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Panorama Beach / Don Miguel - Puerto Pollensa

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - May 2003

Opinion submitted in May 2003 by : Simon Beer - Hertfordshire (26,23)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Average

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

My wife and I booked this holiday through Thomson, to be honest I feel we received quite a good deal on a spring get away to recharge.

Firstly Puerto Pollenca is a gorgeous resort with long golden man made beaches, these are set off by the view of mountains surrounding you out to sea, coupled with yachts and planes constantly buzzing around this makes for opulent and attractive "eye candy".

In May the resort is just coming to life and out of its winter hibernation.  This is a resort to be enjoyed and one to relax in, night clubs and rowdy bars are left to the likes of Palma.  Puerto Pollenca - think quiet and relaxing, popular with a more mature holiday maker.

A great choice of places to eat ranging from "British Pubs", to some great sea food and traditional restaurants; something for everyone.

The Panormaic Beach and Don Miguel Appartments are one and the same, all 7 blocks are still independantly owned and family run.  On arrival we were allocated a small dark and typically 1970's decor meets MFI room on the ground floor, opening the shutters we were immediately greeted with a "Keep of the grass" sign, nice!  After sharing a sleepless night with the blocks water boiler we were moved to a much nicer room closer to the mountains.

What can I say, it was lovely.  Obviously built and furnished more recently.  On the final day we extended our stay till 6pm and were moved in to the main hotel and were met again with an old fashion room.

This hotel is a real experience, the owner is very lively bordering on hyperactive, but remains a gentleman who will go to lengths to ensure his guests are happy.  Room wise it really is luck of the draw.

A final point to note, on talking with several bar/restaurant owners about our accomodation is quickly became evident that locally this hotel is known as Fawlty Towers.  Manuell...

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Panorama Golden Beach - Puerto Pollensa

Operator and Date: alpharooms.com  august 2006

Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Catherine Wareing (44, 14)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Firstly let me just clear up Panorama Beach, Panorama Golden beach and Don Miguel apartments are all part of the same complex. 

We stayed in a twin room half board. The room was lovely and was kept really clean, with beds made and bins emptied everyday. The only thing that lets this warm and friendly hotel down is the food. It was a buffet style meal which was soup(powder based) but worth a bowl to taste it, a salad bar with basic salad ingredients but sometimes soaked in vinegar, next was the main meal usually some sort of meat and fish then always chips and either rice or pasta (tinned ravioli) they offer dessert which would be ice cream and fruit (usually melon) with cake on offer. Breakfast was cereals toast preserves friut juice and tea or coffee bread rolls citrus cakes yoghurts pates. 

Puerto Pollensa was a beautiful place with a lovely beach and warm sea. While there we went on a banana boat which was fun for just 10 euros each and parasailing for 45 euros each with the two of us going up together (50 euros single) which was really worth doing! The beach was a short walk from the hotel passing two friendly british bars on the way which had entertainment every night and quite nice food. The hotel pool is very friendly but cold compaired to the sea. The hotel bar offers food menu which is better than the half board buffet and quite cheap there is also a pool table their. There is a 15min bus journey to alcudia on offer that runs regulary on the main road. puerto pollensa is a lovely place worth a visit. 

We enjoyed our holiday very much with the only let down being the food. Hope you have a nice time there.

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Panorama Golden Beach - Puerto Pollensa

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson skytours september 04

Opinion submitted in Oct 2004 by : Peter smith - London (23,25)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

While staying at the Golden Panorama beach we had a fantasic time. the hotel is run by a nice freindly family who really looked after us. the food was ok but its a 2 star at the end of the day. my thomson rep Ashley was really friendly and helpful could not do enough for us. we made some great friends at the hotel and they said the same about him not like normal reps he was always around when you needed him. the owner is getting on a little now and still stuck in his ways but he is ok. 

the resort is really nice only 2 mins from the beach. We stayed in the hotel but did ask the rep to see the apartments both were ok a little old dated realy clean.

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Panorama Golden Beach - Puerto Pollensa

Operator and Date: Sky Tours - September 2004

Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by : McDonaugh's (35,36,2)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Below Average

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Having arrived at around 04.30am we were all pretty shattered.  We paid for 1 week half-board accomodation in the hotel. 

On arrival we were taken to our room and had to immediately take our clothes off because the room was like an oven.  there was no ventilation at all only a balcony with a door which had to be kept closed during the day for security reasons and safety as we had a 2 yr old wee boy.  Having approximately 4 feet from the beds to the wall there was no room to move at all and the only space for clothes etc was a wardrobe which could barely fit our suitcases in.  

So needless to say we asked the rep if we could have an apartment.  He was as much use as a chocolate teapot.  Any kind of confrontation he would just melt and say "speak to the manager".  Luckily an apartment became free around 12 noon that day.  Unfortunately we could only keep it for 5 days and had to vacate the day before our final day so it was back in the room like an oven again!  

We were very disappointed with the quality of food at the hotel.  Soup - powder with water.  Fish fingers for my wee boy which were cold!  Needless to say we didnt go back for food to the hotel.  The cost of the apartment was an extra 20 euros a night too and having to buy food (which we hadnt counted on!)it became an expensive holiday.  The rep would just say well what do you expect on a cheap holiday.  Well, we expect not to be sold a room with no ventilation with a 2 yr old boy.!!!

however saying that we would go back to the apartments again as they were extremely spacious and cleaned every day.  The pool was small and clean and its only a 3 minute walk from the hotel to the beach.  The apartments are centered mainly across the road from the hotel and there are other apartments further up a road nearby.  There are ground floor apartments that look on to the pool, however there is no way to stop youngsters running out and into the pool.  So if you have small tots I would suggest you ask for an apartment on a higher floor.  

We had to vacate our hotel room on the final day at 12 noon and we were not getting collected until 1.30am the next morning!  so we asked if we could get a room for the day/night until the coach arrived.  The hotel said it would cost us 25 euros and could only keep the room until 6.00pm that night!  I think that was terrible, especially when you have a baby or toddler to consider.  They did put on a room for approx 15 mins each to have a shower.  

All in all the week was good (as we got our apartment) and the weather was georgous and the beach lovely.
We would definately book there again for next year.

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Panorama Golden Beach - Puerto Pollensa

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Skytours July 2004

Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : George Holmes - Stamford 47,13,9

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Average

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

I booked this hotel on a late deal and considering the cost there wasn't too much to complain about.The rooms are basic but clean.Our room was at the front of the hotel directly above the bar, this wasn't a problem for noise apart from a loose manhole in the road which echoed between the buildings when run over. Lots of traffic passing all hours of the day and night.

An interesting feature of our bathroom was the louvre door hatch on the service riser, this enable you to hear what was going on in all the other bathrooms fed by that riser, sometimes in too much detail!! 

The owner, Don Miguel is a real character and will regale you with the history of his 52 year old Citroen car given half a chance, he also has an eye for the single mature lady guests on entertainment nights taking to the dance floor regularly. OK the food wasn't up to much but the kids said the childrens menu was OK. English breakfast is now on offer for 3 euros for guests and 5 euros for self caterers. For 5.25 euros you can get a "full monty" breakfast at the Jolly Sailor 2 mins away.

A short walk to the main road reveals a wide sandy beach with handy snack bar and safe shallow water for all to enjoy, also very close are bus stops either side of the road and zebra crossings close by too.

You can take the bus to Alcudia for 1.30 euro, but beware the hidropark, its a rip off price for entry then lots of extra charges for sunbeds and lockers.

Overall we enjoyed our stay and found the hotel staff extremely friendly and helpful, we had a late checkout room until 1.30am the following morning which was excellent.

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Apartments Paqui - Puerto Pollensa

Operator and Date: internet - Sept 03

Opinion submitted in Mar 2004 by : John Harris - Liverpool (42, 38, 38, 35)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This resort has everything - wonderful scenery, beautiful sandy beaches and a laid-back friendly atmosphere. The sheltered horseshoe shaped bay is set against the stunning backdrop of the Boquer mountain range. No wonder it remains a favourite with families and couples who return time and time again.

