A couple weeks ago, my husband and I traveled to Punta Cana and stayed at one of our favorite all inclusive resorts, the Paradisus Grand Cana! It was the first vacation we’ve been able to take just the two of us since we got married back in November 2019, so we counted it as our *very* delayed honeymoon 🙂 I even gave him a break from his “Instagram husband” duties for the week, which he appreciated 😉 This was actually our second time staying at this resort – we visited for the first time in 2019, just a few months after they opened. We obviously loved it enough to come back! Things were a bit different this time due to COVID which I’ll cover in this post, but overall we had an amazing experience and I would 100% recommend this resort to anyone traveling to Punta Cana. Keep on reading for the details!

Location:

The Paradisus Grand Cana is located just 20 minutes from the PUJ airport, and the transportation was SO easy and convenient. The resort requested our flight information ahead of time, so they had a driver waiting for us when we landed, and took us directly to the resort. Getting back to the airport was pretty much the same – the resort arranged a driver to take us back when it was time to leave. It could not have been easier.

Room:

Our room was incredible – we booked a one bedroom master suite and ended up getting a pool view room, which was amazing! I have a room tour saved to my IG story highlight if you want to check that out – just like the first trip, the room was more like an apartment. We had a kitchen area with stocked cabinets, a sink, mini fridge, snacks, and a Nespresso machine. The living room area had large dining table, two full size sofas and a big TV. The bedroom was its own room and the bathroom was very spacious with a large shower, two closets, two “getting ready” areas and a large soaking tub. It was beautifully decorated with marble countertops and very clean! We also had a balcony with a sofa, lounge chairs, and a huge jacuzzi tub overlooking the main pool area. Definitely try to get a pool view room if you visit – we didn’t have a view our first visit, and it was much nicer to have one!

Pool:

There is one main pool at the resort and it’s HUGE! There are several smaller pools in the front and back (for the swim up rooms) as well as a water park for kids, which we didn’t check out (it’s a short golf cart ride from the main pool) but it looked awesome for families! We hung out at the main pool quite a bit and it was very relaxing. There were plenty of lounge chairs and cabanas around the pool – we didn’t have trouble getting a spot in the morning, but it did get more crowded in the afternoon. The pool had a swim up bar which unfortunately was closed due to COVID. We were a little bummed because we really enjoyed hanging out there the last trip! You can still order drinks from the bar from the walk-up side, but there were also several waiters walking by to make sure we had a drink. We were never thirsty 😉 Each day, there were activities in the pool which were always fun! We loved paddle boarding and they also had water aerobics, water yoga, and more like that!

swimsuit // sarong // hat // sunglasses

Beach:

There is not direct (walking) beach access from the Paradisus Grand Cana, but it’s a very short golf cart ride away! They had golf carts running back and forth all day, so we never had to wait more than a couple minutes. Our favorite lunch spot was next to the beach, so we went almost every day. The beach is actually located at the resort next door, which is another Melia resort, but a section of the beach (and one of the pools there) were reserved for Paradisus Grand Cana guests. It was never too crowded, which was a plus! We had access to the pools and restaurants at the other resort too. The beach was really nice with tons of cabanas, soft sand, blue water, and plenty of activities – kayaking, parasailing, wind surfing, and more were all available. There were quite a few people on the beach selling hats, jewelry, pictures with a monkey, and more – it got a little annoying, but overall not a big deal.

bikini // sarong // hat // sunglasses

Food:

The food at this resort is top notch – especially for an all inclusive. There is one buffet and several restaurants with plenty of options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Most of the restaurants require a reservation for dinner, so keep that in mind if you visit! The dinner restaurants include a a steakhouse, Mediterranean, Asian (hibachi & sushi,) Latin, and a ceviche bar. I was impressed with everything we ate, and we ate a LOT haha. Definitely visit Agua Marina for lunch – it’s the spot by the beach I mentioned previously. Their ahi tuna, salmon poke bowls and fish tacos are incredible – the burger was also a 10/10. We also really enjoyed the drink selections – unlike most all inclusive resorts, the Paradisus Grand Cana had premium wine, beer & liquors to choose from.

Service:

What really sets this resort apart is the level of service – all of the staff we encountered were friendly, professional, and would go out of their way to make sure that we were taken care of. Our concierge was available pretty much 24/7 and handled everything from booking dinner reservations to spa appointments, excursions, and scheduling airport transportation. They take care of everything for you so that you can fully relax and enjoy the vacation. It set the bar really high for any other resort!!

Things to do:

The resort offers plenty of things to do besides sitting at the beach or pool, which is what we did all week 🙂 There is a fully equipped gym as well as workout classes, excursions, a beautiful spa, and lots of group activities during the day such as dance lessons, wine tastings, biking trails, and the many pool/beach activities I mentioned earlier. We spent one morning at the spa and it was absolutely amazing – I highly recommend booking a massage and then spending some time at the spa’s pool. It was dreamy!! There was not as much night time entertainment this year due to COVID, but the resort had live music, dancing, and different performers out by the pool each night so there was always something going on. We were sad that the sports bar was closed because we hung out there pretty much every night during our first trip – there were pool tables, TV’s, and plenty of other games which we enjoyed. The casino was open (it’s located at the sister resort next door, so a golf cart drive) and we checked it out one night, but no one was in there. It may have been too early in the night when we went 😉

bikini // hat // sunglasses

COVID Precautions:

The resort has implemented several safety regulations for everyone’s health protection, and we felt very safe and comfortable throughout the trip. A few things that stood out to us were that all employees wore masks, our temperatures were checked before entering each restaurant, and social distancing was always encouraged. At the buffet restaurant, masks and plastic gloves were required in the food area. Restaurant menus were only viewable via QR code, so you will need your phone for that. Also just a heads up that the United States requires proof of a negative COVID test to re-enter the county, regardless of vaccination. We were able to have rapid tests done on-site at the resort which was very convenient!! It was easy and super quick, which we appreciated!

*Editing to add, this information is from September 2021. The regulations may be different at the time you are reading!

Any questions, let me know in the comments below! Thanks for stopping by 🙂