Acorn Santa Ponsa Park Hotel

Just returned from a five day stay at the Playa Santa Ponsa hotel. We are a couple in our late twenties who chose this hotel based on location. Have to say this is a big plus. The hotel is located less than a hundred yards down a side street from the fabulous beach and the main strip of bars, restaurants, shops etc. The pool in the hotel is nice and there appeared to be a good deal of organised activities for the kids. However when booking make sure and request a room overlooking this area, we overlooked the road and even though we were three floors up the noise is incessant..beginning at 7.30am with delivery trucks and going right through to 5 or 6am with revellers making their way home and local boy racers blaring their stereos..relaxing it isnt! We didn't eat in the hotel, however the food in general in Santa Ponsa is very good with a wide choice of restaurants to suit all palates and pockets. Major complaint I had with the Playa Santa Ponsa was the staff...young, surly, unhelpful (unknowledgeable in the case of the receptionist who couldn't point us in the direction of the main street on arrival or on a separate occasion locate a taxi rank..we gave up asking her for info after that!) and watch out for the maids! They generally don't bother knocking, they simply enter the room, often beginning at 8am and continuing at half hourly intervals up to four or five times a morning..we were on holiday and don't think it's too much to ask that the occasional lie in till 10.30 or 11 be allowed! All in all, this hotel is good value for what you get but it's plain to see why it's a two star..if you are just looking for a convenient central place to lay your head for a few hours a night then this is it...if you're looking for anything more, such as a relaxing holiday in a fun atmosphere go elsewhere..I wouldn't return.

We just returned from 1 week (Aug-17th till 24th) at the Acorn Playa Santa Ponsa, which we booked through Bookings.com at a very reasonable rate. I saw on the hotel ledger what some others had paid for the same service (7 nights bed + breakfast). We rented a car through Record Rent a Car at the airport [--], very cheap and we got a free upgrade to a Berlingo Citroen. The hotel is very well located, some 200m from the beach and some 500 m from the "night-noise" a.k.a. discos and pubs. Our room was on 4th floor and it was quiet, we had a small view to the beach. Car parking may be an issue but it is easier to park after 7 PM as most people leave the beach. I got a 60 Euros fine close to the hotel for staying more than 1 1/2 hr in the "blue parking zone" ! The hotel breakfast is impressive, cereals, eggs, grapefruits, lots of different breads..we even had "croissants", being French, I appreciated ! There was no airconditionning but the ceiling-fan could handle. On a no-wind day, it may be really hot ! At that time of year, the hotel was quiet, mainly italians, suedes and some french. The sunbeds at the pool were quite sufficient and good animation work at the pool. We went to see Magaluf, what a nightmare ! I have been told by the night hotel clerk (a french too) that in July, they had to call the police to get rid of some youngsters, drunk, shouting. They got kicked out of the hotel, no reimbursement. The Santa Ponsa beach itself is very family oriented. As it was end of season, I found the water to be a bit dirty with sun-protection lotions. I regret the lack of watersports (aka windsurf, sailing) nearby. The Santa Ponsa resort has got some good restaurants and bars. We liked the Chinese Buffet close to the hotel (all U can eat for 9.5 euros..), the Indian Taj Mahal and the Mexican (forgot the name). Some good bars, mostly Irish and nice cocktail bars, 99% Irish or British owned, good live music and good choice of beers. Around the area, I would recommend Puerto Andratx, Cala Camp which are small rocky beaches (coves). I hated Magaluf, El Toro which are a mix of concrete and noise..although I have to admit that we found good restaurants in Magaluf. The most beautiful beach we saw was S-Trenc, close to Colonia St Jordi..white sand..crystal water..and windsurf !! We adored Cala Figueira and Cala Deia (a bit crowded and small but romantic). We took the trip from Santa Ponsa to Soller via the coastal road..beautiful..and the trip from Puerto Soller to Sa Calobra is a big disappointment, not the boat itself but the beach is ridiculously small. I would definitely recommend the hotel and Santa Ponsa is a good compromise between nightlife and family life. Marc.

