Reviews of Bahia Park Apartments, Cala N Porter, Menorca

Just back from a fantastic...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2008

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

bamboo

Comments:

Just back from a fantastic holiday at Bahia Park.We had a huge 2 bed appt. with 2 balconys.It was cleaned every other day and had 4 changes of sheets in out 2 week stay.Altough a little dated we couldn't fault the place.The kitchen area was big with a brand new micowave,4 ring ceramic hob and ironing board and iron.We booked half board which was very good value including a free glass of wine, the food was good and plenty of choice.The cooked breakfasts were also good and set us up for the day!! It was a 10 minute walk to the resort centre where there was a very well stocked Spar shop.Night life was centred around the Sa Piassa (I think i've spelt that right) a different tribute band is on every night Freddie Mercury was excellent!! The Aloah cocktail bar was also good .Also worth a visit is Cova D'En xoroi a 5 minute walk from the appts.fantastic sunsets!! We used to walk down to the beach(yes there are 150 odd steps) and get the courtesty bus back.The beach is lovely ,sea very shallow and safe for children.I would recommend thes appts and we are considering booking again next year.

Spent two weeks there with my...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2008

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Mr N Noble

Comments:

Spent two weeks there with my wife and two lads (15 and 11). Apartments are about 10 minute walk outside Cala'n Porter centre. It can be a bit of a haul in the heat. These are probably the cleanest and well sized apartments we've ever stayed in. Our apartment was spotless as was the whole of the site. The restaurant offers good food and the half board offer is excellent value especially with the state of the euro. Zac and Pablo in the restaurant were good sports. Pool is great and given we were there in July, the complex was quiet. (just what we were looking for).

Best way to get to the beach is by using the free courtesy bus provided by Bahia Park which runs about 4 times a day. Other than that, it's on foot via all the steps, or by little road train (but this is €6 for a round trip.

If you do go to the centre quick mention for the Helderama ice cream parlour at the back of the new market place. It does Mr Whippy ice-cream!

I am posting the main part of...

Overall Rating:

1/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2007

Tour Operator:

Booked IndependentlyPrivately owned apartment

Submitted By:

Mrs N O''Brien

Comments:

I am posting the main part of the e-mail which I sent to the owner on our return. It sums up this apartment nicely! The actual resort of Cala N Porta was lovely - just don't book this apartment! (I'm not sure if I'm allowed reveal the apt number ...)



1. General state of the apartment grubby.

2. Floor was dirty and hairy.

3. Extremely small second bedroom - not big enough to accommodate 2 people comfortably - should have stated size in description. Lack of decent storage in second bedroom i.e. chest of drawers which could have been housed in the wardrobe - underwear etc had to to kept in suitcases.

4. Unpleasant fluorescent light in second bedroom - making an already awful room worse.

5. Description said 2 twin beds and 1 double bed. In fact there were twins in each room. The main bedroom beds were pushed together but made separately. Not unusual but your description stated double and this is a mis-description - the mattresses were so poor quality that we were unable to put them together.

6. Bed linen bobbled and worn on all beds.

7. Beds bases in double room rickety and creaked noisily at any movement - we gave up and slept on sofa bed and floor.

8. No bedside lamps.

9. Plastic mattress protectors on the beds. Plastic in a hot climate is unbearable.

10. Wardrobe in main bedroom needs a proper set of drawers set for underwear etc not an old TV stand? with one small drawer. Please note the previous occupant (we presume) had left clothes in this drawer which obviously your cleaners had not spotted.

11. Ants in main bedroom wardrobe (microwave oven in top of wardrobe may have old food in it ).

12. Mastic around bath poor.

13. No small towels provided except for grubby one in bathroom.

14. Very small bath. An extra toilet roll would have been nice until we could go shopping.

15. Shower rail/curtain kept falling down - was only help on by tape anyway and both ends were rusted making it hard to put up.

16. Kitchen tea towels and dishcloth old and grubby.

17. Formica worktop blown in some areas.

18. No lamps - all harsh overhead lighting.

19. Wall light on terrace not working. No bulb in one - other side overgrown with ivy and no bulb.

20. Old bidet left on terrace.

21. No cleaning materials available to clean sink and toilet regularly, had to use face wipes.

22. TV had no aerial lead and hence no reception. No remote which made watching DVD's a pain as the TV was locked into trying to find a channel and you could not clear the graphic. SKY had been crossed off the note left by your manager couldn't understand why it was on list as this was a list specific to your flat.



