Rafalet Apartments

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Before I continue I have to make a couple of statements which will help clarify some of the points I make in this review:
1. A beach holiday is not normally my kind of holiday. I burn easily, get bored easily and generally find that lying around a pool is a waste of a good week or two in foreign climes.
2. I base all my gradings on the basis that this holiday was a cheap holiday so I am not going to judge a cheap packaged holiday with the same grades as I would judge a luxury one.
About Ourselves
Two Adults and Two Children aged 14 and 16.
The Island
A very beautiful island that largely remains unspoilt by the blight of large hotel complexes. Yes they are there but they are not as in your face as you would see on other islands or tourist resorts.
Roads are in good condition and well signposted. It is easy to get about in a car and it is pretty much an hours drive from one side of the island to the other.
The people are very friendly and much more approachable than I have found in other places such as turkey and corfu.
The weather was as you would expect pretty fantastic with just enough of a sea breeze every day to keep temperatures bearable.
My only reservation I would have was that I wasnt as impressed with the food as I thought i might be. There is plenty to choose from but the menu is pretty similar no matter where you go and the place does seem to have an unhealthy amount of pizza places.
Rating 10 out of 10
The Resort
S'Algar despite allegedly being a former fishing village is pretty much a man made resort with two hotels dominating the area along with a good few appartments/studios which are all owned by the same group as the hotels.
The resort is kept immaculately clean with street cleaning, grass cutting and wall painting being carried out whether needed or not.
There is no beach at the resort but there is some bathing platforms with sunbeds (at a cost) and if you are a resident of the various appartments/hotels you can avail of the pools at the S'Algar and San Luis hotels.
Withing the resort there is a small market square area which is home to two restaurants; Il Pirata (which im afraid i never tried) and the Queen Regina (i think) which is pretty much an Italian styled restaurant which serves a relatively varied menu most of which seems to be of decent quality. There is also a small supermarket and a few small tourist shops. Nightlife wise this pretty much is confined to the San Luis hotel and the Dinky Bar which is a small bar located beside the Rafalet apartments and overlooking the sea and which opens in the evenings.
Being only 15 minutes from the airport it is an ideal location to base your holiday and is only a 10 minute car drive into Mahon and a 45 minute drive to Cuitadella if you want to venture further afield.
All in all a lovely resort despite its man made feel but only to be selected if you want a relaxing holiday.
Rating 8 Out of 10
The Apartments
The Rafelet Apartments are situated in 3 (i think) rows of 7 apartments overlooking the sea. If you get the front ones (as we did) you get a fantastic view to spend your mornings and evenings sipping your tea or something a little stronger.
The apartments are compact but more than adequate for a one or two week stay. There is the main living area with a sofa (which could probably be used as a bed, a table and four chairs and a television which only really has BBC world news and of interest to us Brits.
The kitchen is small but does unlike most med resort apartments come with a full 4 ring gas cooker. Pretty much all the implements and plates you require are provided but you dont get a kettle so you may have to resort to boiling some water in a pot if you are like us and like a cup of tea in the morning. There was ample supply of hot water so doing the dishes was never a chore.
The living room has air conditioning but to get the benefit of this in the night you will need to leave the bedroom doors open.
There are two bedrooms with two single beds which can be pushed together if needed. The are as comfortable as any bed i have slept in whilst on holiday in the med so take from that what you will.
The bathroom and toilet are very clean and more than adequate and the abundance of warm water means there is no need to fight to get in first.
Rooms where cleaned and changed twice during our 1 week holiday.
Rating 8 Out of 10
Summary
I great place for a holiday provided you are not looking for a lot of night life. If your kids are of the active variety the resort is ok but would suggest opting for the San Luis hotel which runs plenty of daily activities.