Paradisus Punta Cana

We arrived at the Paradisus Punta Cana with another couple on January 19 and were checked in immediately. Because I own a timeshare in the Melia Vacation Club, we were assigned to building 4, which is close to the beach, pool, and restaurants. There are 3 buildings with timeshare units and they are buildings 2, 3 and 4. We also met up with more friends of ours which arrived mid-week.

Overview: The Paradisus Punta Cana is part of the Sol Melia chain of resorts located in Punta Can along Bavaro Beach. It is an all-inclusive resort, which I believe is now optional. But, they have no payment system and not many restaurants in the area. The fees are $89/pp/d for an adult, half of that for children under 12. We were charged 10% less than that due to being an owner. It states it has 500 units, but this year they have added a new section called the Reserve which is geared toward families with its own pool and play area, so I assume that number has changed. There have been a lot of changes over the past year with the addition of the reserve area, closing of the small animal park, opening of a new business area and relocation of the casino. There are 9 restaurants and several bars with top shelf liquor. The grounds are impeccably maintained and beach is absolutely pristine with lots of palapas for shade and many chaise lounges on the beach and around the pool. The business area is near the entertainment area, down a hallway and costs $12 for 1 hour of time which was valid for 5 days. They can print for you, but it is $1/page for black and white, $2 for color. You can also rent laptops, but I can’t remember the cost per day.

Units: Each building has 16 units; 8 on each floor, which consist of either 2 queens or a king sized bed, a sitting area, and balconies with a garden view. The units are studios equipped with a safe, microwave, coffeepot, toaster, table service for 4, and refrigerator stocked with soda, water and, on request, beer. There is daily maid service with occasional turn down service. I say occasional because they only did it occasionally! Since last year they have updated the bedding and acquired new sofas, but they really need new refrigerators. They get cold, but only after a long while. There may be some tiny bugs, but that doesn’t bother us, they don’t bite and are usually there when the maids bring in flowers.

Beach: The beach has soft white sand and some surf with no seaweed and/or sea grass. There is some surf, at least in the winter time, so you would have to be careful if traveling with small children, but for adults it’s fine. There is no bar service on the beach unless you stay with the Royal Service section. There is an extra cost for this.

Food: The taste and quality of the food is quite subjective, but everyone in our party and the people that we met, all loved it. I have to say we really didn’t have a bad meal for the entire stay. We ate at the Hibiscus every morning, and they had made to order omelets and eggs, along with various meats, cheeses, and assorted other breakfast items, such as, pancakes, French toast, and waffles. Usually 3-4 different juices and lots of fruit are in the buffet area also. The different types of restaurants consist of a Brazilian, French, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Dominican, seafood, a steak house, and another in the reserve section I did not go to. They closed the Mexican due to relocation of the casino. Some of these need reservations, so check which ones and make the reservations when you arrive. They also have 24 hour room service, which comes pretty quickly.

Water: One word of caution…Do not drink the water or use it to make coffee or brush your teeth! All water is bottled, including what they use in the restaurants. We have brought down many people over the years and no one has ever been sick following these simple rules. We all eat salad and fruit daily and no one has gotten sick from it

Service: Because we are creatures of habit, we usually went to the same places each day and had wonderful service. I will say that our maid was wonderful!! But, on her days off, we had another who was terrible; she just about made the bed!

Pool: Awesome pool, no deeper than 5 ft, and is so large, it never is crowded, well maybe sometimes near the bar! There are some areas for children where they can play and it is not deep. There are also some tiled areas where you could rest in the pool where the water is only a few inched deep.

Activities: I can’t comment on these because we really didn’t do anything but relax. They do have a children’s area, a rock climbing area, some pool tables, ping-pong, bikes, volley ball net in the pool and on the beach, tennis courts and some water sports

We go there every year and have never been disappointed, but then we are just there to relax and sit by the beach. If you are accustomed to 5 star services, then I’m sure you will find something to complain about as it is not 5 star like in the States. It is clean and beautiful and relaxing!!