Hotetur Belsana

Literally just returned from a week in Porto Colom at the Belsana and, after having read the reviews, thought I'd add my own.
We (me and hubs) were looking for a quiet relaxing break in the Med, and this place really seemed to hit the spot. Wish I was still there...
We arrived late at night but our first impression of the Hotel was that our room was very clean and quiet.
Food was fine; good choices at breakfast, lunch and dinner - I love fish and there was a different, beautifully cooked fish dish every lunch and dinner. Plenty Spanish/Med food as well as stuff acceptable to the English palate, including piles of chips; loads of salad; puddings were great and the draught wine was good.
The hotel staff were so pleasant and helpful. I must mention Anne, Gina, and Ivete at reception, and the dining room staff were attentive and cheerful at all times too. And the two entertainers, brothers Matt and Josh - what can I say? These two guys were such talented livewires. If Josh isn't famous one fine day, I'll eat my shorts. He IS the Pied Piper of Hamelin - the kids adored him.
By the way, the entertainment wasn't nearly as bad as some of the reviews below would have you believe. I was pleasantly surprised by what we had on offer. The Brazilian and Spanish Classical shows were amazing, and the interactive stuff (facilitated by Matt and Josh) was hilarious.
We're not hang-around-the-pool-bar folk, so we went to the nearest beach each day. Cala Marsal was a gentle ten-minute stroll away - an immaculate, small sandy beach in a cove. Fantastic! We spent every day there; a couple of days the surf was up and it was a bit dangerous for little kids, but hey? Lying on the golden sand in the hot sun, listening to the Italian, German, Polish, Spanish, Scouse, Brummie voices chattering, watching the people, watching the boats, having a dip in the warm Med - what more do you want from a holiday?
Every evening after dinner we gave the mini-disco a miss and went for a walk round the sublimely beautiful and unspoilt harbour of Porto Colom, watching the sun go down. Passing by the "English" bars etc at Corso square (not really our thing, though I'm sure they're okay), we ended up every time at a superb German-run cocktail bar on the harbour-side called Sporting Club de Fidel, where you can buy the best Havana cigars and excellent mojitos.
What was lovely about this town was that there were loads of Spanish people here; we saw the same group of old Spanish ladies dressed up in their finery taking an evening stroll, every evening. Lots of expensive boats use the harbour, and there are many good restaurants if you fancy a change from the hotel food.
For Majorca, Porto Colum is a beautiful, unspoilt place. There are rocky coves and sandy beaches, cliffs and caves; a view of the lighthouse from our hotel; turquoise seas, boat trips, great swimming.
Only down points: with regard to the hotel, too many greedy people piling their plates high and throwing away the food. Shameful. Food service at the pool bar at lunchtime was extremely slow and haphazard. Need for more parasols round the pool, too - not enough shade.
Also, the transfer (Resort Hoppa) was a bit badly organised, especially on the return leg. Make damned sure your name is on their list!
No banging' clubs here; almost the antithesis of Magaluf. Therefore not suitable for rowdy teenage groups. Fine for everyone else, though.
We are totally chilled; we will be back!

1 reader found this review helpful

Now, I booked this holiday, then read the reviews on here and freaked, I was so worried, it was the first holiday abroad I had had since I was little.
We went 2 adults, a 5 year old, a 13 year old and a baby, after much worry and a dodgy transfer we arrived at 1.30 am.
The tour operator hadn’t booked us a cot for the baby and there weren’t any available till the next day, but the guy on reception took us to the bar, and got us 2 much appreciated lagers and loads of cans of coke for the kids, then took us to the apartment.
We shared a bed with the baby that first night but as soon as we got back from breakfast there was a cot, the room was really clean, cleaned daily with fresh linen 3 days and clean towels every day. We had too balconies both with the most amazing sea views.
We aren’t the kind of people that spend all day by the pool letting the kids roam round so we went out every day. Unfortunately the hotel didn’t provide packed lunches, but the restaurant manger let me make my own sandwiches at breakfast to take out, and there was loads of fruit. I also filled the baby’s beakers with as much fruit juice as I could.
We didn’t go on excursions cos they were so expensive, the local buses, although random, were easy enough to work out and we had some beautiful trips to Cala dor and Porto Cristo.
The beach was beautiful (but watch out for jelly fish 2 weeks on I still have a lovely sting mark on my leg) and only really a 10 15 minute walk, there were a few good local shops, the tobacconist was miles away but a really nice walk around the harbour, there was a lovely English bar on the square about 5 mins from the hotel called Ollie’s bar, I really recommend u pop in there they were lovely and really helpful.
The hotel staff were good, the English speaking ones we found really helpful, my daughter had a reaction to some strong chlorine, and they fixed her up good as new.
The entertainment was a bit pants but the kids loved it, and some nights it was really funny (how I ended up Brazilian dancing I will never know).
As for the food, as someone who doesn’t like chips I was a bit worried, but myself and the kids had loads of food and loved it, pasta, rice, fish meat we were fine, and the deserts were beautiful, unfortunately, if they hadn’t served chips my husband would have starved! So I suppose it’s down to taste, although if its helpful, my baby has eating probs and is picky, he has since put on 5lbs I’ve never seen him eat so well!!
I personally didn’t like the cooked breakfast but there was plenty of cereal and toast and fruit. And everyone else seemed to like the cooked alternative.
Generally I really enjoyed this holiday, it’s definitely for families not couples, or elderly, and my little boy asks every day how many sleeps till we go back!

