El Dorado Seaside Palms

K3239XTcarlam wrote a review September 2025

Vacaciones familiares en la playa.

Overall, the experience was good, but the service at some restaurants and the quality and presentation of the food were very poor, particularly during breakfast at Culinario and dinner at La Carreta (Mexican restaurant).
I also want to mention the uncomfortable moment we had at the Exotic Travelers offices, where we ended up wasting time while they tried to convince us to upgrade our membership—even after we had clearly stated that we only wanted to update our credentials.
On the other hand, I must highlight the excellent service from our butler Ana, who was always supportive and ensured we had everything we needed throughout our stay. Erick at Culinario always provided great service, as did the beach butlers, who were very attentive. Special thanks to Lizz, who always kept an eye on our drinks at the beach.

La experiencia fue buena en general pero la atención en algunos restaurantes y la calidad y presentación de los alimentos fue muy mala tanto en el desayuno del Culinario como en la cena de la Carreta (mexicano).
También quiero mencionar el momento incomodo que pase en las oficinas de Exotic travelers ya que nos hicieron perder el tiempo tratando de convencernos de cambiar la membresía cuando ya le habíamos mencionado que solo queríamos actualizar nuestras credenciales.
Por otro lado cabe destacar la excelente atención por parte de mi mayordomo Ana, que siempre nos ha apoyado con todo lo necesario para nuestra estancia, Erick en el Culinaro siempre nos atendió muy bien; los mayordomos de playa también muy atentos junto con Lizz que siempre estaba al tanto de nuestras bebidas en la playa.

Date of Stay: August 2025

AmyAndAdrian wrote a review October 2025
Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England

We will be back

Firstly, apologies to all the lovely staff for the lateness of this review!

Myself and my partner Adrian travelled in June and had an absolutely wonderful holiday. If you're wanting a quick overview - room clean and spacious, great quality food, amazing drinks and plenty of loungers. If you're wanting more detail read on:

THE ROOM:
We stayed in a Premium room on the Palms side and we would definitely stay in this area again when we return (and yes we will be returning)! The rooms here are lovely large, bright and airy. We loved that there was a little dining area near the balcony and we had room service breakfast here most mornings. We were on the top floor so had gorgeous views of the sea and the balcony got plenty of sun in the morning, but was lovely and shaded in the afternoon when we wanted to cool down a little. The balcony had a double day bed out there so super comfortable for an afternoon siesta or hanging out on with a drink watching the sun go down. The mini bar was re-filled daily with sodas, beers, crisps, chocolate and water. We drink A LOT of water and they were more than happy to provide a few extra bottles. TOP TIP: Get the app as soon as you get there. I was able to request extra hangers, pillows and anything else you can think of really on there. The room was kept immaculately clean with fresh towels daily and the bed linen changed frequently. We did miss turn down one or two nights, but it really wasn't a big deal and was more than made up for with the elaborate decorations and special treatment we got on our anniversary.

The premium section also came with its own private little pool, bar and lunch area. We didn't actually realise you could have lunch there until half way through our trip and the burrito they made there was unreal! Patricia was our server down at the pool and she never stopped! She was so sweet and friendly and made sure our drinks stayed full. The premium section is also perfectly situated as it is almost perfectly central to the resort and right next to reception. It felt like everything was 5mins walk away max and the main buggy stop is right there at reception which it made it really easy to navigate the resort.

BARS AND DRINKS:
I've stayed at a few of the El Dorado resorts and usually the wine is a massive let down. I'm not expecting premium wines, but something drinkable. I'm not sure if they have raised their game across the board, but the house wines were definitely better here than they have been at previous El Dorados we have stayed. Everyone is so happy to help and eager to please and the wait staff were happy to let me try a few wines, so if you find you're not sure just ask and they will be happy to help. We found Henrry at bar Cotorros our first week and I would search him out if you're at the resort or heading there. Henrry obviously has a passion for creating drinks with love and made us some of the BEST cocktails! I mentioned I missed a certain cocktail and he not only learnt how to make it, he made sure he had freshly brewed espresso every night to make sure he could make my favourite after dinner cocktail. He listened to what I liked and what I didn't - I'm not keen on overly fruity, sweet cocktails - and made me cocktails he thought I would enjoy. He went over and above to make sure we had a great experience and we followed him around the resort until our last night! We tended to stick to the beach or the premium pool through the day and were kept well hydrated. There is pool and beach service for drinks and plenty to choose from. One minor thing - I would have liked is a cocktail menu at the pool. We did ask if they had one a few times, but nobody seemed to know if there was one. This meant I maybe stuck to the same cocktails a little as I couldn't remember what they served and I quite like having a little look through and trying new ones.

