Fun Time with Friends

The hotel although being only a 3 star was very clea, the staff very friendly and gave us terrific service. We had 3 days and nights of consistent which I know is unusual weather in the Dominican. I felt maybe they could have had some more activities that they could have standing by in case of this unusual circumstances. For instance a movie in the pool bar, games such as charades, a card tournament, some sort of make and take souvenir etc. Extra snacks could have been available as well. It [... read more] was very nice that staff had umbrellas and escorted people to rooms dinner etc. The other thing I noticed there were not any shows outside in the evening even when the weather was good. More music during the day or evening outside would be something everyone expects in the tropics. All in all we had a very nice, very quiet, holiday One other comment I would like to make is that I was disappointed that wifi had to be paid for as well as room safe was a charge. To have these included in your all inclusive would be beneficial to you as well as an activities director to encourage people to have fun and meet others.

Awesome and incredible stay

Usually when I book a 3.5 to 4 star all inclusive I expect it to have a few things that could be improved on. I was pleasantly surprised. I can only say great things about the rooms made available to us. Updating could be made to the bathrooms but everything was working efficiently. Lots of hot water, always supplied with towels, maid was efficient and lovely. The grounds are immaculate. The food was quick and delicious and we had a variety at all meals. Staff, security, management  [... read more]went above and beyond. The price for the week eventhough we had to upgrade to a suite for our convenience was reasonable. Eventhough we had to deal with mother nature's 3 solid days of rain the attitude of the staff to keep us smiling was commendable. Close access to the mall with a 5 minute walk was a gem. I will return for sure. Have to return to this beautiful beach and resort.

Above average stay

This hotel was very clean and had the amenities to make our stay great, we would definitely go back! We were there for 7 days and the staff were excellent - food was alway fresh and tasty and had good variety!

Grand Paradise

Just returned from a wonderful relaxing week at Grand Paradise. The room was spacious and clean, the pools and gardens are well maintained. The drinks were cold and the food tasty, varied and fresh. The open air buffet restaurant is situated at the edge of a beautiful endless beach with stunning nighttime view. I was impressed with the friendly and helpful employees. Always someone at reception to answer questions. The activities crew are to be commended - high energy, personable, very outgoin [... read more]g and friendly. The restaurant wait staff never stop. The bars are gathering places and always busy. A small gym would be a nice addition. All in all a lovely place to unwind and relax!

Wonderful staff! The grounds and the hotel staff were absolutely wonderful

Grounds and staff we're absolutely wonderful. They made us feel welcome from the moment we got there and what I could not believe was within less than 12 hours 90% of the staff knew me my name. They gave a warm and welcoming persona to the property itself. The rooms were adequate but could have used some updating. For safety reasons one thing I would recommend would be more lighting in the night-time walking areas for example around the pool area. The resort itself was very quiet and relaxing an [... read more]d offered wonderful entertainment staff. They work very hard at engaging customers there and kept us very well entertained. It would have been nice to see more night shows in the main Court area near the dining room. For me the food was perfect because of satisfied a very specific diet for a buddy builder ! I was very happy with the resort as a whole and would be happy to refer anyone to it in the future

Beautiful, friendly resort

Resort is beautiful, very clean, they are always cleaning. Rooms are spacious and bright. Super saver rooms are on the fourth floor, no elevator so it helps you work off the wonderful food. The beach is spectacular....no garbage, you are safe walking barefoot as again, they are always cleaning the beach. Safe to swim in the ocean...so much fun The food was very good, the buffet has lots of selection so you don't need to eat the same things every day. Spaghetti bar was fantastic! Staff are ver [... read more]y friendly, they talk and interact with every one....no one is left out. They go out o their way to make you happy. The only complaint I have is the cigarette smoke.....you can't escape it. People smoke where ever they want. We were chased out of the bars on many occasions due to the cigarette smoke. Theyreallyneed an area where smoking is allowed, and only there. It's very hard on the non smokers......I took a star off because of the cigarette smoke

