One&Only Palmilla

Really wonderful stay, staff super lovely. Grounds and pools immaculate. My kids adored kids club & food great! Like other guests we are are seasoned travellers and lucky enough to stay in pretty much the best hotels around the world and we found the prices just a little too steep! You expect to pay more for super luxe but this went a little too far in my book!! Having said that, it was magical!

Is it expensive? Yes. It is incredible? Yes. The service itself is a top notch experience without being stuffy or pretentious, two things I hate. I live for amazing experiences and this is one to be remembered. The property is gorgeous, our table seemed like the best one in the house. Our server was attentive and fun, and our food was seriously delicious. I had the seafood paella, best I've ever had. So many different kinds of seafood I couldn't even count it all. Husband had the snapper which he proclaimed was the greatest flavor and texture. We also had apps and two bottles of wine because I just couldn't leave the great live music. The entire experience was worth every penny and I'm so glad we decided to visit. They even brought us out an amazing dessert treat tray because they knew it was our honeymoon. Cheers to Agua, completely worth it.

After spending a long weekend at Palmilla, I found myself struggling to quantify what makes this such a special property. Yes, the grounds are lovely. Yes, the rooms are spacious and immaculate and filled with gorgeous details. Of course the service is beyond outstanding. The location is ideal with incredible beach access (although we were disappointed the swimmable beach was 'closed' due to runoff from Hurricane Lidia the weekend prior). And the pools are heavenly. There were hiccups during my stay (closed restaurants, confusion over an Amex continental breakfast, loud construction noise in some areas) that would have normally bothered me more, but my stress just totally vanished at Palmilla. Whatever it was, it's addicting and I didn't want to leave! I now understand why guests keep coming back. A few tips worth mentioning: Rooms - The standard rooms are phenomenal and so luxurious. In my opinion, the suites aren't worth the extra money, unless you must have a bathtub. Service - Best service I've ever experienced, not even close. Ulises (sp?) was the butler assigned to my room and deserves a special mention. I'd honestly come back to Palmilla just to have his butler services again. Activities - If you like playing tennis, arrange court time and take a lesson with Dennis. They will spoil you rotten while you're on the most beautiful courts overlooking the ocean. Food - Overall, I was unimpressed with the food. Nothing was terrible, but for the extremely high prices, I expected better. The fish/sushi at Suviche was the most disappointing. I'd strongly encourage other visitors to check out some of the off-property restaurant options in San Jose.

Could not have asked for a better stay. The resort is absolutely beautiful. The small touches at every turn are remarkable. Our room with the private infinity pool was top notch. The best part of the hotel was the staff. Every single person that we encountered was courteous and kind. Can't wait to come back.

We chose the One & Only for our family and booked 5 rooms. When we arrived, the grounds are beautiful, the rooms are spacious and well appointed, and the pools are wonderful. However, on our first evening we had dinner in the main seafood restaurant and the prices were astronomical. We dine all over the world in London, New York and Paris so am accustomed to fine dining. However, the prices at every restaurant at the One & Only were skyhigh and felt egregious as many others have noted. What made this dinner as well as the one at the Jean-Georges sushi restaurant so painful, is that the food was only mediocre. My fish entree, which was highly recommended by the waiter, was as bland as could be. I was very hungry and could only get through half. Our best bet was eating in the bar where the fish tacos were excellent, and the margaritas were delicious. Still expensive, but not so much as to have sticker shock like the other two restaurants. And the food was actually better. Dining and food options are an important part of our vacation experience so I only gave this 3 stars. Furthermore, it felt like they took advantage of every opportunity to charge more for items. Even when I purchased 4 bottles of expensive tequila from the concierge totaling over $500, they wouldn't give me a second bag to make sure the bag wouldn't break through. They tried to charge me for an extra shopping bag! Finally, they sent it up but only after complaining which shouldn't have to occur at a 5 star hotel. We enjoyed the property but we won't be back.