RESTAURANTS:
We really enjoyed the food at this resort and they take so much pride in offering something more than your usual all inclusive food. We spoke to Luis the F&B manager a number of times and he passionately cares that his guests are enjoying the food served, the ambiance and the service provided at each of the restaurants on the resort. There is something for everyone, and as someone who loves food I can say I was honestly surprised by how excellent the food was here. Thank you so much to Luis - he went out of his way to find us and ensure we had a wonderful anniversary and an amazing trip.

Of the restaurants I think Mia Casa, the Italian was our favourite, but they really were all so good. Antonio the manager there was so kind and again took so much pride in showing us all his restaurant could offer. He also helped us organise the private wine room for our anniversary which was set up to be so romantic with soft lighting and candles. Sergio was our waiter and nothing was too much trouble! We've been home several months now and I still crave their beef carpaccio and the cannolis.

The asian restaurant, Klay Talay was also outstanding. We ate here several times and the first time I think we perhaps under ordered as the portion sizes are a little on the smaller size. No problem though - when they came to ask if we would like dessert we simply asked if we could maybe order a few extra dishes and THEN dessert which was not a problem in the slightest. I like to try a few things so it was actually nice to get to try some extra bits.

The Gourmet Pub was probably the biggest surprise of the trip. When I first saw the menu I was a little uninspired as personally I didn't fancy English pub food in Mexico, but again, that is personal preference. However, with some advice from our lovely server Alejandro we had a great tapas style meal. We ordered all of the snacks, a salad and some ribs and it was so good! Such a great idea to share lots of small plates. Alejandro was one of the best waiters at the resort. After chatting to him it was clear he had worked at the resort a long time and it shows in his work - he anticipated my every need so much I don't think I had to look for him once for anything. I kept saying I think Alejandro is a mind reader as just as I would think I could do with a top up he was already there with a bottle of wine in his hand, ready to pour. Thank you Alejandro!

Most of the restaurants are walk in only, which means there is usually a little wait at peak times. This isn't a bad thing - just someone to think about when planning dinner. They give you a little buzzer at the restaurant and you just go and sit at a nearby bar and have a drink until the buzzer goes off and your table is ready. I only mention it as it is worth factoring in to what time you head to the restaurant. We headed down maybe half an hour before we planned on eating and this seemed to work quite well for us.

So overall, we obviously loved our holiday to El Dorado! A huge thank you to all the staff who made it as special as it was and a massive, massive thank you to the resort manager Marianna!! We picked this resort as we had met Marianna working at a different hotel in the El Dorado chain. We had no doubt we would have a wonderful time as Marianna is such an amazing manager who clearly knows how to run a resort putting the guests at the centre of everything they do. Thank you again Marianna and we will be back soon

Date of Stay: June 2025

Shsmason wrote a review October 2025
Lubbock, Texas

Serene Seaside Palms

Older resort but well cared for and very clean. The rooms and beds were very comfortable. Most of the staff are very courteous and helpful. The beach is located on the far end and a little rocky in places but very well kept. The resort has a large array of wonderful covered cabanas and sun beds. The drinks are amazing, and the beach grill is typical resort food. Our only complaint is in regard to the restaurants, which can be difficult to obtain reservations and also the food was somewhat lacking in flavor and quality. The grounds are well maintained, but they need to be sprayed regularly for mosquitos. The spa was great with incredible service. This resort was a great value, and extremely quiet and clean.