Our party of nine returned on the 14th Aug from 2 weeks in Santa Ponsa. The Hotel Pionero is very good.The staff are most helpful and curtious (not at all rude as we had read) and our maid was really excellent ,but..... 1. Make sure if you are travelling in a group of 5 or more that you are given a table together in the restaurant from the first meal-as this will be the table allocated to you for your entire holiday. 2. For some reason there were a few very noisy Germans (singing John Denver songs??!) both weeks (different groups) who made sleeping difficult at times-probably they were no noisier than the Brits and they were on holiday--but do complain if you experience any problems-most people are reasonable and will quiet down if asked but otherwise the hotel staff seem happy to intervene if necessary especially if you have children in your party. The rooms are all air conditioned (some rooms have better ceiling fans) and double glazed but it does not stop you hearing people walking on the floor above at all hours sometimes which can be annoying. However this is a busy hotel with guests coming and going most days and nights and it is clearly popular with many different people from the UK/Germany/Italy and Poland who come back tome and time again. So now that we have dispensed with the negatives --Facilities were excellent, the kids loved the pools and organised events like the water polo, archery, bingo and evening entertainment with the ubiquitous mini disco (groan!) and with the beach only a few hundred yards away it was perfect and safe for them. Sun beds were availiable all day,especially on the raised sun terrace,however this was not always the case around the pool.(mostly taken by Brits-who are seemingly attempting to overtake the Germans in the "Who-can-be-first-to-get-their-towel-on-the-Sunbed" competition"-6.30am seem a tad daft as dawn is not til 7.00) The hotel does state that it has a policy of not allowing sunbeds to be reserved but they do not necessarily enforce it. As a consequence,we did see some towels floating in the pool which shows how annoyed people can get if others reserve 3 or 4 beds and then don't use them. We found we could always find beds when we needed them-so for us it was no issue. The hotel food had an International feel,possibly with a German twist We read a number of negative reviews before we left however we found the food good and plentiful with prawns, piella, smoked salmon etc on different nights and always lots of salads,fruit,hot dishes and a roast joint of pork/beef/turkey as well--so we had absolutely no complaints. Breakfast was equally good with continental meats and cheeses,fruits sweet and savory rolls and all the ingridients for an English fry up Overall the resort is pretty and lively--BUT NOT thankfully anything like (my apologies) the sore that is Magaluf which we thought was awful-so much quieter and very tidy. Lots of friendly restaurants and bars-I would have liked to have seen more mallorquin cuisine in with the roast and chips,but it is there if you try to find it (try Mason del Ray for instance). Lots of free entertainment along the front and promenade such as guitarists, mime artists and Inca/red Indian fusion music and it is of course great for people watching. Also there is a great Hawaiian style cocktail bar at the end of town serving both alcoholic and non-alcoholic concoctions for you to share in the equivalent of small buckets with 2 ft long straws!! A hoot if you are in a party mood. We went on a full day trip to Soller and the mountains (only 15 Euro per adult/6 Euro per child each) in the north (by coach, train,tram and boat !!) which was unbelievably good value and the kids loved it even though they were quite tired when we got back. Shopping is good with Syp and Caprabo supermarkets close by the hotel- however if you are looking to buy cheap bottles to bring home-go to Palma Nova. From Santa Ponsa it is also easy to reach both Marineland (dolphins/seal /parrot shows) and Aqualand (waterpark) which are good days out for all the family. Would we go again? Definitely. Ian and Gill Leyton

I stayed at the acorn playa for 4 nights and really enjoyed my stay. The hotel is very clean and well looked after, and staff are friendly. Rooms are basic and quite small but again very clean and there is daily maid service. The one small criticism I have is that we had a room which faced onto the main road and this could get quite noisy during the night. We stayed half board, which meant our breakfasts and dinner were included. Each meal time there was a wide choice and the food was nice. The hotel is very family focused and the pool is sometimes quite overcrowded - didn't help that people reserved sunbeds by leaving their towels on them constantly. However, the beach is really lovely and only a 2 minute walk from the hotel with loads of different water sports activities avalable. Entertainment at the hotel is definately family orientated and often very cheesy! There are several good wine/ cocktail bars and resturants in santa ponsa but it is not at all loud or garish like magaluf. However, if you do want somewhere livlier to have a dance, magaluf is only 5 minutes ride away in a taxi and costs 7 euros each way. Overall, I would stay here again. A nice, clean basic 2* hotel in a great resort.

just come back from holliday in acorn food good restaurant service good.hotel room very clean.entertainment for children very good poor for adults .the only problem i had was trying get sun bed ,if you think germs got bad name you not met scotts yet .

