All Inclusive Resort – Vacation Review from a family perspective
Grand Sirenis Punta Cana Review
At first glance, this resort looks like it should be the perfect vacation spot. The lush gardens, fun waterpark, and oasis-style pool are all very appealing when you are scrolling through photos online. But after returning home and reflecting on our stay, Grand Sirenis Punta Cana is not a resort I would personally recommend. I would give it a 5 out of 10 at best, and here’s why.
Before I get into it, I want to say that I am not a picky person. I have stayed in low-end motels, slept in my car to save money, and I am not someone who expects luxury when I travel. This review is coming from the perspective of a well-travelled, budget-conscious mom travelling with her family. I appreciate the simple things, I rarely complain, and I am usually very easygoing when it comes to travel and I just go with the flow in life.
That said, as the week went on, more and more little frustrations started to pile up. None of them on their own were major issues, but together they really impacted our overall experience.
At the end of the day, I had quality time with my family, enjoyed the sunshine, and left the stress of home behind. But as a young working family that had not been on a plane vacation in three years, this trip felt really special to us, and unfortunately it did not live up to the 5-star experience the resort claims to offer.
The First Impression
When we arrived, I had already heard people mention that the entrance and drive in felt underwhelming. At first, I did not think much of it because it is just the entrance. But as the week went on, I realized that the entrance really does set the tone for the rest of the resort. It is underwhelming.
Nothing feels elevated or memorable. It all feels very basic and bare minimum.
The lobby itself is pretty, well-kept, and updated. We were greeted with a welcome drink, which was a nice touch. There is also some sort of fragrance pumped into the lobby. At first I thought it was kinda nice, but after a while it felt overpowering and started giving me a headache.
The staff helped us check in and brought our bags to the room. The walk to the room was beautiful. The lush gardens and tropical trees really make the property feel homey and inviting. There is music playing along the walkways, which adds a nice atmosphere.
The Rooms
At first glance, the room looked nice, updated, and clean. We were given a strange corner room with an awkward layout and a large column in the middle, which felt a bit odd. Because of the shape, the room also felt quite cramped.
What surprised me most was that they gave us one king bed for three people. There was no pull-out couch or additional sleeping option. Luckily, we had brought our daughter’s inflatable toddler bed because I had read that this sometimes happens. Even with that, the room felt tight and we had to move a table onto the balcony just to make enough space.
Overall, the room was fine (room 2119 – second floor). It was not terrible, but there was nothing particularly impressive about it either. We did have robes and slippers, which was a nice touch. The mattress looked very worn and sunken in the middle, which was concerning at first, but it actually ended up being very comfortable.
The first night was fine. I liked that we had our own thermostat to control the air conditioning, and it worked well. But the more I thought about it, the more frustrated I became that we had been put into such a small room when the resort was clearly not at full capacity. That room was very obviously designed for two people.
The next day, I went to the front desk to ask about switching to a more standard room with two beds. They kept insisting that our room had a pull-out couch, even though it absolutely did not. I had to explain multiple times that we were in a corner room with no couch at all.
It was frustrating that they did not seem to know the layout of their own rooms. After a lot of back and forth, they agreed to move us. However, we had to pack everything up by noon, leave the room completely, and then come back at 4 p.m. for the new one. It felt inconvenient considering the resort was not full, but we went along with it.
The second room was much better. There was more space to walk around, enough room for the toddler bed, and a proper place for our suitcases. This room did not include robes or slippers, but that was not a big deal. I am glad we switch because our 4 year old was cold on the floor and ended up in one of the beds with us.
It also had a shower and tub combo, which I was excited about, but later realized there was no plug for the tub, so it could only be used as a shower.
We stayed in room 2118 on the main floor, which was convenient because there were no stairs or elevators involved. That said, the resort does have working elevators, which is definitely a plus.
Once we got settled into the second room, we were much happier. However, there were still little things that became irritating throughout the week. The closet doors were extremely difficult to slide open and closed. You had to use a surprising amount of force every time, which became frustrating since the safe and mini fridge were both inside on opposite sides. There were no robes or slippers in this room.
