Grand Palladium Palace Resort & Spa
Grand Palladium Palace Resort Spa & Casino is the gaming-and-nightlife wing of the sprawling Grand Palladium complex in Bavaro: beachfront, mature gardens, 366 rooms and suites, and home to the complex's only casino, whose poker tables and slots are inside the all-inclusive. Before booking, understand what happened next door. The adjoining hotel, formerly Grand Palladium Bavaro Suites Resort & Spa, reopened in December 2025 as the 506-room Grand Palladium Select Bavaro after a $61.5 million renovation that also brought Palladium's Family Selection concept to the Dominican Republic. That turned one resort complex into a two-speed operation, and Palladium's own FAQs confirm the access runs one way: Select guests may use the Palace and the Punta Cana resort, while the Palace FAQ lists only Grand Palladium Punta Cana Resort & Spa as open to you.
Traveler Insights
Pros
- +The only casino in the Grand Palladium Punta Cana complex is here, with poker tables and slots included in the all-inclusive, so evening gaming does not mean leaving the property
- +Beachfront on the white-sand Bavaro stretch near El Cortecito, with direct ocean access and a beach snack bar, and 2026 guests report no trouble finding loungers at the pools or on the sand
- +Palace guests get full run of the sister Grand Palladium Punta Cana Resort & Spa next door, which Palladium's own FAQ confirms covers its restaurants, bars, pools and activities, so the usable footprint is far bigger than the Palace alone
- +Dining variety is a genuine strength: three show-cooking restaurants and four a la carte venues at the Palace, including El Dorado, Portofino, Bhogali and Sumptuori for Italian, Indian and Asian, plus nine bars and a beach snack bar
- +Bars are well staffed and 2026 guests report short waits for a drink even at peak hours, which is not a given at a resort of this scale
- +Three pools plus a children's water park, a Zentropia Palladium Spa & Wellness with a gym, and included daily fitness and yoga classes, volleyball, tennis and non-motorized water sports like kayaking and snorkeling
- +Staff warmth is the most consistent theme in reviews, with servers, bartenders and grounds crews described as friendly even by guests critical of everything else
Cons
- −Access inside the complex runs one way. The neighbouring hotel reopened in December 2025 as Grand Palladium Select Bavaro after a $61.5 million renovation, and Palladium's FAQs spell out the asymmetry: Select guests may use the Palace and the Punta Cana resort, while the Palace FAQ names only Grand Palladium Punta Cana Resort & Spa as open to Palace guests. The renovated Select areas are not yours unless you pay to upgrade
- −The renovation money went next door. Palace rooms and public areas read as dated beside the 506-room Select Bavaro, and 'needs updating' is a recurring room comment in 2026 reviews
- −The complex now operates in visible tiers by wristband, and guests report standard-tier wristbands getting less attention than Select, Family Selection and TRS guests. Reports are mixed rather than universal, but the tiering is built into how the place runs
- −Several things a traveler expects to be included are not: room service is $18 a delivery, Zentropia spa treatments and hydrotherapy cost extra, laundry is charged, imported liquor brands sit outside the all-inclusive, and the airport shuttle is free only for Palladium Rewards members
- −The beach faces the Atlantic, so sargassum is a real risk from roughly April through August, with seaweed lines and cleanup crews in those months. December through April is the dependable window
- −Value complaints rose through 2026: prices went up while the accessible footprint shrank after the Select conversion, and guests report upselling on top
- −Palladium Travel Club sales presentations are pushed hard across the property, so decline firmly and early
- −The complex is genuinely big, so expect long walks or a wait for the shuttle trolley between the Palace, the beach and the shared facilities next door
The day-to-day experience still has real strengths. Three pools and a children's water park, three show-cooking restaurants and four a la carte venues at the Palace, nine bars plus a beach snack bar, a Zentropia spa with a gym, and included yoga, fitness classes, volleyball, tennis and non-motorized water sports. Guests in 2026 report plenty of loungers, short bar waits and restocked minibars, and staff friendliness comes up again and again. The flip side is the tiering and the dating: standard wristbands report less attention than Select and TRS guests, Palace rooms look their age next to the renovated hotel across the complex, and housekeeping is inconsistent. Several charges surprise people at an all-inclusive, notably $18 room service, paid spa treatments and imported liquor brands sitting outside the package.
