we just gave up. Even at the front desk, we simply had the impression we were disturbing them. They simply don’t understand what quality service is. In my book, it’s way better in Cuba at Breezes or Beaches in Varadero

Food: Was quite good, lots to choose from at the buffet. We went to the Italian, Asian and pasta restaurant. The best “a la carte” restaurant is the El reciffe (sea food) for both the food and the service.

Our Bar hasn’t been re-stocked every two days so we had to call for more water, we simply didn’t care for the one beer or soft drink. No washcloth in the room unless you ask for it at the front desk.

Beach: I am not going to say what most people wrote already… It’s spectacular…. Although Lots of people that wanted us to visit the other hotels or to sell us seafood restaurants reservations… A little annoying…

Water activity: The Catamarans are in great need of repair so do take the non-mandatory insurance ($5 for the whole week)… Just in case something breaks. The sailboards were quite old and in need of repair, they only had one decent sail.

Gym: Bring your own towel and the machines are quite old.

Night shows: Only went to one and it was quite boring compared to what I’ve seen in Cuba and Mexico

Excursion: We took the Saona Island tour and the Country Adventure tour. On the first one, the trip was OK; we stopped at a natural pool on the way there, snorkelled a bit. Once on the island, we ate a very good lunch and swam a bit in the clear water. BUT…. Be aware that on the ride back on the catamaran, the captain doesn’t stop the motor, even after I went to see the rep twice, they stopped them, only to start them again 10 minutes after and believe me, there was plenty of wind…. They just wanted to get back home as soon as possible. We felt pretty ripped of with this and our Sunwing rep at the hotel gave us all four a 15$ refund. It was nice but will not go back. So unless you want to take a motorboat ride, just don’t go.

On the Country Adventure tour, we went on a tour witch took us to a small school in the back country, we visited a local house, went horseback riding, ate a great lunch at the ranch and finished the day at a beach… What a nice tour!!!!! Please, Bring candy, books, crayons and clothing to the kids… It’s greatly appreciated.

Will I go back at to the Dominican Republic? Yes…

Will I go back to Punta Cana? Yes

Will I go back to the Grand Palladium Resort and spa? No… There is better entertainment and friendlier service elsewhere

Me and my partner visited the Grand Palladium Bavaro 13-21st November and it was worth every penny and more. The hotel is beautiful, staff are friendly, a perfect romantic get away. Didn't realise how much you would get for all inclusive, you get all the drinks and even the al a carte restaurants which were all superb, the only thing you don't get is the wine list.

The hotel was fully booked when we checked in and we were lucky enough to get upgraded, the room was lovely and there was everything there you would want with a massive jacuzzi bath.

The Grand Palladium Bavaro is a massive resort along with Grand Palladium Punta Cana and the Palace resort and you can use all the facilites in each one so you never get bored, the whole place is beautifully kept and the beach was lovely, definately one of the best times of the year to go,

The food was great, massive choice even if you're very picky, I recommend the Italian, and Mexican al a carte restaurant's if you want something even better.

The evening entertainment wasn't great, however the Michael Jackson show was a good laugh.

Overall it was definately the best holiday I have ever been on and will be coming back in the future.

This Hotel is excellent .

The grand suits were very well maintained and very clean. We had a brilliant stay, food fantastic with lots of choice, you must be very picky if you couldnt find something to eat. The choice was amazing. If you like the beach it was a picture post card soft sand and warm calm seas. There are lots of beach bars and resturant near the beach so you dont have to take your gear off the beach. The loungers were plenty and we bed hopped from one to another, same at the pool. There was only one pool but it was enough because there was plenty space and not over crowded. The bar staff came around every so often to ask us if we wanted drinks there were great. It has a swim up bar which had very pleasant staff. The night time entertainment wasnt up to much but we had company with us so we made our own entertainment. There was a show on every night for an hour which wasnt bad. There was a sports bar wich was airconditioned and well appriciated at night time and you could get pizza,chips hot dogs toasties etc. all in all I would go back

We were a bit nervous planning a destination wedding for us and 35 of our closest friends and family, particularly in a country we had never visited. However, our nervousness soon faded as we arrived at the resort. Simply put, the resort and the property was absolutely beautiful. We fell in love wiht the place before we ever saw the beach! The rooms were great, and we definitely recommend upgrading to the junior suites!

The pools were great, service was excellent and we honestly had nothing to complain about! And of course, the beach was absolutely gorgeous. We did read several suggestions to get to the beach early to put down towels and we did so, around 7 each day and were more than fine getting enough chairs.

The actual wedding could not have been less stressful! Carolina was the perfect wedding planner and she helped us plan every detail we needed without being to stressed. The day was great! We did get married at the gazebo even though we originally planned on the beach! We recommend this! You could not believe how private it felt and honestly the beach was just a little too loud with the crashing waves!n But everything was perfect. The photographer and videographer took us to the beach and everything turned out excellent. For dinner, they gave us our own area of the restaurant, no where near anyone else!

Basically...the wedding was perfect and we can not wait to go back to the resort for our one year anniversary!!!!

My Fiance, myself and another couple stayed here on Oct 21-Oct 28/08. I really have no complaints. Just to let you all know there are 3 resorts in one and you can enjoy all of them by train or walking.

The Food:

There was 3 buffets to choose from, they all have awsome food, and and lots of verity and In the evening they had theme nights.

They have 5 a la cartes you can go to all as manys times as you want and you don't have to have a reservation. i thought that was quite awsome. The seafood resturant you have to pay for lobster which sucked so we ordered the free seafood platter and it was not good but the steak on the other hand was wonderful. all the other resturants were great, you should try them all.

Sports Bar:

This is the only bar that is open 24 hours and theres always lots of snacks (nachos, hot dogs, hamburgers, and fresh made sandwiches).

Bars:

Okay there were 3 swim up bars so you can change your drinking spot. 3 lobby bars and lots of bars on the beach.

theres also a bar at the casino, disco, and they serve you drinks at the shows. The shows were all in spanish but they had some really nice dances, and the disco was pretty live for the first hour.

"NOTE" we were wondering why we were not getting drunk, well as drunk as we should have been; and this is because they water down there liquer. how we know this is because the SAMBOUCA wouldn't light. Other then then that there was lots of different drinks try them all. You can always order beer. The best bartender on the resort was Santo he could make a baileys from scratch.

Beach;

Very clean lots of space and chairs, definatly high light of our trip if you don't mind some boobies.

Over all:

This resort is well worth the money. The grounds were VERY WELL taken care off, it was like a tropical paradise, i would definatly return. Learn spanish it will help you!

This was my first trip to Punta Cana, had no idea what to expect. But I absolutely loved it.

Clean hotel

Great Service

Dance club on location ( private)

5 minutes from the best dance club in town ( if you are looking for a good time check it out)

Beautiful long beach- white sand

Great food

Numerous choices of buffets and restaurants

Flea market nearby

No regrets..I would like to stay there again.

Well first Let me tell you.

My husband and Myself, are travel junkies. We go away over 5 times a year. Now we knew Hurricane season was there in Sept, but we watched the weather forcast, and as soon as it was clear, we booked, packed and left!!!

Now we have been to almost all resort in Punta Cana and many times as well. This Hotel is fab!!! We did get the JR suite. Its worth the little extra. Hudge bathroom. 2 sinks, BIG HOT TUB, All very modern. The rooms themselves are just beautiful. The grounds of the resort are top notch.

Beach FANTASTIC

The food is WONDERFUL as well. They have everything in the buffett, and many special resturants. There are cosy pathways all through the resort to take shortcuts, so even though its big, you really dont have to walk far. And the walking is so nice as the grounds are so beautiful to look at. WE GIVE THIS PLACE A 5 STAR.

IF you book this Hotel I Promise you will love it.!!!!!

We booked our 8 day, 7 night Apple Vacations package to the Grand Palladium Bavaro (GPB) through VacationsToGo.com just a few weeks prior to departure date. It was a charter trip via Apple's USA 3000 airline, departing from St. Louis. Apple provided excellent service both in St Louis and Punta Cana.

As a couple seeking a romantic getaway, we LOVED the GPB and offer these tips to those considering the resort:

- E-mail the resort a couple of days before your departure to request an upgrade. We asked for a rom near the ocean and got one with a view from the balcony at no additional charge. These are few and far between so if you want to hear the ocean, ask for Villa 57 or 58. You'll be just steps from the beach!

- Come prepared to do some walking. There's a "train" that circles all three Grand Palladium properties every 15 minutes or so, but even with that you'll do alot of trekking to and from restaurants. The GPB seems to have the most restaurants out of the three GP properties - Asian, Seafood, Spanish, TexMex and a Buffett that has crepes made to order at every meal.

- Pack bug spray.

- Prime beach seating fills up fast. That is to say that if you want one of the "huts" under which to relax all day, you need to go put your towels on your chairs by 6 a.m. Even then, you'll notice there are oodles of towels "holding" chairs but no people in sight.

- Pack plenty of sunblock, floats you may want, etc As usual, it's all very ovepriced ($16 for a 10oz bottle of sunblock) in the resort store.

- If you have a family photo you'd like to have rendered as a sketch or pastel darwing, bring it withy ou. They have artists on site who will do so for $75 B&W or $95 pastel. Very talented.

- Hemmingways bar, located in the center of the resort, is a great spot for drinks. They have some premiums (Skyy, Kahlua, Frangelico), it's air conditioned and there's no smoking inside. very smoky in the reception area bar at night.

- US dollars are the primary currency. Bring plenty of ones for tipping your bartender, etc. Our Apple rep said the staff members work 12 days on, 3 days off so, even though gratuity is included in your stay, tipping is greatly appreciated and always warranted. The staff members are wonderful!

- There's a physician service available 24 hours a day.

- Gorgeous beach!

- Sports complex accomodates basketball, soccer, tennis, volleyball, ping pong, driving range and putt-putt golf.

The hotel was absolutely beautiful, and the staff was very helpful. They were all very helpful, and most seemed to speak English. We did have a problem with the air conditioner and had to have our room moved after one really uncomfortable night. However, we were upgraded to a much nicer room, and we were very happy. I don't know if this is a normal occurance, but there were brief power outtages basically everyday. They usually weren't a big deal and lasted less than 5 minutes, but we did have one that occured at around 8pm and lasted for a good half hour or so and it was so dark your eyes couldn't ever adjust to it. In addition, one morning there was a little crab walking across our bathroom floor, and we are still unsure of how that got there (we were thinking it might have crawled in my beach bag or when the maid cleaned the room because she keeps the doors open)

The beach was amazing! It was so beautiful and not ridiculously crowded. I do recommend going out early (like 6 am) and reserving beach chairs by putting your towels on them, especially if you want an umbrella. There are a bunch of little bars on the beach so you can always get a drink. I recommmend the banana mama, but make sure you ask them to add the rum if you want it because if not you will get a virgin one. I wasn't a fan of the coco loco, but my boyfriend loved it. Not many Americans there, mostly Europeans. One previous reviewer wasn't lying when she said lots of [--] lol so if you dont want to see that or your kids to see it this isn't the place for you. They teach dancing on the beach every morning and have a lot of fun out there.

