Zafiro Palace Palmanova

Really couldn’t fault this hotel at all. Any contact we had with any staff member they went over and above. The grounds are beautiful and well kept. A short distance to a beautiful beach. Rooms were clean and fresh. À la carte restaurants were amazing. Especially the sushi restaurant. We don’t usually like going abroad but we would definitely return here. Our kids loved it.

We had a fantastic holiday. The hotel facilities are great and the staff are ALL so accommodating and just want you to enjoy yourselves. I asked for a room with easy access to the restaurants due to my wife’s mobility beforehand and they put us in a lovely room not too far with easy access to a lift which was much appreciated. Food was lovely and access to all restaurants was easy. Would definitely return for a third time 👍

Overall we had a nice week and a good holiday, but there are a few things that let the hotel down for what is supposed to be a 5-star.

Things I thought should be better

The biggest issue is the pool area. Around both the kids' pool and the main pool they've used some sort of poured concrete finish instead of tiles. It's crumbled away and leaves small sharp stones everywhere. It looks awful and isn't nice to walk on barefoot. This isn't a few broken tiles that need replaced, it's a rip-it-up-and-start-again type job. I genuinely think management or the directors should walk around the pools barefoot and tell me they think it's acceptable for a 5-star hotel. It's a bit of an eyesore and footsore. See pics

The pool bars don't open until 11am for drinks and ice cream. For a family hotel this is the latest we've ever experienced. We're early birds with young kids so it wasn't ideal.

Food was a bit mixed. I'd expect smoked salmon every day and decent quality red meat in a 5-star. They only had fairly low-grade smoked salmon every second day, and the beef on a few occasions was incredibly tough, borderline inedible. It was actually a struggle some days to find a decent tender protein source. They definitely cut corners here.

The gym is a nice space but lacking in equipment. Dumbbells only go to 25kg, one adjustable bench which was broken (although still usable), cable stack, lat pulldown/row, leg curl and some cardio. There was loads of room for more equipment. It felt like the person who designed it wasn't a gym person, and neither was the person who signed it off. It's not the worst hotel gym I've seen but it could be so much better with very little effort.

The mini disco was only about 15 minutes long and mostly songs the kids didn't know. It lacked all the classic mini disco songs that kids love and look forward to every night.

Things we liked

We paid for a one-bedroom Jacuzzi terrace room and absolutely loved it. The extra space was brilliant with two young kids who nap during the day, and we got plenty use out of the terrace.

The hotel is very clean and really well presented throughout.

The fruit and vegetables were as good as, if not better than, anywhere we've been. Really fresh and full of flavour.

The a la carte restaurants were excellent, especially the Mediterranean. Having steak included was a nice touch and it felt like a proper à la carte experience. We never had any issues getting booked a day or two in advance.

The drinks were excellent too. Great cocktail menu and everything we had was first class.

The grounds are beautiful and really well looked after. You always saw staff gardening and maintaining the place.

The entertainment staff were very good. Our 3 and 7-year-old loved the evening area. It's not huge but it works well and feels very family friendly, giving the kids space to run around.

The location is excellent. The beach, shops and bars are all just a short walk away and there's a really nice atmosphere around the area.

Overall

We had a nice week and enjoyed the holiday. There are plenty of positives and we certainly didn't have a bad time. That said, we probably wouldn't return, mainly because we spend most of our holidays around the pool and the condition of the pool surrounds really lets the whole hotel down. It's not what I'd expect to see, or walk on, at a hotel calling itself 5-star.