Grand Paradise Playa Dorada - All Inclusive

Wonderful Stay, but checkout was crazy!

So my girlfriend & I had a wonderful stay from Aug.20 - 27. The resort grounds were charming and bright. We have a problem with the bathroom on the 1st. night, the next day the manager have the porter change the room while we had lunch. The staff greeted us warmly everyday of our stay. The resort’s beach area was clean & spacious. The cuisine in the 2 restaurant & the buffet was satisfactory. The drinks were also good, if you talk to the bartenders. "remember to tip" The nightly live shows only some nights in the theater, and the on-site disco was below average, "I live in New York City and i know know good entertainment." During checkout the Resort tried to make me pay for a towel that was damaged for the room. Of course I refused and wanted to see the towel in question. I debated with the one of manager for at least 20 minutes, finally I was allowed to checkout. I almost missed my flight. I taken 3 trip to DR in 3 different resort. This Bull____ at checkout was the worst I have ever experienced.

Traveler's tip

Be Aware of The Towel Conspiracy!!!

Nice hotel, nice people, horrible food :(

to start, this was a beautiful hotel, open and spacious. The room we were switched to was a suite...very nice..however when i go on vacation , the food is one of the most important determining factors on whether i had an awesome time or just an ok time....well, the all inclusive food is aweful..very disappointed, being that this is such a beautiful place. i love D R, the beaches, the people, had a great time for the short time i stayed but unfortunately cannot stay here at grand paradise due to the weird assortment of foods..if thats what it is??? i will definitely visit D.R. again, but not this hotel...

Traveler's tip on dining

ask some of the locals where to get a nice bite to eat

Would stay there again and again!

We loved every aspect of the resort! The staff were great (a little money goes a long way in terms of tipping). The buffet was good, the other restaurants exquisite (make reservations before 1pm)! Grounds beautifully maintained and the ocean is perfection! Be polite, tip early (bellhop to maid to bartender) and we never went without a drink in hand, never waited in line, never asked twice for more filtered water or clean towels. The key: relax, don’t rush, operate on Caribbean time, not your own.

Traveler's tip on recreational activities

Book adventure excursions with Iguana Mama - they provide history, food and an organized/safe activity. We did the 27 waterfalls & whitewater rafting. It’s worth the little extra cost to get roundtrip travel, meals and experienced guides and it was absolutely amazing! Bargaining at the resorts for excursions is fine, but only Iguana Mama takes you to all 27 waterfalls, the others only take you to the first 7.

Not impressed

There are no anemities and the staff are unfriendly during food service and overbearing during pool activities forcing people to participate against their will

Excellent place to have a great time!!!

After going to Sandals in St. Lucia for my honeymoon in 2008, this vacation package @ approximately 1/3rd of the price seemed like a great deal, and i figured it would be about 1/3rd as nice. However, after arriving at the resort i realized that this was not true and that resort is a GREAT deal!!! It seems like this resort has the best location in the playa dorada complex. All of the staff at the resort are AWESOME and VERY entertaining (i still can remember what one of their laughs sounded like, hilarious!). The nightly entertainment was great, they had gambling, a beach party, fire entertainers, local dancers, local musicians, and it was all AWESOME! Our room was right on the beach (make sure you pay the extra for the oceanfront room, it is WELL worth it, and make sure that you demand upon arrival that you get an ocean front room in section 14 or 16). The only thing that bothered some people (although i’m not easily annoyed) were all the locals on saturday and sunday, made the pool very busy and the eating situation very busy, but other than this everything was GREAT!!! We did a katamaran excursion and the city tour with the cable car and our guide was AWESOME for both of them, so i would def. recommend these! Overall, this is not sandals mainly because the food wasn’t as good, but it was SO much cheaper and almost as good, i would def. recommend going here! Hope this helps!

Traveler's tip on getting the most out of your stay

Make sure to pay the extra for the ocean front room, and if they put you in a non ocean front room, make them move you to one. Next, try to plan most of your stay during the week when it’s a little calmer. Lastly, make sure to do a city tour with the cable car trip included (it was $49 p/ person for this, and worth every penny). This is a great, laid back place where everyone gets along and has a great time (it’s all inclusive with all the drinks you can drink, how can it be a bad time???).

