PARADOR

It is a parador, like almost all of them, with a good level to spend a few days in it. As a positive, I would highlight the botanical garden (very little and poorly advertised; it can go unnoticed), the views overlooking the sea, the quality of the restaurant food, and the friendliness of the staff except, generalizing, the restaurant staff. As a negative, I would highlight the attitude of several members of the restaurant staff, who often established conversations as a personal battle, instead of helping as much as possible and being kind and pleasant to customers who are not looking for any confrontation. I would also highlight, although much less important, that the door to our room closed and opened with difficulty.

I have stayed in hundreds of hotels all over the world, but what I encountered at Parador de La Palma is completely beyond belief. Bloodstains around the toilet, hair everywhere, cockroaches, and extreme filth. What should have been a great vacation turned into an absolute nightmare right after checking in. I am truly disgusted and devastated by this, especially since this is an official four star hotel of a supposedly reputable chain. Upon entering, there was already an extremely unpleasant odor. Because the lighting was heavily dimmed, I only saw how severe the filth really was when I used the flashlight on my phone. In the bathroom there was dirt residue around the toilet, and I even found a cockroach. On the floor and around the bed there was hair everywhere. Under the bed lay a thick layer of dust, trash, and a collection of living and dead insects, as if it had not been cleaned for months. There was even trash from previous guests behind the curtains. Naturally, I immediately took photos as proof. To my absolute bewilderment, the receptionist refused to walk with me to the room to see it for themselves. When I then urgently asked multiple times to speak to the management, that was coldly refused as well. This arrogant and disrespectful treatment makes you feel completely powerless as a guest. I left immediately and canceled the booking. A room in this appalling condition should simply never be assigned to anyone. Afterwards, older reviews revealed that these hygiene problems have been going on for years. The hotel constantly promises improvement in their replies, but my experience proves the exact opposite. Let this review be a serious warning. Do not be misled by the four stars or the familiar name, and carefully read the bad experiences before you book.

Booked this hotel looking for a decent place area to stay and the normal hotel amenities. The website says it has a pool and rooms have air conditioning. However, upon arriving we were told none of the rooms have AC, despite this being advertised on the website. The pool is only open between 11-5. Odd hours. So if you want to go for an early morning swim, or a swim after your day out, you cannot. Again, this was not made clear a anywhere when we booked. We also had some tea in our rooms, came back to find tea bags still in the cups. Would not have booked this hotel had we known this.