TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

I won a trip here and was given the choice of the 4 resorts on the property. After two months of back and forth emails, I was not able to choose the resort I wanted and the dates I wanted. They forced us to take the trip 2 months after our requested date and they stuck us in the older part of the resort compared to the nicer spots. When we arrived, they did not have our confirmation and had issues trying to access my email cause I’m in another country and can’t receive texts. Then was harassed by two different men from two companies trying to “schedule a meeting” to book excursions. Then when we were on our way to our room with our suitcases, a man put necklaces on us to “welcome” us but it was just scam to pay $5. Really annoyed at our arrival so far. Very scammy. Room was nice except the glass bathroom door which gave absolutely no privacy for me and my mom. There’s also a glass shower door into the room so no privacy. Tried to hang a towel to shower. Also when someone turns on the light to the bathroom at night or morning, the whole room lights up cause of the glass door. Hate that. Biggest issue was the drinks. Instead of real pineapple/passion fruit juice, they give you a sugary fake alternative that didn’t taste anything like the real juice. They also water down their booze as I never got a buzz once on my trip and could never smell alcohol in my drinks. Learned the nicer part of the resort had real drinks with real juice, garnished and alcohol. Food at buffets were good but getting a reservation at the restaurant was hard. Then when you show up to the “fully booked” restaurant, it’s half empty. Italian restaurant had good food but the atmosphere was lacking. Empty room with dated furniture. Mexican restaurant was the worst. The menu did not match the food we received. Like at all. Ordered the flan and got an apple cake. Ordered the mole with veggies/dumplings and got a chicken and rice. Tried to show them the food didn’t match the menu but they didn’t understand. Did not eat a bite here. Also took two hours for our food. Entertainment was ok. I don’t care for cover bands, I’d rather see Dominican cultural dances with costumes. But the professional dancers were great. Very scammy. Went on the monkey land and was told by the hotel concierge it would be 4 hrs. It ended up being 6.5 hrs and missed our dinner reservations. People are coming up to you on the beach, poll to sell stuff every few minutes. Was happy to leave and go home.

PLEASE DO NOT BOOK. Avoid this resort if you value your time, your safety, and your peace of mind. The employees here are extremely unprofessional and the sale tactics are nonstop, you WILL NOT enjoy yourself here. What was supposed to be a free massage turned into a 5-hour high-pressure sales trap that completely ruined our vacation. We were approached by Rodolfo, who told us we were getting a free massage for being VIP guests and “beautiful women.” There was ZERO mention that this was actually a sales presentation. We genuinely thought this was part of the travel we booked through TrueBlue/Expedia. From the very beginning, we were repeatedly offered alcohol and subjected to unwanted, inappropriate comments that made us extremely uncomfortable. We were then kept for nearly 5 hours and pressured nonstop despite clearly saying we were not interested. We canceled the SAME DAY within the rescission period after realizing what was happening. Despite this, we were still charged and have received no meaningful follow-up. The sales people are EVERYWHERE—excursions, massages, walking around the resort, you can’t even turn a corner without being stopped. They do not take no for an answer. It is not peaceful at all. There is also very little entertainment. There are no shows during the day, and the only show they promote (“CHIC”) costs extra. The drinks are also watered down. When we tried to resolve the situation, we were told we had to come back in person, even though we already had excursions planned before our flight. The assigned Verification Officer, Angela Medrano, responded with “OK!” and then completely disappeared with no assistance. This experience was misleading, uncomfortable, and extremely unprofessional. It completely ruined our trip. Avoid this resort if you value your time, your safety, and your peace of mind.

We recently stayed at the Grand Palladium Punta Cana for a family holiday and overall we did have a lovely time together. The location, weather, and opportunity to relax as a family made it a memorable break, and there were certainly positive moments throughout our stay. However, there were a number of issues that affected our experience and are worth highlighting: Unfortunately, our room was not cleaned on two occasions, and the fridge was not restocked (including water) unless we called each day to request it which we thought was appalling considering how hot it was. We also experienced several maintenance problems — the toilet roll holder was hanging off the wall, the toilet itself was broken and continuously running despite a visit from a plumber, and the shower constantly dripped, to the point we had to place a towel down at night due to the noise. Additionally, the design of the bath made it very difficult to turn on the water without stepping into it first, which felt impractical. Housekeeping standards also seemed inconsistent, as we found someone else’s dress left under the bed on arrival, and the sofa bed had not been made up for us even though we requested it. Even after leaving a decent couple of tips, the housekeeping didn't improve and the sofa bed never got made. Around the hotel, we found the constant selling and pressure from staff quite overwhelming. From the moment we arrived, there was a strong push to attend a tour aimed at selling shares, and throughout our stay we were frequently approached to buy additional services. There are people selling things all around the pools and restaurants which made us feel very uncomfortable and pressured into buying things. It did feel excessive and detracted from being able to fully relax. We also felt that tipping was expected for almost every interaction, which became uncomfortable. Dining was another area that could be improved. My wife is gluten free, and unfortunately none of the buffet items were clearly labelled with ingredients, making it difficult for her to eat with confidence. Luckily, one of the chef's was brilliant and gave her a tour of the buffet each night to show her what she can have. We also had issues with excursions. We booked a tube ride through the dive centre, only to be told they didn’t actually have one available at the hotel. After waiting four days and requesting a refund, one was eventually sourced from another hotel. Similarly, we booked a speedboat trip, but on arrival were told there were no boats available and had to travel to another beach instead. Additionally, the two trips we booked through TUI attempted to charge very high prices for photos, which felt unreasonable. They did reduce the price by 50% after haggling but it was still astronomical. We booked this holiday around a year before departure and at the time, we had access to all hotels within the complex. We received an email from Tui around 6 months later saying we no longer have access to the Bavaro side, which after visiting, we realised they have spent a lot of money revamping that side of the hotel. They are obviously selling this side as a premium for more money. We did complain to Tui at the time who offered a refund but there were no options to re-book another holiday for the price we paid. While we genuinely enjoyed spending time together as a family and appreciated parts of the holiday, these issues did impact our overall experience. We have been to the Dominican Republic a few times now as well as various other destinations in the Caribbean and in all honesty, there are a lot nicer hotels out there that reflect 5* status.

We had a great stay at Grand Palladium Punta Cana Resort & Spa. The pools were fun with great music throughout the day, and the service was consistently excellent. The staff was friendly, welcoming, and always willing to help, which made the experience feel very relaxing and enjoyable. The buffets had a huge variety of options, so there was always something good to eat, and the nighttime entertainment kept things lively. There were also plenty of bars around the resort, which made it easy to grab a drink and enjoy different areas of the property. The beach was one of the highlights — beautiful white sand, calm waves, and a perfect spot to relax. The only downside was that reservations for the à la carte restaurants could be difficult to secure, so it’s best to plan ahead. A special shoutout to Janiel Vincente and Joselo at the bar — they were incredibly fun, friendly, and truly made the experience even better. Their energy and service stood out and added a lot to our trip.

The entertainment its so good i love the enegy so great tutti frutti Margarita the bar joselo Francisco vicente Ramon santa janiel