Insotel Cala Mandia Resort

Stayed at this hotel 22nd - 29th October as a family of 2 adults and 1 teenager. Hotel is around 1 hour transfer from the airport direct. We arrived at 9.30pm and the buffet was closed however the restaurant opened at 10pm for arrivals and there was a small selection of bread, cheese, meats and salads. Checkin was quick and we paid the tourist tax there and then. Originally we'd paid for an upgrade to block D. However, we were given Block A on arrival. This is in the main block. The room was large, clean and modern. The room had a pool and sea view, the main beds were 2 single beds together, plenty of wardrobe space with TV and mini fridge. There was a separate living area which had 2 sofa beds, another TV and more wardrobe space. Overall, the rooms were nice, the beds however were as soft as a park bench, and the air conditioning was extremely poor, like a hairdryer blowing out warm air. The alacarte restaurants were closed when we stayed apart from the 50s diner which had no additional charge. Food here was OK but to be honest the buffet was excellent, food freshly made and various theme nights along with a vegetarian section and childrens section. Everyone will find something delicious to eat with self serve soft drinks and alcoholic drinks. Lots of different pools depending whether you prefer slides, entertainment or relaxation. There is something for everyone. Areas are clean and lots of sunbeds. Towels are collected from area C where a 20 euro deposit per towel is needed, this is paid at reception before collecting the towels. The beach is a 2 minute walk down a slight hill and is beautiful. Lovely little cover with soft sand and calm waters. Entertainment on an evening consisted of kids disco then usually some show. To be honest we stayed in the sports bar every night so never seen much of the entertainment. The sports bar shows mainly La Liga games but did have F1 on one night. There's loads of TVs and the barman refused to change TV channel when people were requesting specific games which is a shame given the hotel has all different nationalities and it wouldn't take much to let people watch a different game on one of the TVs. Not much outside the hotel however easy to get to Porto Cristo via taxi or land train, taxi is cheaper. We visited Drachs Caves and that was a lovely few hours out, would recommend visiting there as its only 5 minutes away from the hotel. Overall, a lovely hotel with plenty positives. Lots of facilities and something for everyone.

Just returned from a stay at the end of the season (22-29 October) in this wonderful hotel resort. We are a family of 4 (kids 7 & 9) and travelled with 3 other families with kids too. We booked a garden room (ground floor) in Area C (family area). I had read some pretty awful reviews before travelling and was nervous about what to expect. Fortunately, those reviews seem to be the minority with most staying here having a positive experience. We landed in Palma around 5:30pm and it took around 1 hour to get off the plane, go through border control, collect t baggage and find the TUI transfer bus. Keep in mind there were toilet stops along the way for kids etc. The transfer took us around 1 hour from Palma airport to the hotel, but we were the first to be dropped off. We arrived around 7:30/8pm and checked in. I had forgotten about the tourist tax but no big deal. We were advised that we could beach hire towels for the pool for €20 per towel, you can change these for fresh towels twice a week and on return, you get your €80 (4x towels) back. [Tip: keep the receipt for hiring the towels as you need that for getting the refund. You pay for the towels at reception but collect at the info centre at the entrance to area C.] After checking in, we went to the room to drop off our luggage and then to the buffet restaurant for some dinner as it closes at 9pm. Our room was lovely. It probably is due a wee upgrade in decor but wasn’t too bad. There was a separate bedroom for parents with 2x single beds pushed together. Lots of wardrobe space and space around the bed to get unpacked and luggage stowed along the wall. Kids had 2x single beds in the living room space. We had doors leading out to a patio undercover with table and chairs and two sun loungers in the garden. The air conditioning was good throughout the holiday. There is a small fridge is the room if required. The bathroom is spacious and has a shower over bath and our towels were changed daily. We stayed in room 2006 and it was right across from the splash park and a very short walk down the stairs from the pool - would highly recommend this area to stay in. In area C there is the Insi splash park with flumes and small pools and there is also a baby pool and bigger pool (max depth 1.3m) and a small pool near Insi kids club. There are a few different parks and tennis courts too. There is the Surf restaurant which we used for buffet lunch most days and it has bar service too. Food was fabulous! Kids can help themselves to ice cream. Drinks are generous with half gin / half tonic - beware! :) [Tip: drinks are served in small plastic cups or small wine glasses. Being yourself a plastic pint glass or gin glass etc on holiday for larger serving] The hotel has a spa (€), arcade for kids, indoor play room, indoor pool (€), and some a la carte restaurants. Due to it being the end of season, quite a lot of the a la carte restaurants were closed. We did fine at the Fifties diner one night for free whic

Although the resort was larger than I expected, it was well equipped with plenty to do for children. Food was ok for mass catering! Stayed in D block which was much quieter and we preferred it. Rooms recently refurbished which was good. Evening entertainment was better than expected which was a bonus. Other family stayed in block A and felt their rooms were quite basic and in need of refurbishment. All staff were courteous and helpful in particular Juan Carlos and Rowena and all the shuttle bus drivers.

Our first weeks holiday was a Marella cruise it was faultless then we picked this hotel for our second week what a let down the restaurant was like a cattle market and the food was cold staff were not very friendly , the animation team were very friendly the bedroom was okay but one day I went on the balcony and a bird had messed which I know this is normal but when it had still not been cleaned up after three days was not good also a table in the dining room was dirty I asked for it to be cleaned but with no response, would I stay here again definitely No

Insotel Cala Mandia Resort is made up of 4 areas, Area A is the where the main reception, buffet and entertainment are located. Area C is where the splash zone and children's slides are, This is where we spent all of our time, the facilities for children are brilliant, many pools, slides and 2 play parks when the sun is shining and an indoor splash zone and indoor play area located on floor -1 in Area A when the weather isn't the best. In Area B you can enjoy tapas at the Flower Power Restaurant and there is also a pool. These 3 areas are located right next to each other. We were located in Area D which is the furthest away, only a 3 minute walk but up a steep bank which is inconvenient, you can get a transfer bus if you don't want to walk it. The only time we spent in Area D was to eat breakfast and sleep, therefore I could not tell you much about what goes on in that Area. The buffet provides a good selection of warm and cold food, both savoury and sweet. Each night was different with fresh meat and fish cooked to your liking. All the staff were polite and welcoming. Unfortunately we were disappointed with the room and would rate it a 3 star if we based it off the room, Our room smelt strongly of the drains, we found it cold and uncomfortable and thought it was basic, tea and coffee provided would have been a nice touch. The smell attracted flies and the wardrobe and balcony door were extremely stiff and hard to close. The hotel is located in a quiet area but Porto Cristo can be located easily by bus or hop on train, they both only run by the hour. We enjoyed a trip to the Drach Caves which are 10 minutes away, Porto Cristo port which have lovely restaurants and Dinosaur land which is good to visit on a cloud day. The beach is lovely and only a short walk from Area A. Overall this is a great place to bring small children!

Staff were great especially reception, food was fine drinks ok not much variety in cocktails. Room was disappointing loose mosaic tiles in shower the actual shower not very good one minute ok next boiling. Vents to air con dusty.Balcony pretty bleak would class that actual room as 3*