The balcony door was just as difficult to open. It was so heavy and stiff that I barely used it, especially because there was no handle on the outside and I almost got stuck out there by myself.
Overall, the rooms were fine. They looked nice enough, but again, nothing really stood out. There was no wow factor and nothing that felt particularly special.
Now onto the food…
The Buffets
Let me start by saying that I am a very plain eater. I do not need anything fancy and I can usually find something simple anywhere we go. But we really struggled here.
I want to be careful how I word this because I understand we were not at home, and I know food can vary depending on where you travel. But the best way I can describe the buffet food is inconsistent, repetitive, and often lacking variety.
Some meals had full trays and lots available, while others had empty trays sitting there with nothing being replenished. There would be multiple trays of plain white rice in one section when that space could have been used for more variety. It felt strange.
Some mornings breakfast was great and there would be eggs, bacon, hash browns, fruit, and plenty of options. Other mornings there was almost none of that left and you were piecing together yogurt and toast.
I have also never been to a resort that did not at least have some version of Fruit Loops for kids.
I will say the pancakes were probably the best thing we ate all week. I am not even a pancake person, but they were so good that I ate them almost every day.
The first night, I thought dinner was decent enough and figured we would be just fine for the week. It was not amazing, but it was good enough.
The second day was a completely different story. There were empty trays everywhere, overcooked food, and dishes that looked very unappealing. The quality just was not there.
As the week went on, it did not improve. We spoke to other guests and everyone seemed to be saying the same thing. There was a lack of options, not enough food being replenished, and overall poor quality.
One day I grabbed some pasta salad and it was literally frozen solid, like it had been taken straight from the freezer after lunch service and put back out for dinner.
People always say you can count on pasta at a resort, but even that was difficult. The pasta trays were often empty, and the made-to-order pasta station always had a huge line because there was only one chef using one pan. It was incredibly slow and honestly not worth waiting for.
We also noticed that if you arrived at breakfast after 9:30 a.m., they had already stopped making certain items and were just letting everything run out, even though breakfast went until 11 a.m. That was really frustrating.
For dinner, they only opened one buffet, even though there are two identical buffet restaurants side by side. The line to get in was so long every night that it made no sense why they would not just open both.
The Restaurants
This is where things get a little mixed.
There are a lot of opinions online about the à la carte restaurants, and I can only speak from our own experience.
Most of the restaurants are located near the main lobby, which makes them easy to get to. You can book them online or through the concierge near your room. When we looked online, there were only 9 p.m. reservations available, so we booked through the concierge instead.
Unfortunately, we could not get reservations until the fourth day of our trip because everything was booked.
We also tried walking into a few restaurants without reservations because many of them looked nearly empty, but the only one that would take us was the Brazilian restaurant.
That ended up being one of the worst meals of the trip. The Brazilian restaurant has a self-serve appetizer bar and then servers come around with different meats. The appetizer bar was honestly unbelievable, and not in a good way. It was basically just fried bananas prepared in different ways. The meat was dry, overcooked, and not very appealing. We ended up leaving and going to the buffet instead.
The Japanese restaurant was definitely the highlight, just like everyone says. There is a self-serve appetizer section that is nothing special, but the Teppanyaki experience was fun, entertaining, and the service was excellent. The food itself was really good too. I only wish the portions had been a little bigger.
The Mediterranean restaurant was okay. This was fully sit down where they serve you which was a nice treat. We started with hummus and cucumber salad, then both ordered the beef tenderloin. The steak itself was actually pretty good, but the sides were a little strange. We still ended up going to the buffet afterward because we were hungry.
We tried the steakhouse on our last night and this was another good meal. It is located by the pool, so it was a nice walk in the evening. As soon as you sit down, they bring chicken wings and potato wedges to the table, which were both good.
We each ordered the T-bone steak and it was actually really good. The sides were good too. Overall, this was one of the better dining experiences we had and the location by the water made it even nicer.
The buffet-style lunch by the pool and the burger bar were not great. The burgers were very overcooked and the buffet area did not have many options. The pizza bar by the pool, however, was consistently good and became a staple for us.
