Veranda Palmar Beach

Due to is only landing in Mauritius at 9.45 and a 2hour wait at customs we only landed up arriving at the hotel around 12 at night. Exhausted and hungr, the staff were friendly enough and and thankfully had left us a meal in our room... However the food was stale and had obviously been sitting for a while. There was also a corporate function happening still when we arrived and the music played until early hours of the morning. The Shower had a thick layer of mild between the tiles and there was a constant smell that lingered in the bathroom as the ventilation was not very good despite a small window in the room. The bed and room itself was very comfortable and suitably cleaned and serviced everyday. The location itself was absolutely stunning! The food was not great at all! Most selections tasted the same as the same spicing was used across. The food also seemed to be repurposed if it was not finished the meal before: chicken breasts became chicken pasta the next meal... Which then became chicken pasta salad the next meal. The food was bland not always fresh. The water offered tasted terrible and it was almost impossible to get bottled water at the hotel. We booked a trip on the catamaran which we were really looking forward to... Only to be told two days later that it was actually booked out and that they had moved is to the pirate ship instead. Disappointed, we went on the pirate ship anyway and enjoyed the experience regardless... However when the meal was served onboard we were only offered chicken and salad while the other half of the boat were given Crayfish. We were then told that we had not requested, however this was never offered to us as an option! Our hotel shuttle service was also 1hour late to collect us after the trip. The entertainment was not very good as it only started after 8 and the performers were not very experienced compared to performers we have seem before in Mauritius. We were looking forward to daily planned activities, however the majority of them never happened when scheduled. This was unfortunate as we were there over a cyclone and there was not much else to do at the hotel during this time. As part of the deal it offered the option for us to travel between Veranda hotels to see different parts of the island... However, when we requested to do just that we were told that it would not be possible as it was peak season. THIS WAS NEVER STATED TO IS BEFORE HAND and was actually one of the big pulling points for us to book with them. All in all we spent a large amount of hard earned money on a very frustrating and unsatisfying holiday that has left us not wanting to go back to Mauritius any time soon! Read less

Stayed here for a week in January, can honestly say we were made to feel very welcomed, the staff went above and beyond to ensure we had everything we needed, the rooms were lovely decorated and spacious, and cleaned every day with fresh towels, the beach bar was lovely and food served there was great, the main restaurant served a variety of food and there was something for everyone to enjoy, we hired a car for the day costing, £60 and drove around the island, this was a great way to see everything, would definitely return Read less

We were in a large group occupying 7 rooms, so this review reflects a wide opinion. The rooms were small and dark with only a single set of French doors and no windows, so if you didn’t want air conditioning there was no cross-breeze and no ceiling fans. Even with the doors closed and the air conditioning on, everyone had mosquitos in the rooms; especially the bathrooms which always smelt damp. There was limited space to store clothes with no wardrobe or drawers; in fact there was very little furniture at all in the room. The pool was small given the number of guests and needed re-lining. The dining room was like eating In a canteen and lacked any atmosphere at all. The food was average at best; in fact the a la carte restaurant was even worse than the buffet. The coffee was awful; even the espresso based coffee (which they charge extra for) was poor. The beach is well provided with loungers and umbrellas. I wouldn’t have any major problems with this hotel if they charged a reasonable price- but at the prices we paid, then everything needs to be MUCH better. I know Mauritius is expensive and that this hotel was reasonable given prevailing prices on the island, but in international terms it’s simply not competitive. There are plenty of places in the world offering a beach and a pool. The staff however were ALL wonderful, and are the only reason I did not give a worse review. Note that this review is more a comment on Mauritian hotels in general than the Palmar in particular, as I don’t think it is out of line with the local competition in its price bracket. But given what is provided at the prices charged, the conclusion is that Mauritian hotels are not internationally competitive. Read less

On arrival at Veranda Palmar we didn't receive the warm welcome that you would expect from an island resort. We were briskly ordered to sit in the lobby and offered a "welcome drink" that was actually just sugar water. On entering the room we were hit with a disgusting damp smell that told us everything we needed to know about this hotel. The ceiling in the bathroom was leaking, the room was damp and the floors were filthy. The towels that we were provided with had brown stains on them and the linen smelled musty. Apart from the room being of a very poor standard, the food at the restaurant was horrible and tasteless. I had booked and paid for a 7 night stay but checked out after one night as I couldn't allow my baby to stay in those unhygienic conditions. Even though I lost a great deal of money it was worth it as we ended up at Long Beach resort just a few km's away and had the holiday of a lifetime there. Read less