The resort is huge. There are three different parts to it. Each part has its own large swimming pool, and Grand Paradise has two big pools.
Two of the pools have swim-up bars. Most of the time the swim up bars are not busy, so you have enough space to enjoy the drinks. There are three or four hot tubs altogether.

Beach is at the Grand Paradise side of the resort. Grand Paradise is right on the beach so it is very convenient. The beach is beautiful, although sometimes it is hard to find a spot under the shade. Water is great and the sand is flawless.

Rooms are average. Beds were fine, A/C was strong. Water was leaking from the ceiling in the bathroom so the floor was wet most of the time. Balcony had a good view, and most importantly, the beach was right outside our pavilion.

Service was terrible. They broke our luggage when they were bringing it to the room. They waited for the tip though. They didn’t want to admit they did it. Manager was not much help. We did get him to tape the luggage in the end, with the help of our airline representative.

Food was great. Main buffet restaurant had great tasting food. Great variety. Service, once again was bad, but if you focus on the food you don’t care much.
We visited two a la carte restaurants and liked the food there as well.

Overall, not a bad place if you don’t pay attention to bad service.
I would go back if the price is right!

Myself and my boyfriend stayed at the Grand Paradise Bavaro from 30th June - 7th July and we absolutely loved it!
We booked as a package holiday through Thomas Cook in England, and having never been to the Caribbean before we didn't really know what to expect but we weren't disappointed.

The flight was fine, about 8.5hrs, but the looped entertainment got rather tedious! I'm not a huge fan of plane food but my boyfriend informed me it was pretty good!
Punta Cana airport was...interesting....it was like nothing I'd seen before, very wooden! We made our way through the airport reletively quickly, however they stop every passenger/couple when they land, and force you to have a picture with two girls in very bright dresses. You have the option of purchasing your picture on the way home. Going in hurricane season, we were a bit unsure of the weather, and landing in thick grey clouds didn't fill us with confidence! Thankfully, the weather was flawless for the rest of the week - clear blue skies and heat we'd never felt before in Britain!
The transfer from Punta Cana airport to the Grand Paradise Bavaro was a bit bumpy to say the least. The road is extremely uneven and full of potholes, but this is a third world country, and on the transfer you get a insight into the living conditions.

Driving into the resort, I was glad we had upgraded to the main Grand Paradise section rather than the Club. The Club is right next to the entrance, and wasn't that visually appealing, the fountain outside reception was broken and dirty (however this was fixed by the day we left) and the grounds looked a bit overgrown and not looked after. Driving down to the main entrance filled me with more confidence! It was much nicer, a brightly coloured building surrounded with palm trees and a huge wide-open foyer.
Check-in took all of about 5 minutes, the front desk staff were very helpful, and the bellboy took our luggage and delivered it to our room 10 minutes later. Of course you have to remember to tip him or he probably won't leave!! A dollar or two will do.
Our room (6219) was in an ideal location. Block 6 is (probably) the block closest to the beach, and one side faces the pool/beach bar area. However, our balcony was garden facing. No problem, because we could still see straight down to the beach. We had fresh fruit and a bottle of rum waiting for us in our room which was a lovely suprise. We had a king-sized bed (yes, the sheets were big enough and no, there were no stains/rips/discolouration), two chairs, a table, two bedside tables and a desk with the TV on. The TV didn't come with a remote but who watches TV when you're in paradise? The TV had plenty of channels in most languages, and it's not too much effort to get up to change the channel. Our bathroom was fine, flower petals nicely arranged around the sink, and we had clean towels/extra toilet paper every day. Remember it's a good idea to tip the maids every day as they do work very hard - there are hundreds of rooms in this place and they mop, dust and clean every one. The mini-fridge is filled up daily with extra soft drinks (Coca Cola, Diet Coke & Sprite) and a big bottle of water. There was a small leak in the bathroom from the room above but this didn't bother us much. Try to have a bath/shower in the evening as hot water is pretty non-existant in the morning!

The beach was the main draw for us and we weren't disappointed...miles of white sandy beaches and turquoisey blue warm sea - I've not been to many beaches but this one was amazing! The staff are always working, cleaning up any litter, removing used drinks glasses, so the beach was always spotless. You can pretty much always get a sun lounger, but if you want some shade, you might be hard pushed unless you get down there at sunrise. Luckily we were still on British time most days so we were up early enough to get a good spot!
The pools are immaculate too, there are 2 full size ones, a jacuzzi and a kids pool in the Main Section, I'm not sure about the Club, but the swim-up bar there looked pretty good.
The bar staff were all very friendly and fast, although they have a bit of trouble understanding when you ask for no ice!