My four-year-old basically lived off pizza all week. Honestly, I ate a lot of it too. But there is only so much pizza you can eat when you are having it for lunch and dinner.
Coffee Bar
If you love coffee, the coffee bar is amazing!
I lived off frappes all week and they were absolutely delicious.
It is a cute, cozy little shop where you can relax, read a book, and take a break. The ice cream shop is located there too, which is perfect for kids.
The only downside is the location. It is quite far from the lobby, pool, and beach, so it feels like a bit of a hike to get there.
Maybe that is intentional.
Which brings me to my next part…
The Waterpark – Aquagames
This was the main reason we booked this resort.
The first issue is the location. It is such a long walk from the main part of the resort, and the entrance is somehow at the furthest possible end. You actually have to walk past the waterpark before you can get into it, which makes no sense to me. If they moved the entrance closer to the main resort area, I think it would feel much more convenient.
I honestly think this is part of why it was so empty every time we went. It is just a hassle to get to. There is a trolley that runs from the main lobby to the waterpark, but it was difficult to catch and not very convenient. We only managed to use it once all week.
The photos online definitely make the waterpark look nicer than it is in person. It feels tired.
And to be clear, I do not mind if something is older or a little worn. But if that is the case, the photos online should reflect that.
We had read reviews saying the slides scratch you and I assumed people were exaggerating. But my husband went down the blue and yellow slide head first on a mat and came down with a scraped-up elbow.
That could happen anywhere, especially since he is broader built, but I could see what people meant.
I went down one of the open slides and while I did not get scratched, it felt rough, almost like chipped paint rubbing against my legs.
The stairs leading up to the slides are also in need of maintenance. Some areas felt rough enough that you could easily cut yourself if you were not paying attention.
The bowl slide was not operating while we were there, and they only seemed to open a couple of slides at a time.
There are also two fountains that are not working. I know that sounds like a small thing, but details like that really impact the overall atmosphere. If simple features like fountains are not being maintained, it makes you wonder what else is being overlooked.
The kids’ side of the waterpark was definitely better.
The water was a little cold, but it seemed to be in much better shape overall. There are actually three separate areas for younger kids: a larger splash playground that is great for kids around 4 to 10, a small splash pad area for toddlers, and a shallow tot pool with mini slides and a palm tree fountain, this area is probably best suited for ages 1 to 5.
There are plenty of loungers and even a sandy area nearby, which is a nice touch.
One thing that is very specific to our family, but still worth mentioning, is that there are four giant dump buckets in the kids’ splash area. Four!!
My daughter hates dump buckets and finds them scary, so she barely wanted to use that section of the waterpark at all, which was disappointing because it was one of the main reasons we booked this resort.
If there had only been one bucket, there would have been sections of the splash area she could have comfortably enjoyed.
I know this is not going to matter to every family, but if your child does not like those giant dumping buckets, it is something to be aware of.
There is also a family pool in this area. It was a little cool, but it was a nice place to relax.
There is a gift shop and snack bar nearby too, and the snack bar was actually pretty decent. They had chips and guacamole, pizza, and surprisingly good chicken wings.
Overall, I think this waterpark is best for families with younger kids who are not afraid of the dump buckets.
If you have older kids who are looking for bigger, more exciting slides, this may not be the best fit.
Personally, I think Royalton Splash Punta Cana has the better waterpark for big kids.
The Pool
I was really excited about the main pool because it looks so grand in photos.
The first night we arrived, we dipped our toes in, even though the pool was technically closed, and it felt so warm.
The next day, we realized that was because we had wandered over to the Ultimate Leisure Club side, which is the upgraded section you have to pay extra for.
Do not even get me started on that.
This pool is huge, but regular guests only have access to about 25 percent of it. And even then, a large portion of the regular section is six feet deep, which makes it difficult for families with kids.
That leaves you with a pretty small area to actually enjoy while most of the pool sits nearly empty for Leisure Club guests.
We made the best of it because that side of the pool is where the entertainment and music were happening anyway.
