rated the Grand Palladium Bávaro Resort & Spa as follows:| Cleanliness |  | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment |  |
| said: We arrived at The Palladium Punta Cana section after about a 30 minute transfer after dropping off at two hotels before ours.
On arrival at reception we were given a fruit punch and cold towels which was lovely.
Check in was super quick, we were given luggage labels with our room number to put on our luggage which we left in the lobby and an information pack about the hotel.
Our room in the 4000 (Room 4002) building was just opposite the main reception so we went straight there and our luggage arrived within a minute.
The room was bright and cool. We had been left a bowl of fruit and a bottle of rum as it was my birthday. This was a really nice touch.
The room had a separate bathroom with Jacuzzi and shower attachment. The main room had a large bed, a sitting area with couch and a table and a couple of chairs.
As well as air conditioning, the room also had a ceiling fan above the bed.
We set off to explore and found ourselves in the bar outside the buffet El Behique. This is the main buffet in the Punta Cana section and is where we ate breakfast and lunch everyday.
The buffet was lovely with loads of choice, and I was never once stuck for anything to eat.
The breakfast (our favourite meal of the day) was great, with fresh eggs made just how you liked, gorgeous fruit, cold cereals and fresh smoothies which were a treat.
We always found a seat straight away; the staff were very attentive and always served tea or coffee promptly.
We are early risers and did not want to waste too much time in our room so always got sun loungers by the pool and normally under a palapa. This was normally between 7 and 7.30. There were always stacks of empty loungers for most of the day; you just might not get under a palapa, but I never saw people wandering around or causing problems with reserved chairs, there always seemed to be enough
After lunch we would normally walk to the beach for a swim and a stroll. There were always lots of empty sun beds to use. The beach is busy with people walking along. We tried several of the drink huts to have a beer or a cocktail to walk along with.
We walked along to the market side one day but some of the vendors can be really pushy, whatever you do, don’t promise to come back as they hold you to it and don’t forget a face. One vendor was extremely intimidating when I walked back with a bag from another store.
The vendor in the store we did go into was very helpful and polite and we got a good price so don’t forget to haggle.
At the resort we used the train to get around as they were very frequent and saved us getting a bit lost, we had drinks in the lobbies at the punta Cana and Bavaro section, and both had entertainment.
We also visited Hemmingways on a couple of occasions but found it to be very quiet, it was very nice to have a glass of cold champagne though. Our favourite bar was the one outside El Behique restaurant and the staff were brilliant especially William who also operated the swim up bar during the day (where we spent most days!)
The ‘quite pool’ at the PC section was very clean, towels always available and staff very attentive especially the waiters who provided and exceptional Pina Colada and Presidente delivery service!
We had a near miss on the last day when the wind picked up and for some reason one of the palapa's snapped and blew over missing me by about an inch! what a shame, I could have spent a few more days in beautiful DR
Al a carte’s – we tried 3 of them Mare Nostrum (Italian), El Arrecife (Seafood and Grill), Mariachi (Tex Mex). Our favourite was the Mexican, then the Italian and lastly the seafood. The steaks were good at the seafood and grill but the service was not as good as the Italian. The Tex Mex had both great food and great service.
We popped into the sports bar a couple of times and tried the hot dogs, they were very nice. There were a lot of teenagers that hang out there so we did not spend too much time there, but it was good for a snack.
We only went to one show which was the Michael Jackson show, it was a good one to see, unfortunately a large group of very loud people thought it would be a good idea to shout and laugh throughout the whole show and spoil it for those sitting round them, they eventually left after I asked them to continue their conversation elsewhere, they were very rude which I expected so it spoilt my night somewhat.
We were able to change larger dollars into smaller ones at both reception and the casino at night which was good to know.
The shops on the resort had everything you needed from sun cream to Pringles and plenty of gifts, rum and cigars.
The staff at the resort do everything to make your stay an excellent one, the maids left beautiful flower arrangements every day and petals round the bath. The fridge was stocked on a daily basis, and everyone says Hola as they go past. Your drinks are refilled even before they are empty. They work very hard and deserve all the tips they get. They take time to get to know you and remember what you drink so sometimes they tell you before you have to ask.
Overall the resort is beautiful, the staff helpful and friendly. Some of the guests are rude beyond belief but that’s the same as everywhere and you learn to ignore them
We did not participate in any excursions as we were only there for a week and the pupose of the trip was to relax which we did in bucket loads. We did go to Steve’s bar to attend a TA Meet and Greet and met loads of lovely people and left donations for the ‘Beyond the Beach’ charity.
Would we go back - Most certainly without hesitation and were even thinking of getting married there next year! Watch this space.
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rated the Grand Palladium Bávaro Resort & Spa as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location |  | | Staff |  | | Food | | |
| Entertainment |  |
| said: We have just arrived back from a two week stay at this hotel. Having both stayed at a 3* in the north we were excited at the prospect of a 5* resort on the beautiful east coast.
The initial impression is impressive. The resort is enormous and very well mantained and the rooms are lovely with hairdryer, iron, satellite tv and restocked minibar. Not to mention a lovely hydrospa bath.Other holiday makers we met had upgraded to a junior suite and the rooms are that much nicer with a double bath.Although we had to move rooms in our second Week due to noise and our second room was lovely with a big round jacuzzi in the main living area.
The beach is truly beautiful although it was occasionally difficult to get a sun lounger as the spanish and germans tended to go down and save them at the crack of dawn before breakfast.
The food is plentiful and generally we preferred the buffet as there was much more selection and it was the same food as in the a la carte restaurants.
Unfortunately our holiday was marred by the very bad service we experienced by a selection of the staff. Eventually we had to complain to our rep about the service and had a meeting with the hotel manager. Even though we were told on arrival that you should not tip the drinks waiters in the buffet, it became apparent that if you did not you would get shoddy service and even be ignored as the waiters have learnt who tips the most.
We are a young couple who saved hard for this trip and could not afford to tip willy nilly where it wasn't reasonable to anyway. We felt almost bullied into tipping just to get served but stood our ground. When we went to a 3* we never had to tip ( apart from bell boys and maids on occasion as we indeed did at this resort) So beware, if you go to this resort have your pockets lined with dollar bills or you will not receive the 5* service you were so looking forward to.
Being English we also found we were in the minority, there were maybe only a dozen of us that arrived together on our flight and it is an enormous resort. A lot of the waiters spoke little English which would't have been a problem had they been polite, but you will find they are far more amiable with the Spanish.
Our final morning at check out was not pleasurable. We were accused of hiring a film from the room and after an hour of being ignored, and left standing while people disappeared and spoke over us in Spanish we finally proved our innocence after they revealed the film had been ordered before we had even landed in Punta Cana on the first day! We were issued with no apology and our final morning left us angry and disappionted. When you complain to the management they often use the language barrier as an excuse and you feel little will be resolved.
We will certainly never return to this resort or any other Fiesta hotel. Although the aesthetics of the place are pleasing the customer service is the worst I have ever experienced, in any country, let alone a 5* resort. We spoke to Canadians on the last morning who had experienced similar problems.
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Tracey & Alan from Watford travelled to Grand Palladium Bávaro Resort & Spa with
First Choice
on a couples holiday.