While we appreciate this was not a relatively expensive apartment, we did expect a basic level of general comfort and cleanliness and possibly comfortable beds and a decent bathroom. We didn't care about TV's, DVD player - that's not what you go on holiday for, we went for a nice relaxing break which is impossible when a good nights sleep wasn't achievable.We felt as if everything that was provided was the cheapest & most basic/oldest that you could possibly equip an apartment with. We have regularly stayed in privately advertised apartments and the lack on any basic materials/standards in this one was a surprise. The only real plus that was provided were the fans - although the small one was very old.



Needless to say we won't be recommending this apartment to our friends and family.

The Bahia Park Apartments in...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2005

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

Mrs H L Lavery

Comments:

The Bahia Park Apartments in Menorca has been our best holiday to date.



We stayed in a one bedroom apartment which was clean, spacious and had everything we needed. A travel cot was provided for our one year old son Jack, as well as a high chair all free of charge!



There was a large pool and a smaller toddler friendly one opposite a great bar and restaurant. The food was lovely and very reasonable.



The staff were friendly and helpful.



We were only a short walk from the town with a fair few bars and restaurants which were so accommodating for families with young children. The only bad point was that we were limited on where we could change nappies etc and usually ended up back at the apartments.



Also, the highchairs over there have no trays or safety straps so they are literally HIGH CHAIRS so reins are a must if u don’t want your little one to fall to the floor!



The local beach was beautiful but fairly small, and there’s plenty to do and see if you hire a car. We went to a great waterpark which had something for all ages!!!



Planning to return next year so can’t be too bad can it?

Fantastic week spent at Bahia...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Oct 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs L Morton

Comments:

Fantastic week spent at Bahia Park with 2 daughters aged 16 & 12.



As there is little to do for this age group, it was a holiday of pure relaxation...sitting on balcony or poolside reading. Very lucky with weather had sunshine all week.



Had massive (3 bedroom) apartment which was basically furnished but immaculately clean with good maid service.



One gripe would be the lack of cooking facilities for a self catering apt but not too much of an issue as very cheap to eat out well.



Staff all very helpful and friendly particularly the waiters who were happy at all times



Menorca the perfect destination if you are looking for a peaceful holiday, with none of the usual 'brit' pubs n clubs. Always feel 100% safe day and night in Menorca.



October perfect time to travel as the small beaches are usually very quiet. Our fourth October trip to Menorca, already booked for 2007!!

We have just arrived back from...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2006

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs E Smythe

Comments:

We have just arrived back from holiday at Bahia Park with my husband & 3 children aged 3,8 and 11. We thoroughly enjoyed out time there our apartment was clean & spacious, you regularly see members of staff cleaning the complex.



The Thomson holiday reps were excellent & although we know there were complaints made to them regarding the area that it was too quiet & not much to do we had no complaints although we do put this down to hiring a car for 4 days which we highly recommend, if we hadn’t of chosen this option I think we would have found ourselves struggling as the entertainment within the complex isn’t of a high standard therefore we spent most of our evenings out at Sa Paissa which was excellent ranging from The Fourtops to Rod Stewart!



Also a must is the Cliff Top restaurant just around the corner from the apartments we spent an evening overlooking the bay, beautiful scenery & was also the best meal we had in Cala n Porter. The Salamandra has been highly recommended on this website which is why we gave this a try & although it was cheaply prices we think the food reflected this but as it was 3 courses you couldn’t really complain for 15.50!



As our holiday was self catering we took some food with us & next time we have learnt to take more with us as the local shops seem to be rather expensive.



During our time with the car we visited both water parks on the island which we were very impressed with Aqua Park is probably more aimed at older children/adults although our 3 year old still was brave enough to go on them all, the other park was Aqua Park which had more pleasant surroundings but you had to queue to use dinghy’s which I would expect would be a pain especially in the peak season. We also visited a beautiful cove Cala Galdana which was where blue lagoon was filmed & this was stunning, absolutely gorgeous. Also our advice is to give the beach Son Bou a miss, we didn’t think this was anything special. So much so that we didn’t even set up camp there & went straight on to another beach.



