"Abysmal disappointment!"
When I read the glowing reviews, I wonder... Did we stay at the same hotel? Admittedly, the small palm grove is very beautiful if you exclude the fact that it is surrounded by roads and that the traffic is incessant; the roar of the cars follows you at every step. Some would say that being located a stone's throw from the bus station turns out to be a plus; when you are looking for peace and quiet, it is better to select another establishment.
Uneven is the term that best fits this place: abysmal welcome, reception staff with a forced and frozen smile who are absolutely not listening to you. The "garden view" rooms actually have a view of the road or the parking lot, and the glimpse of the sea is reserved for a handful of rooms (the sea is visible in the distance, with binoculars). If you are staying alone, it is a triple penalty: the rate is that of a double room, and the room they try to give you is the most horrible one they can offer; do not try to negotiate an upgrade with a supplement, it is reserved for couples or families.
If the question is asked, the photos on the hotel's website absolutely do not reflect the actual services.
Furthermore, the restaurant staff, especially the cooks who work at the buffet, seem forced and compelled to work and absolutely do not respond to your greetings, or even act aggressively if you happen to ask them for something! Uneven, that is the service at the table. Some show speed by properly cleaning the tables between two guests, others on the contrary are content to move the dirt around; cleanliness in these places is not a priority. As for the food, perhaps less is more. Admittedly, everything is in abundance, but absolutely not of quality. Many products are frozen, even though the island is full of fresh produce. They even manage to serve you tomatoes from Holland and canned beans, to put it mildly! As for the churros at breakfast, I saw with my own haggard eyes the cook dump the contents of a freezer bag into the deep fryer. Not even the crepe batter is prepared on-site!
Do not even ask for a well-done omelet or fried egg; they barely even acknowledge you!
The shows are uneven, and in that regard, "show" is a strong word, since it is generally a singer sometimes accompanied by an orchestra; one could have appreciated the Tina Turner one or even the tribute to Il Divo, even though the trio is far from being composed of tenors. Notwithstanding, the "Fifth Avenue" orchestra makes you hate your favorite song. Yes, even the one you listen to on repeat and love, you end up not recognizing it anymore, not wanting to hear it anymore, or worse, hating it.. I will not dwell on the singer's outfit, which I would not wear, even to clean my home.. A show is a whole: visual and acoustic! Fortunately, they are not punctual and the singing performance only lasts 30 minutes. Pure amateurism and dissonance in itself that finds favor with no customer, the terrace being deserted.. What a joy when they stop!
Admittedly, we are neither at a Miley Cyrus concert nor an Andrea Bocelli one, but all the same, we expect a little better than a low-end karaoke!
Access to the beach is certainly existing, but what they omit to tell you is that you have to leave the hotel and cross a promenade crowded with a throng heading to restaurants, bars, and other souvenir shops; the public lounge chairs (no private hotel beach) are from another time or even the previous century, in a lamentable state; the daily rate is ridiculous, this explains that.. You should therefore not choose this hotel if you wish to enjoy the sea.
We would be much better off lying around one of the pools, but not for too long. Insofar as at 5 p.m. they make you understand by putting away the lounge chairs and cushions that it is high time to return to your room. Do not expect them to exchange your towel, it is far too late to do so or to imagine that the lounge chair cushions are cleaned. We will skip over the lounge chair mattresses, the squeegee used for the floor; I will let you imagine the hygiene of this operation. The chore of cleaning remains the order of the day here for the vacationer, so as not to catch nosocomial diseases.
Do not make any other wishes, they will not be granted for you around here; the customer is not pampered. I will end on a positive note, the one and only: some chambermaids show efficiency given the circumstances, and the room is rather clean. Notwithstanding, the bed squeaks, the bedding needs to be changed; we are far from 5-star palace furniture!
If, despite this, you still wish to stay there, equip yourself with plenty of mosquito repellent products; the only one you plug into the outlet and which diffuses scents is not enough. You will serve as a feast for the mosquitoes that reside on the body of water next to the dunes, and that is putting it mildly.
At this level of hospitality, it would have been appropriate to leave a small bottle of water available in the room, but here business is the order of the day; there is no such thing as a small profit.
In conclusion, according to European standards, this hotel should be downgraded. It is therefore not a five-star hotel, and even less a Palace.
I admit that everyone's considerations are not identical, de gustibus et coloribus non est disputandum, you cannot satisfy everyone, but the attempts are commendable, which is not the desire of this hotel's management.
