Reviews of Marina Torrenova Hotel, Palma Nova

Having read some of the previous reviews, i was a little apprehensive. however, once i was there i was glad to be! I came with my boyfriend (both 20) his mum and dad and brother (17) for 2 weeks in sept.



Rooms 8/10.......................... The rooms were basic, but fine for me and my boyfriend. The beds were really comfortable and i've never slept so well! we had a nice view of the pool and could watch the entertainment on the balcony if we wanted. This might not be seen as a plus for young families as it could be loud in the evenings. rooms with sea views were available (however we didnt know this when we booked) and had amazing views over Palma nova. The fridges in the rooms were an added bonus and the aircon was really nice to come back to after a hard days sunbathing! the hairdryer in the bathroom was also good, however it made the bathroom unbareably hot so i was glad i took my own.



pool 6/10.............................. Through no fault of the hotel (as the trees dont belong to them) there are big trees over the main pool meaning it went into shade early in the day. The pool was always a nice temperature and the lifeguard is there pretty much all day. No inflatables are allowed in the pool, which is annoying when u wanna sunbathe on your lilo! The childrens pool was on a lower level and is in the sun all day, this pool is really shallow so children are alot safer than in the main pool which gets deep straight away. As a result sun beds go fast here, so you will need to be up early to reserve them. The pool bar near the children pool is resonably priced, around 4 euros for a chicken and bacon baguette with crisps or 2.50 for curly fries (will prob feed 2 or 3). Drinks are pretty pricey, around 2 or 3 euros for a coke or 2 euros for a small water. we bought the water here once then refilled it using our big bottle we had in our room.



food (my view) 5/10 (my boyfriends view) 9/10........................ I feel that i have to be fair on this review so i'm not going to pick too many faults with the food as my very fussy boyfriend loved it! I personally prefer self catering as i like to go out in the evenings and have a larger choice of what i can eat, also i wasnt very well for a large duration of the holiday which affected by appetite (I would like to stress that this was not due to the food!) The breakfast really was truly fantastic with a full english on offer, as well as various fruits in juices, fresh fruit, meats, cakes, yogurts, biscuits and breads (im sure i've missed something) fruit juices and hot drinks were available with breakfast but not the evening meal. The evening meal also had lots to offer with a carvery every night. There was a large supply of salads and cold meats everyday and lots of fresh bread (which i think was from breakfast as my boyfriend commented that it was alittle dry) The meals usually consisted of meat stews, roast meats, spag bol, pastas, jacket potatoes, chips or wedges, chicken (sometimes red so be careful) curries and veg. I could keep going but don't want to bore, however i personally like to know the kind of food available before i book! There was also a childrens section, which had a limited amount of food, but most children ate from the main buffet too. Watch the childrens fingers tho, as i saw one child burn herself on the tongs. A nice waiter came straight over checked her fingers then helped her with her food which i thought was really good.



Entertainment 8/10............................................... The entertainment team (mainly greg and lisa) were really lively, starting at about 8.30 in the morning, and still going at 11 at night with only 1 day off a week! Entertainment usually started just before lunch, with a general knowledge quiz everyday. Daytime entertainment usually consisted of aqua aerobics (not really aqua aerobics, but another chance for the entertainment team to dance to 'big fish' and 'cartoon heros') 5 a side football, water basketball, boules, reps v guests (lots of little activities against the reps) basketball and some kind of rounders game. I can't comment on the kids clubs as we didn't travel with any children. But from what i could see, the rooms they were held in were nice and bright and they held different themed activities everyday. Nightly entertainment usually consisted of live dance shows, comedians, reptiles shows, magic shows and rep nights (pretty poor, but at least they tried!) I feel i should comment on the other reps aswell, because some people have said that they were unhelpful and were only interested in selling you excursions. our experience with them was positive; mark was really friendly and chatty talking to me, my boyfriend and his brother about various clubs in magaluf. As was the freestyle rep nicola who recommended places to go. clare was also really friendly, stopping us to ask when we were going out and chatting to us in a club when she saw us.



