Hotel Marina Luz

My wife and I booked a week here after reading the previous TA reviews and most of what we had read was true. The hotel is spotlessly clean, the staff are excellent, potential problems are sorted, booked in very early, (our room was ready), needed extra pillows, (immediate), toilet seat was cracked, (replaced the same day). We had read that the food was "fantastic", it is good, varied and plentiful but hardly fantastic, it is also very "English". Personally I do not want to come to Spain and eat roast beef accompanied by terrible Yorkshire puds. The evening entertainment was varied and we felt sorry for the excellent Bulgarian dance troupe who's audience was considerably less than that watching the death of Fred Elliot in Coronation St !!!. Much has been made of the closeness of the hotel to the airport and the convenience and ease of transfer cannot be overstated. If aircraft noise concerns you this hotel will probably have already been eliminated from your plans. Personally it doesn't worry us too much and I can now spot my Spanair from my Luxair from my Swissair without a second glance. It is a sobering thought that even in Mid-October there were >5000 aircraft movements in Palma airport over the weekend. Overall we thoroughly enjoyed our stay, if you are able, make sure you hire bikes and make use of the superb cycle track that runs unbroken from Arenal to Palma.

Just come back from a weeks stay at the Marina Luz and can recommend this hotel for value and quality. A great 3 star, close to the airport so cheap taxi fares @ 13 Euros, bus fare to Palma 1.10 euro. Hotel food excellent, great choice. Staff very friendly and hotel and rooms very clean and comfortable. Hotel set in a residential area but bars can be found in a short walking distance. Recommend the Tavern run by Bernard, friendly welcome and just a short walk from the hotel with good views of the bay of Can Pastilla.

My husband & I have just spent a very happy 10 days at this hotel. The staff really are wonderfully friendly and helpful and the rooms very comfortable and clean. As the hotel is not located on or close to the beach the pool area was very busy and it was often difficult to find a sun lounger. This wasn't a serious problem for us because we spent a lot of time exploring Palma (a comfortable 20/25 minute ride on the bus) or using a hire car to visit other parts of the island. A minor irritant was having to pay cash every time we bought a drink or snack and not being able to sign for them and pay at the end our our stay. Our real BIG CRITICISM however was the quality of the food. Both the lunch time snack food and the restaurant evening meals. Having read the comments dated 26th July by a reviewer from Manchester concerning the decline in quality over the past few years, we can fully understand what he/she was saying. We were extremely disappointed. At dinner there was a vast choice of dishes but none of it particularly well cooked or presented. (One quick example was an apple crumble with raw apples). Also bearing in mind that we were on a Spanish island we only ever saw 3 Spanish dishes on offer during the whole 10 days. The lunchtime menu was also disappointing. A little imagination would have gone a long way. My tuna salad consisted of half a tin of tuna, three slices of tomato, 5 olives and one lettice leaf! Having said all this we did however enjoy our stay. It was a high standard 3 star hotel representing very good value for money (even if used as a bed/breakfast option) with great staff.

We were very happy with our choice of accommodation at the Hotel Marina Luz. Not only was it a five minute drive from the airport, but it was right on this great little bike path that lead into Palma. The hotel staff was extremely friendly and helpful; the breakfast and dinners were varied and delicious (and had a table of non-meat dishes for us vegetarians -- hard to come by in meat-loving Spain); and the pool w/ bar service was great. We liked it there so much, we spent more time at the pool than on the beaches. The ease and comfort of staying at this hotel made our trip just that much better.

I was very impressed. The views from the room were simply breathtaking and I truly felt like I was in paradise (we stayed in room 414). The rooms themselves were simple but unbelievably clean. It's a beach hotel, so I imagine sand can be a problem, but the staff washed the floors daily (moved furniture and all) and everything was immaculate. The staff was more attentive than any other staff I have ever seen, and I do travel frequently. And they seemed to do this out of a sincere desire to please as opposed to many American hotels where the desire for a tip underlies most helpful behavior! :) The staff is truly an amazing cross selection of cultures, and I believe that regardless of what language you speak, chances are, someone on the staff speaks it too! When my husband and I arrived late for breakfast (breakfast and dinner are included with your stay), the staff offered to prepare us plates to take up to our rooms. We declined, but the willingness to go out of the way to help is an ever-present quality in seemingly every member of the staff. Bottom line, we really enjoyed our stay, the location was amazing, and the staff really sent the satisfaction level through the roof. Just wonderful. Thanks!