The food was really really good. There are so many options at the buffets and for the most part the food was excellent. The salmon does have the bones in it still so be careful about that. Every night they have a different theme. Our favorite was the italian night. Also, don't worry if you don't like a particular type of food because there was always normal stuff like pizza regardless of the theme. The staff are a lot fo fun there too. They are always dancing and singing. In addition, most nights when you walk in the buffet the first thing you encounter is a girl handing you a shot of rum, tequila, sake, mamajuana, or some other type of liquor. While the buffets were all basically the same our favorite was El Behique. It was nicer, and the service was excellent there. Our wine and water glasses never emptied. We only went to one al la carte, and it was mare nostrum. They served italian food , and it was really good. You no longer have to make reservations for the a la cartes either. We also had no problems with getting sick or anything. By the end of the week however, I was dyinggggg for American food and was so excited when I saw the Wendys in the Punta Cana airport that I didn't care at all about the ridiculous prices.

One warning i have is be careful with the phones! We were not able to use our phone cards from the hotel rooms. I don't know why, but they just weren't working, and in order to even attempt to use them you had to call the operator first which costs $1 USD every time. We gave up on them because they were not working, and decided we had to use the pay with credit card option ir oder to call home. It said to dial *20 and that it cost 36 Dominican pesos/minute (which is about 1USD/minute). Well just the other day I checked my bank statement and was outraged to see that each phone call cost me $42 USD. I called the company and was told that every call has an immediate $15 USD charge, and that it is not 36 RD/minute, but actually $3.99 -$5.00 USD/ minute with a minimum of a 5 minute phone call. They said they had no idea what I was talking about when I told them about the 36 dominican pesos. The company was very shady, sounded like a party going on in the background, and when I told the guy that I could not hear him over the background noise he began yelling at me. They also kept asking me for my boyfriends credit card number which they had absolutely no reason to need since I used my own credit card. They told me that if I had dialed *009 or something like that I would have known about the charges; however, there is nothing about that anywhere in the brochure the hotel gives you. We were basically naive tourists, but I still think the company is a scam, because no where do they tell you that there might be other charges or anything.

All in all we had an amazing vacation. There were a few little tiny glitches, but they were minor compared to everything else. I would definitely go back again.

have just returned from this wonderfull hotel with my daughter we had a fantastic week which was sadly not long enough i cannot fault this hotel ythe staff are so friendly and our tompson rep heather was very helpful the saona island trip is a must if you only do one trip you must do this one its so beautifull also we did the snorkling trip to swim with nurse sharks and sting rays we had a room near the beach and it was claos to the pool also it was near the alcerife restarant villa 28 room 1236 its a bit of a walk to the reception but theres a road train that you can get on which takes you around the resort the weather was lovely and hot we had one evening where it pored down but the next day was very hot will definatley go back . if you want to know any more please feel free to email me .

I went to Punta Cana for vacation from Aug 17th through Aug 24th. This was a week from heaven !!! I reserved in The Grand Palladium Bavaro Resort & Spa for the week. The activites on the resort are great. You have a Discotheque which was not bad at all. There a shows every night & a Casino in the resort as well, I am not really into gambling but been there a few times w/ friends on the resort.

The food & drinks in this resort are beyond amazing. It was just great. There are more than 5 restaurants on the resport grounds and the food is AMAZING - breakfast, lunch & dinner are real good. Food tastes good & no stomach/digestion issues watsoever.

They have a full gym in the resort as well which comes very handy for workouts. Cardio equipment & Weight machines & dumbells. I work out regularly so this was priceless to me. Just make sure you wear gym shoes, because you will be kicked out if you are wearing anything BUT gym shoes (slippers,...etc).

The rooms are very clean, and room serivce is VERY attentive & very friendly out there. The keep the rooms in very good shape for the guests.

Make sure you try Pina Calada & the Coco Loco. Once you have a few of these, you wont be able to stop ;). Lovely! Ofcourse Presidente is the best beer ever :) which is readily available too.

Overall I give it a 5/5 for service quality, cleanliness, activites on resort, food & drinks, and friendliness of the staff. Make sure you get a chance to try out the clubs outside the resport as well such as Mangoo, and club "Imagine".

I am going back there real soon folks.

My husband and I loved this resort. We've travelled quite a bit throughout the Caribbean and stayed in only 4+ star resorts and this one was by far the most beautiful, most well landscaped & maintained, and friendliest resort we've ever stayed at. We spent two weeks here from April 27 to May 11, the first week being with family & friends for our beach wedding. Everyone loved the resort and a great time was had by all. The weather was amazing, with the exception of a couple of evening/very early morning showers, which is expected at this time of year, the beginning of rainy season. Our days were spent lounging on the beach & having fun in the waves.

The food was delicious at all the buffets. We tried three of the a-la-carte restaurants - the best being the Mexican Restaurant called Gran Cantina Mariachi. We ate at the Japanese restaurant, Bamboo, which was pretty good overall, but if you're really into your sushi, don't go in there expecting what you're used to. Arrecife was disappointing....the seafood wasn't as fresh as I'd have expected for an Island and out of the entire wedding party (that's where we had our reception), the only meal that was enjoyed was the steak w/Cilantro dressing. The seafood meals were awful, I'm sorry to say (I'm a maritimer who loves her seafood). But they did do a great job w/set-up and service.

Our wedding co-ordinators, Carolina and Maribel were amazing. Our wedding day was completely stress-free and perfect. It all happened exactly as I'd envisioned it. We were married on the beach where they set up an arch w/flowers entwined throughout it, a path leading to it bordered by coconuts and some chairs for our guests. I'd recommend hiring the musicians as well. If you go this route, be prepared for onlookers in bikinis or even topless showing up in some of your pics. There is a chance to get some pics without people in them after the ceremony though. There was a security guard trying to clear the area, but he was the one who ended up in some of our pics. So, you'd probably have to be more vigilant about it if it was very important to you (we weren't quite so worried about it). If you wish to have a more private ceremony, there is also a beatiful gazebo surrounded by lush trees & flowers where you can also have your ceremony, followed by pictures on the beach.

Overall, I'd highly recommend this resort for just a relaxing vacation or a wedding.

Returned From Palladium Bararo last week, we had read some of the mixed reviews on Trip Advisor - after we booked and although some were very critical we went with an open mind and looking forward to a great holiday.

Travelled with Thomsonfly out of Manchester, England, in their Premier Class cabin, excellent service, great legroom and comfort and a good flight, not impressed with the Aldo Zilli menu though!

Arrived in a very hot Punta Cana airport had the obligatory photo taken with two lovely Dominican senoritas, which we bought on our return for $8US. Travelled the twenty minutes to the Hotel on a bumpy but well Aircond sharabang.

Very impressive entrance and reception lobby, choice of chilled fruit juice and water available at the entrance. Checked in in record time complete with wrist bands, probably less than five minutes. Porter took us to our Junior Suite which lay half way between the beach and the lobby, where four of the complexes eleven restuarants are situated.

Suite was excellent, clean, comfortable beds, Large bathroom with jacuzzi which was good fun. A/C and fan, with well stocked mini bar topped up every day with water and every other day with bear and soft drinks. Clean towns everyday for $5 tip left every other day. Maid service was excellent.

Fabulous beach with plenty of loungers, although you do have to get up reasonably early in order to beat the Germans for the best positions. Watersports and beach activities were plenty and varied and we didn't find the beach sellers in any way a problem.

First night we dined in the La Catedral restuarant, what a fantastic choice of food, so good we never got around to trying any of the A la carte restuarants, mainly because my wife and 15 year old step daughter fancied most of the waiters, who filled the wine glasses after every sip. The range of food was extensive although I am sure had we have been there for more than a week would have become repetative, but then we could have tried one of the 9 A la carte restaurants. Le Arrecife restaurant by the beach, for lunch was also excellent with the same varied choice of dishes.

All the staff on the hotel were very friendly and helpful, right across the board, pool staff, beach staff, bar staff and restaurant staff. The condition of the hotel, the rooms and the grounds was a credit to the hundreds of people involved in the running of this complex.

The entertainment in the two theatres was okay, the Michael Jackson Show being the best, live music in the Lobby Bar and on some nights in the restuarant was good, we did not have enough nights to check out the other two hotels on the complex, next time definately two weeks.

I am usually a constructively critical person and found it difficult to find anything to complain about.

Only down side was a Thomson booked excursion to Ocean World at Punta Plata, the othe end of the Island. We went swimming with Dolphins and sharks, a great experience, although most of it is geared to photo opportunities. Our day was marred by very bad transports arrangements and lack of communication, late pick-up from the hotel, arrive at the airport to fly up to Porta Plata to find a plane with no fuel, arrived late at Ocean World and were rushed to fit everything in. Then we were rushed back on to the coach for a hour tour of Porta Plata which was not on our itinary, and then when we arrived back at the airport there was no plane and we had to sit on the pavement outside for an hour waiting for a plane, which we were told would be here in ten minutes.

All in all an excellent holiday, highly recommended.

I stayed at the resort with my family, we had 44 in total. The hotel is beautiful, the rooms large and the beach is one of the best and cleanest I have seen.

All was great except the restaurants with the exception of one WILL NOT allow men in without long pants. This is so rediculous as hot as it is there. The heat and humidity do not make long pants very appealing.

We really love the resort and the train that it offers to get around is fun.

HOTEL/ROOM

Very smooth transaction from Punta Cana airport to the hotel where we were met by Bell Boys who took care of our luggage, while we checked in & were given a much apppreciated cocktail. We then got taken to our apartment by the bell boy on a little buggy thingy along with our luggage. We where very impressed with our spacious room with king size bed, and a large bathroom, we stayed in block 21 room 1211 which is ideally located near a pool and not far from the beach. The rooms are air conditioned & also have ceiling fans. The mini bar is stocked daily with beer/coke/sprite/fanta/water. Towells were changed either every day or every other.

BEACH

The 1st morning we awoke very early and decided to walk to the beach to watch the sunrise. The beach is lush, around 7ish people started putting towells on sunbeds which had umbrellas, which was the same most days, we however didn't bother with an umbrella as you found in the afternoon, some people thought it was perfectly acceptable to invade your space and join you under your umbrella (spanish people) There are plenty of palm trees on the beach which provide you with as good shade. You do get lots of looky looky men on the beach selling the usual jewellery, hats, paintings etc. but they are not overly pushy and will generally accept a polite no thank-you, there is no need to be rude! The other sellers are the guys from the watersports centre selling trips, banana boats, parasailing etc. who are totally trustworthy and polite. The Kayaks/Windsurfing/Pedlo's are free on the beach for as long as you like.

POOLS

We found the pools at the Punta Cana/Palace Resort alot better than the Bavaro as this was very crowded & got loud around 4pm when the enteraintment team played very loud music for games etc. The Palace pool has a restaurant that provided a lunchtime buffett.

FOOD

We found the food superb at this hotel - Catherdral restaurant is buffett breakfast (so much to choose from) cooked fresh in front of you - omlettes/pancakes/waffles & the usual fried breakfast/pastries/cakes/fruit/cereals/yoghurts/smoothies etc.

