Corinthia Palace Hotel & Spa

We have just returned from a wonderful stay at the Corinthia Palace Hotel. Each and every member of staff went above and beyond to ensure everything was to our satisfaction in a totally professional and polite manner. We would particularly like to thank Ramesh the concierge for all his help and advice regarding tours etc, and Ednalyn and staff who ensured we enjoyed the best breakfast experience! The spa only opened at 9 am and we felt it would have been good to access the pool (open from 7 am) earlier, without having to go through the Gym area. This however, did not deter us, it is simply an observation. The Corinthia Palace is a very comfortable and classy hotel. We hope to return one day!

For context, I will mention that our preference is usually for a quiet, luxury, boutique hotel away from the tourist traps, so we did not mind that we needed to take a taxi everywhere – we just rang the concierge to arrange and added the cost to our room bill (the small extra fee was well worth it). The staff were wonderful – greeting everyone with a cheery smile and a friendly 'hello'. They work incredibly hard and are committed to doing whatever they can to help you enjoy your stay. The complimentary fresh flowers, bottle of bubbly, and fruit platter were a lovely welcome. The hotel is clearly very popular with a broad mix of guests, but especially businessmen, locals, and the odd tour group. We stayed in one of the spacious (but unrenovated) Deluxe Suites and really appreciated the large balcony (where we preferred to spend our ‘chill days’); spacious rooms; artwork; large super-comfy bed; excellent air-con; reliable free wi-fi; and the quality electrics (Dyson hairdryer, Samsung 49-inch flat screen HD TVs, De’Longhi coffee machine), as well as the kettle and tea tray. The rooms were kept immaculately clean, and stocks of complimentary water, towels etc were regularly replenished, thanks to the wonderful housekeeping staff. Breakfast in the Villa Corinthia was what you would expect from a 5-star hotel (large buffet selection, plus some made to order options), although the service did suffer at peak times. The plush Caprice Lounge (opens at 4pm) offered a relaxing oasis for a refreshing post-sightseeing pick-me-up and pre/post dinner cocktails, as well as tapas-style dining. The outdoor pools are beautifully maintained and fine for a quick cool down, although a bit small and shallow for a proper swim. Now for the not so good: • For us, the hotel was overdeveloped - multiple extensions obliterate views to the rear (especially on the lower floors) and some of the gardens have been lost, making the rear of the site feel cramped. • There was far more noise than we expected - from low flying planes (the hotel is quite close to the airport and is virtually under the main flightpath) and from certain guest groups. Our suite was clearly in need of renovation (carpets splitting at some of the seams and black mould around the shower). • For us, the food at dinner mostly missed the mark (see my separate reviews of the three main restaurants) - there are lots of better fine dining options within a short taxi ride (the nearby Terroir was sublime). • The outdoor pool area felt cramped, with little or no room to turn sunbeds or move parasols (note that non-residents can use the spa and rent sunbeds).

Very customer focused staff throughout the hotel. Exceptional service from Guest Relations Team, especially Kevin and Pedro Ditto for Lazio and Sanjay in The Caprice Bar. Breakfast was a treat made special by the staff. Overall would highly recommend

A wonderful hotel, the staff were exceptional - especially Kevin the Concierge, Pedro the Guest Relations Manager, the Caprice Bar staff and the breakfast staff. Nothing was too much touble for them. We felt they were friends by the end of our stay. Highly recommended.

A lovely hotel. Always kept immaculate. The staff are a credit to the hotel. A big thank you to Pedro ( Guest Relations manager), Kevin (Concierge), Lazio and Sanjay (Caprice bar) and all the staff in the restaurant at breakfast.