Protur Alicia Hotel

have visited the Alicia many many times. We have been twice this year - february, when it re-opened and have just returned today after another week. It is our favourite hotel in Cala Bona and the service has always been first class and the staff second to none. This year we have been somewhat disappointed on a couple of points. The greatest miss of all is Christina - who was loved by everyone and the best entertainment rep the hotel has ever had - please bring her back. We were also disappointed with the lack of entertainment in the evening - bingo and a quiz every other night, not what we have been used to at the Alicia in previous years - and no-one to cover the entertainment programme on Matthews day off. My other gripe is regarding the new Jacuzzi. It was brand new in February and only worked for 2 days in the first week. If it was repaired after that, it certainly wasn t working this last week at all. Surely Protur could have put this right sooner. I noted a previous review about people coming into the hotel for bingo etc and taking up seats that Alicia guests have paid for. That same person mentioned that some evenings they visited the Cala Bona hotel as they had good entertainment on - were they not taking up seats that the guests at the Cala Bona had paid for???? The Alicia is a fabulous hotel and I hope to continue going there for many years to come.

My mother, my partner and myself have just returned from a holiday at the lovely Hotel Alicia.As always the Hotel was perfect, The staff are very nice, very friendly and very efficient.The meals were much improved to previous years.Just a little gripe about the evening entertainment was that there were too many quizzes. Alternate nights for a quiz was just a bit too much. The acts brought in were really entertaining, especially a circus act from Russia. They were quite spectacular and very different. The Alicia caters for older people and for those who have mobility problems, so it was ideal for my mother who is in a wheelchair. The absence of the lovely Christina who was the Entertainments girl was felt a great deal by those of us who have been going to the hotel for a good few years. She was a ray of sunshine who lit up the place whenever she was around. I will be going again to the hotel because it really is one you feel comfortable and happy to be staying in.

I've enjoyed reading the reviews of the Hotel Alicia. My husband & I have stayed there about 9 times now, the last time in June 2005. The first time we went to Cala Bona was 13 years ago & we went in August and stayed at the Levante which was very good as well but more expensive than the Alicia as it is a Thomson Gold hotel. Normally we tend to go late September/early October & we've agreed we prefer going at that time. We've only ever had bad weather once at that time of year & that was several years ago. The hotel is excellent, with great sea views [better than at the Levante I think]. It is spotlessly clean, the food good & the staff very friendly & helpful, particularly in reception. We love the resort of Cala Bona, you can do as much or as little as you want. Sometimes we stay in the hotel in the evening, depending on the entertainment on offer, or we wander off to some of the other pubs or bars or the Cala Bona Hotel which also has good entertainment. I agree with some points others have mentioned. Particularly outsiders being allowed into the hotel taking up the best seats so that guests staying at the hotel itself [& paying good money to do so!] can't always get a decent seat, particularly if there is a good cabaret act appearing. The other complaint I have about the Alicia is with the running of the restaurant although not about the food itself which which is mostly very good with a really excellent selection for breakfast. The evening meals were on the whole good although it wasn't a good idea to go down too late as the selection became rather limited. My main gripe though [as somebody else has mentioned] is the difficulty in ordering drinks. Although there is a wine list on every table nearly every night it proved very difficult to find a waiter to give an order to. We always ask very politely when we do manage to stop a waiter but it always seems they don't particularly want to & as though they've got other things to do. We've found this rather odd. The manager himself seemed unwilling to take an order & was really more interested in clearing off tables & laying up for breakfast. I really think there should be a designated waiter to take drink orders, or maybe they should have a place in the restaurant where guests could go themselves to order drinks rather than sit waiting [patiently] for a waiter to come into view. In all the years we've been going to the Alicia we've found this a problem, which is something we've never experienced at any of the other hotels we stay in. In fact, a few years ago we met up with a couple staying in the hotel who enjoyed their holiday but because of the problem with ordering drinks & the attitude of the manager, refused to go back again. We've stayed in touch with them but they still won't return. I think it a bit extreme but there you go. I have to say I'm surprised at this lack of organisation in a restaurant in a big group hotel like Protur. Each time I've politely mentioned it in the questionnaire the hotel always gives guests before they depart, but nothing has improved. My husband & I aren't heavy drinkers but on holiday we do enjoy a bottle of wine & a couple of bottles of water with our evening meal but we like to drink it with our main course, not halfway through or when we are on the dessert!! I agree too that a small fridge in the rooms would be most useful, even if one had to pay a small extra for it. In spite of what I've said, Cala Bona is a very nice resort and we will be back at the Alicia.

