Illa DOr Hotel

When booking, we requested a pool view. On arrival, the view we got was of a pool but not the Hotel's pool. The pool actually belonged to the Illa D'Or apartments. We decided to use this pool as the hotel pool was in the shade all day every day and was ice cold! As October is a quiet time of year, there was only one couple there and as the apartments share the same name as the hotel we assumed they shared facilities. Unfortunately, the other couple did not approve of us sharing 'their' pool and had us removed by the hotel's management! Management actually found the whole thing quite funny and couldn't see a problem with us using it as they said only three apartments were actually in use, the others were empty. The jacuzzi and indoor pool are nice but someone decided to pour shower gel in the jacuzzi whilst we were staying there covering the whole room in foam! When we informed reception we were told 'What do you want us to do? Find the people and kill them?!' This was the general attitude of most staff! Personally, the Hotel Illa D'Or wasn't for us.

If you are aged over 50, or parents with young children up to the age of 6, and are looking for a smart hotel right by the beach, with no noisy traffic, no chavs, no discos, no hen or stag parties, friendly staff who all speak English - well nearly all (!) - , a decent restaurant which serves good, well presented, varied food, cooked breakfasts as you wait, clean beaches with a gentle slope to the sea, a nearby resort (15 minutes away by beach path ) with links to the rest of the island ,but dont mind smallish rooms for its class, then look no more on the Website. Choose the Hotel Illa D'Or, pay extra for a sea view with balcony, and just relax and let the world go by. This was the lot of my wife (3rd visit in 30 years ) and I (second visit in 15 years )between September 16th and 23rd, thanks to Sovereign Holidays. Flying from Bristol Airport - fine going out but delayed 90 minutes coming back - and then a further hour waiting for our luggage to be unloaded (disgraceful service) thus missing our train back to Cheltenham - then by personal taxi to and from the hotel, and a well positioned room, which had a balcony BIGGER than the room itself !! at the front, we idled away a week in the sun, recovering after moving house two weeks before. The hotel is a favourite haven for Brits . Many return year after year, something that is immediately apparent in the evening dining room as guests appear, to be greeted like long lost relatives by the charming Maitre De who runs his crew with quiet efficiency ,lending a hand at all the tasks as the numbers of diners mounts, especialy between 8 and 9 pm. The four course meal (29 Euros for those not on Half Board) was always enjoyable with plenty of options to satisfy the fussiest of diners. Normally at least two meat dishes, one fish and a vegetarian as main course whilst the Hor's Doeuvre often provided the 'piece de resistance' of the meal. And always the option of the salad bar for any but the final sweet course. That too was of a high standard. The wine list ,of mainly Spanish or Majorcan wines, varied from 9 to 25 Euros with the option of half bottles, or wine by the glass if you preferred. Service was efficient. One criticism would be that the breakfast coffee was rationed by waiter service: no coffee pots on the table. But tea pots were self service with the usual selection of English choices. On the downside, however, the small swimming pool was on the SW side of the hotel which meant that the sun did not get to that side until well after 3 pm. Also there was the usual scramble for beach beds each morning, for those with no balconies, despite sturn warnings by the hotel in its room pack that towels before 10 am would be removed; they weren't...... The beach side bar had an adjacent restaurant where you could enjoy a decent lunch with wine for about £15 a head - less if you were content with just a main course. Evening entertainment ranged from a piano/violinist duo,to a three piece band for dancing, and a colourful display of Majorcan Flamenco dancing. But mainly folk just sat around and chatted. It is said that Agatha Christie based one of her novels here (the original hotel was built in 1929), and if she returned today she would find quite a few characters to include in her 'latest' thriller. I suppose the greatest disappointment is the size of the rooms, but when all is said and done you dont go on holiday to stay in your room ! The beds were comfortable and the bathroom in our room had TWO side by side wash basins ! The TV seemed modern and, for us Brits, had the added attraction of BBC 1 and BBC 2 - no ITV, of course; the hotel knows its clientele - and definately no CNN..................The English papers - printed in Spain - arrived by 9.30 am each day. It was home from home.. Would we go again ? Yes, of course, providing we had a room with a balcony at the front. Anywhere else in the hotel might be a disappointment, but nevertheless worth a visit for the other attractions. Young children loved it - safe sand, safe water and high chairs for meals.. Having reached this far in this report you should be picking up the phone and making your arrangements for 2007......only one other hotel in Majorca provides such reliable service - the Bon Sol at Illetas, which is like staying in a Majorcan villa, where the owner and his wife dine with you every night.........trouble is that Illetas is nowhere near as attractive as Puerto Pollensa surrounded by beautiful mountains. But it is near to Palma. Tony and Hilary Ireland, formerly of Skipton, but now of Cheltenham England.