Location 7/10............................... Although the hotel is in a perfect location between palma nova and magaluf I have only given it a 7 because of the hills! The hill into palma nova is a slight incline as stated in the broshure, but the hill into magaluf is a plain nightmare (even worse i could imagine with a pushchair or wheelchair) after 2 days my calves were actually hurting. we did manage to find an easier way of getting into magaluf tho. If you come out of the reception and turn left as if you are going to Palma nova then turn right towards the beach you can follow the road round and it will take you into magaluf. As a result of the hills and the many steps onto magaluf beach, i would not recommend the area to people with walking difficulties. Palma nova itself is a nice family resort with plenty of shops and restaurants and unlike its neighbour is not roudy at night. During the day the beach offers lots of watersports such as jet skis (60 euros for half hour), parasailing and pedaloes. From previous reviews of magaluf i was a little worried (even tho im only 20!) but at night the strip is buzzing with people who are all out to have a good time, i didnt see a single fight and only saw 1 person be sick in 2 weeks! i wouldn't recommend it at night to young children tho, its too loud and boisterous. magaluf beach is also really nice, but the sea gets deep quick and the current is a bit stronger, so wouldnt recommend for young children.



Overall, i really enjoyed my stay here and i was really sad to come home to rainy england! i would definately recommend this hotel to other people especially families.



N.B: This happened to my boyfriends parents and brother so i feel i should mention it for other people. In the broshure it says that suites are available with interconnecting rooms. This is what they booked to allow each other some privacy. However, when we got there they were placed in a room with 4 beds that hardly had a wall, let alone seperate rooms. When they enquired at reception they were told that due to a fault with thomson they were selling the rooms under false pretences. when in the shop we booked a suite for a family of 4, if we had booked a suite for a family of 5 they would have had seperate rooms. just thought i'd warn you that if you want privacy, even if there are only 3 of you, you're going to have to pay supplements to get the extra side room and a suite for a family of 5, not 4!

Having read some of the previous reviews, i was a little apprehensive. however, once i was there i was glad to be! I came with my boyfriend (both 20) his mum and dad and brother (17) for 2 weeks in sept.



Rooms 8/10.......................... The rooms were basic, but fine for me and my boyfriend. The beds were really comfortable and i've never slept so well! we had a nice view of the pool and could watch the entertainment on the balcony if we wanted. This might not be seen as a plus for young families as it could be loud in the evenings. rooms with sea views were available (however we didnt know this when we booked) and had amazing views over Palma nova. The fridges in the rooms were an added bonus and the aircon was really nice to come back to after a hard days sunbathing! the hairdryer in the bathroom was also good, however it made the bathroom unbareably hot so i was glad i took my own.



pool 6/10.............................. Through no fault of the hotel (as the trees dont belong to them) there are big trees over the main pool meaning it went into shade early in the day. The pool was always a nice temperature and the lifeguard is there pretty much all day. No inflatables are allowed in the pool, which is annoying when u wanna sunbathe on your lilo! The childrens pool was on a lower level and is in the sun all day, this pool is really shallow so children are alot safer than in the main pool which gets deep straight away. As a result sun beds go fast here, so you will need to be up early to reserve them. The pool bar near the children pool is resonably priced, around 4 euros for a chicken and bacon baguette with crisps or 2.50 for curly fries (will prob feed 2 or 3). Drinks are pretty pricey, around 2 or 3 euros for a coke or 2 euros for a small water. we bought the water here once then refilled it using our big bottle we had in our room.



