Viva Costa Portals

Whilst I enjoyed walking the coastal footpath to the marina ,Portals is not a holiday resort. It is really just a suburb of Palma.This hotel is for people attracted to the big city for shopping,museums,cathedral etc.If you want a seaside resort with promenade, cafes,entertainment etc then Portal Nous is not for you. The hotel is a modern budget hotel and generally ok.Dont expect too much-at breakfast it is fruit flavoured drink rather than juice and at dinner packet soup rather than the chefs own creation. There is a grape vine fruiting behind the pool.This is the hotels only original feature.Otherwise it is rather bland. In the UK I would expect to pay three times as much as we did here. Would I go again?Yes if I was visiting Palma;but you would more likely find me in Puerto Pollensa or Cala Bona-because I am a seaside person.

Just returned from a weeks holiday at Costa Portals. This was a cheap and cheerful that left us smiling when we left. We didn't have transfers so we grabbed a taxi costing 30 Euros, not bad! Alternatively there are buses from the airport which take you to Palma with one easy change for Portals Nous with the whole journey costing you approximately 7 Euros for two people. We arrived to a very impressive hotel reception lobby with modern touches, chill out music to friendly staff. Our room was on the 3rd floor with a great view of the surrounding areas and pool. The main thing I was concerned about was cleaniness and this hotel you can't fault on that! The rooms are just what you want and the cleaning staff are very punctual to say the least, as you can find them knocking on your door around 11am. So if you don't want to be disturbed make sure you put your Do not disturb sign up ;-). This hotel is popular with Germans so you will find a lot of the TV channels are in German. There is a bar that is open mid afternoon/ evenings which we found ourselves at most nights, but if you want to explore the town there are car/bikes hires available. We didn't have transport so we resorted to walks and the bus taking you into Palma/ Palma Nova and Magaluf if you wanted something livelier. This wasn't peak season so things were on the limited side but this didn't stop us from exploring the small town. One of the best parts was the Marina as you can imagine in the peak season this place will be rammed with millionaires and their yachts so drinks there will be pricey. We were HB and for this 3*** hotel the food is fine, varied and abundant. The staff are all very friendly and courteous too. The only problem we encountered was that our bath broke and started leaking, which we didn't know about. The manager was very professional, apologetic and immediately changed our room to the 1st floor where we found an even bigger room with a proper bath and shower as the one before was small and made for one person ;-) If you can, request a first floor room with a pool view when making your booking. This place perfect for 3*** and it ticks all the boxes. We even came back loving Handball and Ski Jumping.

We flew from Aberdeen to Mallorca with Globespan who were just splendid. Ample legroom, comfortable leather seats and pleasant crew (there is a charge for food and beverages). Hotel We found the hotel to be a good, clean, basic three star which caters for many nationalities. The room again, was basic but clean, nothing to really complain about. We had a room overlooking the pool area and had a seaview. Some rooms on the other side of the hotel didn’t have much of a vista and overlooked the street, so you may want to stipulate this if you book to stay here. On the down side, my husband did find the air conditioning in the room a little inadequate. I personally found it okay, but in the warmer months of July/August – it maybe a different story! The bar area, was again, modern and clean – no complaints at all. The pool area was pleasant and was a complete suntrap. The breakfast was adequate, nothing to really to write home about, the usual selection of croissants, toast, cereals etc. There really is nothing more to say about the hotel, it certainly isn’t outstanding, but then we were not expecting it to be (for what we paid). However, it was everything you could expect from a 3 star, it was bright, clean, modern, the staff were friendly and we liked the quiet location. Location The location of the Costa Portals was along a quiet, residential street with a small beach down a steep road, which was about five minutes walk away. This really isn’t the place for you if you have any form of mobility difficulties or are travelling with anyone who needs to use a wheelchair. Further along the coast (about 15 minutes walk) is a larger beach but we tended to stay at the smaller one for convenience, although it could get busy at the weekends with locals (and why shouldn’t it? After all, it’s their beach!) Overall, Portals Nous was just what we were looking for, a quiet break with easy beach access with a good selection of places to eat in town. Eating/Drinking Out There was a good choice of restaurants in the resort itself and too many to choose from at the marina. We can highly recommend ‘La Opera’ which was the first restaurant you would come to when leaving the hotel and walking into town, which is a shame because as most people tended to bypass it because it is the first restaurant you come to! This was an Italian restaurant which had a good range of vegetarian pasta dishes (for me) and did excellent pizzas in the old fashioned ovens. We ate here a 2 or 3 times as the service, food and price was excellent value for money. We also eat out at La Ritzi which was another Italian in Portals Nous harbour. This really is the playground of the rich with beautiful yachts lit up by an impressive marina. The food at La Ritzi, was again excellent with the seafood being particularly good, but due to the fab location, expect to pay around 40 euros more for your meal, than you would back in town. But it’s worth it! There are also some excellent bars at the marina and during the day, it is a good place to enjoy a drink and just people watch. Back into town there is a lovely bar called Karumba, the outside really does not do it justice – when you walk in you are struck by the lovely seating areas with big fluffy cushions, and beyond that there was a quaint outdoor terraced area, which was beautifully decorated with water features, big vases and candles everywhere adding to the ambience. Getting About Buses are really easy to use here. The buses to the capital Palma, run every 15/20 minutes and it costs 1.35 euros (each way) per person. Things to do Mallorca is an island of two contrasts with lots to do if you choose. I used to work here and was really looking for a quiet break, which is why we booked to stay in Portals Nous. But if you choose, there is lots to do in terms of waterparks, a marineland, markets, places of historical interest etc. On the East coast the pace of life is more sedate with lots of caves and coves to explore – over 400 of them! I could go on and on, there are various nights out to be had (some good, some bad, depending on what you are looking for). If you have any questions just email me! Quick facts Taxi from the airport to Portals Nous 26 euros. Bus from Palma to Portals Nous 1.35 euros Meal out at La Opera (including 2 starters, 2 mains one bottle of wine) circa 52 euros Meal out at La Ritzi (including same as above) circa 96 euros

