2 Weeks of Vacation Bliss at the Fiesta or Grand Palladium Palace
by TripAdvisor Member cher107
We stayed at the Grand Palladium Palace or Fiesta Palace last Nov 18 – Dec 2 (2 weeks).
So that you’ll have a good idea of where we’re coming from in this review, here’s some background about us. My boyfriend and I are both in our mid-20s, living in Vancouver, BC, and working in a technology-related industry. This is my third time to an all-inclusive and my boyfriend’s second. We’ve both been to the Bahia Principe Tulum in Mexico, and I’ve also been to the Iberostar Bella Costa in Varadero, Cuba. This is our first time to Punta Cana. More about us: We’re easy going and down-to-earth individuals (atleast that’s what I think..hahaha). We generally look for rest and relaxation when going on vacation, and don’t really care about the night life (although we might go to atleast one, if it’s available). We also like to learn a bit about the local culture, and usually do a few side-trips during vacation. We’re very easy to please, and small issues don’t really bother us. As long as the accommodation is clean and the food reasonable, we’re content.
Our tour operator was World of Vacations and AirTransat. We’ve dealt with them for all our trips, and so far, they’ve proved to be good and very efficient. We’re quite satisfied with them. We preselected our seats beforehand, and reserved the exit rows. I strongly recommend this, especially if you have a long flight. It costs $20 per person return. It was $40 well spent for the both of us. The flight was about 8 hour each way (vancouver to pc and vice versa). Retrieving our bags and finding our bus at the airport were smooth, and we were dropped off at the resort in no time.
Check-in/Arrival: We arrived at the Grand Palladium Palace on Thursday night. Check-in was quick. We were given our room keys, map, and towel cards. They also served drinks while we were lining up for check in, which was good. The only thing that could’ve improved was that the check-in staff could’ve been a little more helpful by showing us our villa location in the map. However, he didn’t seem to be in such high spirits at the time, and wasn’t too helpful. Oh well, the villa wasn’t that hard to find anyways. I just want to point out though that was the only ‘low’ service we received from reception. We went back there numerous times (to exchange money, report lost room keys, get a cab, etc.) during the span of our stay, and were always welcomed with warm smiles and very friendly service. I guess that check-in guy was just not having a good shift. This brings me to my tip #1 – which is don’t judge a resort upon your arrival. I know first impression carries a lot of weight, but I know some people let it affect them so much that everything in their vacation is tainted with that negative thoughts/feelings. Don’t let negative first impressions prevent you from having a good time - give yourself and the resort a chance to like each other.
Accommodation: We booked a deluxe room, and glad we did, as it was well worth it (especially since we were there for 2 weeks). The room was equipped with a Jacuzzi, king size bed, makeup mirror (bonus for us girls!), coffee maker, iron/ironing board, ice bucket and mini-fridge that was stocked a few times a week (pls remember to tip the stock guy, if you can!) . The safe was electronically controlled, and came free of charge with the room. Everything in the room was in good working order. The maid did a good job of cleaning the room. We usually left about $2.00 tip for her daily, but there were a couple of days when we ran out of change (oops), and wasn’t able to leave anything, but the room was still cleaned very well. Our room was in villa 95. We liked this location because it was very close to the pool, lobby, and the beach. I didn’t email the resort to request for a particular room in advance, I just wanted to be surprised this time, and happy I didn’t do too bad.
Food and Drinks: In a word – Awesome. The food was abundant and flavorful (not gourmet, but still good). There were a lot of choices in the buffet, and if you pick something you don’t like, just go back and find another one. There’s always large choices of breads/pastries, cold cuts and cheeses. We were there for 2 weeks and didn’t really got too tired of the food, until the last 2 days when I felt it was getting a bit monotonous, but we still ate and enjoyed it. Tip number #2 is: Stick to a menu each meal (i.e. one meal just have pasta and chicken then next rice and fish, etc.), rather than trying everything at once - that way you don’t get bored of the food too quickly.
