Grand Palladium Bávaro Suites Resort & Spa — Hotel in Higüey

Please read before booking||I will be completely honest, I wanted to give this hotel a 5 star but knocked it down to 3. I will start with the negatives, critics and then the good.||1. Upon getting to the resort at 5:30pm after a 9 hour flight my partner and I wasn’t welcomed a welcome drink. We were waiting over 30 minutes to be checked in, I understand that these things happen when a lot of people arrive at the same time. |2. After checking in a member of staff from the ‘Travel Club’ advised that we would get picked up the next morning at 9:30am, be taken to breakfast and have a tour of the complex as it is a huge facility. Great, or so we thought. Next morning comes along and we had breakfast with a staff member and instead of being taken on a tour, we were taken to the Travel Members Club. We were unaware of what was to come, I had advised the staff member who was with us that we had a meeting with the transfers at 10:45am and the response was ‘we have plenty of time’. Little did we know that this was a huge selling point for them to get us to join the membership. They even took us to some of the VIP rooms and ‘private’ beach to try and persuade us. We were there for four and a half hours and completely wasted our first morning in ‘paradise’. We had spent a significant amount of money on this holiday and it wasn’t off to a great start. To be a member, you are looking to spend £24,000+ and wanted a significant portion straight away as a down payment. My partner and I kept declining and they eventually let us leave at nearly 2pm. So WHEN you are being told that someone is picking you up to take you to breakfast and do a tour PLEASE decline and carry on with your holiday. I didn’t think to look through many other 1* reviews that experienced the same encounter as us, this left us feeling very frustrated and annoyed. Look out for the staff wearing the light blue or dark blue polo shirts that have ‘Travel Member’ on them. ‘From Guests to Family’ is their motto but really it is far from that as all they want is your money and will try every selling tactic they know.||Critics;||1. I am coeliac and dairy intolerant and although the chef took me around the whole buffet, advising me what I can or can’t eat. It is a lot of information to take in, the food should add what it contains on the cards above the dishes, for example; contains gluten/milk/nuts etc or if it doesn’t. That way people like myself can familiarise ourselves easier with the dishes.|2. Try and get to dinner no later than 7:45 and there will be a queue and you will be waiting 15/20 minutes to get in and seated.|3. You will get asked around the pool and beach to book excursions etc. A polite no and they leave you be.|4. Having an app or an itinerary with your map when checking in of what entertainment is going on on what days would be very helpful, as we have missed a few of these due to not knowing. EDIT by other reviews there is an app, however that is no good to us now as we have checked out of the hotel. It would have been nice to have been informed upon checking in.|5. An option to have a tour of the complex with no hidden agendas as there are roughly 7/8 pools and we could only find two during our stay.|6. Personal preference, making animals with the towels would be a good touch as it is a 5* resort and perhaps add a complementary massage at the spa.|7. The jacuzzi bath didn’t work and the rings kept falling into the bath.|8. The shower in room 8714 could do with being updated but still worked.|9. The housekeeping needed to check the shower gels and conditioner and top up when needed.|10. We did notice a lot of ants in the bathroom.|11. To make the food safer, it would be great to keep gluten free options in a separate area away from gluten containing ingredients so there is no risk of cross contamination from other guests.|12. Some dairy/gluten free options for dessert at dinner would be a lovely extra, E.g; vegan ice cream or gluten free pancakes that are offered at breakfast.||Good;||1. We have been staying in room 8714 and the housing keeping has been amazing, beds have been made, mini fridge topped up daily and the rooms have been clean. Our stuff hasn’t been touch, for that I have put all my trust into the house keeping, we have the deluxe garden view with views of the ocean and beautiful views of the sun rise.|2. Hospitality at the buffet breakfast and dinner have been amazing. Some will recognise you and make your drinks without having to ask and will bring out more drinks when they see yours is running low.|3. It was amazing to meet Pedro the chef, he has taken me around the dishes and letting me know what I cannot or can eat. He is always around and is more than happy to answer any questions regarding the dishes or to take you around the dishes again. Thank you Pedro, you gave me much reassurance.|4. I fail to understand why there are so many bad reviews on the food as the presentation is superb. It can be a little repetitive but that’s bound to happen with a buffet. My partner had a delightful experience trying all of the different desserts. He said all the mini desserts dishes were amazing as well as the meat, it was cooked beautifully.|5. The grounds are well kept and maintained.|6. The free WiFi works all around the complex and including the beach.|7. My partner and I have found the staff around the complex attentive, friendly and helpful.|8. Air con worked perfectly as did the TV. |9. At dinner, the gluten free bread is kept at the back, if you ask for Pedro (one of the head chef) he will bring it out to you.||Overall, we have had a pleasant experience and time at the Grand Palladium and would definitely return and recommend to...

We have been here so far for 4 days out of our 8 day vacation. This stay has been anything but pleasant. When we arrived check-in went fairly smooth (there was no welcome drink, etc. like others said they received, but that wasn't missed since we didn't know to expect it). Our room was ready and front desk staff were all friendly and helpful. We were invited to a "welcome breakfast" the following morning and scheduled that. We tried to make reservations for dinner at the restaurants and were told that no reservations were available until at least the 5th day of our trip, and to try to get them we would have to come that 5th day in the morning and try to reserve before others. Part of traveling for me is experiencing and enjoying different foods, so this was incredibly disheartening. We were told to visit the buffets for meals until then or order room service, etc.