Quite simply, the best hotel with the best service in Mallorca, if not all of Spain. I was blown away by the service, being warmly greeted and treated incredibly well by the bilingual staff from the moment we arrived until the day we left. Upon arrival, we were greeted with delicious mimosas, and the staff went right to work trying to track down my wife's luggage that was lost by the airline. We stayed on the 4th floor and had incredible views of the ocean. The room was super-clean and very spacious. Delicious and plentiful breakfast and dinner are included with your room, so how can you beat that? And the food is scrumptious. The hotel is walking distance to everything in Can Pastilla and just minutes from the airport, so you can't beat the location! Located right on the beach, the hotel offers fantastic views and an oceanside pool for relaxing. All that and there's a bar so that you can enjoy drinks on the patio... and there's even nightly entertainment, along with lobby video games for the kids! More photos from our time at the Marina Luz, Mallorca, and other parts of Spain (Barcelona and Madrid): http://gabeanderson.com/life/2006/07/25/spain_2006.php

We have been coming to this hotel for several years now. The Hotel is fabulous for a 3 STAR RATING AND THE STAFF ARE ALWAYS VERY FRIENDLY AND HELPFUL. The breakfasts are always fantastic and worthy of a 5 star. The area is surrounded by the resident Spanish peoples villa's and is serene, beautiful and very relaxing. The planes go in and out every few minutes but are not a noise problem, not even during sleeping hours. The views from your room on the sea front, across the water to Palma and the cathedral and Castle are fantastic. This has been an all english hotel for many years now and lots of newly made friends return again year after year. We always called it our "little piece of heaven". You can catch the local bus at the top of the street when leaving the hotel directly into Palma. No 15 or 17. Cost around E1.20 each. This is great if you wish to catch a train from the main station in Palma as it stops outside the door. You can catch a train to Soller and Puerto Soller from here. Another lovely resort. Over the years we have seen them transform the dirt fields over the rocks into a lovely walkway/cycle path and this will take you directly into Palma along the coast all the way. If you walk casually it will take about 2 hours. For the more energetic you can jog or hire bikes or Gadabouts. Gadabouts are great for the people with walking difficulties. The beach outside the hotel is rocky and untouched but you can dip into the water via the rocks and swim or snorkel. Alternatively a few minutes walk left along the front from the Hotel will take you into C'an Pastilla and onto the main beach which stretches through Playa de Palma and onto Arenal. Buses are plentiful if you are not a walker. So what is the downside. WELL HAVING BEEN HERE so many times and the breakfasts are fantastic. The evening meals were always very good. Plenty of choice, cooked to perfection, variety and well presented. Last year we noticed a decline in the quality of the food in the evenings and this year were surprised to find this had deteriorated even more. During our stay, long term guests informed us "Whatever has happened to the food, it is awful". "We won't be coming back again". We must agree it was bad. Some nights we found it hard to find something to eat. Cheese pie was on one night and it was all mushy and smothered in liquid. The pastry was all limp and saturated. The chips were very greasy and sloppy. Meat was either overcooked or undercooked and a lot of the food was uneatable. This year the majority of people who were regulars complained they would not be back. We thought it might be a one off but checked another of the Marina hotels for reviews and what did we find. YES, YOU GUESSED, exactly the same complaint of what has happened to the food this year (and last). It appears, therefore, it is not just the Marina Luz but apparently the whole group. Having previously been a First Choice booked hotel they decided to go it alone, this being their first year. Whilst trying to survive themselves they may have cut down too much by way of evening meal quality. We can only compare it as follows: the quality has gone down from say Rump steak to braising steak. The Quality is no longer there, the cooking preparation needs more care to ensure properly cooked and not under or over cooked and great care also taken with presentation. A lot of the elderly clients preferred the plain home cooked meals of meat with potatoes and 2 veg but it seems they are trying to be adventurous now and do meals with sauces and spices and Italian and Spanish evenings etc., Admitted they do serve Puddings almost every night irrespective of whether there is a meat dish. And usually you can get jacket potatoes on the Vegetarian selection too. The only other problem which was reported to us was that the Hotel is now trying to introduce other foreign guests. In the past it has always been mainly English with a few Spanish people. They are now concentrating on the French and GERMANS. That is a great pity as again this was stated by many many old clients of the Marina Luz that if the Germans come, the English won't. It was very disappointing this year to find the Marina group has also completely had a shake up with the staff. The old favourites like Pilar and Vincent had left the Hotel. Vincent was with another Hotel which he apparently was unhappy about and Pilar had left the company completely. A lot of guests DO NOT LIKE CHANGE. Nevertheless several of the regular staff were still there and the new Manageress and head Barman were extremely pleasant, very approachable and helpful so we found no complaint there. For anyone visiting this hotel for the first time you will probably thoroughly enjoy it as at the end of the day it is only a 3 star so excellent value for that. It is just there are so many many guests who return year after year, some for the past 15 years and they have been used to better food values so obviously they will not return. I do hope the Hotel does improve its food and that they may attract more of the guests back again. I am a great believer that if "SOMETHING WORKS WELL WHY TRY TO CHANGE IT, LEAVE IT ALONE"