DR Vacation for Dummies

About Us: Canadian couple, straddling 70’s, smart, active. Enjoy people, culture, history, food, dance, entertainment. Priority: comfort at reasonable cost. Experience: cruising rivers and oceans, guided and self-vacationing and all-inclusive resorts, around the world. … Our winter vacation in the Dominican Republic at the Grand Paradise Playa Dorada Resort is declared a success. Inevitably, vacations are subject to uncontrollable factors like airlines, hotels and weather. That's why “ [... read more]vacation,” your time there, is a different word from “holiday,” your dates away. The Grand Paradise is a mid-sized resort (400+ rooms) located on the very nice sandy Dorada Beach adjacent to similar properties, less than half hour drive from the airport and the bustling small city of Puerto Plata (pop. 120,000). Five minute walk from the resort you’ll find a convenient 2-story strip mall and the vendors there need your shopping pesos. Please spend to help. Our room on the third floor was spacious and clean, and the bed was comfortable. We like to have the room made-up after breakfast while taking our daily walk on the beach, so I requested the maid to adopt this schedule and I tipped her occasionally. Also tipped vendors on the beach. First thing: the beach (playa). It’s very nice. There’s also a large fresh water pool as a backup, with a swim-up bar. Meals in the airy buffet building (right on the beach) were very satisfying, with ample variety for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Now this is not gourmet food, but tasty and well-seasoned, meaning quite salty. At breakfast there’s a grill station for eggs and omelettes. Rise early or saunter in late to avoid the queue. I liked the omelette chef’s style and sprinkled a couple of US$1 bills his way. We really enjoy fresh tropical fruits, salad and vegetables like beans, cauliflower, cabbage, eggplant, yucca at every meal. Two different styles of pasta are available for meals after noon, and a fresh sizzling pasta station for personal requests. At lunch and dinner the grill is used for meats; prepared meat dishes may be enjoyed with some selectivity. These are subject to the proficiency of the chef, and for the first week I was impressed with the taste and tenderness of the beefs, porks, chickens and fishes presented. I was reminded that chefs are individuals. With a change of shift, vacationers were now offered a new, different taste, evident also in the seasoning of the dishes and even the desserts and fruit salad. We savoured last week's salad which included passion fruit; this week's salad tasted bland by comparison because it did not include passion fruit. All this is highly personal of course. All day pizza is available in a separate pizza hut (right on the beach). Gathering and exchanging information, I chat with many guests. Visitants will encounter breakdowns and complain of hardship experiences. Statistically, you should expect an occurrence of a key mechanical failure with air-conditioning, phones, warm water supply, etc. We were lucky this time, but heard from luckless others: this will generate bad reviews of this (any) property. But wait, if this were a 5 star resort, the problem would be instantly repaired and remedied along with a placatory bottle of champagne. Sadly, this being only a 4 star, the problem could (did) take many days to fix, and gifting would not remedy the injury to the vacation. It's a cruel world. The resort offers an abundance of free activities for the busy-body vacationer. By this I mean free as “included,” but not free of effort. Few hardy vacationers seem willing or able to take advantage. Of course there's water sports (right on the beach), bicycling, volleyball, and the like. Mostly they do not like. Still popular with some are the simple pleasures of smoking (DR manufactures cigars,) vaping, and surfing: I mean surfing the net, even here on the beach. Well, probably, it’s urgent family business. Speaking of the net, wi-fi is pricy in the resort, but you can buy cheaper country wide sim-cards at the mall, or elsewhere. Evening show events are simple, fun, and the music and dance shows are relatively entertaining for this island. The performers are