Planning for January and, because the planning is half the fun for me, I decided to complicate things and again throw Orient into the mix for lodging options along with GCBC (We'll probably NOT re-do L'Esplanade this trip simply because of the price comparison for our dates).
Looking for opinions from anyone who's recently visited Palm Court Residence or La Plantation Hotel in Orient. At first glance Plantation looked "snazzier", but on closer inspection (photos, reviews) I wonder if Palm Court might be more our speed - looks smaller and more boutique-y, and I like the proximity to restaurants. I seem to recall someone telling me last year when I was planning, that Plantation isn't actually as nice as it looks, but I can't find the original post on that.

Also curious how both compare to GCBC (aside from the obvious beach difference), and are open to other properties to consider in Orient. We've only ever stayed in Grand Case and are looking forward to mixing it up a bit if we choose NOT to stay at GCBC. TIA.