Fly Me to the Moon Palace The Grand Punta Cana

Moon Palace The Grand Punta Cana brings big-ticket luxury, bold design, AI-era travel talk and full-moon magic to the Dominican Republic’s booming all-inclusive scene. The moon follows me all week here in Punta Cana.

After all, I’m staying at the new Moon Palace The Grand Punta Cana that is beaming its own celestial spotlight. Here for HBX Group’s MarketHub Americas 2026, aptly themed Unlocked, it’s where travel’s top brass are busy unpacking artificial intelligence, booking behavior, and the brave new world of hotel distribution.

Meanwhile, I am over the moon. Literally. Moon Palace The Grand Punta Cana was in soft-launch mode when I arrived last month. Its glass entrance doors finally swung open to welcome guests.

Location, Location, Location

Moon Palace The Grand Punta Cana is nestled on the Dominican Republic’s southern shoreline in Punta Cana, next door to the knockout Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana. This location comes with a major travel advantage. The Dominican Republic is where it’s at right now in the Caribbean booking game: a high-volume, high-airlift, high-demand destination that is keeping sun seekers coming back for more polished all-inclusive pleasures. So, yes, Moon Palace has arrived. To boot, the Mexican-owned resort company reports that it’s the Caribbean’s largest all-inclusive resort in the region.

 My First Impressions of Moon Palace The Grand Punta Cana

The porte cochere is other-worldly. It jets out from the building ready for a convoy of private black sedans to glide in with a guest list that might include a pop star, a president, or perhaps someone who takes their poolside cabana selection very seriously. Then I enter.

White gauzy draping pours from the ceiling in billowing layers, as if clouds have descended for check-in, ready to transport me to a higher level. The lobby is all scale. Marble shimmers and does not feel cold. Two long, sleek marble reception counters facing each other mean multiple check-ins and checkouts. It is a thoughtful touch for guests who still prefer a warm welcome, a real smile, and a human helping hand rather than surrendering entirely to the available AI virtual checkout option.

After a week of hearing travel insiders riff on algorithms, automation, and predictive booking tools at MarketHub Americas 2026, I appreciate this choice. I still enjoy a little front-desk friendliness with my room key. In this case, you don’t get one. Instead, you wear a fabulous bracelet, which means no fumbling for plastic key cards that might have dropped to the bottom of your bottomless bag. 🙂

Once I leave reception, the building blasts off in either direction. The interior feels like a fancy mall stand-in—if that mall came dressed in resort glamour, luxury retail, restaurants, gaming areas and enough polished corridors to make a fashion editor reach for sunglasses.

Do not be surprised if you begin to wonder whether you are in a resort, a mall or a futuristic pleasure palace. The answer is: yes.

Bragging Rights for Moon Palace The Grand Punta Cana

Moon Palace The Grand Punta Cana is The Palace Company’s largest investment outside Mexico, reportedly exceeding $1.5 billion. The resort’s 2,171-room inventory makes it one of the Caribbean’s most significant new luxury all-inclusive developments, while its twin 18-story towers add an entirely different silhouette to Punta Cana’s traditionally low-rise resort landscape.

The towers are named Bachata and Macao. Bachata nods to the Dominican Republic’s beloved music and dance form, while Macao salutes the nearby beach known for its broad sands and wild-beautiful Atlantic drama. It is a fitting pairing: one tower has rhythm; the other has a sense of place.

Rooms and Suites at Moon Palace The Grand Punta Cana

With 2,171 rooms and suites, Moon Palace The Grand Punta Cana is built on a grand scale. At the time of my visit, some floors remain under renovation as the soft launch continues, which means guests are seeing the property while it is still adding its final touches.

Accommodation categories range from resort-view and ocean-view rooms to larger family-friendly layouts and elevated suite categories. The top-tier Presidential Suite, you’ll find has two choices: golf or ocean view.  It’s designed for guests who prefer their Caribbean holidays with serious square footage, high-design interiors, generous living and dining areas, and premium amenities. 

