Pure Salt Port de Sóller

"A truly terrible experience and absolutely not what I would ever expect from a 4-star luxury hotel. My last evening in Mallorca was ruined by completely incomprehensible handling. On September 30, after spending the day on the beach in Port de Sóller, my partner and I decided to book our final night in Mallorca at Pure Salt Port de Sóller. Online I found a room for a total price of €168.60. During the payment process my credit card was not accepted, but the booking still appeared to be active. Since we were literally on the beach directly below the hotel, around 30 minutes after making the booking we went personally to reception to resolve the issue and pay directly at the property. As soon as we arrived, I clearly explained what had happened and showed the receptionist my booking confirmation, with the total price of €168.60 clearly visible. Throughout the whole process I showed her the booking at least four or five times, explaining from the very beginning that I was perfectly happy to pay the same amount directly at the hotel. From that moment, the situation became something I would never have expected from a hotel of this category. At first, the receptionist told us that she could not see the booking in the system and asked us to wait. After around 10 minutes, she told us that the system was not working and asked us to sit on the sofas in the lobby while she carried out further checks or contacted someone. So we continued waiting. After around 20 minutes she called us back and decided to create a new booking herself, again explaining that the system was not working properly. She asked for my email address and telephone number. To make absolutely sure there could be no mistake, I personally wrote all my details down on a piece of paper. Despite this, I later discovered that my email address had still been entered incorrectly. The process continued, with more waiting and more problems, until we had spent approximately 45 minutes at reception simply trying to complete a check-in. Forty-five minutes. At a hotel presenting itself as a 4-star luxury property. At one point we were also told that, as a promotion, we would receive a welcome cocktail. After all that waiting, we explained that what we really wanted was simply to get into our room, take a shower and relax. But the real problem only came at the end. After around 45 minutes, when it was finally time to pay, the receptionist told me that the room price was: €225. I was honestly speechless. The booking I had repeatedly shown her from the moment I entered the hotel clearly stated a total price of €168.60. I was therefore being asked to pay €56.40 more than the price I had shown the receptionist from the very beginning. I showed the booking and the price again, pointing out that she had had that information in front of her throughout the entire process. The response was essentially that nothing could be done and that, if the price was a problem for me, the booking could be cancelled. At that point I was genuinely shocked. The issue was no longer even the extra €56.40. The real issue was the way the entire situation had been handled. If I had been told from the moment I arrived that the price would be €225, I could simply have decided whether I wanted to accept it or go somewhere else. What I found unacceptable was showing a booking for €168.60 several times, clearly explaining the situation from the very first minute, waiting approximately 45 minutes, and only then being told that I would have to pay €225. After the whole experience I was so frustrated and disappointed that I decided to leave. I immediately booked another hotel approximately 5 minutes away. And perhaps the comparison says everything: at the second hotel, the entire check-in process was completed in approximately 7 minutes. Seven minutes. Compared with around forty-five. That alone shows how avoidable the entire situation had been. I travel frequently and have stayed in many hotels, but I honestly cannot remember ever experiencing such a long, confusing and frustrating check-in process at a property of this level. I do not know the name of the receptionist who dealt with us. She, however, collected my personal details, including my email address, telephone number and payment-card information required for the booking. Since the booking was subsequently cancelled and the stay never took place, I request that any personal information that the hotel is not legally required to retain be deleted, and that my personal data not be used for commercial, promotional or any other purposes unrelated to the cancelled booking or the hotel’s legal obligations. I believe that an incident like this is simply not compatible with the level of service a guest should reasonably expect from a hotel in this category. There is also another aspect that I find particularly disappointing. When you are on holiday, 45 minutes unnecessarily wasted are not simply 45 minutes of waiting: they are 45 minutes of your holiday that nobody can give back to you. This was our last evening in Mallorca. We had deliberately chosen a higher-category hotel because we wanted to spend our final evening in the best possible way. The result was exactly the opposite: we left the hotel angry, frustrated and forced to find alternative accommodation at the very last minute. A “luxury” hotel should not be defined only by its location, swimming pool, interior design or room prices. True luxury also means efficiency, professionalism, transparency and respect for the guest and their time. In my experience, all of that was missing that evening. I am attaching images showing the booking details and the price clearly displayed on the various booking platforms. An extremely negative experience. I left feeling deeply disappointed and, above all, as though my time and my booking had not been taken seriously at all."

"We stayed for four nights end of August and had a double room with a sea view, no balcony. The room was lovely and spacious, there was tea/coffee making facilities, a mini bar and safe and lots of wardrobe space. The only downside to our room is that we were underneath where breakfast was served so it was quite noisy in the morning with chairs and footfall, however this was not a problem just an observation. The bar staff were super friendly and Sandra who works in the restaurant but also in the spa was especially lovely. There was one waitress who wasn’t particularly welcoming and it was a shame as everyone else was very accommodating. The pool is at the back of the hotel and although not very big, it was very nice and great views across the port. Sunbeds very comfy. You can get fresh pool towels every day. There is an electric stair lift should you need it. Breakfast was fab, you could order all sorts that was freshly made. We will definitely be returning next year, the only thing I would change is we would have a room with a balcony as I missed being able to sit and watch the world go by once we came back from the beach."

"This hotel has the feel of a new build that ran out of budget before it was completed. The lifts are dreadful, and you need them as there are many steps to conquer to get around; reception is indifferent and clearly overwhelmed with complaints; the rooms are poorly fitted, furnishings are almost non existent and the en-suite was miniscule; front facing balconies offer fantastic views but no shade at all from the sun; if you can get to the rooftop pool (there are a lot of steps) you will find it is a very, very small pool surrounded by about 50 sunbeds which fill up very quickly. Good bits? Breakfast is good albeit the menu options focus heavily on omelette variations (the eggs benedict was terrible); the bed was very comfortable; the pool bar is good and staff at both bars friendly. There are increasing numbers of good hotels around Port de Soller, don't be fooled into using this one."