Grand Palladium White Island Resort and Spa

We have just returned from our second visit to this hotel - we are actually already booked in to return this October as we had booked the second trip before going on our most frequent one Check in was quick - we paid extra for a deluxe room and were very unimpressed with the view - after speaking to the reception team and manager we were able to be moved to a pool view room the second day. Hotel still exceptionally clean - service is very slow in the bars. If you are English expect to wait longer than locals. Food is super - there is prosecco as you enter the restaurant but no one ever seemed to be drinking it or offered it? Staff in the main are friendly - everywhere is run like a military operation. There was no iron or ironing board in our room and a very basic kettle, for a 5* deluxe room I would???ve expected a coffee machine. I wouldn???t recommend paying the extra for a deluxe room - the only plus seemed to be a whirlpool bath. Good location and access to airport. The entertainment by the pool in the day is very lacklustre this year, last year there was DJS, Saxophonist and consistent good upbeat music. This year it was a lot more mellow and aimed at over 60???s. Probably a great 4* but the lack of attention to detail doesn???t quite give it the 5* rating.

We stayed here at the end of May. We were seen pretty quickly at check in, although we couldn't have our room at the time (arrived at around 11.30 am). The room was fine, but I would recommend booking a sea view room if possible. We were in block 9 which had no lift so beware if you've got heavy luggage or pushchairs. A porter took our luggage up for us, but when we left we brought it down ourselves. There wasn't a great deal of space in the room. There's a small sofa stuck in front of the fridge and safe area which was a bit awkward. Beds were comfortable (2 pillows per bed). The fridge was restocked daily with anything that had been used (water; coke; orange; lemonade: beer; non alcoholic beer). There isn't a great deal of storage space in terms of drawers, but it's manageable. In the bathroom there's a really good shower, toiletries (replenished after use), a medium sized hairdryer and a heated towel rail. Towels were sometimes taken, but not always replaced like for like. There's also an iron and board in the room. In addition, there's a kettle, along with tea and coffee. The pool area was pretty quiet (which I prefer). We could easily get a sunbed (0830-0930), although as everywhere these days, many people laid towels on them and then left. One area was also cordoned off for a group of people. It wasn't that hot so I didn't use the pool. Others said the water was quite cold. The hotel was in blocks in a sort of square/oblong with the pool in the centre. The pool bar was easily accessible with a range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. There was also a 'snack' area (the outside of the main restaurant). We didn't use it so can't comment on the food or quality. The main restaurant served good food. At the entrance there is a woman with bottles of cava and glasses. I'm not really sure why as no one ever seemed to be offered a drink. There is waiter service inside the restaurant for drinks. Sometimes we were served really quickly, whereas on other occasions we had to wait quite some time. A bit hit and miss. In terms of food, there is a starter/salad island with a wide choice. Tried lots of different salads - lovely. There is a main island with a number of meat and fish dishes, along with a range of vegetable dishes. In addition, there's a grill area (fish/meat). In the same area there is fresh pasta, as well as ready made pasta dishes. There also seemed to be burgers and hot dogs available every day. Desserts included cakes, gateaux, ice cream, cheeses and fruit. At breakfast there was a wide range of options: hot cooked; cakes/pastries; omelettes made to order; fruit; yogurt pots; smoothies; a range of bread. There are also Nespresso machines with a variety of pods. Out of the a la carte restaurants, we tried the Mexican. The food was lovely. Had a great dessert - chocolate green tomato! It had a relaxed atmosphere and we really enjoyed the evening. The biggest disappointment was the beach (one of our main reasons for booking this particular hotel). It seems the hotel's licence has been revoked so you have to pay for beds - we were told it was ???20 for one bed! Ridiculous price. I think the hotel is providing mats, but you want comfort. We didn't bother going over to the other hotel for entertainment so can't comment on it. Drinks wise, there is quite a variety. Cocktails seem to be of the pre-mix variety, but the pina coladas were fine on the whole. You can take drinks back to your room. Room service is available between midday and ten at night (pizza; wraps; sandwiches; a couple of desserts). Overall, there is not really anything particularly wrong with the place, but I wouldn't return. I think I just prefer somewhere with a bit more character rather than square, white blocks everywhere.

We stayed here for 2 days before moving on. It???s a nicely presented hotel with all inclusive facilities. Staff are friendly and the food is a pretty good buffet standard. We didn???t get the attentive feel of true 5 star quality or service as we have experienced at other hotels. We had to check forks in particular and replace them regularly as the dried remnants of previous guests meals were often evident, disgusting. The same for the glassware, many of the glasses had remnants of fruit still stuck the them. I don???t know how they do their dishwashing but it???s certainly not effective or up to the demands of such mass washing. A nice all inclusive hotel but more 4 star than 5 in our opinion, and definitely needs to sort out its cutlery and glassware washing hygiene..