MAR HOTELS PLAYA MAR & SPA

We recently stayed here as a family in a Premium Ground Floor Suite with Bali beds, and although our overall opinion seems to be in the minority compared with many of the reviews, we came away feeling quite disappointed. From the moment we arrived, the welcome didn’t get the holiday off to the best start. There was nobody available to help with luggage, and when we reached reception the staff continued speaking amongst themselves in Spanish for around a minute before acknowledging us. There was no welcome drink or introduction to the hotel we were simply handed our wristbands and directed towards our room, leaving us to wheel all of our luggage across the resort ourselves. Our room was in Block 3. While it was spacious and well presented, the private garden with Bali beds wasn’t particularly private. It backed directly onto the children’s play area and overlooked the main entertainment/snack seating area. The hedge separating it all was quite low, so there was very little sense of privacy. The biggest disappointment for us was how busy the hotel felt. The pool area seemed far too small for the number of guests, and by 9am virtually every sunbed had been taken. What puzzled me was that there appeared to be around 50 unused sunbeds stacked in a corner. Reception told me the hotel wasn’t even fully booked, which makes me wonder where those extra beds could realistically have gone, because space already felt extremely limited. Personally, I wouldn’t want to visit during the main summer holidays if this is how busy it felt beforehand. We had deliberately travelled before the English school holidays, thinking it would be quieter, but hadn’t realised that the Scottish holidays had already started. There were large numbers of children staying at the hotel, and unfortunately some of their behaviour spoiled the experience. Older children were climbing up the water slides and sitting in the exits, preventing younger children from getting off safely. I reported this to the lifeguard on more than one occasion, but nothing appeared to be done. The food was another major let-down. While the themed evenings sounded promising, we found the overall quality poor. Much of the food lacked flavour and seasoning, and the meat was often fatty. The snack bar wasn’t much better. On several occasions the burgers were undercooked. I raised this with staff more than once, but there was little improvement. Because of this, we ended up eating out on most days, which actually became one of the highlights of the holiday. The walk down to the beach and the surrounding restaurants was lovely, much quieter, and offered a far more relaxed atmosphere than the hotel itself. To be fair, the entertainment team worked hard and provided good entertainment each evening, despite how busy the hotel was. The location is also excellent, with Port de Pollença being a beautiful resort that we absolutely fell in love with. We would return to Port de Pollença without hesitation. Sadly, though, we wouldn’t return to this hotel. We never really found ourselves looking forward to going back there at the end of each day, which probably says everything. We had a nice holiday because the surrounding area is fantastic, not because of the hotel itself. I appreciate many people clearly enjoy staying here, but unfortunately our experience was very different.

I'd looked at this hotel several times before but was always put off by the awful, plastic waterslide feature which I assumed meant the place was overrun with small children. Well, I was proved very wrong. Yes, the waterslide is there (but you hardly notice it) and yes, there are a lot of small children but there is a huge amount more to this hotel. First impressions were positive with a pristine, tranquil reception area and small manicured garden with fish ponds. We had one of the premier rooms with outdoor day-bed but I would not bother with this again as we did not use it. I'd rather book one of the 1st or 2nd floor rooms with balcony. Our apartment did have a full size bed adjacent to the living room which was perfect for our 16yo as it gave us all a bit of space and privacy. The hotel is made up of 4 separate blocks, only 3 floors high. Each corridor has a water dispenser and rooms have fridge and microwave so ideal for families. Highlights for us were: - the AI drinks (my liver is still recovering) Never had to queue once and they have waiter service at night - the food. I hate excessive buffets and associated food-waste but the the hotel's was perfect with something to suit everyone, freshly prepared, regularly replenished and 'theme' nights. - the animation team. Onsite entertainment is simply not my thing but these guys, especially Andrea, were great. No cajoling of guests wanting to keep themselves to themselves but genuinely there to make sure those who did, had a good time. The water polo was especially entertaining and my shy son even joined in. It was as entertaining to watch as it was to take part! The paella and sangria demo was also very good. - the staff. All friendly and efficient. Arrived home to discover that husband left his Kindle behind and they're currently sorting out its return. - cleanliness. Absolutely no issues. - location. At the far end of the Pine Walk so very quiet and an enjoyable, 20-30 minute stroll to the centre of town. Downsides - the gym. Not up to much at all. If you're serious about training, use the private one in town. - suite with outside day-bed. Not worth the extra money in my opinion - evening entertainment. I can't comment on that for children but there was not much for adults. That said, most people seemed happy to entertain themselves. I'd say this hotel offers something for everyone - solo travellers, friends, couples and families. I usually return from hotels saying "it was good but....." On this occasion I really struggle to find fault and I can understand why people return year after year. I certainly would !