My boyfriend and I visited Punta Cana in April of 2008. We had the most wonderful vacation so I thought I would share our experience with others so that you too can enjoy this lovely resort!

Upon check in, we were upgraded (without asking) to a Honeymoon Suite in the Royal Suites... it was absolutely beautiful... a huge jacuzzi tub on the balcony and a very nicely done up room.

The second night we moved into another room... we had to ask to stay in the Royal Suites but there was no problem, however we were told that we could only stay for a few nights and would then have to move back to the Punta Cana (where our reservation was made)... however, we were able to stay the whole week and was it ever worth it!

The Royal Suites is very quiet and private... you are not really allowed to visit this area unless you have a gold bracelet. A few times we saw some kids run into the pool but they were quickly asked to leave. Being 24, we wouldn't have minded if there was more noise and activity going on but we could go down to Punta Cana if we wanted all that.

The pool was absolutely beautiful, and very well kept. In the morning, there are fresh towels on all of the chairs. Of course, like many resorts you have to play the towel game... if we wanted a nice spot we were getting up at 6:15am to put out our towels/ books. This part was not the best, but certainly not a surprise and you deal with it!

The beach was also breathtaking, nice white sand. We really enjoyed going for long walks we were walking for at least an hour every day.

The food at the resort was very good... lots of choice and there is something for everyone. The wine is not very good though. We were also craving caesars... next time I will bring some mix down with me!!!

Other than that we really enjoyed the food- the Italian restaurant was very nice and the buffets were also good. We liked the bamboo restaurant too. A few days in we both had unsettled stomachs.. but we had forgotten to brush our teeth with bottled water... so dont forget that and I am sure you will be fine!

We went to a few of the shows- and yes they are cheesy, but they are what you make of them!!! We also enjoyed a night at the casino- which was alot of fun and we met some great people there.

We hung out at the spa for a few days just in their pool/ sauna/ steam room/ lounging area... it is amazing, and you can use the services for free- so take advantage!!! Its a great place to relax.

The staff at this resort are so kind and welcoming! We really enjoyed chatting with them & learning more about life in the Dominican. If you can, please tip these people- it really helps them out and is a great way to show your thanks for their wonderful service.

This was a great trip, I would recommed this resort to anyone!!! For younger people looking for a party- stay in the Punta Cana and if you are older or just looking to relax (like we were pretty much)... book in the Royal Suites it is absolutely amazing.

Feel free to contact me if you need any more info!!! :)

We (my mother and I) went June 7th-14th and had an incredible time.

I honestly can't find any major faults with anything about the hotel or our vacation. There were a few small things (which I will mention) but absolutely nothing major or that would lower my rating of our holiday.

The resort was quite close to the airport, I believe it took about 35-40 minutes by bus.

The resort is pretty big, but you can definately walk around if you aren't lazy. From one corner to another really only takes 10-15 minutes of walking, but it is SO hot in the middle of the day that you won't want to walk. Morning time or after 6pm and you're fine. The train comes about every 20 minutes during the day, or every 10 minutes in the evening. I enjoyed hoping on the train and just riding around the resort a couple times every day just to check out the grounds.

Our room was great. First of all, it was huge. The A/C worked fine, but we did hear from a few other people that they had to move rooms because the a/c in their room was not working when they checked in. We were in Block 4000. I would recommend Block 4000, 3000 or 2000 as they are the most centrally located to food, pools, the lobby and the beach. The end of our building was only about 20 meters from the beach, and the other end directly across from the Lobby.

The room was cleaned emaculately every day. The cleaning lady would spend over an hour in there each morning. The bed was super comfortable, but as a few other people mentioned - the pillows smelled kind of musty. The sheets and pillowcases were changed daily but it was probably from the humidity. Our A/C worked great and the room was always cold. The mini bar guy came round every afternoon and checked our fridge. The TV was good - good selection of English, French, German, Spanish and Italian satellite channels.

The food was excellent. We didn't even bother with any of the A La Cartes because I am greedy and wanted buffet. I thought the selection was excellent. During the whole week there were only 2 meals that I wasn't really impressed with/couldn't find much to eat that I liked. The selection was huge. Large salad bar, lots of fruit, desserts, ice cream machine, omelette station, pizzas, pastas, lots of meat, veg, etc etc. I am a bit of a health freak and I could ALWAYS find lots of tasty healthy choices - salads, veggies, lean meats, etc. But if you like burgers, pizza and fries - it's all there too. At the buffets, each week night has a different theme - Saturday is Spanish, Sunday is American, Monday is Mexican, Tuesday is Oriental, Wednesday is Italian, Thursday is Dominican and Friday is Gala Night. They were all incredible with the exception of the American night, which was lots of greasy stuff (go figure).

