Sol Balmoral

1 reader found this review helpful

I have just come back from a weeks holiday in calas de mallorca staying in the sol balmoral hotel. i went with my dad, auntie and uncle on the 12th october and returned home on the 18th october. i went all inclusive, it was really worth the money we payed. before i went i read some of the comments people have left about the hotel and some of them put me off abit but my auntie and uncle told me to ingnore them because they had been in may 2007 and they really enjoyed it then. the food in the hotel was amazing there was everything you could ask for right infront you in the restraunt, and most off the food was also getting cooked infront of you and was served straight onto your plate. there was snacks on all hours of the day except when meals were one, the snacks was all foods which people didnt eat at either breakfast, lunch or evening meal, but all the snacks which were cooked were kept warm all the time. the entertainment was great, it started at about half 8 till about 11 or half past. from half 8 till 9 there was a little mini disco done by the reps on the stage for the little kids in the hotel. then there would be a fifteen minutes break for people to go and get the drinks in and then bingo would start at about 9.15 and then after bingo there would be a turn on either done by the reps or a turn from outside would come in to the hotel balmoral and entertain. the reps were great especially carla and sandro, they were m two favourites i loved them. during the day there were also alot of activites going on for kids and adults. the only thing i didnt really like was the bar staff, they were miserable and didnt say much, they just give you whatyou asked for, put their hand out for your all inclusive card and then go to the next person. overall i would love to go back to this hotel next year because i loved every minute of it. please listen to me saying this.. if you are thinking about going to this hotel but dont know whether to because of all the comments people have made, well they are a load of POO, cause i am not just saying it, but it is a brillant hotel and u certainly get your moneys worth!!

1 reader found this review helpful

im only 15 by the way people but i know what am writing about. i really dont know why people give this hotel a low mark. its 3 star hotel not a five what some people expect it to be. i give this hotel nine out of ten because it is fantastic, the food is brillant, everything you could ask for is there infront of you. the reps in the hotel are really nice, they include everyone in everything if they can. the rooms are sparkling clean & the maids are in every day cleaning your room. i have just got back from the balmoral hotel and to be honest i am missing it already, it was totally great i loved it. the thing what made me give it 9 out of ten and not ten out of ten was cause the bar staff were miserabl, they didnt really talk much, they just serviced u n thats it, not a word, apart from that GREAT it was, & hopefully i will be going back next year!

Having just returned from Mallorca and staying at the Sol Balmoral for seven days on an all inclusive package, we could not find fault with the quality of the property for the price package.
Food; Kitchen crew does a fabulous job of keeping an interesting variety of food throughout the three meal periods. Dining room staff hustle constantly to keep up with the steady flow of traffic through the dining room. Bar Staff always cheerful and easy going even when they are over-whelmed and having to deal with non-spanish speaking guests' special requests.
Front Desk staff offers drinks on arrival and allowed us the use of the bar and restaurant free of charge after we had checked out and were waiting for the shuttle to take us to Palma Airport.
While the accomodation is very basic, it is kept very clean. I felt it was good value for money as my partner and I are peculiar and don't spend our entire holiday locked in the hotel room watching the same TV shows as at home. Finally, the entertainment staff did a very good job trying on a shoe string to keep a wide grouping entertained on a daily basis. Having watched them even attempt to entertain the children dropped at the kid's club daily, the staff should be awarded a large bonus.
The hotel is only a few minutes walk from the beaches (3), bus stops in front of the hotel for public transport to anywhere on the island (weird times though), rent a car and supermarket next door.
The only drawback, the pools are cold. Most likely to keep the hundreds of guests from trying to crowd into it all the time. :)

I went on this holiday four years ago, and the year before that too. And now 2008, just a couple of months ago. Believe me, nothing has changed...
1 was only 13 and 14 but i remember everything about it.
Transport: Plane was comfortable, and the coaches were air conditioned and the long journeys soon went by.
Rooms: On our first visit, we had a room facing the sea on the 5th floor. The veiw was brilliant, and got the sun all day. On our second visit, we had an apartment which were very spacious, and cool because of the giant fans. Both came with a TV and a bathroom.
Food: The continental breakfast was a nice start to the day, or sometimes the fry ups. Ice cream was available all day and drinks too. The food at lunch and dinner was great, with a wide variety. There really was something for everyone.
Staff: The bar staff were fine, i dont see why everyone is complaining.The entertainment people really made everyone get involved in things and when we got there they even gave us a glass of orange juice before asking about our booking. That's what i call service.
Entertainment: Through out the day, there was clubs for children and adults. These involved water sports in the pool like volley ball, and other tournaments, like football. There was also archery, darts, and loads more happening in the pools. Every night there was something different for entertainment, and boy was it entertaining. First, was the kids discos, and then came the entertainment, perfect for all the family. Who can say someone making a panther out of a cat isn't entertaining?
Overall, I think this is superb quality for money, and anyone who thinks it was rubbish needs to think if they are comparing it to 5 star hotels, because it sounds as if they are.
Anyone with a family who just want some fun, this is the ideal holiday for you.

1 reader found this review helpful

just returned from the sol balmoral overall very happy, plenty of food & drink as much as you wanted all though had to queue at the bar so wouldnt like to see it at high season, bar staff were a bit misrable but work long hours i guess, rooms spotless maid in everyday clean towels etc, lovely views of the sea from our balcony would go again good value for money.

