Palafitos Overwater Bungalows El Dorado Maroma - All Inclusive - Adults Only

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

1242 reviews

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  Wonderful Property and Staff!

  Our experience at this resort was exceptional. The facilities were beautiful, the food was outstanding, and the staff were truly among the best we have encountered anywhere. A special thank you to Janet, Alberto, and Alvano for making our stay especially memorable. However, future guests should be very careful when booking room categories through third-party sites such as TripAdvisor. We selected and paid for an Ocean View (Elite) Overwater Bungalow, which included a $2,000 upgrade charge. Prior to arrival, we discovered that our reservation was actually for a Standard room, despite the additional cost paid for the upgrade. The resort staff helped clarify the room categories, but the discrepancy itself was disappointing given the significant price difference. To avoid similar issues, we strongly recommend confirming room type and category directly with the resort after booking, especially when an upgrade fee is involved. Despite this booking issue, the resort itself exceeded expectations, and the service and hospitality were excellent.

  Jan 26, 2026
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  Amazing Elite Bungalow Stay

  WOW! This was a DREAM vacation! This trip was our first time coming a surprise birthday for my husband! First, I want to say thank you to the incredible butlers who tended our every need- Mauricio, Fernando & Aldo. They set up our elite bungalow with Birthday surprises and other personalized needs. Our mini bar was always refreshed, morning cappuccino's and fruits delivered along with little surprises. I'd also like to thank staff members who took care of us; from rides/servicing us to activities- Alberto, Alvaro & the activity staff (whom's names I didn't get). The ocean/beach is beautiful. Everyday, workers are cleaning the beach & keeping the seaweed at bay. The property (bungalows and regular hotel) are maintained! As we mostly stayed in our bungalow, we did venture out to the main pool area for activities and other restaurants. They offer water aerobics, yoga, stretching (which I took full advantage of). When we were there, we joined in on the Mexican craft class, where we painted bags, and a ceviche making class. My husband and I paddle boarded and he kayaked while I did my aerobics. The Palafitos restaurant, honestly, was the BEST food. The other restaurants are great and we really enjoyed trying them but found ourselves eating at our restaurant the most. We did not have 1 bad meal anywhere from breakfast - dinner. The only thing we have to say (and maybe it's us being impatient NY-ers haha) is we found the food took a little long to come out. That is our only "complaint" but again, we're on vacation so where are we going LOL. All in all, I was beyond happy with this hotel and could not have asked for a better vacation, birthday celebration and memory for us both. Happy tears were cried and we are already planning on the next time we will be coming!

  Jan 25, 2026
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  Treat yourself to excellent experience.

  The Palifitos offer world-class accommodations coupled with world-class hospitality. We had Butler service with our stay, and there is nothing you could want for. Janet and Pilar thought of everything! They even sprinkled special touches all over for my husband's birthday. We visited the spa twice during our stay and wow! Lilliana Marquez and Angeles were so professional, kind, and very skilled in the art of total relaxation. Christian took excellent care of us at our candlelight beach dinner. Thank you all for spoiling us. We will be back again soon.

  Jan 24, 2026
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  Third visit even better

  Each visit gets better! The unique location, picturesque views, and delicious food are all top notch, but it’s the personal and over-the-top service that separates Palafitos from other resorts. Can’t say enough great things about the staff at Palafitos. Alberto, Yasser, Enrique, William, Arturo, Patricia, and Bladmir are GREAT! Everyone was always so welcoming and dedicated to ensuring our stay was perfect. We had a minor safety issue with our room this trip (and we were completely OK with remaining in our room for the rest of our stay) but a special thank you to Yasser who went well above and beyond to put us in a different room and ensure the remainder of our trip was even more spectacular. All our butlers (Yasser, William, and Enrique) were great and always taking care of our needs, often before we even thought of them! Arturo was never far, making sure we did not run out of food or drink while enjoying our deck. And Patricia and Bladmir always took great care of us in the restaurant. Last but not least, our resort favorite Alberto—always smiling, always chatting us up, and always available to take us around in his cart. Can’t wait to go back again!

  Jan 23, 2026
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  Disappointing service for the cost

  My husband and I spent 5 days at the Palafitos overwater bungalows for our 25th anniversary. We chose it largely based on the amazing reviews. However, our experience did not match what other reviewers said. The vacation is “all inclusive” and costs a little over $2,000 per day. You are supposed to have 1 or 2 (consistent) butlers. We had 5 and one afternoon/evening we did not have any specific butler. We assumed the butler would be bringing food or drinks or helping with any other requests. It took a minimum of 1 hour to get a drink delivered. One day it took over 4 hours. The last 2 days we didn’t even bother. We tipped the people who brought food and drinks but these were not the butlers. We also tipped the person who brought us new towels (again not the butler). I ordered my favorite drink on the 2nd day and the next day was told they can’t make that drink (didn’t have the ingredients). We ordered food from one of the restaurants and were told we can’t have that food (pizza). Everything seemed difficult. We found a buffet brunch but were told we needed a reservation and couldn’t just go eat there. One of the robes had a disgusting brown stain on it. We left it out for housekeeping to take. They did but never replaced or returned it clean. The robe is important because staff will randomly show up on the deck outside the large windows. You need to close the curtains and be aware when changing clothes or showering. I got a stain on my beach coverup and was told laundry service wasn’t available that day. I left my sunglasses behind at the restaurant and was told no sunglasses were returned. The resort is huge so this is hard to believe! Our deck chair broke and they didn’t come until 9pm to fix it. After they left our float was gone. The positive things were: the bungalow far exceeded our expectations- it was so beautiful! Alberto greeted us upon arrival and at departure and he is delightful! The water and beach are amazing. The catamaran snorkeling (in the afternoon) was very fun! Sadly, we felt disappointed by the service- especially considering the cost.

  Jan 23, 2026