When we arrived to our room it was satisfactory as a regular hotel room but less than expected for a 5 star resort. We booked the rooftop Jacuzzi Junior suite for reference. The minibar was well stocked with water, sodas, chips and a chocolate bar, as well as beer. The minibar doesn't really cool the beverages though. The tiles in the shower are broken and the drain cover isn't secured and moved all around. There are small bugs that wander from the counter up the wall to the second floor and crawl all over our belongings, three same bugs have another family that crawl from the table beneath the TV up the wall on that side of the room. They are tiny but there are many. The linens have had stains a few days. The towels have been stained and even torn some days though they do always smell like bleach. There is shampoo, conditioner, and body wash in the shower if you need it, as well as hand soap etc. on the bathroom counter.

We did go to the main buffet for dinner the first day. There was plentiful selections but the quality of the food was subpar and bland. Service was adequate but not great by any means. At the end of day 1 we were disappointed and questioning our continued stay.

Day 2... We were picked up for our "welcome breakfast" only to find out it was a sales pitch breakfast and meeting to join the members club. We were told this would take 90 minutes and we ended up being there almost 4 and a half hours. We were practically begged to buy into the membership before we even had the chance to experience the property. Our options to buy into this $25000 plan or $10000 "introductory plan" were dismissed because we were ready to see if we even enjoyed the property. After we said no to the membership the gentlemen we were speaking with quickly changes their behaviors and rather brushed us off, even saying "I don't get paid unless you buy.". Thank goodness we at least were "gifted" a dinner reservation for our 3rd night at a restaurant on TRS.

We then headed to the beach BBQ/buffet to try some lunch. The buffet items were almost identical to the previous night's dinner buffet and equally as bland. Service was minimally adequate. The grilled beef and chicken that second day were a saving grace as we were so hungry for good food; it wasn't great but it was at least edible. We spent the rest of day 2 at the beach and finished with a highly disappointing visit to the main buffet. Same food. Same poor quality. We didn't even finish what we tried on our plates. We decided to go to the sports bar and try that instead. We tried a hamburger patty which had the texture of a pencil eraser and some fries which were cold and under cooked. To the trash again. Room service as a last resort was our next mission. We ordered numerous items to try after trying to order in the app (which wouldn't work) and then calling the room service phone number for 52 minutes before someone answered. Another hour after that we had food delivered. Half of the food was different than what we ordered; all was room temperature. Fruit wasn't ripe. Bland, bland, bland. Trash. I guess we do to bed hungry today. More to follow...

My vacation at Grand Palladium hotel spa resort.|Well it was wonderful, the complex, the beach, the staff are all very wonderful. |The biggest annoyance for me was the following phrase. Good Morning senior, how is your days, would you mind filling a quick trip advisor/ google survey? Butt like all the time! These hotel employee with light mint coloured blouse who harasses you to go to some meetings. Like please I am in meetings everyday and I am trying to forget about work. Now lets talk about the beach (hotel beach is public) however like Every 5 to 10 min you get annoying people asking you to buy Cigarettes or cigars, To get your hair braided (like come on I am bald) then you get all sales people for tours, para sail. I felt like fry at McDonalds when all the seagulls are try to eat it at the same times) |But like I said the hotel complex is clean but the rooms are out of date, I would not consider this to be a 5 start like they proudly expose everywhere its more like 3, 31/2 and maybe I say maybe a 4. The rooms need a big deal of of love and care. I ask other people how they thought was the rooms and we all agreed that they needed modernization. . Patch and paint everywhere in the rooms, major cleaning should also be done. Yes the rooms are clean in surface, but when you have 20 years of fingerprints on the light switch, doors its time to send the hazmat team for a thorough cleaning. Our room had unfortunately black mold that smelled like humidity all the time. My wife has asthma and it bothered her.|Bugs, I had ask for a room on the second floor to avoid this but I got a room on ground floor. So this is expected. Mini ants roam the floors, normal 2 inches gap under the entrance door. |Food, the morning, lunch and super are buffet style the food is great definitely not Cuba for those who went their in the past. Suggestions you definitely need to wake up early they have amazing a la carte restaurant included, but if you miss the reservation good luck. I really enjoyed the Bhogali Indian cuisine and the Mexican Adelita they knew to bring me to their culture and acquired taste. The Lola was also good but not as enjoyable I was expecting Tapas and real Spanish food. Whats is annoying with all the a la carte restaurants is they all have buffet style mixed with service a la carte. For me the idea of a la carte restaurant is to get served and have a lovely conversation with friends and family while I eat. |Technology: WiFi is amazing it on the complex everywhere even on the beach. However TV in room don’t have streaming service or chrome cast. The plugs in the room will only accept small cube style chargers. ( please think of this for the kids) |Beware, Paladium travel club sales representatives: they will offer you what seems to be a great opportunity with VIP service at all Paladium hotels chain. They have multiple packages. Don’t buy if you can’t afford it or if you are uncertain. Take the time to think of such a long time investment. If it’s to good to be true it probably is. Sales teams very nice but insisting 90min turned to 4hrs. I would avoid being fooled of going in the first place.|Although, I would recommend a stay here, it was still very beautiful, Dominicans are very welcoming and generous with people. The hotel still had plenty to offer and was a calm...