We stayed at Paradisus Palma Real from May 22-29. We are a young couple in our twenties. We have stayed at Aventura Spa Palace in Mexico and Secrets Excellence in Mexico prior to this vacation so we knew what to expect from a “five” star Caribbean resort. PPR met all of our expectations and exceeded in some areas.

Check-in: We had a very easy time checking in. We arrived at about 11:00 in the morning, a bell boy took our bags for us, we went to the front desk where we spoke with Carlos. While he was checking us in a lady came up to us and asked us what we wanted to drink. At that point all we wanted was water, so she brought us that. Then Carlos told us what our room number was (even though it wasn’t going to be ready until 2:00) and gave us a map of the resort and explained where everything was. Then he had the bell boy take our bags to a hospitality room where we changed into our bathing suits and locked up our bags. We ate lunch and explored the resort for awhile and then we went back and talked to Dawin at the concierge desk to find out about included activities and the resort in general. He was the nicest guy. He knew more about the Cleveland Indians than I do! He went over everything with us and while we were talking with him he got a call from the bar asking him to ask us if we wanted anything to drink. That really impressed me. We also told him it was our two year anniversary (more on that later). Then it was 2:00 so we went back to the front desk, were given our keys and then the bell boy met us up there about five minutes later.

Grounds: In one word breathtaking! The grounds are amazing and really clean. There are water features and beautiful art everywhere. The courtyard area is so incredible, it’s hard to describe. For being so new, I was surprised at the lush foliage around the resort. In between the buildings there are ponds, a zen garden, fountains, surrounded by lush foliage. The ambiance at night is so incredible it is hard to describe. They have candles lit everywhere. It is truly romantic.

Room: We had room 3009 on the third floor close to everything. We were steps away from the lobby, yet steps away from the pool and spa area also. We booked a garden view room but I think they upgraded us because we had a really nice view of the ocean from our balcony. We weren’t expecting that! When we walked into the room, we found two robes laying on the bed, a fruit salad in a pineapple sitting on our table, and champagne and goblets on our coffee table. This was not for our anniversary, this is what they do in every room. The bed was really comfortable compared to the other two resorts we have stayed at with a nice light down blanket. The bathroom has a huge Jacuzzi tub (jets are a little weak for my taste) and a decent sized shower with the European jets. The counter area of the bathroom is a little small, but the sink is really pretty! The flat screen t.v. was really nice too. They had about 10 english channels.

Pools: There are three pools. The main pool, the family pool, and the Royal service pool. The main pool is huge, I think the largest in the Dominican Republic now. We only went in the main pool. We generally stayed closer to the spa area because it was close to the swim up bar and our room. The family pool is near the family concierge suites. I think that is where most of the kids hung out. I think I only saw one kid in the main pool on our last day there which was the busiest day. The royal service pool is small, but very nice looking. The Jacuzzis in the middle of the main pools are nice. I think they are run on a timer so you can’t control them yourself. There was always one or two on. The depth of the main pool is like 5’ which is deeper than any other resort we stayed at. The swim-up bar is convenient and the bartenders are really friendly. The temperature of the pool is perfect for my taste, very refreshing after being in the blazing sun. We never had a problem finding a bali bed. There are about 25 of them around the main pool and there is an abundance of lounge chairs in the sun and under palapas. You get your towels at the activities hut between the pool and the beach.

Beach/Ocean: Beach is gorgeous white sand. Ocean is clear blue/green water. There is sea grass but it didn't bother us. Some days there was hardly any and other days there was a lot.

