Reviews of Barcelo Ponent Playa Hotel, Cala D'Or, Mallorca

My family have just returned...

Overall Rating:

7/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2008

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Mrs J A Stevens

Comments:

My family have just returned from a fantastic holiday. I stongly recommened though that if you are staying around the hotel in the day and evening that you upgrade to all inclusive as the cafe and bar prices are very expensive.......more expensive than home !!!!! The kids club was brilliant although the age ranges were not fair as my 13 yr old boy looked out of place with the under 14s and would have been more suited to the more adult orientated games 14 plus as age is only a number but the clubs rules seem to be set in stone unless you are spanish and then the rules change to suit !!!!! the food was very good and there is a wide choice although if you go half board then be prepared to pay for your drinks even water !!! The entertainment was excellent and the entetainers were very friendly and fun. I would not hesitate to take my family there again .

We arrived at the hotel at 12.00...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr R. Smith

Comments:

We arrived at the hotel at 12.00 on the night there was a cold supper waiting for us. We had a great holiday the hotel is very clean and friendly we decided to upgrade to All inclusive after the 2nd day as we found that we were sending 10 euro for a round of drinks for three people and it was only 21 euro each a day for All inclusive. We always got a sun bed by the pool there was always spaces and the pool was always clean. The food is very good and lots of different kind’s food to try one day there was beef on the menu I went up to get some and to my surprise the chefs were cutting the meat off a full leg of beef.



Do try the train that takes you all over cala dor we went to the marina it was very nice then got the train and went all round cala dor it was only 3 euros each return.

The beach was nice we use our towls to sit on as we was'nt going to pay 11 euros for a sun bed



The only down point was the rep was no help at all she only wanted to sell you trips and give no advise on where to go that was nice. I asked her if there was any markets around she told me that there were no markets around cala dor my wife went to the reception they give a list of all the markets for every day so we went to one of the markets you can get there by bus or taxi.



I would go to Barcelo Ponent Playa Hotel again all the family really enjoyed a geart week of different activities

I really enjoyed this holiday I...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2008

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Miss K.L.H Haynes

Comments:

I really enjoyed this holiday I reccomennd this to anyone who wants to relax and have fun!!! The swimming pool was massive and was very clean, The beach was ok as it was a little bit dirty and smelt! The food was quite nice with mallorcan cuisine aswell as english. The dining room was very spacious with a beautiful sea view. The hotel room was very clean as maid service daily, the entertainment was alright as it can get a little bit noisy, little children get spoilt by the reps! There is also internet access and the staff are very friendly! There is an a la carte restraunt if you prefer to eat outside. So all in all this was a fanrastic holiday and will be returning soon!!!

This is the 2nd time i have...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2008

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Miss L A

Comments:

This is the 2nd time i have stayed in this hotel, the first being a week in july 2007 and the 2nd time a week in august 2008. I'm also planning my 3rd trip next summer to this hotel but for 2 weeks instead of one!!



I recommend this hotel for people of all ages, its closeby everything. the beach is on the doorstep and the pool is very clean even though you have to get up early to get sunbeds by the pool (pool opens at 8am) its worth it.

cala d'or town is about 15 min walk which we went to a few times.



There is a wide selection of food at both breakfast and dinner we were spoilt for choice, the restuarant is very big we never had to wait for a table and there are plenty of highchairs.



The rooms are very clean and the maids come daily, they are very friendly as all the staff are at the ponent playa hotel.



There is entertainment, games and activities throughout the day which are good fun aswell as the evening entertainment.



I definetly recommend this hotel for everyone and i'm already counting down till i go back next year :)

just got back from weeks holiday...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2008

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Miss J 

Comments:

just got back from weeks holiday i thought the hotel was nice clean swimming pools clean the food was good and always plenty to choose from this is a nice family hotel everybody friendly made lots of friends went to cala d or town which was lively and nice although about 2o mins walk away i would defiently go there again but for two weeks as one is not enough went with my three daughters and two grandaughters 20 months and three years they loved it

I thought that this was...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Miss RTH Holland

Comments:

I thought that this was deffinatly the best holiday we have ever been on! The views were excellent and all the staff were helpful and friendly especially the entertainment team! They were always getting people involved and joining them in! The meals were great and there was lots of choise!



I think that this hotel is good for people of all age groups and I would deffinatly recomend it to anyone!



