My husband and I celebrated our wedding / honeymoon at Palma Real May 2nd to May 12th and I have to say I am soo sad to be writing this review from home . . I WISH I was still there!

I find myself daydreaming about our beautiful vacation/ celebration that just seemed to go by so fast! but you know what they say, "Time flies when you're having fun!"

I was so worried in the few days leading up to our departure because online, the weather reports were indicating thunderstorms for the ENTIRE 10 DAYS we were going to be there!! I didn't want to believe it!
When we were flying into the Punta Cana region, all I could see was dark stormy clouds :( . . not what we were hoping for. At that point, I believed the weather reports were true and I was going to have to suck it up and enjoy the resort for whatever inside attractions it had to offer. Luckily I can say that after that day, the weather was absolutely PERFECT!!! with hardly any humidity! The point that I am trying to make right now is to let everyone know that you CANNOT TRUST the weather sites!!! While I was there, I checked the weather as well, and it still indicated thunderstorms and it was in fact a perfectly sunny day with not a cloud in site! . . so inaccurate!

PARADISUS PALMA REAL WAS AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was EXTREMELY discouraged about my hopes and dreams for my wedding here solely based on many negative reviews I read on this website and I have to say that I totally object with ANY negative comments I have read!

Check in was a breeze!!! but remember if you are there prior to 3 pm, have a bathing suit in a convenient area of your luggage so that you can change, start enjoying your vacation and see your exquisite room (A++) later. . . chances are it will not be ready for you before 3 pm. Note: Roberto at reception will do whatever he can to help you with any concerns you have.

The lobby bar is a great gathering place to meet up with friends for pre/post dinner drinks! The martinis and bellinis they make are outstanding! I highly recommend the Passion bellini! Victor is usually the night bartender there, he makes great drinks and can speak decent english.

The pool and beach were of the BEST I have seen. I have been lucky enough to go to many high end resorts and I must say the decor/ grounds/food stand out for luxury! Swim up bar (Aqua Bar) is great and the staff working are very sweet! They don't speak great english so learn somespanish drink lingo before you get there. P.S. Try the mamajuana!! ( Dominican Liquor, Very good!)

The Yhi spa services were ok but the Yhi Water ritual room is a must! I went everyday at sunset to wind down before returning to the room to get ready for dinner . . . you'll see what I mean once you experience it for yourself :)
Big tip! just past Edenh Resort which is to the left of P.R. , there are two massage huts set up on the beach- go to the one closest to P.R. - AMAZING!!! ask for a lady named A-lay-na (is the pronunciation) 1 hour massage for $40 usd and worth $100! she saw me 3 times that week!

Every restaurant we went to had VERY good food! We ate at Vento, Bana Tapanyaki, Passion, Gabi Beach and the Buffet for dinner. I would have to say that Vento was the best, in terms of service and food. Passion was definitely and "experience" that I'm glad we did, but I doubt if anyone would want to eat there twice in one week. Bana Tapanyaki was a TON of great food! and soo much fun! The buffet ALWAYS had something different, not one day was the same and was great because it was always a fun surprise to see what they had from day to day. (Breakfast was always the same . . but there was sooo much to choose from).

Surprisingly, I have to say that my least favorite was Gabi Beach - I have yet to see anyone else write this which makes me wonder if we were just unfortunate to have a bad experience but the food was ok and the service was nothing to speak of . . it was slow and seemed unorganized.

Our wedding turned out to be everything that I had previously designed up in my head in the many months leading up to the day. Everything was PERFECT! Our wedding planner ended up sick the day before and day of which sort of stressed me out a bit but her assistants really pulled together and made sure that everything went smoothly. Cristella at the spa did my hair and I was SO IMPRESSED! She was a perfectionist just like me and obviously loves what she does! ( I was really worried about how they would do my hair in the D.R.) I highly recommend getting married at this resort and tatally putting your trust in the hands of the romance department. Also, hire the photographer and videographer, both turned out EXCEPTIONAL!

I really don't have any more to comment on other than the fact that I wish I was still there and cannot wait to return. Please don't pay ANY attention to the negative reviews that you read on this site! I'll be honest, I'm VERY picky but also realistic! You can never expect everything to go perfect without one flaw . . because you will for sure find something to be disappointed about!
Stay focused on the fact that you are on vacation and you are there to enjoy yourself and DON'T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF!! (it's better than being at home!)

In the end, it wasn't named one of the "Leading Hotels in the World" for nothing . . . and it sure wasn't the nit picky snobs on this site determining it either . . it was a company dedicated to applauding the finest getaway's that the planet has to offer . . . and turns out, Paradisus Palma Real made the short list, I'm not at all surprised! Enjoy!