"We spent 9 days at this hotel. Last year we stayed at another hotel located about 3 km from Paloma Orenda, which was cheaper. I have to admit that we were more satisfied with our previous stay.
Paloma Orenda has both advantages and disadvantages. Despite its high standard and many positive aspects, our overall experience was not as good as the one we had at the less expensive hotel last year.
I'll start with the à la carte restaurants. You can book them through the hotel's app, but one of the restaurants requires an additional fee. Unfortunately, the information in the app is misleading and can easily be understood as meaning that you only have to pay if you make a second reservation. As a result, we were unpleasantly surprised to discover that by booking the paid restaurant, our complimentary reservation was automatically cancelled. After some confusion, the issue was eventually resolved.
The food quality is good, and there is enough variety for everyone to find something they like. However, the menu is very repetitive. Lunch and dinner are almost identical every day. We also expected a wider selection of seafood. During our stay, there were only shrimp available regularly, and calamari appeared only once.
The hotel offers live cooking, where fish and meat are grilled fresh to order, which is a nice feature. However, the children's menu is very disappointing. At both lunch and dinner, the only consistent option was French fries. There were no breaded chicken cutlets or even simple chicken nuggets. As a result, our son often struggled to find something he wanted to eat. Of course, you can get burgers at the bistro or pizza on the beach, but the selection for children is still very limited.
We also missed individually wrapped ice cream bars or popsicles, as the hotel only serves scooped ice cream. Another inconvenience was the lack of refrigerators with bottled water around the resort. Instead, bottles of water are usually placed in bowls filled with ice at the bars.
The biggest issue at this hotel is the staff's limited ability to communicate in English or German. Only about 10% of the employees speak these languages well. Most staff members struggle with even simple requests, such as ordering a drink with or without sugar. Orders are frequently mixed up because of the language barrier, and on one occasion, someone came back after 30 minutes to apologize and explain that their colleague hadn't understood our order.
The entertainment program is rather boring. During the day there are some activities, but most guests spend their time relaxing by the pool, enjoying the water park, or lying on the beach. In the evenings, children have very little to do. During our 9-day stay, there was only one children's festival with inflatable attractions where kids could really have fun. Apart from that, there was the same mini disco every evening and some stage performances, which are not particularly attractive for children aged 8 to 13. Overall, the hotel offers very little for older children, and the water park is what really saves the experience.
Another disappointment was the departure day. Our transfer was at 5:00 p.m., but we had to check out of our room at noon. Guests can shower in the spa area, but there are only two public showers. After showering, you have to walk several meters to a public restroom to get dressed. There are no separate shower facilities for men and women. Alternatively, you can rent a room for one hour just to shower, but it costs €20. In my opinion, charging guests for something so basic is unacceptable, and this service should be complimentary.
The beach cleanliness also left much to be desired. At the hotel we stayed at last year, the beach was cleaned every day. Here, our son found pieces of broken glass in the sand twice while digging. The beach itself has relatively few stones, but the sea becomes deep quite quickly and the entry into the water is fairly steep.
During the high season, it is also difficult to find available sunbeds by the pool, although this was not a problem on the beach.
Another frustrating issue is the poor lighting throughout the resort. I have good eyesight, but after dark the pathways are barely illuminated. Even the building numbers are not lit, so during the first couple of days it can be surprisingly difficult to find your room.
The rooms themselves are not very practical. The extra bed for children is too narrow, there is not enough wardrobe space, and the bathroom layout is poorly designed. A dividing wall between the bathroom and the bedroom would provide much more privacy. Water often leaks from the shower because the shower barrier is too low, so the bathroom floor becomes wet very easily. There are also no hooks inside the shower for towels or toiletries. Overall, the rooms lack functionality.
There are, of course, some positive aspects. The staff are generally friendly, smiling, and willing to help. During our stay, our son was bitten by another child, and the lifeguard reacted immediately and handled the situation professionally.
One more thing worth mentioning is that some waiters clear tables far too quickly. While some politely ask whether you have finished, others simply remove plates or glasses while you are still eating or drinking, which feels quite rude.
Overall, my biggest concern is the price. In my opinion, the quality of the experience does not justify the cost. If this hotel aims to attract guests looking for a premium holiday experience, there are still many areas that require significant improvementI would also like to highlight the hotel's cleanliness, which truly deserves special recognition. In this respect, there is absolutely nothing to complain about. The entire resort, including the rooms, was kept spotlessly clean throughout our stay."