Overall we had a lovely family holiday the children thoroughly enjoyed themselves but would definitely recommend hiring a car to explore as much of the island as possible as otherwise you might find yourselves running out of ideas other than spending time on the beach. Which was gorgeous though!

We visited Bahia Park in May...

Overall Rating:

3/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

May 2006

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs Battiscombe

Comments:

We visited Bahia Park in May 2006 and I must say it was one of the worst things we have ever done. It took nearly 2 days 4 the staff to change a light bulb in our apartment I could do it myself in 5 mins. The cleaner took one of my sisters skirts took us all week 2 get it back. The bathroom was in bad condition with a leaking sink and a rusty bath.



However the food was good in the restaurant. The entertainment was ridiculous my 2yr old even thought the clown act for 20 mins got boring after 3 days so to put up with it for a whole week was really hard.



We feel really sorry for Craig the rep that has to stay there all season and listen to the ridiculous complaints because the resort is not managed correctly. It’s not his fault an he was a really great guy but I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes right now. We spent most of our holiday in the neighbouring hotel the siesta mar which even our holiday rep lived in. Goes to show the truth about Bahia park when the rep even lives in another hotel complex.

My first visit to this resort...

Overall Rating:

6/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2006

Tour Operator:

Skytours

Submitted By:

Mrs K Etchells

Comments:

My first visit to this resort was back in May 2005 me and my family enjoyed it so much we went back. The apartments were clean and once again the food was excellent, the waiter Gines was a star who could not have done more even if he tried.



But the Bar manager was a moody man who didn't impress me at all and was very rude on a number of occasions not just to myself but to a number of other holiday makers. The other members of staff were ok but not at all of the standard of last year.



The club Rep walked round with a face like thunder, the kids club reps however were fantastic eps Rosie who was at one with the children and never ran out of time or energy.



The evening entertainment was of high standard and a mix for all the family to enjoy. Wendy and Craig the all-round entertainers were fantastic always chatting and doing their jobs with such effort and high standards.



So overall bahia Park was very clean with lovely food and 90% of the staff were friendly and good at what they did.

Bahia Apartments Cala n Porter...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

May 2005

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs C Mckenna

Comments:

Bahia Apartments Cala n Porter



As this was our second visit to this resort. All I can say is when can we go back.

The First time we went it was just my family me, my husband and three children 7, 9, 11 The second time my sister also came with her husband and two children 5, 7. My children loved the kids clubs and all the activities that went on in the evening all the games you played had us in fits of laughter.



On our second visit we took my sister and her family and they were totally amazed at how friendly all the staff and holiday reps were at the resort.



Every where was so clean and tidy and the apartments were spotless. There were always cleaners around cleaning pathways doors and windows the maids were also fantastic. The pool was cleaned and tested every morning and night.



It rained once the whole time we were there and then within twenty minutes the sun was bleaching the sky.



All restaurants offer great service and value for money especially the Salamander which I have to say was one of our favorites. The castle wasn't the best the couple who owned it didn't even offer a smile and the food left a lot to be desired.



Car is a must if you would like to travel round the island and take in all of the beautiful views Mount Torro being one of them.



If you would like to save money on car hire book direct yourself before you go and if look on local car hire for the area you will be pleasantly surprised, on what a saving you could make. My sister is hoping to go back again next year and stay in a villa as there is more family going. I have just eleven weeks to go until our next stay and my family can't wait. We are also taking are neighbours with us. The children can't wait to see if all the staff still remember them as they did on our last visit.



Hopefully anyone else who has enjoyed there holiday as much as we have maybe able to help me we would also like to go back and stay in 2007 but we can't find who is doing Bahia Park Apartments as we have searched through are normal travel agent with no results. If you can help please leave your comments so I can read them in the future.

However although all the surrounding areas are lovely BCH is a must not! Its not worth the money I ended up paying £530 for a self catering holiday in June which was not up to scratch! You've been warned stay somewhere else, because the brochures and internet make this complex out to be something it's not.

We booked this about 2 months...

Overall Rating:

4/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2005

Tour Operator:

Skytours

Submitted By:

Mrs DV Escott

Comments:

We booked this about 2 months before departure and went with four children, aged 20 months, 3, 5 and 15!



