Palm Island Resort & Spa

The island is incredible. Gorgeous beaches, amazing wildlife (massive iguanas, little tortoises, birds by the million) and stunning views from every one of the beaches. We pottered around on bikes, use a little sailboat and snorkelled our way round it all - all for free! And then there's the facilities... we a great room, yards from the beach bar... the restaurants are both excellent for food. Cocktails are brilliant too. Loved every second of it. Oh, and the flight in was amazing... even though I'm scared of flying it was actually somehow felt better, with great views. And finally... go to Happy Island for rum!

My partner and I spent a week at Palm Island in May. We were slightly concerned about the journey to the island, missing the connecting flight etc. But, as with most things in the Caribbean, everything went to plan and was very easy! It was pretty exciting taking the inter island plane and boat, kind of added to the excitement of travelling! As all previous reviews have said the welcome at the dock is outstanding and you relax immediately. We had booked a garden room but were upgraded to a superior garden room, which has beautiful views to the beach at the front and the pool at the back. Housekeeping here is top class. The room was perfect, lovely big shower and fab veranda where we spent time every evening before heading out to dinner. Food was great, never had a bad meal. We loved watching the iguanas at breakfast and although the birds are a bit of a pain, you're eating in an open beachfront restaurant and what a fun and unusual way to have breakfast! We loved having lunch in the more relaxed restaurant, the fish tacos were amazing. We had a private picnic at one of the hammocks and the food was fab - way too much of it but it was lovely to be on a secluded beach with a gorgeous picnic (and a family of goats who decided to join us). The beach is totally unspoilt and we never felt it was busy. No fighting for sun loungers or shade! We had one morning of rain so we holed up in the bar with scrabble and Malibu! We did the Yannis trip, which was great fun and I'd highly recommend. I'd never snorkelled before but am a total convert now. The staff are really lovely people who go out of their way to look after you. We got engaged while we were on the island and after mentioning to Ed, we found a bottle of champagne and congratulations card in our room. It's all these little things that add up to a totally amazing resort. Last year we went to Rendezvous in St Lucia and were worried Palm Island would not be as good. On the contrary, it topped it. One of the things we really appreciated was the feeling of safety, you can walk anywhere you like without having to worry or check in with a security guard. We've always said we would never go to the same place twice but we've already booked to go back to Palm Island next May for our honeymoon! There is just something about this place that is special and it just works!! Can't wait to go back!!!

We have just returned from our third visit in as many years. We were there for a big birthday and had the first week on our own and were joined for the second week by our two sons and their wives. We had some rain both weeks but this didn't spoil the holiday at all - the first week we met some really lovely people, especially two couples from Atlanta who insisted we joined them at the bar and we all had such good fun, this this is what happens at Palm Island, everyone is so friendly. We relaxed the first week as we knew that as soon as the family arrived we would be expected to join in with them, though we did use the bikes and played tennis. It was really thrilling to see the family arrive on the speedboat and they loved Palm just as much as us. We all played tennis, cycled, used the gym, snorkelled and used the paddleboards and kayaks. The food as always was excellent, one of my sons is pescetarian but there was more than enough choice for him at all the meals, and the fact that lunch is served at the Sunset Grill makes a nice option. We went on the catamaran for my birthday, wonderful to swim with turtles and also see so many manta and other rays, I can thoroughly recommend this trip. We can't wait to return to Palm Island, the staff are amazing and though I hesitate to pick any of them out, Johnny on the bar with his lovely cocktails, Grafton with his calm and wonderful demeanour and Shaquille with his lovely smile and banter have made a big impression on us every time! Also Kimian and Alaska in the office and not forgetting Katie, the wonderful manager who makes time to talk and listen to all the guests.

Transfer from Virgin flight to inter island plane (noisy twin prop – but great views) and boat via immigration were dealt with very quickly efficiently and we were then greeted by Palm Island staff on the quay with a delicious rum punch. We were shown to our room by a manager who said he would return later to give us a tour – unfortunately he didn’t return (but it’s very easy to find your way around). Beach room was clean and comfortable, though quite dated and dark – however, the proximity to the beach and sea is wonderful! Soundproofing is not great and our first 2 nights were spoilt by very loud neighbours – we could hear their every (boring) word. However, the new people who arrived on the 3rd or 4th day were quiet and we could hardly hear them. If privacy is a big issue I would suggest choosing another type of room. All the staff we met were friendly and helpful and the whole atmosphere was one of peace and relaxation. Daytime weather was superb, although it rained heavily a couple of nights/evenings. The soft sandy beach and sparkling turquoise sea are stunning and we spent most of our time relaxing and swimming. It takes about 45 minutes for a gentle walk round the island and well worth doing. Evening entertainment was mostly very good, although it is a pity it has to end at 10.0 pm for performers to get the boat back to Union Island. The Bar atmosphere will obviously depend on what guests are there at the time – we had a fun, lively crowd at the beginning of our stay. Good choice of drinks available. My husband enjoyed the food (eats meat, no fish) but I was somewhat disappointed by the vegetarian food which was quite bland, breakfast was great though. I also had a shock when I bit into a bread roll one evening and found something which resembled sausage meat inside! Lots of guests had insect bites on their arms and legs but I used lots of insect repellent all day on my body and in the room before dinner and I didn’t get bitten once. We went on Captain Yannis’ catamaran trip and it was brilliant – relaxed, friendly atmosphere, great crew and delicious lunch. We did some very easy snorkelling where we saw types of coral we have not seen before in numerous other snorkelling trips and some amazing shoals of tiny fish. The swimming with turtles at Tobago Cays was less successful for me – current was strong and the sea was rough – and the turtles swam faster than us! Some of the stronger swimmers did catch up with them though. However, we saw lots of turtles from the boat. In summary, Palm Island is tranquil and beautiful and perfect for total relaxation. If you want first class luxury, fine dining and loads to do then it’s probably not for you. We would love to go again but with so many places in the world still to visit we probably won’t get round to it.

Our trip to Palm island was a once in a lifetime experience and something i'm sure none of us will ever forget! The service was impeccable from the moment we arrived by boat from union island- all the staff were so friendly and helpful, we were never left wanting for anything. The setting itself is naturally gorgeous, but it was all the little details that really made it so special for us. They have so much to offer- boat trips to swim with turtles, exploring the carribean islands- including the tiny sand bank mopion! Then all the activities which are consistently available and complimentary- snorkelling, sailing, paddle boarding, tabble tennis, pool, tennis, cricket...they even had little push bikes parked outside the rooms for every guest to explore the island at their leisure! On top of that the food and drinks were 10/10. We were a group in our 20s and 30s, but I think it's the perfecct place for anyone of any age. Would come back in heartbeat if they'd have me!