My family of 4 (2 adults/2 kids) spent a week at the Palms in Providenciales. The resort is located right on the water with a nice beach, one pool area with a hot tub, swim up bar, pool/cabana/beach chair service, 2 restaurants, and a kid's club. The resort feels smaller than some of the resorts on the island, which also means it is quieter. We were there on a holiday week where it was sold out, and it did not feel crowded at all.
Our room was a one bedroom suite that overlooked the water and beach directly. The room was surprisingly spacious, had a great balcony that was shaded and fully covered (though depending on which floor your room is, the type of shade cover will vary) with an outdoor day bed and small dining set. The appliances in the FULL kitchen were nicer than the ones we have in our home, and we had any type of kitchen related utensil we needed. There was a stackable washer/dryer, and 1.5 bathrooms, which was very handy.
The pool area was nice-there were pool attendants that would dispense towels and set up your chairs/umbrellas for you at the pool, so you weren't in charge of hunting down your own spot (this was the same at the beach). Once we got to know some of the food/beverage service staff, we found that the level of service was excellent. Othneil (Oats) at the beach and Nathan at the pool took great care of us.
The food options were a garden buffet served outdoors every morning that included an orange juicing machine (big hit with the kids) and an omelet station. A few of the items rotated every day, but there was really nothing you could have wanted that wasn't part of the breakfast spread. While breakfast was included in our rate, specialty coffee drinks would have been an extra cost. I would note that eating outside there are obvious risks-one morning in particular there were flies everywhere at our neighboring table-the couple ended up moving to a different table. The staff does put out fly deterrent, but eating outside this is certainly a possibility. Also, my family witnessed another guest getting pooped on by a bird. We had room service twice which was good and timely. The room service is the only option that was open for certain hour of the day, I believe from 7am-10pm. The other dining establishments were either open for dinner only, or open at lunch and then again at dinner time. The day we arrived we were hungry at arrival, but there were no food options that were open, which is why we ended up with room service. Similarly, the swim up bar is open from 11am-5pm, so when we arrived at the pool right at 5, things were closing and we couldn't get food at the Si Si restaurant, which apparently wasn't opening until 6pm. Once we figured out the schedules, we were fine. The food was good, but I would compare it to the food quality on a cruise or at an all inclusive, except with the additional joy of paying for your food/drinks each time.
Kids club was in a small building near the breakfast restaurant, and while my 9 and 7 year old were dead set against trying it out, a few days into the trip they were peeking at all the cool crafts that were coming out of kids club and decided to try. They went back 3-4 times after that. Nadine and the staff at the club were great and would greet the kids when they encountered them at the resort. The resort was very kid-friendly, but at the same time it didn't feel like you would be bothered by the kids if you were traveling without children.
I booked a spa treatment one day, a facial with Ayu. She was great, and the facility was lovely. I'd go back any time. They had nice amenities and the grounds at the spa were very relaxing.
Shanel and Ana at the concierge desk helped us out when looking for different activities and dining reservations, both at the resort and all around the island. The staff as a whole at The Palms were great.
A few things to note:
1) There is no ATM at the property, though the front desk is able to get cash for you using your credit card. There are things on the beach that require cash (non-property affiliated things like hair braiding, tubing, parasailing-though it is not like other beaches where vendors are constantly bugging you). Also, it was brought to our attention that tips were strongly preferred in cash
2) The property has a supply of bikes that look to be both adult and kids sizes. I did not see helmets, and there aren't specific bike trails, so you'd be on roads/sidewalks. I did walk to the grocery store one day, but you could easily and more quickly bike there. The location of The Palms is not as close to the action like the grocery, the Salt Mill, etc.
3) No Ubers here, but the taxi services are great and very friendly. They are also quite expensive and are cash only for the most part, so plan ahead if you're going to use taxis.
4) If you're planning on going to the Thursday night fish fry-you can easily walk there from The Palms.
5) There is a deli/convenience store on site. It has a large selection of snacks, beverages and OTC medicines, however you would probably not be getting all of your groceries there.
All in all it was a lovely stay. If you like sitting on a beach or at the pool, relaxing or reading a book, this is a great spot for you. It'd also be great to go if you were traveling with a group. For us, we like a little more action and activity, and it would be nicer to be closer to things like the Marina or the Salt Mill (Seven Stars and the Ritz are right there). Understandably, that's not for everyone.
