Hotel Palma Real

We stayed here again from February 1st to the 7th. As usual, we had a great time. Not too many negatives. We were on the 5th floor in Building 1. There was about two days where we had no hot water. No big deal for us. Two times the water to the building was shut off for maybe two hours at most. Again, not a big deal for us. The food at the buffet was very good this trip. I'm not picky and entitled so there was plenty to be happy about. The stir fry they had was really the best food we've ever had at this hotel. Of course the people all grabbed at it like they were Chinese at a buffet. The bread is the best I've ever had. The fruits are so amazing compared to the ones we get in Canada. The staff at the buffet were always awesome, every trip. Nothing to complain about here. Our room was very good. We must have had one of the newer beds because the mattress was a full king size instead of the two twins they used to put together. We have to say the mattress and pillows were amazing and we hope to get the same bed next time we visit in November. The cleaning staff were great. One day we were only able to get one clean towel. No big deal and we were happy to have received even one. The view from the balcony was amazing as well. The lobby bar was awesome. It closes now at 11pm so be advised you need to go to the Havana Club if you want to continue with the drinks. I don't think you can smoke inside the club since we saw all the smokers outside. That's a good thing. The staff at the lobby bar were so good at their jobs and worked their butts off getting everyone their drinks. I always tipped them. Gracie was a standout as far as I'm concerned. Always good service and she's always happy to see us when we return. The swim up bar is great and Tatica is one of the best workers they have at the resort. Wonderful person and she speaks english well and even helped me with my trying to learn Spanish. Will be so nice to return and see her again. The pool was clean as far as I could tell. The location is pretty much the best part of this hotel. Close to everything you want to see and it's so easy to get to the beach. I've seen people complain about having to walk a block across the street to get to the beach. Like, seriously? The ones complaining were the ones most in need of a good walk for exercise. Callie 62 next door, and the Beatles bar another block away. You can't beat the location of the Palma Real in my opinion. But for me, the best part of this hotel is the people who work there. Since it's my 5th time there, a lot of the workers recognize me and always have a nice smile with a friendly hug when I return. It's hard to explain but that kind of welcome goes a long way with me and it's the best part of returning, when you walk up to the door and the security recognizes you and asks how you and your loved ones are doing. We went to the a la carte restaurant La Piazza. This was the first time we tried the a la carte and I have to say it was very very