Have you booked your Summer holiday yet?
Nestled on the east coast of beautiful Majorca, right next to a white-sand cove beach, surrounded by palms, pine trees and lawns is Insotel Cala Mandia Resort.
Just a 5-minute drive from Porto Cristo, a lazy fishing village with a relaxing vibe, perfect if you want to retreat and get away from it all, but still within easy reach of the more lively resort of Cala Millor which is only a short taxi ride away.
We arrived at Cala Mandia at around midday on a busy day in August at the heart of the school holidays. We were welcomed into the hotel and very quickly we were given all the relevant information regarding our stay and escorted to our room.
Myself and my husband along with our 12 year old son were staying in a deluxe room which I could not fault, we had a massive bed, large terrace balcony and the bathroom was spacious and clean, Henry had his own lounge area which doubled as his bedroom. We were also perfectly positioned within the resort, just above the main pool with a view of the sea.
All rooms are at least 40 square meters and feature a separate enclosed bathroom area, as well as small living area.
The resort is separated into three sections:
Area A, which houses the main pools, the main dinning areas, the spa, one of the main evening entertainment areas as well as a gorgeous adult only pool, bar and restaurant for when you need to spend a few hours away from the kids.
Area B, consists of a nice pool, a tapas restaurant and the outdoor stage for more live evening entertainment.
Area C, home to the water/splash park, large pool, a grill restaurant, an outdoor playground, all the sports facilities which include a basketball court, tennis courts and to Henrys delight a 4G football pitch.
We spent the majority of our time in Area A, finding the same spot next to the main pool almost every day. The pool was busy without being too busy and the constant supply of chocolate ice creams kept my husband and son very happy in the blistering heat. Various activities were put on throughout the day in and around the pool including two pool aerobics sessions and a water polo match which became quite competitive to say the least.
Bikes can be hired from the hotel.
Just a short walk down a picturess walkway from the resort is one of two cove beaches which are very close to each other. We often took a stroll down here and spent one of our days at the beach where we were able to hire sun beds and sip cocktails from the beach bar whilst reading a good book. The sea was quite choppy on this particular day but the water was still crystal clear and lifeguards were keeping a watchful eye.
If you fancied a day out of the resort, one of the islands top attractions – the Caves of Drach is a short taxi drive away.
Back at the resort the food choices were varied and delicious, breakfast and lunch had everything you would expect including a variety of healthy options. We are a family of fussy eaters however for dinner we always found something we liked. We could choose one evening meal at the tapas restaurant, one at the Grill restaurant and one at the adults only restaurant which we took full advantage of on an evening when Henry was busy being entertained at a club, the rest of the week we ate at the main buffet style restaurant which was more than satisfactory. From time to time the hotel staff gave out sangria or champagne cocktails as guests entered the restaurants.
There was also a snack bar during the day which offered a good variety of food and ice creams. The bar was brilliant and the staff were very friendly.
From 7pm-8pm every evening there was a disco for the little ones, all the children get involved and the staff were incredible with them. Although too young for Henry who just wants to play on his phone, this did lead perfectly into the main entertainment which usually started at about 9pm in one of the main entertainment areas. The shows were some of the best we have ever seen at a family resort and we found it was very easy to make new friends.
Friends of ours also recently stayed at Cala Mandia with a 2 and 4 year old and found the resort equally as good. They spent most of their time at the splash park as well as making full use of all the kids clubs which allowed them a good few hours each day to relax at the adults only pool.
All in all Cala Mandia was an excellent choice of holiday, it is a family friendly resort but also caters for adult only groups. One of the stand out reasons we enjoyed ourselves so much was the staff, not only the management team who were excellent but the entertainment staff who were constantly trying to get us involved with activities and we instantly found ourselves on first name terms with most of them. The resort was clean, the food was excellent and there was a constant flow of activities for children of all ages.
Summary
The Journey
A two hour flight from the UK means Majorca will always be a great option for families, however Cala Mandia is on the other side of the island from the airport so the transfer will take at least an hour.
The Location
The location around the main hotel is very nice and has a supermarket, shops and a few bars. Quiet fishing village Porto Christo is just 4km away. The beach is a very short distance from the hotel and is very good.
The Hotel
Lovely and clean in a beautiful setting. Many swimming pools to choose from without the normal rush in the mornings for sunbeds.
The Rooms
All rooms are at least 40 square meters and feature a separate enclosed bathroom area, as well as a small living area. They also come with a safe.
Food & Facilities
At least 5 restaurants each with a great variety of food to pick from.
Entertainment
Daily clubs for all ages, fitness and games around the pools throughout the day and a great choice of live entertainment each night.
Project Baby Rating: 5/5