We didn't eat in any of the A La Carte Restaurants unfortunately, as we were too lazy to book (terrible excuse)! So we spent our time eating in the main buffet and La Cana Grill at lunchtimes when it doubled as a buffet. We preferred the grill for lunch as it was a bit of a change. Here they serve things like burgers, roast chicken, sausages, chips, rice, salads, pizza, etc. At the main buffet, breakfast was full of fresh fruit, freshly cooked pancakes, pastries, yoghurts, cereals as well as meats. At dinner there was a different speciality every night of the week. Every night they serve salads, cold meats, spaghetti, cheeses, rice etc. There's also a massive selection of puddings like cakes - their cakes have a LOT of cream in! We thought the food was OK - however my boyfriend and myself were both ill on the same day - we think maybe as a result of prawn tacos!

The only thing that we didn't like too much was the gift shop - everything was grossly overpriced (although I suppose this is to be expected in a hotel gift shop) and the ladies working there were pretty rude. However, all the other staff we encountered were lovely and very helpful.

We did one excursion during our stay - Saona Island - it was beautiful and I'd definitely recommend doing it, I'll write a seperate review on that one! I also had a massage in the hotel spa. This was amazing and totally relaxed me! Well worth the $40 I paid for it - the ladies are all very nice in there.

I'd definitely recommend this hotel to anyone - don't listen to the bad reviews, our room was brilliant, the beach and pool areas are spotless, the food was good enough. Remember you're going to a third world country so everything isn't going to be completely perfect! The Dominican Republic is poor, their water systems aren't good so no, your shower might not be hot one morning and your toilet may not flush properly occasionally - but you're in a blue skied white sanded paradise - enjoy it! One thing though - watch out for the 'Chocolate' song they will play very often and very loud - it will stick in your head for DAYS!!

My family & I visited this resort in August 2004.

This Resort was beautiful, clean, and the beach was everything you could imagen.

Front Lobby has two grand stair cases. Exotic flowers and furniture. After traveling and the bus ride, we arrived at the resort and our wedding guest and I were in awe.

Staff was very polite, although it took roughly an hour to get to our rooms.

When we booked 6 months earlier we requested the honeymoon suite as the wedding couple. But were given an ocean view room with two double beds. The view was breath taking. But our room was nothing special for a Bride and Groom. We spoke with front desk and they said they couldn't help us with a room change. I found this to be of poor service to the Bride and Groom who undoubting should have a honeymoon suite.

We had a wonderful time with Family and friends through the first two days. Then on the 3rd day we were informed our wedding which we had booked for 5PM Sunset on the beach for August 25th. Was moved ahead to August 24th. We had planned to have our wedding date on my Fathers Birthday since he had passed away and could not attend. This was disappointing, and again the hotel would not assist us in keeping the same date as planned. Also my father’s identical twin brother who walked me down the aisle was very upset in the change of date.

The day of the wedding I went to the Salon & spa to have a Gel nail repaired and painted before the wedding while I was getting my hair done. The girls in the spa had not seen a gel nail product before, but insisted they could fix it. The one girl tore the gel nail off but doing so also removed most of my actual nail. This was my RING FINGER. I felt a panic starting to set in, and they continued to tell me it was ok...and they could still fix it. I was in pain, but also worried that as my ring finger was bare of a nail. I asked them to do something. So I placed a small band aid over my open nail bed. And they glued a spare nail found in a vase to the band aid with hot glue. Then painted this to match my other nails. I was Horrified. I really did not know how to react. I left the spa before having my hair finished. This is truely the worst service at a spa anyone could ever recive.

Also The morning of the wedding we were informed that the resort staff could not set up the beach for our wedding, as they said weather could turn at any moment. They then decorated the Lobby balcony for our wedding. My uncle spoke with the Hotel Manager and told him we did not fly 20 guests at $1100.00 each to hold our wedding inside a building. So we were able to continue the wedding on the beach without flowers or chairs.

We paid $1200 US upon arrival at the resort for our wedding package, which we were told included a wedding coordinator. But of course we were told the wedding coordinator was away on business that week. Everything I picked out from the books was not done for us. Including type of flowers. I picked a local exotic flower in a small bouquet. I got large peach roses that were weaved into a flower display that went to the floor.