very serious, and for ¾ of hour please provide a little respectful applause. The disco opens at 11 pm for the desperate dancer. Musically, DR is known for the popular musical genres and dances called Merengue and Bachata. Tourists hail from Quebec, Ontario, Germany, Nordic countries. People are very approachable and happy to opine of their feelings about the resort of their choice. I like observing. Many large and extended families come to this resort, with kids and babies slung on buggies and shoulders. Families are welcome, in case you're considering. When dining, tables are joined to accommodate the multitude, and fathers remain seated with the kids while the women gather up a glut of plates of food from the buffet. Families are vociferous and rambunctious, naturally, and with voices having to be heard over the loud musica, you imagine what that’s like. Next door is the adult-only resort. Just saying. I confide that nabobs get nasty when not served their nespresso or beer within their tolerable time limit. This time a German visitor made a strident scene and the manager came to his table and asked his room number; I sure hope he was not rewarded for such behaviour. This German characteristic was confirmed by one of the Dominican staff. So why them? It's cultural. Some nationalities are just not as patient and easy-going as others, even on vaca... As mentioned, there's a lot to do, if you’re up to it, and the animation team leads with exercises, games, lessons in windsurfing, dancing and Spanish, and entertainment. There's always one guy on the animation team who is the “complete sandwich”; this guy here is Martin. In this role you must have stamina, skill and subtlety to achieve customer satisfaction. Give me 5! (smack my palm). At a right-on-the-beach resort, all is exposed. I mean bodies... the naked gamut... hair, guts, chests, tattoos. Oh Dios Mio! so much skin is inked, men and women, you never imagined clothed in the office. The tattooed person exposes a staggering billboard of his and her loves, beliefs and history. (I don’t blame the resort for this.) You will not escape this review without an admonition regarding waste and environment. As a tourist, it's our new responsibility to keep our beach footprint to minimum. Do not discard garbage inappropriately; go beyond to pick up other people's garbage. Don't waste food on your plate as you see others doing. Keep your beach towels for another day. Spend locally for souvenirs and services. Collect gifts of needed items from home to give to poor locals: children’s clothes, otc meds, baseball gloves. Escape the resort and find playgounds or streets where you can give stuff away. Excursions are great for exploring, and there’s lot of choice, including exotic downtown Puerto Plata and a ride up the teleferico. This first cable car of the Caribbean will whisk you up to the Pico Isabel de Torres, at 800 meters the second highest point in DR. At the peak is an arm stretched statue of Jesus similar to the one in Rio de Janeiro. Enjoy pleasant hiking trails amidst botanical gardens, a lake replete with fish, caves and a model Dominican home. Purchase an excursion from your official tour agent, or much cheaper from an independent agent on the beach or at the mall; many to choose. We bought 2 interesting excursions from Antonio (anthonyinfotours.com). The second excursion was the Safari and Waterfalls (www.27charcos.com). The safari takes you deep into the interior of Hispaniola on the northern cordillera to pass by country towns and plantations to the 27 Waterfalls of Rio Damajagua (www.27charcos.com), the best adventure tourism site in the Dominican Republic! It’s a fairly strenuous outing, so be prepared to hike, jump and slide in a serious stream. Please accept my comments with a wink and a pinch of salt; the chef at this resort certainly added a pinch. Also, don’t search my review for my comment on the check-in process; not an important issue for me. I stated at the start we had a successful vacation here. If you read this to this end, thank you and let me ask the bartender for a free cocktail for you. Shouldn’t be long. You deserve it. Tibor & Megan Kaldor, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Great resort

