Hotel Del Almirante

"The Almirante is an unashamedly old-fashioned hotel with a somewhat faded charm. Its centre, Collingwood House, has an imposing view over the great harbour of Mahon, and is surrounded by a Mediterranean garden of pine trees with singing turtle doves and nightingales. The majority of the 39 rooms are around the swimming pool: all are small, simple and clean, but lack such features as a fridge/mini bar, kettle and separate shower (the rather weak shower is over the bath). Our room had a great view of the harbour; most don’t. You are warned not to drink the tap water, but no bottled water is provided. We booked half board: dinner is a set menu with little choice, served in a large and soulless dining room with far more chairs and tables than diners. Our first meal resembled a school dinner; we sampled a second one in which the (small) helping of paella was surprisingly authentic. Breakfasts are unimaginative and poorly presented: you have to pay extra for eggs. Bar meals proved more satisfactory, though the menu is squarely aimed at English visitors, with little acknowledgment of Menorcan cuisine. As it seems that the great majority of clients are elderly English people, this isn’t perhaps surprising. On the plus side, the staff are polite and helpful, there is plentiful parking, and it’s not far to either Mahon or Es Castell."

"This hotel is an experience and hotel in one. Quirky doesn't describe it enough, it was at one time the home of Admiral Collingwood and its as much a museum as a hotel, transporting you back in time to that era but also making you feel like you're in the setting of an Agatha Christie novel/TV show. The main part of the hotel is stunning with furniture, paintings and portraits from the Admiral's era, huge living room/gallery area upstairs off which are rooms and a big balcony. We were in this part of the hotel, but there were also single storey rooms around the small swimming pool. Lots of tables and chairs in shady or sunny areas in the grounds. The room in the main part was lovely, big, airy, comfortable, large bathroom, but note no fridge or kettle and note that the bar shuts in the afternoon just when you need it. We only stayed a night as we were finishing the Cami de Cavalls (its right on the route just as you get in to Mao) and it's convenient for the airport (5-10 mins in a cab) so didn't explore the surrounds too much but it was clear there was lots within a 20 min walk in either direction. Also didn't try dinner but the 'bar snacks' turned out to be a fairly full and good value menu, similarly the drinks. The reception gentlemen were very helpful and part of the atmosphere. Hard to do the place justice in writing, look at the pictures."

"This quirky hotel has some wonderful historic features, entrenched in British colonialism - but it's not without faults. On the positive side, it's decent value and and positioned well for walking to local amenities - shops & restaurants, etc. plus there are buses to travel further afield. The staff are outstanding - polite, cheerful and helpful, and the rooms are spacious, with ample storage and reliable wifi, The snacks available in the bar are decent and reasonably priced. The rooms are spacious, clean, and reasonably well-equipped with aircon and ample storage - but see below. On the negative side, there's no tea/coffee or fridge in the rooms - a surprisingly big downer. The beds are hard (personal taste perhaps) and the tiny TV offers ample German/Spanish/French choices, but just a couple of news channels in English, so it's tough to pass the time in bad weather. The compact shower had steep slopes on the floor and was so slippery, almost dangerous. The restaurant offers a decent continental breakfast with the world's slowest toaster, plus, strangely, cooked eggs, bacon, etc. at extra cost! In the evenings they offer pre-booked dinners at E18 with just 2 starters & 2 mains to choose from. The quality was also questionable. It's geared towards the mature-aged, so I wouldn't recommend it to youngsters or those with children."