Palma Bay Club Reviews

I booked a seven day holiday at the Palma Beach Hotel for myself and my friend. As two ladies we have travelled nd stayed all over Spain. On arrival at 23.00 we had to wait one hour for transport to the hotel. We were told at reception we were booked in at the Sahara given keys and directions to the hotel which was three streets away. It was 1.00 am in the morning pitch black and local groups of men hanging around in the street.

We complained to the manager who said we would have to pay another 40 Euros to be placed the main complex, we had no option but to pay and feel safe. It seems all the English were shoved anywhere, and had to fight to get decent accomodation. Ok if you are german, swedish or any other nationality other than English.

Rooms were clean, food was OK, entertainment was appauling. The only drinks we found palatable was the gin and tonic, and the beer, ok if you are a beer drinker.

The resort itself is gorgeous, just avoid this hotel.

After reading all the bad reviews on this hotel i was preparing for a living nitemare but when arrived with my boyfriend it was lovely. Arrived At 10 am in October And Sun Was Shining All Week Long, had to wait til 1 for our room to be available but this wasnt a problem as went and sat on the beach with a drink from the pool bar. we was in the nubia building which was lovely , pieceful and out of the way. Sat On Balcony As Had sun from mornin to nite. only a short walk to the beach which is stunning! met a few nice couples as well. Food- Not very nice , but its like that everywhere drink - does the job :D room- fair size nothing to moan about cleaned daily beach - absolutely beautiful pools- ok only used twice would much rather the beach

I Believe the holiday is what you make it! and if your set out to have a moan up all week then stay at home!!! if you actually want to have a fun time then make it that way. I Liked It So Much I am flyin back there next week with my 2 year old daughter.The Only negative thing i can say is if you have walking disablities or are disabled this isnt the hotel for you as there are too many steep heels. overall ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAY !!!

We went at the end of february and came home at the beginning of march. It wasnt the right season for a holliday to be honest and the weather was terrible. The hotel faciliities didnt cater for the english, they seem to cater more for the german and spanish. The english were pushed to one side and werent given a holiday rep. The accomadation wasnt as described in the brochure as it was outside the complex. The entertainment was non-existant and the 'all inclusive' extras were very poor and nothing was freshly made, the drinks came out of a machine also i feel we have been miss lead and and miss sold this holiday. IT WAS RUBBISH! i DO NOT reccommend this resort in february or march...

this was my first holiday with my partner and we got a last minute deal booked it on the friday and went on the sunday. we didnt know what to expect as some of the reviews about the food was bad. when we got to the airport we think they messed up our transfers because we paid next to nothing and got private transfers with just me and my partner! in a mercades, but we werent complaining! when we got to the hotel we got a bit confused because when we booked it it was called the sahara nubia palma bay club complex! and when we got dropped off it just said palma club! what we didnt know is that it was a complex with about 7 different buildings. the entertainment is for old people, unless u like bingo! because thats wat it was every night. the food was great! like a buffet. there was 4 pools! one was adults only! the cocktails were ready made though so they werent fresh. our room was rather small, but we didnt care as we didnt intend on being there all the time, it was just a wardrobe, bed t.v and bathroom with a decent sized balcony. our views werent very nice though! the reason there were a lot of old people in my hotel was because from october-april spanish pensioners 65+ get good deals on hotels in majorca.

This hotel greatly exceeded our expectations. It was very clean, the room was spaceous, modern and nicely decorated. We were in the "Gobi" extension, which is 20 yds from the main reception. We ate in the Habanna Hotel, which is part of the complex. This hotel is very large with three main hotels and 4 accomodation blocks and 4 swimming pools. The decor and cleanliness is common to all the units, so it dosn't matter where you are accomodated on the complex, as the food, menus and facilities are duplicated.(we checked to see if there was a difference). Being separated the way it was made it feel a bit more homely. We found the staff without exception very helpful and friendly, even though the hotel was full and very busy. The food was great with cooked breakfasts every morning and a wide variety of continental options, Evening meals included a wide selection of lovely salads and the hot food was always hot and freshly prepared with a wide selection of fish, steak, chicken, turkey, pork and lamb on the menu, always served with tasty accompniments. The location of the hotel is not great, being a few streets away from the sea, but it is a self contained village and is only a 10 minute stroll from the promenade and beach. We found the location no problem and the african street sellers mentioned by other reviewers, never approached hotel guests close to the hotel, only on the main promenade. In summary we had a great holiday in this clean and well run hotel. We found absolutely nothing to complain about and would advise people to go with an open mind. The restrictions on the number of drinks which can be got at each visit is there to protect other guests from bad behaviour broken glass and spilled drinks. We never found it a problem.

this hotel/holiday is suitable for if you are buyin for a friend you dont like very much. the reception was very unhelpful, part from two of the six staff, the hotel custom manager patrick was extremerly rude and unhelpful, asif they are racist against english. we had to be moved on the first day as no free rooms were avaliable. which we stayed at hotel encante where my girlfriends mobile phone was stolen. we feel we was very let down with the over all quality of the hotel. we stayed in the hotel nubia, our room was 5080 and had no window or balcony, so no natural sunlight, and no where to dry off our towles afta swimming and showering.

