Rating:
"We visited this resort from Dec 25/09 to Jan 1/10. It was absolutely a wonderful experience!! The food was great (way better then the food in Cuba). The resort is very clean and has lots of things to do!! The evening shows are and the entertainment staff are one of the best things about this resort. There is always something happening that is fun for everyone during the day and in the evening. In the evenings we especially enjoyed the lobby bar at the Grand Palladium Colonial, there was a band every night and there was little to no wait for drinks! One issue we had was that on 2 of the days we were there, they seemed to have a towel shortage for Beach/Pool towels but it was so warm we just dried off in the sun.

We wish we would have booked for two weeks. Next time we go we are not interested in going on any tours/excurisions outside of the resort unless they are leaving right from the resorts beach area. We found the excursions pricey and not really worth it. The best excursion we went on was the Turtle Bay Snorkling tour that leaves at 2:30pm every day from the beach activity area. The cost was only $30 US per person and we enjoyed it far more then our trip to Xcaret which cost $120 US person, plus we had the convenience of not waking up early and being at the resort and not spending more money on food/drinks etc.

I think we will go back to this resort next year, it was wonderful!!"
Reviewer: LoveTheSun
Date: Jan. 05, 2010

Rating:
"This resort is actually a complex of 3 resorts; white sands, colonial, and kentanah. The suites were wonderful, clean and a pleasure to relax in after a day at the beach. Everything is spread out over a large area, with flora and fauna dotted all over the property, it makes you feel you are somewhere tropial, not a stripped piece of beach where a jungle used to be. There are carts roaming all over which will pick you up and bring you whereever you wish to go on the grounds. The restaurants were all wonderful, great food, reasonable wait periods, friendly staff and great selection. The buffets were also great, huge breakfast selection, lots of seafood. The beach was fantastic, not washed away or overly dirty. There was a little garbage here and there, the small pots being used as garbage containers allow wind to blow the garbage out on the beach. The location is great, away from any large centres yet close to many attractions, such a Xel-Ha, Hidden Worlds, Tulum, Xcaret, etc. Bell Boys were great for arranging cabs and vans to accomodate our plans and always got the best Taxi drivers for us. This property is very safe, guards at the front gate stop every vehicle. When you leave for a day tour they get your room number and look at you closely, then when you return they again get your room number and again check you over. The staff are checked by the guards at the end of every shift that they hav not stolen anything so be sure to leave a note for the maid saying you gave her a tip, or a gift or whatever. We never had any problems with any staff, they were all wonderful and helpful. Had a great trip, would return in a second!"
Reviewer: reviewer9338
Date: Nov. 11, 2009

Rating:
"We stayed at the Grand Palladium Colonial from March 8 - 15, 2009. Right from the get go this vacation was everything we wanted it to be be.

I had booked AGI Tours for our transfer to the resort and as promised they were standing right outside with my name on it. We told the Transat Rep we were using AGI they got us our information and off we went.

One thing we all noticed on our way to the resort and during our time off the resort was how nice the highways were and how clean. The highway was in much better shape than any here at home.

We made it to the resort in about 55 minutes and checked in. We arrived at 12:20 so the rooms weren't ready. We checked out the place for a little while and on a whim went back to check on the rooms and they were ready early. We had a second floor Junior Suite next door to our friends. Our room was much much nicer than our room at the Palladium Bavaro in Punta Cana last year.

The rooms were very nice, with wonderful towel art every day. We were in building 20 which couldn't have been more centrally located. Nothing was far away from us.

Having been to a Palladium last year we were more than prepared for the size of the resort and packed our footwear accordingly. We did lot's and lot's of walking, which was a good thing considering all that we were eating, and when we got tired we took the train. Even when the train wasn't there we didn't have any problem finding a golf cart that would take us back to our room.

We did four A La Cartes, the Mexican, Brazilian, Beach Barbecue and the Steakhouse. All of them were excellent! The Brazilian is an experience, be ready for bed afterwards! We did a Brazilian in Puerto Plata and couldn't wait to try another one. It certainly didn't disappoint! The Steakhouse was just phenominal and the hardest A La Carte to get into.

We ate at the Buffets for breakfast and our other three suppers. Here is the one spot where the Palladium in Punta Cana was better. The buffet's in Punta Cana were done up so well and with such variety of food that we only did one A La Carte during our stay there. However, that's not to say the buffet's were bad here, they just weren't as extravagant. I am a really fussy eater and even I could find good meals here. Love the pasta!

We generally did the beach bar's for lunch. They too were very good.

The beach was amazing. Something for everyone. You could swim at the Colonial/Kantenah Section or snorkel at the White Sands section. The snorkelling at White Sands was so good we didn't even bother to do a snorkelling excursion. My husband even saw a ray!