Have spent 2 lovely holidays in the Alicia Hotel Cala Bona. It feels like coming home when you arrive there. Staff so friendly & helpful, & food very goos with plenty of variety. One particular bonus is the sea view from most rooms, & those glorious sunrises, well worth getting up early for!! Would have appreciated a few more excursions to other parts of the island, Looking forward to our next visit. D&R Joslyn

Have just returned from my second visit to Hotel Alicia and, as ever I had a fantastic 5 night stay. The hotel had just re-opened at the beginning of February following refurbishment. The hotel is spotlessly clean the staff bend over backwards to help especially Tracey the receptionist, who is originally from London. The rooms are extremely comfortable with central heating/air conditioning and I strongly recommend asking for a sea - view when you book as this is quite magnificent. The food in the hotel is also wonderful lots of variety of both hot and cold food. It is very easy to get out and about in Cala Bona there is a good bus service and also a taxi rank just across the road. The supermarkets are well stocked and are often happy to loan out books and also make up fresh sandwiches for your trip home. A pharmacy and a cash machine are also within easy walking distance of the hotel. All in all I had a wonderful break and I cannot praise the hotel highly enough.

This was our second visit to this lovely hotel. The hotel had been closed for 2 months for refurbishment and only opened up 3 days before we went. Therefore it was only about a quarter full. There were a few little teething problems due to the fact that this was the first time the hotel had been closed but nothing to really spoil our stay there. The entertainment programme was not really up and running as usual but to give Matt the entertainment organiser his due he did try and put something on most nights - even if the 2 chaps dressed up as women did not really appeal (each to their own I suppose). Food was great - husband put on 5 lbs in a week!! We will most certainly be returning next winter. It is just a shame that you can only book this hotel via Portland during the summer months. We prefer to book direct with the Protur group.

It was a last minute deal myself and a friend of mine decided to do for his 21st birthday and it couldnt have been any better it was a fantastic hotel and a perfect hokiday with lots of entertainment and great shipping nearby. when we first arrived at the hotel we were a little put oput by the amount of 'older' generation occupying the hotel and we were a little worried but we definatly shouldnt have been. we joined in daily activities with the entertainers Kristina and Matt. Kristina is fabulous a crazy belgium lady who drives to get everyone involved and entertained and is a top class entertainer. matt was also very good getting all involved. we joined a large group of people who had met on the holiday many who had been to the hotel before, i think they were suprised of how entertaining and well mannered we were and not the typical 18-30 young adults that the papers perceive us all to be nowadays! the one downfall i thought was the lack of a fridge in the hotel room which meant drinks would be warm and so this would mean spending more money on cold drinks. however this couldnt be a big moan as our hotel room was fantastic complete with air conditioning, safe and a good sized bathroom. our balacony was HUGE, it was a big terrace with a fantastic sea view, the beach was literally below us you could see for miles on a clear day. overall a fantastic hotel very much recommended for all ages and we are definatley looking to go back again next year and meet up with some people we met this time. so if any of the group read this: Babs 1, Babs 2, Marlene (aka Pimp Mummy!), Jim (aka pimp daddy!), les, sheila, les, betty, josie, ken, elizabeth, francis, brian, gordon, pete, tony and of course the entertainers Kristina and Matt a big hello from Steph and Rich hope you are all well and arrived home ok!!

