We stayed at Rixos The Palm in September as a family of four adults (twins, mum and grandma). Earlier in the year, we had spent a few days at Rixos Bab Al Bahr, which we thoroughly enjoyed. We decided to try the Palm, and like the Bab Al Bahr we were not disappointed, and our stay was truly memorable.
We stayed in a family suite, which offered an incredible amount of space and storage, and was ideal for our group. Although our room was not newly renovated, like some of the others, it was still beautifully furnished, comfortable, and well equipped with most of the things we needed to ensure our stay was comfortable. A few special requests were made, e.g. for a wheelchair for our grandma, an extension to some university work etc., which were promptly accommodated for by the wonderful guest relations team (Anel and Tumar). The rooms were well stocked with snacks and drinks in the mini bar, L’Occitaine products, amenity kits, coffee machines, and more.
Although the weather was extremely hot, the rooms were well air-conditioned, and there were plenty of shaded or indoor areas around the resort to cool down when needed. There were activities running throughout the day, with some thoughtfully moved indoors due to the heat, ensuring guests could still participate comfortably. The main pool area was more lively compared to the other pools. This was where the fruit and ice cream stands were, providing refreshments throughout the day until 5pm. We stayed mainly near the Breeze Bar pool, which was much quieter for those who just wanted to relax and read – perfect for the four of us. A special mention to Wilson and his team for being so incredibly attentive around the Breeze Bar Pool (expanded further below).
Food-wise, there was a lot of variety from breakfast to dinner with options to choose from two buffet restaurants, Italian and Steakhouse. They even had a vegan/vegetarian menu for those who wanted to place specific orders. We largely stuck to the buffet and Italian restaurants as our group were all vegetarian, and the other speciality restaurants had limited options. However, the hotel no doubt could accommodate any special requests. My brother and I went to the Bodrum restaurant and the team specially made a soya veggie burger despite it not being on the menu, which was incredible! We were quite fortunate that the newly renovated Turquoise restaurant (buffet) opened the first week of our stay, which was less busy than the main buffet restaurant. There was an abundance of choice, including different types of curries, naan, rice, and pickles, which our grandma (Indian) really appreciated. The food in part did get repetitive as the menu did not change much daily, however, the Chefs were more than accommodating of our special requests (special mention to Chef Onur in the Turquoise Restaurant, who went above and beyond for this). Breakfast was especially a highlight for me, as I was spoiled with Turkish eggs daily.
The evenings were relatively quiet at the hotel, with instrumentalists playing in L'Olivio, the Steak Restaurant, and the main buffet restaurant. For us this was fine as the heat tired us out, and we enjoyed playing board games or watching a film in the room. The rooms had apple play which was perfect for streaming films to, and unwinding for the evening.
What truly stood out, however, was the staff. Nearly every interaction was met with genuine warmth and professionalism. The team consistently went above and beyond, showing kindness, care and compassion, and always serving guests graciously. It genuinely felt as though nothing was too much trouble.
We would like to make special mention of the following team members who made our stay particularly memorable:
L’Olivo Restaurant: Seikh, Sangeeth, Rajan, Artemio and Pradip
We visited the restaurant quite a few times during our visit. We are quite particular when It comes to our pizza order, and the chefs were more than understanding of our requests (special thanks to guest relations for arranging this for us during every visit) by our last visit all of the team knew our orders for drinks and food! The team were caring, attentive, and became like family to us.
Breeze Bar: Wilson, Janaka, Khem and Vibin
The guys at the Breeze Bar were incredible (individuals who made our stay extra special are mentioned below). They really cared for us during our stay, especially our grandma. They ensured we had a bed ready for her in the morning, kept her well hydrated, provided snacks and handed out iced face towels and They genuinely went above and beyond, and became like family to us.
A La Turca: Suman, Imtiaz and Sharazar
Turquoise: Zhun, Artemio, Yusuf, Khant, Lakshita, Vyshak, Chef Onur, Anudi, Nabir, Shafqat, Rashid, Vineeta, Elvira and Begain
The team in the Turquoise restaurant were such gracious hosts, attended to us with genuine care and compassion – by the end of our trip the team felt part of our family. The wait staff knew our drinks orders from morning-evening, and the Chefs were always accommodating of any special requests. The service in the restaurant was incredible, and the team are a huge credit to Rixos.
NOTE/TIP: The hot drinks in Turquoise are prepared to a much higher standard and care than the patisserie in the lobby!
Housekeeping: Madhu and Mahendar
Cleaned and maintained our rooms daily and ensured we had enough amenities during our stay.
Guest Relations Team: Milana, Anel, Tumar and Anastasiia
The guest relations team could not do enough for us, checking in daily and sharing the schedule for the day, attending to our special requests and resolving any queries. Both Anel and Tumar are a credit to the Rixos team.
Each of these individuals contributed to making our stay feel personal, welcoming and genuinely special. We would happily return and highly recommend it to anyone seeking a break in Dubai.
The Pros:
• Incredibly attentive, kind, gracious, and compassionate employees. They are a true credit to Rixos.
• Food is great, particularly the salads, curries, and pizza. The chefs are accommodating of every diet, and provide a variety of cuisines. Fruit stand and ice cream were great!
• Accessible routes/accommodating of those with mobility impairments.
• Cool boxes around the pool to keep drinks cold. Ice cream and fruit stand were incredible.
Areas for development:
• Food does get quite repetitive as the menu is the same daily – potentially introduce themed days or rotate the menu every other day to introduce variety?
• Housekeeping/Maintenance can take a while to maintain/resolve issues e.g. water was leaking from the bathroom in the ceiling of one of the bedroom bathrooms and this was resolved at 2am.
• Some staff were rather pushy/insistent with us leaving reviews early during our stay, despite our reassurance we would leave a review upon return home. I’m not sure if this is pushed by the hotel, but it can be off-putting and dampen the stay a little bit.
• Jacuzzi area near the Breeze Bar needs some refurbishment as many of the jets were not working.
• Staff in the patisserie in the lobby need to stop overfilling hot drinks in the takeaway cups, unfortunately myself and quite a few others got burnt from scalding drinks. The staff were disappointingly not very nice after I got burnt, and made us feel uncomfortable to get hot drinks from there for the rest of our stay.
Tips:
• Pre-book any restaurants you want to try before your trip – email the hotel beforehand.
• Notify the hotel in advance of any special requests. They will be more than accommodating.
• You can request for a clothes horse to dry clothes on the balcony.
• Treat the staff with genuine care and respect. They work day and night to ensure guests are comfortable. Remember they are human too and deserve to be treated with respect.We did sadly see some guests mistreat the staff, despite their genuine efforts and hard work.