I had the pleasure of staying here at the end of November. this is a self-contained village-like resort with 4 sections. Stayed in a loft suite in block 9300 of the Palace section. First time at a Palladium hotel but 3rd in the area. It is the oldest hotel in the chain in the Caribbean/Mex locations they have but to be honest there is nothing wrong with the hotel at all and most people that were there were quite happy including us. In fact staying here at the start of the higher season; all sections of this complex were busy with high occupancies. This is a huge indication that the hotel is doing something right.
it is located on one of the best stretches of the beach in Punta Cana, 2 min walk on the beach to a local market for some shopping, consists of 4 different sections which i will try to break down later and despite the fact that it is older - it is kept up VERY well on most part.
It is a large hotel but you get used to it and you will find that it's not so bad. The interconnecing walkways make it easy. Each section has their own pool(s), I didnt visit the Bavaro section or Royal Turquesa pool so i will not comment.My favourite two pools were the Palace and the Punta Cana pool (the one with the adjacent kids pool/splash pad). and not the one close to the beach. Each pool has its own vibe. Music is playing at each pool, with activities scheduled throughout the day but not too overbearing, swim-up bars have a nice atmosphere and have some restaurants nearby for lunch. There is a pool and a place for everyone--regardless of what you prefer to do when you are on vacation. The food is excellent on most part - you may have a night where you may not like particular theme (in my case mexican was my least favourite) BUT there are many restaurants to choose from and to be quite honest i really liked the buffet and the choices offered. You can go all the restaurants in Bavaro, Punta Cana or Palace section-not too shabby. They have a pager system here for the a la cartes which has its pros and cons but line-ups are inevitable on most part at every resort you go anywhere. It's either you lining up in the morning in the lobby to make reservations or you lining up at the restaurant to be granted a table the evening of. Either way you line up. What can you do? that is the only way to handle masses at all inclusive resorts. You can go to the other a la cartes and see which one can take you in sooner or you can go earlier and give it some time to get seated. My favourite a la carte was most def Japanese. Fantastic! One of the best i have been to. The Brazilian steakhouse was great too. Service is excellent everywhere...i mean you can get an odd ball especially at a buffet but dont stress about it. So what if they forgot to bring your coffee, they have such volumes coming through the doors to serve everyone, their heads are spinning. Go to the lobby and get a coffee there or by any other bar. There should not be any complaints about service here. I've had worse at better hotels in Punta Cana so i was quite pleased to have on most part happy service. Each lobby has its own live evening entertainment. Best part is that if you dont like one, you can go to the other by the amazing choo choo train lol which by the way runs all day long roughly every 15-20 min. They also have 2 amphitheathres for shows which may not always be open simultaneously but there is always a show. I preferred the lobby entertainment better. There is a lively disco here, 24 hr sports bar with fresh pub grub, pool tables etc. Again, something for everyone. Kids club looked pretty neat but the main highlight is the kids pool with slides. Bravo! My kid loved it. There is a huge sports court too for those that are active - very impressive. Best part about Punta Cana is the beach and with this location you hit a jackpot. The rooms are dated but again very clean and i personally had no issues. Major tip for the management would be to get the rooms updated with new flat tvs, bedding, matresses so that the hotel remains competitive with the rest of the hotels in the area. The upper level of the lofts needs some structural support as the floor are crooked and literally hanging. I dont think my life was at danger sleeping upstairs but it looks a little unstable. The rooms definitely need to get into the contempo decor like the rest of the hotels are doing. It would be worth the investment to upgrade the rooms to impress new and retain old clients. One negative part that i simply can't skip out on is the amount of vendors selling excursions on the premises. I have traveled to many resorts in various countries and i have never seen that many tour booths around the pools or people simply trying to sell things right at the hotel. Luckily they are not too pushy maybe cause i have seen worse or maybe because they are at the resort and have to behave but regardless it gets annoying after a few days. Some fellows at the beach are quite friendly and are not a nuisance but it's just a weird and uncomfortable set up especially when you want to exchange towels and each time you do you get questioned and lured into some brochure...come on! Mngmt should reconsider the set up of this perhaps. Have them in the lobby as guests enter maybe? overall i have to say this complex is a solid 4*. There is no such thing as 5* hotel anyway as ratings can be subjective to pesonal experiences but i give this complex a solid 4* hotel. If they upgrade the rooms, they can be a huge contender to hotels like Barcelo, Bahia, Melia, Ocean complex. Palladium keep up the good job! I would definitely come back because of the set up of sections, food, service, pools and ahh the beach.