Originally a fishing village Puerto Pollensa retains the time old tradition of the evening paseo or stroll. On warm, balmy evenings everyone wanders up and down between the marina where the yachts are moored, past the pavement cafes and along the celebrated Pine Walk. You will find restaurants with typical food and lovely atmosphere.

Our holiday accommodation - a 3 bedroom apartment - was just fantastic and our hosts were very friendly. We could just call it home away from home. All necessary amenities were closeby. However, it was a quiet villa area with a large swimming pool just 50 metres away from the apartment. We also loved the sunny terrace surrounded by a lush garden.

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Apartments Paqui - Puerto Pollensa

Operator and Date:internet  Aug 2003

Opinion submitted in Oct 2003 by : C Cotton - Fareham (52,49,20)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Average

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Puerto Pollensa is a fantastic family resort, with a lovely promenade, a beautiful sandy beach and plenty of restaurants to choose from.  Old Alcudia and Pollensa are well worth a visit.  For delicious traditional Majorcan food, try C'an Costa in Alcudia - lovely surroundings, friendly waiters and quiet background music.  

We felt that we were mislead by the pictures of our accommodation - all of them except the dining area were actually of the larger of the two apartments, and the swimming pool  turned out to be in the local bar, so you had to buy a drink if you wanted to use it. The main saving grace was that we did have air conditioning

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Playa Mar - Puerto Pollensa

Operator and Date: Portland Direct - July 2007

Opinion submitted in July 2007 by : 36, 38, 4

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Just back today from 2 weeks at the Playa Mar.  Booked half board and be warned if you are vegetarian go for the self catering option.  I've been veggie for 20 years and contacted both Portland Direct and the hotel prior to booking and both said there would be no meat options.  I was pleasantly surprised upon arrival with food clearly labelled as vegetarian.  On the second day I found pork in the vegetarian meal.  I complained and felt physically ill but the staff couldn't care less.  Then again and again this happened.  Other guests also complained during the stay but as I am veggie I won't be going there again.

Apart from this big issue for us the hotel itself and resort for what we paid was fab.  Only a few minutes walk from some lovely small beaches. The pine walk again is reached within a couple of minutes and is a nice pleasant 20 minute stroll for the bigger shops, restaurants and beaches.  Using a pushchair was fine on the pine walk as well as it is flat and fairly easy to push along. 

Resort had lots to offer with great cheap reliable buses that run to many areas.

You must visit the Pirates Show and book quarter deck.  They did cater for veggies (thank god) and was the best thing we had ever seen.  Expensive but what the hell you are on holiday.  Also take a local bus trip (run every 15 minutes from the centre of Puerto Pollensa) to Alcudia old town.  There is a market there on Tuesday's during the morning and it is such a pretty place to visit.  Only 15 minutes away by bus and costs just 1.10 euro.  Bargain!

Hotel itself was good but furniture old and needs to be replaced. I'd say it is a 3 star hotel not 4 star.  Had to wait a long time for routine repairs to be carried out.

Entertainment and kids clubs both sets of Thomson staff worked their socks off.  Ravin Ryan was great with loads of energy and Chloe.  Kids Club I think they could invest in some more outdoor play equipment as they have the space for the litte ones.

Pool area and restaurant are nice but not enough room.  As usual everyone gets up at 6.30 a.m. to secure their sunbeds and then you don't see them until 3.00 p.m.  Very selfish and annoying.  The hotel was fully booked when we were there and we felt like sardines in both the restaurant and pool areas. 

We were spoilt last year I suppose as we had the best holiday ever at the First Choice Holiday Village Viva again in Majorca and this didn't compare I'm afraid.  Having said that we did enjoy it overall and for what we paid I suppose we can't complain.  I'm sure anyone going will have a good time but if you are veggie be warned everything isn't as it seems.

Happy Holidays!

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Playa Mar - Puerto Pollensa

Operator and Date: Portland  - May 2007

Opinion submitted in June 2007 by : Jo Rob,Jessica and Callum (34,41.8,4)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We have just returned from a fantastic 2 week holiday at the Playa Mar.
After reading some of the reviews prior to leaving,I was very sceptical about what to expect when we arrived at our location!
My fears were totally unfounded,the reception we received upon arrival was very welcoming and continued to be so every time we came into contact with any of the staff working at the Playa Mar.
The Thomson reps work very hard for you whilst you are enjoying the beautiful weather!How they manage to be so energetic during the heat is beyond me.

The food at the Hotel was wonderful, during the 2 weeks we had no cause to eat out at any other restuarant.
The view from our balcony was amazing,in the foreground we had a lovely view of the swimming pools and Hotel layout and in the background was the fantastic views of the nearby mountains.
We did go on a couple of organized trips during our stay :- Pirates Show-
In this show we saw some Brilliant acrobatics and it didnt matter where you sat you had a good view.Well worth a visit and prepare to be amazed,the show also contained some adult humour but subtle enough to go over young childrens heads!
Marineland - This was also an excellent trip where you will see a wonderful show performed by Sealions, Parrots and Dolphins the latter was very emotional you can see how the Dolphins enjoy perfoming and more importantly how well they are looked after.
Our tour guide for Marineland was a lady named Rosemary,she made our journey very informative and interesting-Well Done Thomson.

I cannot praise this hotel enough and special thanks go to Chloe and Ryan the Thomson reps who did work very hard to help the adults turn into big kids and enjoy the daytime activities around the pool and during the evening.We will definately return to this resort.
Also I must mention the maid service our room was cleaned nearly every day and our bed sheets changed every other day.

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Playa Mar - Puerto Pollensa

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson Oct 2006

Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : Kevin, Marena, Hayley, Jas. -  York (40,35,9,5)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

What a great time had there. Nice hotel but dont think its a 4* rating. Staff friendly and helpful. Beds changed every 3-4 days. Food good but not much choice for the kids. Plenty of choice for adults.
Good entertainment for the kids and adults. Impeys storytime was brill, had us in stitches with the sounds of various animal noises.
Cheeky Charlie and Impey were a good act together. All the acts were good, kept us entertained and the reps shows were well done.
Only downside was the walk to the center. 20 min walk down the sea front,sometimes got a bit much for the kids.
For a decent beach, was about 5 mins walk.
Plenty of small beaches along the way. Sea clear and full of millions of fish.

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Playa Mar - Puerto Pollensa

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - Sept 2006

Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : (Jo - St Albans (31, 31, 1))

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We had a great time at the Playa Mar.

Our apartment was of a very good standard and a good size, although cramped in the kitchen area.  Lots of wardrobe space and nice bathroom.

We had our 18 month old boy with us and it was perfect for him.  There is a good play area for toddlers with a climing frame/slide, play house and cars/bikes to ride.  He loved it and it was a good place to go out of the sun.  There is also a sandy area for them to play in.  The pool is great for little ones as it has a gentle slope inwards and there is a separate small baby pool.

We couldn't use the kids' club facilities as our son was too young but all the kids seemed to love it. The reps did a good job for those that were up for it and were very friendly.  There was a kids zone every night from 8.30-9.15 before the main entertainment which was good (we didn't see the main ents as we would then walk into town to eat).  Only complaint would be the music in the daytime could be a bit loud sometimes when you were trying to sunbathe.  In the evening it all finished at 11.30 anyway.

It's a good 20 - 30 minute walk into town along the Pine Walk, which is quite bumpy with the "crazy paving" but we found it do-able if hard work with the buggie and it actually helped get him to sleep!  It's a lovely pituresque walk along the seafront, and worth stopping at Hotel Illa Dor which is only 5 mins along for a drink or two on the way.  Its a fair way before you get to a big stretch of beach but there are some little coves nearby.

We only ate in the restaurant one night so can't really comment but there are loads of restaurants along the pine walk and in town.  Our favourite was the tapas bar near the sand statues.  There is a pool bar for lunches which was fine although no kids portions.

