My son and I stayed at the bavaro part of the grand palladium and at first our impression was that we just wanted to go home!! Before we left to travel to DR I had sent an email to the hotel requesting a room that wasnt too far from a swimming pool. when we got there we couldnt have been further away. I contacted reception and was told they had no other rooms until the next day so the next day we went down to reception and was told there was till no rooms and to come back the next day!! on the 3rd day we were offered a rrom right behind the one we had already been in for 3 days so i declined it, but was later told we could be upgraded for a charge!!! cheeky or what. i refused to pay and was upgraded anyway to a room right beside the pool (only took 3 days to sort out). We loved the food and often ate in the a la carte restaurants and our favorite was the italian and steakhouse although if you want dinner at the steakhouse without waiting 2 hours for a table you will need to go early!!!!

All in all our holiday was nice but was spoilt at the end when my son who is 9 was told he was excluded from the pool activitys because he was too small. I was lying on a bed beside the pool and heard exactly what the entertainment staff said to my son and to be honest he was downright rude especially as he had been included in all activitys for the previous 10 days, plus there were other kids joining in and when i questioned why those children were allowed to play i was shrugged off. It ended up in a big arguement and was told to go and speak to the management at reception. BIG MISTAKE. I probably spoke to 6 people about this and was told it wasnt their problem.
I eventually spoke to the entertainment manager and was told that as my son was a child he should go to the kids club. As far as im concerned we were there on holiday not for my son to be shacked up in a hut doing silly kids club activitys.

The weather was lovely although some days were quite wet which gave our skin some time to recoup. We travelled with first choice and ive never travelled with anyone else. we also travelled premium class which was the best start to our holiday (highly recommended).
We did take some trips and i would recommend going to the padi centre and booking direct with them and dont forget to haggle!!! Nadine speaks excellent English/German/Spanish and takes no crap which was very amusing. Highly recommend speed boating we went twice and it was fantastic. We also went sea fishing in the middle of a storm which was certainly an experience, it would of been better if the weather was better but we caught several fish. The other trip we went on was the deserted island (cant remember the name it was that joyful! not!) you are constantly pestered to but goods and the food was terrible with flys laying their eggs all over it. Also if your not afraid of heights go parasailing it was the best and you really get to see where your staying form a great height.

I wont be travelling to this hotel again although i wouldnt say i wouldnt recommend. if your on a budget then go for it otherwise i would say spend a little more and get a decent holiday for your money. Happy Holidays!!!

We stayed at the Palladium Palace in Feb of 2009 and again in Mar of 2010. The 2009 trip was our first ever and the thrill and excitement of it is hard to match. Our group decdided to return the next year to recapture that magic,although it was not quite the same the resort did not dissapoint. The grounds are clean and well manicured and easy to navigate. The rooms were clean and spacious with excellent room service. The checkin was trouble free and we even changed rooms to an ocean view with very little trouble. The frontdesk manager "Fernellis" was great and very accommadating. The beach was a little bit of a walk the first year thus the change to a ocean view the second time around. The Japanese and the Italian resturants were the favorite of the group with the buffets about average compared to other locations. The little ChooChoo train which travels the resort is fun and very conveinient for getting around. The only thing we found slightly annoying was the locals who were selling their trinkets on the beach would tend to sometimes follow you onto the resort. Overall it was a great place to stay, we may go back and see our friends we made there one day. A quick note on the beach, it was beautiful!! We had miles of sand with soft crashing surf every morning to look at with that delicious Dominican coffee. The pool was also nice and the bar service very good. The loungers were a mad grab in the morning but we managed to get enough.
PS, does anybody have any info on the Tryp Peninusla Varadero Cuba? It seems hard to get info on this. We are going for a wedding in April. thanks and happy travels!

Second time staying at the Palladium Palace. Stayed from November 29th thru December 8th 2012. The resort is kept very clean and is beautiful. I will say that if you want daytime activities, stay at the Punta Cana section. The buffets are good with a selection that should accommodate everyone. If you want a larger selection try the Bavaro buffet. The lobby bar is good and has some of the friendliest bar tenders, Carlos, Rosa and Henry will make your evening. You will never have an empty glass. During the day check out the pool bar, William will make your day. All of the staff at the resort are very friendly and are there to assist you.

