Marriott's Oceana Palms

We stay here 2-3 times each year because we need to stay close to home. The rooms are clean and fully stocked. The beach is clean white sand and there is a beautiful reef in front of the resort. There are Manatees that swim from the port to the north end of the island and back everyday. One passed right by me. We love being in the pool because we don't have one at home. The service is not bad but not geat. No cheerful greetings, not even acknowledged at times. We observed one of the activities staff stand around at Reflections for 2 1/2 hours just chatting with other staff and the entertainment. When she called Bingo, she called numbers from her phone so fast several people had to ask her to slow down...boring! Dirk in reflections is the best server, unfortunately he was away this week and the servers this time were slow. A fitness instructor only spoke to us after 5 classes asking for a good review? We do always leave a tip for Housekeeping because they get overlooked.

Amazing stay

On arrival we were taken into a side room and asked if we wanted to listen to a 90 minute sales pitch (after a long drive). When we said we were not interested we were kept waiting over an hour after the check in time of 4 pm. We had to keep checking at the desk and were told by extremely arrogant, surly and frankly disinterested reception staff that the room was still not ready. On the third attempt we were told that the room had to be inspected. When we were finally given a room around 1 hour 15 minutes after check in, we found that the room had not been inspected. There was bedding left in a bag in the second bedroom, and a housekeeper turned up trying to instal another coffee maker which we did not want. We booked an ocean view room and paid a lot of money. The view we had was mainly inland, with a very small view of the ocean. The website in this regard is extremely misleading. Had I known this was the case I would not have booked it at all. The sheet in the master bedroom was too small for the bed. There was no shower curtain in bathroom 2, and the bath did not readily drain. The water in shower 1 was barely warm. The dining facilities were practically non-existent. The shop was closed for refurbishment. The pool area sounded like a nightclub. There is a time and place for this, not constantly every day. The only staff at the hotel who were helpful and very pleasant were the beach staff, they could not have been nicer. All in all a disappointing stay.

This was a concierge paid pkg. Room smelled like cigar smoke. Staff didn’t know how to work reading lights on side of bed. Front desk staff very unaware, they can repeat, My Pleasure but didn’t know where the luggage racks were. Or why assigned towels were the new norm.

Great customer service. Food was good, not great. The place was amazing, and the beach was pristine.

I have been to Oceana palms nine times over the years. This was my first trip back since 2019. It is a beautiful place. The rooms are newly redone. Unfortunately I noticed this time around that the customer service has gone downhill .In years past the general manager used to walk around greet everyone, ask how your trip was going. It really had a small boutique feel. The front desk people were outgoing, friendly, smiling, greeting you as you walked by to go to the beach and the pool. I did not see any of that. The only employee I recognized from years past is Dirk at reflections. He is outgoing, always has a smile on his face and a pleasure. Every other employee I encountered seemed like they did not want to be there, what a difference from years past. They use to have a wine and cheese get together for the owners. They don’t have that anymore. They use to have a chocolate fountain with fruit and other goodies. They don’t have that anymore. A lot of things they don’t have that they use to have .I was just so disappointed that it wasn’t like it use to be, even if they cut out all the extras that they use to have that would be one thing. I just think whoever the general manager is and the management is, they need to get a handle on the employees .Its still a beautiful place but boy how things have changed.

The newly renovated villas are very nice and comfortable. The pool area was clean and fun for the kids although it is very shady in the afternoon. The restaurant staff are very average. Nice enough but not skilled at engaging with customers who expect a high level of service.

We were searching for months for a Florida beach vacation (instead of Orlando) to exchange to. Nothing much coming up - although I was focused on a couple of other larger properties and Oceana Palms doesn't come up for exchange often. It did, and based upon some of the reviews written here, I was hesitant, but we jumped on it. So glad that we did- it was perfect for us. We were looking for some sun, nice beach, good food and drinks and alot of relaxation. We had an OF room, high floor with a spectacular view. Room was updated, clean with every amenity. No complaints. Staff was welcoming & friendly and while we had no kids with us, there were a fair amount due to spring break and seemed to be alot of activities going on. Some of the other reviews indicated there was nowhere to walk to and nowhere close to dine in the area. Each to his own, but we walked several times down to Johnny Longboat's, Mulligan's etc - decent drinks, food and entertainment. Was less than half a mile and we felt safe, while many said it was a terrible crime area. It was a veryu rich, upscale neighborhood and many were walking. In the other direction, we drove to Palm Beach Gardens - 10 minutes +/-. There were several areas for shopping and many upscale fine dining establishments such as The Capital Grille, Carmines etc. I'm sure there are many other areas we didn't even discover. Bottom line, we hope to return!

The property was spectacular!

Very nice property, spacious rooms, clean and beach was awesome. We had a view of the ocean from our balcony. Food on property was ok. Sometime service spotty at breakfast place.