My wife and I stayed at this hotel for a week on a half board basis. We have nothing but praise for the hotel, the room we had (a twin superior) was wonderful, with stunning views over the bay. The hotel was spotless and the rooms cleaned daily, with fresh sheets on every day, even the day before we left. The outdoor terrace eating area is wonderful, you sit right next to the sea, it's very relaxing! The town is a 10-15 minute stroll away, and has a good selection of cafes, bars & restaurants. The only minor point I could be picky about is the limited number of sunloungers by the pool, so take a lilo to be guaranteed a place to recline unless you get there early in the morning! Would recommend this hotel to anyone after a relaxing holiday, particularly the over 50's.

We have just returned from an unsatisfactory holiday at the Illa D'or. Our room overlooked a back street, a block of apartments and the hotel's storage yard. Our room was small and sometimes smelled of sewage. Other guests that we spoke to were also unhappy, and many had changed their rooms as soon as they could. The restaurant food was poor and tasted bland and overcooked. We saw the large catering tins of vegetables being delivered. There were strange items on the menu such as " pickled skate fish with seaweed" and the so called spider crab salad contained what were obviously Ocean Sticks. The hotel sunbathing facilities and pool were inadequate for the number of guests given that they were often used by the guests of the hotel's apartments. The head waiter was rude and aggressive if you complained about anything and the management were apathetic when approached about this. All in all, a five star location with a one star hotel, restaurant , and management. I wasted my money staying there.

We have just returned from the Club Illa D'or Apartments in Puerto Pollensa. The apartments were well appointed as you would expect from apartments that are managed by the Illa D'or Hotel but with a few small irritations. Although this is not specific to these apartments but as is often the case, whilst holidaying in Europe, the television channels available to English speaking visitors is fairly limited - BBC 24 hour News & Eurosport. When are owners of hotels and apartments going to wake up to the fact that although on holiday some people would like to tune into a film or a childrens programme if necessary? -out of 7 days holiday we had three cloudy days which included one very rainy day and two extremely cold evenings. We felt very sorry for people with very young children. The plastic sunbeds around the apartment pool area did not have any cushions on them, nor were they available to hire from the hotel although the hotel sunbeds had cushions supplied. I can understand them being supplied for the hotel sunbeds as it is a four star hotel and the apartmants are only listed as three star but it would have been nice if they could have been available for hire from the hotel. The welcome pack supplied by Travel Club of Upminster was a pleasant surprise, which also included a fairly decent and welcome bottle of wine. The hotel and apartments are situated approximately 15 - 20 minutes walk from the centre of Puerto Pollensa so if you have a little trouble walking please be aware. We used the local buses to go to Palma and Pollenca several times but be warned the British holidaymaker abroad lose all sense of queing in an orderly fashion and at times it became a mad scramble to get on the bus which in one instance resulted in us sharing a taxi with another couple to go to Pollenca. Taxis are abundant and extremely clean. Fares are clearly displayed to most places on the island by the taxi ranks. All in all a thoroughly good holiday and we would certainly return in the future.

My wife and I stayed at the over the Easter holidays and were really pleased with our whole stay. My wife is 6 months pregnant so we were after a relaxing and peaceful holiday. The staff were friendly and attentive without getting in the way, or being over intrusive. The hotel was a perfect blend of traditional and comfortable. The food was delicious, with the huge spread at breakfast proving an instant favourite with my wife, and the evening meal was of a consistently high quality with enough choice to please most palates. I gather that some of the rooms in the hotel had less than fantastic views, but our room on the second floor was ideal, overlooking the swimming pool with a part view of the bay of Porta Pollensa. The average age of the guests in the hotel was certainly over-50, so maybe not the place to go for those in their early twenties, but if you want a relaxing stressfree holiday, I would definately recommend it.

I spent a week here with my husband to celebrate my 60th birthday - the "children" arrived out of the blue for the weekend. Almost all the hotel staff knew about the surprise and seemed to enjoy it as much as we did. I would rate the hotel as one of the friendliest I have stayed in. The site of the hotel was superb, our room was excellent and the food and wine very good. Breakfast was a big hit with the whole family! The entire hotel was immaculate;not a speck of dust anywhere - and we checked! All the staff made our holiday one to remember - I would recommend it,particularly off season when the island is not too crowded.