Absolutely brilliant, I don’t know what everyone who had left bad comments felt they could moan about.
The staff were super friendly and couldn’t do enough to help, always polite and they worked so hard but never stopped laughing and smiling, the bar staff were efficient and we didn’t encounter any long queues even though the hotel was full.
Where so I start on the entertainment, Matt and Josh were fantastic and made out holiday, not only were they providing the evening entertainment for children and adults they were also organising things to do for all ages around the pool all day. I went stressed out and came back very very chilled out and would definitely go there again.
The rooms were immaculate on arrival and the maids came round every day to sweep the floor and provide clean towels, bedding etc.
The restaurant and bar area was always spotless as was the rest of the hotel; the hotel area and pool were cleaned daily
The food was also fine it had a wide range for everyone, we did eat out one night in Cala D’Or, but this was due to the bus schedule not to needing a break from the hotel food.
I think people who have left negatives are the type who pay 3* prices but expect 5* amenities , all I can say is go there and see for yourself and don’t let the negatives sway you, go with an open mind expecting what you pay for and come back very very pleasantly surprised as we did last night.

Just returned from the Hotel Belsana Porto Colom. The tour operator changed our holiday completely from Mallorca Costa Dor flying from Manchester to Porto Colom flying from East Midlands.
Our first impression on arrival at the hotel was what a disgusting smell in reception. This smell was in the room, which if you twisted your body around the wall on the balcony you could just about see the sea hmmm see view - I think not...
The room seemed clean apart from the smell.
Food no complaints although I would have expected more snacks to be available for the kids in the evening and kids choice at meal times.
Evenings were OK our 8 year old loved the 2 lads Matt and Josh they both were wonderful with the kids. Entertainment ok. although there wasn’t any where else to go in Porto Colom so it was a good job.
On the Weds evening we took a taxi to Cala Dor (14 euro each way) unfortunately a wallet was taken out of my bag containing my son’s spending money.
On the following day our room was entered (no forced entry by the way) perfume was stolen still in the cellophane and my sons PSP and 6 games out of a bag which was hidden out of site.
The receptionist wasn’t too sympathetic. There wasn’t any more communication on the matter apart from us having to go to the next town to report the theft. I complained to the manager that nothing had been said to us about the theft and he did offer to change our room, but we didn’t bother as we only had 2 nights to go. A word of warning do not leave anything in your room of value.
Overall an ok holiday for what we paid, got a tan, won't go there again for obvious reasons.

We really enjoyed our holiday. The entertainment for the children was fab, also for the adults there were Brazilian dancers, and karaoke night.
The food was good but it got really boring towards the end of the week.
My kids loved the inside pool as it was heated but the roof pool was too cold for them. That’s kids for you.
Pool bar was nice but always the same thing quite boring really and there was nowhere that served food after 8.30 in the hotel.
The family apartment that we stayed in was fantastic, we had sea view, it was cleaned every morning fresh towels and the cleaner staff was very polite and friendly.
The staff at the hotel was very friendly and helpful but some were rude.
The overall holiday was fantastic we looking to go back next year.