We got a car and drove out to Pollensa town one night which is very pretty and quaint with nice restaurants set around the square.

I would definitely recommend the hotel and resort for young families at the time of year we went which was after the kids went back to school.  I can imagine in school holidays it would be very busy and would be a struggle for space and sunbeds around the pool.
Puerto Pollensa is beautiful and the hotel is in a great spot to enjoy it.

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Playa Mar - Puerto Pollensa

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - August 2006

Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : Frank, Sue, Frankie Charlton (50,50,11)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Well, after reading recent reviews prior to departure I must admit to being quite apprehensive about staying at the Playa Mar. However, after spending a lively two weeks there I am pleased to say my concerns were totally unnecessary. Quite simply, the complaints or minor niggles highlighted by other contributors seem to indicate differences in peoples' expectations.

On arrival in the reception area you quickly get a flavour of the high standards of cleanliness and hygiene which are maintained throughout the whole complex. All the staff were helpful,  pleasant and co-operative especially when trying to understand the many different dialects and accents of the British guests. As soon as we unpacked I noticed a fault with the lock on the terrace doors and this was repaired within 30 minutes of me reporting it. The staff worked tirelessly in the bar and restaurant (yet always have time to make a fuss of the kids), on the go the whole time although there were still some people complaining about the level of service. This is Spain, you are on holiday, you're expected to slow down and relax not have everything done at 100 mph like work.

The accomodation was fine and suited our needs as we don't spend much time in the apartment anyway. The facilities are exactly as described in the brochure but there isn't a great deal of space for cooking and preparing food. The place seems to be about 9/10 years old but still has a new "feel" to it and easily justifies its rating. Lounge area is a decent size (about 4m x 3m) and the bedroom quite spacious with plenty of wardrobe and storage space (2 double 'robes, bedside cabinets) There are four 3 storey apartment blocks so it doesn't feel crowded with everybody headed in the same direction all the time.

ENTERTAINMENT - Varied in quality, some excellent and highly entertaining acts such as the amazing acrobatics of "Cats" and the "Kenian Boys", and the fairly average tribute bands. Generally, the shows staged by the reps were pretty good and presented with a great deal of enthusiasm despite the apathy of some guests. The entertainment is there to be enjoyed and you can't expect top cabaret artists at these places. Basically, sometimes its corny, sometimes its canny and sometimes its excellent.  Yet again I think its simply a matter of personal preference and expectations.  The one thing you can be sure of is that there will be some entertainment every night.

KIDS CLUB - Our young 'un only used it a couple of times but it didn't really cater for his age, tending to focus on the younger kids. This seems to be a pattern with all the holiday companies offering "family friendly" holidays.  They all seem to struggle with providing suitable activities and facilities for kids 10 years old or over when something as basic as a youth club type facility would be enough with a couple of pool tables, table tennis and a couple of Playstation ports. The clubs aren't just about keeping kids occupied, they also provide excellent opportunities for the kids to make new friends. A few people grumbled about having to queue to put kids names down for the following day as places were limited but need to remember they are operated as childcare facilities with a fixed ratio of staff to kids not open ended like youth clubs.

ACTIVITIES PROGRAMME - Plenty to do for adults and kids if you wanted to join in. Different activities each day including Killer Pool, Killer Darts, Shuffle Board, Boulles etc. daily pool side quiz, daily water activities (adults only) aquarobics
school sports day! giant Jenga
Additional activities available included football tennis (daily) football coaching for kids at the adjoining Pollensa football stadium, pony rides (weekly) and horse riding for more advanced riders (weekly)
 
OTHER ACTIVITIES LOCALLY - Various types of bikes for hire, Donut rides and Banana boat rides, sea kayaks/canadian canoes, scuba diving, parachute from a speed boat, sailing, pedaloes - all within walking distance of the hotel . If you prefer the beach there are lots of little narrow stretches along the pine walk and there always seemed to be enough space without it getting too crowded even during the peak season. These are ideal for kids with shallow warm water and plenty of sand to play in.

LOCATION - The Playa Mar is located at the far end of the pine walk so its on the periphery of the town which is a plus point as far as I'm concerned. Puerto Pollensa is basically split into two areas. The Playa Mar is at the quieter end of the resort which stretches for about 1 kilometre to the town centre. The main part of the resort stretches from the town centre away towards Alcudia and this part is much busier but also has the best and longest beach.
From the hotel, the first 400 metres of the promenade are peaceful and quiet but as you get nearer the town it gets much busier. The walk along the promenade can take as long as you want but we always found it enjoyable with a wonderful relaxed and cosmopolitan atmosphere with the sea lapping against the walls and the trees hanging overhead.  Yes, part of it is cobbled, but if you want to walk on tarmac try the M1 as some reviewers would seem to prefer.

WHERE TO EAT - We used the restaurant at the Playa Mar a few times and thoroughly enjoyed it each time. Plenty of choice and as much as you wanted at 12 euros for adults and 7 euros for children.  Quite a few people we knew upgraded to half board for 15 euros a day - excellent value for money.  Other places I'd reccommend are the Coral restaurant (just in the street behind the pine walk about 400 metres along) Dakota Tex Mex and Little Italy.
There's plenty of choice with a couple of very romantic places situated on little jetties that stretch about 25 metres into the sea. There's plenty to choose from catering for every taste.

(Don't miss the sand sculptures nearer the town centre.)

I must mention the Thomson team here. There was a good team during our stay and they all appeared to make a significant contribution and all very helpful. The two entertainers Charlie and Tracey both worked their socks off trying to keep people involved and entertained, showing great patience with some pretty awful and cheeky kids. However they were both a real credit to Thomsons and exactly what is required for this type of holiday.  They were funny, energetic, enthusiastic (even when the guests weren't), reliable, competent and kept going regardless. I know at times they felt they were fighting a losing battle but they definitely made the holiday for many people.  Well done to both of them.

Highlight of the holiday - Undoubtedly the Pirates show, absolutely stunning and well worth the money.

Lowlight - Undoubtedly the attitude of a growing number of Brits who seem to want to travel abroad and find Brighton in the sun where they can sit and read the Sun.

On the negative side, its nothing to do with the Playa Mar but some of the guests.
It seems that some people use the Superfamily places so they can have time away from their kids instead of time together. The Playa Mar provides a very safe environment for children but some people seem to interpret this as an excuse to let their kids please themselves and expect Thomsons staff to cater for their every need. Its great seeing kids making new friends and playing together for hours but I find it difficult to believe people are happy to let 3 or 4 year olds wander around unsupervised "he's really independent" or "there's 2 euros go and play pool" (even if you can't reach the table).

To sum up overall...
Location - Excellent
Hotel - Excellent
Entertainment - Good
Activies programme - Excellent
Suitable for kids - Upto 10 years old - Excellent, older kids - would benefit from more challenging activities although they may be happy with the existing activity programme.
Reps - Excellent
Playa Mar staff - Excellent
Places to eat - Excellent
Would we go back? - Definitely, it seems that the vast majority of people do.

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Playa Mar - Puerto Pollensa

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - july 2006

Opinion submitted in February 2007 by : louise, 13, barton le clay

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Overall I had a fantastic holiday staying in the playa mar.

The playa mar had a luxurious pool with an obvious shallow, medium and deep area.  It also had a small baby pool.  Everyday the reps would come and play a game of water polo or basketball or guests vs. reps races.  It was all a laugh and good fun.  Also, late morning there was a water aerobics class which me and my mum really enjoyed.
On a higher level, next to the pool there is a pool bar which looks over the pool area.  It serves drinks, snacks, ice cream and lunchtime meals(the ommlete is gorgeous!)

The staff are all really friendly at the playa mar, and the cleaners are sure to say "hola!"
The reps put on a day of fun and a mini disco for the kiddo's in the evening. Then some entertainment at around 9pm.
Some performances are good, but charlies magic show is awful - be aware!