This restaurant also does evening meal buffett which is a different theme each night, Spanish/Mexican/Oriental/Dominican/Italian/American.

There are 6 Al a carte restaurants which you didn,t have to book, and you could use as many times as you wanted, they have a Mexican, Japanese, Italian, Spanish, Dominican & Sea food, we only tried the Mexican/Japanese/Italian which are all fantastic.

At lunchtime The Arricife restaurant next to beach does a superb buffett. There is also a 24 hour air conditioned sports bar which provides Pizza/Burgers/ Fries/Nachos/Hotdogs/Popcorn/Ice-cream/Soft Drinks & Alcoholic drinks. There is also a pool table & table football for free use.

TRIPS

There are plenty of trips to do - the one I especially recommend is the Monster Truck Safari which we booded through our tour operator (Thompson) at the hotel. This trip you get to see the poverty of the country/a look at a typical dominican house and the way they live, this trip includes a meal, lots & lots of rum/beer or soft drinks, while bumping around on a gigantic 8 wheel drive, many thanks to our tour guide (Joselito) who was great fun & spoke amazing English.

We did another trip to Dolphin Island, where you get to swim with Dolphins/Sharks & Stingrays, this we booked through the hotel.

Our family of 5 stayed at the Grand Palladium Bavaro from July 6th- July 13th and had a wonderful time. Not sure why all the negative reviews suddenly at the same time we were there…it is like they were at a different hotel completely!!

Here is our family’s prespective (2 adults and 3 children: 11 and under):

Reception: they were very nice and very helpful, we were the only people inline at 10:30am tho. They did have buses full of travelers arriving Sunday night when we were headed to dinner. But they seem to have a system for this as they set up extra tables to accommodate the people. Our room wasn’t ready which we planned for. We finally got to checking in at 4:00 (we lost track of time while in the pool..LOL!) and dh went and checked us in by himself while the kids and I swam.

Room: we had a junior suite to accommodate all of us, and it was very roomy. It had 2 double beds and a large queen pullout that was already pulled out for us. The beds were comfortable. The room was VERY clean, very very clean. We had swan towel animals and flowers on arrival and again later in the week. It seemed very quite as we did not really hear our neighbors at all – except the day we both at the same time for breakfast.

I will say the a/c was broken on the Sunday of our arrival and it was hot when we went to try and sleep in the room, however, the hotel was working on the situation and sometime in the middle of the night a/c was restored. It was fine from that point on. Our did not smell or have bugs or anything. It was located a short path walk from the pool. This was also very nice.

Food: La Cathedral had a great breakfast where they served so many things. They offered mimosas on Sunday with breakfast (wither orange juice or guava juice) which was a nice touch. The made to order crepes are also delicious. We had lunch at 3 places El Arrecife – the only lunch spot in the Bavaro section, La Uva and El Behique. El BEhique had the largest selection and it was very good, a little warm at lunch but the food was good, and La Uva was cooler but offered less, it was nice to mix it up, we all thought so. Dinner we ate at La Cathedral most nights because of the themed dinners it was never the same foods and had all types of foood offered, beef Wellington, roast turkey, seafood, salads, breads, pasta, rice dishes, pork, also always available were an Italian pasta bar (we did not use this) and a grilled meat section (also did not use). So there was something for everyone. We were impressed with the food over the other 2 AI’s we have stayed at. The 2 nights we did not eat in the buffet we opted for La Uva and El Quijote. Dh and I ordered the same dish at El Quijote and mine was very good he however got the end of the lamb and it was dry my was completely the opposite. The kids all liked what they ordered too. La Uva was also very good and very different than anything at home. Everyone enjoyed trying it. The wait staff at each restaurant was very helpful and very friendly. Mi amigios!!!

Beach: beautiful!! Nice waters, wonderful sand, and love that they left the vegetation on the beaches, it actually is not as narrow as they say if count all the sand portion. It was more than enough space for everyone and we never felt crowded. I did go early to get a palapa, we wanted a front one with the kids and everything, and it worked out well. The water was great!! Yes, there were venders but a simple smile and No Gracias, and they were on their way. We did walk down to the hut area to buy t-shirts and we did not find them to be too pushy at all, actually I was surprised.

Pools: we swam in the Bavaro section pool, the La Uva pool and the El Behique pool. We preferred the La Uva and the Bavaro section pools, mostly because they offered some shade in the afternoons while in the pool. All the pool bars were nice and we never found the drinks to be watered down. One afternoon they were offering the kids cocolocos y chocolate…..it was like a mounds bar in a cup you had with a straw…very tasty!!! The staff at the pool bars was also very friendly and very nice! We never found anyone to be rude or not helpful.

Grounds: stunning!!! Very well maintained!

Kids club: we did not actually go to the club but they do offer an excursion for the kids every Tuesday they take them to Manati Park from 10am-3pm for free. My children did not want to go, they said it was too long of a day to be away. My 3 did participate in the beach activities 2 days and also sometimes played waterpolo and volleyball when they kids club came to the pool we were in. For the beach activities they walked the beach asking kids if they wanted to join – they would tell them what they were doing and they kids could win baseball hats and tshirts and get certificates. The beach activities were beach Olympics, etc.

Other: we are English speaking Americans who thoroughly enjoyed our week there. We speak some but very little Spanish. My children have had 30 minutes of Spanish daily in school since 1st grade, I took Spanish in high school many moons ago. But in our attempt to speak with the staff and understand was truly appreciated, and to be quite honest they did everything they could to help everyone. One day at the dinner a man did not speak Spanish or English and when the staff member figured out his native language he went and got another staff member to help the translation. I found this to be the case in most areas. No one ever was rude to anyone that only spoke one language. So I am not sure why this is a huge thing…in fact we always found the opposite to be true. I also noticed how appreciative the staff was if we walked our empty plastic cups to the bar instead of leave them wherever. In my book common courtesy should be used at all times.

We would definitely recommend this hotel!

The Grand Palladium Bavaro it!s EVERYTHING that anyone could possibly want in a resort-Location, fine restaurants, beautiful beaches, tours, power sailing, immaculate landscaped grounds, palm trees, exotic birds and pink flamingos, several pools, great service, friendly accommodating staff, plenty of free entertainment, casino, free shuttle service around the entire resort...What else is there?

Just a wonderful, one of a kind exprience my wife and I will never forget!

Language Alert:

You will thank yourself for learning a little working Spanish, to improve communications with staff and fellow guests, as English is NOT the dominant laguage spoken.

All of the main hospitality staff DO speak English, but sometimes they struggle with comprehension, nuances and syntax. Also, it is exhilirating to hear so many languages being spoken in the same place at one time-Spanish, German, Dutch, French, Italian, Haitian Creole, Swedish, Hindi, Urdu, English!

Health Alert:

Guests do a LOT of smoking-all bars, casino, most beach areas, beach area restaurants. Haven't these people ever heard of cancer? Or even second-hand smoke? As non-smokers, this was the only drawback!

Nudity Alert:

If you are offended at women occasionally walking the beach or sunbathing without tops and wearing thong bikinis, you may want to have a talk with your kids ahead of time.

Be Generous:

The average worker makes around 6000 pesos a month ($200 US dollars). Tips make a HUGE difference! They work at the resort 12 straight days, then get only 3 off to be with their families!

Be Respectful:

A simple hello (HOLA in Spanish) works wonders! The staff and servants are unfailingly polite, smiling and greatly appreciate being acknowledged as human beings! Remember-YOU and YOUR CHILDREN represent whatever country and culture you are from.

Please be sure to leave a positive lasting impression!

Can't wait to go back...

John

Well first off i would like to say that only the incredibly fussy people didn't like this hotel. not one bad thing happened on this holiday or at this hotel and being a 18 year old girl. i had alot to do and was occupied 24/7.

The hotel was beautiful, didnt see any insects (accept mozzys) the whole time i was there. the place was kept spotless and was run on a very tight shift. there is someone employed to do every job imaginable!

the staff, they were lovely. i cannot comment on how helpful they were because we did not come across any problems in order to ask for their help! if you are kind to them then they will be 10x kinder to you. if your fowl to them, they will 9 times out of 10 still treat you with respect! they are all lovely people!

i cannot understand peoples bad reviews on this place, i was terrified of going here when i first read these reviews, but when i actually got there i couldn't understand where they were coming from. if your laid back and go with the flow, just like the dominicans are then this is a perfect place for you!

the entertainment was ... ok rubish. but there were a couple of good shows. you have to check out whats on at both entertainment centres and decide the better one. the dancing ones are terrible (accept Michael jackson). we went to the disco alot and they played some good music, we had alot of fun and never got bored. instead of going to the entertainment some nights we just sat and had drinks at the bars and walked along the beach.

the hotel staff do not care if you are in the pool later then 7, infact they cheer you on to jump in the pool fully clothed at night time!

its hilarious!

the beach is beautiful, and there is something to do on there for every day of you vacation. its impossible to get bored!

there are alot of different nationalities, they are all friendly and if you are willing to socialize with them, then they are willing to do the same.

the food was lovely, i am a very picky eater, for example i dont eat any fatty foods any fatty meats, any bland foods.. and there is everything from burgers , chips, dounuts, to pork, salad, and exotic dishes. i never got bored of eating and tried all the restraints and they all offer different things.

one of my best holidays, i would defiantly return! i only got back 2 days ago and miss it already!

I simply love the GPBR. We arrived on time from STL. Our room wasn't ready (room 1141) until about an hour after we arrived at the hotel, but so what. We had a perfect location (close to the beach and close to all of the restaurants). This was our first time there and we were encouraged to leave our bags so we went at it. After reading the different reviews it's safe to say that some people are sort of picky and hard to please. I enjoyed the people and the food. (I must admit that I ate a little too much (indigestion), but that was my fault. We enjoyed the "tram/train". We walked a bit. Someone wrote that the tram was a joke. It was slow enough to take in all of the sights. I loved the people (especially the women) :) I was on my honeymoon as well. I picked up a few spanish words and phrases (some naughty and mostly friendly). I had a great time with the staff. The staff were very friendly.

We are an African American couple and we were catered to (not because we were AA), but because we were friendly and appreciative.

The beach was great. I loved the topplessness, despite not everyone being in the greatest of shape. Then again, who is. This is totally prohibited at any public beach in the US that I know of.

I loved all of the restaurants. The staff seemed to try very hard to please the guests. I actually enjoyed tipping. I am willing to bet that 99% of the people from the US can't get this quality of service in the US. You may get better food, but it wouldn't necessarily be over the top better. Let's face it, you are not at home. The beef may be "raised" differently, the seasoning of the food is different, you can't get Budweisers there (as far as I know). Loosen up spoil sports.

The people selling items along the beach can be a little annoying, but brush them off if you don't want to be bothered.

I AM going back and I will stay at the GPBR. As a warning of sorts, bring money and personal items (tampons, lotion, deoderant, cameras, contact lens solution, etc., unless you don't mind paying for the items at about a 500% markup). Am I right people.

Overall, we stayed from June 15 - June 22, it cost about $2100 altogether and all-inclusive (for 2 people). How can you get any better than that.