Date of Stay: September 2025

garyross1975 wrote a review October 2025
Fareham, Hampshire, England

Don’t get what you pay good money for at this resort

Not as advertised, food is poor, never a 5 star hotel
TUI rep says see cares but just gives out the same lines to everyone, very disappointed
The restaurants at an all inclusive charge you additional $25 each to eat at the Italian and Japanese if you arrived after 1st Oct
Absolute disgrace
Resort needs a lick of paint and the TUI Rep agreed
Gutted as having been here twice before in 16 and 18 it’s went so downhill
They say 10 restaurants but only 3 open in the evening and 2 of them chargeable too! Absolute joke

Date of Stay: October 2025

sue186dolphin wrote a review October 2025
Dartford, Kent, England

Good and not so good

We stayed for two weeks at the end of September and beginning of October. Stayed in the premium, block which was lovely and spacious. Housekeeping was good had to ask a couple of times for our fridge to be replenished, but on the whole very impressed with the service.
Pros of the resort
Upkeep of the resort excellent
Staff always friendly and said hello when we were out and about
Fresh pool towels every day which was great you could have as many as you needed and you can replace every day
Golf buggy service very good never waited to long
The food was really lovely
The staff at the Premium swim up bar were fantastic especially Janet and Veronica who kept us going with drink and food during a tropical storm
Plenty of sun beds if you were willing to walk abit
Branded spirits and cocktails were made fresh

Cons
I know we travelled out of high season which we kept getting told by the staff, but when we booked through TUI we were under the impression that there were nine restaurants on site that was a joke. Every night there was a maximum of four restaurants open which made eating out very repetitive and one lunchtime we walked around the whole site looking for lunch and there was only one restaurant open and one buffet restaurant open. Not what you would expect from a five star resort. Also if you are travelling with TUI you now have to pay $25pp to eat at the Asian restaurant if you have arrived after 1st October2025 luckily we got there before this date and I must say the food was excellent.

They still have a problem with seaweed so there was only a small area of the beach which could be used for swimming but unless you were willing to get up when the stars are still out there was little chance of getting a Bali bed.

Would we stay again probably not

Date of Stay: October 2025

joannedE3155LJ wrote a review October 2025

Not worthy of a 5 star rating

⭐️ El Dorado Seaside Suites – Honest Review

Pros:

The staff are incredibly friendly and accommodating — they genuinely do their best to help.

The grounds are beautiful, lush, and very well maintained.

The à la carte restaurants were good (though not quite exceptional).

The cocktail bar served excellent drinks — and if something wasn’t on the menu, the bartenders were happy to make it for you.

Rooms are very spacious with plenty of storage. They’re well equipped with an iron, ironing board, hair dryer, coffee machine, and toiletries (shower gel, shampoo, conditioner). Bathrobes and slippers are also provided.

There’s some lovely wildlife around the resort, and pest control helps keep things under control.

Cons:

Rooms become very damp if the air conditioning isn’t on, which makes the bathroom and clothes feel musty. However, leaving the air-con on makes the room freezing — we often woke up feeling like we were in the Antarctic!

We spoke to management about the damp; maintenance said the controller wasn’t set correctly, but even after adjustments, the air-con still didn’t switch off automatically.

Housekeeping was inconsistent — coffee wasn’t replaced regularly, and on several occasions we didn’t receive clean towels even though used ones had been taken away. We called reception multiple times but were passed between departments and still didn’t get replacements.

Restaurants & Food:

Although the hotel advertises seve eleven à la carte restaurants and calls itself “gourmet,” two of these require an extra payment for TUI guests — something that wasn’t enforced until our arrival.

Reservations for these restaurants had to be made through the concierge, often leaving non-premium guests with only early or late sittings.

Restaurants operate on a rotation system, so they aren’t open every night — check the schedule to plan your evening meals.

Suites Side Restaurants:

Arrecifes — We only tried this for breakfast, which was good.

Driftwood — Only open for breakfast and lunch. We ate lunch there once, but it arrived cold, so we didn’t return.

Klay Talay — Payable; several guests advised us not to bother as it wasn’t worth it.

Mia Casa — The Italian restaurant and our favourite overall.

Buffet Seaside market-- this was very poor considering the amount of guests with very limited choice.
Palms Side Restaurants:

Culinarium — Our go-to for both breakfast and dinner.

Beach Barbecue — Open Friday to Sunday for lunch only.

Gourmet Pub — We ate there once; it was fine, nothing special.

Kaab -- this is a vegan restraunt and is only open for lunch, well worth a visit though.