Great Place to Relax

Just back from Grand Paradise,Puerto Plata July 31-Aug 7, 2009.Americans in our 40’s.3rd floor balcony room overlooking pool area, 2dbl beds, tv, closet, iron, frig, safe & hair-dryer.No elevators.Ask for room away from pool if you turn in early.Tipped housekeeper daily & received extra towels & Sprite-Coke.Toiletries not replenished. Plenty hot water. Refrigerator had 1gal water.No alcohol. Rent safe ($20/wk). Animation Team hosted pool games, aerobics, dance lessons.Nightly Karaoke, Movie Trivia, Merengue band, WII games, etc. 3 restaurants--1 buffet & 2 a la carte.Food is comparable to a cruise ship. Grill in the buffet-very tasty.Make reservations for a la carte restaurants in a.m. 1 beach bar, 1 pool bar & 1 swim up bar.NO bottled beer-only Presidente served in plastic cup. No beach service. Drinks are weak.Sand is course but water is beautiful.Plenty beach chairs all though you have to drag them yourself.There are vendors & timeshare sharks on beach.The beach was never crowded.Pool & jacuzzi close at 7pm. Pool area is very clean & there are 3 showers to rinse off sand.Many chairs although those closest to the pool are gone by 10am.Pool never crowded.Did Puerto Plata City & Cable Car excursion through the hotel @ $45pp--. Tour short & boring.Reached cable car too late in the day=clouds had moved in.Befriended staff member who acted as a taxi-tour guide for afternoon.Gave him $40 for 6 hours.We really enjoyed meeting locals & eating local food.

Traveler's tip

Bring essentials--triple $ for sunscreen, razors, etc. Use the same bartender and tip him daily-stiffer drinks & cold mugs for the beer.Book excursions at the mall or with the beach vendors. Same and cheaper. Be aware of the restaurant operating times. Attend your welcome meeting with the hotel rep. She will confirm your airport shuttle service (if you booked it)and return flights.If the purpose of your vacation is to "party" then consider another resort.

we the drinks were better

The hotel itself was great .the beach is beautiful and the pool great however the drinks including wine was all watered down. Check-in was the worst we waited in line for an hour then when we finally got 2 the room the key didnt work.the same thing happened when we went out in the night when we came back the key didnt work again and we had 2 change it walkin up and down 3 flights of stairs not cool after partyin all night.Also dont use your credit card or buy a calling card to call international from the hotel room because you will still be charged by the hotel just call from the hotel direct it is much cheaper

Traveler's tip on saving a few bucks

rent a car its much cheaper than taken a cab if u plan on leavin the resort

very nice hotel

the hotel it was good and the food and all the drink you want

Nice and confortable place to relax

I went there for vacation with my fiance. It was very beautiful and nice place to go. The hotel was very nice. The hotel was nice and clear looking but had little flaws. I would recommend people to stay there for not more than 5 days. We went there for 7 days and mostly just relax. There are no good clubs at all. Crazy Moon club which is a walk away from the hotel wasn’t what you would expect there would be like in the states. The food wasn’t that great but it was eatable.

Cool place to Stay

My husband and i went to this hotle with two of our best friends. We all had a great time. The staff was GREAT!! Very friendly and they really wanted you to have a good time. I am thinking of carry my kids and family back to the same place. The only disappointment was that the pool bar was never open and the pool closed at 6pm!! Thats to early but can’t complain about anything else! The food was great and i am a very picky eater!! This is a great place to stay!! Beach is wonderful!!

Traveler's tip on saving a few bucks

Book your excursions through the beach sellers!! May not be as fancy but just as good for the price!! The shopping in the plaza was just as reasonable as the shopping in the town!!

Really great time---great beach

This hotel was a pleasant surprise. It seems to be going through an upgrade, but it did not inconvenience us at all.We were impressed with the food and the staff and the grounds. Our room was clean and comfortable. We faced the pool, which made it close to the disco and a bit loud certain nights, but if you know it is coming, you can deal with it. We have been to the DR 5 times and really love it. The beach at this resort is its best selling point. It is easy to be in the mix and easy to be off on your own. We would certainly return!

