The Biggest New Resort in the Caribbean, and Who It Is Actually For
Two thousand one hundred and seventy-one suites opened in Punta Cana this year. Scale like that suits some families extremely well and almost nobody else.
Evgenia Rumiantseva · BookTravel USA
Moon Palace The Grand — Punta Cana opened this year on the eastern shore of the Dominican Republic, and it is, by room count, the largest all-inclusive ever built in the Caribbean: 2,171 suites in two eighteen-storey towers, sixty-six per cent of them with a direct ocean view.
Numbers that size divide people. Half our clients hear them and stop reading. The other half — three generations travelling together, or two families who want to share a holiday without sharing a villa — hear exactly what they have been looking for. This note is for the second half, and for the first half to be sure.
Sixty-six per cent have a direct ocean view. At this scale the question is not whether the resort is good but whether you like resorts — and if you do, very little else in the Caribbean offers this much choice in one place.
Restaurants, bars and nightclubs across the property. That count is what it takes to feed a resort this size without the queue becoming the story of your week.
228,000 square metres of existing vegetation kept, 400 metres of mangrove protected, and planted terraces every three floors — unusual restraint for a property of this size.
What it is
An all-inclusive of a kind that barely exists any more: purpose-built, enormous, and designed so that a family of nine can eat, swim and go to bed on entirely different schedules without anyone having to negotiate. The two towers sit directly on the beach, and the planted terraces every three floors are the detail that stops the whole thing reading as a wall of balconies from the sand.
The resort is home to the 18-hole Moon Palace Golf Club Punta Cana, a Greg Norman Eco Signature Design course set across more than 120 acres of tropical landscape. Golf is available at an additional cost.
Rooms
The resort is set across two 18-story towers, with 66% of its 2,171 rooms offering ocean views and the remainder overlooking the golf course. Entry categories are the Grand Superior Deluxe Golf View and Grand Superior Deluxe Ocean View, followed by Junior, Family, Governor and Presidential suites. All rooms include a furnished balcony with a double Jacuzzi.
For the strongest sea views, we recommend an Ocean View category with a higher-floor request. The Grand Swim-Up Suite is the alternative for guests who value direct pool access, with a private terrace opening onto a semi-private pool.
The trade-off
The scale is part of the appeal here. With 2,171 rooms, 19 restaurants, extensive pools, a water park, golf and entertainment, The Grand works particularly well for families and larger groups who want plenty of choice without leaving the resort. Everyone can follow their own rhythm and still come back together easily.
What it does not offer is intimacy. Distances can be substantial, the atmosphere is lively rather than secluded, and the sheer number of options can feel overwhelming on a short stay. For couples seeking privacy or a strong sense of place, we would usually look elsewhere; for families who want variety, freedom and an easy all-inclusive format, the scale is precisely the point.
Multi-generational groups, two families travelling together, and anyone whose idea of a holiday improves with choice. First-time visitors to the Dominican Republic who want the beach without arranging anything.
Couples looking for quiet — there are better, smaller houses forty minutes up the coast. Anyone who has told us they dislike resorts; this will not be the one that changes their mind.
- Where
Macao, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic — approximately 25 minutes from Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ).
- When
December to April for the most reliable weather. May is a good shoulder-season alternative; late summer and early autumn bring higher humidity and a greater chance of tropical storms.
- How long
Five to seven nights. This is a destination-scale resort, and a longer stay gives families time to enjoy it without turning every day into a schedule.
- Which room
Choose Ocean View over Golf View when the budget allows. For families, we particularly like the Grand Family Ocean View Suite for its two connected rooms; Grand Swim-Up Suites work well for guests who value direct pool access.
- Rates
Upon request. Offers, resort credits and included extras change frequently, so we compare the strongest available resort and partner rates for your exact dates.
Punta Cana, but planned.
Tell us how many of you and the ages. We answer within one business day.