After reading mixed reviews on various sites about this hotel I decided to take a gamble on it, couldn't be as bad as some fussy people made our right!

We arrived on the Saturday morning and like other reviewers were told that we had no room - we argued that we had booked the Palma Bay hotel in good faith and had thankfully confirmed where we would be staying with our holiday provider just the day before we left (who confirmed we were booked in to the 3* main complex) and showed the reception this. Answer: We have no room for you but we have booked you another hotel so it's not a problem. Cue another argument. We had no choice but to accept that we were being farmed out to another hotel (Olympia or something like that) at the other side of town, but they would pay for our taxi there (said as if this was to be a bonus). We were to return the next day at 13:30 where they would try and find us a room within the Palma Bay resort. At this point I could go in to the state of the Olympia hotel and the maid and security guard appearing at our door to throw us out the room but I won't - this is a Palma Bay review.

Anyway, we headed back at 13:30 to get our room - again another argument with reception (who by the way are very good at giving you the sympathetic look while knowing fine well they are turning you over). Success ! We were given a room in the Habana building (another brief argument when we were handed the map to discover it was outside the complex)but at least we were assured it was part of the 3* rating and after all it was only just across the road.

We were given a rotting (wooden door frames etc.) room next to the lift on the 7th floor, the main room door from the corridor was so bad that when even gently closing it the whole door & frame moved in your hand - it looked as though one slight kick and the whole thing would fall out. Our 'air-conditioned, 3* room' we had booked was in fact a small hole with a ceiling fan that made a loud scraping noise when turned on. Again, back to reception for an argument, cue the sympathetic look and again told to come back the next day at 13:30. We stayed the night and honestly, my daughter and wife could not sleep due to the heat - the ceiling fans was useless and not a breath of air came in to the room when the balcony door was opened. What I will say about the Habana building is that if you want to eat in here make sure you get in the cue before the doors open, not enough tables to accommodate all the guests and food selection is very limited. We had a German family standing next to our table waiting for us to finish our food who then pounced as soon as we got up before anyone else could grab the table.

OK, so day 3 and back to reception - we have no room for you, told them that my 4 year old could not sleep with the heat and that we had booked an air-conditioned room; no arguing with the guy - he informs us that we haven't and to take our complaint up with our holiday provider and not him (although, giving 'the look' he told me he 'understands our problem'). Remembering one of the other reviews, I ask him how much it would then cost to 'upgrade' to an air-conditioned room - hang on, his eyes widen and he says he will check, comes back to say that there are no rooms today; by this point I think I'm ready to jump over the counter but ask - OK so when will you have one available, I want to be first on the list for one. OK he says, we do have a room for you (amazing) but it will cost you ten euros per night extra and you will have to come back at 13:30 for the key. We go back to our oven and pack our bags again, the maid then walks into our room and tells us to get out as we are moving rooms and that she has to clean it for the next guest (it's only 10:30 at this point) - needless to say she was told where to go, politely. We go back to reception at 13:30, pay the man and get a receipt for our money and the key for our next room.

13:30 seems to be the time they want to check everyone in so even if you turn up earlier you are told to come back - be prepared for a long wait. As we were in reception for 3 days in a row for over an hour each time we witnessed countless families being told the same story we were over and over again and being farmed out to other hotels.

So, onto hotel No.3 - the Acapulco block just behind the main entertainment stage. What can I say - chalk-n-cheese, this is a 3* room and hotel. Room was clean (apart from a dubious looking stain on my bed sheet which wasn't changed in the remaining 4 days of our holiday). At meal times, the restaurant in the basement is far superior to the one in the Habana building with a far better selection of food available - maybe it was just a coincidence that all the other guests in this block were Spanish?

OK, I could go on further (probably have done too much already) - don't go !!!

just returned from weeks stay at this hotel,travelled with two children 15 and 11, would never go back or recommend to anyone, food was 2 star if it was that, paid all inclusive and had to eat out most of the time as food was that bad, room was clean but fan on ceiling didnt work, reported 3 times to receptionand still never got fixed. unless you were german spanish or any other nationality you were wasting your time going to reception they just werent interested.

we stayed in the hotel this year in april we was on the lower floor could here the music has if it was in our room - the hotel catered for the spanish bingo every night kids dancing - and then dancing all in spanish music - i felt sorry for the younger end - nothing for them to do but must say we made some nice friends food was not too bad but could have been better.

very good hotel. i read the reviews before i went and was horrified. however it is a good hotel that is clean, comfortable and has great food. we stayed all inclusive and was very impressed with the food, drinks and snacks available. entertainment isnt very good!

