Apartamentos Cala d'Or Playa

We had a lovely stay at Hotel Apartamentos Playa Cala d’Or. From arrival, we found the welcome warm and the apartment very clean, modern and well equipped. It had everything we needed for self-catering, including a small fridge, hob, kettle and microwave. We picked up pastries from the nearby shops each morning and made sandwiches for lunch, but ate out every evening. The apartment was cleaned every two days and towels were also changed every two days. The only slight negative was that the towels are quite well worn, with some threads coming away, so they could probably do with being replaced. Pool area The pool area is very well kept, with plenty of sun loungers, although you do need to be organised to get one. We went down before 10am and had no problem finding loungers. At 10am, the lifeguard carries out her checks and gives warning cards to loungers that have been left unattended. If you don’t return within 30 minutes, belongings are removed and the loungers are freed up. These checks continue throughout the day. We found the lifeguard to be fair, hardworking and very good at keeping the pool area tidy and making sure the rules were followed. No inflatables on her watch! There is a different attendant at weekends, when things seemed a little more relaxed. You will also need your own parasol if you want shade around the pool. We bought one locally for €20. Some guests leave theirs behind and pass them on, and there is a stash in a black box near the stage. Families and entertainment I would say this resort is particularly suited to families with younger children, probably around 0–8 years. It is very popular with families and there are lots of activities and entertainment throughout the day. Our children are 11 and, although they still enjoyed themselves, they did feel a little too old for the hotel compared with the younger children. The entertainment is good and does try to accommodate different ages. Food and drinks The food available at the resort is fairly average – chips, sandwiches, pizza etc. It was fine for a quick lunch, but we felt the quality was quite low for the price, with food starting at around €7. Drinks can also be on the expensive side, with soft drinks around €4.50. Location The location is excellent. Cala Esmeralda and the fruit man are around a 5-minute walk away, while the centre of Cala d’Or is around 10 minutes away, with loads of restaurants and places to eat. We used Mercado supermarket, which is around a 0.7-mile walk away. It had a much bigger choice and better value than the smaller local supermarkets, with fresh salads, a hot counter, drinks and everything else we needed. The only downside is getting a taxi back if you’ve done a big shop. We found it very difficult to get a taxi, so be prepared to carry your shopping back! Overall Overall, we had a good stay. The apartments are clean, modern and well maintained, the pool area is tidy and well managed, and there are plenty of activities and entertainment. I would particularly recommend it for families with younger children. For families with older children or teenagers, you may find they outgrow the resort quite quickly.

We have just returned from a 10 night stay and had a fabulous time! Check in was very quick and we were able to get straight into our room on arrival which was great! We stayed in block one room 13. The room was nice and spacious! It has 2 sofas with mattress style cushions to use as sofa beds (no pull out beds) we moved these cushions into the main bedroom with us so our toddler could sleep in our room. The bathroom was clean and had everything we needed. Although the shower went onto the floor but nothing a towel couldn’t resolve. The pool area was good but busy as expected for school holidays. Quite a few of the sun loungers are in need of an upgrade I feel and also there are only large fixed parasols in certain areas so most guests had bought their own beach umbrellas to use which isn’t ideal really…. Also the sun beds are so close together so unless you get beds on the end your sat right next to a stranger with beds touching which was slightly uncomfortable. I’d say you need to be up by 8/8.30 to get a sunbed however the lifeguard was very good at removing ones reserved and not in use when she started at 10am. The pool is shallower than where we have stayed previously so was more child friendly, but in turn did get very warm so not much of a way to cool down… around the pool is very slippy many adults & children fell and hurt themself whilst we were there. Textured tiles should be used in my opinion. Nicole (lifeguard) however was absolutely fantastic a real credit to the hotel. She was friendly, attentive, kind and professional and helped quickly when my little girl fell and cut her knee. No inflatables are allowed apart from swimming aids which we knew before arriving but some were left dissapointed. The entertainment team do an amazing job and are always full of energy they were all great special shoutout to Juan who we all loved! The area for the mini disco and entertainment was a little small in my opinion and it was a real shame the bouncy castle was never put up at night. It would be up some day times but feel it would have been an added bonus to have it up in the evening to keep the children entertained. The food round the pool was ok but we preferred to eat out. The drinks/icecreams were expensive especially juice/kids drinks so we tended to get a few from the supermarket up the road to have round the pool. 5 minute walk to a few restaurants and a further 10-15 min walk to lots of others and the main areas. Overall we really enjoyed our time here, I would return again.

A Wonderful Family Holiday at Hotel Cala D'Or Playa We have just returned from a wonderful 10-day stay at Hotel Cala D'Or Playa, and overall we had a fantastic holiday. This is a perfect hotel for families, although if you are looking for a quiet, relaxing adults-only type of holiday, this probably isn't the place for you. Our little one absolutely loved the water carpet, swimming pool and, most of all, the slides. The animation team were brilliant and went above and beyond with the children, providing lots of activities and entertainment around the pool. The pool area can get quite busy, and if you wanted a good spot, you needed to put your towels down around 8:30am. The female lifeguard starts work at 10am and, quite rightly in my opinion, removes towels if people haven't returned by around 10:30am. I actually think she could have been even stricter and removed unoccupied towels straight away. She was, however, one of the best and most helpful lifeguards I have come across at any resort. She was very attentive, involved with the children and always happy to help. I do think the hotel needs more parasols, as there simply weren't enough for everyone. If you wanted guaranteed shade, you might have to buy one from a local shop. We only had the buffet breakfast once. The food was very nice, but at €40 for two adults and one child, we didn't feel it offered good value for money. The bar food and drinks were also very good, and the crepes were amazing! However, we did find the prices a little expensive. The paper cups provided around the pool also didn't last very long, so perhaps reusable plastic cups would be a better option. We didn't eat at the hotel in the evenings because there are so many fantastic restaurants in Cala D'Or to choose from. The bar staff were always very friendly, welcoming and helpful. We didn't get to see much of the evening entertainment because it had usually finished by the time we returned to the hotel. This wasn't a problem for us, though, as we actually enjoyed the quiet and relaxed atmosphere after 10pm. We stayed in a one-bedroom pool-view apartment, which was very clean, spacious and well equipped. It even had a kettle, which was a nice touch. The room was cleaned every day by the housekeeping team, who were absolutely brilliant. Unfortunately, we did come across a cockroach on two separate occasions. I informed the cleaning staff, who responded immediately by deep-cleaning and spraying the areas where they had been found. I have nothing but praise for how professionally and promptly the cleaning staff dealt with the situation. The one area where I feel the hotel falls down quite badly is the shower and changing facilities by reception. We had an evening transfer and needed to use them before leaving, and they really are in need of a major upgrade. A waste bin and hairdryer in the changing area would also be useful additions. Despite these few criticisms, we had a thoroughly enjoyable stay at Hotel Cala D'Or Playa. The staff were friendly, the facilities were great for families, and our little one had an amazing time. We would definitely consider returning in the future and would happily recommend the hotel to families looking for a fun and lively family holiday.