Hotel Palma Real

We came with the family because of the attractions, and won't make that mistake again. This used to feel like a resort. Now it seems like an overpriced hotel with beach access, and the stakeholders appear focused on charging a lot while spending little. Most of what made it special has disappeared or been left to waste. The water park is useless now, as is the mini golf course. The cave beside one of the feature pools was removed recently, and live shows and beach bonfires are mostly gone. I paid $5 for a Miller Light, then had to ask the bartender to open it. We skipped the restaurant this time because I wasn't willing to spend $30 a person on food I expected to be lacking compared with the past. Condo owners should take a look at the water park and ask if that's what they want their investment to look like. Management has ruined what used to be an awesome place.

The buffet was great, and the oceanfront setting is beautiful. But internet in my room had no signal, and the only outlets for charging my phone were in the bathroom. The meeting rooms were on the second floor, with no elevator. That made the place not very friendly for elderly or disabled guests.

The buffet line moved painfully slowly, with just one person serving and sometimes two, so we lost a lot of time waiting. There was also only one person at the check-in desk. Service and staff training need improvement. Even so, we had a good time as a family with our two little kids. My girls enjoyed the different things to do. I went for a run very early one morning, and the view was amazing. It was a good area for a long run or some fartlek.

The food was delicious, though if you ate near the end of a meal period, the selection was somewhat limited. The restaurant was full of people and understaffed. It's a beautiful resort with a lot of potential. If you need internet, though, this isn't the place for you. We had no connection in our room, and there weren't enough plugs to charge phones and use a computer.