Thanks for a great holiday!

hotel excellent.more like a 4*...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs Sj Guest

Comments:

hotel excellent.more like a 4* plus. just got back late last night. location is great. our room overlooked the beach which if you're going to stay in a beach front hotel, you've gotta have a sea view! we were half board and the food was lovely with a vast selection that varied day to day. also no queing for food as its all set out in different sections and you make your own way round. hotel and pool areas very well kept. pool was very crowded and you had to be waiting by the gate at 8am to put down your towells, so we only did that twice. the beach was stunning till about 10am then it became sooooo crowded that you couldn't even walk between the towells!! but then again it was peak season. staff friendly and helpful. entertainment every night. from kids disco to mama mia and grease musicals. we went on a 3 hour starfish boat trip round the coves. fantastic. our 5 year old girl loved jumping off the boat into the warm clear waters. it picks you up from the hotel beach. would definitely go back to this hotel but, out of high season!! also best to hire a car as not much choice of restaurants etc within walking distance. beware if parking in hotel carpark they will charge 3.50 euros a day. so we parked on the road outside. another useful tip, the rooms have air con which is controlled by the card they give you that opens the door and works elec when put in slot in room, so we just used a piece of card left in place to keep the air con on whilst we were out so you walk back into a really chilled room!!!!!!!!!!!!

We (me & boyf) stayed in...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2008

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Miss A Lee

Comments:

We (me & boyf) stayed in this hotel for 10 days in July and we absolutely loved it! The hotel was spotlessly clean, rooms were cleaned every day and the staff were always friendly and helpful. The one and only reason why I haven't rated the hotel as 10/10 is that we found the evening food (even though plentiful) to be a bit odd. There are 5 buffet stations; at breakfast these contain all the different breakfast items you could ask for, and the fried food is cooked fresh. In the evening, the starters were lovely (salad items mainly, but varied) but for main course by the end of the week we were struggling a bit. There is variety but the chefs don't seem to think about the meals when assembling their menus, so as long as you like brussels sprouts with lasagne and if you are vegetarian you are prepared to eat the same fish dish every night then you'll be fine :) Puddings were also plentiful. Really I have nothing to complain about at all. You walk out the back door and you are immediately on the beach (a sheltered cove) and you walk out the front door and you are beside the pool. There are free activities held throughout the day, we played volleyball & water polo but there was much more. On the beach there is a man who sells fresh fruit (watermelon, coconut, pineapples) which was very welcome after a day lying in the 30 degree sun. We went out every night and most nights ended up in the Carabel bar just opposite the hotel, it was fab! Entertainment and dancing for kids, happy hour between 8-10pm, and after about 10.30pm they start karaoke, and even if you hate karaoke, this is a laugh. We would definitely go back, the centre of Cala D'Or is a 5 minute walk and there aren't many cars. The Starfish boat trip is also worth it, especially the one where they take you up the coast past all the coves, you get to have a swim too. All in all, a brilliant resort and excellent hotel, well worth it - in our opinion, having seen other hotels whilst there, it knocks spots off them - location-wise and hospitality-wise.

We recommend this Hotel...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2008

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Mr Mrs H-Payne

Comments:

We recommend this Hotel excellant !



We decided to go to the Barcelo Ponent Playa the last two weeks in June for my wife's 60th birthday and also my birthday.

Reception & all staff were very friendly and helpful, we found the Hotel very clean and overall were pleased with the 2 weeks we were there Hot sun everyday.

The food was of good standard sometimes maybe not a lot of choice. We are early rises so we were down for breakfast at 8am and always had an early evening meal at just after 7pm. But did venture out one day and had a later meal at about 8-30pm and must admit the service was not so good.

The small bar underneath the hotel was quite relaxing and some nights there was live music. The second week this bar was closed we never bothered to find out why.

The main bar at the front of the Hotel was very noisy and hot and sweaty due I think to Euro football and entertainment being on at the same time. We found the entertainment very amateurish but we are not all built the same so some of you may enjoy it.

We never used the outside pool which really for the size of the Hotel was not adequate too small. We spent a lot of time on the beach and if you are looking to sit in the shaded area opposite the Hotel make sure you are down there early as towels were being layed out on the beach at 7am !.

If you venture down to the bar's in the evening you will find in the English bars as we found out at Eden Paradise the measure of spirits are the same as the UK unlike the Spanish bars where they never seem to stop pouring. I like my Bacardi coke and felt cheesed off at being charged the same price for Uk measure as the Spanish measure.