food (my view) 5/10 (my boyfriends view) 9/10........................ I feel that i have to be fair on this review so i'm not going to pick too many faults with the food as my very fussy boyfriend loved it! I personally prefer self catering as i like to go out in the evenings and have a larger choice of what i can eat, also i wasnt very well for a large duration of the holiday which affected by appetite (I would like to stress that this was not due to the food!) The breakfast really was truly fantastic with a full english on offer, as well as various fruits in juices, fresh fruit, meats, cakes, yogurts, biscuits and breads (im sure i've missed something) fruit juices and hot drinks were available with breakfast but not the evening meal. The evening meal also had lots to offer with a carvery every night. There was a large supply of salads and cold meats everyday and lots of fresh bread (which i think was from breakfast as my boyfriend commented that it was alittle dry) The meals usually consisted of meat stews, roast meats, spag bol, pastas, jacket potatoes, chips or wedges, chicken (sometimes red so be careful) curries and veg. I could keep going but don't want to bore, however i personally like to know the kind of food available before i book! There was also a childrens section, which had a limited amount of food, but most children ate from the main buffet too. Watch the childrens fingers tho, as i saw one child burn herself on the tongs. A nice waiter came straight over checked her fingers then helped her with her food which i thought was really good.



Entertainment 8/10............................................... The entertainment team (mainly greg and lisa) were really lively, starting at about 8.30 in the morning, and still going at 11 at night with only 1 day off a week! Entertainment usually started just before lunch, with a general knowledge quiz everyday. Daytime entertainment usually consisted of aqua aerobics (not really aqua aerobics, but another chance for the entertainment team to dance to 'big fish' and 'cartoon heros') 5 a side football, water basketball, boules, reps v guests (lots of little activities against the reps) basketball and some kind of rounders game. I can't comment on the kids clubs as we didn't travel with any children. But from what i could see, the rooms they were held in were nice and bright and they held different themed activities everyday. Nightly entertainment usually consisted of live dance shows, comedians, reptiles shows, magic shows and rep nights (pretty poor, but at least they tried!) I feel i should comment on the other reps aswell, because some people have said that they were unhelpful and were only interested in selling you excursions. our experience with them was positive; mark was really friendly and chatty talking to me, my boyfriend and his brother about various clubs in magaluf. As was the freestyle rep nicola who recommended places to go. clare was also really friendly, stopping us to ask when we were going out and chatting to us in a club when she saw us.



Location 7/10............................... Although the hotel is in a perfect location between palma nova and magaluf I have only given it a 7 because of the hills! The hill into palma nova is a slight incline as stated in the broshure, but the hill into magaluf is a plain nightmare (even worse i could imagine with a pushchair or wheelchair) after 2 days my calves were actually hurting. we did manage to find an easier way of getting into magaluf tho. If you come out of the reception and turn left as if you are going to Palma nova then turn right towards the beach you can follow the road round and it will take you into magaluf. As a result of the hills and the many steps onto magaluf beach, i would not recommend the area to people with walking difficulties. Palma nova itself is a nice family resort with plenty of shops and restaurants and unlike its neighbour is not roudy at night. During the day the beach offers lots of watersports such as jet skis (60 euros for half hour), parasailing and pedaloes. From previous reviews of magaluf i was a little worried (even tho im only 20!) but at night the strip is buzzing with people who are all out to have a good time, i didnt see a single fight and only saw 1 person be sick in 2 weeks! i wouldn't recommend it at night to young children tho, its too loud and boisterous. magaluf beach is also really nice, but the sea gets deep quick and the current is a bit stronger, so wouldnt recommend for young children.



Overall, i really enjoyed my stay here and i was really sad to come home to rainy england! i would definately recommend this hotel to other people especially families.



N.B: This happened to my boyfriends parents and brother so i feel i should mention it for other people. In the broshure it says that suites are available with interconnecting rooms. This is what they booked to allow each other some privacy. However, when we got there they were placed in a room with 4 beds that hardly had a wall, let alone seperate rooms. When they enquired at reception they were told that due to a fault with thomson they were selling the rooms under false pretences. when in the shop we booked a suite for a family of 4, if we had booked a suite for a family of 5 they would have had seperate rooms. just thought i'd warn you that if you want privacy, even if there are only 3 of you, you're going to have to pay supplements to get the extra side room and a suite for a family of 5, not 4!