1 reader found this review helpful

i forgot to add in my last review of this hotel some good points : food was good and plenty of it and always when a tray of food of whatever sort was looking low a new tray was cooked and bought out , the food could be called repetative but only if you were there for a few weeks , beer wine and soft drinks were all free you could drink as much as you wanted as indeed you could with the food, i went and had at least 3/4 plates of food and sweets during one evening as i enjoyed it so much , there was , fish and meat dishes galore and plenty to satify the vegeterian also lots of spanish dishes including some nice pealla at lunch and dinner . indeed one evening i complemented the head chef and the restarant manager on the good food and asked the chef for his rice recipe
i never had any problems with the staff they were always nice and helpfull to me and my wife but that could be due to my respectfull attitude and good manners to people
which i am afraid to say that could not always be said for my fellow british guests who seemed to be surly and rude to staff . lets not forget in life generaly you get what you pay for if you book a late deal for 300gbp including flights you are not going to get 5 star food , flat screen tvs or other luxurys , you are going to get basic value for money , which at this time the hotel sol balmoral is exactly that a good basic hotel

1 reader found this review helpful

my wife and i have just returned from the sol balmoral we were there for 7 days on an "all inclusive " basis , it was a late deal from my local travel agent . the sol balmoral is a 3 star hotel and if you go there you will ? agree . we were given a 7th flour room
with a sea view the room was basic with 2 small single beds but it was clean , the bathroom was large enough for us with all the basic amienities including a good powerfull shower. the furniture was basic a table and 2 chairs and a wardrobe built in to one side . there was no tv in the room but as my wife said , did we reaily come on holiday to watch spanish tv so it did not worry us , the staff seemed to be very busy
but if you were reasonable to them they were nice to you, as other former guests have stated the hotel does seem dated and could do with a makeover . i would not recomend this hotel if you have mobility problems as there are alot of stairs everywhere it seemed but the resort is built on a rocky hilly area of mallorca so it is to be expected .i have no complaints regarding the food i thought at the time it must be a huge undertaking to to provide this amount of food for over 700 guests at every sitting at times the food was repetative but it was all fresh and alot of the dishes were cooked in front you including fresh bread at every meal , beer and wine were available at lunch and dinner as well as soft drinks at the drinks island in the centre of the slightly canteen feeling restaurant {it was the only one} strange i thought for a hotel of this size
while we were there we saw the usual collection of baseball cap , football shirt brigade that seems to pervade our society these days i must say only from the english guests
we saw guests from , germany , france , and spain staying in the hotel but mostly english guests a mixture of young and old and some familys with some times very unruley children. i do agree waiting in line for drinks at the only bar in this day and age is unaceptable, during the day the bar seemed to have the same people in the queue at all times , we took one look at the people that seemed to inhabit this area and decided not to partake but unfortunatly you could not get a drink of anysort accept from this bar day or night {accept at meal times } calas de mallorca i think has seen better days but the transport system was very good to take you around the island , we went to palma , porto cristo and other places by local bus which was very easy
there is a small town center with the usual collection of bars /restaurants mostly geared to the british tourist i.e. sky tv bars , karaoke etc we went out every evening after dinner so we cannot comment on the evening activities at the hotel but it all seemed very lively when we got back but yet again we could not get a drink as we were expected to queue at night usualy with a long line of frustrated guests , after talking to my wife im not sure if we would go again to this hotel mabye if the problems with the , bar, swipe card etc were sorted [which i suspect could be due to the ? english guests over indulging activities ] we might go again .

This is our first time here, and overall was quite disappointed, we were in the annexe area of the hotel, we had a ground floor room, which was very clean and tidy, but very dark and not private at all, unless you kept the curtains drawn all day, otherwise everyone who walked passed looked into the room, the only highlight was we had a massive double bed. We found the staff mostly friendly and helpful. The queues for the bar were awful and because of this we never stayed in the hotel during the evening, when we came back to the hotel in the evening, the bar/entertainment area was always covered with part drunk plastic glasses, even to the extent that they were even on the steps. The food was on the whole very good, but again the queues made this a pain, and as in other reviews the tables were ontop of each other and you often had to wait for one to be cleaned so you could use it. The bottom pool was the best, as it was normally quiet and peaceful. The grounds themself were well kept and tidy. It was a nice walk to the beach around the cliff path, and the town was only about a 10 minute walk, with some nice fun pubs and restaurants.
Would not go back to this hotel, but would go back to the general area.

1 reader found this review helpful

Forgot to add in earlier review that you can have as much wine (white red rose ) beer and soft drinks with meals as you help yourself also rooms dont have air condition but ceiling fan was more than ample for us in sept but dont know about july/august when its much more warmer also 2 good size pools and large kids pool. Mostly uk residents staying at hotel and just nice amount in sept but july/aug would be very busy but I say again would go back as excellent for 3 star
yours margo

The room was very basic no tv. The rooms was clean. The hotel staff were very miserable. We had to queue for everything, the drinks were served in plasic cups you get at a party including beer so by the time you queue its time to get back in the the queue for another drink. The only good thing about the hotel was the food, bad side was again the queue and the tables on top of each other. The entertainment was for children. in all a very bad holiday, would never go back