Rixos The Palm Hotel & Suites

The Rixos Palm is a lovely hotel but it’s important for potential bookers to be aware of some features which may influence their decision. We’re a couple who cancelled a luxury Club stay in the Taj Hotel (immediately next door) because we thought the Rixos’s all-inclusive structure would be greater value for money. Whilst the service was decent, the overall value was poor. Here’s where it fell significantly short…. 1. Children. If you want a family holiday with young kids then this hotel is a great candidate. But that’s not what we personally wanted. We’re a mid-age couple who wanted relaxation but instead found ourselves captured in breakfasts, lunches & dinners with the inevitable noise of toddlers, crying kids, and some parents who didn’t particularly care about the enjoyment of other guests. There was no ‘escape’ for adults to enjoy adult-only areas in any of the restaurants or bars - which would be such a simple thing to do. We stayed in mid-March (during Ramadan) so there’s every chance things are even worse in peak holiday season. 2. Choice. Definitely a big plus-point with several bars and restaurants to choose from. There are two large buffet-style restaurants which all guests can use freely. The more nights you stay, the more times you can use the a-la-carte restaurants. There’s seafood, steakhouse and Italian (the steakhouse was our favourite). 3. Service. The staff are friendly enough (and there’s plenty of them) but the level of service was way short of what you’d expect of a luxury resort with this price-point. There were too many middle-management of “watchers” and tellers” and not enough “doers”. I lost count of the times we had to chase our food or beverage orders, whether it was during breakfast, on the beach, by the pool, in the hotel bar, or in any of the restaurants. Most of the time they were just slow, other times they’d simply forgot about us. 4. Technology. All bars and restaurants use QR codes for their menus, so you’ll always need a mobile device with you (something we’d rather not be doing on holiday). Yet on the beach/pool areas you can only order things by getting the attention of staff - who then take forever. We’d often go and get things ourselves as it was much quicker and more reliable. 5. The cost of our 5-night stay amounted to a small mortgage (approx AED25k) but at no point did we feel like our custom was truly valued. It was all too slow, too clunky. Finally, I used our stay to propose to my girlfriend. Thankfully she said yes, but the hotel did nothing to recognise our special occasion. They conveyed their congratulations through words but it left a bitter taste that all they wanted was the up-front payment of costs - constantly chasing me to pay monies for the private dining experience, even although all my credit card details had been provided at point of booking (that aside, Sunni our host was amazing and deserves special recognition). It’s quite simple. If any of my friends (or readers of this review) are looking for a family-friendly resort in Dubai then definitely check this place out. But if they want a couples or adult-only venue then I’d avoid this hotel. Go next door to the Taj or Anantara Hotels which boast incredible service.

Fabulous staff Fabulous service...best hotel we have ever stayed in...Will definitely be back

From the moment we arrived to the moment we left the holiday was great. Customer service was exceptional.

Had a fantastic time here. Hotel is lovely, staff amazing and room beautiful. Beach beds are not great quality and my wife’s unbalanced and tipped over throwing my wife to the floor. They as very lightweight. White wine selection isn’t great but red and other drinks are good.

From the first step into the property to the last step out, we were spoiled! The staff couldn't do more for you. It was absolute luxury and we cannot wait to stay again!