Great holiday! We spent two weeks at Hotel Alicia from 19th August- 2nd September, it was the best holiday ever. The Childrens entertainer, Christina, was 1 of the reasons we went down to the entertainment of an evening. "she's from Belguim you know" We were kept entertained for the whole day, Kids Club, waterpolo and adult games. Evening entertainment whilst we were there, consisted of Lionel Ritchie, Tina Turner, ABBA, Grease and more, they were first class! The meals were lovely and suitable for the whole of the family. With a big variety of food. We met some great people while we were at the hotel from all around Britain we still keep in touch, visiting each other soon. On the whole it was a whale of a time, definately returning sometime. Thankyou hotel alicia for a great experience!!! From Big Uncle Steve and the Thwaite's from Middlesex, England.

This was our second year here and something which is not the norm for us, as we like to try different venues each year. It was such a fabulous time in 2004 that we booked up for this year too. The food is good, the rooms are great, the entertainment team of Matt & Kristina are brilliant and everything is superb. Our only gripe is this. The Hotel Alicia operates what seems to the casual resident, as a bit of an open door policy. What i mean by this, is that there are apartment blocks opposite and the residents there and those who let the rooms for the holiday season/weeks, believe that there is an agreement between them and the Protour/Alicia hotel, that they can use the facilities. What we found, was that many of these people were taking up valuable sunbed space, winning the sporting events or childrens events and generally encroaching onto the residents. You could have paid £thousands for your family to come here and your young child could lose out on a "medal" for winning a game, that would make their holiday and lose out to a family from the apartments over the road who have not really paid in relation to the Thomson/Portland fees to stay at the Alicia. The nightly bingo games roughly have a pot of 150 euros prize each night. Last year when we were there, a guy came in off the street, played the game, won the full house and left !!! It is this kind of thing that lets the guests down. Activities and games, in our opinion should be entered into by showing your room pass or being shown the door if not. If there is an agreement, fine - Thomson/Portland & The Alicia should make it plain either in Welcome meeting and the many notice boards around. The only other concern we had and it was a one off, was that a few families with older kids were here. These elder kids then ganged together and the pool then became a scene of an 18-30's holiday, with the near loutish behaviour that was occuring. Bear in mind it is a family resort with young children and mature adults present. We complained and asked to staff to approach them on numerous times but they never did. Still I dare say that this kind of thing does not happen all the time, we were just unfortunate with some people holidaying the same time as us. Anyway, that is the only things that we had reservations about. the Alicia is a quality hotel and we enjoyed both years holidays immensley. We would have no hesitation in going back.