Now for the appalling start to our holiday. I'll try to keep this short and sweet this is not the " Full Story "



Our tour operator First Choice let us down badly. " They " put us on the wrong BUS at the airport at 11-30am Spanish time we were then taken around on a

" Charabang Coach tour " of the Island arriving back at the airport where they sent their youngest employee, as I would think none of the more experienced Reps or manager had the guts to confront us. We were then put on a Ford Transit bus and arrived at the Hotel " 4HRS " later at 3-30pm.

We were not the only people sent out on the " Wrong Bus " there was also another couple who were celebrating their " 50th Wedding Anniversary ".

The Rep Heather was very helpful and understanding and after the 3rd meeting with her on the Sunday evening It was quite obvious Heather was clearly a company person.

Having spoken to our Travel Agent { who by the way are not connected in anyway with First Choice } could not believe that First Choice did not have a Rep handing out introductory envelopes at the " BUS " with the names of their customers or even a head count !

Apparently they do not do this anymore so the First Choice Rep told us !!!

What got up our noses was they tried to make out we were at fault !

I wont go into the palaver of our departure ??

The complaint from us and the other couple was taken off by Heather on the 22nd June, today is the 8th July we are still awaiting a reply from First Choice management UK.

holiday got off to a bad start...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

May 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Miss H .l

Comments:

holiday got off to a bad start with the thomsonfly flight being delayed nearly 3 hrs! flight was also delayed coming back by 45mins.



however the wait was worth it. the hotel is beautifully located on the beach at cala ferrera. take beach towels with you to avoid paying for sunbeds on the beach. or use a sunbed on the hotels terrace next to the sea.



we had a single room for 3 people and it was abit of a squash but fine for sleeping in. very clean and nice bathroom.



food was good. arrived about 11 and they provided a cold dinner (this is left overs from dinner but nice enough. breakfast had the usual mix of cereal, fruit, beans, bacon, eggs, toast as well as cakes and cold meat and cheese.

dinner was buffet too with soup, salad, pasta, meat, veg and stews etc available. the restaurant did get very busy at 7- 730. i would recommend waitng to go until 8ish.



went to thomson welcome meeting the day after arrival. the rep, sarah, was pretty useless. she didnt know anything about much and couldnt answer most of the questions she got asked. and the directions she gave us were totally wrong!



the sauna was 6E for 1hr and very nice. they also have a turkish bath and indoor swimming pool. make a booking at the reception.



never used the outdoor pool but it looked nice!



they did have some entertainment in the bars at about 9pm but i didnt rate it. we were happy enough trying out the cocktail menu!!



there is a massage tent on the terrace by the sea. the woman only comes when it is good weather, see her to make appointments not the reception. not cheap but she is great! sooo relaxing



they play a film in english everynight at 9. not a very good selection of films but better than nothing!



reception are very helpful. they will answer any questions. they also give out things like extra towels and pillows and you can borrow hairdryer & iron too.



took bus to palma from up the road. 7E 60 cents for a single. took about 1hr and it is in fact a coach so a comfy journey.



all in all it was a great holiday despite the weather not being very good.





cala d'or is actually made up of a series of coves. each with their hotels around them. the beaches are all lovely and there is a main road of tourist shops and restaurants going from one end of cala d'or to the other.

the marina is very nice and has some nice restaurants too. we had a drink at the jolly roger pub on the marina and hada nice time.



cala d'or is a nice area which is family friendly with parks and rides. it also has plenty of pubs and clubs but is not over the top and relatively tame compared to some areas of majorca!

After visiting the Ponet Playa i...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

May 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

Miss N Scott

Comments:

After visiting the Ponet Playa i must say it wasnt bad, and the facilities were cleaned daily and to a good standard.There where also entertainment in the day somtimes they could be a bit forcing and a bit pestering at times when you where trying to relax in the sun.There where also some entertaiment at night time but i will leave you to decide about that one!.over all the accomation was good for the price but and the area was also not bad, they also at the travel agents forgot to tell us it was out of season so it was a bit to quite if i say so. Been told tho it is a busy place when things set off.



if you go visit enjoy! :)

Ponent Playa is a typical...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Apr 2008

Tour Operator:

Alpha Rooms

Submitted By:

Mr D Worrell

Comments:

Ponent Playa is a typical Spanish hotel and is excellent value for money. The rooms and hotel generally are spotlessly clean. The food provides a good choice on a buffet basis.

