Grand Palladium Colonial Resort & Spa

Our stay at the Hotel Palladium Punta Cana was excellent from beginning to end. Everything exceeded our expectations. One of the aspects we want to highlight the most was the childcare service. A very special thank you to Carmen for her dedication, kindness, and excellence in taking care of our children while we enjoyed a few hours at the spa. It gave us a lot of peace of mind knowing they were in such good hands. The drinks were delicious, the food was very varied and of excellent quality. In addition, we found all the facilities to be very nice and clean. The entertainment team did a fantastic job, offering fun activities for the whole family. Without a doubt, it was a wonderful experience and we hope to return very soon. We recommend this hotel 100%!

Very disappointed, our welcome was fatal, the reception was slow, more than 45 minutes in the process. Adriana, perhaps it was a bad moment for our welcome, but if that is your job, the customer should be given the best welcoming face. Unfortunately, this bad moment did affect us, and even worse, when I told her the welcome had been fatal, she was surprised and annoyed. She did not mention an upgrade to us, a situation that they asked us about at the colonial... I do not know the reason for doing the check-in at Kakenab and not at the colonial; honestly, I was afraid of having a slow check-out. They apologized when checking out. But the fact is the bad experience, no guest should feel that. Room 1104 HORRIBLE HORRIBLE not worthy of 2 stars, fatal, mosquitoes, giant cockroaches, holes in the bathroom as simple as putting a little plaster, the ceiling was terrible, the chain could not close, the door guard was useless, dirty curtains, poor condition, penetrating smell of humidity, view of 3 large sanitary registers, the worst of the worst. On 2 occasions they promised us they would fumigate, but the cockroach either hid or they didn't really go. I don't know if it was because of the event we went to, the Melissa and Juan Jose Vazquez wedding; it was more expensive to pay for the wedding than directly to the hotel. Terrible bartender Jorge at the pool, bad attitude, no desire to work, and as if I were asking him for a favor. The pool is very deep. Sad and regrettable the sargassum problem, very sad to be in the Caribbean and see brown and smell rotten eggs, there is not even the pleasure of walking on the beach. Too many mosquitoes, it was very uncomfortable, the Gran Azul wedding had only one fan, fatal Positive: Lobby bartender, concierge Luis, show, TRS chic show, bartender Sarah on the TRS terrace.

There are good and bad points for this hotel. We had an ok stay but overall this is not a 5 star hotel - it is 4 star. Whilst there are amenities which can make it a 5 star, these are all at an additional (and not insignificant cost). The 'all inclusive' offered by UK tour operators is in reality the 4 star level only. We had the opportunity to upgrade at check in but for an extra $120 US per night (£90). For a 14 night holiday this is an additional £1250, which given the price already paid (£2000 pp) felt excessive. Whilst there are 4 hotels forming part of the resort, and historically residents could use facilities and pools at all hotels, this is no longer the case unless you stay at the White Sands which gives access to all. Location - Our transfer was approximately 1.5 hours from Cancun airport. The hotel (as with many in Mexico) is on a isolated plot, therefore there is no local town or shops to visit. The nearest town is Playa del Carman which is approximately 30-40 minutes taxi ride away. Staff - The staff are extremely polite and helpful and cannot be faulted. They are a real asset to the hotel. Beach - This was inaccessible due to the sargassum seaweed. The hotel does not clear or remove from beach (unlike the neighbouring hotel), so it continually builds up creating a rotten egg stench is very very strong. The sargassum affects all of the resorts, so is not the fault of the hotel. Sadly the images of the turquoise sea and white sand are not accurate and appears to be the case from March to October each year. Pool - There is one pool (unless you upgrade) and an adults only pool which sadly we were unable to use as we travelled with children. The pool is VERY deep, there is one small shallow area so something to be aware of especially with children. Food - There is one main buffet restaurant and 4 a la carte restaurants (Argentinian, Steak Grill, Mexican and Japanese). The buffet has a very wide choice and generally is good quality, however unlike other all inclusive hotels we have stayed at there is no rotation of menu or choice. The same food is offered every day which after 14 days becomes very repetitive. Shop - There are several shops in both the Kantenah and Colonial hotel, the prices are expensive, as are the market stall holders who visit twice a week. However they do appear to be consistent with prices in play del carman Overall we were disappointed with our stay.