"I'm writing this as someone who has travelled extensively, with a wide range of experience of accommodation from basic hostels all the way to 5 star plus resorts. This hotel is generally rated 3 stars - although Jet2 rate it as 2 Plus, I'm unsure why. My review may seem negative in places but it'll be honest and also highlight the positives!
The staff were generally polite and approachable although the check in process was unbelievably long, especially at 2am with no one else at the desk. I was overcharged on the tourist tax by one night and tried to point this out, getting nowhere. I also paid to hire a fan - there wasn't one when they checked, I had to wait 24 hours, thus being overcharged one night for that, and got nowhere when trying to request the partial refund a different member of staff had previously said I could claim in that event. Queues at the desk were sometimes frustrating, and a lot of guests had no concept of queueing. Staff wouldn't call them out on this, but the Spanish are chilled folk generally, and who wants to put themselves in that situation? So if you go, be prepared to learn how to say 'excuse me, there is a queue' in a few languages - German, Spanish, French, Russian!!
Food... the bit I think lets the hotel down somewhat, I say this with the caveat that I personally ate well as I can throw together a meal easily. Some of the meals were excellent. I loved the Mexican night on a Wednesday! The salad offerings were brilliant. The meat at times was badly prepared, I cut my mouth open on a poorly butchered chicken wing, but generally there was always something. The baked white fish was delicious. The kids food, sadly, is the same bland offering of anaemic chicken nuggets, chips, pasta and pizza daily. Even children who rely on plain/safe food were struggling because the texture of the kids food was like cardboard and it was so cheaply prepared that it didn't taste appetising at all. On our first day at lunch, cheese croquettes were incorrectly labelled as chicken nuggets - I told staff, and the same thing happened at dinner! Massive allergen concern, although none of the dishes were well labelled, and at times seemed to not be kept at an ambient temperature like it would in the UK - different country, different rules, maybe? That said, we did not have a poorly stomach at any point! The snack bar was where my son relied upon for toasties and chips as the quality of the kids food was really poor to be honest, even for standard kids fodder!! The cakes for dessert were gorgeous, and there was lots of lovely fresh fruit. Hot dogs at breakfast repeatedly was the biggest failure although REAL sausages were served on our final day and they were delicious.
The drinks system - one euro for a cup, reuse, and get your euro back at the end - was fine albeit the cups are too small. You cannot get an ice cream (part of the all inclusive) from the bar without handing your cup in and exchanging for an ice cream cup... so you cannot have a drink an ice cream at the same time, unless you purchase another cup token. A bit odd and doesn't seem to tally with 'all inclusive'. The drinks choices were fine, staff were sometimes slow to replace the syrup when finished but it was busy. The self-serve closed in the evening so from about 7 you have to go to the bar and wait in a long queue just for a cup of Pepsi, which is frustrating, they should have self serve open still for non alcohol drinkers.
The pool is lovely, just what you need for the family - water parks and splash parks are fun but really, when you have the daytime entertainment going on, music playing all day, and the lovely pool (technically 3, and then a toddler splash pool near the tennis court), it's honestly the last thing you're thinking of. Very relaxed vibes. Not enough sunbeds that can sit up - I got up early to grab some, as I have back problems, never had an issue getting two. No poo incidents during our stay - if you know, you know. If you don't, don't worry about it...
Our room was clean, comfortable, basic, but what we needed. Balcony had a great view over the area and sea. Bathroom was super modern! Bed was really firm, typical for Spain, and I personally loved it. We slept like logs! Air conditioning is weak, and motion activated therefore turned off in the night annoyingly. The lifts are TINY and seem to take ages to come when ordered - people with double prams had issues. Noise insulation is minimal, but being third floor, it wasn't a huge issue other than a couple of times.
People leaving tend to leave towels, sun cream and inflatables, which is lovely!
The hotel grounds are very well maintained, there's a tennis court, football pitch, play area, kids club area, well-stocked shop, and daily activities for the adults as well as the kids, we were really impressed. There's a path down to Cala Domingos - took us less than 10 minutes. A sewage pipe did seem to be leaking halfway down there (not on hotel property) - and you couldn't just step over the leak either. However, it seemed to be sorted within a few days. The hotel has it's own outdoor shower on the path within hotel grounds. The beach itself is small, busy but beautiful with refreshments available, nice sun beds and parasols to hire, and a port on the corner for boat trips (the port is not suitable for those with mobility issues, a big pre-warning!!!!!!). The tap on the beach is supposed to be three - only one works, the queue is ridiculous and people put pressure on you to hurry up so take some bottled water for cleaning sand off your feet.
We liked that the hotel has facilities for those waiting all day once checked out - there's luggage storage, showers, toilets, and you can still use your all inclusive. We spotted sandwich, snacks and drinks vending machines for late check ins, which is thoughtful. We spent 8:30-5 by the pool and swimming on our last day, before heading in to get ready for our transport. It was really relaxing and a nice way to end our holiday.
The location itself is great and really beautiful - the transfer is really not that long! You may be told 1.5-2 hours but most of that is waiting for lollygaggers coming through the airport at a leisurely pace. It took us less than an hour both ways and our drivers didn't hang around for long. The Calas De Mallorca area is more quiet than the Palma and Alcudia resorts, with more budget hotels than the more affluent resorts, but there's still a vibrant night life albeit more chilled bars. The Michael Jackson tribute is OUT OF THIS WORLD - do not miss him! Mon & Fri at The Travellers Inn, and every other Wednesday at the restaurant next door too. The kids fair is well maintained and not too expensive. Minature golf was fun. Lots of lovely little shops.
We did the Moonfish glass bottom boat up to Cala Millor, it wasn't expensive via the travel centre in town, and opted to do the shorter trip. We had two swim stops (the centre told us one wrongly so we were happy) and it was great to swim in the sea, jumping off the boat and using the slide. There were drinks and snacks available to purchase on board, and toilets. The longer version of this trip allows you a few hours at Cala Millor - the beach is lovely, and there's a Burger King (amongst other eateries) for anyone desperate for a non-hotel meal!
All in all, I would definitely come back for a budget last minute sun break - it's a solid choice, and as long as you're prepared (and not expecting 5 star luxury for such a low price), you'll have so much fun. We had a lovely relaxing holiday. My son has additional needs as well, and the hotel seemed to be great for him as well as other kids with SEND. He enjoyed the kids entertainment at night, which he has NEVER been able to tolerate - ear defenders on, filming the entertainment instead of dancing, but he was up front engaging with the animation team who were lovely!
Final note - our experience may not reflect that of others, particularly those staying in the apartments, where there's been some reports of fighting, issues with having to pay to hire a bath plug etc."