Food:
The food in general was really good. We didn’t have any dishes that we didn’t like. Our favorite restaurant was Vento. Men, bring long pants, they are required at Vento and Passions. I’ll comment on each one of the restaurants.
Vento: The best! We went three times. The menu has fish, steak, pastas, etc. Everything we had there was excellent.
Passions: We went there once. A day after we went the restaurant closed because the stove/oven/grill combo that they use to pretty much cook everything broke and it was going to take two weeks for the part to come in. I think they were opening again on June 5th or something. I guess this proves that all the restaurants don’t share a kitchen.
Bana (three in one): There is the teppanyaki section, the sushi bar section, and the bistro section. We did all three. All three were really good. The bistro section, the main restaurant offers a regular menu, but they bring out enough food for both of you to share. So my husband had ordered something and I ordered something and they brought enough out of each dish for both of us, so it was way too much food. We felt bad that so much went to waste. Never once (went there twice) did they try to sit us with other people and they did provided each platter with serving utensils.
Naos: The main buffet. This is where we ate breakfast every morning. They have pretty much everything you can think of. Made to order omelets, eggs, French toast pancakes… and they have out tons of fruit, yogurt, cereals, muffins, breads, etc. They even had meats, chesses, sandwiches, etc. We ate there for lunch a couple of times also. They have a pasta bar and they grill up what ever you want and they have a bunch of stuff already made too. They also have an ice cream cart where they have a bunch of different toppings to put on your ice cream. They also have a bunch of other desserts that are fantastic.
Market Grill: This is a buffet/grill that we ate lunch at most days. They have fried calamari, fries, nachos, cheese, pico de gallo, etc.. and they have a salad bar and dessert bar. Then they have a grill where you can have them grill up sausage, steak, chicken, chicken kabobs, burgers, chicken burgers, etc. You can take this stuff back to your palapa if you want. I know some people complained about not being able to find burgers and fries that they can eat by the pool, well yes you have to get up and get it, but it’s there, and no you don’t have to get dressed, just throw on a cover up and walk right in/out. Easy as that.
Agave: Was closed while we were there because of there being no demand. I talked to the concierge and he said they didn’t have any customers for like three days so they closed it until the resort was fuller. I think it is because it is hard to find. It is in the Naos restaurant but all the way to one side. We found it by accident one day.
Room Service: Very good selection compared to other resorts we have stayed at. Someone said in a previous review that they didn’t offer dinner options, well they must have been missing a page because there were a bunch of dinner options, steak, chicken, fish, etc. We never used it for dinner but we did for lunch and midnight snacks a bunch of times (we really had like five meals a day!) The chocolate cake is to die for. It is also available in most of the restaurants too.

Service: Service was unbelievable at this place, better than any other AI we have stayed at. At one point it was actually comical. We would be eating breakfast or lunch and we always asked for water in addition to usually a daiquiri or something for myself (hubby doesn’t drink) and as soon as you water was only ½ full they would come and refill it. You will never go thirsty at this joint! My husband drinks a lot of water so it is usually hard for waiters to keep his glass full, but they were up to the task. Service at dinner was awesome as well. All of the wait staff spoke good English and they were so friendly. We always left a tip because we felt they deserved it. Also, as I mentioned before we told them it was our two year anniversary. Well on our anniversary we come back to the room to find rose petals on the ground making a path to the bed and then rose petals all of the bed with a towel sculpture. There was champagne and goblets on the table and a cake that said Happy Anniversary. It was really sweet. Also the maid service/turn down service was very good and very consistent. The lady was there at pretty much the same time very day.

Spa/Gym: Both are very nice. We did the Paradisus massage in a couples room which was really nice, but also expensive once they added in the tax (16%!) and the tip. The water ritual is included with the purchase of any spa treatment so we did that before our massages. It was really fun and relaxing. The water ritual are overlooks the main pool which is pretty neat.

Included Activities/Shows: We did snorkeling, catamaraning, and horseback riding. All were very fun and entertaining. Also they had activities around the resort all day. I participated in water aerobics one day which was a lot of fun. They give you an activities schedule when you check in so you know what is going on when. The shows at night were a lot more professional and entertaining than the other AI’s we have been to. The Michael Jackson show was really entertaining. I think I liked his entourage better than him. They did awesome acrobatics and dancing.

Golf: To rent clubs is $47 per person, to rent the cart is $35 per person. Make sure you wear a collared shirt. Tee times are easy to get, just see the concierge.

Misc: There are shops just down the beach past Melia Caribe Tropical (which is where you do the included water sports). I would recommend going there. They have really nice stuff, just remember to negotiate the price down because they inflate them way too much because they assume you are going to haggle the price down. There are some really great staff at PPR, Dawin (concierge), Mayte (concierge), Henry (lobby bar…ask for an Oh Henry!), Antonio at water sports in front of Melia, and Carlos at check in. I think I hit on most everything. Sorry this was so long, but I love details! If you have any questions, just page kellynjohn on the punta cana forum. Also, sorry I couldn't most more pictures. We use a 7 megapixel camera so most of our pictures are over 2mb which is the limit for posting pictures on this web-site, so if you want to see more page me.

My husband and I stayed at the Palma Real for four nights to celebrate our 11th anniversary. We just loved the place. The hotel decor is beautiful, Greco-Roman architecture with wonderful art and sculpture everywhere. Our suite was large, with a wonderful private bedroom with a king sized bed. The jacuzzi is big enough for two to soak and we did this one night while sipping the champagne they brought to our room for our anniversary night. If you are celebrating a birthday or anniversary, let them know when you check in. We arrived back to our room from the pool on our anniversary day to find a rose petal path from the door to the bed, rose petals and hibiscus on the bed with a towel sculpture (a swan) and two freshly laundered robes. Also, cold champagne and a cake. What a great presentation. The rooms are very sound proof and you can enjoy a very quite nights' sleep. We travel extensively and this room we had was the best. Pool is great as is the sip and dip bar with great bartenders Alexi and Antonio. The music is very relaxing new age. The bali beds are all around the pool area and are the size of a queen sized bed perfect for sleeping or just to escape the sun.