Breakfast was one of my favorites. They had egg and pancake stations, bacon, sausages, cheeses ,fruits, freshly baked banana and carrot bread (yummy!!), French toast and many more. Breakfast at Las Torres is from 7 – 10 AM. If you wake up late, then there is always continental breakfast at the beach restaurants (el bohio, arricefe, etc). Cappuccino, coffee, and different flavored teas also abound. I was having Fiesta-Palace-breakfast withdrawal after we got back from vacation, and all I have in my fridge were milk that has gone bad and stale cornflakes…bummer.
Lunch: I always like coming in from the beach/pool to the El Bohio or Arricife and be greeted with the smell of freshly cooked paella, pasta (they make delicious pesto and garlic pasta!), fish, pizza, and grilled meats. They also have sandwiches and wraps and gazpacho soups available. The menu rotates on a weekly basis.
Dinner: Has the most plentiful selections of all. They have different themes each night and that too, rotate weekly. They have Mexican, Asian, International, Italian, Dominican, Gala-night on Friday, and I forgot the last theme . There’s lots of shellfish (mussels and shrimps) on Italian and Mexican night. There’s always some fish dishes of some sort each night though. The theme nights are observed by all the buffet restaurants in the resort (Las Torres, Cathedral, La Uva, El Bohique).
Desserts and extras: I love the dessert crepes, flans, cheesecake, and cookies. There were different flavored ice-cream to choose from as well. I also like the fact that their yogurts are packaged individually, instead of placed in a bowl (where you scoop what you need).
Service: The service in the buffets were very well-organized, especially at Las Torres and El Bohio. They run the restaurants like a well-oiled machine - someone pours your drinks and ensure your glasses are never empty, someone else clears your plate, another changes the table cloth, etc, etc. They have this process mastered to a tee, and it’s quite impressive observing them do this. Kudos to their managers and hard working servers! The service in the whole resort is generally very good, with the service at the Palace surpassing that of the Palladium Bavaro. I guess it’s because there’s just too many people to serve over there. It usually takes longer to get drink services at the Lobby bar/lounge of the Palladium Bavaro than at the Palace side. Although the Bavaro lobby looks more elegant than the Palace lobby, I found the palace’s lobby to be more peaceful and the servers at the bars and restaurants more friendlier. And I’m not just saying that because we stayed there, you can compare for yourself if you go!.
Language: Most staffs in the wait and maintenance departments don’t speak much English, while staffs in more key positions (i.e. reception, guest services, animation, etc) speak it quite well. This is usually because, in order to learn another language in the Dominican Republic, one has to enroll in a special language school or program (just like we would if we want to learn Spanish). Learning another language is very expensive over there, and most wait staffs in the resort are probably working there because they can’t afford to go to college, or have a family to help support financially, and thus cannot afford to spend extra money on school. If they can, they probably won’t be working as waiters/maids in the resorts. So please be a little compassionate if you come across someone who can’t understand you. Tip #3: Try and learn some basic Spanish phrases before going there, or bring a Spanish translation book with you. And remember that if all else fails, smiles and kindness are understood and welcome worldwide.
Beach: Breathtaking, out of this world, amazing! Can get wavy and windy in the afternoon.
Pools: Lots of them – very good as well. No complaints. You can bring your own floating device if you want.
In conclusion, I am very happy with the Grand Palladium Palace, and would go back there in a heartbeat. I feel that we got our money's worth and way way more (in a good way!). If you’re trying to decide whether to stay at the Palace or Palladium Bavaro, I recommend using the price as the deciding factor. We just treated the whole resort as one when we were there, and were all over the place all the time!
Side-Trips: We did the Jurassic Safari Tour with RH tours. We were satisfied with the excursions, and thought it was worth the money. We also went to Sto. Domingo with this company. I thoroughly enjoyed Sto. Domingo, although it was a very long day. It was nice to see all the historic places and have a glimpse of the Dominican city-life.
If you have any questions, feel free to email me.
Vacation PHOTOS at:
http://community.webshots.com/user/cher0679
- There are 4 albums related to this trip: Grand palladium and Grand Palladium part 2, Jurassic safari, and then sto. Domingo.
Hope this helps!
Just returned from Fiesta Palace/Grand Palladium
by A TripAdvisor Member
Ola! We've just returned from Fiesta Palace, Punta Cana. We had a good time. This is one part of 4 resorts (fiesta bavaro, fiesta beach, fiesta palace and royal suites). Booking with fiesta palace you have access to the other resorts (minues royal suites). These are also called Grand Palladium as well.