The buffets were the worst I’ve experienced in any 5-star hotel, with very limited food options.

Beach & Pool Area:

The beach has clearly eroded over time and is now quite small. Loungers and Bali beds are packed close together, and many guests reserve both beach and pool beds early in the morning, leaving few available later in the day.

The sea is rocky, so bring water shoes.

Evening & Bars:

The evening bar areas, especially on the Palms side, are very busy with limited seating. The chairs for the shows are wooden and uncomfortable, and although there are some nice swinging seats, the layout feels cramped.

For a supposed 5-star hotel, being served drinks in plastic cups in the evening is unacceptable. Around the pool or beach, fair enough — but in the bars and lounges, glasses should be standard.

Overall cocktail quality was poor unless you went to the Mezcalito Bar, which was the only venue that lived up to expectations.

Overall:
While the grounds and staff are lovely, El Dorado Seaside Suites does not meet 5-star standards in terms of food, housekeeping, and overall comfort. The resort has potential, but there are too many inconsistencies and disappointments for the price .

Date of Stay: October 2025

716garyq wrote a review October 2025

Entertainment staff made the holiday. Big shout out for Luis, Maria and Jose. See you again soon we hope.

Entertainment staff made the holiday. Big shout out for Luis, Maria and Jose. See you again soon we hope.

Without these guys the holiday wouldn't have been the same.

Date of Stay: October 2025

540nikkiw wrote a review October 2025
Liverpool, Merseyside, England

Our second Home

It was our third visit to this resort, we call it our second home. The staff are truly amazing, Luis, Jose and Maria are exceptional entertainment staff, they go above and beyond to make our holiday memorable. 🥰

Date of Stay: September 2025

Passenger42672103879 wrote a review October 2025

Best holiday we have had and planning to return for our honeymoon

I never go to the same place twice but we came here last year and fell in love with the place.
so we came back this year with many more trips back planned in the future
The staff are amazing (special shout out to luis Maria Jose ) for the amazing entertainment round the pool and getting every1 involved
The food is amazing
You will not be disappointed

Date of Stay: September 2025

lauramG2777AC wrote a review October 2025

Fantastic Honeymoon

This was our first visit to El Dorado Suites, which we chose for our honeymoon.

We had a great time, the food was really good and our room was lovely.

The entertainment team comprising of Luis, Jose and Maria were brilliant. Always full of fun and getting everyone involved, creating so much laughter and good times.

Janett and Carlos at the pool bar were lovely, as was Alejandro in The Gourmet Pub.

We will be back to this resort ❤️

Date of Stay: September 2025

J5362RDdang wrote a review October 2025

Absolutely Amazing Stay! Huge Thanks to Luis and the Incredible Staff!

We had an amazing time at this resort! Everything from the food to the atmosphere was perfect, but what truly made our trip stand out was the incredible staff — especially Luis at the events pool.

Luis was an absolute highlight of our vacation. He brought such incredible energy and kindness to everything he did, especially around the events pool. Whether he was hosting games, dancing, or just chatting with guests, he made everyone feel welcome and included. He was so much fun to be around, always smiling, always chatting and just genuinely lovely.

Thanks to Luis, we looked forward to being at the pool every single day. He created such a fun, upbeat atmosphere that really brought people together. You could tell he loves what he does, and his positive vibe was contagious.

To the management: Luis is a true gem and such a big part of why our stay was so memorable. Please give him the recognition he deserves!

Date of Stay: October 2025

Mobile45473811811 wrote a review October 2025
Keswick, Georgina, Ontario

Best trip ever

We had the best time here. We had ocean view Jr. Suit room the view was incredible. Room it self was great well stocked no complaints bed was comfy.
Food was plentiful and all was great we didn't starve by any means.
Grounds were gorgeous and well taken care of by and awesome team. Pools and lounging areas were cleaned every day. Beach was beautiful and very little sea weed.
We were here on 7 day all inclusive and hotel staff were amazing and went above and beyond to make our stay the best.
Thank you Eldorado Seaside Palms 🌴 We will definitely be back
Dan and Diana Sharp ❤️

Date of Stay: October 2025

russm2019 wrote a review October 2025

A lovely location and great holiday.Would revisit.

