Paradisus Palma Real Golf & Spa Resort

We've stayed at Paradisus resorts in the past and thought the Palma Real ("PR") was a no-brainer family vacation package choice based on our previous experiences and recent favorable reviews. We should have been more careful with our research and selection process. While there's no question that PR is an expansive and lovely resort with likely the best beachfront in the Bavaro area, if you aren't booking Reserve (Adults Only) or a member of the Melia Circle Club, you're probably better off considering some of the many other, more family-oriented resort options available throughout Punta Cana. There are an abundance of swimming pools at PR but sorry..........most of them are adult only. Hundreds of beach loungers at PR but virtually zero for guests that aren't Reserve or Circle Club. Even their Grand Cana guests had a large section of the beach reserved (a less expensive Paradisus resort option). When trying to clarify with various staff, where we could sit or swim, received inconsistent direction. Without the benefit of a Reserve concierge, the a la carte restaurant reservation process is outdated and not intuitive. Almost as outdated as the early morning dash for snatching up the loungers surrounding the main pool. Okay, we get it. You want to get them to yourself. I do too. But don't take more than you need and then leave them unused for hours. Food across the board was pretty good. We especially enjoyed Kanna and the Mexican a la carte. Want a special bottle of wine though?........Sure, that'll be $65USD for a $12USD bottle. It's not that we didn't purchase them anyway (we bought 2), everything just started wearing on us. So much so, that we were in regular contact with the Hotel Manager, who graciously tried everything to make us happy, including reserved beach cabanas and restaurant reservations that we couldn't make directly ourselves. It may not sound like it but we're actually pretty patient and not the complaining type but were kind of relieved to be leaving at the end of our one-week stay. Not the impression you want to leave. Oh! The check-out was icing on the cake, when we learned that somebody had charged a $200USD bottle of wine to one of our 3 rooms and couldn't convince the front desk staff that it wasn't us. Thankfully, after approx 30 minutes a senior staff member finally appeared to resolve the matter. Word of caution, check any room charge carefully when approving the invoice at the time of purchase. Had we been more careful at the outset, we likely would have chosen either a Dreams, Finest or Hyatt resort. All of which provide similar or above average amenities and service, but with the added option of upgrading as a family and not just as adults. In fact, we stayed at the Dreams Macao Beach as a Preferred Club guest in Dec 2024 and regularly commented how we had wished to have booked there instead.

Stayed in the Reserve part of Paradisus Palma Real. Resort was fabulous and room was as advertised. The bed and pillow were a bit hard for my liking but I like a soft bed and pillow. Christopher our concierge was awesome. We were a large group and he took good care of us. Martin at the Reserve pool made sure our pool time was perfect. Luis was the waiter extraordinaire both at Kanna and the japanese restaurant. He went out of his way to accommodate us every time we saw him! Overall I would consider returning to this resort again if the opportunity presented itself.

Amazing resort, mostly due to these staff members Christopher, Dilania, Teofilo, Martin, Marco,Luis,Junior,Betti,Yessica, Leticia, Fauri and Jennifer! These spectacular staff members made our stay remarkable . Gorgeous resort, great food, very clean and well taken care of daily. The sunrises and sunsets are spectacular. We were a large group of 12 and Christopher arranged our dinners seamlessly. We would definitely come back again. The service was outstanding!

Resort great; staff exceptional-particularly Christopher, Marco, Martin, Luis, Junior, Dilania, Teofilo, Betti, Fauri.

Beautiful resort Friendly and welcoming Well maintained and accommodating Beach was outstanding Concierge was helpful and available