Author Ilona Kauremszky suite-side

My own room is in the Bachata Tower, on the seventh floor: Room 776. I have resort and sea views here at the Grand Superior Deluxe Ocean View, which means I get a front-row seat to palms, pools, architecture and that persistent full moon working overtime on the horizon.

The room has two queen beds and feels fresh, sleek and generously proportioned. The calm neutral palette lets the view be the scene stealer. I like the balance: enough polish to feel special, enough comfort to make me linger.

 Room tip: Request a higher-floor ocean-view room in the Bachata Tower for a broader sea panorama and a better chance of catching those moonlit Atlantic evenings from your balcony.

Moon Palace The Grand Punta Cana Perks

The amenity list is long enough to require hydration. There are nine swimming pools, a water park, a large fitness center packed with equipment for every kind of workout personality—from treadmill loyalists to weight-room warriors—and an 18-hole Greg Norman-designed golf course. The golf component is especially significant. It gives the resort a strong pull for players who want their all-inclusive escape to include fairways, not just frozen cocktails.

Then there is the spa, billed as the Dominican Republic’s largest. 

The resort’s vertical design is another talking point. Rather than sprawling endlessly across the shoreline, its towers rise upward, helping preserve native vegetation and mangrove habitat. It is a meaningful design decision in a destination where coastal development remains a constant conversation.

Restaurants at Moon Palace The Grand Punta Cana

Nineteen restaurants mean guests can make a full-time job out of dinner reservations. Fortunately, this is a role I am prepared to accept.

In the Bachata Tower area, I settle into an à la carte French dining experience at Le Jiraf, where the interior sets a refined, romantic tone. There’s elegant lighting, polished finishes, and an atmosphere that feels more Parisian soirée than buffet-line scramble. I begin with a cheese salad with beets, then select roast chicken with cauliflower for my main. The cauliflower is satisfying, though the chicken arrives a touch crunchier than my taste buds prefer. Still, the wine list by the glass keeps the evening flowing nicely, with an incredible Cava from Spain and a fresh, crisp white from Argentina.

It is a meal that reminds me that all-inclusive dining has grown up. There is still abundance, yes, but there is also room for mood, menu nuance and a proper pour.

Breakfast headquarters is Macao, a bustling mainstay filled with hot and cold food stations, international favorites and local Dominican fare. Mexican dishes also make a welcome appearance, a culinary nod to the Mexican roots of the ownership group. I love seeing that twist at breakfast: it adds another layer of flavor to a Dominican Republic stay and proves that a resort buffet can travel well without leaving the building.

For coffee breaks, the resort serves up a collection of café-style spots that feel designed with a Parisian wink. Luxurious desserts, hot and cold sandwiches, and an impressive beverage roster make them easy places to pause between pool, panel session, and promenade. Soy milk? Available. Iced drinks? Absolutely. The cool twist is the touchscreen self-automated ordering monitor.

Author Ilona Kauremszky is over the moon at The Moon Palace

Final Impressions

Moon Palace The Grand Punta Cana is the Caribbean’s go-to new luxury all-inclusive resort at the moment because it understands the assignment. Go big, go beautiful and give guests more than a room and a wristband. It brings scale, spectacle, suites, spa time, golf, gaming, dining and a destination that is already one of the Caribbean’s strongest booking performers.

The Dominican Republic is shining brightly in the travel trade, and Moon Palace The Grand Punta Cana gives that momentum a glittering new address. All the stars are shining on this one—although during my stay, the moon definitely steals the show.

Check rates for Fly Me to the Moon Palace The Grand Punta Cana online at Expedia, Booking.com, Agoda.com, or Hotels.com.

PHOTOS: Ilona Kauremszky

Hotel-Scoop Columnist Ilona Kauremszky stayed at Moon Palace The Grand Punta Cana while attending MarketHub Americas 2026, hosted by HBX Group.