If you want better food and quite possibly better accomodations, go to Europe and get your pocketbooks in order........

We stayed at the Grand Palladium Bavaro Resort and Spa from 6/20 thru 6/25. We had two Jr Suites for my husband and I along with our four teens ages 16-19. We all had an awesome time, but wished we would have stayed longer! The resort is beautiful and the staff (servers, bartenders, and animation team) are some of the nicest people we have ever met! Especially, Viz, Iris, "Morgan Freeman", and Tony and the entire animation team. The grounds are immaculate and the rooms were very spacious and nice. The only problem we had was that the air conditioner began dripping water from the ceiling our 4th day there. We reported to the front desk, but it was never fixed. We had to put a trash can under it to catch the water, but it didnt slow us down any! The report is very large, but we enjoyed walking down the beach and then coming back by all the pools and stopping by for a drink. However, we mainly stayed at our pool at the Bavaro. The pool bar is great! The food was good; was very much the same as the buffets we had in Cancun at the Palace resorts. Just wish they would have food or snacks around the pools. We ate at the steakhouse a couple of nights and enjoyed the T-bone steaks. We tried to go to the Italian alacarte one night but the wait was too long, so ate at one of the theme buffets instead. Our kids absolutely loved the disco and sports bar. They met friends there every night and had a terrific time with everyone including the staff. The beach is the most beautiful beach and water we've ever seen. Hemmingways was a great place to go after dinner and relax in the air conditioning and enjoy great drinks from Viz, Iris, and Juana. The animation team all go out of the way to ensure everyone enjoys themselves and they are so friendly and funny. Our kids all participated in many of the pool games and had a great time...lots of laughs! All in all, we had a great time and can't wait to go back!

We just returned of 14 days in grand palladium bavaro. We really really loved the hotel, its great gardens, pool, and beautifull beach. The room, a junior suite was great, it was always clean and the mini bar always full. The restaurants were very good, with a wide range of diferent food, very well cooked! The animation team was very nice and did all the possible so we couldn´t be bored ever!! We loved everything and we will be back if we can!! We would recomend this hotel to everyone, singles, couples, and families. We already miss everything!!

I wanted to do alot of research for my upcoming vacation. I was going with my mom this year and wanted somewhere that would be great for the both of us. I'm 30 and she's in her 50's and we're both single and love the nightlife. What I found was the Grand Palladium in Punta Cana. My biggest concerns were safety and entertainment. Since there were 4 resorts in the Grand Palladium complex, I felt that there was enough for us to get into that we didn't feel like we needed to leave the resort.

We arrived at the airport and immediately handed over our $10 entry fee, had our photo taken (which becomes a souvenier for you to pick up when you are going on your return flight). It's really funny to see how pale we were coming and how dark we were going. Staff there were more than happy to load up your luggage and keep it off to the side if you needed to check in with a travel representative (we had gone with Apple) and it was really nice not having to hold onto your luggage while dealing with checking in. They take it to the transport van and off you go. We tipped at the airport and the service was well worth it. We took about $100 in ones and I highly recommend this. It's much easier than having to get large bills broken.

The hotel was fabulous. I knew when I booked that there was a disco in one of the 4 hotels and I'm glad I booked the Bavaro section of the hotel. It seemed to me that there was alot going on in the Bavaro section and the other sections seemed to be quieter. Bavaro had a lobby that always had people in it, the disco was in the Bavaro section, 1 of the 2 theatres was in the Bavaro section and so was the 24 hour snack bar. There is a free tram that takes you all around the resort but I'm glad we didn't have to ride everywhere to get to the fun places. Our room was a deluxe but upon arrival they upgraded us to a junior suite. Gorgeous room with marble floor and a huge jacuzzi. There was only one king bed which was a bit odd hanging out with my mom but there was also a pull out bed in the room. They have a feature there where you must place you key card in a slot by the door and the electricity will come on only if you do this. We ended up having one of the outlets that connects to the minifridge blow everytime we took out the key card to go somewhere. We figured this out on our own and simply switched around the plugs to one that was working. Bring an extention cord!!! They do not have an American plugs in the room except for behind the television stand. Also bring an alarm clock...there are no clocks there. We left a tip for the maid everyday and only had the fridge restocked every other day which was fine since we were drinking outside of our room mainly. There is however, what seems to be a shortage of washclothes. We received them in the beginning of our trip but after about 3 days washclothes were never to be found.

Our room was located about half way down from the lobby and half way up from the beach which was perfect. You will do alot of walking here but I enjoyed it and really didn't think much of it. The beach is gorgeous and we spent the majority of our days on it. As mentioned before, it is very European here and some do prefer to sunbathe topless. It's a shock at first but it wears off and some may even try it! We walked for hours on the beach both ways. If you walk down to the right you will run into vendors on the beach. They are very nice and charming. No need to be rude, just say no thank you and keep walking. It's a beautiful way of life there and everyone is happy and in a good mood. The hotel employs professional photographers that walk around the beach with different animals each day such as parrots, a little monkey and even a boa constrictor. You can have your photo taken with these animals and later on that night when you visit the lobby you will be able to purchase your picture for $10. I chose the snake and I'm glad I did because it was a great take home souviner photo. As far as the "chair game", we never had a problem finding chairs. But we preferred to sit in the sun as opposed to the shade. If you want to sit in the shade you may have to get up a tad bit early to find a palapa. But if you don't mind sitting in the sun you'll be fine. We found that after lunch most of the people left the beach and went to the pool leaving chairs open. Plus I believe now is off season for Punta Cana so it's not overly crowded but there are still tons of people there. I couldn't imagine what the resort would be like at full capacity, I'm really glad we went off season.

It took us about 3 days of our vacation until we heard someone speak English, which was quite a culture shock. But as true Americans, once the disco closed at 2 we all ended up at 24 hour snack bar to keep drinking. The staff there doesn't really speak a whole lot of English which is fine. It's nice to go somewhere that isn't Americanized which a ton of McDonalds around...and you won't see any fast food places outside of the resort either. It's truely unspoiled.

We did take one trip outside of the resort and that was the Outback Safari. We booked it right there at the hotel with our Apple representative. I highly recommend this. We took it our second day there and I'm glad we did. We learned so much about the local culture, local products such as coconut oil, chocolate, cigars, sugarcane, coffee, vanilla and of course Mamajuana. Ask about Mamajuana, its considered the Dominican Viagra but it's in drink form. We were also able to visit a typical Dominican home and see the Dominican "gas station". Check it out, you'll be able to purchase all of the local products. But make sure if you do take home Mamajuana, take it home in liquid form. Customs will not allow you to take it home if the bottle does not have liquid in it.

The food was very diverse. Since its mainly European they had something for everyone. There are about 6 a la carte restaurants and 3 buffett restaurants. You are allowed to go to any of these restaurants as many times as you want. The vouchers that they used to use no longer exist. So there is something different to eat every night that you're there. You can review the menus to the restaurants in the lobby. Most of the restaurants are open for dinner from about 6 till 10:30. At 10:00 the POP, People of Palladium, which is essentially the hotel's entertainment staff, put on different shows at the two amphitheaters, one located in the Punta Cana section and one located in the Bavaro section. They rotate the shows between the two amphitheaters. I agree with everyone else, the show to see was the Michael Jackson show. I can't imagine how much time it's taken these performers to perfect the show. The entertainment staff at the Bavaro goes over to the disco after the amphitheater show and dances the night away with the tourists. They are very sweet and love to have fun with everyone. Tony is the main guy for the entertainment staff and definitely worth getting to know. He will make your trip even more worth while.

I had heard about the local nightclub called Mangu which I found out was right next door at the Occidental Grand Punta Cana. I like to check out the local nightlife which doesn't get started till around 12 and ends around 7 at this place. So my mom and I checked out our path to get to Mangu in the daylight so when night time came we walked to the end of our resort, turned the corner on the beach and walked up through the Occidental. Everything is well lit and there is security everywhere so I never felt unsafe and it beats spending money on a cab. We met Tony and some of the other staff from the Palldium over there. It was $7 to get in, it's two floors and it's a pretty big place. The only downfall was that it was also $7 a beer for Presidente. I can't imagine how much a mixed drink would be. We didn't stay long but it was wild to see how the locals get their party on after dark.

With just us 2 girls going away on vacation I can surely say that we definitely NEVER felt threatened or harrassed in any way inside or outside of the resort. If anything I felt complimented and flattered. Everyone loves to talk and learn new things about each other. It's a culture shock but one's that's well worth exploring. You won't regret it and you'll never forget it.

GETTING THERE

We all know how major airlines are these days, and with that said, taking a charter airline was a

great move for my family and I. We took USA 300, and everything went perfectly. We took a 6 am

direct flight out of Cleveland, and we were sipping down drinks on the beach by 11:30 am. Unlike

the major airlines, our flight was not crowded at all either way. In fact, on the way back I had all 3

seats in my row to my self. The best part of all was that we saved $2,000 by taking USA 300 out

of Cleveland. Granted we had a 4 hour drive home from Cleveland, but we only lost about 2

hours, and the drive really was not that bad. So I really recommend getting a travel agent, If you

get a good one, they can find you great deals like we had. THEY CHARGE $10 PER PERSON TO

ENTER THE COUNTRY...so if you are going soon, don't forget! Other than that, Dominican

customs are practically non-existant. Just give them the money, they check your passport, and

just like that you're in. You take a bus to your resort. If you book through Apple Vacations, there

is a representative that will give you your bus number. One last note, there are a lot of sky caps

there desperate to make tips, and they can be very pushy...if you don't want them helping you,

simply say your fine, and they will leave you alone.

CHECK IN

The check in was about as effortless as it can be. Since we got there so early, our rooms were

not ready. So just pack your bathing suite and some sunscreen in your carry on, and hit the

beach while you wait for your room. We stayed at the beach until about 5:30 until we finally went

back to get our room. They drove our bags to our room, and we were all set. If you are looking to

book two joining rooms, I really don't think chances of that happening for you are pretty slim. In

fact, I'm not sure if they even have conjoining rooms there. My family had 2 rooms in the same

building, and that worked just fine.

THE ROOMS

The room's are kept spotless. However, as it is anywhere you go, the more you tip each day, the

cleaner the room. The beds are a little hard, but once again thats to be expected. Marble floors,

big closet, safe, his and her sinks, jacuzzi tub, and everything you could ever need are in there.

The rooms look out over the very well kept landscape of the resort. Trust me, you're not going to

spend a lot of time in your room if you go, so it's hard to find a lot of stuff to complain about.