We booked this hotel after scouring several review websites, but due to time constraints (see our tour operator) and budget it sounded the best of a pretty bad bunch. Therefore we weren't expecting too much.
General:
The hotel is around an hour from the airport and as several people have noted, its major plus point is its location. Porto Colom is a quiet fishing village where it isn't too unusual to hear Spanish people talking in bars and shops- which makes a refreshing change from other resorts- where it seems English or German are all you will ever hear. In addition, the beach, which is more of a cove, is simply stunning. The water is clean and calm and there were always sun loungers (for a pricey 11 Euros a day) and plenty of room for games such a Frisbee or bat and ball on the large sandy beach.
As for the hotel, the Belsana is essentially two separate buildings. The main building houses the bulk of the rooms, along with the dining and bar areas. Beyond the first pool lies a second building, a block of apartments, the rooms of which are apparently more dated than the main hotel. Our room was on the 4th floor of the main building and had a fantastic view of the sea. Size wise it was more than ample for the two of us and it contained plenty of storage space, a safe (22 Euros per week), a TV, a sofa and good-sized bathroom. However, I believe all the rooms are of a similar size and for a party of more than three I think it would be a squeeze too far.
Food and Drink:
The food at the hotel becomes quite trying over a 2-week period, with around 4 different main courses offered for lunch and dinner- along with the stable offerings of chips (morning, noon and night), pasta, rice and salad. Don't get me wrong, the food is certainly edible (if a little salty and fatty) and for those on a budget it means you will never go hungry, but there should be a little more variety. For instance, Hake was served for lunch and dinner for thirteen consecutive days! The themed food nights, Italian, Mexican etc. didn't seem to have any impact on the menu either.
Drinks are available throughout the day and night. Alcoholic drinks are served from 10am onwards and are available from the pool bar until 6pm, where service switches to the bar adjacent to the dining area. The pool area also serves hot snacks from 12 till 4 and is the main focal point for most people during the day. The pool(s) are both small but there are plenty of sun beds and around a dozen parasols. The sun beds and parasols can only be reserved from 9am onwards, which is a really great idea.
Activities:
The activities and animation on offer at the hotel were pretty ordinary. In a small resort there isn't a great deal to do at night other than stay at the hotel or sit at bars and restaurants (this is partly what makes Porto Colom so charming). Therefore, since people spend most of there time at the hotel, it makes the lack of quality in the animation difficult to understand.
Staff:
We found the staff at the hotel to be reasonably friendly but we met several people who had encountered some problems. One point of note, certainly for those who like to sleep, due to the airy interior of the hotel, and people drinking far too much, noise tends to travel quite loudly as people shout and slam doors. This makes it difficult to get to sleep until about 2am. On the upside, the room was well cleaned, whilst new linen and towels were also left daily.
Overall:
Porto Colom is ideally suited for those looking for a relaxing break and I would recommend the resort for a low budget holiday. I have marked this hotel at a 6. I don't think it warrants a 1, as some people have given, nor do I think it's a 10 out of 10. It's a solid 3 star that doesn't surpass any expectations, but barring any misfortune, it isn't going to ruin your holiday.

Stayed here for two weeks with my husband to celebrate his birthday. It was disgusting from beginning to end and could not wait to get back home. The pool area was still being painted 3 days into our holiday. The food was revolting, what you had for lunch was cremated and mashed into something else for the evening meal. I have never met so many ill mannered staff in one resort. The only nicest person there was the English bar manager who worked within the complex.
The pool bar did not open until we had been there almost a week and if you want an all-inclusive please, please, don't go here! You will be so disappointed and there is nothing available for children with regards to snack availability. This holiday was advertised by Tengo Villas as an all inclusive where food and drinks are available until 12 midnight but availability is finished more or less by 9pm and the queues at the bar are extremely long so prepare to wait!! We queued on a couple of occasions and as the clock struck 12 midnight we had to start paying for our drinks. The smoking and no smoking area are more or less the same place and there is a path that runs alongside the hotel where locals walk their dogs and let them "do the business". Not healthy if you have young children.
My sisters joined us a week later (even after we had complained to the travel company back in the UK) and they asked to be moved to another hotel as the youngest had a 6 month old baby with her. They could oblige but they would need to pay another hotel to stay and claim it back in the UK. How many people are daft enough to do that?
The entertainment was naff, but to be fair, Marcu tried his best to make good out of a bad situation. And we met quite a lot of nice people there (although they were as disappointed with the hotel as we were).
I don't wish to sound negative but the holiday was a total washout and I would not want anyone to go through what we did. Save your money and go somewhere nicer.

