Tried and Tested- Hotel Condesa 4*, Alcudia, Mallorca.

All Inclusive Plus with Jet2 Holidays.

After what appeared to be the longest, darkest, wettest winter of all time on the Isle of Man I decided I had to get away in search of blue skies. So, at Easter I took the plunge and booked a getaway. This trip was a little different because I booked it at the last minute and my husband couldn’t get the time off work. It became a girl’s trip, just myself with my 9-year-old daughter. This didn’t really bother me, I’ve travelled a great deal independently and it made the process of choosing a destination easier as there were the needs of one less person to consider!

I learnt a long time ago- happy child, happy mummy. So, my daughters’ criteria took president in finding the perfect hotel. Her needs are simple, water slides and beach. My criteria were all inclusive, sunshine, hassle free travel and safe, especially as the middle east was at its peak when I booked this.  I very quickly narrowed the search to Mallorca because of sensible flight times, Liverpool departure (meaning I could take the boat, with daughter and luggage travelling free!). We needed to stay overnight but the Hampton Hotel at Liverpool airport is SO close to the terminal it couldn’t be easier. And Spain having told Trump he couldn’t use their air bases was very safe and sensible in my opinion.

We arrived at the Hotel Condesa and my first impressions were good. Check in was slick, we were immediately given our all-inclusive bands which were also our room key, very cool! Our room on the fourth floor had the most gorgeous view, I paid extra for a sea view, and it was worth it, the balcony was spacious. We had a double room for single parent use. The room was cosy but it had everything we needed, the bathroom modern and spacious. The room had a fridge, safe, water jug, hairdryer, open plan wardrobe area and the bed was comfortable.

We immediately got pool ready and went to explore. The hotel has two pool areas, a splash park for younger children as well as a dry playground. It is also on the beach, literally open the gate and you are on the sand. The sand is white, super soft and the sea a warm, shallow, turquoise lagoon, perfect for children.  The water slides were much better than I expected, from the photos they looked more suitable for younger children. However, they were perfect for my 9-year-old. There were 3, all quite fast and kept my daughter content for hours, the slide pool is heated and has a lifeguard. Next to the slide pool is the snack bar, which serves soft drinks, beer, wine, nuggets, hotdogs, salads, chips, nachos and ice cream. This was open for most of the day. The food here was enjoyable and we opted to eat lunch at the snack bar instead of the main restaurant to maximise our time in the sun.

The main pool also has a lifeguard on duty; the pool is a relaxed free flowing shape. The center of the pool is very shallow, so I found it a challenge to swim lengths. Luckily, I mostly wanted to bob about on my floatie. The main pool is not heated, which in April was very fresh. Around both pools there were ample sun loungers. The main bar is located by the large pool. The range of drinks was exactly what you would expect from a full hotel bar, beers, wines, soft drinks, specialty coffees, cocktails. My favourite morning combo was a latte with a mojito on the side. School holiday supervision is so much easier on an all-inclusive in the sun by the pool!

The main restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner all as a buffet. The food was good, always plenty of choice, I particularly enjoyed the salad station and the desserts. The theme nights were welcome to mix up the vibe in the restaurant; I loved the Asian and the Mexican themed nights. The restaurant can be busy, I would recommend coming down for dinner a little later and missing the rush. There were always vegan and vegetarian choices as well as a separate gluten free buffet. Our stay was just at the start of the summer season; they didn’t have the children’s buffet up and running yet. I managed to get round this by feeding my daughter at pool snack bar just before it closed and then at dinner, she topped up with salad, fruit and dessert. In high season there is also an a-la carte restaurant by the pool, but this wasn’t open for our stay.

The hotel has a full entertainment schedule, with children’s disco, live music and shows every day. As well as kids club and daytime activities such as darts and aqua aerobics. After dinner we headed to the children’s disco and enjoyed the music while playing card games in the bar. We tended to head to bed early, but it was possible to watch all the later live shows from our balcony as it overlooked the main stage.

There is a very chic roof top bar, with cabanas and excellent sea views. During the day the bar doubles as a coffee lounge. We would often start our day on the roof, have a latte, my daughter would read her book, and I would take in the views. In the evening the bar is adults only and not part of the all-inclusive.

For the most part the weather was a very pleasant 22’C, however we did have two colder days. It’s a chance you take with Europe in April. On one of these days, we opted to go and explore Alcudia old town. The bus stop was two minutes from the hotel and navigating the buses was easy. We spent the day mooching around the shops, had lunch out and enjoyed our time in the old town. (If you don’t fancy the bus into town, the hotel has some shops, cafes and pharmacy within two minutes’ walk).  On the other day my daughter spent the entire day in the slide pool. It was only 14’C but she is from the Isle of Man! The pool was heated and she had the pool all to herself for the whole day. One swimmer, one lifeguard, me and the whole snack bar team all to herself! I wrapped up in a blanket on the sun lounger, fed the little birds, read my book and listened to choir music to get Guild ready, it was a very pleasant day.

Once the sun was out again, we took a day trip to HidroPark Alcudia for my waterslide obsessed daughter. It was only 10 minutes away, so I opted to take a local taxi to get us there and back. We had booked our tickets online for one of the days that was very cold. I emailed the park and they happily transferred our tickets over to the next sunny day. The Hidropark had plenty of slides for a 9-year-old and a few too many for me! On this day I missed my husband as normally waterslides are his department. But I tried my best and went down as many as I could. In the afternoon my daughter made a friend and they went down together thankfully leaving me to watch the bags. The pools in the water park were freezing! But we had an excellent time.

It’s worth a note to say the Hotel Condesa has worked very hard to become an accessible hotel. All areas of the hotel are accessible with ramps; both pools have easy access. The slide pool has large, wide steps with a rail. The main pool has a large, shallow, ramped entry with rails. Which I found very handy for getting on my floatie! The only down sound is the large pool not being heated but I imagine later in the season this wouldn’t be an issue. The hotel has special reserved sun beds right by the pools edge for disabled users. The lifeguards are also very helpful. I noted several guests who were either wheelchair users or had physical disabilities who seemed to be able to use the facilities with ease and I especially enjoyed seeing families being able to use all the facilities together. The restaurant appeared to take allergies seriously and as I mentioned catered for coeliacs by having a separate gluten free buffet.

All the staff at the hotel were helpful and professional with excellent customer service.

Another thing I wanted to mention is that Mallorca is cycling OBSESSED. I did not know this; there were cyclists everywhere. It was like TT week but instead of Motorbikes it was bicycles.  It seems Mallorca has become a huge cycling destination to train in the hilly, mild climate. Many hotels offer cycle hire, or you can hire a bike in town. Many brought their own bikes; the vibe is more professional cyclist in padded shorts rather than basket and bell heading to the beach. But this made me realise in future this would be an ideal destination for my husband as he loves cycling.  

Stay at The Hotel Condesa on an All Inclusive Plus basis in a double room with a side sea view from Wednesday, 30th September, for £1,293 per person for a 7-night stay. The package includes flights, coach transfers, 22kg hold luggage, and 10kg hand luggage, departing from Liverpool.