Recommend June 2017 - 31

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The Royal Suites Turquesa
by Palladium

Royal Deluxe Suite
Swim-up accommodations.

Ed Wetschler

Let travel writers rave about the fourposters with Memory Foam, the balcony
views of palms and palapas and amoebashaped pools, the Nespresso coffee-maker
and premium spirits in the mini-bar, or the
hydromassage bath that's conveniently near
the bed. My butler at adults-only The Royal
Suites Turquesa by Palladium was moved
to rhapsodize about the room service box.
"When you order room service-it's available
24/7-we open a door to this box that's in the
hallway, put your tray in there, and turn on
this light." He pointed to a little green light in
my suite. "You unlock the box in your suite to
get your meal without anyone disturbing you."
There's nothing like discretion when you're
hosting a lot of honeymooners.
The Royal Suites is part of the 2,000-room
Grand Palladium in Bavaro, the Dominican
Republic, a complex that includes Palladium
Palace, Palladium Bavaro, and Palladium
Punta Cana. It offers 537 suites in 14 threestory buildings with swim-out pools for ground
floor guests and two pools for general use that
are even larger.

Separate Brand
Jacques de Paep, commercial director for
North America, calls the Suites "a separate
brand from Grand Palladium," and I can see
why. Aside from the amenities mentioned
above, this enclave feels quieter and more
exclusive than the family resorts. Guests at
the other three Palladium resorts may not use
the Grand Suites' restaurants, Le Chanterelle

(French a la carte) and Royal Gourmet. By
contrast, Royal Suites guests enjoy free use of
all the resorts' 15 restaurants, three theaters,
pools, land and watersports, and 20-plus bars.
They also get shuttle service around the
four resorts.
I didn't use the shuttle much, but I'm a
New Yorker who enjoys walking. Especially
there, because the entire complex is lowrise, with nothing higher than the palm
trees. During these strolls I saw quite a few
multi-gen families. Often, twentysomething
newlywed couples were staying at the Royal
Suites while their parents, grandparents, and
in-laws with children stayed at nearby Grand
Palladium Palace.

Dinner Time
My aimless strolls often brought me to
good things I hadn't expected: a must-buy
Hawaiian shirt at Diverse, a terrific band at
Teatro Merengue, two(!) doctor's offices, and
another mojito at this or that bar. (Have to
conduct a taste comparison, right?) Mostly,
though, I knew where I was going-generally
to one of four places:
1. The beach. "Close your eyes and think of a
beach you would like to be on-wide, white,
lined with palm trees-and this is
that beach," says de Paep. Sure, he's paid to
say that, but even so, he's right. Palladium
staked out its turf back in the mid-80s, so
they were able to get this long, prime stretch
of Bavaro beach.
2. The watersports center and dive shop.

Because it's at the center of the beach, it's
an easy walk from all four resorts. The boats
are extremely well-maintained, so I enjoyed
smooth sailing.
3. The restaurants. Grand Palladium's six
buffet restaurants offer genuinely fresh food
and staggering choices. As for the nine a la
carte restaurants, La Parrilla looks like an
upscale steakhouse, serves tender Angus beef,
and prepares it exactly the way you want it.
Boghali, the superb Indian restaurant, is run
by internationally acclaimed Indian chef
Siddhartha Chandiramani, and it shows.
4. The spa. Royal Suites guests get free
admission to the spa. It's pure serenity, with
almost no one else there. The spa's steam
room is exceptional, with no skimping on
the heat.
I was happy in the least expensive room,
a 475-sq.-ft. Royal Deluxe Junior Suite (see
above for details), which starts at about $300
a night, or a shade below $2,100 a week.
A couple from Ohio invited me to see their
Royal Deluxe Suite Swim-up, whose patio they
had adorned with a Wildcats banner. Except
for that flag (which, no doubt, returned
north with them), their 730-sq.-ft. swim-out
was a place where you'd want to hang out
for days, and that's just what they did. From
$340, or $2,400 a week. Agent commission is
14 percent. ■
Contact Information
The Royal Suites Turquesa by Palladium:
palladiumhotelgroup.com/en/punta-cana/the-royalsuites-turquesa-by-palladium
june 2017 31

http://www.palladiumhotelgroup.com/en/punta-cana/the-royal

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