THE BEACH

one word...WOW! I've been to the Caribbean every year for the last 7 years and this beach simply

blows everything else away. There is a reason it is rated as one of the best beaches in the

world. The sand is perfect, and the beach is very wide, and very long. You can walk for miles if

you'd like, and u can see a lot of the other resorts located on Bavaro Beach.. The water is so

blue, and is really breath taking. Now, when I was reading reviews before I went, I read a lot of

complaining about the amount of beach chairs, and chairs by the pool. If you wake up no earlier

than 9:30 like I do, you are going to have to go chair hunting. It's really not that as of a pain as it

sounds like though, and if you keep an eye out, you won't have a problem. I would highly advise

you to do some tanning before you go. Your tan will be much more even, darker, and better

looking when you come home. If you live in a cold place full of people as white as snowmen like

I do, all you're friends will surely be jealous. It is an a beautiful beach and you will not want to

leave! Here are some unique things that go on during the day at the beach: There are some

guys walking up and down the beach selling excursions. They sell stuff like snorkeling, and

banana boat rides. We did a snorkeling excursion and an ATV excursion through one of these

people ( his name is Miguel). Here is the thing about booking through these guys instead of say

Apple Vacations. You will do everything they say the excursion includes, and the prices they give

you will always be cheaper than the big services like Apple. In fact, on the ATV excursion, we

went every single place the Apple tour took its customers, but we payed much less than we

would have had we gone through Apple. But the catch is, the way you book, and get to the

excursion is a little bit shady. When we booked our ATV excursion, we walked with Miguel to the

end of the beach that is off resort property. Miguel talked to his boss who called "his boy" to

reserve our spot on the trip. Then later that afternoon, "his boy" came and picked us up and took

us to the ranch. The excursion was a lot of fun, and the point is that these guys on the beach can

be trusted, even though at times it may not seem like it. However, if you don't like to be weary,

don't book excursions through the guys walking up and down the beach. I have to mention the

shops at the end of the beach not owned by the resort (it's the same place Miguel took us to

book our ATV excursion). If you are not in the mood to do some tough haggling, DO NOT go to

this end of the beach, because these guys working the stores are sharks! They are very pushy

and simply do not take no for an answer. Once you have something you want to buy, negotiate

for the price. NEVER, EVER take their first price. If you pay 50% of their original asking price, you

are still getting ripped off! For example, A guy wanted to sell me 4 necklaces for $95! I ended up

paying 20. These guys are brutal though, and it takes a while to talk them down. Be firm with

them, and don't show any weakness, because if you do, they will smell blood, and then you are

sure to get screwed! If you are ready to buy some gifts, haggling with these sharks can be

entertaining, and you can land some great deals. They will make you feel like you have screwed

them, but trust me, you haven't. If they were the ones getting screwed, why would they accept

your price? There is a massive blow up slide owned by the resort by the resort on the beach as

well. However it cost $5 for 6 slides. Finally, beware, there are a lot of topless tanners, and a lot

of men in Speedos. You get used to it after a while. After all, you're to busy checking out the

beautiful scenery!

THE FOOD

I thought the food was authentic, unique, and best of all, great tasting. I'm not a very picky guy

though. To me, if it taste good, it taste good. It's that simple. The A la Cartes do not require

reservations. I thought the food, and the service at all of them was great. The Buffets are great

for every meal of the day. They rotate themes every night, so you are not eating the same food

over and over again. The staff in both are some of the nicest people you will ever meet, and if you

try to speak some Spanish they really appreciate it. There is a 24/7 sports bar, that serves the

basics like hot dogs, and chips. The soft serve ice cream machine was a big hit with me.

THE NIGHT LIFE

As I said before, I have been to Caribbean every year fr the past 7 years, and this resort by far

has the best night of all I have been to. There are two theatres to choose from that have after

dinner entertainment. If you happened to get called up on stage, trust me, you will be doing

something that will be funny for others to watch, but not so funny for you. However, it's all in good

fun! After the show, the place to be is the disco, especially if you are young and single. During

the day, it might seem like the resort is full of nothing but couples and honeymooners, but all the

younger singles surface at the disco every night. So for all my late teens, early 20s people who

are heading down with parents and friends, trust me, although it might not seem like it during

the day, you will be just fine. Alcohol flows like a river all night, and if you love to party, you wont

be let down.

EXCURSIONS

Contrary to popular American belief, you CAN go off the resort with out getting abducted. People

off the resorts are used to seeing tour groups going around every day, and they are not going to

do anything to you. As you read before, We booked our stuff through the guys on the beach. We

did an ATV excursion, and a short snorkeling trip. I'll start with the ATV excursion, From the

ranch we went to a cave full of water (went swimming in it), a few small shops, and a really cool

secluded beach. We went in the afternoon, and I think this was a much better option than going

in the morning. We left at 2 and were back at the resort by 630ish. The strongest from 10-1,

which is smack in the middle of the morning tour. Who wants to be away from water during the

hottest hours of the day? I had a lot of fun, and if you go make sure you wear old or dirty cloths.

ATVs are really cool machines, and I'm glad I did it. For families, I highly suggest this be father

son trip. However as I said before, the way they book it, and get you there, all seemed a little

shady. The second excursion we did was a short snorkeling excursion. We payed a few extra

bucks to have Miguel (the guy on the beach who sold us the excursion) to go with us, as the boat

driver did not speak English. They take you down the beach a few miles to a reef about half a

mile off shore. The snorkeling is not half bad, but I've done better. The water is also a little

choppy. The best part about this was that there were not other guests on the boat with us. This

way, we could do just the amount of snorkeling we wanted, then leave with out having to wait for

a bunch of other people. We saw some other snorkeling boats packed full of people, and I think

being stuck on one of those boats would have been awful. To top it off, we were paying less than

those people on the crowded boats. So my final suggestion is to book an ATV excursion

through a big name group like Apple, and to do snorkeling through the guys on the beach. There

were a lot of other excursions out there, but we had a hard time leaving the beautiful beach! I

heard the "out back safari" was great. You ride around through different parts of Punta Cana,

and you even see a Dominican school. We talked with a lot of people who really enjoyed it.

OTHER GUESTS

There are very, very few Americans. But don't let that alarm you. There are a lot of Canadians,

and you will meet plenty of people who speak English. There are even more people from

Europe, Mostly French, English, and German. If you only speak English, I really don't think you

are going to have much of a problem at all, however, knowing a second language will double the

amount of people you can talk with.

GOING HOME

Going home is the absolute pits. There is nothing good about it. There is nothing worse than a

4 hour plane ride thinking about how cold you are going to be when you land. There are some

important things you should know before you head to the airport. When your bus pulls up, the

sky caps literally swarm around the bus and get your bags out, because they are all out there to

make some tips. Once again, if you don't want help, just tell them you will take them your self,

and you will be fine. You have to fill out a Dominican customs for before you go through security

so be ready for that. Also, have your plane tickets and passport on you the whole time you are in

the airport until your sitting on the plane. DO NOT put them away before you get on, because you

will just have to get them back out. You have to show both at the gate, and at the stairs leading

up to the plane. The airport is all open air, and there is even a patio you can go to and soak up

the sun for one last time. Our USA 300 flight was great once again. Plenty of extra room. It really

made the trip home a lot easier....i wish there was more i could put on here...i have website so i could do just that...its coreygibson.com if you would like to check it out

We stayed at the Grand Palladium Sunday May 25th till Friday May 30.

This place is awsome!!!!!!!!!!

We had a junior suite Room 1434 It was beautiful! Had a jacuzzi, super king size bed, seperate sitting area. Very nice. The bed was comfy the room was clean and well stocked. They have a blow dryer, shampoo, bath gel,seperate shower, the works. The mini bar was well stocked and we left a note each day for what we wanted as we only drink Coke Light (diet).

The resort was outstanding, everyone was extremly helpful and super nice. A big shout out to all the photographers. The food was great! Ate at all the buffets. Great and beautifully displayed.

Please don't make a pig out of yourself. There is plenty.

Drinks are stependous!!!!

Beach is out of this world!!!!!!!!! Even the airport was great.

Please brush up on your spanish. communication is possible but you will be less fustrated if you know a little.

Also PLEASE remember to tip. They don't expect it but it does go a long ways to making there life better. We bought some butter while we were there.For one of the staples for the waiter we had grown to love, for a 6inch by 6inch block it was 8 US dollars and 300 pesos.

We are 30-somethings on a romantic escape. We've been to the Caribbean 8 times, DR 4 times...and have travelled extensively. We go for a little R&R and BBB (Beach.Bar.Buffet.). We were at the GPB from November 15 to 22, 2008. Hola senorita, uno pina colada, por favor!

We flew cramped on Skyservice and booked though Air Transat Vacations - Club Imperial. Air Transat local rep should give a better introduction to the property (ie services available, what is open and what is not, and when etc). We wore the black wrist bands and got the extras of a fruit basket and bottle of rum in our room, discounts at the spa, free 1/2 hr of Internet daily (Internet service is slow), 5 guaranteed a-la-cartes, beach-towel service in the room, and a private concierge who spoke good English. We were in building 4, room 1067 on the upper level. Despite requesting an ocean-view room with king bed, we got garden-view with twin (1.5 size) beds. I did get the upper level, which I requested!

Lets be honest: a vacation is what you make of it. You just decide to have a great time and you do... and you can do that here.

Grand Palladium Bavaro (GPB)

The property is beautiful, well-planned, vast and linked with two co-located hotels as part of the Palladium chain. It seems it was built into an area with a mature palm plantation with gorgeous landscaping, covered walkways, and lots of beautiful vistas - ponds, a "lagoon", 'forests', and gardens. There is birdsong and if you look carefully you will some great birds! There are pathways everywhere and they are confusing at first, but somehow they seem okay after a couple of days. Grab a map and expect to do a bit of walking - great after big meals. I thought the walks were very manageable and pleasant. This might be a seasonal thing, but there were no bugs! I am usually a magnet for them, so I was elated.

I love the style of the lowrise accomodation with lots of garden views, and open entrys. There are only 8 rooms per building and balconies are built on the corners for better privacy from neighbours. If you really want to be steps from the beach or have beachview, then you need to be in buildings 59, 27, 29, 30 or 28. I loved the garden views of buildings 58, 54, 52, 48, 15, 11, 07 but there is rarely a bad spot to be.

Your bracelet will get you into all the restaurants and bars on the property and there is a "train" to take you around the resort when your feet give out. I suggest taking the train around the whole resort on your first day to get yourself acquainted with the place.

The mix was Spanish, Germans, and French (Quebec? France? probably both) in descending order. The company is Spanish-owned, and this is a spanish speaking island: don't expect much English. (Of my visits to the DR, this resort spoke the least English, but most staff tried hard to serve you well.) Do expect [----] and banana hammocks.

Since there are 3 hotels: there are 3 lobby bars, 3 full size buffet restaurants, 3 more buffets at the beach, snack bars (one on the beach and one near the GPB lobby), 1 disco, 1 casino, 1 big spa, 5 kiosk bars on the beach, 4 beautifully landscaped pools (swim up bars), two entertainment amphitheatres, and a good sports complex. The spa has steam room, sauna and whirlpools (free access for guests) and decent prices on the usual services.

Room

I loved the room. It was well designed with new furniture, marble tile floors and a large wall of closet and shelf space (and ample hangers, iron and ironing board). We a couch and chair making up the comfortable and welcoming lounge area. The 2 beds, side table and tv unit (though we didn't get any channels - there are some pay services such as games etc) made up the bedroom area. The bathroom was great - marble up to the 8 foot mark (the room has high peaked ceilings), very clean with double sinks and lots of counter space, a frosted-glass shower enclosure, and a frosted glass toilet enclosure, jacuzzi tub and a bank of windows. The robes and slippers are a welcome touch. The balcony was beautiful and shaded from both sun and rain. The room was very clean overall; functional and comfortable ... no complaints here. I'll post pics when I get the chance.

