Obviously I travel a lot - usually more for business but this trip was certainly for pleasure. I've been to Jamaica before; and I understand the overall culture - love it. Expect things to be slow and laid back here. The resort is pretty; probably 5-6 years old though used heavily. We lucked out and got into building 13; so it was not incredibly far from anything - with the exception of "lady hamilton" - by the way Lady Hamilton is the same resort. The rooms are nice; though obviously used well. I came with an open mind; understanding it will not be the Ritz; and it's nice Ritz priced. The grounds are nice; beaches are rocky and usually not so clean; prepare yourself for that. The drinks are low-grade; don't come expecting a Jack & Coke; prepare to give instructions to the bartenders on how to make a Martini. They specialize in Jamaican party beverages - not our usual. Items in the gift shop are incredibly expensive - cigar aficionado's should bring their own sticks. All the stogies I found on property were Cohiba and Montecristo rip-offs. All of the above is tolerable; we're in a 3rd world incredibly poor nation with strange social differences from America. Where this resort gets it's failing score from me is in the food department. A resort of this magnitude has the facilities to create great meals - not world class meals - but great meals. The food prepared here is poor from start to finish - I am not exaggerating - this aspect WILL frustrate you. If you are stuck coming here - steer clear of buffets for dinner, asian food and indian cuisine - they are the worst of the worst. If Palladium could clean it up and provide meals that are worth something - I would consider coming back; all resorts have their shortcomings; but it is inexcusable for a resort to provide food of their quality. There are a couple places you can escape the madness; the main pool blares club music all day with "POP" People of Palladium annoying the never ending crap out of you with their activities. Sunset cove is nasty and unclean; very crowded. There is a quiet beach and pool near building 12 & 13 --- hide there!

All in all; for $1700 out the door this was an OKAY adventure. I would be very hard pressed to stay here again unless Fiesta Hotel Group pulls it together. If you can cancel your trip here - just do it. Do more research. Overall I was very unimpressed and did not enjoy myself. Maybe I am biased and require above average food - this just did't cut it.

Spent 2 weeks here from Feb.25th to March 11th 2013..the same issue of check in came up again and if I did not mention and re-mention to front desk we would have had to wait much longer..this was our 3rd Palladium Resort as we had stayed in Riviera Maya and at Punta Cana before and check in was never an issue there ..talked to room management after and never got any real definitive response or answer to this reoccurring problem at this resort..all the working staff in every area were very friendly and helpful ..the room was kept clean and the beds were fine to both of us..food was average and always a choice of things to eat..if you want a beach resort this is not the place for you as they are man made and not great for swimming in the Caribbean Sea..we had a great location for our Villa # 11 close to every thing..next trip to Jamaica will be to Negril where there is 7 mile natural beach

First off, I want to say in my 15 years working in the travel industry (I own a travel agent in the states), I had never been treated like this. The so call entertainers they have at this resort, I believe their names are N-Jeeve and N-Sean. I don't recall if that are in fact their names but they were the only entertainers working on Thursday 3/7/13 from 10am to 3pm. They both have dreadlocks. These 2 entertainers at this resort name call on Asians. I had been called names multiple times even after I ask them why do you call me such name? Even after I had communicated that I don't like to be called such name. They still refuse to stop. They even when on the loud speakers they used to "entertain guests" and continue with the name calling! I will make sure I tell all of my customers never to book at this resort because no one deserves to be treat this way especially if you are paying your hard earn money to be at this resort.

Note to management:

Please terminate these two individuals from your resort, at least have them clean rooms or work in the kitchen or something so they don't have to deal with the public. These clowns are really giving your other wise good resort a bad name!

Stayed at the Grand Palladium from March 5 to March 7th. Found this resort to be like one of those really fancy cakes you see in a bakery or restaurant that you just have to try only to find out it tastes like nothing.
Everything here that is extra costs way too much! They must be trying to fund the entire Spanish economy with the profits from here $13 US for a pack of cigarettes in the gift shop? TOTAL RIPOFF!
I needed to have a shirt cleaned for a wedding I was attending because something leaked on it in my suitcase (my fault) and it was $140 US to wash it. Needless to say I did without. I can buy six shirts just like it for that price.
Pillows are hard as a rock but you can always replace them from the pillow menu at $3 each per night, times three pillows. Are you kidding me? The room cost over $300 per night and you are going to nickel and dime me to maintain comfort?
The final blow was at check out on March 7th at 5am. We had a shuttle scheduled for 5:15am to go to the airport for an 8am flight. The travel was booked through JTM tours in the hotel lobby. We were up at 4am to get ready and called the front desk at 4:10am to have a golf cart pick us up at the room before 5am. It is quite a distance from where our room was to the lobby area. Needless to say the cart never showed and we had to drag four bags about 1/4 mile and then up a steep hill.
Had to wake up the girl at the reception desk and she completed the check out transaction. After about 20 minutes of being the only people around we started to become concerned our shuttle would not show. Again we woke up the girl at reception; the lobby was vacant except for her and ourselves. She told us that JTL was not associated with the hotel but that they may be running late. Another 15 minutes passes and nobody is around at all. Again we went to the front desk (where else were we to go?) and woke up Janine (I think). She asked us if we had a phone number for JTL which we did not. She asked us to find one at the tour desk and we tried but there was nothing there. We were getting pretty upset by now and she finally reaches under the counter (after we woke her up again) to produce a notebook full of phone numbers! AMAZING!!! This useless customer rep would have let us miss our flight knowing all along she could correct the situation! She questioned why we were late which was the last straw. I explained we may have been late because the golf cart she was to send never picked us up because she never dispatched it! All we got was a blank "I could care less" stare. Within five minutes there was a JTL driver there who turned a 45 minute trip to the airport into 30. It was a scary ride but we got there. (no thanks to Janine) My overall impression of this place is you can only get service through bribery. Nobody moves unless you flash cash! Do not waste your hard earned money at this resport!

Pros:
Beautiful grounds
Lots of food
Lots of booze
Bartenders will sell you all the marijuana you want (if that is what you are into)

Cons:
Landscapers start with the loud trucks at 6:30am
Food is mediocre at best
Service does not exist; except for a price
No elevators
You will walk miles going to dinner and other activities so take good shoes
Pillows are like concrete
You must wear a stupid, irritating arm band during your visit. For what?