Traveler's tip

Remember, when checking in or out of a hotel in the DR, no one is in a hurry and the times listed are basically suggestions. Everyone is super nice, just not in a hurry. It takes a while. Just take a breath and relax.

Don’t waste your money go somewhere else...

What a mistake!!! we have been to DR 3 times before and this time we wanted to try different hotel (it was cheaper than our previous hotel)..hotel looks OKAY our room was Ocean View it was OK food service teribble every time we go to the restaurant we had to fight to get even silverware on the table wait 45 min to get drinks i mean water...coke...coffee.. i was crazy rooms even on second story expect "unwanted animals like mouse" in your room happeded to a couple that we were together pictured......traveling with kids? FORGET THIS HOTEL pay little bit more and go somewhere else....

best beach

Hotel was still under renovations at the time of our stay.The staff was very pleasant and accommodating. The beach was the cleanest and the best in the area. Would definitely use this hotel again.

Traveler's tip

You must purchase a tourist card at the airport (was $10.00 U.S. at the time of our stay). Diving: Sosua

NOT IMPRESSED

The hotel is old and over rated. Staff was not friendly. WOuld not go back.

The Bar has been lowered

The island is beutiful and the people are very nice. The lodging is terrible and doesn’t live up to the advertised highlights. Most of the hotels are like this in DR. Pay more and stay at a 5 star resort b/c you definitely get what you pay for on DR. The locals are constantly looking to take advantage of you in terms of booking excursions and the exchange rate, so be very careful.

Traveler's tip on recreational activities

Go to pleasure island to snorkel and the safari to the waterfalls; both excellent.

Just ......alright!

The hotel was okay for the money. Talk with people from other hotels and they had complaints about the food and other things. One thing I can say is the food in the buffet during lunch and dinner were very good. We didn’t care for the breakfast choices. Be careful of bugs! Our legs were bitten very bad.

Traveler's tip on recreational activities

Stay away from the jeep safari trip. You should know how to swim, if not do not attempt this excursion!

Never going back

It is undeniable that the Dominican Republic has the most beautiful beach I have ever seen. However, this hotel has little to compliment. The day we arrived, and started unpacking, I noticed ants in the bathroom tub, in and around it. Thinking it was just those few, I killed them, only to see a new army come forth. I called the front desk, and the woman sent someone to spray the room instead of changing the room. Then, I noticed ants in the beds. Yes, in the beds. I went down to the front desk, and the immediately sent a bellboy to take us to a new room (I was informed it would be smaller). This room still had bugs, but not so many. Although the rest of the staff (waiters, bartenders) were extremely courteous and pleasant, the food sucked. It was horrible. Even the pasta stunk. All in all, I will never go back to this hotel. EVER!!!

Traveler's tip on saving a few bucks

Bring your own snacks and candy because the gift shop is very expensive. For example, a can of Pringles is $5 US. With prices like this, I don’t know why it is such a poor country.

Overall good experience

Visited with my girlfriend and one other couple. Hotel was well maintained. Rooms were nice and cold w/ the A/C blasting upon arrival. Once passed the communication barrier, hotel staff was helpful. Beach & pool were close to the room. Be wary of the deep sea fishing trip as we had an unpleasant experience. You feel safe as long as you stay within Playa Dorado (resort village). Would recommend for couples or families.

Not Impressed

Hotel & rooms were in terrible shape

Going back in November

The hotel is a bit old, but they are planning a renovation June/July of 07, which should greatly improve the rooms. The personnel is the best thing about the hotel -- they go out of their way to make you have a great time. I’ve stayed at Paradise three out of my four trips to DR, and am already planning my next trip in November.

Good for the price

We had a short trip to the Dominican Republic and this was a great hotel for it. I would not recommend staying there if your trip is longer than 5 days. Also, even though the food and drinks are included, the food wasn’t very good. I would suggest having all of your dinners at the grill (must make reservations a day in advance at the front desk and is included with the all-inclusive package). Stay away from the Italian restaurant...

Going back next year

Have stayed here at least 10 times. Beach is wonderful,food great,varity,and plenty. Most important reason personel are frendly, helpful,and courtesy.

Nice place

This hotel needs maintenance.