Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - where to stay The Palms or Mnemba

stissing,

I recently stayed 3 nights at The Palms. Unfortunately, I was not overly impressed with this property.

Most surprising was how small of a property it is and in how congested an area. It is built right up against Breezes Resort, which is owned by the same company.

There is really only enough space for the six? rooms, a restaurant, a very small reception area and the swimming pool area. I would be very surprised if the entire property was more than two acres in area. To go from being on a safari in the wide open spaces of the Serengeti to being confined on a two acre property with up to 8 or 10 other guests and twice that many staff, it was less than ideal.

Also, there is no ocean view from the rooms and the sunsets are on the opposite side of the island. Furthermore, the part of the island it is on is not ideal for going in the ocean.

Additionally, I did an included snorkeling activity one day and I had to walk over to Breezes Hotel, register at the activities desk and then there were THIRTEEN of us placed in the back of a cramped work truck and driven 30 minutes away! This was not what I was expecting from such a supposed top notch property.

Other disappointments:

1. Seafood portions seemed tightly controlled.

2. Laundry and internet were extra.

3. The shower is pretty depressing and the bathroom overall is not very impressive.

4. Rather than just a huge open floor plan on the room, there is a lot of wasted space with an office and additional bathroom that I, for one, never used.

5. You are picked up from the airport and driven back in a typical minivan that is used so often all over the island. For a room that is $1,000 per night, I was at least expecting to be picked up in a sedan.

6. This is all the luck of the draw, but I did not especially care for most of the other guests. My wife and I did befriend a very nice Brazilian couple, but other than that, it seemed to attract uppity/unhappy guests. This same Brazilian couple had just arrived from Mnemba Island and they were so depressed to be at The Palms and wanted to be back so badly at Mnemba Island.