Guest reviews Paradisus Punta Cana

by Cindy W

Was this Paradisus?

This was our 4th time staying at a Paradisus property but it did not live up to the excellence, customer service, and pampering we were used to. This was our most disappointing stay at a Paradisus. We met a couple who had stayed at this specific property 5 times and they told us the majority of the staff had been laid off, and customer service suffered as result. Honestly, we were glad to hear we weren’t the only ones dissatisfied with the service and experience. Typically a staff member came to you with more drinks before you asked, cleared your plates, was at your beck and call, catered to your every need and made your stay the best it possibly could be. Even if they could not fulfill your exact ask/need, they made up for it another way. It was for these reasons you chose Paradisus and expected out of your stay. We did not receive the adequate information expected during check-in such as needing to make dinner reservations for the restaurants, how to make reservations or an overview of the property. The 1-page flyer we received included a map and legend so small, the numbers and letters were not legible. Our 6 year daughter fractured her arm the week before our vacation and was in a full arm cast. Since swim and beach time were going to be limited, we asked if we could upgrade to Family Concierge, if there were any rooms available, thinking the catering to the kids in this section would help cheer her up and ensure she had a great time. We were told there was no Family Concierge; it was entirely under construction. They did offer to upgrade us to a better room, at no cost so we said okay. If that room was an upgrade, we would have hated to see the room we had booked! While it was clean, it was outdated and appeared to be a basic room; there was nothing luxury or specatular about it. We originally had a king, this room had 2 queens, because no other kings were available, but they would push the queen beds together and make a king. We had to ask twice before this happened and when it did, it was our last night. We had to ask for the room to be cleaned, because it had not been cleaned, even after lunch time. Then we return to the room to get ready for dinner only to have no towels, none. The resort is beautifully landscaped and maintained, definitely paradise. The main lobby is removed from the rooms, pool, beach and restaurants. You can catch a trolley, i.e. extended golf cart, to get you through the resort however you do not know when it’s running and depending on the driver, you may not get driven to your desired location. My husband went to the lobby because both of our room keys stopped working. He asked the trolley to take him back to our building and when it reached an ‘intersection’, the driver told him to get out and walk because he had to take guests to a different location. Trolleys will pass you, the driver will see you and there will be seats available, but they do not always stop. The customer service was lacking, greatly. The staff was very thin, this may have been the reason why you hardly saw anyone around. You had to track someone down to get something to drink, get a refill on your drink, ask for towels, get information, etc. They said this was their slow season, if that were true, you would have though that staff would have been falling all over you trying to make your stay unforgettable. Staff were slow, unfriendly and uninterested, it was almost as if we were bothering them and asking them for/to do something not included in their job description. No one came around, on the beach, lounges, restaurants, etc. asking if you wanted drinks, needed anything, how things were, and so on. If you did not get pool/beach towels first thing in the morning, you were out of luck as they weren’t refilled until the end of the day. The only saving grace was the warm reception we received from Argenis de Los Santos and Ramon Ramire, staff working the Beach Snack Bar outside Gabi Beach. They were friendly, attentive and remembered our drink orders. For this reason, the beach was our go to. We will stay at a Paradisus again, just most likely not this property.

by jacobdstop17

THE SINGLE GREATEST WEEK ON MY LIFE

This place is fire. Nothing like sipping a cold brew with the boys. Shoutout to the bartenders for always making it a lit night. Food was good as well the steak at the fuego place was incredible. Spring Break 2019 was lit and this place was responsible for it s/o Paradisus forever in my hearts.