Just got back from a week in the Sun at this well looked after hotel. The staff are very friendly and will do anything to make your stay comfortable. Bruno the Bar Manager is great and speaks good English which helps. The rooms are clean and romms are made up everyday. You need to be fit to get around as there are some hills to climb to get up to the town or back to the hotel from the coves. If you want a quiet break then this is the place. To top it off for last week in September the weather was fantastic...

The hotel was nice for a 3 star. Ask for a room over looking the pool as they are bigger than the others. Breakfast was excellent, lots of choice, we only stayed B&B so not sure about the evening meals. The pool was clean (and not full of children!). There was only entertainment 2 nights at the hotel whilst we were there. The hotel is on a steep road and it is about a 10 minute walk (uphill) into the town/village. The restuarants there are nice but some are expensive. La Opera does great pizzas and Kabira has a happy hour 5-7 every night and the burgers are really nice. The ship is a good 'local' and Lloyds is good for lunch and to watch the world go by! The bus is just over a euro and takes about 20 mins to get to Palma and about 15 mins to get to Magaluff. Overall we had a good time but it maybe would have been better to be a bit closer to the centre.

Good value for money. After reading other reviews, we asked for and were given a room over looking the pool on the first floor. We had a good sized balcony, shade in the morning and sun in the afternoon. No noise to worry about at this hotel. With a five minute walk to a lovely small beach and coastal walk to another larger beach near the harbour. The town has a number of restaurants, we found the Italian Square the best establishment for food but the Vista Portals has more of a Mallorcan feel to it.

Just back after staying for a week. On the whole, enjoyed our stay though the weather could have been better. A quiet hotel which we like and no noise during the night. Didn't much enjoy the food but you didn't have to starve as there was always plenty of fruit. There were a few choices of hot dishes in the evening, and sweets but as someone remarked before I'm glad I wasn't vegetarian! Even the salads had pieces of meat/fish which weren't evident till you started eating it. The room we had was very small and could have been better designed. Two large chairs meant that there was hardly any space between them and the beds and the wardrope was so shallow from back to front it didn't actually take the hangers which were fitted unless they were put in at an angle; likewise the spare hangers I had brought! This said the furnishings - both furniture and soft - appeared to be very modern and new - just not really functional. Inside the wardrope was not much better - the length didn't even take my husband's shirts never mind a dress. On the plus side, the staff were all very pleasant and the room was done daily. Only the little hotel soaps provided - no shampoo, shower gel or others. No coffee/tea facilities in the room - glad I took my travelling kettle for an odd cup of coffee as you don't always feel like going downstairs after trecking about all day. The public transport service - buses to Palma and Palma Nova and Magaluf excellent though we had to stand and hold on most times - don't know what it would be like in the summer - they probably put more buses on. It had it's good points - wouldn't say I would definitely not go back but these are my feelings on the holiday.

