Palmiye Turkey

Despite unexpectedly cold temperatures and rain, our family group of 10 had a wonderful week. The sports offerings are the best of any club med, including, amazingly, water skiing. The mini club (ours were 4 and 7) is incredibly organized, professional, nurturing, and loads of fun, with kids doing everything from circus trapeze to a variety show.The food is out of this world, with an incredible variety and surprises with every meal, including delicious local Turkish fare. My favorite was daily grilled fish. The coordination of the food services is phenomenal. The rooms were impeccable and the daily service was amazingly accomplishment before we got back from breakfast. Our only complaint is with the third-party excursion organizers. Our "Cruise and Phaselis" outing was amended to exclude the stop at Phaselis, but we were not told until we went to confirm the night before, even though the tour folks knew at least two-weeks beforehand that Phaselis would be closed. Getting a refund became a moot point since the entire excursion was cancelled due to weather.We also wished there were more sheltered spaces, beside the big hotel lobby, for large-group gatherings in bad weather. But overall, a wonderful family week.

I've been to many club meds over the years. So far, The Palmiye branch is probably the best one I have been to in terms of facilities. The pools, beach and sports areas are truly amazing. Even though the hotel was fully booked, the common areas did not feel over crowded except for the main lobby area on rainy days (of which we unfortunately had a few). As my kids are trapeze enthusiasts they were disappointed with the very little opportunity to enjoy this activity. The queues were very long and they had to wait for more than an hour and a half every day to have one go at it.

The food was great especially the Turkish barbeques which were outstanding. Great to see them focus on the local Turkish food as this is really their strength.

On the minus side, this is the only club med so far where I was disappointed with the quality and hospitality of their staff. On several occasions (including the person at the hospital desk) we felt that they were less than helpful and did not live up to what we had come to expect from clubmed staff. One particularly unfuriating incident occurred when a front desk member refused to help us to check for a valuable item in the room after we had checked out of the hotel. Instead of sending somebody to the room, they told us to check in the next day at the lost and found! Part of this hospitality issue is probably due the local staff not speaking a word of English or French. This is particularly surprising given the international nature of the guests at the hotel.

Overall, I would recommend this hotel but do not expect too much from their staff.

We are a group of eight people from different countries who have visited Club Med Bodrum many times over the years. This year, we all followed our very good friend and GO, Selçuk, the Water Sports Manager, to Club Med Palmiye after he moved there. His service, together with that of his team, has always been highly professional, safe, fun, and genuinely caring. So when Selçuk moved to Palmiye, we all followed him without a second thought!

I would also like to extend a special thank you to the Restaurant Managers, Savaş and Serkan, and the Assistant, Ashraf. As we were dining as a group, they always made sure we had the best table, reserved for us in advance. We truly appreciated their kindness, respect, and thoughtful attention to our needs. It made our experience even more special.

A big thank you to all of you from the eight of us! 🤗

I would also like to mention Yusuf, who cut my hair at the salon inside the resort. Excellent service and a great experience!

Areas for improvement: The music is excessively loud throughout the resort, making it difficult to relax and enjoy a peaceful atmosphere. Equally concerning is that guests are allowed to smoke right in the middle of the main restaurant.

Both excessive noise and exposure to second-hand smoke raise serious health concerns. A resort that promotes well-being should provide a healthier environment, with reasonable noise levels and a completely smoke-free dining area.

Wakeboarding: Hüseyin made our holiday! We spent a week at Palmiye with our kids in October, and the absolute highlight for my 12-year-old son and me was wakeboarding with Hüseyin.

Hüseyin is an outstanding coach. He kept a close eye on the sea for us, told us exactly when the conditions were right, and always found plenty of time for us. He gave my son several private wakeboard lessons, and every one of them was excellent: patient, precise and great fun. On our last day on the water, the moment the waves calmed down, he called us straight over for one more water ski session.

A big thank you also to Soner, our boat driver, who made every session smooth and safe.

My son is absolutely thrilled, and so am I.

Hüseyin is a real asset to Club Med Palmiye. If you stay here, go to the water ski base and ask for him!