The hired Judge did not correctly say our names. But we proceeded anyways. We did hire a band for an extra $375 US. Which were worth every penny. They played music on the beach for the wedding, and then followed us to the beach bar where we socialized with family as the played beautifully. During dinner they played the entire time. And also played 5 songs for us to dance too.

Although the dinner it's self was great from what I heard. I myself "The Bride" did not get a meal... and family & I all informed waiter & staff three times, then was told the kitchen was closed. This was all in an hour and half from the start of dinner

The day after the wedding, I went to the safe to get some of my things, and my Austrian Crystal Martini necklace and matching earring, with Emerald and ruby olives on them were gone. This was my wedding gift from my husband. I ran to the front desk to report this, but was told nobody could speak English and I would have to come back later. I kept going back every 10 mins and asked to speak to the manager Rueben. Nobody could speak English when I needed to report the theft.

But on a different occasion I went to the front desk and asked for a room key to my mother’s room. They handed me one key with no questions asked. This made me very uncomfortable as I only requested a room number and not even by name.

This resort was very beautiful and the beach was even more amazing. But hotel staff was impossible and I felt very disappointed even with all the excitement of our wedding. The more time that has passed I feel more robbed of what should have been an amazing trip and celebration.

I will NOT recommend this place to anyone planning to get married. OR looking for a place with great staff. If you are looking for a beautiful hotel and beach this is the place to go. DO NOT BRING ANYTHING YOU VALUE, BECAUSE THEIR SAFES ARE NOT A SAFE PLACE TO STORE THINGS EITHER.

Other wedding guest staying at the hotel also reported theft of items, high heels, clothing, and money left in shirt pocket from visiting the beach market.

My family is very easy going, and despite all this... we still look back and say what a great time. And laugh about all the mis-haps... But in all honesty no vacation or wedding should have this many problems.

We book this hotel through Yahoo Travel, we knew it was not a 5 stars hotel but, the reviues were not bad. The experience was terrible.

1) Hotel buildings and growns are really nice, the beach is wonderful, the main swiming pool was clean and nice gardens were very well keep

2) Rooms: Basic dont ask for more than a bed (not good) just a table 2 chairs not in good conditions TV very old and you have to ask for tvcontrol at lobby, frig empty have to give some money to the maid to put some cokes in it, and they just give you 2 per day, for towels we need to be calling room service to bring them, we didnt got hot water, lights were minimun it was more like been in a cave

3) Meals: terrible I m a chef and I can tell you all the food was the worst I have had in a long time. The main buffet was oughhh really terrible bad options, it look as the food has been waiting for long hours, basic options, all the things done frites were dark and tasted bad as the oil has been used for long time, bad pre ntation bad taste, bad by all means

4)Restaurants: you have to really go fast for bookings if not you are out to get them, at the reservation desk they dont have the menues, they tell you to go and see them by yourself to know what they offer, that means you have to go all arround the buildings to see what they offer, when you go back to the reservation desk is cloose.

5)They dont have any map for the hotel instalations so you dont know where things are

6) If you dont keep moving arround you dont have any information about the activities going on, when you get to know them you arrive late or they are cancel because there was no people to do them. The show we shaw was really terrible we are still trying to undestand what it was.

7) Front desk: was not bad they tried to do their best but didnt had all they need to work. They keep trying to fix problems all the time so they are overdone with problems and can give a good reception.

8)All the staff at the hotel are quite to friendly this brings to an unpleasant way of treatment as they sometimes goes for more than just good service, they are like flies all the time arround you ofering more then the hotel service. They are allways claiming for tips. If you tip them all the time things get better, they offer you better food, better drinks better rooms, better internet, better , better. What it sufers is you wallet, if you like this better bring quite a lot of small bills to get arround

9) There are new building call The Club it is been said there are better but there are far from the beach, the pool there was really nice and the instalations there new bars, casino and buffet look better then the others.

10) If you dont like stairs, better request for rooms on groungfloor, as there are no lift for the upper floors, and you have to walk arround a lot to get from the boulding to the restaurants, buffets and attractions, it is not a place to go is you have health problems.

11) You you dont eat suggar bring some subtitues as they dont have many arround. Diets drinks are not very comon for them, just Diet Coke when they have it

12) Pay if you can a little more and go to other hotels there are a lot arround and well that is what we do

We change hotel we prefer to loose some money but get better stay in other hotel, we went just for 4 nights 5 days, the second hotel was wonderful really we are plaing to go back next year.