Riu Palace Bonanza Playa Hotel

Stayed here with my retired parents and two young children in April 2007. We found all the staff most attentive and were treated like royalty!!! Perhaps some of the decor in the hotel needs updating but everything else made up for this minor detail. The pool area was beautiful and not at all crowded... in April!!! A great hotel.

My partner and I took our then 7 month old daughter to Majorca for a week's break and were recommended this hotel by my mother-in-law, who stayed there many years ago, when looking for a place to buy. When we compared notes, it seems the standards have remained consistently good. My only gripe was the fantastically long wait (over an hour) we had before we could check in to our room. This was mainly due to our early arrival, so not necessarily the hotel's fault. However, we were offered champagne while we were waiting, which was a nice touch. The hotel room was very comfortable with a lovely big bed with quality linen and a great bathroom, which was furnished to a high standard. We were placed on the same floor as the dining area, which made it easier for us to access it with our pram - whilst I'm on this point, pram access was no problem at all. The main outstanding feature I should highlight in this hotel was the amazing breakfast and dinner buffet, which was a lavish occasion every day. There was plenty of food to choose from, a lot of which were healthy, continental options - we were grateful that the hotel didn't cater to the British burger and chips brigade, particularly as we like to eat healthily. The variety made you feel like you were really spoilt for choice and being a vegetarian I was also well catered for, except for one night. My partner eats meat and praised how flavoursome everything was. The staff were happy to heat up our baby's food for us and provide hot water for her milk. There is also a cafe downstairs where they gave us jugs of boiled water every day, which was handy as there are no kettles in the rooms. The location was perfect for us as we didn't want a Magaluf-type of place. The supermarket and other small shops are all within walking distance; the bus stop which takes you straight into Palma and other useful places with nice beaches was right outside the hotel and travelling with the pram was no problem. The beach at Illetas is lovely (don't go for the wildly over-priced tortilla chips with dip at the bar tho!). It is not too big, the sand is lovely and water clean. One last mention should go to the staff at reception - I had many questions for them on an almost daily basis, to which they were only too happy to respond and help, with a friendly smile. Although I read reviews from other people about how this wasn't an obvious choice for a family to travel to, due to the predominantly mature clientele, it really made no difference to our enjoyment and our baby was greeted with a smile wherever we took her and even though she created a lot of excitement by the pool, it really didn't seem to bother anyone at all and we didn't feel like we were invading anyones space by brining a baby along. We would most definitely visit this hotel again as it's a fantastic all-rounder and pretty much ticked all our boxes.

This is an excellent hotel where the staff really try to satisfy their guests. We have stayed there three times and will go back. Other reviews have mentioned the excellent dinner menus and lunchtime restaurant near the pool - the food is very good. The wine list is very poor. Having lived in mainland Spain for some years we recognise the cheap supermarket wines, which are crap and which we would never buy, but which are the only ones available at dinner and cost an arm and a leg - they obviously think that none of their guests will know the first thing about Spanish wine and therefore they can play fast and loose with the prices. Considering that every restaurant in the world rips off the guests with the wine list though it's not much more than a passing annoyance. We go down to the supermercado and buy some better stuff and have a couple on the balcony before dinner. The decor is about due for a revamp in the rooms that we've stayed in although it's not really past it yet. One tip is that there is a bus-stop right outside the hotel which goes to Palma central about every ten minutes for just over a euro. There is also a permanent cab-rank next to it which the unknowing patronise at about £20 a single trip. The return bus stop is outside El Corte Ingles, the Harrods of Spain, and well worth a visit if you can keep a firm grip on the plastic!

I booked on line to stay in this hotel in September this year. I was aware that it was a 5* hotel but this hotel really did meet every aspect one would require on holiday i.e., location though hilly extremely pleasant. Bus and Taxis outside hotel but unobtrusive. In fact everything about the hotel was "unobtrusive" one could say. An air of quality pervaded as soon as we entered. Our needs were met in abundance. The staff were attentive and very personable for the whole holiday - nothing too much trouble - absolutely nothing. Food wonderful. Wonderful selection at each meal and white tablecloths changed for each sitting. The view from our balcony was stunning and I believe most rooms had a good view. The pool had ease of access ( steps in one area which if you have mobility problems - I have - made it very easy to get into the pool ) rather than climb up 2/3 very steep rungs of a ladder. Bar was very welcoming with plenty of seating and once again a wonderful view. Different locations to eat. A selection of areas in which one could sit outside including alongside the pool. A wonderful hotel which I would visit again. I have travelled all over the world and it is only in Australia that I have found its equal.

Stayed here for ten days in September. Made a bit of a mistake in choosing the resort as thought Illetas would be rather more of a resort than it was. But that was our fault! Bus service into Palma is frequent and cheap though. Overall we enjoyed our stay but it didn't have the wow factor. The communal parts of the hotel - pool, bars, restaurants - are simply not big enough for the number of people. You certainly don't feel as if you are getting away from it all. The room was ok and clean and the food in the resturant good for a buffet. They did make an effort to ring the changes and have different types of evening, but even so we "escaped" a couple of times. For a special evening or just a drink, would recommend the Virtual Bar about 10 mins walk from the hotel.