First impressions on the Hotel was it was very clean, all staff very happy and polite, entertainment was good. Thomson reps very good. We went with our 2 children Two and a half and a one year old, pre-booked the crèche which was an excellent service (Leanne & Sarah are great) 2 hours during the day or 3 hours if you booked a night slot, we used this one to have a quite meal for 2, and went to the Blue Bar at the foot of the hill (only wimps complain about this!) defiantly recommend the Blue Bar excellent food. Also Katie’s snack bar on the sea front (friendly English staff). Food at at Hotel was a good variety, with the usual English or continental breakfast.

This was our third time at this hotel after a gap of two years. It is still a lovely superfamily hotel, but our family have out grown this era now. It is set up a steep hill (never bothered us even in that heat it keeps you fit anyway and quite shaded most of the time) but nice and quiet location. The staff are friendly, although did miss the bar staff from 2004/05. Hotel clean, not fussed on the roof that had been put up over the dining area liked it open.



The kids reps were of ok standard, thomson entertainment staff not as good as previous. Thomson reps were really pushy at Welcome Meeting at trying to sell excursions, the last thing on my mind is to book trips immediately I'd rather have a few days relaxation then decide what trips to go on. The only time they would smile at you during your holiday is if you were approaching their desk and they could see quick excursion ££££, not very friendly otherwise. I do recommend the Orange Blossom Trial, which I did book through the rep in the hotel at the end of our holiday, those bus drivers deserve a medal for those roads they have to drive on with breath taking views.



The food Im sadly to say let them down this year, had to eat out a lot this time. First week wasn't to bad chinese dishes and indian dishes (well tikka masala) had some good nights but the second week was terrible. Although there was plenty of variety, it was not appealing at all.



As for the resort, it is brilliant, went down the beach every day, as sitting around a pool area doesn't appeal to us and there is far more to see there than buildings surrounding a pool area. Walked miles around the resorts of Magulluf and Palma Nova every night and went to lots of different bars etc.. Would recommend a visit to the Robinson Cruso bar on Magulluf front. Also to the Bristol Bar situated behind the hotel, pool is cheaper there and nice relaxing place to have a drink early and end of evening. Also the Blue Bar down the hill from the hotel, nice place to have a drink.



Palma Nova and Magulluf as a resort brilliant, don't be put off by the name (for partying) and also it is not only the Brits that party here there are other nationalities but we seem to get the bad name. The youngsters don't come out until late anyway, when everyone is back in their hotels, there are also lots of police patroling the resorts.

i went to this hotel with my family .When we got there on the night we were really upset when we went to our room it was awfully small, 1 of the beds was a camp bed .We saw the entertainment it was terrible .Next day it was much better the pool is good the reps do a lot with you in it you dance you do aqua splash and sing .The queue to get a sunbed was ridiculous, but there was some sunbeds left if you came to get a sunbed late or in the day.In the day the reps do challenges with you they do killer pool,football rounders,tennis and loads more.The adults can do it to.Theres plenty to do in the hotel theres a arcade ,snooker tables, play area ,football place ,table tennis, 2 swim pools a baby pool and a kids and a big pool,kids club and a telly in the reception theres two.The food was great plenty of choice and a kids buffet.Drinks where very expensive .Entertainment was rubbish only 3 nights was good of enterainment.The rep show was bad too.They do one every week.the people that work there and the reps are lovely,nice and friendly .the weather is very good.