Our 1st trip with TUI and also to Mexico as a couple. We had a great time and would happily of stayed longer...they wouldnt let us.... We upgraded to premium which was well worth it with the benefits of a private shared pool and bar with high end spirits.The suite was massive and although there were a few teething problems these were dealt with very quickly by the concierge....shower fixed and firmer mattress supplied all whilst we were out of the room and on day 1. Restaraunts were all good, except 1 bad experience at the Gourmet pub. We didn't finish our meal and left after we complained and received no feedback from our waiter...All of the special events fire night and Mexican the food at the beach were really good and authentic.Our most visited restaraunt was the Seaside market buffet where the choices were vast and food quality very good. On previous all inclusive holidays we have favoured a la carte these were also very good but Seaside market was the winner for us breakfast and dinner. The hotel facilities were very good although certain areas were a little tired but everything was kept exceptionally clean...rooms,gardens and communal areas. There was a definate feel of being in a jungle setting in certain areas with lots of wildlife to be seen if you kept your eyes peeled this was definately unique from resorts visited in other countries a big plus.I would definitely question the Tui 5 star rating and noticed that the American 4 diamond rating displayed in reception stopped in 2021. However, we had 50 per cent off our holiday as booked 3 weeks before, so it more than met our expectations.We did contact TUI after booking and then reading negative reviews on Google..... wanting to change our destination, they promised to ring back within 72 hours this never happened!! but we were glad we didn't change in the end and found previous reviews on trip advisor to be more accurate and representative of our experience.
We took one paid excursion during our stay booked through the hotels TUI blue office to dolphinuis park and then onto the lagoon for snorkelling with lunch after.
The dolphin experience was absolutely amazing lots of one on one time with the dolphins and trainers with photos included in the cost, definately the way to go as we had 68 photos taken by the photographer to be downloaded, otherwise buying them at the park was very expensive so thanks to Andrea for recommending this and booking our trip. We were lucky to have our own driver Alan as nobody else had booked that day, which meant he told us about some of the places we were passing en route and worth visiting next time. Also, he took us into the Lagoon and made sure we had everything we needed for the snorkeling. This was also great, but nothing could top the dolphins.
I am leaving the best until last the TUI entertainments team....the 3 amigos Jose....Maria and never to be forgotten sexy Luis....what a ray of sunshine and injection of fun they were....Perfect and caring about all aspects of our stay...All of the staff were friendly,polite and without fault but if there were just 3 stars in the sky it would be the 3 amigos shining bright 🌟 🌟 🌟

Date of Stay: October 2025

659rikl wrote a review October 2025

Needed holiday

Luis, Maria and Jose the entertainment staff are truly amazing we had so many great times with them round the activity pool, they are so funny and so so helpful with any thing you need they make your experience truly remarkable.

Date of Stay: October 2025

scmyers13 wrote a review October 2025
Louisville, Kentucky

Can’t wait to come back

Always love coming to this resort! I’ve been coming to this resort for about 10- 15 times. The staff is amazing and always willing to do whatever it takes to make you happy! The activity staff including Luis, Jose, Carlos, Maria, Ixchell and Benjamin made our trip better than we could’ve ever imagined—-they were SO MUCH FUN!! Can’t wait to come back in one month again :)

Date of Stay: October 2025

AndyMiles72 wrote a review October 2025
Poole, Dorset, England

We’ll be back!

Its our first visit to Seaside Palms and everything from pre-arrival to departure was excellent.
Private transfer, rooms, beach, culinary experience but best of all was staff.
Our initial interaction was with Isabel and frankly without her our stay would not have been the same.
We were celebrating a birthday and she was able to arrange all the little extras.
She assisted us (as members) through everything making the experience at a beautiful resort even better.
Butlers have a lot to learn to equal the other El Dorado resorts but they didn’t detract from our stay.

Date of Stay: October 2025

bellel792 wrote a review October 2025

Beach front vs Oceanview

We love Mexico so we decided to stay at an all-inclusive adult only resort for our honeymoon. We paid $90 US extra per night for oceanview yet when we arrived the beach front was just the palm trees. Were very disappointed the rum didn’t have any amenities for honeymooners and to pay extra for Ocean views, and our beachfront was disappointing.

Date of Stay: October 2025