There are 4 main blocks of apartments and there is a box of lost property at each where you can go and take something for your kids to play wtih.

We were self catering so we didnt try the food in the resterant.

The rooms were reasonably clean and well equiped.  We didnt have any problems.

Over the holiday, we went on to trips. Western waterpark and the pirate show.  Western waterpark is overall a good day but the safety there is unbelieveable.  There are lifeguards everywhere and I wasnt allowed to take my 4 years old brother on the water climbing frame so its not advisable going if your kids dont like playing independantly.
The pirate show is  absolutely FANTASTIC.  Its not juts for younger kids, i loved it and we saw couples alone going.  The dance and gymnastics is great.  You sit at a table with a meal of sausages or chicken.  You get some drinks on youre table but have to pay if you want any extra.

About 5 minutes walk from the hotel is the pine walk.
Its basically a 15-20 minute walk along the sea front. Its on crazy paving so although rattly, buggys can go on it.  When you reach the end of the pine walk, you get to loads of resturants, cafes and some shops on the right side, and a small area of beach on the left. We only visited the beach twice, but if you are a beach person, the beach is made up of small areas and its just not that nice!

The thing that lets the playa mar down,  
is the shortage of sunbeds. It was a big problem.
Poeple were getting up at times like 8:00 in the morning to come down and put their towel on a sunbed.  By the time we came down there were none left.  The reps tried hard to get people to not reserve their sunbeds but it was still a problem.

I would reccomend the playa mar as i had a fantastic holiday   xxxxxxxxx

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Playa Mar - Puerto Pollensa

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - July 2006

Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : Lyn Porter -Staffordshire (31, 33, 6 & 2 )

Resort Rating: Average

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Spent 2 weeks at this hotel,  it was the longest 2 weeks of my life.  The 'Pine Walks' is in deed very beautiful, but is too far for little legs, and not good for the buggys wheels, we only didi this walk for the first three days and then had enough of it, so we paid for a taxi to take us into town.  There is nothing around the hotel no restaurants, no shops, I wouldn't go again if somebody paid me.  The entertainment staff worked very hard to please the children, but by god at the end of two week I felt like strangling 'cheeky charlie' she never shuts up, from morning til night, my daughter went to the kiddies club, when I could get her in as their wasn't enough places for all, you had to queue every day to reserve a place, my daughter didn't seem very keen as all she did was like school work, nothing fun.  We ate out at Tabia quite alot, it was very nice food, their are no English pubs in puerto pollensa which We were very surprised at.  

We found it very expensive, very boring  and repetative, we were glad go home.

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Playa Mar - Puerto Pollensa

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - July 2006

Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Simon - Huddersfield (48,35,7)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

I read comments on this website a few days before setting off, and I was expecting the worst! 

However, having spent the last 2 weeks at the Playa Mar, I found most of my fears were unfounded. 

We had a great holiday and would recommend this hotel to anyone with a young family. There is entertainment throughout the day and my son enjoyed the Kids Clubs activities and children's evening disco. The issue about having to queue for booking your child into Kids Club hasn't gone away, but Thomson have recently put extra staff into this area and extra sessions were organised for the high demand age groups.

We all thought the quality and variety of food was pretty good (OK, we didn't get chateaubriand or lobster, but what do you expect for the price you've paid?)

Evening entertainment was a combination of external acts and Thomson Reps shows - most of which were pretty good (Except one - Cheeky Charlie, what was that psychic show all about? If I'd had psychic powers I would have given it a miss!) The Thomson Reps work really hard with all the entertainment and were extremely helpful at all times. However, if you're not the type to dance Agadoo with your kids or go on stage and stick your head in a bowl of flour, then the Superfamily holiday is probably not for you.

I found the hotel attracted families who had children who were generally well behaved, and parents who didn't swear openly or drink to excess. We befriended a number of other families during our two-week stay and this contributed to the quality of our holiday.

Rooms were clean and fairly modern. We were at the far side of the hotel so there was not too much noise (except when they filled the bottle bank at some bizarre times!) Rooms facing the pool are likely to be very noisy day and night, until around 23.30 when the music stops.

Having read this far, you might want to know why I only marked the hotel as very good and not excellent. Overall this is because the hotel, when full, is currently slightly too big for it's support systems. Hence there are insufficient parasols and sunbeds - and you need to be up by 07.00 to get both. (Can't blame the Germans this time - there were only British Thomson guests in the hotel!) You can queue for 5-6 minutes to get served at the bar in the evening and if you are not down at the restaurant by around 19.20, then expect to wait for 5-15 minutes for a table. Pools are spacious and warm, but it is impossible to swim without colliding with inflatables or being dive-bombed by daring 10 year olds. As mentioned previously, the Kids Club and available spaces is in no way adequate for the number of potential children. None of the above spoilt our holiday, because we were prepared to regiment our holiday to get what we wanted - we got up early for a sunbed and queued for Kids Club at 17.00 each day.

The hotel is situated on the edge of the resort and it is around 20 minutes away from the centre. But what a beautiful walk along the Pine Walk to get there! The hotel is only 100 metres from the beach, but at this end of the beach the strips of sand are quite small. Strangely, this has an appeal in that they don't tend to get too busy, and you can even get a sunbed! (for a few euros)

The town was busy, with numerous restaurants serving food to outside tables. We tried Tango's and found the food and service to be very good. However in the town there was not much for young children to do in the evenings, unlike some of the resorts we've seen in Menorca.

We went to the Pirates Show and found it excellent, (though a little expensive), and we quickly found out that booking trips or car hire through reception was infinitely cheaper than going through Thomsons. We hired a car and spent a full day at the Western Water Park - great for all kids, but more available slides if they are over 1.2 metres. Also if you hire a car, go to the top of the hill at the back of the hotel for spectacular views of the East coast of the island and risk the twisting mountain roads for a trip to Soller/Port Soller.

Overall, if we had gone to the Playa Mar during termtime when it was perhaps 75% full, I don't think we would have found anything to make negative comments about. But I suppose our government legislation that forces us to book our summer vacation during the 6 week school holiday, means that anywhere with good entertainment for children is likely to be in demand and extremely busy.

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Playa Mar - Puerto Pollensa

Operator and Date: (Portland Direct) Portland Direct - July 2006

Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : 37, 33, 5, 2

Resort Rating: Average

Accommodation Rating: Average

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

The Playa Mar is a clean, well maintained hotel, and the staff are friendly and helpful.

Puerto Pollensa is quite up market and the prices are high compared to Sa Coma and Cala Millor, where we have stayed previously, I would say a third more expensive.

The hotel is as far down the pine walk as you can get with ending up in a military base!  So at least 30 minutes walk, down a bumpy path at 7pm, in 30 degree heat to feed the kids is not a great prospect ever night.  We ended up getting a taxi into town every night (5 euros) and walked back when it was a bit cooler.

There were a few resturants that were ok for the kids - Dakota Bar was good for the kids - there's 2 of these restuarants, 1 on the walk and 1 on The Square.  The Indian Resturant on the Square is awful, Homepride Style sauces, not authentic at all.  Tiberia was good for adults and had friendly staff.

The overwhelming memory I have of the holiday unfortunately is the sunbed situation at the hotel.  Unless you camp out for a sunbed, until they are unchained, yes unchained, you stand more chance of seeing the pope than using 1 for the whole day.  The clientel was mostly Scottish, with a few Irish and English thrown in the mix.  And I lie not, the Germans would have been proud of us!  Even though the signs around the pool say Do Not Reserve Sunbeds, people would reserve them first thing in the morning - go out until after lunch, and then grace us with their prescence sometime after 2pm!  This selfishness really bugged me, and I can say really was the nail in the coffin for me and the Playa Mar.  The kids club was also difficult to get the kids into, as the demand was so high and places so limited.

We wouldn't return to the Playa Mar, and cannot understand how the brochure gived them 100% rating?