The only drawback is not with the hotel, rather it is the Club Robinson complex situated a couple of hundred metres away across the beach. During our one week stay,we were kept awake until 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning on at least four of the nights, with loud music coming from Club Robinson. Thier website may advertise the complex as quiet and peaceful, but I assure you it is not so for the surrounding area at night.

On a different topic, we discovered the best homemade cakes in Cala D'Or at the BoBo Cafe bar. This situated in a small square in the pedestrian area, behind Moda Janine on Avenguda de Belgica. The cafe has only been operating for a couple of weeks, but is highly recommended.

Excellent value for money, there...

Overall Rating:

7/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs M Higgins

Comments:

Excellent value for money, there was plenty of food to choose from quality was good, rooms were basic but clean and tidy; when you arrive ask for an extra pillow!



Evening entertainment was ok based on groups singing and games.



Excellent resort for families especially with young children, beach is just gorgeous and shallow but watch out for the occasional jelly fish, take anti jelly sting cream with you.



I would definitely go there again.

We travelled as a family of 3, I...

Overall Rating:

6/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

Mrs V Taylor

Comments:

We travelled as a family of 3, I (44), my Husband (40), and our son (8). If you are looking for a family entertainment hotel then this is not for you.



We are by no means posh nor are we ready to be called rough either! Being entertained throughout the day and evening are important with an eight year old, and unfortunately this hotel did not cater for it.



We decided to go all inclusive to see what it was like, the food in the dining room was very good, the rooms where basic but kept very clean, you’re not spending time in your room so this did not matter.



However, what did matter is that we were on level 1 which meant that every morning at 6.40am we where woken by the dining room staff getting everything ready for breakfast, moving of chairs, tables and trolley’s (I was not amused!). They should set the tables the night before so that guests can at least have a waking call at 8am!



They say that they have a kids club, but there is no set place for the children to play and they take them to a play area on the site which is approximately five foot by five! and yes directly under ( but outside) our room! so a siesta was out of the question. More importantly, I would not have let my pet dog stay with the staff. They were young, unprofessional and did not have a clue how to the care and play with children let alone keeping them safe!!. They were noisier than the children.



The pool is a bit of a danger too. there are no bars around the pool and the only entry to it is steps leading into a 4ft deep drop, and then it gets deep very quickly so not good for the little ones. There are also not enough umbrellas for shade during the day.



The only entertainment here was the odd game of water polo around 4pm. A warning you have to stand at the gates to the pool at about 8am and if you’re lucky you might get a good bed! The pool is separate from the hotel which is a bit confusing, but if you’re in the room we had you will be up in plenty of time to queue up!



Being all inclusive here meant that we were out every night looking for good entertainment and obviously buying our drinks etc elsewhere.



Beware also that all inclusive means that some foods you have to pay for, it only lasts until 11pm and I was shocked to discover that on checking out at 12 noon, our all inclusive was taken, our flight was not until 1am!! However, I asked for the manager and informed him that we did by no means abuse the all inclusive because we were out every night and also we had only been there for 6 days! we did get it back.



If I was 50 or younger with no children, loved food, liked queuing up to have a sun bed by the pool and on a high level in this hotel facing the sea, then I might go back. we have been to Cala D'Or on many occasions and it is a beautiful resort with plenty of beaches and other things like a little fair for the children, but I would go elsewhere.



Try the Cala Ferrera apartments, the entertainment is great, it is quiet, and you can eat there too!

My husband and I went here for a...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs D Austin

Comments:

My husband and I went here for a week in Sept. We found the hotel very clean. The food was ok and there was not no rush like some people say.



We done half board, the best time to go for breakfast was between 8.30 and 9.00.and dinner between 9.00, then you avoid the rush when it opens.



The beach is on the ground floor of the main part of the hotel it’s a nice cove and there is a man who comes about three time selling melon and pineapple and coconut well worth the money. We bought two lilo to lie on so you save on the beds.



The town is only five min away I recommend the Hollywood bar for karaoke great night till 2.00.it takes about ten min to get there worth the walk. It seen shorter on the way back if you have a few. Very family friendly. The pool is ok we only used it on the last day so not too much sand.



The only bad thing is if your got a late flight the shower they give you is in a toilet its terrible I never even used it. We booked on the wed for 450 for both of us on a wed and went on the Friday, you'll have a great time. If you’re looking for a real late night this isn’t the place for you. We got in bout 2.30 which was ok if you want to get the breakfast.



The hotel entertainment was rubbish we never went once but if you got kids, it will do.