Myself, my wife and 2 boys (9 and 6) stayed at the Marina Torrenova in August. This was our second visit (last stayed in August 2006). Again, we found no fault with this hotel apart from the sunbed fiasco. At breakfast you had so much variety to choose from. The evening meal had various options to suit all tastes aswell. We were allocated our double family room (pool view) on the 7th floor which had fantastic views (well worth asking for this floor) and so quiet. The kids pool was great for very young children but our boys felt it too small for them and stayed in the large pool. Too many sunbeds were packed around the small pool which left no room for people with pushchairs to get past. This caused a lot of problems, but it was down to common sense of the people there. The staff at reception were very pleasant and helpful once again. One of my sons got an ear infection but the hotel has a policy that a doctor attends each morning so you only need to give your room number and the doctor will see you. This saves you a lot of expense if you had to attend one of the doctors around the resort (usually 65 euros). One downfall though is that some of the older children get a bit bored and are often messing about with the lifts as no one is supervising them (this is annoying if you are waiting on the 7th floor for a lift).



Weather was superb, some very good bars we found (bar bristol for a nightcap, mollys for the rugby , el mecca, benny hills in magaluf, katies bar for food, . Kids couldn't play enough golf so go to golf fantasia or golf at the Hotel Tropico in Palma Nova. Western Waterpark is ideal for kids of all ages! Pirates is worth the money - fantastic show!



Definately would go back next year!

I have only just come across this website ( we were at the Hotel in June)and felt that I had to add a comment after reading other peoples reviews. We thought the hotel was lovely, the reception staff very polite and helpful. The rooms were adequate, maids came in daily and we had a view over the pool so I watched the sun bed saga from above! The food was very good, pleny of variety and although the children's bar was a little repetative, they were able to choose from the other ones. The visiting caberets were quite good especially the American comedian/opera singer. The entertainment reps Gawjuss Greg and Monkey Boy Adam were fantastic. They work so hard all day and evening to make sure that the children are entertained, and we were all dancing to Big Fish Little Fish and Cartoon Heroes- it became addictive!!( even my 81 year old mother in law got up for those). I think the 'hill' up and down to the beach could be a problem for people with loaded buggies etc, but you can pace yourself and it will then take about 10 mins, or you can get a taxi for about 4 euros. I am refering to the beach which is at the bottom of the hill if you turn left out of the hotel, we did not turn right as that took you to Magaluf which was full of drunken youths and could be quite intimidating. The pirate show is fantatstic- we went from the hotel which included return transfer and that was 69 euros. We also went to the Aqua park but felt this was a little expensive as there were so many height restrictions which meant that our neice could not go on quite a few things although she is a competent swimmer.Overall we had a great week and I believe that this hotel has a lot to offer for families.

We have just returned from a super holiday in Majorca, the weather was wonderful and hot hot hot! We read some of the reviews of the hotel (food, cleanliness and entertainment and the dreaded hill) before we went and we went expecting the worst - please please go with an open mind, the food is more than pallitable and the hotel is very very clean, the rooms are adequate, although when you have 2 children staying in the room with you, it can appear cramped - but you hope not to be spending the holiday in the room! The Hill .... it is not that bad for the able bodied and I have had to climb worse on previous hols. The hotel was very clean and we had maid service every day. The bar prices are a bit on the high side, but this is due to the low exchange rate and you cannot blame the hotel for that. The bar staff are very helpful and cheery - both british/spanish staff to help. We have 2 children (8 and 6) and they loved the daily entertainment - Greg and Lisa (and all the rep / entertainment crew) did a sterling job of entertaining all of us round the pool on a daily basis and believe me you are never far from a rep in this hotel to help you if you need it -and this is not always the case on all holidays. We would recommend the Marina Torrenova for a lovely holiday in Majorca - we have yet to view the sunbed stampeed on YouTube but it made our holiday watching it from our balcony every day!

We have just returned from a 2 week holiday at the Marina Torrenova and agree with a lot of the previous comments made. Here are some of our comments to add to the pot.



