Palace Hotel & Spa Monte Rio

4 stars lol? Not even close This was a funky place for sure. I understand as a frequent traveler that you can’t compare every property on the same scale but even taking this quirky little town into the formula, my biggest issue was expectation. Simply put it was so underwhelming compared to how the place sells itself. This is a place for older folks and families to come and enjoy hot pool treatments, just like every other hotel in San Pedro do sul. But the entire condition of the place was like a run down Motel 6 with a fancy indoor pool. I don’t think a single thing in this hotel has been repaired or updated since the mid nineties, they lock the main door at night, so sometimes you have to call a number to get let someone to open it, and we got stuck outside twice calling for over 20 minutes until someone opened it. However, the staff was INCREDIBLY nice and accommodating however they could be. They were as sweet and pleasant as any hospitality staff I’ve ever met, so I can’t completely roast the place. I think the thing that got me and others that have visited is they boast REAL heavy about their 4 stars. Which is hilarious. That is supposed to be an international symbol of quality and expectation. This is a 2, mayyyybe 3 star at best with a superb staff and a fancy indoor pool. I think they need to either remodel the place and truly make it a 4 star, or relax on the 4 star boasting and get real. I recommend the former, as this is a vacation town and they should capitalize on that.

I've been careful about how I wrote this, as I do not intend to unfairly slur or critique a hotel. I know that reviews are important for business, and that a poor one may negatively impact the hotel, but after the experience I've just had I feel it necessary. We arrived at the hotel late on Tuesday evening, and were greeted by a receptionist with very little English (understandable as its a foreign country but part of the hotel's description includes English speaking staff). The receptionist told us that our price did not include the pool. I told her we wouldn't be using the indoor pool as there is an outdoor pool (clearly advertised on ***********). The receptionist told us that the outdoor pool was unavailable (no reason given) and told us if we wantes the indoor pool it would be €20 per person, per day. Going to a sunny country from Ireland, we were very excited for the pool, and were extremely disappointed without it. Exhausted, we said that we would have a think about it and get back in the morning. Upon entering the hotel room, we noted that the Air Conditioning was broken, there was no safe (advertised on ***********), no balcony, and the fan in the bathroom was not working. We decided to wait to speak to a receptionist with better English, but when we approached the desk at lunch time the next morning we saw the same receptionist. We explained that we weren't happy with the room. We eventually were given a new room on Thursday, following several interactions with reception (no English speaking receptionist available) and a very intimidating interaction with a member of housekeeping, who proceeded to speak very aggressively at me in Portuguese when she realised I was unhappy with the room. She actually knocked on the door a few minutes after we got the new room and walked in to inspect it! Unfortunately this was not the last of alercations with this housekeeper. Our new room had no safe, no balcony furniture and was very outdated. We couldnt use the wardrobe as it smelled very bad, musty. The room was not cleaned once during our stay. By day 4 we had to go to reception and ask for towels and toilet paper. They couldnt understand us and we only got towels. Our toilet stopped working by Friday and we had to manually flush it. The food in the hotel was poor. Breakfast was free but not good at all. Dinner was €25 a head, very expensive for the village, and consisted of reheated meat and salty potatoes. On Saturday evening while going for dinner, the housekeeper mentioned earlier walked past us, shouted 'Oi!' to us, and then told us in broken English that she was sorry she never got the chance to clean the room. We said it was ok (even though it obviously isnt but she was very intimidating), walked off, and she shoted 'Oi!' at us again, asking if we wanted towels (we had gotten our own that day from reception). The hotel also claims to have sound proofed rooms, and this is also a lie. Building was taking place in the hotel and we heard

Rececionistas simpáticas. Quartos confortáveis, mas o acesso à piscina muito caro. Se levassem menos, talvez fosse mais vantajoso, do que ter a piscina vazia. Bom pequeno almoço. Longe do centro.

Établissement avec piscine payante à l’heure. Bruyant et accueil froid Emplacement non adapté aux touristes

Agradável e simples mas caro O hotel é agradável mas não nos deram acesso a piscina. Pediram pagamento extra. Em lado nenhum dizia que não estava incluído por isso achei enganoso.

Funcionárias muito educadas e prestáveis, Quartos espaçosos, camas e almofadas confortáveis. Pequeno-almoço variado e com qualidade. Hotel a recomendar, a repetir , boa relação preço qualidade, bom para famílias e para grupos, ...Julio Antunes