Each room has a safe which is free to use. The electricals work on the key system... great idea. The air con is separate from this. Bonus - the room had an ipod docking station and speakers.

Despite requests and tips, I could not get an extra towel for my hair daily, but since there was evening towel service in the room, I survived.

Beach

There is more than one beach in Punta Cana, and this resort is on Bavaro Beach.... a long breezy stretch of white sand lined with mature coconut palm trees. There was a bit of sea weed, but not much. The resort has a good stretch of beach, but some sections can get quite crowded by mid-day and vying for a chair can be a search. We got chairs on our first day at 11:30am, so its do-able. If you want one of the thatched umbrellas, arrive early to "claim" it. We got one every day because I sizzle in the sun... but we had to be on the beach at sunrise (6:30) to get it.

The sellers on the beach were no problem and I didn't even hear any animation staff, so there was no pressure.

The down sides are these: ignorant tourist butt-heads use the beach as one big ashtray... leaving ashes and stubs in the sand, and ignorant Europeans sometimes "claim" their umbrellas for days on end by leaving their possessions on them indefinitely. I have watched the process: they pile a couple of chairs together, put some personal stuff on top, and then leave at 4:30pm only to return at mid-day the next day to claim 'their' spots. I think it would be excellent karma to have them find their things floating to Cuba and then everyone could have fair dibs at the umbrellas.

Bar

The GPB lobby bar is a vast area and the lobby is always bustling... there are people arriving every day. The staff here are less welcoming but are still quite nice (though I got a bit of attitude from a bartender on night 1). The drinks didn't seem watered down. The lobby bar is overly smoky since, in general, Europeans smoke like dirty chimneys and always have one hanging from their lips or fingers. (I am a biased non-smoker) There is a lovey patio beside the lobby bar, but I never sat there... too much smoke! In the evenings there is live music at the lobby bar.

Hemingways is the preferred spot with nice indoor seating (but too-high air con) and outdoor tables for the smokers. The bar staff and servers here were fab, they had some premium brands of alcohol, and it had good atmosphere situated in the gardens of the resort. The music repeated a lot but if they made this a piano bar, it would be a dream!

I can't speak about the pool bars... I never went to the pools. No chairs were available there by 11am.

Buffet

The main buffet for GPB is the Cathedral. It is vast with lots of choice, good food, and good service. The staff really do try to do the best they can to give you wonderful service with a smile. The usual fare is there every morning - sausages, hash browns, omlette station, croissants, rolls, fruit etc. I am sure everyone could find an enjoyable meal. One morning they were even serving champagne mimosas! They really make an effort here and the theme nights are fun - every night of the week was a theme like American, Spanish or Dominican night where you are met at the door with a shot of the 'theme' liquor.

Arricife is the buffet at the beach for GPB. I loved this spot with views of the ocean, huge windows and lofty ceiling, breezes blowing through it and outdoor seating if you wish. There is a grill for hamburgers, hotdogs or other changing items such as pork chops or veal steak. The buffet is plentiful with lots of options. Wine flows generously and sevice is good. You can try some spanish-style dishes and there is always some sort of fish or seafood.

The Sports Bar is open 24/7 for some average food across from the main lobby of GPB. It has hotdogs, hamburgers, toasted sandwiches, ice cream, and pizza. Its perfect for late night cravings, late arrival at the resort, or off times when you are rushed.

We went to the International, Spanish and Mexican a-la-cartes. Overall, the buffets were better than the a-la-cartes for food and service.

1. The International is really Arrecife at night. Great ambiance and great coffee. The service was awful as they were overwhelmed and the beer that was ordered when we sat down needed to be ordered 2 more times (if we saw a waiter) and then arrived in time for dessert. The food was just okay, uninspired and they never devein the shrimps.

2. Spanish is located on the lagoon and is called El Quijote. It had quite good food, great service, nice ambiance and quirky light fixtures. Loved the appetizer buffet at this one and the shrimp appetizer. This is the only one I would eat at again.

3. Mexican was also on the lagoon and called Cantina Mariachi. The food was mediocre and the service was so slow, we skipped dessert and left so we could catch a show.

We tried the food at the other properties and loved the glass-walled pool-overlooking Behique. It was a fave for lunch for us. We also enjoyed the big buffet - Las Torres and ate there a few times.

Sports Complex

We didn't see much of the animation team as they were probably at the pools.

I did enjoy the sports complex just across from our room. They have a lot of going on - archery lessons or competitions, air rifle target lessons or competitions, large chess, mini golf, tennis, badminton, basket ball, soccer, ping pong, and volleyball. The facilities and staff were great.

Service

I think I've said throughout that service was good by serving staff...and it was. Service outside of food and beverage can be hit and miss: definitely inconsistant. When the room leaked in the beautiful torrential rains, we called and asked to have someone come look at it. No one came. We used the garbage can and a couple of glasses and fell asleep to the tap-tap of the drips. (Don't worry, we didn't drown) Second night of rains... the whole thing gets repeated... again with a promise of service and no follow-through. There was no responsibilty or initiative here.

Front desk was rude and not helpful at all. When I called because I didn't get my beach-towels changed and just wanted new ones, I got attitude, then was told to speak to the Air Transat rep in the morning if I had a problem, then got hung up on, then I called back and had a chat with the supervisor after which the towels miraculously appeared.

There are a lot of things that are not marked correctly on the boards or on sheets ... like what show is on what night, or what restaurant is closed for lunch, or what time the archery instruction is at. These are very irritating when you have only 1 week to make the most of your vacation and plan your time around what is that night's show, or go dashing in the rain across the entire resort to find that the restaurant you were heading to is closed inexplicably for this meal.I only saw one show - the Micheal Jackon one which was good.

Written English on just about everything is horrible. It made me laugh and want to create a drinking game, but I would be trashed before lunch.

This is an all-inclusive European-style and tipping doesn't often get you better service. Though a small tip for really good service would be appreciated. Please tip reasonsibly - if busboys make more than teachers, there won't be any teachers left and we tourists will have created inequity and a shaky future for DR.

I love the DR. Had a great time with my spouse. I just want to thank all you TA users who take time to write reviews. They always help me... and I hope this one helps you. Have a great holiday!!

Huge resort since it is formed by several hotels. Works as any other All inclusive hotels I've known.

Food:

Food at the buffet was better than the average buffets I know in this kind of resorts.

Liked the Mexican restaurant the most.

Loved the system they had of giving you a disk which would warn you when your table was ready instead of waiting at the specialty restaurants for a table.

A pity that the restaurant by the beach didn't use that system and was actually pretty chaotic giving you a table.

Staff:

Nice staff in general, had a few minor problems with infos given at the reception (how the taxis would cost, asking for a room on the first level or having to ask for a towel on our last day because they wouldn't give us any at the pool to have a shower before going to the airport), but that's not that serious.

They seem to have a good team of animation but I can't judge that since I'm not really into participating in that kind of activities.

Very nice and cheerful staff at the pool bars.

Pools:

Good pools since you can chose between more animated pools or more quiet pools. The bathrooms here we always clean (in comparison to the ones near the beach).

Beach:

Positive aspects: always clean and with several bars where you could ask for a drink.

Negative aspects: too crowded which made it almost impossible to get free deck chairs after 10h. Going for a walk I could see that other hotels near this one had much bigger beaches and with much more free deck chairs.

Bedroom:

After reading the reviews posted, I wanted a first floor bedroom but that didn't happen. I stayed at a ground floor Junior Suite. The bedroom was good, very big bathroom. My complaints are that the Sofa area really had an awful smell of humidity and also you could smell a bit of humidity in the bed linen. This makes that I do think it was a good hotel but maybe a 5 star rating is a bit too much. We had to have the air conditioning always on otherwise there would be water leaking from the ceiling.

Excursions:

Can't say that much since this was not the first time in the Dominican Republic for my husband and he just wanted to go there for the warm weather and relax so we didn't do any excursion. Apart from the ones offered by the travel agents, there are several agencies looking for clients at the receptions, the beach areas and the pool areas.

Shopping:

They have a few shops at the hotel but frankly I thought the prices were "American public" only, or in other words, too expensive for Spanish people. There is a shopping area near the hotel (10 dollars by taxi or 10/15 minute walk by the beach) where you have to be prepared to bargain a lot.

Overall opinion:

It is a good option although a five star rating is maybe not deserved. Great hotel for people looking for amusement "Dominican style". Not so good a hotel for people wanting to relax in a more quiet place.

A bit of background: Four of us (two couples in our early 30's) from England travelled to the Grand Palladium Bavaro on November 3rd, returning November 18th.I will write the review in sections to cover everything!!

Check in:

this was ok, we didn't get an arrival party as most guests did, but we were only a small drop off, the staff were fairly friendly and had good English. Unfortunatley, two of us were upgraded, which was a little unfair as we had booked together and paid the same money, this also would mean that we weren't staying nearby each other, so we all decided to ask if we could be upgraded together, or have standard rooms together. They wouldn't upgrade all 4 of us, so we had standard rooms in same block. This was a little awkward, and feel that the hotel or travel company should upgrade everyone who booked jointly, or single travelling couples only.

Rooms:

The standard room was fine, we stayed in villa 72, which was a really central location and near to everything. The standard rooms were about a four star rather than 5 star, but had no problems, air con was great as was ceiling fan, nice balcony, very comfy bed, iron and board which was great, and the fridge was restocked everyday. Our maid was really nice, and we tipped her and the fridge man daily, this did not give us any better service, until my birthday, when the maid gave us and our friends great towel art, and made the room a bit special, she was very friendly.

Bugs:

We did not experience any problems with bugs of any kind, none in the rooms, and of 4 of us, only 2 got bitten about twice, when they forgot to spray the deet spray.

Pools:

Our villa was closest to the Samana bar pool, this was a really nice pool, clean and large, the buffet restaurant was nice too, much nicer than la Cathedral we thought. There was a further 2 pools which were the same design one opposite the punta cana pool and one towards the royal suites, but not their own pool. Our least favourite pool was Bavaro, still nice though, and you were able to get a sunbed at this pool. On the subject of sunbeds, on our first week we could get a sunbed at anytime, by the second week you had to be up by 7 at the latest to reserve a bed, this got ridiculous and management say it is not allowed, but do nothing to stop it, it was very annoying, as even if you got up, unless you sat on the bed from 7, people would just take your towel off and move the bed!! The beach was the same!

Beach:

The beach was lovely, not the place for snorkelling but you can do trips as we did which cater for this. The sea was so warm, and a little choppy which was great fun. Water sports were avaliable, my partner took wind surfing lessons with Stefans who was great, he paid $90 for two one and a half hour lessons, which he said was worth it. He also went on the Kayaks, which were free. We had food at the beach bar, and it was fine.

