Palmas de La Serena Hotel and Convention Center

There’s no safe or desk in the rooms, and the bathroom has neither shampoo nor a hairdryer. Breakfast was a very basic buffet, and the bread was moldy, which made for a bad experience. The water was foamy and had a strange smell. They said maintenance had been done, but nobody had checked the water flow properly. A very bad experience.

The rooms looked nothing like what was promised, and the website photos seemed edited or possibly taken somewhere else. Breakfast was a letdown too, with dirty cutlery, very poor quality, and none of the variety they advertised. The whole place felt neglected and dirty, and I wouldn’t recommend it under any circumstances. It was a waste of money. The room smelled unbearably of sewage, and the sheets and towels were already used and dirty when we arrived. After they supposedly cleaned, they only straightened the beds. The linens weren’t changed and the floor wasn’t cleaned. The bathroom was in terrible shape, with no water pressure or hot water. The soaps were expired. They didn’t provide shampoo or conditioner, and when we asked, they gave us plastic containers with questionable products. The terraces were also in poor condition, the windows were crooked and let in a lot of cold air, and there was dampness everywhere. The pool was under “maintenance” the entire time. The worst part was losing some gold earrings inside the room. That left us with no trust or sense of security with the staff. The stay was a nightmare from beginning to end.

I wouldn’t go back. It costs far too much for what you get, especially since there was no breakfast with our reservation, even though other hotels offer it for the same price. The place looked clean, but the bathtub faucet had limescale and clearly hadn’t been cleaned in a long time. Humidity had made the bathroom paint peel, and there was rust in several spots. The TV only had local channels, no cable. The table and balcony looked old and neglected, and the table was peeling. Parking was a mess, with cars left wherever people could fit them, and there was far too little space.

The location was excellent, just steps from the sea and close to the lighthouse, places to eat, and a supermarket. My family and I had a wonderful time this year. The reception staff were welcoming, and breakfast was included in our reservation. It’s a great place for a family vacation. There were only a few little things to improve: the showers were very old, and the water came out very strongly. Otherwise, everything was fine.