Ba Humbug and all that, but overall dissappointed this year.

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Playa Mar - Puerto Pollensa

Operator and Date: (Portland Direct) Portland - July 2006

Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Patrick Stewart - Edinburgh (39, 38, 4, 3 months)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Just back from a two week hol at Playa Mar. First time we have been away on a package family holiday and had a great time - both the resort and the hotel.

In the morning we tended to go to the small beach at the north end of the Pine Walk - loads of shade beside hotel Illa d'Or. This prevented us getting involved in the daily clamber for pool-side equipment!!! Approx 250 sun beds and 50 parasols. You can't get any more beds round the pool, but plenty space for more 'brollies - come on Thomsons. The Reps were clearing towels from unused beds in our first week, but at the start of the second week the hotel/Thomsons decided to chain up the beds until 9.30am - even though the pool was open from 8am! After four days the beds were available from the start of the day again. VERY CHILDISH answer, you guys!!!

We were half-board and found breakfast repetitive after a week. On top of the hot items, there was a large selection of "european" elements (cold meat, blue cheese etc.)????. Four cereals were on offer but never varied. Dinner varied each night with pasta & chips on every night. We tended to go down after the initial surge, ie families getting in so the kids could enjoy the entertainments. We benefited from never having to queue, but the food (esp fish) tended to have dried out. Kids desserts were probably a major cause of the hyper-activity in the bar later on! Having said that the ice cream was always good.

Local shop was pretty hopeless - poor choice and over-priced. Spar along the road worth the walk for the (limited) deli selection and fresh bread. Wide selection of "home" goods are also available. Don't go to Calabro supermarket (on the way out of P Pollensa) on a Sunday (maybe any day) - mobbed, poorly stocked and not cheap.

Entertainment OK. Nightime "professional" elements were variable and the Reps put their all into their shows (with varying degrees of success). The daytime fun and games were well done. Well Done Charlie and Tracey. Our wee boy enjoyed the couple of days in the Kids club.

From the Playa Mar, it takes 20 min on the bumpy section of the Pine Walk (too bumpy for a pram) to get to the main promenade, which is smoother. We tended to go on the streets one back from the Walk - or just grabbed a taxi.

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Playa Mar - Puerto Pollensa

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson July 2006

Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Elaine Parker - Nottingham (37, 36, 4)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We have just returned from the Palya Mar.

The resort was absolutely fanastic and I would recommend for any family wanting a relaxing holiday.  There are plenty of great beaches that are extremely safe along the pinewalk.  There are also great restaurants in town. Mollies cafe if you required traditional English food limited but excellent.  Also I would recommend Maxims and the Pizzeria run by the same company on the square.  The only thing about most of the restaurants everything comes with chips.  If you like pizza then try Little Italy on the Pine walk.

The Apartments at the Playa Mar were very good and clean.  We had an apartment over looking the road, which was farily quiet except for the bins being emptied in the early hours.  The reception staff were very friendly and helpful.

The one fault I have was that we were unable to spend any time around the pool.  By 8.00am all the sunbeds had been reserved, and there were no brollies to be found.  So if you want your children to play around in the pool then make sure you are down there by 6.30am. So, we spent the whole time on the beach, and purchased our own brolly etc.

The apartments themselves are quite away out of town with not much around them.
If you have small children I would recommend a short taxis drive into town at night for 4.50 euros, which the reception will arrange for you.

I can't comment on the food or the clubs as we didn't use these.

Whilst we were there, there was a problem with teenagers drinking in the reception area, so beware if you taking teenagers with you.

Overall though we had an excellent holiday in Puerta Pollensa.

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Playa Mar - Puerto Pollensa

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson July 2006

Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Nick,Laura,Sophie,Ffion - S.Wales (30,28,8,2)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

The Playamar were great superfamily apartments, the cleanliness in the apartment and around the grounds were 1st class. I could relax for the rest of the holiday as you don't always know what to expect. The pool area is great for kids and toddlers, as they have a walk in pool that gradually slopes deeper and a little round pool just big enough for babies toddlers or if you just want to dip your toes in. Sunshades were an issue unless you were willing to que at 8am, and then it seemed the same people got the shades every morning. The hotel breakfast had a great choice and cost around 18E for 3 it was buffet style and you could go up as many times as you wanted. The evening buffet don't even bother it was a bit of a assortment and nothing went together.(we only went there twice)

The entertainment team were good, and the acts were alright it was more for the adults than the kids.
The appartments are about a 20 min walk from puerto pollensa, you could take a walk along the main road with no shade or walk along the beach with crazy paving(very bumpy with pushchair.)The restaurants we eat in were all very good but I must recommend DAKOTA tex mex, RESTAURANT MAXIM traditional spanish both in the square.

The beach was great and safe, 2 sunbeds and a parasol cost 10E. Taxis cost 5E from the hotel to the town centre.
We have been to Majorca 4 times but never really ventured out of the resorts but this year we went to PIRATES. I would really try and go on this trip as it's an excellent night and the two children really enjoyed. It was the quietest I had seen them all holiday.

Overall a lovely quiet family resort great for getting away from it all!!!

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Playa Mar - Puerto Pollensa

Operator and Date: (Portland Direct) Portland - July 2006

Opinion submitted in July 2006 by : Ronald, Jacqueline, Jack (11) , Kyle (3) & Mark (1)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We've done plenty of package holidays but this one might have been the best.

Everything was good or excellent. The resort was well kept, the beach was lovely, and the pine walk (or promenade) was a great stroll after dinner.

The Playa Mar is a Thomson Superfamily hotel. The apartments are in 4, 3 storey blocks around the pool complex. Half the rooms face the pool/entertainment and half face outwards.

The hotel entertainment in the evenings  is all outdoor (in July at least) which is great. Evening entertainment started with the kids disco, then the main show followed immediately afterwards at the same venue. 50% professional, 50% reps. Some of the professional shows were very good. The usual tribute bands plus a magician, dancing, acrobats, and some very bendy dancers dressed as cats. Reps shows were variable but after a couple of Sangrias it's all good fun. Troublesome Tracey had us in stitches with her cheeky humour.

Bar staff and indeed all the hotel staff were very friendly.

The rooms were very clean, and the air onditioning was effective. I had to switch it off some nights because it was too effective. TV was free and included BBC.

Our 11 year old and 3 year old both went to the kids clubs 6 days a week. They loved it. In fact we never saw the 11 year old much. He was always playing in the complex with his new pals. The complex seemed very safe, I never heard any reports of crime (unlike last year in Tenerife).

Restaurant had no queue to speak off and was run very efficiently. Although we ate out a couple of nights for a change, our 12 best meals were all in the hotel restaurant. Sure there were some things that had scope for improvment but overall the choice, hygene, food and staff were excellent.

The hotel is located at the end of the bay and there is a 15 minute walk into town. You can go on the pavement or along the pine walk (promenade). If you have a buggy then the pine walk is a bit bumpy. Next time we will take the buggy with air tyres.

I had a look at the other Superfamily hotel in the resort (the Azul??) but it didn't seem to be as good although it is nearer to the town centre.

The Playa Mar is a fantastic hotel for young families. I can't recommend it highly enough.

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Playa Mar - Puerto Pollensa

Operator and Date: (Portland Direct) Portland Direct-JULY 2006

Opinion submitted in July 2006 by : gmc cann      47.45.13.05

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

After some fairly mediocre meals in town--(a good half hours march along the Pine Walk-this is good exercise and will keep the weight down.) We tried the hotel half board option-pay at reception- about 275 euros for four .one child for five days.

The breakfasts are fine-good in fact.The evening meals are crp however I think the chef was sacked when we were there as the meals improved after our five days were up.I Would suggest you ask other guests when you arrive and then take it from there.I would emphasize again all the staff at this hotel are top notch.

What makes this hotel are the staff HOTEL AND THOMSON

who cannot do enough for you but above all the other guests usually all with young children.

Friendships are formed in a really good atmosphere and youngsters have a great time.

