Palm Island

we loved everything about the Barcelo, except the casino. Staff was not very good in the casino.

When I got there my Ocean Front room was “upgraded” (w/out my consent) to a suite. The suite was in the worst corner/location on the property with a view of the daily dining area and the back of the property. You couldn’t see the ocean even if you leaned as far forward on the balcony as possible. In addition, the smell of mildew emanating from the hallway became overpowering once you opened the door to the room. We went to the front desk only to be told that it was the height of the season and that the room we had “reserved and paid in full” for was unavailable and we’d have to wait for someone to check out from a room “closer” to what we’d reserved. We had to sleep with the door wide open that night because the smell was so bad. We did get a room change, but I truly feel sorry for the next persons they gave that room to. The other thing that we noticed was that most of the staff we interacted with at the dining locations were more friendly to Spanish-speaking persons than those that spoke English. Often our service was delayed or lackluster communications which made us feel rather unwelcome. We had to ask on day 4 for someone to please restock the water and sodas in the fridge. We did like the RIU party as well as the RIU entertainment staff activities - they did a great job. And the bartenders both inside and outside at the pool bar gave excellent service and genuine smiles. Would be nice to have a larger menu selection during the slack times (3-6pm/after 10pm).