One thing I noticed right away was how underwhelming the swim-up bar is. It almost feels like an afterthought, like they squeezed it in wherever they could fit it. There are maybe eight seats, and visually it just feels very plain and dated. The service there was great, but the setup itself was disappointing.
We love a good swim-up bar, and this one just felt crowded, small, and lacking selection.
The actual layout of the regular pool area was nice. There is a beach-style entry with a ledge where you can sit or lay in the shallow water, which I always like. It connects to a smaller section of the pool where a lot of kids seemed to gather and play.
There is also a separate kiddie pool that is around two feet deep. It is cute, but it is worth noting that some of the tiles are sharp. My daughter cut her foot pretty badly on the second last day of the trip, which unfortunately ruined swimming for her for the rest of the vacation.
The pools are also noticeably dirty. At first, I thought people were exaggerating when I read reviews about this, but they were not. I understand that sand and leaves are inevitable, especially with all the tropical landscaping. But the water often looked cloudy and there was a lot of sand settled at the bottom.
They did have staff skimming leaves from the surface, but there did not seem to be much effort made to properly vacuum or clean the pools.
Overall, the pool area looks nice from a distance, but like much of this resort, it ended up feeling a little disappointing once you spent time there.
One positive is the towel station at the pool. They always had fresh towels available and they were often warm, which was a really nice touch. We never had any issues getting clean towels throughout the week.
The Beach
The beach itself is lovely and was one of the better parts of the resort.
It is maintained fairly well, there are lots of chairs available, and there is even a cute swing set up for photos.
The chairs do fill up, but we were always able to find somewhere to sit. The sand is soft and nice, although the water can be a little choppy.
One thing to note is that when you first walk into the water, there is a stretch of shells and stones for the first couple of feet, so water shoes may be a good idea. Once you get past that section, the sand is much nicer.
There are rinse stations to wash the sand off when you are done, and there are accessible ramps that make it easier if you have a stroller.
If you have kids, definitely bring your own beach toys because they are very expensive in the gift shop. Also keep an eye on your belongings. Our beach toys were stolen during the trip. I know that can happen anywhere, but it is still worth mentioning.
There is also a playground near the beach, which is a nice little bonus. It could use some maintenance, though. There is rust in a few spots and one of the swings was broken. It is not a huge deal, but if you are looking for a polished luxury resort, this probably is not it.
Entertainment
There is entertainment throughout the resort, but like many other parts of the experience, it feels pretty underwhelming.
It is enough that they can say they offer entertainment, but nothing really stands out.
One night they had a silent disco, which is such a fun idea. What surprised us was that it only lasted 45 minutes. There was a huge line of people waiting for headphones and many did not even get a chance to participate before it ended. 45 minutes for what is supposed to be one of the bigger evening events just felt very short.
There was also a live band at the lobby bar on some nights, which was nice.
One evening, my daughter was excited for the mini kids disco that was listed on the schedule. We went to the outdoor area where it was supposed to happen and it never did. I asked at the front desk and they said it should have been there, but they had no idea why it was not happening.
Again, it was just another little disappointment that added up over the week.
One afternoon they had a foam party at the pool, which was actually fun and well done.
They also had an inflatable slide going into the pool, which my daughter loved. The only downside was that it was the deeper section of the pool, so if you were helping or catching a little one at the bottom, you had to tread water the entire time.
It would have made more sense to place it in a slightly shallower area where parents could stand.
There is also a really beautiful area near the front of the resort called The Square. It feels like an outdoor theatre space with lounge seating, a food truck, a little pond with fish and ducks, and a beautiful tree all lit up at night that we nicknamed the “love tree.” There is also an excursions office there and some nights they had a market set up. The strange thing is that this space was barely used. It is so pretty and has so much potential, but most of the time it just sat empty. We kept saying how odd it was because it could have been such a nice place for evening entertainment or activities. Even though it is a little out of the way, I would have gladly walked there more often if there had been more happening.
Grounds and Maintenance
The grounds are beautiful. There is no denying that. The walkways, gardens, and trees are lush and tropical, and the whole property has a very relaxed, homey feel. It is gorgeous for photos and lovely to walk around at any time of day.