The trip there:
The trip there was good....we flew via Westjet and for a discount type airline we were pretty content with it. Leg room isn't bad, seats are fairly comfy....it was okay. Checking through the Punta Cana airport was easy and no problems. The bus took about 1/2 hour to reach out stop but it was air conditioned and had festive music.
The hotel:
Overall we had a great time. That being said we heard of troubles from a few others....mostly problems with their rooms. But again we were lucky and didn't have a problem. We had a deluxe room which was great....the hydromessage tub was wonderful!! Our room was cleaned perfectly each day. The staff was quite friendly. There are not as many english speaking people here, staff and visitors. At times it could be frustrating, the language barrier. The beach and the pools were great. The entertainment lacked a bit however for us we were tired & in bed by 11-12 most nights....it's hard work drinking and laying on the beach all day! : ) Although, we did not do any excursions there was several packages to choose from and others we spoke to had a good time.
The Food:
The food was good. Pretty good variety with the buffets offering theme dinners each night. The pizza & pasta bar was a good alternative as well. The a la carte restarants need some work....not many staff members spoke English so it was very confusing!! If you didn't make it to these restaurants you wouldn't miss too much.
I would definately reccomend this hotel. We had a great time and would consider this hotel chain again.
" Great Times To Be Had By All "
by A TripAdvisor Member
" Hola Amigo's"
My Wife and I returned from Punta Cana Jan. 21/05.
Two weeks all inclusive at the Grand Palladium Palace.
We had full access to three resorts, GPP, Fiesta & Grand Palladium Bavaro.
The Resort is beautiful, excellent beaches, white silky sand, & crystal clear multi blue shaded waters. Lush green landscaping throughout the resort. Pools were great, swim up bars, beautiful settings.
Food was plentiful, great assortment, excellent presentation.
The Buffet at the Grand Palladium Bavaro was our favorite.
Rooms were very nice, upgrades were available for $100.00/week,Ocean view. We had a deluxe suite, very suitable to all our needs.
The Palace was very quiet, if you are looking at being more in the action stay at the GPB, close to Sports Bar & Disco.
Staff was very friendly, and helpful, we will remember at lot of them.
Endless beaches to walk, we walked 5 miles each way, and did not notice a resort that compared to where we stayed.
Great times, Great experience, Good day.
High recommnendation
by TripAdvisor Member reallynormal
My wife and I returned from the Grand Palladium Palace on March 11th, 2005, and we don't have one bad word to say. I read most of the other reviews, so there is not much more I could add. Everyone always speaks of the poor quality of food in many tropical places, but if you want to eat like a "king" (or "queen") and be treated like one, this is the most incredible place we have ever been at. Fantastic beaches with granular white sands, great rooms (and we only went deluxe), lots of things to do no matter what you're interested in, exceptional service from beautiful people, incredible food selection in various restaurants, and.... the ultimate place for a holiday you will never forget.
My only regret is having gone for only one week. Next time, two for sure. We are already planning what date that will be. Oh yes, one last thing. There are those vacationners who treat the staff like servants, demanding rather than asking, taking them for granted rather than acknowledging and complimenting them. You will find that a simple "Hola", "por favor", and "muitas gracias" go a long way here. The occasional 50-100 peso tip is greatly appreciated and remembered. Treat them well and you will notice a difference in their faces when they see you the next time.
Good Times
by TripAdvisor Member SunSeekers
My wife and I returned from the Dominican on Jan.13. We stayed at the Grand Palladium Palace and had a great time. This was our first time going to Punta Cana or any warm place like this and we were very happy with what we got. The room was nice with a big jacuzzi tub and a king sized bed. We loved all the food we could choose from at all the different restaurants, since so many of them are shared by the other hotels on the resort. We had a short two minute walk to the beach which was very clean and the water was awesome. We didn't spend as much time by the pool, even thought it also was very nice. We just figured being from the praries and all we could go to a pool anyday, not so easy to go to the ocean. The fact that you could get a drink almost anytime was nice, at the beach, in the pool, in the lobby, anywhere. We would recommend this hotel for sure, the service and friendliness was very good. One thing to keep in mind is that it is not your typical fancy canadian or american hotel, it is a different country so things are not going to be same as at home. Buildings are different, the way they cook their food is different, you stay in little villas, not a big hotel with hundreds of rooms. There is about eight rooms per villa, it is quite nice. All in all we were very pleased with our stay.
