Ukino Palmeiras Village

"We came here for a family holiday in October, the place was absolutely spotless and the rooms lovely and bright with a great size balcony. Our 4 year old absolutely loved the splash park and going down the big green slide, kids get a wrist band on for going on the bigger slides which means they can go down as many times as they like. There’s a lifeguard at the top, telling them when to go and helping them on which we found so helpful! The mini disco doesn’t start until 9pm which we found very late but after the first couple of days of settling in she adjusted and absolutely loved joining in. We found dinner slightly too late but it was great that the snack bar was open before it so we would usually feed my daughter dinner there at 5pm. My mum had an allergy to olive oil so each night the chefs would make her something separate which was greatly appreciated! We got the local train a couple of times but it’s much faster and the same price getting an Uber, we visited the local town and went on the boat ride round the caves which I would highly recommend to anyone, it’s only an hour and worked out €15 each which we thought wasn’t bad. There’s a couple of Indian restaurants near by which are lovely, one of them even has a trampoline outside for the kids to play on, there’s also a big Italian restaurant only a 5 minute walk from the hotel, a few small local shops and a big supermarket within walking distance too, so there’s loads of choices if you get fed up with the buffet. On the last day I accidentally left my new bracelet and didn’t realise until I was at the airport, after emailing the hotel, I got a reply not even 5 minutes later saying they had found it and would ship it out to me, I received it about 12 days later, couldn’t believe the honesty of the staff! All ready booked again for next October, can’t wait."

"Fantastic value for money, excellent food and a wide range of it. Very clean and really helpful reception staff. My only criticism would be that there was only one member of staff to check us in, in the middle of the night so it was verrrrry slow - not ideal"

"We’re currently halfway through our stay at Ukino Palmieras Village and, having booked based on its high TripAdvisor rating (over 4 stars), we’ve found the experience quite different from what we expected. To start on a positive note — the hotel itself, including reception areas, bars and restaurants, is well presented and generally well maintained. Many of the staff are friendly and provide excellent service, but unfortunately this isn’t consistent. Some team members have been outstanding, while others have seemed disinterested or even irritated by guests, which is disappointing for a hotel of this supposed standard. Several facilities are also in need of attention. Some of the children’s arcade machines are broken, and unless your child is happy to swim every day or join the kids’ club without a parent, there’s very little else to keep them entertained. The evening mini-disco doesn’t start until 9pm, which is far too late for younger children who are often already asleep by that point. The all-inclusive buffet offers a wide variety of food with something to suit most tastes, but the dining experience itself is far from relaxing. The restaurant can feel chaotic — lots of noise, clattering crockery, and a fair few drunken family disputes during dinner. At times it’s felt more like a budget family resort than a 4-star hotel, which really detracts from the otherwise good food offering. This evening, however, was by far the most disturbing part of our stay. As we were returning from dinner, a male guest was shouting aggressively in reception and had been detained by security. The police arrived. Not long afterwards, we began hearing loud bangs and shouting coming from a few floors above. When looked out onto our balcony, we saw suitcases, a television, clothing, and other belongings being thrown over a balcony above us onto the gardens and walkway below. It quickly became apparent that the same guest was in an extremely volatile state. On multiple occasions, he climbed onto the balcony railings as if intending to jump, with other guests shouting desperately for him to stop. The whole situation unfolded over at least half an hour, with hotel staff seemingly unsure what to do and guests left helplessly watching and listening. Our daughter was very upset, frightened by the shouting (despite the balcony doors being closed and curtains shut at this point) and the possibility that we might witness something tragic. Eventually, after a prolonged and distressing period, the police returned and finally detained the man, escorting him away in handcuffs. It was a genuinely unsettling experience that left us shaken, and it highlighted a serious lack of control and response from the hotel management in dealing with a dangerous situation. Overall, our experience so far hasn’t lived up to expectations. The hotel has real potential — it’s in a beautiful area and we’ve enjoyed exploring the surroundings — but the atmosphere and handling of serious incidents like this have fallen well below what you would expect from a 4-star establishment. Sadly, based on our experience, we wouldn’t stay again and will be raising this further with our travel agent."