They are clearly trying to maintain the grounds, but it is not as polished as some other resorts we have visited. Some areas are overgrown, which did not really bother me, but if you are expecting a perfectly manicured resort, it is something to note.
There are cracked tiles, uneven walkways, and little maintenance issues throughout. I can usually overlook those kinds of things, but for the price of this resort, I expected the upkeep to be a bit better.
There are cute fountains at the beginning of the main walkway, but one side was not working the entire week. Again, I know it sounds like a small thing, but details like that add up.
The public bathrooms around the resort were also not great. Staff were cleaning them regularly, but they were often out of toilet paper, half the time there was no soap, and a lot of the toilets were out of service because they would not flush properly. Some of the lights were burnt out too, so certain bathrooms were really dark. It just felt like the basic maintenance was lacking.
The plumbing in the rooms was not much better. Multiple times the toilet clogged with just a small amount of toilet paper. One positive, though, is that the shower was always warm and had good water pressure.
Other Notes
A few other things added to our overall feelings about the trip.
The kids club is drop-off only. There are no drop-in play times where parents can stay with their children. I have never been to a resort that did not offer some sort of parent-supervised kids club option. For us, it was not something we were comfortable using because I was not about to leave my four-year-old with strangers she could barely communicate with. It is too bad because she probably would have enjoyed it.
They did have fresh coconuts available almost daily, which was a nice treat and included at no extra cost. Tips were appreciated.
Leisure Club members also have their own private trolleys and are driven around the resort. Meanwhile, regular guests are left walking. It felt a little frustrating because trolleys are something that would benefit everyone, especially families carrying pool gear, beach toys, strollers, or anyone with mobility concerns.
As I mentioned earlier, there is a trolley from the lobby to the waterpark, but it was rarely around. There is nothing available to help transport guests between the rooms, pool, and beach areas.
One experience that really frustrated us happened when we tried to buy our daughter a ball. After her beach toys were stolen, we thought we would get her a small ball to play with. The gift shop at the waterpark was the only place that sold them. My husband made the 12-minute walk there, got to the cash with the ball and money in hand, and was turned away 10 minutes before closing because they said they were already closed. That really annoyed us. He had spent almost half an hour walking there and back, only to be turned away during what should have still been operating hours.
Which brings me to the staff.
I do not want to bash anyone because many of the staff members were lovely and helpful.
But there were definitely some who came across as rude, dismissive, or completely uninterested in working there.
Out of all the resorts we have been to, this one also had the fewest English-speaking staff. I completely understand there will always be some language barrier when travelling. I do not expect every staff member to speak English fluently and I try to learn some of the popular phrases in their language as well. But for those working directly with guests in customer-facing roles, I do think stronger communication would make a big difference.
I am not much of a drinker so I depend on menus to help guide me. The only menu offered was a QR code at the lobby bar. I didn’t know what I was reading so I stuck to mimosas the majority of the week. They are good don’t get me wrong, but a little variety with a proper menu would have been nice. They had the spices for Caesars but no Clamato which was a bit of a bummer on our first day.
Final Thoughts
I know this may come across as a very negative review, but this was honestly our experience.
Was it horrible? No.
But I would not return, and I would not recommend it.
There are definitely some nice features, especially the beach, coffee shop, gardens, and some of the restaurants. But the lack of maintenance, poor food, underwhelming entertainment, and overall feeling that everything was just “fine” made it hard to justify the price.
To me, this felt more like a three-star resort being sold at a much higher price point. went into this trip with realistic expectations. I knew it was not going to be luxury.
But as the week went on, it became harder and harder to overlook all the little issues. Of course, I am grateful for the quality time with my family. That is what matters most. But when you save for years to take a vacation, you want it to feel special. You want to leave wishing you had more time there, not counting down until it is over.
If you are considering this resort, I would say only book it if you can get a very good deal.
In my opinion, it is closer to a three-star experience than a five-star one.
I have some content to add to this review if you would like more information.
WaterPark walk through – Waterpark Video
Resort walk through from waterpark to beach – Resort Walk Through Video
Full Blog Review with audio – coming soon!
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