"We arrived at around 11pm and, to be honest, the hotel wasn't the most welcoming. The lobby has no real wow factor, and the check-in process feels very old-fashioned. Everything is done manually, including physically writing down every family member's passport details. It genuinely felt like we'd travelled back to the 1990s.
When we finally got our key and were shown to the lifts (which again felt dated and quite small), it was a surprise when the bellboy, who was taking our luggage to the room, got into the same lift as our family of five. We all just about managed to squeeze in.
The corridors are very dated and the rooms looked tacky and not particularly clean.
On arrival at our Family Duplex Room on the fifth floor, we were once again underwhelmed. "Dated" is definitely the word that best describes it, along with a strange smell throughout. Around two months before arriving I had emailed and messaged the hotel explaining that we would be travelling with three children and that they would all need their own beds. The hotel replied saying they would do their best to arrange this.
Unfortunately, when we entered the room my five-year-old son was expected to sleep in a tiny pink baby cot. Unsurprisingly, he wasn't impressed. This was eventually replaced with a very old, rickety fold-away bed, which left the downstairs area feeling extremely cramped. I wouldn't recommend this hotel if you're travelling with three children who all need a proper bed.
Other issues with the room included the upstairs minibar not being switched on, no bottle opener for the drinks provided, a TV remote that didn't work, and air conditioning that dried the room out so much it became uncomfortable to leave on overnight.
The following morning we ventured down to the breakfast buffet. For a so-called five-star hotel, we were shocked by the chaos. Guests are left to find their own tables, which isn't easy when you're a family of five. It would be far better if someone greeted guests and seated them. On one morning it took us around 20 minutes just to find a table.
I visited the Hedera Restaurant for breakfast one morning, and it was a completely different experience. Everything felt fresher and prepared with much more care. The coffee was better, there was an egg chef, smoked salmon, oats and a much calmer atmosphere. It proved the hotel is capable of providing a higher-quality dining experience. It did make me wonder whether guests staying in the more expensive swim-up rooms receive a noticeably better experience.
I completely agree with other reviews regarding the food temperature. Almost everything I ate was lukewarm, even when it had just been replenished, which I found very strange.
The hotel is also missing basic children's food on a regular basis. Chicken nuggets only seemed to appear every other day. For families with fussy eaters, having these simple options available every day would make a huge difference.
We visited the Italian à la carte restaurant and were once again massively disappointed. As soon as you walk in, you see pre-prepared dishes sitting ready to be served, which isn't the best first impression. Unfortunately, this was reflected in my beef carpaccio, which was tasteless and had developed a dry, hard edge where it had clearly been sitting for some time before being served.
The beef shoulder for my main course was tasty enough, but the portion size was unbelievably small. An average adult would probably need three or four portions to feel full. Communication with the waiting staff was also difficult due to the language barrier, and I even had to use Google Translate just to order a glass of white wine and a soda water. Overall, it wasn't a good experience.
On our final night we visited the Chinese à la carte restaurant, and it was by far the best meal of our holiday. The service was on another level, and the hotel should use this restaurant as the benchmark for every other dining experience. The staff couldn't do enough to make sure guests enjoyed themselves, proving that genuine five-star service is possible when the right management and staff are in place. A special mention goes to Seda, who really went above and beyond for us.
Many of the staff throughout the hotel struggled to speak English, making communication difficult at times. I also didn't find many of them particularly friendly or proactive, so I don't agree with many of the glowing reviews regarding the service.
Despite other reviews praising the cleanliness, we found the opposite. On several occasions our room wasn't cleaned at all, and on three separate days we weren't left with enough towels—in one case, none at all. We repeatedly had to ask for towels for all five of us, which became very frustrating. The room was never properly vacuumed, fingerprints remained on the glass balustrade throughout our stay, and the air conditioning in the fifth-floor corridor never worked, making the walk back to the room extremely hot due to the large glass windows on both sides.
Around the pool, staff were very slow to clear empty glasses and clean up spillages. On one occasion a member of staff dropped several cups directly in front of our sun loungers. They picked up the broken cups but left fruit and debris on the floor. Two hours later it was still there until I asked someone to clean it up.
Some members of the animation team were a little underwhelming, lacking energy and enthusiasm. Activities seemed poorly organised and mainly catered for adults, which disappointed my very active 12-year-old daughter. However, Panda and Moez were excellent. They genuinely made an effort to make guests feel welcome and were the standout members of the entertainment team during our stay.
Dinner was very similar to breakfast—busy, chaotic and serving mostly lukewarm food with very little flavour. The fish was often overcooked and full of bones, the chicken was rubbery, and even the beef kebabs were disappointing.
There were, however, some positives. The gym is excellent for a hotel, with a bench press, dumbbells, free weights, cardio equipment and resistance machines—everything you need for a good workout while away. We also enjoyed the evening entertainment, particularly the live bands, which were very good.
My son spent a few hours at the kids' club and thoroughly enjoyed it. The two ladies working there were fantastic and clearly went above and beyond to make sure all the children were well looked after and entertained.
Overall, I feel this hotel falls well below the standards of a genuine five-star resort. It desperately needs investment, refurbishment and much stronger staff training.
If you're simply looking for a cheap and cheerful all-inclusive holiday where you'll spend most of your time relaxing by the pool in the sunshine, you'll probably have a pleasant time. However, if you're expecting a genuine five-star experience with exceptional service, organisation, food quality and attention to detail, I think you'll be very disappointed.
One mistake we made was taking the complimentary shuttle to Paloma Grida. While Grida itself was excellent, it highlighted just how far behind Paloma Sencia currently is. It showed us what a true five-star resort should look and feel like and left us wishing we'd booked there instead.
Guest Relations did their best to deal with our complaints and were always friendly enough. However, it eventually felt like they were simply listening and apologising rather than being able to solve the underlying issues. Four days before we left we met with them to discuss everything we had experienced. Despite their best efforts, there was very little they could actually do because many of the problems appeared to stem from poor leadership and organisation throughout the hotel. They kindly offered us a complimentary cabana as a goodwill gesture, but we politely declined as our children preferred spending their time around the pool.
If you're an active family with more than two children and you value cleanliness, organisation and good service, I honestly don't think Paloma Sencia is the right choice. The family rooms are too small for five people, the service is inconsistent, and the hotel would require significant refurbishment and operational improvements before I could consider it worthy of its current five-star rating."