We can thoroughly recommend the Alicia. We had a great holiday and are planning to return. We only booked the Alicia with Thompson’s as a last minute holiday and we had no idea what to expect. Although the hotel is excellent we were informed that it was a 4 star but it is really a good three star. It is a family hotel with a good cross section of all age groups during the main summer months. Rooms: The view from the veranda was stunning looking over the beach and the bay. We rejected the first room they gave us as the carpet was badly stained and the furniture was badly scuffed. The second room was much better. The rooms had comfortable beds. Reasonable sized bathroom, safe, hair-dryer and TV with Sky and BBC1 & ITV . It was incredibly hot when we were there but the air conditioning in the room was excellent. We would have liked to have had a fridge in the room which would have made the room perfect. My 14 yr old had his own room, which looked out, over the pool. The rooms were immaculately cleaned every day and we were very impressed with the general cleanliness of the hotel. Restaurant: A five star breakfast. The best breakfast selection I have seen at any hotel. Fresh fruit, a full English, freshly made omelettes made in front of you, freshly made pancakes it is all here. The hotel requests that men wear long trousers for dinner in the evening which we liked as it was an opportunity to dress up a little and show of your tan. There is an excellent salad selection. A very extensive range of hot food including regional food and traditional English dishes. There is also a chef that will cook fish/meat to your liking plus there is usually a carvery of either beef, pork or turkey. There is normally also an excellent range of deserts. If you order a bottle of wine and do not drink it all the waiters will put your room number on the bottle and they will keep it for you until next time. Gym: The gym is next to the down stairs poor. The air conditioning does not work. The temperature down there can easily get up to 40 C. There is a table tennis table, a rowing machine a running machine and a step machine, which is broken. Sauna: Excellent Sauna with separate male and ladies changing rooms. Pools The downstairs pool is quite small. No one seemed to use it much. It is quite dark down there and the water is pretty cold. A lot of disabled people come to the hotel and I do understand that it is popular with them as the pool offers easy access for the old or the infirm. We were a little disappointed by the outside pool, as it is smaller than I would have expected. If you want a sunlounger by the pool get up early. There are no Germans at the hotel, it is 100% occupied by British guests, but by about 9.00 all the sun loungers have been reserved with towels despite signs asking guests not to do this. Entertainment Christine the entertainments manager is completely mad and I mean that in the best possible sense. She is a Belgium lady and she is great with the kids and with organising the poolside entertainments. These include water polo, air rifle shootings etc. Bingo will never be the same!!!! Sun Deck: Prepare to fry. A large decked area for the serious sun worshippers. Bar/lounge The waiters in the bar are excellent. There is an outside restaurant/ bar area or an inside air condition lounge for when the sun gets too hot. At lunch times they sell simple but good bar meals chicken & chips etc and excellent pizzas. The comfortable lounge area had a large television which was popular with those watching the big sporting events back home Shops. If you want any snacks or drinks for your room there is a Spar shop just two minutes away. There are shops all along the sea-front selling anything you could want. The leather goods are particularly reasonable. There are a lot of British owned cafes and pubs and at times it feels more like England than Spain. Nearest Cash Point: Opposite the spar shop. There are plenty of cash points in the area. Beach: The beach opposite the hotel has lovely sand and is protected by a man-made cove so is relatively safe. As soon as you enter the water there are large rocks, which can make getting in and out of the water uncomfortable. We also got stung twice by jellyfish, which was very painful, like being injected with a hypodermic needle. We were told that jellyfish in the area were uncommon. I hope that is the case. For a 14 mins truly excellent beach walk along the shore you reach the natural bay of Cala Millor. This is a beautiful long natural sandy beach with no rocks and clear warm sea. The down side is that it gets really busy and you really have to hunt to find a place. It is very popular with the German tourists. The upside is that many of the bars sell excellent German beers. Internet: There is a computer you can use near to reception for a modest charge if you really need to look at your e-mails Market: The market makes for an interesting morning out. . You have to barter for every thing. Our advice is before you go check out the prices in the shops otherwise you may be ripped off. Entertainment: Most of the entertainment was good. Comedians (not for the politically correct) Acrobats, tribute bands etc. One night a week the entertainment staff put on an act which mainly consists of miming to well-known sounds - a bit cheesy but still good fun. Trips: The Thompson rep Martin was excellent very helpful very friendly. We went on three trips which was fun. The boat trip on the high-speed motorboat which took us to the bay was as much fun as the snorkelling. The snorkelling was very professionally run - ‘PADI’ approved so we decided to also go scuba diving, which was a real experience. The other trip we did was Rancho Grange the cowboy horse riding and line dancing which was good but was spoilt by being over commercialised. The horse riding was good, suitable for any standard and the scenary was fantastic but they kept you waiting for long periods I suspect to encourage you to buy drinks at the bar that was more than twice as expensive as anywhere else. The food was good but again a long time coming again I am sure to encourage you to buy more drinks at the bar. There was sangria included but only during the meal. When the line dancing started the free sangria stopped. I also did not like it when they were really pushing you to buy photos/ videos and other souvenirs of the day. It was a good day but it could have been a lot more enjoyable. Best Points: The weather and beaches were fantastic and the location of the hotel was spot on. Beautiful blue sky every day. Scuba diving Worse Points: Not having a fridge in the room, Jellyfish, Would we come again: You bet!!!!!!!!!!