The only pain is the sunbed or in this case parasol nonsense.The fault is not WITH THE GUESTS.More parasols should be available(i had to buy one). People are behaving normally when there is not enough of an item.So come on THOMSON SPEND £100 OR SO AND GET SOME MORE PARASOLS.

To summarise if you want a good hotel with no lager louts etc then look no further I will probably return as i hope will THE GREAT CROWD I MET WHEN I was there.

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Playa Mar - Puerto Pollensa

Operator and Date: (Portland Direct) Portland Direct - July 2006

Opinion submitted in July 2006 by : P Smith - Glasgow  (36, 35, 7)

Resort Rating: Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Just returned from the Playa Mar.  On the whole it was a very postive experience.  

The hotel is clean and well-laid out.  The staff are friendly and very helpful.  I did find it quite noisy however.  If you are a light sleeper the Playa Mar is not for you.  We had requested a quiet room away from the pool which we got.  Unfortunately it was right above the bins which were emptied every night about 1am with much shouting and banging. Also there is no soundproofing between rooms.  The bedrooms back on to next doors living room and you can hear everything. We were unfortunate enough to be through the wall from people who could not go to bed until they had moved every piece of furniture around the room veyr noisily for at least an hour!  You will also find out more about your neighbours' bowel and bladder habits than you really wanted to as you can hear the full sound effects from next doors bathroom when you are in your bedroom!

I was surprised to read about criticisms of the hotel restaurant.  We ate there many times and had no difficulties either with finding a seat or with the food choice.

We did not use the kids clubs other than the drop-in facility so I can't comment on those but I never heard anyone complaining about queueing or not being able to get their child in.

The entertainment was excellent.  A good balance of activities to suit all tastes. 

The hotel is a bit further out of the town centre than we would have liked.  The walk is considerably more than 20 minutes especially in the daytime heat wiht a grumpy 7 year old in tow.  There is not a lot nearby other than the tiny hotel minimarket and a small Spar located about 400 yards to the right of the hotel.

Would I recommend this to others?  Yes but only for those with children.  There were a few couples on thier own at the hotel which I was surprised at.  In my pre-child days I would have avoided Thomson Superfamily hotels like the plague but maybe that's just me!

Finally, we saved a considerable amount of money booking this hotel with Portland instead of Thomson.  The flights, facilities etc were exactly the same.  It is worthwhile looking into this if you are wanting to go to the Playa Mar.

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Playa Mar - Puerto Pollensa

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - June 2006

Opinion submitted in March 2007 by : Jane, Luton (43, 40, 12, 4)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

The best things about these apartments were: no lager louts, clean bright rooms, daytime entertainment, kids loved it.  The worst things were: lack of sunbeds, no bars or cafes nearby, a long way from resort and from a nice stretch of beach.

The best things about the resort were: no lager louts, upmarket feel, fantastic restaurants, street entertainment, beautiful Pine Walk, town square.  The worse things were: not a lot for children to do here.

First time at a "Superfamily" but was pleasantly surprised.  Our apartment faced the road on the right hand side, asked to be moved poolside because of the noise of traffic (not horrendous just the occasional juggernaut(!) or tourbus) and we like to sit out on balcony of an evening.  Reception said they'd move us when they had a room but we might prefer roadside as the pool area is very noisy at night.  Stayed where we were. 

The apartments were clean and well maintained with bedding/towels changed frequently.  Didn't try the restaurant so can't comment.  Pool snack bar was fine but a bit limited.  No cafes or bars or restaurants nearby so we ended up going to Spar and making lunch in our room (kitchen very small though). 

Entertainment was good for kids, reps tried their best.  Kids loved the dances/aerobics/water games in the pool every day. Didnt use kids club so cant comment.

Absolutely awful situation with sunbeds and parasols because there weren't enough of them AND people were putting their towels on them at 7.30am and not coming to the pool till 3pm AND a family of mum and dad and 4 kids would reserve 6 sunbeds for the day and the kids would barely  sit on them..  If there are plenty to go round then fair enough but otherwise its just selfish.  Our family of 4 take 2 sunbeds.  The reps did what they could and even asked if any of the guests had any suggestions but what's the answer?  They were over the tannoy a couple of times every day asking for sunbeds - and the families hogging 6 obviously didn't even feel guilty. Rant over.

The apartments are in a very quiet area with not one bar, café or restaurant nearby.  You have to walk quite a way to get to anything, either on the road or the very beautiful Pine Walk.  The walk wouldn't be too bad if it wasn't so hot!  I'd say it took us at least half an hour to get to the centre of town (with 4 year old in and out of buggy) but after 15 minutes there are places to stop for a drink along the way.  Also popping in shops, paddling in sea, looking at sand sculptures and feeding the fish. We usually walked to town and got a taxi back - 5 Euros.

The beach was clean and sandy and water lovely and clear.  Thin strip nearer the apartments and along the Pine Walk it gets wider to quite a wide stretch past  the roundabout towards Alcudia. 

Some lovely restaurants and great food - didn't have a bad meal there.  Particularly liked the IRU (not cheap but worth it), Tapas restaurant on the seafront, tex mex on the pine walk, Tiberian (something like that!) off the square.  Found Little Italy very overrated.  You need to book at most of the restaurants unless you go out for dinner really early.  Good restaurants and bars round the square where you can sit out and people watch.  There was a festival when we were there (mid/end of July) with live music and dancing in the main square and fireworks.

Puerto Pollensa is a fantastic resort with lots of bars and restaurants, shops (not tacky) no rowdy lager louts of any description.  Beautiful Pine Walk and beach, clear sea.  Perfect for families and couples, maybe not lively teenagers.  We will definitely return to the resort but probably not to Playa Mar (only because of the long hot walk to town).

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Playa Mar - Puerto Pollensa

Operator and Date: (Portland Direct) Portland - June 2006

Opinion submitted in July 2006 by : Dawn Mann - Newcastle (40, 37,7)

Resort Rating: Average

Accommodation Rating: Average

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Best described as Butlins with guaranteed hot weather. The entertainments staff are superb and there is plenty to keep families occupied. Kids Clubs are once again superb however you have to queue to register which is annoying. Places are allocated on a rota basis.

On the negative front the evening buffet is appalling little variety and mostly inedible (we ALL lost weight) a few of our fellow holidya makers were actually ill.

The pine walk may be lovely but quickly becomes a chore in the hot temperatures (we are enthusiastic walkers) 40 minutes is a more reaslistic time (mostly over cobbles). Cost of a taxi mounts up at 5 euros a time.

Cleanliness of rooms was an issue(sweet wrappers under our bed with a collection of dust/tissues were not ours. Toliet not cleaned once in 2 weeks.

Definately not a 4 star but worth it for the entertainment but be prepared to eat out(and for the long walk to get food)

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Playa Mar - Puerto Pollensa

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - June 2006

Opinion submitted in July 2006 by : Hill - Glasgow (36,33,4,1)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We have just returned from 2 weeks at Playa Mar. This was our 3rd superfamily hotel and probably the best so far. The resort of Puerto Pollensa is excellent for families.

Accommodation is very clean and well laid out. We noticed some comments re. the noise level with poolside view apartments however it is no noiser than you would expect with a hotel where the majority of guests are families. 1 bed apts are certainly comfortable for 2 adults and 2 kids.

Entertainment is fine and you cant fault the two reps for effort and for trying to get people involved.

On the downside, we had difficulty getting sunbeds without having to get up at 7am however this was sorted during the second week after numerous complaints.

The only other downside was the variety of food available for the half board guests. Breakfast is fine and a good selection on offer however the buffet at dinner was limited especially if you do not like fish. The quality of food cannot be faulted.

Probably worth mentioning that Thomsons appear to have overbooked the number of half board guests as we had to regularly had to queue for a table at night anything from 15 - 45 mins. Not ideal when you have two young impatient children!! The restaurant was certainly a hot subject around the pool.