We stayed for 11 nights out of which, 4 of them were without air conditioning, 3 were with a toilet that leaked and sounded like the Titanic sinking and 11 where the sink leaked.
When we arrived we were allocated a room at the side of the hotel. The room was clean and an OK size for the 2 of us. But, strangely the bathroom window opened onto our neighbour’s balcony! There was no explanation except that it must be the hotels way of getting everyone to know each other better.
Anyway we decided that we did not want to shower with our neighbours so asked for a room exchange only to encounter the polite wit and sarcasm from reception, informing us that she will have the entire bathroom changed.
Finally we got a room with great views across Majorca and all seemed grand when the toilet made a loud noise for about 15 Seconds then stopped for a minute then the noise again. So we went back down and explained this to reception thinking all should be fine by this evening, but wait: our comments about the noise were greeted by the same wit and sarcasm. But what could we have expected of reception though. Maybe a maintenance man, no, nothing! (3 days to fix).
Few short points-
Food was mostly junk food, nothing went with anything else & chips served with everything. Most parents nightmare to bring their kids to eat there, but as we found out over the stay, the type of people who stay at this hotel only eat junk food and complain if their kids can't eat burgers and chips every day. Oh and be warned, if you want to go at this time of year to avoid children, don't, apparently term times do not exist, or are certainly not considered important by most of the families that were there.

The bar area and lounge could be used by the military to test gas masks, there are no smoking signs up but obviously no one can read as the only respite you get in the evening from the smoke is outside, but then you get bitten by mosquitoes! If you like entertainment and wine then you guessed it - go into town at night. The Belsana only has one good night and that’s when the Brazilian Dancers take the stage.
For a couple who would like to relax, the Apartment pool is ideal as it is quiet and has great views across the med.
Anyway, this is only my opinion but the hotel is saved by its location and views over the Med. Porto Colom itself is beautiful with a pretty marina and stunning beach. If you are on a budget you certainly get what you pay for, don't expect wonders, but it is worth it if you want lovely scenery but just don't mind where you stay. If you don’t like to see England shirts everywhere and parents who drink themselves silly every night until 2am while their kids are still running round don’t go to this hotel. Never again will I opt for a cheap holiday.

This holiday was very enjoyable but mainly this was due to the day trips which were available. The first night we arrived at around 9 o'clock and were led out to apartments which weren’t even part of the Belsana or the Belsana Aparthotel.
At these apartments we were told the bar downstairs was not all inclusive emphasising the fact that it was not a part of Belsana. The apartment was ok until you reached the bathroom which had a shower covered in dirt and grime - very off-putting. If you are unfortunate enough to be put there do not hesitate to complain which is what I did and was promptly put into a room in the hotel.
The room was lovely and our view was amazing of the pool and behind that the cliffs and lighthouse, my only complaint was that there was a lot of ants in one corner of the room, which I asked to be dealt with at the reception a few times. When I noticed they had disappeared I thought they had killed them but was annoyed to discover the ants were now in my suitcase, so I had to go through my whole suitcase and shook out over 20 ants of my clothes. This, although annoying did not spoil my time since we were not in the room much.
The food was satisfactory and although nothing really went together I found it interesting and appetising however I was disappointed to learn the limited times of food. On our first night when we came in at about 9 there was no longer any snacks or food which was ridiculous, we ended up having to BUY walkers crisps which they charged at 1.20 Euro hardly in running with the all inclusive we had opted for. The other nights when we were hungry after dinner we got pizza's at a restaurant around the corner.
Porto colom is very quiet, you have to believe what i and everyone else had said, it is so boring we would have been lost without the pool table at the Irish bar and the hotel puts on absolutely rubbish entertainment at night, the impression we got was that the hotel had a policy of using their night entertainment to keep the children happy so the parents could inebriate themselves on the all inclusive drinks, while providing no supervision for the children, one little boy nearly falling of the bar when he climbed up and tried to get himself some coke.
I have rated this reasonably but this is because of the amazing time we had at the beach and the day trips, I would recommend that if you have booked a holiday here and are only looking at these comments now, to make the best out of the holiday by going to the likes of marine land, the water parks, the markets and the beach which is amazing!

Anyone who thinks this is a bad hotel is nuts. I read some of the reviews and think to myself... "have they stayed at the same hotel?"
The reception is clean, the staff are friendly, the service is good and the pools (both indoor and outside) are excellent and of a good size. What’s not to like?
I stayed there with my wife and 3 children of 12, 10 and 6. My little daughter is a notoriously fussy eater but we didn’t hear a peep out of her all week as you get plenty of choice. There’s vegetables, pizza, fish, meat, poultry, chips, pasta dishes and specials on a daily basis.
The hotel is situated looking right over the sea and the beach down the road can only be described as one of the best you'll see in your life. Plenty of shops, restaurants and bars are about a 5 min walk away.
The all inclusive option is easy with you taking kids and the rooms are big for families. We booked through medinland as they do the all inclusive option with a lovely young man called David. If you like a relax, some entertainment and activity combined with fun then this is for you.
Book it today as it is well worth the money.