Having stayed at many Riu hotels all over the world we knew we would not be disapointed, we stayed for 4 nights the staff were great, food outstanding, position lovely and quite, the beds were a little hard so we mentioned this to reception within 5 mins they were changed, on the down side the hotel is a little dated and the the restaurant needs a make over, rooms a little on the small side but over all 10/10 for a short break......... well done Riu

We booked direct with the hotel for five nights and having stayed with Riu before were not disappointed. What I would say about this hotel though is that it's clearly been around since the 70s and could do with a little bit of updating here and there, and certainly doesn't have the wow factor of, say, the Riu Palace Maspalomas in Gran Canaria, but all in all we were very pleased with our choice. The location is great and is an easy bus ride from Palma (or walk if you fancy it - we did it one day and it took us a steady 2 1/2 hours). The food was up to scratch, and the local area is upmarket. Our only other gripes - very minor - was the attitude of a couple of the waiting staff, and the sunbathing area (too small), but all pales into insignificance when you consider the overall experience. Just one last warning. As we had a late check-out we had to eat at one of the restaurants down the road on the last night and I came back home to food poisoning from an undercooked chicken for six days. I cannot remember the name of the restaurant but it's the one about half way down the hill with the menu translated into various languages outside. BEWARE!!! Enjoy the Riu Palace Bonanza Playa - we will definately return.

We have just returned from a 1 week break at the Riu Bonanza Playa. This is s good hotel with an excellent selection of food and outstanding service. The hotel is located on the side of a cliff and because of this, there is no beach. There is a beach about a 10-15 minute walk away if you wish to be on the sand.. The only critisism of this hotel it is the pool area. It is very cramped for the number of guests staying here. Although there are many beds, towels and umbrella's, there is also many areas which are shaded. Becasue of this you end up right next to each other with very little room to move about. That said, the service for drinks around the pool is very good. If you are looking for a clean, comfortable, welll managed and relaxed hotel, this is the place. This is not a hotel which caters for children. It is more suited to couples and older people.

We (middle aged professional couple) read the reviews on this hotel and others in some depth as we had not stayed in Palma before. The previous reviews for this hotel were very good. We looked at several offers at lower prices with agents for this hotel but in the end booked for 5 nights direct as we thought this would provide the best accommodation to include balcony and seaview. The hotel is set into the cliff side and the best views are provided on the upper floors. Floors below 3 are not going to have decent views. We were allocated a first floor room above the disco and overlooking the poolside cafe with a limited seaview. Not really what we expected .We objected but there were no other rooms available and were advised to ask again the following day to see what the situation was. We explored the hotel to find that it was modern , busy and the staff otherwise helpful. The pool was large but very busy, rows of loungers cheek by jowl and very limited other gardens etc The evening meal / breakfast was fine but the choice was a sitting at 6.30 or 9.00 for supper neither of which suited us. We felt immediately the hotel was just too big and busy for us and had limited pool facilities. We decided to move on and the management refunded our next 4 nights and on request and without fuss discounted the first night by 10% to reflect the room location Probable great for some who are looking for a lively hotel but not for us.

This was our fourth visit to a Riu Palace, but our first time in Mallorca. There are a number of consistent themes at Riu Palaces in our experience - great sea-views; attentive and friendly service, and a delicious food offering. Mallorca was no exception. Illetas is a quiet part of the island, with some nice walks, and a pleasant atmosphere. No "kiss me quick" individuals here. It was my 50th birthday during our stay. We turned up for dinner on the night in question, to find a chilled bottle of champagne, and one candle on the table. After our main course, Mendoza, our waiter, brought a birthday cake out, again with a candle. Many of the staff came up to shake my hand. It was all done in quite a low key way. We hadn't said anything about this celebration - full marks to the staff for spotting this from my passport - a very nice touch and much appreciated. We used the bus from outside the hotel to go into Palma. The reception staff gave us a map, and highlighted where to get off for the main shops (Juan Carlos I) and the railway station for Soller. On the bus, there is an electronic sign which shows the next stop. Very frequent service, and cheap to boot, Easy! The views from the pool side bar/restaurant are to die for - right on the water's edge. At the grill there is a selection of specials served daily, including fresh fish dishes, which were simply delicious. On our last day, our flight home was not until 22.20. The day before we left, we asked about a late check-out room, to be advised that there was none available. Undeterred, we asked again on our last day, to be told that we could keep our existing room for the whole day, without any additional charge. Apparently this is Riu policy, provided rooms are available. A great end to our holiday. We enjoyed Elvis - a real character; a nice singing voice, with many of us singing and clapping along to his songs. The pianists at the piano bar are also very good, We would definitely return. A great venue for a relaxing, restful break.