This one just in.....
by TripAdvisor Member GabbysMom
We returned from our week of bliss on Feb. 12th.... I could go on and on about this resort... all was wonderful. Food was great and lots of selection. We found the al carte restaurants really slow though so cancelled out on our third reservation as the buffet selection was good. Remember to specify alcohol in drinks at the bar as they don't always add it to the Pina Coladas or the daiquires. Once you do though... hold on... they make sure you have lots.
The staff are friendly and very accomodating. Tips were very much appreciated.
The only criticism I would raise would be with evening snacks... you had to travel on the shuttle to the sports bar to get a few munchies in the evening.... that was about a 10 minute ride which wasn't too bad except if you were coming back after midnight (no shuttle after midnight)..... but there is an alternative... if you ask at the desk in the Bavaro lobby they will call a Casino shuttle up ... it runs until 3:00 a.m. and the Casino is located at the Palace ... viola problem solved. We were glad we had booked the Grand Palladium Palace and not the Grand Palladium Bavaro.... the Bavaro is MUCH MUCH busier and their beach was packed with people... it was much more regimented. At the Palace you could always find a chair and a nice private spot to put it. We were a group of twelve and always found a table together at the buffet and chairs at the pool or beach.
Will definitely consider this one for a return trip.
Great resort
by A TripAdvisor Member
We just returned from the Grand Palladium Resort on March 16, 2005. We had a great time. There was 4 of us so we got the Jr. Suite. It had 2 full size beds and a pull out couch. I wish the beds would have been bigger. The grounds are beautiful. I liked how spread out the hotel was, while we were there 3/12 - 3/16 we were told there was 1,900 people staying at the resort and never did we feel that there was that many people there, we never had to wait in line longer than a few minutes.
We ate at the Mexican and Japanese restaurants the food and service was very good, the beef is alittle tuff. The buffets were good and there was several to choose from. The sit down dinners indicated that men needed to wear dress pants and collared shirts, I saw several in jeans.
The beach was clean and the water was gorgeous. Take rolls to feed the fish. We saved beach chairs at the beach each day at 8:00 by 8:30 the prime chairs were taken. The activities directors had many activities going during the day.
We would go back again, and would highly recommend it to others.
Absolutely fantastic !
by A TripAdvisor Member
Our 4th trip in an all inclusive resort...and this time with a group of 26!
We always said we would never go back to the same place twice, but the Palace changed our minds.
Great rooms, good food, the grounds were immaculate, the staff were very friendly and efficient, best stretch of beach in Punta Cana.
Everybody in the group had nothing but good things to say about the Palladium Palace.
Don't look any further for a resort in the Dominican Republic !
Third trip to Punta Cana and this was the best one!
by A TripAdvisor Member
November 24 - Dec 8th.
The Palace was perfect in almost every way. Anything found to be rated less than a 10 was so minor that it is not worth mentioning. The resort was not full at all with the majority of guests being German and Canadian. The rooms, pool, beach, food, staff and guests were all excellent. Anybody that would complain about the quality or variety of food must live a hell of a lot better than anyone I know! I can't even begin to tell you of all the variety laid out just for breakfast! I can't imagine anyone eating better at home or in their way to work!
The suites were very nice and the staff were extremely friendly. Always enough chairs and palapas for everyone with no real "towel game" needed although it was played by some.
Met some good people and made great friends.
We will be back!
One word "exceptional"
by A TripAdvisor Member
I will keep this short because it has been covered many times. We went Feb 24 to March 3/2005. Two of our friends and my wife and I when to this excellent resort.
1- to all the people who gave this hotel a "bad" review, I can't believe you were at the same place!
2- the grounds, the staff, the food,the pool/pool bar and all the nice poeple from all over the world made this a 5 Star rating.
3- keep a open mind when you travel and remember you get what you pay for!
My wife and I have travel some where hot for the last ten years. This is my second Fiesta resort we stayed at. This is a good hotel and it is ran very well.
Would I go again, in a heart beat!
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