Grand Hotel Palau

This was listed as a 4-star hotel on Bookings.com, but it felt more like a backpackers’ place. Everything looked rundown on arrival. The room was the usual 25 square metres, while the bathroom was so large there was barely space for suitcases, let alone our two. The bed was only about 300mm off the ground, made of a roll-out mattress on a board base, and we couldn’t tolerate it. We immediately asked for a refund after seeing the room. Neither the hotel nor Bookings.com replied.

The sea view was the only part that felt 4-star. This is not a 4-star hotel, more like a poor 3-star, and it felt cheap. Management was stingy with supplies: just 2 sachets of shower gels and 1 roll of toilet paper each day, so we had to ask for more every day. There was no kettle, even on request. The door frame and lock were broken. On day 3, a handyman came to look at the door and started banging on it and the door knock while we were still inside. The wardrobe had no hangers. They kept them behind reception and only gave us some if we asked, another hassle. The bedding cover was stained when we arrived, but they gave us fresh bedding when we asked. When we asked to borrow plates and cutlery, they gave us plastic plates, saying they didn’t have enough for breakfast otherwise.

The view was gorgeous, and the receptionist was kind, cheerful, and helpful, which made our stay nicer. The sheet didn’t feel clean, two sockets didn’t work, and breakfast tables weren’t cleared quickly.

We’d read some really horroristic reviews from a couple months ago about housekeeping, and worried they’d had a rough patch. But our stay was amazing, nothing like those comments. Adeel was a great host, and the balcony view was stunning.