The resort of Puerto Pollensa is excellent and a tries to be a better quality than some other resorts. The Pinewalk is 2 mins from Playa Mar and is 20-30 min walk in to the town centre. At night we normally walked into town and got a taxi back - only 5 euros.

We only went on one excursion to Marineland. A bit pricey considering that its fairly small but our kids enjoyed it. Worth taking swimming gear for the kids as there is a good paddling pool & water slide for them.

The beach is excellent for kids. The marina is also very good - our 4 yr old son loved wandering around looking at all the "big boats".

All in all a very good hotel and resort. Seemed to be a number of people who had been to the hotel previously so that must say something. We would certainly recommend it - half board is only questionable element but will suit some.

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Playa Mar - Puerto Pollensa

Operator and Date: June 2006

Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : Caz and Rose 60ish

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Average

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Accommodation is in 3 storey apartments, which are quire spacious if there is only 2 of you, wouldnt like to be there with 4 people, kitchens are very very small.  Plenty of sunloungers but not many umbrellas, which for a Thomson Super Family Resort is very poor indeed.  Childrens clubs very noisy, evening entertainment extremely poor, party night consisted of four teams trying to earn points from skipping, yes thats it skipping, flip flop throwing, and taking a ping pong ball out of water with your mouth and putting it in flour and then a tub, great party eh, Las Vegas has nothing on this place.  A parrot show, acrobats, quiz and a group on other nights. The bar closes at 12 midnight prompt. 

The food in the restaurant was limited in choice, always cold and not very apetising at all, all the dishes looked overcooked and more like food you would give the dog. I have had better food in two star accommodation. The complex is a good 25 minute walk out of town albeit along a pretty pine walk, but this gets very tedious after a week. 

All in all definitely not 4 star. If you are not travelling with children, DONT GO.Meal times are extremely noisy.

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Playa Mar - Puerto Pollensa

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - June 2006

Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : Anna Baker - Aberystwyth (39, 34, 6, 3)

Resort Rating: No rating

Accommodation Rating: No rating

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This was our third visit to the Playa Mar and we have never found it as busy before.  We had requested a quiet room and were aware that requests cannot be guaranteed but did not expect to be given a room overlooking the stage area where the nightly entertainment was held.  We asked for another room as soon as the receptionist told us of the location but we were told the hotel was full until the weekend.  We decided to give it a go and as the entertainment usually finished at 11.00 pm it was ok.  The most noise seemed to come from children playing around the bar area !!

We had a great holiday and our children Laura & Lucy enjoyed the kids clubs and disco.  We didn't expect to have to queue to pre register for the kids clubs or the 7.00 am start for a sunbed!!

Visited Marineland on a Thomson excursion. Not enough to occupy the children for a whole day though.  Remember to take the childrens swimming things as there is a paddling pool.  Would have appreciated the rep telling us this before hand.

The resort of Puerto Pollensa remains as beautiful as ever although more busy this year.

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Playa Mar - Puerto Pollensa

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson May 2006

Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : D Lindley 45, 38, 10,6

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We spent two weeks at the Playa Mar in May 2006. This is a Thomson Superfamily hotel, hence there were lots of families in it. You'd think Thomson might have twigged this would be the case but as we discovered when trying to take our children to the kids club, they haven't. The kids club is a small room with a maximum capacity of 16 for each session. This is in a hotel of over 140 rooms nearly all of which will have families in them so do the maths. You and your children are in for some disappointment and some long waits in the sun to queue for the list to reserve places for the following day. This list goes up at 5.30 - 5.30 mind, no sooner no later, so if you're not prepared to be at Thomson's beck and call you kids won't get a place at all. If they could deliver what they promise it would be fine, but they can't. Don't get me started on this.

If you haven't done enough queuing during the day you'll get a chance to do some more in the evenings. The Playa Mar is built as self catering accommodation but as Thomson are currently selling the half board option at virtually the same price, most people are taking the latter option with the result that the small dining room cannot cope. We had to wait up to 45 minutes for a table some nights. This is a very nice hotel but suffers somewhat from being under Thomson's corporate jackboot. In other words, they've cocked it up.

Entertainment and all the other usual stuff is fine.

Leaving the hotel it's a pleasant walk into town along the pine walk, this takes from 20-30 minutes depending on whether you walk, saunter or amble. The beaches are very narrow here - so narrow that in some places you could lay - if you so wished - with your head against the wall and you feet in the sea. But walk a little further on and it broadens out enough to let everyone lie down in comfort.

We hired a car for a few days and decided to take the tourist train from Soller to Palma. This is a demanding drive over steep, twisty turny mountain roads but it's worth it for the views. The journey should take about 90 minutes. But then you'll need another 30 minutes to find the railway station which is not signposted. Anywhere.  And I'm not going to tell you where it is either. However, the best advice is go to Puerto Soller and take the tram from there to the station.

If you stay awake and alert you'll certainly survive the mountain drive to Soller and back but if you want a really death-defying white knuckle journey try the road to Cap Formentor. These mountain roads are also tight and winding - and quite narrow too, except when it comes to a hairpin bend - then they're even narrower. And just to add that extra frisson of excitement, running alongside the very edge of the road there's a deep ditch. So waver any more than an inch or so over the edge and you face a drop of anywhere between one foot and three miles. At one point there's even a narrow tunnel built with these lethal ditches each side which seems to have been designed with an almost malevolent vindictiveness. The result of this is that everyone drives in the middle of the road. Well, not quite everyone. But those people are called dead people. Apparently there's a statue to the bloke who designed this road - I think they erected it next to the Marquis de Sade and Josef Mengele. Hire the smallest thinnest car you can.  If you reach the end of the cape there's a lighthouse with some spectacular views.

After that most people head for Formentor beach. This is where the daily pleasure boats head to from Pollensa harbour. Why is a mystery. It's a narrow strip of pebbly, not very well maintained beach. It's not an unpleasant beach but almost every resort in Spain, Greece, Turkey or North East Yorkshire has a better one. There's a concrete jetty here, a gift shop and a café made out of PVC. Here you can sit at a PVC table and eat (what look like) PVC chips out of a PVC tray.  This is what the majority of the trippers choose to do before gratefully getting back on the boat. On the plus side there's parking for roughly 5,000 cars, 423 coaches and maybe half a dozen ferries.

The town of Pollensa (the old bit) is worth a visit as is the old town of Alcudia. Both are full of shaded squares, quaint buildings and classy but discreet restaurants. Most of the towns in the area have market days which are worth a visit if you like shopping, and some people do. I've always thought of Spanish markets as places where old Spanish ladies go to buy aubergines, sweeping brushes and big pants but there's also a whole range of stalls selling arts, crafts, clothes, fresh fruit and veg, as well as all the inevitable fake designer stuff those African blokes sell.

On the whole, Puerto Pollensa is a picturesque and laid back resort which appeals to young families, older couples and the middle classes. If yours is the sort of family that likes to wear identical football strips on holiday and eat at KFC, go to Alcudia. 

ps. Bony's bar in the main square is well worth a visit - the owner is so efficient he'll have your drink in front of you before you've finished ordering it. Order a spirit and they bring the bottle to the table. Whilst they're pouring it you'll have time to do a crossword, knit a sweater and read War and Peace. These are big measures. Then you can sit and watch your children scrambling for the sweets the owner throws to the kids outside. That's if you can still see them.

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Playa Mar - Puerto Pollensa

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - May 2006

Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : Di's group (ages from 1 - 41)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Average

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Spent 1 week at the Playamar, accommodation was clean with a nice pool. We were very disappointed with the food on taking half board we expceted the 4 star hotel to offer a good range and quality of food we were even served raw chicken!! The selection was exceedingly poor and the restaurant could not handle the amount of customers. Not only did we have to queue to put our name down for a table but we then had to wait for a table. We gave up after 3 nights and headed in to town and all the restaurants were fantastic and very good value - try Tango or Trio where you can get three courses and a drink fro about 14euros.  Do not waste your time eating at the hotel eat out and enjoy quality meals.
The walk into town takes about thirty minutes with children and the walk is beautiful.

