Wonderful trip to GP Colonial

[Anne]

Tammy attended a wedding in April 2023 and posted the following

 

1. Rooms- we had a Jr Suite Poolside at Grand Palladium Colonial Resort & Spa Travelers Page (Colonial). Room was spacious. Clean. No rips or tears in our bedding. Pullout sofa was big, but we never opened it. Beds are ok not as bad as I’ve read (and I’m a Temperpedic super soft mattress owner). Sure they were harder than my cloud, but I slept just fine. I loved the pillows & actually called down for 4 more! Lol. There was only a sheet on the bed so we did call down for blankets too. The blanket was not the coziest, but not worth complaining over. We had a mini fridge stocked daily. Coffee pot in room. Water pressure was great. AC was decent, however in the building next to me the 3 rooms friends occupied had to call down bc it got to 75 in their rooms. There weren’t many outlets to plug in devices (I think there was only 3-4 including bathroom) but 2 did not want to charge my devices.

2. Food- the buffets were good. Food is a little bland to my taste, but nothing to complain about. There was lots of variety. Breakfast was my favorite! We did room service a few times, wait times varied 30 min to an hr, but they tell you when you order so you know. They have Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, 7UP & some orange drink. Water bottled. If they brought it to you it never had ice, so order cup of ice too. Mimosas were a hit in our group other drinks were not very strong most of the time. Take a shot if you need to. They do not have equal or sweet n low. I brought my own. Bring your own insulated cup for the pool to keep drinks colder longer. We ate at the Brazilian Steak House at White Sands & it was awesome as well as El Dorado at Colonial. Make reservations upon checking in.

3. Staff- we encountered lots of staff from checking in, wait staff, bartenders, phone operators, wedding planner Elsa, & maid service & everyone was so kind & always eager to help. I’m not a demanding person & pretty laid back so I get the energy I give. Be kind. Tip all waitstaff & bartenders & room service & maid services. Show your appreciation, it goes a long way. Treat others as you’d want to be treated. Don’t be that person stuck up expecting everything free free free bc you already paid for all inclusive. You paid for food & room & entertainment. These people are working to support their families too. If you need something just ask. Don’t demand & yell & it will go far.

4. Beach- the breeze was amazing! Sure there was seaweed, but let’s be honest, it’s Mother Nature ok!! They do have staff trying to maintain it couple times a day, but it’s just gonna happen. Lighten up about what we can’t control. Majority of the time it was very minimal. I will say the water wasn’t as clear as I expected (I was thinking like Destin, Florida), but it was still refreshing & fun. Kids enjoyed it. I highly recommend bringing Reef Safe Sunscreen to protect the environment on your beach days at least & apply & reapply often. The salt & sand wash it off too quickly & we all got burned.

5. Pool- we only visited the Colonial main pool with the kid section of slides. It was big & never too crowded. We always found chairs. My only complaint is that it’s deeper than it needs to be! Lol I’m 5’4 & I couldn’t walk to the swim up bar & make it back to the other side with my drink still full. It was comical really. So we had to walk to the bars or wait for the wait staff to come around. We found out that most bars in the pool area closed around 5-6. I wish there was nighttime swimming but nothing to complain about. The kids enjoyed it. There is a cute Fred Flintstone type workout set between the pool & beach that is fun & makes for great photo op! The bar & buffet on beach was grilling burgers & they were good. I tipped the guys grilling & they really appreciate it.

6. The lobby at Colonial- was beautiful & open & I loved it. We would go sit in there & have a couples drinks & people watch or listen to the live music they had most days. There is a fun sports bar in there next to the walk up bar go check out. They do lots of entertainment nightly it seems in the area. Upon checking in go to concierge right next to the check in desk & book reservations for dinners. Then step over to the next set & book excursions. It was all so easy. They do not let anyone through the gate if they are not supposed to be there. When we arrived we each had to tell them our names & they had a list. If you aren’t on it you can’t come past them. They only use 1 taxi service they trust with their guests is what I was told by one of our friends. It’s a little pricey, but can you put a price on your safety? We never had to use pedis. Everywhere we went accepted US dollars & credit cards.

7. Shows- the nightly shows were fun! They put in a lot of hard work setting up & practing routines. Applaud them after each dance! Cheer them on. They bring a lot of energy. We noticed some of the dancers were also wait staff during the day. That was neat to recognize them & compliment them in person. We never had any issues with communication. Everyone did just fine with their English to get by. If not pull up Google translate. Be patient.

8. We felt completely safe the entire time at the resort! I say this as a single woman with a child who walked around everywhere on the premises & never felt uncomfortable. I was very worried about this & after my first night all worries were gone. I had heard so many negative things (some about other resorts), & I bought a plug in carbon monoxide detector & special lock thing for the door & I never ended up using I felt that safe. Again I only speak about staying on the resort.

I hope this helps the next travelers & if you have a question just post in comments and I’ll answer. I tried to cover all the negative things I read prior to visit

• This topic was modified 1 year, 8 months ago by Anne.

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