Standard room sizes are small for four occupants and consist of 2 single beds, a sofa bed and pull out bed. The pull out is only 5ft long and only suitable for a small child under ten NOT twelve as listed. With the bed out there is no floor space at all between all beds. Do yourself a favour and book 2 rooms, an extra room cost us under £60 high season and made the holiday so much better for all. The rooms that dont face towards the pool are much queter than pool facing ones as entertainment goes on till nearly midnight. The air con works well and is very quiet. The cleaners work like crazy and the hotel is spotless throughout. We found all the staff to be polite and friendly.



Breakfast is good and theres plently of choice but the food quality overall is low, especially the evening meal. Burgers, sausages, meat and fish are all the cheapest they can get hold of and it shows however salads are fresh and you can usually find something to eat!. Drinks are supplied with breakfast but unfortuantly not even drinking water supplied with the evening meal but we were not stopped from taking our own bottle of drink in with us.



Hotel bar prices are expensive, roughly twice the price of nearby bars. Around the pool during the day nobody seems to mind what your drinking or where you bought it from but cant vouch for the evening.



As for the sun lounger olympics, it has to be seen to be believed. People queing from 7.30 just to get a sun bed poolside, sad. We even saw people reserving 2 lots of beds, some in sun and some in shade so they could move sites during the day!. We were on holiday and we always managed to get loungers anyway so had no intention of joining those fools.



The location is ideal between Magaluf and Palma Nova with good access to both beaches but the address is actualy Magaluf. As everyone has said it is at the top of a hill but its not too bad depending which beach you prefer, a 5 min slope from Palma Nova or 10 min hike up a steep hill from Magaluf.



Evening entertainment is hit or miss, Beatles tribute and the comedian were great, the U2 tribute was not!. Talking of entertainment, we can't forget to mention entertainment reps Greg and Lisa who worked their socks off every day and made us laugh, it seemed like they were their 24/7.



We can only agree with others comments about the other thomson reps as they are only interested in selling their trips and give you zero help on anything else, especially if its not an excursion they offer.

Against their advice we decided not to take their 20 euro trip to inca market and went to Palma market on saturday morning instead which was plenty big enough to walk around in the heat and as a bonus got to look around the fantastic city and cathederal.



Finaly if your considering Majorca for a holiday get a car and get upto the mountains, the scenery is breathtaking and so different from the tourist spots.



All together now "Big fish, Little fish, Cardboard box" - all will become clear if you go!.

We went on a big family holiday to Marina Torrenova and it was absolutely fantastic. The hotel together with staff were very nice. The hotel was kept clean and so was our rooms. We had our room cleaned and we got fresh towels daily. The food was absolutely fantastic and we had nothing to grumble about at all. There was a great selection of food daily and it all looked and tasted really good. The entertainment for the kids was brilliant. They had different activities for through the day and they had the choice whether they wanted to join in or not and the entertainment for them in the evening was excellent. Put it this way - if the kids are happy - you are happy and we certainly were. In fact, we are all thinking about going back in 2009.

My husband and I plus 3 children aged 16, 8 and 4 visited the marina torrenova for the first time in July. We found the hotel clean and friendly, our room was spacious (booked a room for 5 people) and cleaned every day. Plenty going on for everyone both day and night. Location very hilly (good exercise for the legs!!) However it cost us £2,750 for a week and the food left a lot to be desired. It was very repetitive and of poor quality. My children ate chips and either fish or chicken nuggets for most of the week. As stated in previous reviews the waitresses started clearing up half an hour before the restaurant actually closed. On our last morning I saw a cockroach running along the floor in the restaurant. I know mass catering is difficult but I expected a higher standard for the amount of money we had paid. We ended up eating out several times during the week just so the children had a decent meal. Would not go back again on a half board basis, maybe if a self catering option was available at a substantially reduced price I would consider it as we did have a good time. There is plenty to do in resort. We had a fantastic meal at the Pirates Bar on the strip for anyone who likes steaks/chicken etc

Based on me and my boyfriend who are 20 and 26 yrs



Location: The hotel is a 2 minute walk down a hill to palma nova beach.