The hotel was clean, although bed and balcony were small. The food was great. Many activities not available. The vendors on the beach are annoying bugging all the time. I really liked the place for the price overall minus the vendors.

Grand paradise 4 real

I thought the hotel and the people working there were great a little more propinas from the tourist would have been better but hey I was there to take their place the pool the rooms and the food was spectacular I would recommend this hotel for family's and singles don't forget to visit the city for the car cable it's all love and family there don't listen to take news see you soon 're amo republic Dominicana

Outstanding 2nd Honeymoon

Terry and I checked into Grand Paradise on Dec 2 2019 and began to settle into a very nice room. Ground floor as we have some mobility issues. Room was very nice clean and was perfect location to everything. I went to get a couple of beverages and on my way to the table I popped into the grill. I use a cane and used the ramp. After checking it out I proceed to the table using the other enter/exit there and thinking it was a ramp imagine my surprise when I found out it was a step I went flyin [... read more]g dropped the drinks and the cane and landed on knees. This was not marked with any caution signage Other areas are clearly marked. SO BE VERY CAREFUL THERE. The remainder of our stay was amazing the food was good as were the beverages. The staff are so nice. Ocean is so warm,loved our 11 days.

Great Resort

I stayed here the end of November with my husband for 10 days . The hotel was good and staff were very friendly an accommodating. Nice little swim up bar and a nice variety of activities to do. Only thing missing was a beach volleyball net lol but other then that it was great ... I would go back

A mostly relaxing vacation

Hotel is only approximately 20 minutes from the airport . The grounds are kept perfectly pool also kept clean. Staff are very friendly. Food was average could always find something to eat but a small selection,always had pasta and soup as a stand by. The animation team are just ok dont go out of their way to engage guests My only complaint would be the lack of hot water most days one day was non existent, would also be convenient to have a coffee maker in room . House keepers do a fantasti [... read more]c job well at least mine did

Classic and relaxing, exactly what we needed.

When we first arrived we were offered a trial day at another resort from the airport, while the other resort definitely had a lot going for it, the atmosphere at Grand Paradise was much more relaxing we found. The staff was incredibly helpful and entertaining and you could tell they really put their heart into everything they did.

Grand paradise Playa dorada

The service this year was terrible front desk is sickning no hot water 3 days after 10 plus staying ther treated like crap!ive recommended many to stay ther I’m done with that I go ther because of people I’ve met not because they give a shit they don’t everyone passes the complaint even air transit rep I used to get a bottle of rum for returning ther after one and a half weeks of my complaining I got a fruit tray day old no rum go figure I’d need a note book to tell it all,ther was only  [... read more]two trying hard people at the desk guy with braces and women that works with him as for Francis he’s doing a shitty job this year

Not that impressed

I found it slightly run down although the staff were great Pool was not always clean Ended up with food poisoning It was difficult to find room at first . The signage was not clear enough. It was my first time in the Dominican I don't think I would visit there again

Good resort

Everything was good except for night entertainment , there was no entertainment and mostly we were bored at night . Other than night entertainment everything else was amazing , the staff were friendly , rooms were clean, food was good too.

Sub Par / Bit Dated. Look elsewhere unless you get a deadly deal

Pros: Good food, large beach, lots of bars to choose from, everything on the resort is close to your room and is accessible for people with disabilities Cons: 4th floor rooms don’t have balconies, many have ants, hot water is limited in busy times like at the end of the day or when the resort is at capacity, many things cost extra like a room with a balcony, a room with ocean view, being able to lay on the beach on the non windy side of the resort as this is reserved for the premium club u [... read more]pgrade vacationers and even if there are 100 empty loungers security will kick you off that part of the beach unless you pay $25USD / day to upgrade to the premium level.

Better than expected

We were pleasantly surprised in our fourth floor spacious, clean suite, with ocean view. The food was first quality with varied dishes every day. Beaches were nice. However the eastern windward beach was inhabitable in the afternoons due to high winds and blowing sand. The western sheltered beach needs more chairs and shade. On leaving, courtesy suite confusion could be eliminated by having sign up list.

Good resort

Nice small resort easy to find your way around, grounds kept very nice, ocean view from the restaurant lovely, found the restaurant very noisy more like a canteen, staff not very attentive we left without drinks at breakfast and evening meals for some reason we were constantly overlooked, maybe the way to get attention is to tip first, we were a party of 4 ladies and not pushy rather go get our own coffee after meal than make a fuss. We tried booking alacart, however they were fully booked for  [... read more]the next few nights and could not or would not book more than 2 nights ahead not impressed with customer service in this area. Maybe a good idea for this resort is to offer 2 alacart a week not 3 then everyone would get a fair chance, food was good always found something different I am a fussy eater. Bar staff fantastic very happy and friendly. Shows what you could see of them were good needs to have stage so people at back get a good view and enjoy to fullest. Rooms good although didnt get what requested even though followed up with email in the hopes of getting ground floor not a chance, beds really comfortable and nice clean. Pools kept nice clean, beach fabulous hard to get shade, lots chairs at pool and beach. On the whole nothing stands out, but nothing bad either. Would I recommend this resort yes, would I return maybe...

Best Trip

This Resort was great. The suite was good. The food was good. The service was good. The resort and beaches were very clean. There was a large variety if excursions to choose from. The Select Adult package is worth its benifits.