We enjoyed the breakfast buffet and the market grill for lunch. We were a bit dissappointed to find that Passions and Agave were closed while we were there, but apparently they were at low occupancy and that is probably why they were not open. I enjoyed the sushi I ate at the bar at Bana, the Asian restaurant. The meal I ordered was good, but not great, and the food was not hot enough (temperature) for me, but they had the air conditioning blasting and that might explain it. Didn't care for what I had at Vento the Mediterranean Restaurant--I don't think they know how to cook pasta or the sauces that go with it. So, in a nutshell, my dinnners were just ok.

The overall experience made up for it. We both won in the casino and had a blast with some other couples we met and really enjoyed ourselves.

A FEW TIPS: If you want to do any acitivites, don't go through the tour company who brought you here. Walk down the beach to the activities area, its to the left if you are facing the ocean. This is where you book the free stuff---saliboats, paddleboats, horseback riding etc. But they offer other tours at about half of what our tour company charged. We went on a sunset glass bottom boat ride and were able to just walk to the water and get on. This eliminated a long and hot bus ride, and it was cheaper. Go a day in advance if you want to do something. Things get booked up expecially the freebies.

Great service, Excellent atmosphere and rooms, good food for the most part. Most of all the most relaxing, romantic soothing vacation I have been on in a long time. And we plan to go back next year. BRAVO

My husband and I just returned on the 27th from the Paradisus. The hotel is absolutely beautiful. They were very polite to us on check-in because we got to our room and we were way in the back of the resort and asked to be moved closer to restaurants etc. They checked in the computer and moved us up with no problem. May is definitely the month to go. We did not have to wait at any of the restaurants and had no problem getting chairs under the palapas on the beach. The motel was probably half full.About the restaurants, Ithought the food at the Japanese was very good as well as Passsions and Vento's. The buffett was o.k. but my husband and I are use to cruises where there is an abundance of choices. The only 2 things that were a drawback for us was the beach does have quite a bit of seaweed in the water. You have about 12-15 feet of very clear pretty water then you see the dark spots where the seaweed has collected on the bottom. You can still swim with no problems but we are use to waters in the caribbean where you don't have that. A couple of different people we talked to at the airport that styed at other places said their beach was not like that. The casino was dead and there is definitely a language barrier there. I guess we are use to the casino's hopping at night. Overall it was a very nice place and if you are going to just relax and getaway this will definitely do it for you.

My boyfriend and I just got back from a 7 day vacation at the Paradisus Palma Real. we just got back on the 13th and wow I am still day dreaming about this beautiful resort.

The resort is just breath taking, its like a giant spa, so relaxing, classy, simply espectacular.
We have no complains about the service, it was excellent, people were really friendly and were always eager to try to make your stay more comfortable and especial.

Food was overall really good, the buffets were ok, now for us the best restaurants were Bana and Passion, food was delicious there, they had all kinds of selection of drinks, it was amazing.
We had the opportunity to have a romantic dinner at the beach (at additional cost) and it was amazing, we had our own private waiter, the food was outstanding and the service superb....it was the most romantic night of my life.

I took the time to read the bad reviews people wrote about the restaurant and noticed that most of them had in common some factors, like problems at check in, problems with the language, etc...my point of view is that problems at check in can happen anywhere and yes it can leave a bad taste in your mouth, but for us it was great, the front desk staff was great and we were greeted with the drink of our choice as soon as we arrived, now we are bilingual so had no problems with comunicating, but yes, I can see how some people had problems with the staff since some staff members are not fluent in english, but no matter what they were always friendly and tried their best to meet their guests needs and expectations.

If you go to Onyx, you will love Juan, one of the bartenders, he is great, very nice and make awesome drinks....we felt like family in there every night.
We also loved the fact that the music they play at the resort is not loud and annoying, it was very new age, jazzy and trendy, I mean, there is only so much merengue I could take ! and most of the resorts in Punta Cana are just about this loud music.
This resort is to relax, to be peaceful, pampered and treated like royalty, cause that's how they treated us, even though we did not get the royal service which we did not consider necessary due to the fact that since the resort is fairly new and it was not full, but you wait and see, this hotel will get packed very soon cause is just wonderful.

The Spa was incredile, we had massages and they were just right and once again the staff were very friendly and courteous.

Overall our experience was amazing, this place has well deserved 5 stars, and we cannot wait to go back.....is soo amazing, we had the opportunity to see hollywood stars staying there and even partied with a few of them....Howard Stern,Matt Dillon, Mel Gibson, Marcia Gay, Joe Pantoliano, Ian Ziering, Billy Baldwin, Mimi Rogers, among others whose names I really dont remember now....so..do you think Hollywood stars would have stayed there if it was not great? Think about it!

If you have more questions or would even like to see some pics and some of them with the stars, you can contact me at KareneG826@hotmail.com