You are close to loads of shops, bars and restaurants.

The hotel as you probably know is magalufs neighbour, if your worried about groups and noisy people near you hotel, then you have nothing to worry about! it is very quiet, you wouldnt even know you were close to magaluf.



Pools: You have a childs pool and a main pool, the main pool is quite small but will do for a dip when you get hot. The sunbeds are free and like always you have to be there early to get one. But we found we went to the beach in the morning and pool side in the afternoon.



Rooms: They are cleaned every day and your towels are changed everyday! Make sure you ask for a pool view if you can, as we just looked at a road! Also we had single beds (which was not really an issue)



Hotel: Bar open till 1pm, very friendly staff. Air conditioning inside, lots of seating! there is also a tv in there in english!



Entertainment: This was a little bit of a downfall for us as it catered more for children most of the time (all of the time) there is activitys throughout the day like water polo, quizes, there were kids clubs etc. VERY VERY kid orientated! They put on a proffessional show between 10 and 11 at night for adults they were quite good, as soon as that had finished the music would go out though, so we couldnt even have a drink with a bit of music!



Food: There was a lot of variety of food, it was always hot. There was a vegetarian option to (a couple of different dishes) Salad etc. Also kids meals are good: beans chips salad fish finger sometime veg etc. Breakfast was between 8am and 10am. Tea was between 6.30 and 9.30.



Stuff around to do: There are two waterparks in magaluf, western water partk i would recomend to children more. There is a marinaland in porta nous (10mins away) which includes dolphin shows sea lion shows parrott shows etc! you'll find out more about the trips if you go, they are very good though. Everyone blabs on about the pirate show this is apperently very very good but expensive.







Overall we really enjoyed the holiday, the hotel is definatly family orientated, the reps were very nice. Honestly people who may worry about magaluf being close by, you really dont have to there are kids galore there!!



Hope this has given enough info about this hotel.



I would definatly reccomend this to families!

Just got back after a fortnight at the MT. Overall it was an enjoyable holiday with only a few negatives which I will start with:-

1. The pool area is very small and crowded (like sardines)

2. The 8:30 sunbed dash is sad but understandable for a decent position

3.No Reps on final day either at Hotel or Airport - we were left to just fend for ourselves!

4. The hill is a bit of a slog

Positives:-

1. How anyone can complain about the food amazes me - it was fantastic

2. Entertainment Reps brill - especially Greg and Lisa

3. Bar staff also great - especially Nick and Becky

4. Rooms cleaned regularly and fresh towels nearly every day

5. Reception staff very helpful and friendly

6. Hotel well situated for both Maguluf and Palma Nova beaches and nightlife

7. Nice little bar/cafe (Bristol) accross from Hotel for a change of lunch and pool table

8. The aircon was very welcome

This was our second year back at the hotel. We found the reps on the desk and the reception staff extremely helpful when we asked to move rooms. Also my daughter fell and cut her gum and Daniel was straight there helping us and leaving his dinner to go cold. The entertainers this year were ok. Greg was excellent but Lisa had only just joined and lacked confidence. The queues for the sunbeds were ridiculous though. The hotel was kept clean. Our 2 year old had a great time in the evenings at family club zone and doing all of the dancing and as ever Thomson The Dog was a big hit with her.

The breakfasts were good but my daughter didnt really eat much of the evening meals. My only real complaint was that there were children of about 12/13 and parents just let them run wild. That is not the hotels fault.

On the whole though the holiday does what it says on the tin and we had a wonderful time.

We travelled for 2 weeks in July 2008. This was our first taste of Half Board or travelling with Thomson. We chose the Marina Torrenova based on the other reviews and hear say through friends.



The Travel

Not the most comfortable flight but on time, except for the inconsiderate person that sat in the bar for an extra 40 mins on the way home. Took over an hour to get the bags off the plane (They do the Spanish Flights first !!). Last drop off in Palma Nova, but just 45 mins in total.