We stayed at the Illa D'or in OCtober half term. On balance it was very nice and we would go there again. The eveing meals were fine, but perhaps not the most wonderful choices I have ever had. Staff friendly and efficient, and the location is very nice, as already described by other reviewers. One minor thing- there is actually a military aerodrome nearby, for seaplanes in fact, but whilst there, only one was in action , just on one day, and we found it interesting in fact rather than intrusive. The room was fine. Side- sea view BUT- it was right above the air conditionning unit. Rooms 101-4 would I think all be affected. Thomson Holidays are careful NOT to tell you this when you book, nor to do anytihg about it. They also ruined the holiday by a 7 hour (yes SEVEN HOUR) delay for the flight back to Bristol, for which no compensation was given. By all means go, but not with Thomson.

My husband and I have just returned from a wonderful week at the Illa D'or.This is a civilised hotel a million miles away from the noisy tower blocks.The service was perfect from the start and we felt that we were not just another tourist.Every member of staff did their best to make sure everyone was happy.Our room was very comfortable and the view pleasant considering we were at the back of the hotel.The little extras such as chocolates and a card telling us the weather forcast for the following day made it extra special.The breakfast buffet was beautiful,you name it and it was there,the selection of fruits was fantastic.There was also plenty of choice for people who require low fat/sugar foods.Dinner was just as good with plenty of choice and the food was beautifully presented.My only critisism is that the portions were a little small but there were four courses and we certainly didnt go away hungry.This hotel seems to appeal to older people probably because they know they will be well looked after.I am in my late fifties and I felt very young there!Many guests return year after year so that must mean something.Peurto Pollensa is a lovely resort and it doesnt get too crowded.The Illa D'or is in a good position on the Pine walk with a panaramic view of the bay.We really enjoyed our week there and it has spoiled us for anything else.It was worth paying more to get what we had here and we would go back again.

The Hotel Illa d'Or has both good points and extremely bad points. I stayed here for ten days with my boyfriend in August 2005. First the good things: 1. The hotel has a sun terrace where drinks are available all day and all evening. We found the bar staff really friendly and efficient and sitting on the terrace watching the sun set was definitely a highlight of the holiday. 2. The hotel is in a good location in Pollenca; at the end of a promenade, away from the noise of the town but within easy walking distance of all the other restaurants, supermarkets, beach etc. 3. The breakfast was incredible! We were staying on a bed and breakfast rate and I have never seen so much variety in a breakfast buffet. We had a choice every day of sitting inside or out to eat and the food was delicious! 4. The terrace restaurant was also good. We ate there twice in the evenings. It is quite pricey but worth it for an extra special meal. The bad things: 1. The view from our room was awful. I don't mind not being able to see the sea, but all we could see was a terrace, which we couldn't get onto, and a wall that blocked out virtually any view of the sky. In addition patio doors along one of the hotel corridors looked out onto the terrace, and consequently people could see directly into our window from the corridor, which meant we had to have the curtains shut whenever we were in our room. 2. The walls of the hotel must be made of paper. I normally sleep through most noise, but the amount we could hear from the next door room was ridiculous. Our neighbours were not loud and yet we could hear them open and close their mini-bar, drop things on the floor, use their toilet etc. I was woken by their alarm clock every morning and when they showered it sounded like they were in our room! The noise from the corridor was also really loud and consequently I had interrupted sleep every night we were there. 3. The air conditioning in our room didn't work properly and we reported this to reception on the first day. Nothing changed however, and we had the system on full blast 24 hours a day and the room only varied between unbearably hot and very warm. 4. The pool is nice but positioned on the wrong side of the hotel to get the sun. The sun doesn't reach all the sun loungers until about 2pm and then the sun is blocked for many people by the large palm trees situated around the pool. The beach at Pollenca is very small and people looked to be packed in like sardines when we went into town during the day, so be warned! 5. The gym was disappointing. It contains two bikes, one cross trainer, one rower and one treadmill and the cross trainer was broken. The other machines were not up to the usual standard of most gyms and felt as if they might break when you were using them as they were not very substantial. I admit that most people probably don't want to use a gym when they are on a beach holiday, but if you were thinking of booking this hotel over another because it has a gym facility then again be warned. Overall I would not return to this hotel. The good things were very good, but in the end the bad things outweighed them and for the money we paid I was disappointed.