No beach or pool chair issue here either. We never had a problem finding four chairs together anywhere at any time of day. You would have never found chairs on the beach or pool in Punta Cana unless you got up at 6:00am.

The White Sands and Colonial pools were incredible. Just gorgeous. We preferred the Colonial pool, only because the pool bar chairs were only waist deep versus chest deep or higher at White Sands.

If you get wet before you go into the pool (like they recommend) the water is fine. Only when I didn't get wet first did I find it cold at first. We were in for many hours on a few afternoons so it couldn't have been too bad! The pool bar staff was excellent! Making so many pretty coloured shooter after shooter and so on!

The Adults Secret pool is another great spot. Everyone should make a point of spending a few hours there. Awesome service and drinks!

We did one show at the Riveria. Pretty much the same as any of them at a resort.

The resort was clean and there were always workers around doing something. Cleaning, maintenance on the walkways, gardening, entertaining guests etc.

The rooms were kept immaculate by the housekeeping staff and everything was well stocked.

There's lot's of iguana's around the resort, which take some adjusting to, as well as a multitude of other wildlife. There are some beautiful birds also. Considering the amount of trees and flowers at this resort we were really surprised at the lack of bugs.

We hired AGI again to do an excursion to Coba. We really didn't want to be away from the resort for a whole day and couldn't find a half day excursion that we could book. Boy am I glad we couldn't. AGI was great! Our guide was excellent. We saw bus tours while we were there and were so happy we didn't do one of those. While they were looking at the ruins we were climbing them, examining and feeling them and taking pictures. We had as much time as we wanted at each ruin. Our guide never rushed us. We heard everything our guide said, asked lot's of questions and even learned a couple Mayan words. Once the tour was done we were left on our own to explore the jungle and ruins, which was nice.

We did a morning in Playa Del Carmen. Took the cab from the resort ($20.00) and were told to check the price before we got in the cab to come home. No problem there, it was $20.00 as soon as we asked. We bought lot's of stuff and visited Senor Frogs. That's an experience.

On our last full day there we did the boat tour from White Sands, very nice. We took advantage of the Spa facilities, took lot's of pictures and just relaxed.

Overall this was a wonderful vacation and I would return to this resort any time.
"
Reviewer: lisapottie5907
Date: Aug. 06, 2009

Rating:
"Wow, what a beautiful resort! We were so impressed, we are ready to book again.

Check-in:
Met with welcome drink and hot towels. Were upgraded to a Jr. Suite in Colonial Section, so great news. However, at first disappointed as we had especially booked quiet Kantenah section. However, see room notes...

Room notes:
Beautiful jr. suite, jungle view, very clean, beautiful bathroom. You could hear a lot of furniture moving around in the AM (I'm thinking it was cleaning going on above us or beside us) and also guests walking around (high heels). Bed was big and comfortable with great pillows. Great location but would choose 3rd floor next time, if possible. Not a lot of shower pressure but didn't bother us.

Food notes:
We were impressed with the buffet selection of salads and main meals, although we didn't notice too much variation night to night. No matter - still lots of things to try. We enjoyed the Italian and Mediterranean restaurants very much; we were somewhat disappointed by the Mexican. Overall, we thought very good but not much in the way of regional and/or Mexican food. Also, took us a while to find the coffee.... which was excellent, by the way... we liked the beeper system for a la cartes - no need to make reservations way before - just pick what you feel like at the time.

Staff/Service:
Excellent and friendly. No complaints. Cleaning was really thorough. Wait staff/bartenders friendly and attentive.

Beach:
Absolutely beautiful. White sands, gentle waves. We went to Kantenah section. Always tons of chairs and space. Water is rocky on entry but then beautiful sand. Just watch your step when you first go in.

Grounds:
Stunning. We were really impressed with how the resort has tried to preserve jungle to some degree, even to the point of replanting trees taken up. We really like the ecological/educational approach taken and enjoyed the beautiful walkways. Note during mosquito season: take your bug spray when walking around in late afternoon/dusk. The planked walkways were beautiful but large gaps between some boards might make some clutzy walkers (like myself) nervous. You can always choose an alternative route, though, if the planks bother you, or take the little golf cart train. Huge resort - plan for lots of walking or to take golf carts.

Pool:
We loved the adult pool and were amazed how quiet it was. We like it quiet. It was rowdy the last day only. We skipped the main pool but it looked like people were enjoying it.

Activities:
We didn't take part because we really like to hang out on our own and just enjoy the water and the beach and maybe go on a few excursions. We kept to the beach and the quiet adult pool.




"
Reviewer: tumbleweedtea2153
Date: Jul. 23, 2009