Costa Portals is vey much a 'get what you pay for' type of place in the sense that it's cheap and functional, but not a huge amount else. The room we had was clean and well presented, but spartan, and led out onto a balcony overlooking the pool from which the sea could be seen. The maid came in once a day to tidy up and make the beds, although we had to ask in reception for an extra bar of soap as they seemed incapable of noticing it was running out. That said, the staff was always friendly and polite. The pool area was great, with plenty of seating, shade (if wanted) and all day exposure to the sun. The bar was well stocked and cheap, but the food on offer less so. In fact, if there was any real disappointment it was the food at the hotel in general (it's half board): breakfast was fine, but dinner was often bland and unappetising. On the positive side, the location was great, literally a few minutes walk from a lovely secluded little beach and only 20 minutes walk from the stunning Marina complex (which has some brilliant and really quite reasonable restaurants). Portal Nous itself is quite quiet, but if that's what you want you'll love it. Assuming you're not expecting five star service (and at that price, why would you?) Costa Portals is a perfectly adequate base from which to explore the island and perfect for those on a no frills budget.

We stayed at the Costa Portals Hotel for a week at the beginning of July and loved the location, although it was not to everyone's taste and some of the other guests wanted to be moved to alternative accommodation. We booked online with Direct Holidays. I would agree this is probably not the best place to stay if you have walking difficulties as it is situated on a hill and if you like to be in a lively resort then I would suggest you try Palmanova or Magalluf. However, if you are looking for a quiet, relaxing place to stay and wish to sunbathe round the pool or on the nearby small but lovely beach then you could do a lot worse! If you like walking (as we do) it's a pleasant 20 minute stroll to the village of Portals, where there are a few shops and bars. Puerto Portals, the luxury yachting marina is around 30 minutes walk away and Marineland 40 minutes. If you turn left out of the hotel entrace and walk down the hill to the main road there are bus stops with a regular service to Palma in one direction and Marineland/Palmanova/Magaluf in the other (very cheap fares, just a couple of Euros each) A couple of right turns takes you down to the lovely small cove/beach nearby where there are sunbeds and umbrellas. We walked into the next resort of Illetas, which is also quiet with a couple of small beaches, stunning views out to sea, one or two shops and a few large and rather exclusive looking hotels. We stayed in a nice decent sized room in the main building overlooking the pool and had no complaints whatsoever, the aircon was great, decent sized bathroom, good shower etc. The maids work very hard and our room was kept spotlessly clean, towels changed every day. We were informed by other guests that the rooms overlooking the front of the hotel were very small and cramped so we were very lucky. The hotel has a small lift if you don't feel like trekking up the stairs to the higher floors. The pool area was very clean, though there would not be enough sunbeds when the hotel is full. The only grumble I have is regarding the food......as a vegetarian I would say this hotel does not cater for vegetarians. We were on half board and ate dinner in the buffet style restaurant. Unfortunately, although there was a choice of 4-5 hot meat and fish dishes each night, there was only a hot vegetarian option once during the week we stayed and that was the night after I mentioned this to the rep/management. The chef was helpful and made me an omelette one night but the rest of the week I managed on salads and desserts. Unfortunately the rice and pasta salads/vegetables accompanying the hot dishes always contained bits of meat or fish, which seemed a bit unnecessary to me but I think it's a Spanish thing! In typical Spanish fashion the desserts were custard based, though there was always fruit available. Breakfast choice was good, the only downside was there was no boiling water for tea, it was just not hot enough from the machine to make a decent cup of tea. Coffee and tea from the bar was the same. As the hotel became busier towards the end of our stay we had to wait a long time on a few evenings to get a table in the restaurant, eating late means sitting down to leftovers and dried up food of course, not great! At lunchtime we ate once from the snackbar. The food was reasonably priced but disappointing. I was surprised that such a small hotel had entertainment several times a week (singers and a flamenco dance trio for example). Overall we enjoyed our stay and I would return, though probably on a bed and breakfast basis. I would say the hotel is more suited to middle aged/older couples without walking difficulties and most definitely not for families with teenagers or for groups of young people looking for lively nightlife.

Flew into Manchester at 1pm today,Thursday the 27th of April 2006,after a brilliant week at this hotel. The location to us was perfect,and nice and quiet. On arrival we found the rooms to be spotless and could not have wished for a better view. Everyday they were cleaned thoroughly while we were out, the hotel staff were more than accomodating,and nothing was too much trouble. The food was what you would expect from this type of hotel,and always a good choice. The pool and pool area were spotless. But what really made the holiday for us was the Portugese bar manager Bruno. Ladies you will love him, but he's spoken for (getting married soon), He is just a nice guy. A WORD OF WARNING......If Bruno invites you out for a quiet drink,think twice....we went a couple of times and missed breakfast on both occasions.(and yes you can buy paracetomol in Mallorca.)........lol We would definetly recommend this hotel and hope to return soon