I went to this hotel in July 2005 with my friends Family and I thougt it was brilliant! I went halves with my mate for the room which cost me £240 I think and my flight was £61 from MyTravel online which was good. The rooms are always kept clean and seeing as we had three of us in one room it wasn't a tight squeeze, it was comfortable in fact. We had a small problem with our balcony door not locking and as soon as we reported it, they came to fix it either while we were in there or when the maids came to clean the room. We also asked for an extra pillow each and this was at like 10pm or something, but the guy when to a room on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd floor which we were on to get pillows for us out of un-used rooms which I thought was really nice. We had a room at the back of the hotel which was nice and quiet, the front does get a little noisey in the mornings. The staff are very helpful and polite. The facilites are great and there's a lot for the kids to do in the day and at night with the kids club. There's a computer with internet in the lobby and it charges 1 eruo for 12 minutes and also there are two playstations in there that charge roughly the same price. The food I thought was great for half board - meals were very nice, breakfast was pretty much the same every day but considering it's a buffet, we helped ourselves to your usual bacon, eggs etc as well as the salad option, fresh fruit and cereals. The coffee was strong, great for waking you up and the fruit juice was fresh, they also had de-caf tea. The night meals were different, but sort of came back to the same a week later, but they were very nice and were always topped up when they ran low. There was always a chef out cooking eggs in the morning and two on at night to watch and fill up and help out. The deserts were strange but lovely all the same! I loved trying the new foods. We ate out at a retuarant around the corner on our last night, excelent food! The meat just fell of the bone hmmm German ran I think... I'm not sure. McDonalds and Burger King are open 24/7 in July. The entertainment was brilliant. The water parks in Magaluf were awesome, I thouroughly enjoyed those. And Marine Land! The transport was cheap, I don't know about the taxis but a taxi rant was just around the corner and the buses were 1 euro 15 to the water parks. The santa ponsa beach was at the end of our road, not even a 5 minute walk and the closest shop was less than a minute and very good prices indeed! The beach is a Blue Flag beach, the cleanest beach I have ever seen, England could use some tips from them if I do say so myself. The disabled facilities are great, easy access to toilets, showers and down to the sea. The water... clear as day! There are three life gaurds on the beach. One sits in a high chair watching while two walk up and down the beach all day. There is usually a woman walking along the beach too selling fruit, don't buy it! It's not fresh obviously and she charges a lot so simply shake your head and she goes away. So all in all I give my holiday 10 out of 10! I'm 17 and hard to please as I'm a teenager :D but I loved it! I am going back next year with my best friend, I just loved it.

We have just returned from a fortnight at the Santa Ponsa Playa. We booked our flights with flyglobespan.com and our accommodation separately and paid £350 per person for 2 weeks half board including flights which was excellent value for money. We upgraded to All Inclusive upon arrival (a good deal at €16 per person per day). The All Inclusive option includes lunch, snacks and all local alcoholic drinks, soft drinks and tea and coffee from 10am until 12.30am although at peak times you may have to wait for up to 15 minutes to get served at the bar. The hotel is very clean and excellently maintained for a 2 star hotel. The communal areas are air conditioned but the bedrooms are not, although there are ceiling fans in the rooms (which we found to be adequate) and portable fans for hire. The rooms are small but functional and all have balconies. The rooms at the front of the hotel are facing the road and can be quite noisy, especially in the early hours of the morning with vans delivering to the shops and hotels nearby. The rooms as the back of the hotel (which we were in) are much quieter. The entertainment staff are really enthusiastic and encourage all the holidaymakers to join in the activities which include archery, pistol and rifle shooting, water polo and football for adults and a similar programme for children. At mealtimes there is a decent selection of food on offer although the menu was rather repetitive from day to day. We ate (and enjoyed) dinner in the hotel on 10 nights out of 14 and had lunch every day that we were in the vicinity. Breakfast tended to be over before we awoke most days but snacks were on offer until 12pm. The hotel is situated in a quiet area of Santa Ponsa but only a 5 minute walk from the livelier bars and the clubs. The beach is at the end of the road and the nearest shop is not even 1 minute from the hotel. Overall I would rate this as well above average for a 2* hotel and would recommend it - I will definitely be going back.

We had an excellent time.We paid £1700 for 2 adults two children age 9 & 11.Entertainment is very good(go to the sister hotels too).Jeremy and Ain Entertainment people were very good.Kids had a fantastic time there was loads to do for kids and adults alike.The food was okay.It got very repetitive and by the end of the holiday we were sick to death of it.Even if you go all inclusive take some spare cash for meals out.Ber staff ok-sometimes rude sometimes really nice.I think its because if you are all inclusive they dont get the tip! We met up with some really nice familes which made our holiday and we are all hoping to go back next year. Go to see Pirates if you get the chance in Magluft.Expensive but a good night. All in all one of the best holidays we have had-although a lot of that is to do with the people we met up with. By the way loads of Scottish at this hotel-not that thats a bad thing!

It was me and my friends first holiday without the parents, we had a fabulous time, there was loads of activities to do within the hotel, and the staff were very friendly. The hotel was in a good location, just about two minutes walk from the centre. We went all inclusive, the food was good the first couple of days but we got a bit bored of it so decided to go out a few nights (steak at Mrs Murphys Kitchen highly recommended). Night entertainment in the hotel was superb as well. The hotel was lovely and clean. I cannot really say anything bad about the hotel we're going back in June next year.

Booked an all-inclusive holiday for two adults and two kids aged 5 and 10 we paid £2,136 not a small sum. The food was crap all-inclusive was not what we thought we ended taking the kids out for their dinner so they had something in their tummy which was not the idea of all-inclusive now was it. The rooms were clean. The service at the bar VERY slow quite often one on the bar at busy times with the temeratures over 35 the kids needed cool drinks or they would dehydrate. The square in santa ponsa was a must to visit though.