"So let me start by saying if you are travelling peak season and you are a family with children of mixed ages then I would recommend the Zafiro Mallorca.
To set the scene, we are a family of 4 with a child of 10 and a teenager of 19.
* Apartment *
We had a one bedroom apartment with pool view, the main bedroom has a large wardrobe and a large double bed, it was very clean and big enough for our needs.
In the main lounge there is a small kitchen with a fridge, a small table and a sofa bed.
We used the fridge to store water and a few snacks but never used any other kitchen facilities as we were half board.
Re the sofa bed, it pulls out from under the sofa, you have legs that have to be put into an upright position to make it into a double. (something we missed on the first night)
Its not like a double bed you would get at home and its basic, my kids were fine with this as they were just happy to be on holiday. (I will post a photo)
The room had everything we needed.
* Pool and the grounds *
The grounds are immaculate, we could not believe how much work all the staff put into looking after the hotel.
Every morning the pool area was washed down, they had staff in the pool cleaning and looking for any thing that needed maintenance.
You need to know the following as it worked really well while we were there.
The Pool opens from 10am to 6pm, you cannot enter the pool before due to the cleaning taking place.
There are lots of life guards (10am-6pm)
The hotel will give you towels to use for 3 days then you can change for a fresh towel.
If you put a towel on a bed before 10am and you are not sitting with your towel then the hotel will remove them from the bed and put them to one side for you to collect when you return. (If you are sitting with the bed then this is fine they will not ask you to move.)
I witnessed this first hand and it was done in a very professional way, they checked the pool area first to make sure the owners were not there then moved the towels.
This is done to stop people claiming beds before breakfast (a pet hate of most holidaymakers) and I loved it.
No stress that you have to be up at 6m to claim a bed,
I found that people started to sit around the pool from 9.30am onwards in preparation for when the pool opened at 10am.
The end result for our family was a very relaxed breakfast before heading for the pool.
We managed to get a bed everyday in peak season, (4 of us)
Yes its busy, but we always found something.
The adult pool on the other side is good, every now and then a child would jump in however if a lifeguard was on duty then they would ask them to leave as its meant for adults only.
They don't mind the kids sharing the beds around that pool so they can stay with the families but they are not allowed to swim in that pool.
TBH it was mainly adults in this area as the kids all want to play in the main pool and most families want to keep tabs on there kids when playing.
The entertainment team was superb, my youngest did not join any kids clubs but we could see these were well run.
During the day the team would also arrange activities in the pool, things like water polo (adults and kids), water aerobics (great fun and lots joined in) and ,much more.
Big shout out to Jorel who I spoke to a lot, his energy and enthusiasm was the best.
The main pool area is loud (as expected ) with many excited families having the most amazing time and for me that made it special as you could relax and have fun.
if you want peace and quite then the adult pool is for you however be aware this is a family hotel so for couples only it may be too noisy ( if you are looking for a quite getaway maybe not for you in peak season)
Just to add the indoor pool and gym was used a few times as well and no complaints here.
The small onsite supermarket was well stocked and priced and it also sold inflatables for the pool.
* Food *
This was one reason we choose the hotel, my wife has celiac (autoimmune disorder) it means you must have a gluten free diet.
My youngest is a fussy eater, pizza, nuggets, chips etc... you know the drill.
The hotel bent over backwards to accommodate my wife, everyday one of the chefs would personally offer to walk her around the buffet to show what was gluten free and if nothing was suitable they would try and make something special for her that was not on the menu.
Wow what customer service ! (All the Chefs we meet were beautiful people who did there job with a smile and really did make a difference)
End result is that she had lots of choice and that made a huge difference to our holiday,
I have to say the buffet was great, lots of choice for children of all ages, lots of fresh grilled meats and fish cooked right in front of you.
I will say breakfast was a little bit more restricted for her, most days we could get gluten free bread for toast otherwise it was bread rolls , fruit and pastries.
I would recommend you look at the app as it will show you what is offered each day along with all the allergies.
Alongside all the regular food you would expect there was an area of the buffet aimed at kids with pizza, chips, nuggets, etc.
* Evening Entertainment*
A different show every night from 9-10pm then a quiz from 10-10.30pm then it would end.
You can go sit in the bar if you wish to carry on drinking however the resort seemed to wind down after 10.30pm, many holidaymakers returned to their rooms.
I guess with so many so young kids it's a natural thing to do.
We never noticed any noise late at night so the balance for us was really good,
My youngest would have loved a disco to take place one night as she loves to dance and maybe this is something the hotel could consider for this year?
Conclusion
Everyone has different experiences and ours was 10 out of 10.
Apart from a great resort, the staff really did make a difference, always smiling, never afraid to stop and talk to you and they genuinely looked like they loved the job they do.
We have already booked to return this summer as we had the most amazing time.
Thank you Zafiro Hotels,"
