J S
Google
A mixed stay. Excellent breakfast team, but some areas for improvement.
The best part of our stay at Dukes was without doubt the breakfast and the staff managing it. Truly 5-star service.
They anticipated what we wanted, were warm, professional, and consistently excellent. An absolute credit to the hotel.
Having to pay for a cappuccino at breakfast was a surprise, especially considering the location on the Palm and that neighbouring hotels don’t charge, but each to their own.
Before arrival, we requested some separation from our relatives. We like them, but didn’t want to be next door. We were told another room would be arranged and that we would receive a call.
We were out for the whole day, but unfortunately that call never came.
When we returned after 9 pm, we found we had been placed in a room above the entrance with no balcony, and it was quite loud.
We asked to be moved, which the hotel did arrange. We were relocated near our relatives, but not next to them. The new room itself was okay, but a little dated. There was a lack of bathroom amenities, and the bath and shower design made showering awkward. You had to step into the bath through a narrow gap, which could genuinely be a problem for older guests. We also noticed that the right-hand plug socket next to the bed wasn’t working.
I also rang the lobby a few times for extra water and no one picked up. I tried a few times to give them the benefit of the doubt. When I went downstairs, the desk was fully staffed with three or four people and none were on a call. In isolation, there might have been a justified reason, but after no one called us earlier to inform us that our room was ready, it did raise some doubts.
Another thing we noticed was that the hotel grounds between the breakfast area and the beach felt a bit faded. My relatives commented on this as well, although they thought the general staff were excellent.
All of these issues are easily fixable. I know friends of ours love this hotel, and being on the Palm naturally brings higher expectations, especially as we were hosting relatives.
Despite some areas for improvement, the breakfast staff were outstanding and easily the highlight of our stay.