Monnaber Nou

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Monnaber Nou, Majorca
26th May to 2nd June 2006
Our holiday was booked with Thomson Small and Friendly.

Monnaber Nou is a superb small hotel (24 bedrooms in all) offering lots of old fashioned charm. The public rooms are extremely well decorated and elegant There are three lounges (excluding the reception area) with lots of comfy sofas and chairs. The décor is tasteful with tapestries and artwork on the walls. Two of the lounges have windows and French doors opening onto the internal courtyard which is charming. The third lounge opens onto the main Terrace at the front of the hotel which overlooks the hotel grounds and farmland beyond. It’s a lovely place to have a drink early evening. There is a bar area in the main lounge with waiter service (albeit slow). Having said this staff overall were helpful and couldn’t do enough for you. Reception was especially helpful.
There are four locations for bedrooms; in the main hotel, beneath the dining room/terrace, in the self catering block behind the main building and above the pool/leisure facilities block. We initially had a room above the leisure block but it was too small for a week’s stay so we transferred to a room beneath the dining room/dining terrace area. All the rooms have a traditional decorated look and are very comfortable. Rooms also have good views of the estate. The bedrooms have a fridge (mini bar), TV, and air conditioning. The bathroom was well decorated and clean. White toweling robes were provided along with soap and bath gel.
At the back of the hotel there were new terraces being built but it was not clear whether the hotel was intending to expand with further rooms at the rear.
The main dining room is lovely but not used in summer as it’s quite dark. The dining terrace overlooks the estate and is a wonderful setting for meals. Food in the hotel was very good; breakfast consisted of both hot and cold choices and included fresh fruit Yogurts and a selection of pastries and cake.
The evening a la carte menu was also very good, but repetitive if you ate in the hotel every night as it did not change the whole week we were there. There was only one vegetarian option but I’m sure the Chef could cook something up if required.
There are ample leisure facilities at the hotel. The leisure block contains an indoor pool with lounger’s, a Jacuzzi, steam room and two saunas. The main outside pool is split into three parts rather than one large pool; there is a Jacuzzi and a shallow area for children. There are ample sun lounger’s, tables, and chairs and the pool bar is open all day serving drinks and snacks. The fresh grilled prawn and salad is especially good.

There is no day or evening entertainment in the hotel so you don’t have to suffer pool volleyball and loud music during the day, or bad evening entertainment. The hotel is really suited to couples or families with children who can entertain themselves. Boredom may be a problem for some children.

The hotel is situated in its own estate of which a large proportion of it is farmland containing sheep and goats. Due to its location you have splendid views of the mountains and you can see right across the island to the south. I couldn’t even attempt to describe it but suffice to say you will not be disappointed. It is a very quiet holiday due to its location, which was a blessing and just what we wanted. When I say it was quiet that is apart from the sheep and birds - some of which continue to sing through the night!
The hotel does offer walking, tennis, horse riding, walks, and hiking for a fee. Bikes are available but I’m not sure if they are free or charge a rental. The hotel also offers beauty treatments and beauty packages.
The nearest village is Campanet (5 minutes drive away). Otherwise there is nothing much around. The next nearest town is Pollensa. We had a car for the week so could take ourselves off to visit various villages and attractions. A car really is essential at this hotel.
The Caves of Campanet (10 minutes from the hotel) are well worth seeing. They are 3 million years old and have some impressive stalactites. The tour takes about 40 minutes. Entry fee is €9.
We had a lovely visit to the village of Fornalutx which is off the beaten track in the mountains but very picturesque, and had a good lunch at a restaurant called Es Turo.

Arta, to the South, is also worth a visit. Climb up to Sant Salvador, a church which towers over the village. Then have a drink or a meal in the restaurant Parisien in the main street (which is full of art and craft shops). The food is excellent, and they have a wonderful secluded garden out the back.
All in all the Monnaber Nou is a great base for a relaxing, rural holiday. We had a fabulous time and would certainly consider going back. Now we have discovered Finca’s they are the only type of places we would want to stay.