Restaurants:

The buffet restaurants were ok, they served a wide range of foods and for the most part it was nice, however oriental night was a bit rubbish. The buffets did wear a little thin after 2 weeks, but the food was fine. The a la cartes were mixed. We really liked the Italian, Spanish and Dominican (la uva) The food here was the best. The mexican was ok, just not very mexican, we didn't try Bamboo although it looked nice and the worst restaurant was the Arrecife, the staff were just down right rude, the food dodgy, and we just didn't like it, tried it a couple of times to give it the benefit of doubt, but it wasn't good. The sports bar is a good idea, just for every now and then, they did lovely chips. I must point out that all of us suffered in the second week with tummy trouble, but would also like to say, that this is bound to happen considering the heat, not drinking enough water and change in foods, we do not think it was down to the food or the hotel and feel that more people should remind themselves of the symptoms of dehydration and lots of sun before blaming the food!

Staff:

the staff were in the main fine, polite, good English and happy, however some were very rude, but you get that in every hotel.

People:

We met lots of people who were great, the majority of guests seemed to be Canadian, American, German and Spanish however by the second week a lot more English arrived.

Trips:

We went on the reef explorer, and snorkelled in clear water, swam with stingrays and nurse sharkes, it was great. It is a floating island where you can sunbathe and relax. The party version with alcohol and music is the marinariam, i think, this looked fun too.

shows/disco/casino/bars:

these are in the theatres, some were really bad but funny, the best by far is the Micheal Jackson show, and the horror one wasn't bad either. We went to the disco twice, it plays mainly local music, but will take requests, and is all good fun after a few drinks! The Casino is small, and not really my thing but nothing bad about it to report. Hemmingways is the nicest bar and they serve everything you could ask for! Just a tip, for any late drinkers/party people, the resort lights are turned off around 3am, and i mean all of them, you cannot see your hand in front of your face, if this happens try to get to a lobby, they wll escort you to your room, you will not find it on your own!!

Grounds:

The grounds are beautiful, and the gardeners seem to work really hard to maintain them. The little train is a good way to see everything, and is a great idea.

Sports/spa:

The spa is really nice, you have to book time here. The gym was fairly well equiped and has an instructor, but was very hot! I much preferred running outside, around the complex, morning or night, it was a great way to get to grips with the lay out of the place, this made a big difference to me, as i felt completely safe.

Weather:

hot, hot, hot!!! In 2 weeks only one over cast day, and rain twice, once for about an hour at night and one morning for ten minutes, which was nice. The rest of our stay was sunny and hot around 80 degrees/30, nightimes are also hot around 70 -75/25.

General:

I know i have waffled on, but people like to know details!! In general we would reccomend this hotel, we had a great time, and found some of it 4 star and some of it 5 star. It could have been a little better, but could have been a lot worse.

Thirty one of us travelled to the DR for a wedding during the first week of November. The hotel chosen was the Grand Pallidium Bavaro. Having stayed mostly in Mexico before we were looking forward to the change in venue. We were not disappointed.

The tour provider was Air Transat and our party had ben upgraded to "imperial Club". The rooms were great and featured a huge bathroom with large Jacuzzi, double sinks and a separate shower. The only problem?? And is seemed amazing to me that with the great room, well stocked mini bar, and the excellent maid service that the pillows in the room were tiny sponge pillows and only two of them. Not a complaint..just a surprise.

The beach was fantastic. I could only get up early enough once to get a palapa at the beach as most were gone by 6:30. A lot easier to get space at the pools, which were also nice.

The hotel had great wedding facilities and the day went off withouht a hitch. Wedding planner was there to ensure there were no problems. Okay the horse was sick so no carriage ride. Again that was handled with ease.

The staff were all friendly, well trained and always there to help out when needed. There was always a friendly Hola from the maids, bartenders and even groundskeepers, of which there were many.

Since every review shouldpoint out any negative aspects there was one. To be safe we ensured we booked the ATV tour with the hotel and when we did we were told that was lucky since you can't trust the beach salemen. We were assured the equipment was fairly new, in good running order and the tour wourd be fantastic.

When we got there we found that they had booked so may people that all machines would be be used and had only 4 or 5 employees for this large group. Even before we left the complex 3 machines were already breaking down with many more to be fixed during the tour. Some of the ones which didnt die sent smoke billowing through the countryside. If we go to the DR again this tour will not be part of thre trip.

Other than that we loved the trip, the hotel, the people and one more thing...

STEVE'S BAR. Try to make it there for the ice cold beer, Carla and Leticia, the servers and to spend a bit of time with people outside the resort.

Hope this helps...

Weather:amazing, even with the threat of "hurricane season"

it only rained one day but the rest was unbelievable!

Food: 9/10...very cheesey, great selection, great quality/quantity, dont count on good sushi if you're a sushi lover like me... it's not the same.... but all other theme nights were awesome!

Sports bar has the same selections though : pizza(awesome) burgers, fries, salad, popcorn etc...open 24/7 which is very convenient after the disco:)

Service: crappy lobby service, there's a pretty girl with blue eyes who speaks english & treated my boyfriend like SH** when he asked a question, I shut her up tho :)

Poolbar service is slooowww in the pool, but the dry section is pretty good...

All restaurant service is excellent!! Those waiters/waitresses deserve those tips!

Beach: stunning! lots of boobies tho so if you're bringing children, or are insecure & bringing boyfriend, you've been warned! It's not that bad tho, no one's bouncing around...

Disco: lots of fun! Great service, great crowd, very big so never too crowded!

Rooms: pretty good, little creepy crawlies on the floor tho ( just tiny baby ants) & we had a little friendly lizard livin on our ceiling for a day or two...

Excersion: we booked w a guy from Extreme (not affiliated w the hotel) so make sure the weather is good before you book. We almost got screwed, paid 110US for the both of us & the day we booked for the ATV excursion rained like a mofo & we couldnt find the rep or anyone to tell us it was cancelled so we thought we got ripped off. Fortunately, the rep showed up (an hour after we were supposed to leave) & gave us our money back. Our friends who we met up with there did the ATV & loved it so dont be discouraged, just make sure the weather is good before you book it.

Pool is great, very refreshing& the activities are fun & we won a few bottles of rum so we were pretty happy:)

It's a very big resort but once you follow the paths, you'll get used to it...

The a la carte: was pretty good, 8/10... service takes a while depending on how busy it is... desserts are delish!

Live entertainment is truely fantastic.... in the lobby & in the theatre... the michael jackson show is insane! Those dancers are talented! & the live music in the lobby is what we looked forward to after dinner when we just wanted to chill, drink, play cards or just have a cigar.... very relaxing!

The gift shops are ok, arm& a leg if you ask me so come prepared!!

There's a mall about a ten minute cab drive away that has cheaper suveniers but more expensive clothing but wonderful unique styles... called Palm Real...phone cards there are10US as opposed to 20US at the hotel ...just a quick tip.

Overall it was beautiful! I would highly recommend it to everyone!

Grand Palladium Bavaro Resorts & Spa Beautiful, gorgeous resort, if the food was good it would be GRAND.

Stayed 8/13-22. Only rain on Friday during the tropical rain storm. You would think that there wouldn’t be anything to do- but they brought some of the outdoor activities inside – Spanish, dancing lessons and games. There are lots of activities to do; you don’t need to leave the resort for anything- basketball, badminton etc. They have a kid’s mini camp.

Two shows nightly to choose from, best show - the Africa show, Michael Jackson good. There is also a night club, which opens after the shows finish at 11:00PM. There are six or five restaurants – we ate at three of the restaurants; seafood restaurant – bad; Chinese restaurant ok, Spanish restaurant – ok; my hubby had the pork dish at the Spanish restaurant which he said was ok. We have yet to have a good meal with the exception of breakfast after that it’s downhill; if the food wasn’t salty it was cold instead of hot. It seems as if they just recycled some of the food from lunch into the dinner at the restaurants and buffets. For those who think we are picky eaters, we like and try most things long as it is good, but I had to write about the food. This is the only fault that marred a perfect trip.

Breakfast had juice bar, many breakfast selections- native foods and American breakfast, cold cuts etc.; my hubby and I stocked up at breakfast. We tried breakfast at all the restaurants that served breakfast – and decided that the Cathedral was the best for breakfast and dinner; each night there was a theme for dinner at the Cathedral.

Best meal we had during our entire Punta Cana stay was not at the hotel, but on the Outback Safari tour – home cooked Dominican lunch – bbq chicken, rice, salad, fruits, beans, spaghetti. Tour was good and so was our guide was Omar.

Beach is ok; we usually went to the beach after 3PM when we could easily find a spot and beach chairs. You weren’t rushed as some hotel beach guys do to pack the chaise. The guy only took those that had nothing on them. Don’t know how it was during the morning at the beach, did notice that towels were left on the pool chaise with no owners in sight; which is the usually practice.

Our junior suite was nice, bed needed new mattresses, and the hotel is very stingy with towels only 2, we had to ask for wash cloths and got 2 more towels without any problems. The room did have a slight smell after being locked up all day; hubby said it was because our room was near to the beach. We usually opened the balcony door when we returned and the smell would be gone in a few minutes.

We both agreed that we really liked the hotel and would go back; we just wish the food was a grand!

Firstly, i would like to say that like you i read all the reviews before my trip to the Grand Paladium Bavaro and felt it important to share our recent experiences at the hotel too. My husband and I (27 yrs) booked this trip as a last minute holiday for our first wedding anniversary through Thomsons. We are well travelled and have visited various 4 - 5 star resorts (most all inclusive) in Cuba, Jamaica, Dubai, and Bali to name a few. So we had a good idea as to what to expect at the Thomson rated 5 * hotel. Here go's.........

Newcastle Airport Lounge.

Very quiet and peaceful. Well worth the £16 entry with with excellent ammenities and help yourself service for sacks, magazines, and beverages (including alcoholic beverages). Excellent variety and friendly service. 9/10

Thomson Fly (premium cabin)

Excellent leg room and comfortable seats. The entertainment provided was ok and the films they were showing were pretty recent. There is also games and other things you can do during the flight. I have flown with First choice and thomas cook premium and i have to say that although the seating and entertainment system on thomson fly was good, they did not really meet the standards of the other airlines, however.. the service with thomson fly was fantastic. On take off you were offered champagne cocktail and then the staff ensured that at all times through out the flight you were comfortable and had everything you needed and continously offered beverages. I do have to say however that the food was terrible. It did not taste very nice at all ( ad sadly i love airline food normally!). 6.5/10

Punta Cana Airport

The reason i mention this is that like the other reviews state, its a lovelly open aired airport that makes you feel on holiday as soon as you land. There are girls in Dominan dress waiting to take your picture on your arrival and you collect it on return. The service upon arrival was fine, however upon return it was awful. Far too many people and not enough staff. We waited 25 minutes to check in (we were near the front) and over an hour to go through immigration. There was only one security check for approx 400people and no aircon, The American girl in front of me nearly fainted. Trip to hotel on bus was fine.

