Here's my review of the Grand Palladium Bavaro in Punta Cana! Sorry it took a while!

First thanks to Tammy and the whole forum, especially the thread “Married or Getting married at Grand Palladium Punta Cana” for all the support! The pictures won't post here, so if you want pictures please go look at the Married or Getting Married at Grand Palladium Punta Cana thread.

Travel Agent—A+:

We used a local destination wedding specialist at Uniglobe Travel. VERY happy with the service provided! Included were invitations so we saved some money! As bride and groom we were upgraded to first class there and back and we received a 3 piece luggage set for the amount of people who booked. Awesome!

Air Transat—A+:

I had heard some negative things about Air Transat so I was worried at first. We had no issues with our flights, and were pleased with the service we received! My friends and family in economy class stated that they felt crammed into the seats; however, I think this may be typical! We were part of Air Transat's Imperial Club which got us a bathrobe, slippers, rum and a fruit platter in the room upon arrival. We were also able to make reservations at the restaurants which was nice!

Check In/Romance Suite—A+:

Was a little chaotic, but we all got through no problem. The only issue we had was that our Romance Suite wasn't ready yet, so we were given the option to upgrade to the Royal Suites for the 2 weeks, or stay in a different Romance Suite the first night and switch rooms the second night. We chose the Romance Suite to be closer to our friends and family and we have no regrets with our decision! The Royal Suites looked very nice, but we figured it was about a 10 minute walk from our guests.

Resort Grounds—A+:

One word—Beautiful! The grounds are meticulously maintained and there's so much to see. Loved everything. This resort is really big, but we didn't mind walking. You can also take the train around the resort but it can be a bit of a wait for it to pick you up.

Food—A:

We ate at all 3 buffets and had no issues with the food. Always found something to eat, and everyone told me they were really happy with the food choices! We also ate at the Spanish, Brazilian, Japanese and Asian a la carte restaurants. My favourite one was the Brazilian, followed by the Japanese, Asian and Spanish. We also ate at the Sports Bar (including the night of the wedding!) and while the choices were always the same, it was nice to grab a quick bite to eat every now and then.

Pools/Beach—A+++:

We loved the Punta Cana side beach. The bartenders at the swim up bar were great and it was quiet. There were always activities at the Bavaro pool and vendors. (Annoying vendors!)

The beach was one of the best beaches I have ever seen!! Gorgeous!! Warning though, if you want to get one of the shade huts you need to have your towels out on a chair by 8am otherwise you won't get one!

Entertainment—A:

We didn't do any of activities with the animation team, but my cousin did and she had a blast. We did go to some of the evening shows and had a good time! My favourite was the Circus show (they had trapeze artists!) and the Michael Jackson impersonation show!

Excursions through Air Transat Vacations—A++:

With our wedding group we went on a day long catamaran trip which included drinks, food, swimming, and snorkeling. It was a great thing to do with everyone after the wedding and one of my guests organized everyone going so that was so nice! On our own we went swimming with the dolphins, zip lining, and to Santo Domingo. The dolphins were so much fun to swim with, but they did try to nickel and dime you when you get to the place. The zip lining was hot but was a great way to see some of the countryside and the mountains! The Santo Domingo trip was a LONG day (it's a four hour bus ride there and back) but we loved it because we got to see a lot of the country! You also stop at a bunch of little tourist attractions along the way: underground cave, Columbus Lighthouse, Diego Columbus's Palace, Cigar Museum, Cathedral in Santo Domingo, and the street of Santo Domingo itself.

Final Resort Grade—A+++:

We loved this resort. Our friends and family also said it was great and many said they would love to return. The staff does mainly speak Spanish so at times this could be difficult for us, but we are in their country so that's my problem in my opinion! There are local vendors at the pool, the beach and sometimes outside of the buffets. They can be very persistent so stand your ground to them. The only thing I bought from one of them was a palm leaf hat which I was able to get back into Canada! Our mini bar was restocked every day and the towel art and flowers left daily were great!

Now onto the wedding!!

Carolina—A+++:

Carolina is fantastic and very organized!! We met with her the day after we arrived and picked our flowers, cake, decorations, restaurant, menu, time, location, etc. We gave her our guest book and she took care of it. We did a rehearsal the day before with her as well which really helped me and my nerves!

Ceremony—A+:

We had the renewal of vows ceremony and Carolina performed it. It was very short and that is my only regret, it was 7 minutes. The guests didn't seem to care though! We should have specified what we wanted to say to each other, but we didn't so that is our fault. I was picked up by a bell boy with a golf cart which was nice and the guests all took a special train from the lobby to the new gazebo. While they were waiting for me they were served beer! My husband thought that was great!! Afterwards, there was champagne given to everyone which was also nice. They did a great job decorating the site! We brought our processional songs on a CD and there was no problem.

Flowers—A+++:

The flowers cost me an additional $30 USD and they were above and beyond anything I expected. I upgraded my bouquet and got two corsages for the moms. There was also a centerpiece (not sure what to call it) of flowers that was used during the ceremony and reception to decorate the ceremony table and the head table.

Dinner—A+++:

We had a semi private dinner at El Arricife restaurant. Our food was the caesar salad, beef medallions, and the chocolate brownie for dessert. The best food I ate over the entire 2 weeks was at my wedding!! Carolina printed out menus for everyone which was a surprise to me! We had one celiac meal and a vegetarian option. Otherwise everyone does eat the same thing. Carolina set up the head table as per our request and we had a little corner of the restaurant. No complaints!

Cake—A+++:

Loved the cake! Your cake options are vanilla or chocolate and we picked vanilla. Our colour was green, so Carolina put a green ribbon around the 3 tiers, it had flowers on it and the cake topper they provided was kinda cheesy but I like it! Again the servers only spoke Spanish, but my father can speak some Spanish so we were able to figure everything out!

Beach Party—A++++:

This was awesome and a highlight! We had the private beach party after dinner and it was great. We brought our first dance and parent/child songs a a CD and the DJ had no problem with playing them. Everyone danced and had a great time. There was a bartender who would go up to the restaurant to get the drinks and he could be a little slow at times, so people started ordering 10 beers at a time! But he was so happy and we had a great time. We also used the resort DJ and I had no problems with the music he played! We danced practically the whole night!! Again, only spoke Spanish, but again we got it all figured out!!

Mark11 Photography—A+++++++:

We hired a photographer from Calgary and are thrilled with him and his pictures. I should have them back by next week!! We did a TTD the next day and it was so much fun!!! If you can, do a TTD!!!

Some examples of his pics:

Miscellaneous Wedding Stuff—A++++:

We received breakfast delivered to our room the next morning. It included eggs, a plate of croissants, a plate of bacon and sausages, a plate of toast, coffee and orange juice. There was too much food! They also decorated our room the night of the wedding. It included heart shaped towel art, flowers on the bed, around the sinks and around the jetted tub. There was also a bottle of champagne on ice and a “just married” banner on the door. We also received two “we got married at Grand Palladium” t-shirts!

So as you can see we loved the resort, loved the wedding, and loved the 2 weeks we spent there! I would go back to the Grand Palladium Bavaro in a heartbeat. If you pick this resort I hope you have the same wonderful experience that we did!!

Sorry this is so long, but I loved reading everyone's reviews and seeing everyone's pictures! Please let me know if you have any questions!!!