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Dominican Republic Hotel, Resort & Villa Reviews Reviews
Fiesta Bavaro Resort and Spa - All Inclusive
12/14/2004
Reviewers Rating:  Excellent
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: W're easy going and down-to-earth individuals (at least 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 at least 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 pre-selected 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 hours 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 anyway. 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 (please 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 to 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. There's lots of shellfish (mussels and shrimps) and I forgot the last theme 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 friendly. And I'm not just saying that because we stayed there, you can compare for yourself if you go!
Language: Most staff in the wait and maintenance departments don't speak much English, while staff 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 staff 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, all 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 Santo Domingo with this company. I thoroughly enjoyed Santo 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!
Cherry
Palladium Bavaro Grand Resort & Spa
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