Location

This is ideally placed between Palma Nova and Magaluf, BUT…..it is on a very steep hill which is a struggle if you are disabled etc..If this was on the flat then it would be a superb choice.



Hotel

The first thing is the superb friendly staff in all departments. The Hotel is superbly clean with a nice big pool and kiddies paddling pool, plus there is a lifeguard on the nig pool. The rooms are small but comfortable with UK tv channels BBC1,2 and occasionally ITV. You can hire a kettle (We took our own) and the fridge is a very welcome addition. The safes are €3 per day. There is internet in the the lobby (€1 for 10 mins) and laundry room with 2 ironing boards (€3 for wash and €2 for dryer with powder thrown in but €1 less if you take your own). There is Baby Changing facilities near the restaurant.there are 3 lifts which get very busy at meal times. The Bar is on a par with town for expense. The pool entertainment is only at the big pool. The kids playground is very good and the football court also very good. The snack bar is handy and good value.



Food

The breakfast is the same everyday but very good quality (Toast, fry up, cereal, croissants etc…).

In the first week we found the main meal superb but in our second week we found it poor. So overall I would say that it was of a good standard as it is all cooked properly. The Show cooking is payable separately for €13.50 per person. You did not have to wear long trousers as stated in the brochure and most people took food away without being challenged.



Sunbeds

YES. They do queue for them even though you are not allowed to. Sunbeds open at

8-30 but queue starts at 7-30. Someone has even put this fiasco on youtube.



Excursions

DO NOT DO THEM. Thomson charge children for waterparks and marineland from aged 2 years…..The parks DO NOT CHARGE until they are 4 years old. When you arrive at the airport you can find maps and vouchers for free children or €5 off.

We went to Aqualand Magaluf (35mins walk). What a con, charged €7 for locker, €3.50 for floaty ring and €3.50 for a sunbed. We were told by others afterwards that the Western waterpark is better. Marineland is only small but a nice half day.











The Hotel entertainment

This was the worst I have ever witnessed. The Reps did not even know the dances and had so little enthusiasm it was embarrassing. The snake show was ridiculous and a con to get €15 out of you for a photo with the snakes. I am told some of the professional shows put on by the hotel were better. We didn’t even see Thomson the Dog !!



The REPS

All they cared about was the excursions. We along with a lot of others complained about a couple that had been having a domestic from 3am to 4.30am and then again at 10am. This included very offensive language, kicking doors and fighting. The reply from the reps was “Sorry, we are aware of an incident but are busy selling the excursions”. The hotel itself took it seriously although we were never updated with what happened (did not see this couple again). They need to prioritise !!

The welcome meeting was a waste of time as all they did was talk about excursions. What happened to telling you about the area and bars etc….

The creche is expensive at €15 per 2 hours. We did not use it.



Local Bars & Entertainment

Mollys rugby league bar close by with a real ale pint for those that want it. DO NOT play Bingo at Ruby Tuesdays as this is another con, €10 per strip. Small playground by Mollys. Eastender bar has soaps and Cutty sark shows only fools and horses.

Bacos Pub is in the BCM square and has a family show on every evening at 10pm and then a tribute show at 12pm. The shows to watch are at 10pm, Bejing acrobats, Mongolian Circus and Xerox comedy show (Very Good). At 12pm the Rod Stewart is the best tribute show I have ever seen. Take That is poor and Westlife only do a few westlife songs (Some tribute). Although Magaluf is a Stag / Hen heaven it is also a good family resort if you look around. We saw plenty of Police that keep order. Do Not walk through bar street on a night if you have children. Taxis to hotel are €3.50ish and all metered. I also did a high wire course in Santa Ponsa called Jungle Parc for €14 this was very good fun.



Overall I would recommend the Marina Torrenova and Palma Nova / Magaluf.

Look for the deals as they are out there. I would even return if the deal was right.