spent a week at the marina luz 20-27 june we chose the hotel after reading the other reviews we were just looking for a quiet week away after finding some reasonadly priced flights. The hotel was all that we expected and more. On arrival the receptioist overheard my husband asking me if we had a sea view room we were told we could see the sea but if we preferred to change just to let her know and she would see what she could do. The room we were given was to te rear of the hotel (it is bulit sideways on to the sea) overlooking houses and gardens we decided to ask about changing within half an hour we had a fantastic sea view room 412 one of the best sea views we have ever had "hankyou mrs chatterbox" the room was a decent size the usual hotel layout and a pleasant bathroom the only thing i would say is the soft furnishings were a horrible tan colour making the room appear a little dull but it is a minor criticism. there is a refreshment tray but no milk however i always take instant cappucino sachets so it wasn't a problem. it was loveley to sit on the balcony early morning and watch all the activity joggers cyclists swimmers dog walkers and the arriving planes (noise was not a great problem) breakfast was superb all sorts of cereal ,fesh fruit yoghirts cheeses and meats and of course the full english!!! the dining room is bright and spacious and never seemed crowded we were never down to meals early at the start of sevice but there was always plenty choice and fresh warm rolls dinner in the hotel was also equally good lots of choice meat fish and vegetarian there was a pudding with custard!!! every night much to my husbands delight again we ate late and there was still plenty fresh hot food the poolside area is not huge but adequate there is also a terrace with sun beds where you can lay and watch the sea the beach directly across from th hotel is flat rock great for getting into he water take a mask and snorkle there is plenty to see a short walk takes you to the fantastic sandy beach where there a numerous bars to suit all tastes!!! lots of "gift" shops bike and car hire but no real good shopping (you know what i mean girls) of course Palma is the place to go fir serious shopping get a taxi easy we went to a few bars one tres cevres go top of rd from hotel turn left and walk you will find it lovely little courtyard drinks much cheaper than hotel .ANIMA another trendy bar just follw coast rd into town nice but drinks dearer than hotel!!! and across the little bay you can see rom hotel PURO BEACH go just to have one drink and a look it is superb very cool and trendy in summary i would definately return to Marina Luz it is perfect for a week of sunshine and rest ps there is entertainment each night in the hotel but we didn't really participate except to watch the England matches!!!

just returned from a wonderful holiday in majorca,the hotel was excellent,the staff were very welcoming,and the food was also excellent.near the airport some aircraft noise but did not bother us,watching the planes coming in was very fascinating.not far from palma ,catch the local bus or cycle if have the energy,also arenal is very easy to get to either catch the bus,walk or cycle

I visited the hotel in May and was travelling alone to do a reccy of Majorca for a few days. I have stayed in many excellent hotels through both work and leisure, but have never exprerienced such a level of friendliness, professionalism and helpfulness shown here. The staff are a credit to their organisation and were cheerul from morning to midnight. It wasn't the plushest place I've stayed in or the most beautiful, but the staff really put a heart and soul into this hotel that made it a real pleasure to stay there. If there were awards for genuine hospitality they would win hands down.