The rooms are clean and comfortable. The maid service is adequate, if you want an earlier clean time you can request it. Remember to tip them.

Don’t waste your time going to the Mexican restaurant. The appetizers are the only thing Mexican in the place. The service is horrible, the place was empty and we waited an hour for the appetizers and an additional hour for our dinners.

Warning: the Casino is not part of the all-inclusive anymore. If you want to have a drink and you are not gambling it is a cash bar.

The pathways are very slippery when wet so be careful. The hotel needs to repaint them and add some type of non-slip material, like sand.

They need to add some upgraded liquor to the lobby bar. They only serve scotch.

All in all had a great time and will return again.

Be on the lookout for 2 attractive ladies dressed up like school girls.

Been to Gran Palladium Palace, 12-12-2012 until 22-12-2012.
Me, Husband and 3 year-old daughter.

Room: Loft Suite, Building 96, Room 19.

Great weather: sunny, no wind, warm but not too hot. Last day rained a lot, really a downpour but no problem.

This was our second time to this Resort, again to the Palace Section. We were supposed to go to the Punta Cana side this time, but we then decided to change as at the Palace we would be, for sure, closer to the beach. We were happy with our decision as the beach at the Palace section, was much better, IMO. Wider and less people, although the beach in general was not crowded at all.

Again, we spent an excellent time. Woke up around 7, went to the beach and had time enough to pick a palapa, read or walked for a while and then headed to the Buffet Breakfast.
We had no problem in finding Palapas and even at 09:00 – 10:00 they would be available.
The food was quite good for an AI, although after the first couple of days tends to be a little repetitive, at least for breakfast and lunch.

We stood most of our time at the beach, reading, swimming and playing games with the “POP” crowd and other guests. Also played volleyball but not as much as in our previous stay, which was memorable. The “Animación” Team was very professional: Evelyn, Pedro, Alexander, Juan, Aureliana and so many others. Always working hard and trying to their best for people to have fun. We did! They were not pushy at all but always invited guest to participate in the games. We won the beach games 6x.. and went to the Theatre “Merengue” at night to receive our prizes.. bottles of rum or coffee... nice!

The Animation Team started at the beach during the morning by 10:00 and after lunch (+-15:00) headed to the pool. They were hosting the shows too at 21:45h.. a long journey’s work.

The shows at the “Merengue” were exceptionally good. We have been to many resorts in the Caribbean and the Palladium was excellent, only comparable to the ones we had in Occidental Flamingo Xcaret in Mexico. I was really impressed with the Michael Jackson show.

We were a little disappointed with the Kids’ Club. Went there with my daughter one afternoon... of course there was the “language” barrier but the 2 girls that were there didn’t even made an effort in approaching us. There were other elderly children also playing on their own. Maybe we were unlucky that time and there are other more active employees but after hearing a lot about the Pirate’s spot and the Club would expect more. Last January we were at Bavaro Princess and the girl that took care of the children’s activities (by her own) was amazing and always trying interesting things and activities. Hope I am not being unfair, but this was what we have experienced.

I cannot add much more to our previous review to this amazing complex... have tried many others hotels, namely GBP Esmeralda and Ambar (which are supposedly to be a notch higher, comparable maybe only to the Royal Suites Turquesa by Palladium) but even comparing it with the “Palace” section I would say the Gran Palladium would win: equivalent food, better involvement/ambience/vibe an much better beach. So wide... 980 m. The Gran Bahia is so crowded... half the beach for the same size, more or less. The only thing the Bahia would win would be the rooms.. they are newer comparable to the rooms at the Palace section (Bavaro section has been all refurbished by now and the rooms look nice). The Palace rooms are not new but we were quite comfortable. Our Loft was wide and adequate... maybe in 1 or 2 years they will refurbish.

Would we return? Definitely. The only problem is that there are not many TourReps selling the hotel from out of Portugal.

Will be pleased to answer questions, if any.