Rixos The Palm Dubai Hotel & Suites

What can I say? My parents bought my sister and I tickets for Rixos the Palm as a suprise for my 18th birthday and the staff at this hotel made my birthday a dream come true. From the minute we checked in to the day we checked out, this hotel has exceeded our expectations. On arrival, the gentleman checking us in to the hotel said that we have been given a special upgrade as my parents emailed the hotel prior to us arriving, stating that it was my 18th birthday. As a free upgrade, we were given a penthouse which was the best room (or should i say ROOMS) in the hotel. We had the all inclusive deal which meant that during our stay we didn't have to worry about the costs of keeping hydrated etc which is always the best option when on holiday with hot weather. The food in the beach restaurant was excellent with a good variety to choose from and the cocktails at the beach and pool bar were also excellent. On the day of my birthday (which was our first full day here) I was sung happy birthday by the members of staff whilst I was having breakfast in the outdoor seating area with a beautiful birthday cake and crown which definitely took me by suprise ( I was looking around when I heard the singing as I thought it was somebody elses birthday as well!). After an amazing start to my birthday, I was surprised yet again when my sister and I went back to our penthouse. The maid had put rose petals on my bed and the dining table, and on our coffee table there was another beautiful cake with a bottle of sparkling grape juice. This hotel has created birthday memories for me which I will never forget and I am forever thankful for the efforts they made, going out of their way to look after my sister and I and to make my 18th birthday special in every way. Thank you so much to all of the staff who made our trip absolutely unforgettable...

We had a fantastic stay at the Rixos Palm Hotel in Dubai in September 2019 and were incredibly impressed with the beautiful hotel and facilities, as well as the brilliant customer service from the hotel's kind and helpful staff. Special thanks to the hotel's reception staff member Jemery who went out of their way to give us a great room and wonderful service. A huge thank you to the hard-working and friendly restaurant staff - Maggie/Margaret (hostess), Isura (barman), Halil (manager), Kia (waitress), Anna (hostess), Debra Poul (waiter), Kathleen (waitress) and Yusef (waiter) for making the stay extra special and wonderful. They were all so friendly, helpful and went out of their way to make our stay even more comfortable! Our breakfast and dinner at the Rixos every day was the highlight because of these fantastic people, and we shared such lovely conversations and jokes with them all! Thank you to our hard-working cleaners (Santu, Jaya and Sai) who cleaned the rooms to a pristine shine and also created amazing towel artwork on our beds every day! We were also lucky enough to have afternoon tea at the delicious patisserie where we were given great service from Sharifa, so thank you! Altogether a fantastic and breath-taking holiday, full of wonderful memories we will treasure forever! Thank you Rixos The Palm.

This hotel is certainly very good, and if you've never stayed in a fully 5 star hotel then you'll think its amazing. Firstly the booking process, every email took about 3 days to get a reply as I was booking from abroad. Eventually got it booked, they insist on full payment up front which isn't ideal. Also their charge on my card got categorised as "real estate" rather than a hotel - no idea why they are using that merchant code. Check in was ok, but the first thing I noticed was almost everyone was Russian. That seems to be the main language spoken and clientele they are targeting. Room was fine, nice balcony and space with minibar. Again, very good, but nothing like the Fairmont or Waldorf Astoria. Shocked to find they only clean rooms once per day, no turn down service in the evenings which is very valuable for those with kids. Again, this is a 4 star idea not a 5 star service. I firstly tried to book restaurants as soon as I arrived and was told there was no availability in any restaurant for any of the 4 nights stay! What was I supposed to do as I couldn't book before this? If this is an issue they should inform this in the booking emails that you should email to arrange in advance. Lots of others complaining of the same issue. Had breakfast and lunch in the main buffet - hotel is Turkish owned, so this this theme runs throughout. Shocked to find zero pork in a 5 star hotel with 99% expats I have always found a small non-muslim pork section in most hotels across the UAE. This was during the Coronavirus stage and there was zero hand sanitiser and people touching things everywhere including one lady eating her food as she walked along. Food was ok, but not high quality. Steak was tasteless. Buffet area seems to have been extended into a terrace with a low-cost roof and sides added making it hot and a strange smell. Managed to walk in to the Italian a-la-carte restaurant, despite being told there was no availability. It was very good, and recommended. Another night we tried the seafood a-la-carte at the beach, again, very good but a weird policy of not allowing side dishes on the all inclusive. We could have French fries but not vegetables instead without paying extra. This shouldn't happen on all inclusive. Pool and beach areas were good, but all swimming pools were very cold. I was told they were heated but appeared not to be, as such my child wasn't able to swim for long. Having stayed in the Fairmont the week before, it was considerably warmer. Drinks were excellent and pretty much everything is included. All in all a 4.5 star hotel that could be better but good value for the target clientele.