Globales Cala n Blanes

"Third time at a Globales hotel and not disappointed with the level of service. Note this hotel was built in the 60,s and refurbed in 2015. Please manage your expectations in regard to the rooms and the hotel infrastructure. Staff are excellent, food is what one would expect from a 3 star AI hotel in Menorca. The only negative (which is no fault of the hotel) is that there are no loungers or umbrellas on the beach despite pictures to the contrary on the holiday websites."

"We have just returned from a fabulous holiday at the Hotel Cala Blanes in Menorca with Jet2holidays. From the moment we arrived at the hotel, we were greeted with an incredibly warm, friendly, and pleasant manner by the hotel staff. Throughout our stay, nothing was too much trouble for them. We were welcomed with a smile every single time we passed reception or needed assistance. The Room & Amenities Our accommodation on the 5th floor was comfortable and exceptionally clean, with daily freshening and fresh towels provided every 2–3 days. • The Positives: The room was a good size for two people, featuring a comfortable bed with lovely bright bedding, two bedside tables, and a clever wardrobe hidden behind a fabulous picture door. The tiled flooring felt beautifully cool under bare feet, and the small balcony offered fabulous views. The lift worked perfectly, which was a relief as the stairs are a serious workout! • The Negatives: The air conditioning was a little noisy at night. The bathroom was the main letdown. It was small, and the bath was squeezed awkwardly behind the door. You had to climb between a small gap next to the sink and over the plug end of the bath just to turn the shower on at the other end, resulting in a blast of cold water every time! The hotel would highly benefit from replacing these baths with modern walk-in showers. Pool & Gardens The hotel features one unheated swimming pool. The water was quite cold, so the best strategy was taking a cold shower first and then getting straight in! • Sunbeds: There were plenty of sunbeds around the pool, plus an extra stash in the garden. Space is a bit limited right by the pool, so it was much better to just use the extra ones in the garden area where there was more room to spread out. • Convenience: Umbrellas were available (though not advisable on windy days). The bar, hot drinks machine, and an outdoor toilet/shower block were all conveniently close to the pool area. Dining Experience The restaurant staff were cheerful, welcoming, and very quick to clear away crockery. While the food itself was nice, there is definitely room for improvement regarding the layout and flow: • The Layout: The setup isn’t designed for customer ease. The hot drink machine is placed right next to the toaster, causing massive queues in the morning. Meanwhile, the cold juice machines are on the complete opposite side of the room. It would make much more sense to group all drinks together. • Drink Options: You cannot get hot drinks with lunch or dinner in the dining room, which is frustrating if you do not want alcohol or soft drinks with your meal. You can walk to the bar area and carry them back in yourself which is bit annoying. • Food Flow & Variety: The stations do not flow well, meaning we often missed the "specials" until we were full and leaving the restaurant. While I applaud the creative reuse of leftover ingredients to prevent waste, finding soggy cornflakes mixed into yoghurt on the dessert station (even dressed up with fruit) was not quite what we expected however there are plenty of variety of indulgent puddings. Location & Transport The hotel sits in a fantastic, spacious location in a beautiful inlet, offering direct access to a small beach via some steps. A short walk down the road rewards you with stunning sea views. • Buses & Taxis: There is no hotel shuttle, but frequent local buses stop right outside. The reception team can also book reasonably priced taxis for you. • Bike Hire: We hired a bike through reception for €18 for 24 hours. It was excellent value for money and made exploring the local area incredibly easy. Entertainment There were some good musicians playing most nights however I felt they weren’t given long enough. It frustrating to have great live music cut short, especially when it feels like the schedule is prioritising the wrong activities. • Moving the bingo schedule earlier would help clear the late-night slot for other activities. When bingo runs every single night at 9:30 PM, it dominates the prime evening entertainment hour, leaving very few options for guests who want a different kind of nightlife. • The entertainment staff put in a lot of effort into the daily routines and getting everyone involved. Well done to Cicci and Cherry, 5 star! Overall This is a very friendly hotel and resort. It feels spacious and never overcrowded. The staff were always on hand to help book trips, allowing us to do as much or as little as we wanted. I would grade this hotel a 3-star overall, but it absolutely comes with 5-star service from the staff. We were so pleased with our experience that we have already vowed to return!"

"G. Cala'n Blanes is an excellent example of a good value smallish 3* hotel. It is clean throughout, and all of the public areas feel spacious. There are more sunbeds than are ever needed so unless you want a very particular spot on the side of the pool, you can just relax and go out to the garden whenever you want. We had a twin room with balcony which was at the front of the hotel. It was cheaper than the sea view rooms at the back of the hotel. We loved the inland view and although these rooms were smaller than those at the back, it had everything you needed and VERY comfortable beds. The only thing I would say was that you had to climb into the shower/bath via a small gap between wall of the corner of the bath and the corner of the sink unit. We had no problem but if you have poor mobility it could be tricky. The food was very good and replenished regularly. We enjoyed every meal, with the salad section being particularly good. Most dishes were hot enough but the pasta/sauce section was always cold. I think this unit needs replacing. However, there is a microwave to heat it up. We were AI and the beer and soft drinks were good. The AI spirits were all unbranded but that's not unusual and they tasted ok. I did ask for a Bailey's once but was told that it would have to be paid for as there was no AI equivalent. The staff at this hotel were outstanding, all smiling and eager to help. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay here and will return. The only time the hotel let itself down was the early breakfast on the last day. It was just dry biscuits and tiny cakes. The coffee machine was available but there was no milk for tea. A poor end to a great holiday."