by xosaraxo

Sadly Disappointed

Trusting the Melia brand after having an excellent stay at one of their resorts in Varadero my mother and I chose Paradisus Punta Cana for our birthday trip. The reviews, videos, pictures made it look magical however we were very much mistaken. Upon arriving at night there was not a single person in the main lobby which seemed strange. Upon check in the person at the front desk was rushing and was really uninterested in showing us where the snack bar was considering it was almost 11 PM and we were tired and hungry. He just circled the map and said "it's here". We were taken to our room which at first glance wasn't too bad and we set out to find our own way to the snack bar. Upon coming to Gabi Beach there was hardly anyone there but the food was good. The next day is when everything went south: our room door wouldn't open until the third or fourth try even though it lit up green for entry, our tv stopped working, one lamp had short circuited, we had to call for mini bar replenishment (multiple times because they would forget), we had to call for towels, the shower was an old tub and was grimy and gross, you couldn't use the hair dryer in the bathroom because it wouldn't fit into the socket without falling out so you had to use the one by the balcony, the cups in the bathroom were caked with old toothpaste and stains...the list went on. We complained to front desk and they agreed to switch us to a different room in a day or two since there were none available. This seemed odd since the resort is huge and there was hardly anyone. They admitted to putting us in one of the old rooms and that this resort is only considered 4 stars not 5 (yet on the website it claims 5) so we should lower our expectations. Our new room was updated but it still looked as though it was falling apart. Once again we had to call for mini bar replenishment and twice to get turn down service. The food was extremely unimpressive. Options were limited. Service at the two buffet areas was basically non existent. You had to ask 5 times for a glass of water and each time you got served with an annoyed stare. The entertainment was also non existent. Only 2 of our 7 nights had something worthwhile. The rest was just radio music. The pool was the highlight. Very well kept and clean. The beach was stunning too but the waves were too aggressive every day so no swimming. The overall nature aspect of the resort was beautiful. Lots of walking but it was relaxing. The groundskeepers were some of the friendliest at the resort and did a wonderful job. There was an event for investors or something that was taking place during our stay. The resort seemed to cater to them only and give the rest of us scraps. My mother and I made the best of it but we could hardly wait to leave. Towards our last day, as part of the agreement when we complained we were given complimentary late check out. Well it seems as though no one working at the front desk communicates with each other because we were given the go around 3 times in regards to this. First lady said no note was made in our file, we said check the log books because whoever requested our room change wrote down late check out at 5. She checks and comes back saying I can only give you until 4. We just accepted because the lady was being rude and lying to us when we asked for the name of who handled our earlier requests. The next morning we came back to the front desk to get our proper 5 pm check out only to find out that the lady never even set us up for the 4 pm checkout. No one could authorize us in the moment and we had to wait 30 minutes for the supervisor but we didn't want to waste our day so we went to the pool and contacted them from there. They said it was approved and to go to the other front desk in the Reserve/Royal Service area for our cards to be extended. Once again, no note on the account so we had to call and go around in circles until the lady received confirmation. Overall, we will never be staying here again. Everything is a mess and unless you want to be moving around and wish to have a constant headache on vacation I suggest you look elsewhere.

by 693tarat

Disappointed

This is my second time to Paradisus Punta Cana this year. I am a Travel Agent and had booked a group of 100 to this resort in March 2019. I am very disappointed this time with this resort. The quality of the food is poor - the animation team are very unenthusiastic 😐. There are never any clean towels. I called for room service this morning for coffee and was told there was a fee when there clearly is not. A very different feeling since the last visit. I spoke to several other guests and a lot are feeling the same way. Not all the restaurants are open. Very disappointed and won’t recommend to my clients.

by davidpY3291TA Gautier, Mississippi

Family vacation

Had a great time with the family. Marionell Ramirez, Wilton and Hanson made the activities fun. We had a wonderful / romantic Thanksgiving dinner on the beach. They provide live music as well as some games for the grandchildren. The music really made it special and the service was fantastic. Would do the Thanksgiving dinner on the beach again. It is too bad that the fake news about the alcohol related deaths in Punta Cana really affected how many people are traveling to this great destination. We experienced no problems with food or alcohol. The grounds at the resort are very beautiful and well maintained, it is like staying in a botanical garden.