The bars were all great. Good selection of tasty cocktails.

The staff on the resort was really exceptionally friendly. The only guy I didn't find that friendly was one of the receptionists in the lobby. Other than that, the bar staff, restaurant staff, grounds guys, maids, etc were very friendly and always waved and said hello. Most of the staff don't speak a lot of English so if you know some basic conversational Spanish it will go a long way. Reception staff had great English though.

The beach is absolutely stunning. I went jogging every morning at 7am and there were a lot of staff on clean up duty at that time, they keep the beach very clean. Water was warm and there was a great breeze on the water. Limited harrassment - occasionally staff would ask if you wanted to participate in volleyball, etc, but they never lingered or pushed you. We would go down to the beach around 9 or 10am and we never had any trouble finding chairs or a shaded area. I'm assuming it's a bit crazier in higher season. Someone mentioned that in June the resort was only 65% full, which was perfect in my opinion.

The casino was okay, some slots and a few tables, nice atmosphere. There are 2 large theaters on the resort, both which have evening entertainment. The animation team and dancers were definately above average. The Michael Jackson show was great, and we saw a few others (International Dance show and some kind of "Horrors" show) both were okay. Costumes are amazing. They did Kareoke night on Saturday. After the shows, there is a disco from about 11:30pm-2am every night. Didn't hang around for any of these.

The sports facilities were great. Mini golf, tennis, badminton, basketball courts, archery, and soccer field. Too hot to play anything from about 11am-6pm, but it was always busy in the early evenings. There's also a good gym facility attached to the spa, with free weights, weights machines, a few treadmills, stairclimbers and bikes. All brand new equipment. It was hot in there though!!

Wicked holiday overall. Most of the people there were Spanish speaking, and some German and French. A few Brits, Canadians and Americans but English was the minority there.

Me and my wife stayed at the Palladium Punta Cana from June 7 to 12th. Due to a medical issue we had to leave early but for the few days we were there we were thorougly impressed. The airport in punta cana was a breeze to get through.. No problems at all the the resort was about 30-40 minutes from the airport.

The grounds were beautiful. Lots of palm trees and flower beds. The workers always kept things looking top notch.
The rooms were very nice.

The first room we had, the air conditioner didnt work. We couldnt adjust it. So we had a new room the next day with the help of our Westjet Rep Dominique Gosselin. The new room was basically the same thing, except the AC worked (trust me, you'll need it).

Most staff were friendly but a few of the reception staff were somewhat rude and seemed like they didnt want to help you.
All the bartenders and waitressing staff always had glasses full with drinks. Never had a problem getting drinks or waiting in lines.

Food was definatley just alright. Breakfast and lunch were great. But we really had to stretch it at dinner to find something we liked. There was always fries, pizza, pasta, bread, fruit but that can get old really fast. We never left feeling hungry tho!

Beach was beautiful but not very big. Sand was a very soft white and the ocean was a beautiful blue. Couldnt ask for anything more. The pools were always clean and maintained. They were shocked every night and filled in the early morning. We never had a problem getting benches to lay on at the pool or beach. Just get up a bit early and put your towels down just in case.

All in all the hotel was great. Could have had a better selection of food but it wasnt that bad at all.

Would definatley consider this resort again in the future if travelling to the dominican!

The hotel is beautiful and sprawling. There are three resorts in one property. I didn’t have time to go around the whole resort and I stayed there for three days. Checking in, the hotel staff were very aloof not very friendly. The employees think that by acting snobbish people will think they are a higher class hotel. People like service not snobs when they are on vacation. They were semi nice to me because I am Dominican.
We stayed in room 2126 and there was a bad smell in the room and on the pillows. The air conditioner was also very low. I would wake up in a sweat.
The animation team by the pool were hilarious and extremely nice. The pools are great and really big. The beach of course is gorgeous.
The drinks were watered down so beware. The food was okay. The best a la carte restaurants were the Spanish and Japanese. Avoid the steakhouse, it wasn’t that good. The 24 hour snack bar was also bad. The breakfast buffet was okay basic breakfast food.
The train that takes you to the different locations around the resort take a really long time to pass by and they are almost always full during the night when everyone goes to dinner. So go to dinner early to avoid being stranded or having to walk to the restaurants in the heat.
Overall it was an okay stay but nothing special. There are other hotels like the Paradisus that would be a better choice.