Moon Palace The Grand Punta Cana is opening June 1, and it stands as the largest new resort debut in the Caribbean this year, Caribbean Journal has learned.

The numbers define it immediately: 2,171 suites, a multi-layered dining program with more than 20 total venues, nine pools, a water park, a casino, a Greg Norman–designed golf course, and a full-service O Spa.

Punta Cana continues to add rooms, but projects of this size remain rare. This is a single-property launch that reshapes the upper tier of the destination’s all-inclusive inventory the moment it opens.

Palace Resorts has built its reputation on large-format resorts in Mexico. This property brings that same approach to the Dominican Republic — high capacity, high repetition, and enough variety to sustain a full stay without requiring off-site plans.

What’s On Property

The resort operates as a self-contained system.

There are nine pools, each positioned for a different type of use, from activity-driven areas to quieter sections. The water park is a primary feature, with slides and attractions that run throughout the day and anchor the family experience.

The Greg Norman golf course adds a full-service golf component directly tied to the property. The casino extends activity into late hours, and the O Spa covers treatments, hydrotherapy, and wellness programming.

Non-motorized water sports — kayaking, paddleboarding, snorkeling — are included, alongside a structured calendar of daily activities and nighttime entertainment.

The design is consistent with where the all-inclusive segment is heading: multiple parallel experiences, all operating at once.

Where You Eat

Dining is one of the strongest differentiators here.

The resort opens with 16 restaurants, supported by cafes, snack counters, and dessert-focused outlets that bring the total number of dining options beyond 20. The emphasis is not on a single flagship restaurant. It’s on range.

You have full-service restaurants covering multiple cuisines, alongside more casual venues that handle daytime traffic. Cafes serve coffee, pastries, crepes, and sweets, positioned for quick stops rather than formal meals.

Poolside service is handled by outlets like the Snack Bar, keeping food close to activity areas. Restaurants are distributed across the property so meals naturally rotate depending on where you are at any given time.

There is also 24-hour in-room dining, ordered through the resort’s app, which extends the food program beyond standard service hours.

The structure is built around repetition. Breakfast in one venue, lunch in another, dinner somewhere else entirely — with enough options to avoid duplication over several days.

Bars and Nightlife

The bar and nightlife program follows the same distributed model.

The Lobby Bar Terrace functions as a central gathering space, with a full cocktail program. League’s serves as the sports bar, built around screens and casual seating.

Poolside drinking is handled by venues like the Jungle Pool Bar and Fuego Bar, keeping service active throughout the day.

The nightclub anchors late-night activity, supported by venues like Kassette, a karaoke-driven entertainment space.

Additional concepts are scheduled for later in 2026, including an adults-only Day Club, a speakeasy-style lounge, and Waitiki, a Polynesian-inspired cocktail bar.

The approach avoids concentration. Instead of one dominant venue, the experience spreads across multiple spaces with different functions.

The Suites

The 2,171 suites are divided across a wide range of categories, designed to handle couples, families, and larger groups within the same property.

Entry-level accommodations start with the Grand Superior Deluxe Golf View and Grand Superior Deluxe Ocean View, ranging from roughly 635 to 840 square feet, with either one king bed or two queen beds and capacity for up to five guests. These rooms include whirlpool tubs, curated minibars, and 24-hour service, with either golf course or ocean-facing positions.

The next tier includes the Grand Junior Golf View Suite, expanding up to more than 1,000 square feet, with terraces and double Jacuzzi-style tubs. These units add more outdoor space and upgraded layouts while maintaining the same core in-room features.

The Grand Swim-Up Suite places direct pool entry off the terrace, allowing you to step from your room into the water. These units maintain similar square footage to the Superior categories but add immediate pool connectivity.

Family configurations are handled through the Grand Family Ocean View Suite and Grand Family Golf View Suite, both built as two connected rooms with combined sizes ranging from about 1,292 to 1,981 square feet. These units include one king bed and two queen beds and accommodate up to seven guests, designed for multi-generational travel or larger groups.

At the top end, the resort introduces the Grand Governor Ocean View Suite, ranging up to 2,637 square feet, with expanded living space and upgraded layouts.

The highest category includes the Grand Presidential Ocean View Suite and Grand Presidential Golf View Suite, also reaching up to 2,637 square feet, with configurations of two king beds or two queen beds, private lounge areas, and larger terraces.

Across all categories, the baseline remains consistent: whirlpool tubs, premium spirits, aromatherapy amenities, and 24-hour in-room dining, all included within the all-inclusive model.

Getting There

Punta Cana remains one of the most accessible destinations in the Caribbean.

Punta Cana International Airport handles direct flights from major cities across the United States, Canada, and Europe, with high daily frequency.

From the airport, transfers to the resort area typically run 20 to 30 minutes, depending on traffic and final location. That short transfer time continues to be one of the destination’s strongest advantages, particularly for short stays and family travel.

How It Fits Into Punta Cana’s Growth

Punta Cana continues to lead the Caribbean in large-scale resort development, and this opening reinforces that position.

The destination has built its reputation on high-capacity, all-inclusive resorts, and the pipeline remains active. New projects continue to come online, including additional developments from operators like Lopesan, which is expanding its footprint in the market with new resort construction and future openings.

The direction is clear: more rooms, more amenities, and a continued focus on keeping guests on property.

Moon Palace The Grand Punta Cana fits directly into that pattern, but at a larger size than most recent openings. It combines room count with a wide range of on-site experiences, aligning with how developers are approaching new builds across the region.

The Brand Behind It

Moon Palace The Grand Punta Cana is part of The Palace Company, which operates a portfolio of large-scale all-inclusive and luxury resorts across the Caribbean and Mexico.

That includes Moon Palace Cancun, one of the brand’s flagship properties, along with Moon Palace Jamaica in Ocho Rios. The broader portfolio also includes Palace Resorts properties in destinations like Cancun, Playa del Carmen, and Cozumel, along with the adults-only Le Blanc Spa Resorts in Cancun and Los Cabos

What to Expect at Opening

The resort opens June 1 at the start of the summer travel period.

Core operations — accommodations, primary restaurants, pools, and activity areas — are expected to be active at launch. Some nightlife venues and additional concepts are scheduled to open later in 2026.

That phased rollout is typical for a project of this size, particularly with multiple entertainment and specialty venues.

Why This Opening Stands Out

The scale alone sets it apart.

More than 2,000 suites, a dining program with over 20 venues, a water park, golf, a casino, and a distributed nightlife lineup all operating within one property.

This is the current direction of the all-inclusive sector in the Caribbean: large, multi-option resorts designed to handle different types of travelers at once and provide enough variety to sustain a full stay.

Moon Palace The Grand Punta Cana arrives as the clearest example of that model this year — and the largest new resort to open anywhere in the Caribbean in 2026.

Prices at Grand Punta Cana 

Rooms for the opening week start at $849 per night, all-inclusive. That gets you a Grand Superior Deluxe Golf View room. For a swim-up suite, you’re looking at a premium of about $300 — with rooms at $1,403 per night.