As we travelled in half term we knew there would be a lot of children but what we did not expect was the fact that the kids clubs could not handle the volume of children, so it was necessary to pre-register children for the kids clubs and the majority of people could not get their children in to the clubs, even the drop in centre which is the place to go for kids to "drop in" had to be booked a day or two in advance. 

All in all we had a good holiday and the resort of Puerto Pollensa is great. You will not be disappointed at the Playamar if you basically just go and use the accommodation as a self-catring base. There was no waiter service poolside so I recommend you buy your drinks in the supermarket and take them in, this also applied to when the evening entertainment was on, not one waiter asked us if we wanted to order a drink.  

This hotel is not a 4 star more a 3, with a 1 star rating fro service and food.

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Playa Mar - Puerto Pollensa

Operator and Date:2006

Opinion submitted in January 2007 by : holly - luton (13)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

I think overall the playa mar was a really nice hotel.
The food from the beach bar was lovely though we never tried the food from the resturant.  The rooms were very clean and well equiped.
The staff were all very friendly and the reps did a famtastic kids disco for the littlens! 
The pool was lovely and luxurious...and the reps did a game of water polo or basketball or something everyday. There was also a water areobics class everyday that the reps did which was quite fun.

I have to be honest....the thing that was a big problem at the playa mar was the sunbed situation.  Poeple were getting up at times like 8:00 in the morning to come down and put their towel on a sunbed.  By the time we came down there were none left.  The reps tried hard to get people to not reserve their sunbeds but it was still a problem.

About a 5 minute walk from the hotel is the pine-walk.  Its a lovely walk along next to the sea and beach with a beutiful view out into the ocean.  About 5-10 mins up the pine walk is a few shops and resturants on your right with the same beautiful view on your left. 
There is some good entertainment on in the square which is nice to watch after you have eaten.  When we went to the square after dinner we usually got a taxi back as my younger brother got a bit tired.  The taxi cost about ?4.

Whilst we were there...we went on 2 trips....to the pirate show and to the western waterpark.  Both were fantastic.  The waterpark was a great day out but its not really owrth it if your child does not enjoy waterslides.

The pirate show was amazing! I am 12 and I loved it!
Its especially good for the younger ones but i'm sure all the adults there had a great time.  You come in...sit down, have a drink and watch the start then theres a break so you can eat(sausages or chicken-delicious!) and then the final part of the show. The gymnastics and dance in it were fantastic. Then afterwards as you are leaving you can get some autographs and pictures taken with the pirates.

I think my holiday in majorca was  wiked and i'd be happy to reccommend it to anyone!
xx luv holly xx

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Playa Mar - Puerto Pollensa

Operator and Date: ortland Travel - 2006

Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Kenneth , Lorraine , Megan 6

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

The Playa Mar is a great hotel for young families. I would recommend it for a family holiday. The resort was well kept, and clean

The Playa Mar is a Thomson Super family hotel. The apartments are in 4, 3 storey blocks around the pool complex. Half the rooms face the pool/entertainment and half face outwards. A good size complex for small children.

The hotel entertainment is all outdoors. Evening entertainment started with the kid's disco which Megan loved, Charlie and Tracy do an excellent job trying to keep everyone entertained during the day as well as at night, but I have to disagree with some with the family entertainment which started after the mini disco which all the kids loved even some of the adults trying to do the actions to the dances were having a good laugh my husband and I included.  After that the main show started, if you liked to watch two shows of acrobats (people dress as cats and Africans) along with two guys who came as the Blues Brothers and then a few nights later as Teddy Boys not very impressive considering this is a family complex. The kids were bored after the first half hour each show lasted about 1 ½ to 2 hrs. The rep shows as the same as last years New York to New Orleans and the two reps party nights were a OK and we had a laugh at them.

Sun Beds - this was a joke you had to be up and down stairs for 8am waiting on the janitor to unlock the beds. Parasol situation was terrible not enough to go round we ended up buying one. Thomson's get your finger out and buy a few more sun bed and a load more parasols. The other thing Thomson could do is also replace the round backed chairs at the entertainment are, because the number of kids who fell back over on them a (few trapping fingers) I lost count of the number of kids who fell over.  The squared back chairs seemed to be sturdier.

The apartment was spotless and it was cleaned every other day and the towel changed every other day.  The staff were all friendly and helpful.  We had a hired car for the 2 weeks and the Guys at reception could not have been more helpful with direction etc when we went out and about.

We ate in the hotel twice the middle of the 1st week and on our last night. The food was OK nothing to write home about.  We cooked a couple of times in the apartment and the equipment was adequate for what I made, chicken, baked potato & Salad one night and tuna pasta & Salad another night.  The rest of the time we ate out. We went to Sa coma for the day to meet with some friends about 1.5 hrs away,Alcudia about 20 mins away and in Porto Pollensa.  All in all I would say we did not get a bad meal eating out the whole holiday and what we had was value for money.

The hotel is located at the end of the bay and I would say it is a good 20 -25 min walk especially when you have a youngster in tow, The weather was extremely hot, too hot to walk in through the day. We did it one night and my daughter moaned the whole time, she was exhausted after playing around the pool and swimming all day with her new found friends. Next time I would pick a hotel nearer to the centre.  The Kids Club was also excellent Megan went most days.  The only problem with this was you have to queue at 5.30 each evening to put her name down for the next day. When you are paying for a family plus holiday the kids should automatically get a place

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Playa Mar - Puerto Pollensa

Operator and Date: (Portland Direct) Portland direct - 2005 / 2006

Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : Sarah Ellwood (43,37,8,6)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Playa Mar is very clean. Hotel staff very helpful and have a great knowledge of the area. The view from the pool is great of the mountains. Pool is fine. The pine walk is lovely not a holiday for the lazy as it is a good 20 mins to the town centre. Along the Pine walk stunning views and fab places to eat. The town centre has a great square with lovely eating places. The sea is shallow and safe for young children. A super resort with a mallorcan flavour, not the place to go for english bars and nightlife. 

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Playa Mar - Puerto Pollensa

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - Sept / Oct 2005

Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : Pete, Fi & Sam       58, 34, 3.

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Have just returned from a marvellous holiday here.

The rooms were spotless with clean bedding and towels more frequently than anywhere else we have ever stayed.

The hotel facilities were great too, so were the entertainment staff who tried enthusiastically to get you to 'have a go' at what was on. Thanks to Annabel who kept us busy all day with competitions and quizzes.

Our son dissapeard off to the kids club everyday, thanks to Gillian & Mair who took good care of him, I still havent managed to prize his thomson hat off his head!

I would say this isnt the place to go for peace and quiet, it's superfamily in every sense of the word, but with our child being happy and having lots to do it made life so much easier for us. There is a 20 minute walk into town which isnt great of you hate walking but for us it made a nice change to walk in and have a look around on the way.

We tried the food option and whilst not the best meal we had it was adequate for us. The kids buffet was fantastic for our son though he loved it.

We never had a bad meal all the time we were there, but Pascalino's was a typical 'chips with everything' place and the least impressive. Nico's Tex Mex, behind the Joker Cafe was far superior to the Tex Mex on the square too and better value.

We booked a car through the rep for 3 days. It was from Europcar and you get taken off in a car with others to their offices in Pollensa Town (not the port.)They take your money throw you the keys and leave you to it. I got back ok but did hear a few moans from the others who had a bit of a detour, next time I'll check ones locally before booking!  

Our only downside of the whole holiday was the Airport. Yet again Luton was absolutely poor, disorganised and a complete mess.

We all had a great time and would recommend the hotel and the resort to anyone with a family wanting a good time.

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Playa Mar - Puerto Pollensa

Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) JMC - Sep 2005

Opinion submitted in Jan 2006 by : Ben - Preston (21, 17)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Average

My/Our Hol