Palmaïa – The House of AïA

**Review of Palmaïa, The House of AïA** Palmaïa is a beautiful, calming resort with many standout qualities, and overall we truly enjoyed our stay—so much so that we would return. That said, our experience was a mix of truly exceptional moments and some areas that need improvement, especially during peak travel periods. The **property and rooms are gorgeous**. We chose Palmaïa specifically for the **two-bedroom, two-bath family suite**, and it absolutely delivered. The layout was ideal for a family, allowing everyone to sleep comfortably and well—something that can be hard to find when traveling with kids. The grounds are lush, serene, and thoughtfully designed, creating a very peaceful atmosphere. **Breakfast was consistently excellent**, both in terms of food quality and service. Unfortunately, **lunch and dinner at Su Casa were a major disappointment**. Service there felt overwhelmed and disorganized, with items arriving wrong or not at all, and extremely long wait times. On one occasion, a very light lunch (ceviche and a drink) took about **90 minutes** to arrive. This was frustrating and detracted from the overall experience. The kids program (Awen) is located in a beautiful, quiet space and the teachers are very kind, but the program itself was not a good fit for our children. The activities are closely aligned with the adult wellness programming, which doesn’t always appeal to younger kids (e.g. many other parents we spoke to said their kids were not into meditative activities) —especially those who enjoy more active play. Despite having loved a kids club at another resort last year, our children did not enjoy Awen and were reluctant to attend. As a result, we weren’t able to take advantage of the adult-only activities we had hoped to enjoy. The **pools are not heated**, and in December they were very cold. Our 4-year-old enjoyed the kids pool, but our 6-year-old didn’t find it particularly engaging. The ocean was too rough for swimming during our stay, limiting water activity options. Bike riding, however, was a highlight—and this is where our experience truly turned around. Raul, one of the drivers, saved our vacation. One morning, he noticed me struggling to adjust a bike seat and immediately stopped, backed up, and hopped out to help. He not only fixed the seat but took the time to ensure our son understood how to use the brakes and waited while he tested the bike. That level of kindness and care was remarkable. Raul continued to engage with our 6 year old son throughout the trip, and golf cart rides with him became the highlight of our child’s vacation. With the help of Jerica, an excellent manager, Raul even made our son an honorary employee complete with a name tag—truly above and beyond. Raul took a very social, curious, and active kid who was not having the best time figured out how make his vacation fun! Since we've returned home, our son hasn't stopped talking about "working" with Raul. Raul exemplifies five-star service: proactive, thoughtful, and genuinely invested in creating a special experience. He is one of the main reasons we will return to Palmaïa. As for the food overall, it is not Michelin-level in our opinion, but there is plenty to eat and no one will go hungry—even for non-vegans. One tip is that meat eaters can pre-order protein the night before dinner with their nomadic guide. Andrés and Karen were excellent and always responsive to all requests including ensuring that my carnivore husband got a steak on his last night of our vacation. Our (non-vegan) kids happily lived on pizza, pasta, burgers, tropical fruit, and ice cream. A special shout-out to Saul at the pool, who ensured quick service for hungry kids. Dinner and service at UME, LEK, and Mar De Olivo were much better. In addition, the taco truck is delicious, with Dany providing warm, friendly service. Drinks were excellent, and bartenders were happy to make off-menu favorites like passion fruit margaritas and Manhattans. We ate and drank everything at the resort, used tap water for brushing teeth, and everyone came home healthy. One important note: the experience declines when the resort is full. We were there over the Christmas holiday, and before Christmas everything felt close to perfect. Once the crowds arrived, it became difficult to find seating at the pool or beach due to early chair reserving. On one occasion, I had to sit on the ground because there were no seats available—something that simply should not happen at a resort of this caliber. Palmaïa needs to add more seating and increase staffing during peak weeks. During the busy period, breakfast had waits, pool and beach service slowed, and staff clearly seemed stressed. Despite these challenges, we still love Palmaïa. The setting is lush, the resort is calming, and the kindness of certain staff members—especially Raul—made a lasting impression on our family. With better staffing, improved kids programming for active children, heated pools, and more capacity planning during peak seasons, Palmaïa could truly shine. We would return and hope to see these improvements in the future.