Save your money and your stomach - I would not recommend the Paradisus Palma Real to anyone. My husband and I almost aborted this trip twice throughout the week but decided to stick it out (mostly due to the exorbitant cost of changing our plane tickets).
Let me start by saying that we’ve stayed at a Melia Paradisus property in Mexico twice before, and were blown away by the impeccable service, friendly staff, beautiful grounds, great food, updated rooms, and lively activities there. I couldn’t even believe that the Palma Real is part of the same company.
My husband and I had originally booked this trip with accommodations at the Paradisus Punta Cana (sister resort), but a week before our trip, Melia emailed us and said that they were moving us over to the Palma Real. Supposedly, a neighboring resort was starting construction and they assured us that this was to make sure the noise wasn’t disruptive to us. In hindsight, I have to wonder if it was just a ruse to fill the Palma Real with bodies.
We stayed at the Palma Real from a Sunday – Saturday (6 days). We sprang for the Royal Service upgrade, which included a butler, access to a private lounge, private pool, and a private beach area, among other perks.
At first glance, the hotel was fine. The reception at the private Royal Service lounge was great – they had snacks and drinks set out, and greeted us with a cocktail and cool towels to refresh ourselves.
The moment we were shown to our room, however, it was a completely different experience. A very strong damp, musty, wet basement smell hit us in the face. We had hoped that opening the slider would air out the smell so we didn’t say anything at the time, but that effort proved fruitless. Clearly the AC/air purifying system does not function well. The door to our room didn’t even lock properly, and we had to slam it hard to double-check that it locked, which I’m sure was a nuisance to other guests. The room itself was pretty run-down and outdated, and whoever designed the bathroom to have a clear glass door to the toilet (with a door that doesn’t reach to the floor or up to the ceiling).
The first night we had drinks at the bar, and subsequently ended up vomiting (at the exact same time) after about 3 drinks each. The booze is clearly watered down and cheap. Perhaps the ice cubes made us sick, or it was the alcohol itself, but we do not typically get sick at home in the States after just a few (weak) drinks. After that, our stomach problems started. No matter what we ate or drank (or even whether we didn’t drink alcohol), we were sick for days. At one point I had to run off the beach back to our room to avoid vomiting in the sand.
The food options were very limited and not fresh (with flies all over it), and it’s clearly not cold enough in the room for the food. The meats and cheeses were sweaty and the sushi was warm. The majority of the restaurants ended up being closed due to so few people being at the resort. That often meant that only the buffet was open, with the same foods recycled from lunch to dinner. We also couldn’t find anything open after 9pm, so we had no options for a late-night snack (and that’s not even very late). Wednesday night we ate dinner at Rare and both of us ordered the chicken. I couldn’t eat more than half of mine because it was pink and clearly undercooked. I had to spend all of Thursday and Friday morning close to the bathroom after that.
We had reservations at Passion restaurant but were turned away at the door because my husband was unaware of the dress code that requires only dress pants and no open-toed shoes. We were supposed to receive a full (free) meal as part of a promotion we received when booking our trip, but sadly were not able to take advantage of it. It would have been nice if we had the information prior.
Housekeeping was awful – when they “cleaned” the room, they consistently failed to remove the dirty towels and replace them with clean ones. In fact, one day when I thought they had brought fresh towels and reached for one after my shower, I discovered it was in fact my wet towel from my previous shower, just folded to look like it was a new one. They merely flushed the toilet rather than using any cleaning supplies on it (I know this because I was there when the maid came in). I had to text our butler to ask for the toilet paper supply to be replenished. I also requested on or about the third day that that fresh sheets be put on the bed because the bed was becoming increasingly damp and disgusting to sleep in (it was clear they hadn’t changed the sheets yet). A housekeeper knocked on the door, handed me two sheets for me to change and promptly left rather than changing our sheets and blankets.
Housekeeping staff was also consistently yelling to each other in the halls, which is what we woke up to most mornings. Again, I get that at home from my kids; not what I expect on a relaxing vacation.
Our butler, Armando, was great. He was very attentive and available to text through WhatsApp. He even arranged for a special dessert and wine in our room for us when I mentioned the trip coincided with our 5-year anniversary. He secured palapas by the pool for us as well. He did an outstanding job and if there is anything positive it was him and the seating staff at the Buffett.
The first evening we arrived, we walked down to the water to stick our toes in and were sad to discover an abundance of trash and seaweed in the water. The next day there were so many ‘vendors’ and beggers bothering us on the hotel beach grounds (including on the private Royal Service beach) that we gave up and spent most of our time by the pool instead - we never even went for a swim in the ocean (which is sad, because my husband and I plan trips because of the beautiful water). Unfortunetly it continued on the hotel grounds where vendors are set up all over the place and bother you through out the day to buy excursions or photos from them.They continuously tried to sell us things and do not let up no matter where you are. In comparison, the Paradisus Playa del Carmen in Mexico had staff on hand to security posted and we were never bothered once on hotel grounds. Not so in Punta Cana – they were approaching people as they walked out of the water after a swim. Again, I paid too much money to have to deal with that. I was also very surprised to see that no staff members came out to the beach to ask if we wanted food/drinks (they were very attentive in Mexico); the Royal Service package specifically advertises this perk. We probably could’ve texted our butler, but we also didn’t want to be glued to our phones on vacation.
To avoid being on the beach with the vendors/beggars, we tried the large pool that’s available to all guests. Since there were no activities (DJ, etc.), quite a few guests brought their own wireless speakers to the pool and were blasting their own music all at the same time. Not relaxing. After that we didn’t bother with the big pool. .
There were very few activities going on at the hotel in the evenings as well. I assume that’s because it’s low season (September). Still, I was expecting more. We were in bed with a book by 9-10pm every night just because there was absolutely nothing to do, and we didn’t want to have more than 1 tainted drink at the bar. My husband and I are in our mid-30’s - we like going out in the evenings while we’re on vacation and don’t have to worry about our kids.
The staff also kept hounding us (following us down the halls and yelling for our attention) to go listen to their timeshare spiel, and it just got to the point where they were rude about it when we repeatedly said no. Again, we waited all year for this trip and expected to be able to relax and not be pressured into anything. They constantly would follow you around asking about their "special promotion", you would have to avoid so many places through out the hotel due to this and the "vendors". It was just so, so disappointing. I couldn’t wait to go home after about 2 days, and I’ve never felt that way about a vacation before. Do not waste your money at this resort.
We were going to make a complaint or talk to our butler about the issues, but after speaking to quite a few other couples that where having the same issues (Damp rooms/beds, constantly being harassed about timeshares and by vendors, and being sick). It wasn't just us. He was doing a great job, and we felt that these issues were out of his control, and more about the management and how the hotel was run.
The only good thing about our trip were the two excursions we booked and were thankfully able to attend once our stomachs settled temporarily. We booked those separate from the resort. If you decide to still visit Punta Cana, I highly recommend Happy Fish Catamaran excursions – they were great. Just don’t bother with the Palma Real for your accommodations.