After a good start things went down hill when the transfer dropped us in completely the wrong place with no indication as to the whereabouts of our hotel then whizzed off before we could even blink. After trudging cases up hill thru broken paths we finally managed to get a taxi to stop. We were approx a mile from our hotel. We booked in, no porters, directed out off the complex across the road to the dingy Habana. Took lift to 5th floor, which was basically a mirrored cupboard which shot off b4 the doors had chance to meet. Entered suffocating room with ceiling fan as air conditioning, poorly lit, no mirror, thick curtains, leaking bede, no window or ventilation inbathroom, brown water, no kettle or facilities to make a drink,in all poor quality accomodation. Food was plentiful but not necessarily edible. Drink was in good supply, thank goodness.Pools good resort clean, cleaner outside than in. No english tv, no remote.Entertainment was all for kids catered for til late, tho a few shows were so bad they were funny. Costa del Fawlty towers.

We were very dubious after reading previous reviews, nothing could have been further from the truth, the hotel was very clean maid service every day clean towelsetc. food something to suit all tastes, very good value for the money we paid.Hotel reception staff very helpfull especially one called Mani,lots of information, nothing to much trouble.

We booked this holiday through easy jet the flight times were very good and no complants there, The hotel was another matter its up a hill no good for people with walking problems, we were placed in a very poor room with the patio doors broken and dirty, we had to walk to get to the resturent and found it to be full of rude Spanish people that tried to push you out of the way when trying to get your food, the food was poor and not a great deal of choice to be had. The entertainment was outside and did not start until 22:15 it was cold people had blankets wrapped them.The pools never seamed to be cleaned. There is a building site next door and workmen started at 07:00 and singing at 08:00 we would not recommend this hotel to any British holiday makers

This was a last minute holiday, literally, booked on the Tuesday for holiday to start on the Saturday. We were all inclusive.

I had visited Arenal 26 years ago. I remembered it as a bustling whirlwind of a place with little or no taste and if anything, run down and tacky.

How things have changed. The 3+ mile beach, running from Can Pastilla to Arenal harbour is wonderful and the Majorcans have really got their act together. The beach is very well maintained with regular shaded areas and they have mostly pedestrianised the sea front, with regular uniformed but modern looking cafe's every 200 meteres.

The shops are the same where ever there is sun and sand but there were a good choice of restaurants and deeper into the town I found Indian, Chinese, German, English and Italian restaurants - so most folks will be catered for.

I see other reviewers have talked about litter but on our visit in May 2007 this couldn't be further from the truth. Yes, the place is oddly shambolic in places but this is now an old resort and if anything, the buildings and tight streets add to the charm of the place. Arenal seems at ease with itself and there is clearly a culture of tidiness.

The Palm Bay Hotel sits on a raised area up several side streets and was quite difficult to locate as the complex is turned inside out, with the best parts of the hotel facing inwards, towards the pools and sun terraces.

Therefore, the outside doesn't necessarily do itself justice. We were given the wrong room at 1st but staff went out of their way to amend this. There are 3-4 different buildings that make up the complex and we were in the Havana quater, where the restaurant is situated.

Its also true that this complex caters for German people, but I found that there was something for us everyday. Its not Egon Ronay but there is plenty of it and all inclusive eating is happy eating.

There is a small ";games room"; but found this to be hardly used. In the evening, in the main bar, we found geriatric german ladies playing cards or dancing to B side music but there are plenty of night clubs in the town if that is your thing.

Children are catered for and every night there is activity on the main stage where children and parents are invited to ";join in";. The staff are multi lingual and if anything it does get tiresome, with evry last phrase being translated into 5 languages.

The pools are small but very clean and safe for children of all ages, swimmers / non swimmers and they seemed relaxed about air beds and balls in the pools.

Weather was great in May - so this was a really good holiday. Plenty of food and drink - a spotlessly clean complex with friendly staff and plenty to do in the town and elsewhere.

I would give it 7.5 out of 10

After reading some of the reviews of this hotel i felt i really should add my bit ..no the hotel isnt 5*, its 3* and you get what you pay for. This was the 5th time ive been to the palma bay and i have never had any problems, the staff have always been friendly and helpful(even tho' im English lol),yes the rooms are small, but ur not there to sit in ur room all day and so i found it adequate..Ive always found it to be clean and tidy..Ive gotta say im a fussy eater, but even i managed to find something i liked most of the time (if not theres always the snack bar) yea theres germans there, but actually its a very mixed reasort with alot of spanish, austrians and more, so i never felt in a minority (and ive been on my own 3 times !!)

So overall id say, yea it aint the ritz, yes i agree the entertainment aint brilliant(but never is at most hotels)..but the foods ok, drinks fine (and plenty of it)and u can always get a sunbed or chair..(and theres an adults only pool lol)