The Palms Turks and Caicos

One of the worst experiences I’ve had traveling. Came here 10 years ago and it was an actual 5 star resort. At this time no one here is happy to work here. Service is well below standards of even a low end motel. Examples: beach and pool attendants don’t want to set up beach or pool chairs. Beach service for drinks takes hours. Any service to get seated at a restaurant/lunch/drinks takes forever. Housekeeping coming into room at 11pm. Phone calls to your room at 11pm. Will never come back to this resort although will come back to Turks.

We've had the good fortune to stay at some marvelous properties in Maldives (Nautilus, Sonevi Fushi) and French Polynesia (The Brando), so we understood the expense of being on isolated islands yet we experienced impeccable service and sensational food at these venues. Hence, we had high expectations for our 5 night stay during the week of Thanksgiving, but we were sorely disappointed. Given a severe thunderstorm, we arrived 4 hours late on Saturday night. Although there were no other patrons checking in, the front desk staff seemed incredibly frazzled and it took them some time to get us checked in. We were given room 3401 (more below) a large 1 bedroom partial ocean view suite with a full kitchen and W/D. It overlooked the pool and had a massive deck. It was decorated in a plantation style as the entire resort looks like a large plantation. We immediately ordered room service for our hungry kids (pizza, kids steak, kids plain pasta). It took them close to 2 hours to deliver our food. The food itself was atrocious as the pizza tasted like cardboard. This was foreboding...my assessment follows: Pros - Even though the property was fully booked, we were always able to get tables for breakfast; pool chairs; or beach chaises. - Suites are massive with large living spaces, bathrooms, and usable kitchens. Given the horrible food, this was a Godsend as we made a few lunches after frequenting the Graceway. And, W/D enables a family to pack light. Note that the furnishings are a little dated. - Beach is sensational as the sand is so fine and soft. The water is swimmable and so comfortable. Its no wonder that its one of the best beaches in the world. Cons - Food is inedible. The free breakfast is pathetic as the quality and selection is extremely poor. Even my kids, who are not picky eaters, weren't fond of the fare. The omelette station was bearable, and the coffee was ok. I understand that TCI is remote, and its expensive to have food flown/shipped in, but even in the Maldives, we were treated to incredible meals on property. We ended up eating out at multiple venues for dinner and lunch as we found some incredible restaurants. In fairness, after raising our concerns to the manager on our last day, we were offered a free lunch poolside. That meal was very good but too little too late. - Service is spotty and very inconsistent. When we first went to the beach, there were 4 guys milling around but didn't offer any help so we grabbed our own towels and chairs. The next day we ran into 1 attendant who was willing to find us and setup our chaises. We didn't realize that we could get bottled water as it was never offered to us yet we saw others receive it. Again, at other resorts, they would setup your chaises, bring a bucket of water, and even have complementary sunscreen options (none of those here). Similarly, with the exception of the hostess and few servers, most of the folks who worked breakfast seemed to have no interest in being there. Again, I totally understand that TCI is expensive, but I expected commensurate service and food like I have received at numerous other properties worldwide. Based on our experience, I don't think its worth visiting TCI from CA as there are so many other places to consider for the same price.

The Palms is a beautiful resort with very large, luxurious suites. The beach is stunning with soft, white sand & plenty of beach & pool lounges. The food was outstanding; Starting with breakfast & delicious omelettes made by a smiling Mona every day and beautiful “Sweet Baby” Jane to greet & seat us every morning. The Plunge pool/beach bar & restaurant served great food & drinks with excellent service from Paula, Sandy, & many others. Dinner service at Parallel 27 was outstanding from Linda with food manager Mark seeming to be everywhere, all the time. He was constantly checking to ensure that the food at breakfast, lunch & dinner were excellent and we always had whatever we needed. I had a salt scrub and massage at the spa from Janice which was so relaxing. Don’t forget to take advantage of the saunas. The gym was small, but with very nice equipment. Everything throughout the resort is spotlessly clean. It was a great week at The Palms and the employees made it so special!

Overall solid, but felt more like a 4 star hotel than a 5 star The good: Beautiful beach and pool. Breakfast and food at the pool bar (esp the fish tacos) were solid. Spa was really beautiful and good massages. The bad: Rooms could use a facelift. When we checked into our room there was hair all over the shower - took over an hour for housekeeping to come. And they never compensated us or otherwise addressed it. Limited food options - only the pool bar for lunch and restaurant for dinner. No bar or dinner you can have with a view. The location is okay but we found ourselves walking to seven stars/ the ritz/ grace bay club almost every night for dinner so ultimately wish we had stayed at one of those places. No robes were provided. Also the hotel seemed very empty so was surprised they didn’t offer an upgrade.

The property is beautiful. From the lobby to the well kept grounds, the pool etc. The rooms could stand some new furniture but that is nitpicking for sure. The rooms are beautifully decorated, have upscale bath toiletries, robes, slippers etc along with turndown service. The beach area is perfect with attendants there to provide umbrellas, food, drinks etc. The housekeeping staff keeps the property very clean. Finally, I can't say enough about the staff. Everyone is so friendly and professional. Management should be applauded for staffing and training the right people. I can't say enough about how much I enjoyed my stay and would definitely come back.