Pampered in Punta Cana

[Anne]

Wonderful Mother-Daughter Christmas trip

We have traditionally traveled over Christmas to a warmer destination, having stayed twice at the Royal Suites in Mexico, and numerous times at other Palladium locations.This was our first visit to the Royal Suites Turquessa in Punta Cana.

Upon arrival I was impressed with the beautifully manicured gardens and grounds. Mexico is more of a jungle atmosphere which we enjoy. Punta Cana is very different.

As are all Palladiums, this resort is immaculate inside and out. I was greeted warmly by staff and offered an upgrade based on our multi-repeat guest status and it being my daughter’s birthday. I was shown both rooms and I happily chose the Master Suite as it had a large outdoor jacuzzi which I knew my daughter would enjoy. Thank you Palladium! Special thanks to Octavio.

I arrived before my daughter and chose to order room service as I was not yet familiar with the resort and wanted to be in the room when my daughter arrived. I ordered steak & lobster and was given two lobsters and a huge steak. Too much for one. There is some wine in the fridge for purchase. I asked if I might get some house wine and the kind server quickly returned with house wine. The staff here were genuinely helpful and even if they didn’t speak perfect English they tried hard to please. Many did speak English so the frequent complaints about language barriers make me wonder. There are many European visitors and I would not expect the staff to speak all of the languages heard on the resort.

My daughter arrived very late and was brought to the room by a friendly bell boy. She was impressed with the room; the jacuzzi in particular.

Suggestion for management: As many baby boomer moms & dads now travel with their grown millennium children it might be nice to have a Royal suite with two rooms and a private bath to accommodate these families with their different sleep schedules & privacy needs.

FOOD

We generally ate breakfast at The Gourmet which had a good buffet but we sometimes wandered to the main buffet to get an omelette made to order. At The Gourmet they are ordered off a menu which were always made to perfection but sometimes took a while to get served. We enjoyed the El Jardin in Mexico where we could order an omelette directly from the chef. The Gourmet had champagne and Smirnoff with Bloody Mary fixings (tomato juice, clamato, orange juice).I also noticed champagne and vodka in the main buffet at breakfast.

For lunch we ate at The Gourmet once but preferred the beach buffet. We tried both Bohio on the Palace beach and Areciffe on Bavaro beach. Food is similar. We generally had something freshly grilled, i.e. chicken, fish, steak, lamb chops, burgers. Plenty of salads, guac, pico de gallo, and more to choose from. Keep in mind the number of different cultures the resort serves. You may not like everything but there is plenty to choose from.

For dinner we usually ate at The Gourmet or Chanterelle at the Royal. Carlos, our butler, made reservations for us for the fabulous Christmas Eve buffet and for the Mexican restaurant.

The Gala buffet was out of this world. The Mexican was very good. I had shrimp (large portion) and my daughter enjoyed the flank steak. After those dinners we decided to stay at the Royal for dinner. We thought the steaks were excellent. We also enjoyed the lobster, rack of lamb, scallops, shrimp, onion soup, crepes for desert. My daughter loved the cheese selection there. Service was usually better at the Royal Gourmet but Chanterelle had a very nice Iive musician. One night we left the Gourmet for the main buffet for desert and preferred the wine at the Gourmet.

 

Pools & beach

We normally hung out at the Royal beach which is lovely. Never a problem getting a lounger although people did “reserve” the Bali beds and sometimes did not remove their towels when they left. In the afternoons we would go to the adult pooi or Royal pool. Wait service at all. Especially enjoyed Delores who always remembered what I drank. Note a $1 tip goes a long way here although I did not see many people tipping. Beach is long and beautiful (1 km of soft white sand and turquoise water.)

 

Entertainment

I liked to stay “close to home” so we usually ventured to the Palace lobby after dinner for live music. Then my daughter would sometimes go to the sports bar or disco to meet people her own age. She missed having the 24 hour beach bar as they have in Riviera Maya where she would meet friends at night. I usually hung out for awhile in the Royal lobby where they sometimes had music or at the pool bar which is opened until midnight. I enjoyed talking to staff about their families. All were very sweet and anxious to provide good service. I have named many staff by name on FB. I also met many nice guests from Germany, UK, Italy.

Spa

Lovely and Royal guests can use it for no fee. There are spa staff all over the resort offering massage discounts. We priced one out and got a 2 for 1 offer. We declined but nice to know it’s negotiable.

Side trips

We wanted a day trip that would expose us to the local culture. We were not disappointed in our trip with Punta Cana Mike I have done a separate report on that.

Beach at Macao

Misc.

I am a reader and ran out of books. I got several suggestions from staff on where to find them. Finally someone told me to go to Guest Services at the Palace. They have a stash in an office there. Almost all books are in German but I found a couple in English. I mentioned that in Mexico they have a huge library of paperbacks in Hemingway’s bar. It would be nice to get them organized somewhere in PC. (I volunteer for this job!)

Wi fi was good at times. We found that it was better if only one of us were on at a time (Must sign on with room number.)

Royal guests have four bottles of liquor in the room. Wine & champagne is extra although I was able to get house wine
.

Some shopping on resorts as was at Cortecito town right next to the Royal. Go to right on the beach, pass the yellow shop and take a right. Mostly aggressive vendors so didn’t stay long.

Drink only bottled water. Tap water is not potable.

If I missed anything please PM me. We enjoyed our nine days here and would return. probably to the Royal for the extra pampering!

[Anne]

Response from management:

Dear annoncapecod,

Thank you very much by sharing a positive review regarding The Royal Suites Turquesa by Palladium, it pleased us greatly that it has been a memorable one.

I am also excited that you found the staff to be accommodating and helpful and that you felt this made of your stay a really pleasant experience. I have passed your kindly words to the whole team and we hope to have the opportunity to welcome you once again very soon.

Best regards,

L. Tajes.
Resident Manager.

 

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