Family fun at Grand Palladium Punta Cana

Family vacations are some of my most precious memories. Random mentions of those destinations set my mind wandering.  As a parent, building those memories takes work! Thanks to all-inclusive family friendly resorts like the Grand Palladium Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, vacation planning has never been easier.

The Grand Palladium is a five-star all-inclusive resort with four hotels on property and five amazing pools.  We stayed at the Bavaro Resort in a spacious two-story suite.  Parents can make arrangements for age appropriate child comfort kits which were waiting for us in our room.  Kits, based on the ages of your children, can include formula, diapers, wipes, baby food jars, a play tent, games, t-shirts, snacks which are replenished daily, and more.  These special touches made packing for the family vacation a breeze and my luggage was lighter, too.

I downloaded the free Palladium Hotels & Resorts app and used it during our stay to view the resort maps, entertainment, restaurant, and Kids Club schedules, and menus.  We even booked spa treatments at Zentropia – massages for the adults and mini manicures and pedicures for the girls.  They slipped into kid size robes, slippers, and nibbled on spa treats while picking out their polish color.  We left the spa feeling like princesses. Naturally, we decided to explore the Kids Club in a castle, El Castillo del Pirata!

Raggs, the Palladium Kids Club mascot, and his costumed friends made special appearances at the breakfast buffet.  Trying the local cuisine is one of my favorite travel treats but picky eaters in our group found plenty of familiar menu items at the five buffet restaurants.  One night, we chose to eat dinner at the steak house, one of eight menu based restaurants at the resort, while the kids preferred to play dress up at the Kids Club until 11pm.  In room babysitting is also available for a small fee.

Getting around the sprawling resort is super convenient and wheelchair friendly.  Wander along the lighted paved pathways or hop aboard the shuttles, the whole family could access the entire resort.  We rode the train from our room to the Sport Center. The adults played tennis and archery while the kids played mini golf, volleyball, basketball, soccer, and table tennis.

Grand Palladium Punta Cana has nightly shows suitable for the whole family as well as discos and a 24-hour sports bars for grownup entertainment.  The resort also offers an adults-only resort within the resort, pool, and restaurant if your extended family wants to join the family vacation but still have some quiet time to themselves.

Grand Palladium Punta Cana is an easy 20 minute ride from the Punta Cana Internationa Airport (PUJ). Several US based carriers make daily trips to the island and shuttle service to the resort can be arranged in advance.  Visit the Palladium Hotel Group website to view current resort offers and seasonal promotions.

Thanks to the Grand Palladium Punta Cana for hosting me on this trip.  The opinions expressed are my own.