Atlantis, The Palm

The aqua aerobics is fabulous, look forward to this every time we come .. Happy Patrick is awesome really gets the vibe going and the class is always amazing cannot recommend enough .. everyone is welcome to have a go you won’t be disappointed.. it’s fun fun fun. Thank you Happy Patrick see you next time we are at the Atlantis the Palm !

The Hotel is fantastic as usual and made better by Happy Patrick in the pool for Aquagym. Makes me work and that is good on my 60th Birthday.

What a great experience , great as always. Service is top. And the facilities are great for a family. Also happy Patrick was a star doing water fitness. And hazik was the best waiter for breakfast. Highly recommend

Nivanjan is the best room valet in the hotel! We loved it! It is full of little attentions that illuminate our stay at the hotel. We will not forget him and hope to see him again during our next visit to Atlantis

We stayed at Atlantis The Palm in November and had high expectations, especially after booking a Queen Palm View room with Half Board + Imperial Club access. Unfortunately, our stay was overshadowed by a series of service failures that made it clear the hotel values revenue far more than guest experience. 1. Paid Upgrade Offered — Then Completely Ignored The day before arrival, I received an email offering a paid upgrade to a Terrace Suite with complimentary airport transfer. I accepted immediately. What followed was silence. Travelling from Lisbon, I even paid for in-flight Wi-Fi on an 8-hour trip just so I could check for the airport transfer confirmation — nothing. I emailed twice in the air. Still nothing. When we landed in Dubai, I purchased an eSIM to call the hotel, but couldn’t get through. So we paid for our own transport to the hotel. At check-in at the Imperial Club lounge, I showed staff the email trail and lack of responses. Only then was I told that all suites were fully booked and there was no explanation, apology, or compensation offered. They simply told me they would contact me if a suite became available during our 4-night stay. They never did. 2. Room Drainage & Smell Issues The drainage in the room was shocking. The sink and bathtub pop-up plugs had their springs removed so they stayed shut unless you lifted them manually. Once we opened them, it was clear why: the smell coming from the drains was sickening. Two days into our stay, when the smell became unbearable for the kids, I asked again whether any room upgrades were available. I was told: - no suites were available, - the hotel was “at full capacity”, - and even rooms similar to ours were “fully sold out”. This was simply not true. There were at least two empty rooms on our floor, and several ground-level staff casually mentioned the hotel was much quieter than the month before. It was obvious there was availability — just no willingness to assist. 3. Half Board & Imperial Club: Not Worth It The Half Board package sounds generous, but the reality is: - Only the buffet restaurants are good value. - Nearly every other restaurant has add-on charges, set menus, or options that don’t work for kids. - The Imperial Club lounge serves food that’s essentially just the main buffet food placed in nicer dishes. It felt like clever repackaging rather than actual premium service. 4. “Full Capacity” Excuse Used Repeatedly Near the end of our stay, our kids asked to stay longer for the pools and waterpark. I was willing to pay for a flight change and requested a late checkout so they could enjoy one more day. Again I was told the hotel was at “full capacity” and they couldn’t confirm anything until the next morning — yet staff also told me the earliest they start work is 7am and I had to leave for the airport at 6am. Completely unhelpful and robotic. There was no effort, no empathy, and no desire to assist. 5. Overall Impression What became clear is: - Staff follow scripted responses, - There is no personalisation or ownership of guest issues, - Revenue optimisation takes priority over guest experience, - And the hotel leans heavily on its name and facilities rather than service quality. Yes, the waterpark and pools are incredible for kids. But these alone do not justify the hotel’s premium price tag, especially when the service falls far below the standard expected from a flagship luxury resort. Final Verdict Atlantis The Palm markets itself as a world-class luxury resort, but our experience showed a hotel that values profit over people and volume over quality. The lack of communication, the upgrade fiasco, the dishonesty around room availability, and the indifference shown by staff made our stay far more stressful than it should have been. For the prices charged — especially for Half Board and Imperial Club — guests deserve honesty, responsiveness, cleanliness, and genuine hospitality. Sadly, these were missing throughout our stay.