Check in

Very professional, quick and friendly. Explained the resort and gave details on all services available and a map. We were then taken by a bell boy to our room. 9/10

Room

I have to say i was a little disappointed with our room, especially after seeing other pictures on trip advisor. It was ok in size and had a largeking size bed (which was solid and only had 1 flat pillow each), a dressing table and large wardrobe. It did have a mini bar, which upon arrival was empty. The bell boy immediately got this re-stocked within 10 minutes however. You got 2 x coke, 2 x beer, 1 x fanta, 1 x sprite and 2 x water. Although it stated in the hotel information that this gets re-stocked 3 x weekly, ours was restocked daily. The safe did not work also on our arrival but this was fixed on our first day. The bathroom was large and clean and had a whirlpool bath but did have a few broken and sharp tiles. We did have a major problem with bugs in our room. We came back to the room late second night and found tons of ants over our head board, floor and bedside tables. We called reception who sent 2 maids who used bug spray to kill them. They left the spray with us staing we would need it!!! and we did. They werent as bad as that night but there was a few. We think this was because we were on the ground floor. 5/10

Pools

As you can use the other Grand Palladium resorts there were 5 pools. The Bavaro pool was unclean and had large patches of plaster and tiles missing. The other pools however were lovelly and large with plety of sun beds however and all had pool bars and snacks available. Its not much of a walk as you may think. About 4-5 minutes. 7/10

The beach

The beach was very clean, large and beautiful. There were plenty of sun beds (not many umbrellas) and plenty of space to have some personal space. The water was really warm and clean and not too busy. There were lots of beach huts serving drinks so you didnt have to walk far to a bar/restaurant /toilet. There were lots of vendors selling various items and activities. Overall you can politely say no thank you but others use the hard sell. 8/10

Food

As we were only there a week we did not sample many of the ala carte restaurants. The buffet at a la cathedral was fine. There was a massive variety including and italian section, a grill where you chose your meal and they cook in front of you, a large salad and fish bar (they served caviar one night) and a health food section as well as other regular options. The breakfast was nice and again massive choice and they served bucks fizz every other morning which was a nice treat. I will say that after the 4th day i really got bored of the food. But i think it was just me. Neither of us got sick at any time and the ice is fine at this resort.

Bars

We absolutely loved Hemmingways cocktail bar. It was relaxing ad romantic and had a fantastic cocktail menu. The lobby bar was fine with professional service. The disco was fun and not as bad as you may think. The theatre showing the shows was large, but was very hot. The michael Jackson show was fantastic, others were not. The sports bar food looked disgusting but self servicve drinks was handy. The pool tables looked to be in an ok condition to me.

The grounds around the resort were gorgeous and well kept. It was clean and well maintained. All the staff were friendly and polite and were keen to make your stay enjoyable. The sports centre was great too and shocked us with the activities and equipment they provided. we did not use the spa.

Overall we really enjoyed our time at the Grand Palladium Bavaro, but i think it could have got quite repetative if we stayed longer than a week. I would recommend this hotel if you are wanting a relaxing trip and it is not a special occasion. I would not recommend this hotel for a honeymoon as the service is not very personal. I would rate this hotel no more than 3.5 - 4 stars. Please feel free to ask me any questions you my have.

This was our first time in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. And it was beautiful. We arrived at the airport; I swear we almost overshot the runway. It is a very short runway and the Airport is very small. But it didn’t feel overcrowded like most airports. Security was a breeze, and when you are waiting to turn in your visa two girls all dressed up with fruit on their heads, take a picture with you( you can later buy the picture on your returning flight home). After getting your baggage you will proceed to an area with lots of men holding signs. We just walked by them and didn’t make eye contact with any them. We found our travel agency desk/hut, and we checked in and were on our way to a bus.

Warning! Warning! Warning! These people drive like maniacs. They pass on corners and ride up on other cars about 1 foot away. I was very concerned with getting to the resort all in one piece. Luckily we did.

We arrived at the hotel and the lobby was beautiful. We checked in and were taken to our room. Our room was just off the ocean. We could see it right from our balcony. We also vacationed with my husband’s sister and her husband. They actually had the best room on the property. Their room was practically in the sand. We both booked the same room. The Romance Suite, which included a King size bed (which was harder then a rock), sofa, TV, large bathroom, with a tub spa, shower, and double sinks. Off of the bathroom there was a large outdoor hut that had a myan shower and also a hammock to relax in. Very nice.

We stayed at the resort for 7 nights. We stayed primarily at our resort. The only times we went to the other resorts were when we passed by on the train. The train takes about 20 min or so. You can probably walk faster, but when you have been in the sun all day and you have already walked all over the resort, the wait isn't too bad.

The pools were large and deep. The bar tenders were always nice. And there was always an entertainment crew trying to get people to do games and dance and things to that nature. There was a volleyball net, ping pong table, and there was an area for hair braiding, tattoos, and hand painted shirts behind the bar area.

The food...can I say blah. I understand that we are in a different country and that the food will taste different. But there was hardly any flavor to the dishes. No spices. I generally liked the food that we ate but I didn't love it.

We went on a couple of excursions. The first one was parasailing. It was $75.00 for each couple. The ride was about 15-20 min long. It was beautiful to fly over ocean and see the water. The second one we did was the Marinarium Snorkeling/Party boat. We were taken from the resort about 30 min away. We were greeted by orange drinks, and we waited a few minutes before getting onto the party boat. When we were getting onto the boat the music was loud but it was a good vibe. The employees were dancing and just having a good time. We were dropped off to snorkel and to swim with the nurse sharks. Afterwards we were served sandwiches and drinks. They showed us how to make the local drink Koko-loco. Then the boat dropped us off at a shallow spot and they served us drinks out in the water. This was a lot of fun and well worth the $75.00 a person.

The ocean was amazing. Very clear and salty. I don’t think I will ever get used to that. There were always plenty of chairs out and about to use along the beach. Everyday that we were there we got a pal Pala tree to lie under. It was very nice. My husband was always trying to catch those little lizards. There was a lizard that sat by us one day, under the sun. It blended in with the sand. There was a bar by our area that we sat at, also an outdoor shower to rinse the salt water off.

All in all this was a nice resort. There was always something to do. Great customer service.

Hola,

This will be a summary of our trip to Punta Cana with the occasional comparison to the Grand Palladium Riviera Maya. I wanted to get things down on paper, or cyberspace as it were, while they are still fresh in my mind.

Who am I? I am a 51 year old American male from Forest Hill, MD, which is about 50 miles north of Baltimore. I traveled with my wife and two sons, ages 20 and 18, to PC from July 16 thru July 23. Our family has previously stayed at the GP Riviera Maya (Colonial) in 2006 and 2003.

Disclaimer: What follows are my personal opinions/observations.

Departure: Booked an Apple Vacation through Judy and Maria's Travel (on-line...they have a very informative website) and I highly recommend them, and no, I do not work for them or have any vested interest. We left BWI on Wednesday morning and the Airbus A320 actually left the gate 30 minutes early...sweet...early arrival meant extra beach time! Flight was not full and had plenty of room to stretch out and stow carry-ons.

Arrival: Arrived at PC airport 20 minutes early; loved the open air design and appearance. We got through customs and immigration and were on the van to the resort within 30 minutes. Much easier and quicker than the Cancun airport. Ride to GP took about 30 minutes. Not much to see. The whole country appears to be under construction. My impression was this was not a locale where you would be anxious to rent a car or scooter and tour around on your own.

Check-in: Got to the GP Bavaro around noon. I had requested two second floor junior suites near the beach; got two 1st floor junior suites in building 42, which is between Hemingway’s and the Bavaro lobby. Oh well. Was initially disappointed, but not enough to request a different room, and as it turned out, the location was fine. Did I mention it was close to Hemingway’s? One room was ready immediately, so we dumped our luggage, changed into our swimsuits, and went in search of lunch. Found El Arrecife at the beach, ate lunch and hit the sand.

Beach: Ah, the beach. Lovely, and superior in every way to the beach at the GP Riviera Maya. There was a bit of seaweed to be found every day in the surf, and the water was a little choppy at times due to the sea breeze, but all in all quite nice. This was not the tranquil surf we had when we were in Negril, Jamaica ( I would rate the beach in Negril ahead of PC), but the view, and weather every day, were outstanding. As to the weather, my wife and I both thought the weather in PC was not nearly as hot, or humid, as what we experienced in Mexico. Every day was sunny and clear, with a nice breeze. The evenings were comfortable, and we did not notice any bugs/mosquitoes at night. Every day there are vendors trolling the beach with carvings, cigars, trinkets, etc., but they are unobtrusive and a simple shake of the head and a “no gracias” is all that is required. The hotel photographers also wander around with parrots, a snake, iguana, or a small monkey in search of a photo op. I went with the parrot, who happened to relieve himself on my shoulder at the precise moment the picture was taken. As they say, “priceless” and I have the $10 picture to prove it.

Yes, it is a topless beach. Not a big deal, and even my two testosterone-laden sons were matter of fact about it. Most of the women who went topless shouldn't, but to those select few who should, and did...thank you!

Room: As noted, we had two Junior Suites, one with a king bed, and one with two doubles for the boys. The mattresses were quite comfortable and we had no trouble sleeping. We found the rooms to be quite spacious, and the bathroom was really nice, with two sinks, whirlpool tub (which we did not use), separate shower stall, and separate toilet w/door. I am 6’ 1”, and one of my pet peeves when traveling is a shower head that is set too low, forcing me to bend over to wash my hair, rinse, etc. No problemo in the junior suite, as the shower head was height adjustable. Nice.

Wifey felt the bathroom could have used more light, say one over the shower stall, as well as an exhaust fan, but these are just minor quibbles.

Grounds: I could not get over how beautiful the property was, not to mention how well-maintained. The different types and sizes of palms, varieties of flora and fauna, all seemed to be integrated well with the buildings. It just seemed “natural”, as opposed to my recollections of the GP Colonial/Kantenah in Mexico, which also was attractive and well-maintained, but seemed to me to be “constructed” and not as naturally beautiful. Personal preference I guess. We found it quite easy to get around the Bavaro side of the complex, but did get confused on our occasional forays to the Punta Cana and Palace sides. We walked up the beach looking for the new spa one afternoon (whose location does not yet appear on the map by the way) and only stumbled on to it after asking 3 or 4 employees for directions. The spa is very nice, and we took a quick dip in the pool/lazy river, but did not avail ourselves of any extra services. The spa was not busy. As others have noted, there are two trains (green and red) that make a continuous loop of the complex. We utilized the choo choo a number of times from the Bavaro lobby to the Mare Nostrum ala carte, which is on the other side of the complex. The train takes you past the sports complex, the Punta Cana and Palace lobbies, the Casino, the Spa (so that’s how you get there!) and then runs along the beach for a spell, stops at El Arrecife, and then continues back to the Bavaro lobby. The train was always crowded, especially at night.

Pools: The pool at the Bavaro was nice, unless you have seen the pool at the GP Colonial/Kantenah in Riviera Maya. The clear winner here is Mexico. It seems to me the pool in Mexico is the centerpiece of the property, and that the rest of the resort was developed around it. In Mexico, I also liked the fact that the pool was much closer to the beach than in PC. The pools in Punta Cana were OK, swim-up bars, etc, but my wife missed the submerged loungers that she fell in love with at the Colonial. So, if this is important, go to PC for the beach, go to Riviera Maya for the pool. Having said that, we stopped at the po