The Palace suits travelers who want a casino on site, couples and groups who want the disco and theater evening scene, and families who will actually use the complex's large pool and sports footprint at a mid-tier price. It sits below Select Bavaro and TRS Turquesa in the Palladium hierarchy, so if the renovated experience is what you want, booking Select directly is cheaper and simpler than buying a daily upgrade at the front desk. At comparable money, Royalton Punta Cana and Barcelo Bavaro Beach deliver more consistent room quality. The Palace's edge is the casino, the El Cortecito beach position and the scale of what you can walk to.
Common Questions
Can Palace guests use the new Grand Palladium Select Bavaro?
What changed at the Grand Palladium complex recently?
What costs extra at an all-inclusive stay here?
Is there a waterpark for kids?
How is the beach, and what about sargassum?
Palace or Grand Palladium Punta Cana, which should I book?
Restaurants (8)
| Type | Restaurants |
|---|---|
| Buffet | Las Torres, Poseidón, Behique (at Grand Palladium Punta Cana Resort & Spa) |
| Italian | Portofino (at Grand Palladium Punta Cana Resort & Spa) |
| Japanese & sushi | Sumptuori |
| Steakhouse | El Dorado (at Grand Palladium Punta Cana Resort & Spa) |
| Indian | Bhogali |
| International & fusion | CHIC Cabaret & Restaurant (extra charge, at Grand Palladium Punta Cana Resort & Spa) |
From the resort's own dining pages. Only restaurants the resort lists are shown. Venues marked "extra charge" are not covered by the all-inclusive rate; the others are, per the resort.
What's nearby
Bávaro Beach20 min drive · 5.0 mi
Macao Beach25 min drive · 12 mi
Cap Cana Marina35 min drive · 19 mi
45 min drive · 22 mi
More things to do (21)
- Playa Blanca · beach30 min drive · 16 mi
- Juanillo Beach · beach35 min drive · 19 mi
- Scape Park · adventure park45 min drive · 22 mi
- Punta Espada Golf Club · golf40 min drive · 22 mi
- Higüey · town55 min drive · 26 mi
- Arena Gorda Beach · beach13 min drive · 3.2 mi
- Los Corales · town8 min drive · 2.1 mi
- White Sands Golf Course · golf8 min drive · 2.0 mi
- Iberostar Bávaro Golf Club · golf12 min drive · 4.3 mi
- Cocotal Golf & Country Club · golf13 min drive · 3.8 mi
- Cana Bay Golf Club · golf15 min drive · 5.8 mi
- Vista Cana Golf Club · golf20 min drive · 7.7 mi
- Catalonia Caribe Golf Club · golf20 min drive · 10 mi
- Barceló Bávaro Golf · golf25 min drive · 5.5 mi
- Dolphin Explorer · adventure park25 min drive · 12 mi
- Dolphin Island Park · adventure park30 min drive · 6.2 mi
- Indigenous Eyes Ecological Park · nature35 min drive · 17 mi
- Deep-sea fishing charter · excursion35 min drive · 19 mi
- Hoyo Claro · cenote45 min drive · 22 mi
- Cabo Engaño Beach · beach50 min drive · 14 mi
- Basilica of Our Lady of Altagracia, Higüey · historic site55 min drive · 27 mi
Amenities
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Style & Rooms
Atmosphere
Seaweed & sargassum
Punta Cana gets sargassum, typically worst May through August.See the month-by-month guide →Google Reviews★ 4.7 · 32,643 reviews
“Stayed there 1 week as a family of 4 beginning of January. We had a lovely stay at Grand Palladium Punta Cana. It’s a very spacious resort, so be prepared to do some walking, but the layout is beautiful. Dining Highlights: * El Dorado: The best servi...”
“We had an absolutely wonderful stay at this resort. The food was incredible, the accommodations were beautiful, and the white-sand beaches were truly breathtaking. We loved the peaceful, quiet vibe of the resort, while still having the perfect balanc...”
“This was our third stay at Grand Palladium. You really do feel like you go from guests to family. We are bravaro travel club members, but with bravaro under renovations I wasnt sure what to expect. Our room was perfect, we had 3 girls in a loft bedro...”