This was the first resort/package holiday have been on and will most likely be the last. Although in many respects the resort was lovely - village like, clean and very friendly. For me I didn't enjoy being surrounded by other English people and nearly all the food on menus (both at resort and in town) being burgers, chips etc, spaghetti bolognese is served with chips too!



I imagine it is a very quiet resort compared to many and is certainly geared towards families. It is definitely worth hiring a car as the island is so small and manageable and quite pleasant to drive around and navigate.



For me though, I guess I am just not a 'resort holiday' person.

I booked a last minute holiday...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2006

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Miss E Slavarotti

Comments:

I booked a last minute holiday with lets go travel in Ilminster Somerset, after having to cancel the original holiday one month prior due to an illness within the group. We were very pleasantly surprised and happy with what we were presented with. Cala En Porter. A very relaxing easy going village style holiday.



The apartments mentioned 'Bahia Park Apartments. Very clean and exceptional service from the local staff The overall view of the holiday, was a holiday you couldn't ask for more. I didn't come across one unhappy, miserable local. Everywhere was clean and hygienic even in the public toilets, food and service exceptional.



I would recommend Cala En Porter to any one from a single person to couples and especially families. A lot of various entertainment all times of the day.

We had a fantastic holiday at...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2006

Tour Operator:

Skytours

Submitted By:

Mr D Roger

Comments:

We had a fantastic holiday at the Bahia Park in June 2006. It seemed that the cleaners were never away from the apartment cleaning it, and there was always staff pottering around cleaning things like lampposts, screens etc.



The food ranged from excellent to OK depending on the day, but was excellent the majority of the time. I would recommend the half-board option if you want to save money but don't want to eat in the apartment. I would also recommend the mussels.



The hotel is a few hundred metres from the shops, however the shops offer a free delivery service which would be prudent rather that humping water bottles in the blazing sun.

The staff were excellent; hard working and friendly especially Gines, Juan and the general manager, who was a lovely man.



Hotel entertainment was some of the 'least expensive' I had ever seen with the staff making the best of what they were given, saying that though, the entertainer Craig, I will be very surprised if he isn't famous before long. He is that talented. Kerry and Kate at the kids club were absolutely fantastic and you could really tell that they love children.

I would visit here again - a lovely and relaxing holiday.



Cala en Porter is a very quiet resort with most things shut at 2300 hrs. However Salamanders and Flavas in the main street are open as long as required. I was a bit frustrated with how quiet the resort was at first, then learned to relax later on and enjoy it. The resort was very expensive which meant it was impossible to eat out every night. There was very little entertainment in the resort apart from Sa Passai's music night, where they had a different 'tribute' act every night in the centre of town.



The beach was flawless and has to be visited.

We have just returned from...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

May 2006

Tour Operator:

Skytours

Submitted By:

Mrs S Baldwin

Comments:

We have just returned from staying at the Bahia Park Apartments. We had booked the holiday in August 2005 and as it was inexpensive didn't expect 5 star luxury. Overall the complex was very good.



The first days weather wasn't very good and as we were only staying there for a week we hoped it would improve, and it did.



We had hired a car from the onsite rep, and only arranged it our first morning. Craig, the rep, came to find us about midday to tell us the car hire company was in reception waiting to take my husband to their offices to collect the car, so very prompt and not as expensive as we thought it would be. 5 days for about 125 euros, plus extra for the child’s car seat we needed for our 2 yrs old.



The car came in very handy as to get to the beach you needed to either climb a hill and then negotiate 192 steps or down a steep winding hill. There is a free bus from reception or a train that stops just outside, this costs 6 euros for a return trip.



The apartment we had, number 75, was at the end of the block furthest away from the bar area, as requested. it was clean and well set out. Fantastic shower and if you opened the small window you could have a shower while looking at the view of the beautiful cove below. We have the same view from the 1 bedroom and the kitchen. The kitchen area could have done with a bit of updating but was sufficient. The water is so clear that even from our apartment you can see right through the water.



The pool and surrounding gardens were clean and tidy. Swept and washed down every morning. The only gripe about around the pool is that it gets very slippery and you have to be very careful with small children so non slip pool shoes a must.



Overall not a bad holiday, quiet and peaceful, not too busy for the time of year.

With my husband and 2 children...

Overall Rating:

7/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2005

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

estherjayne

Comments:

With my husband and 2 children aged 3 1/2 and 1 1/2 we set off for our holiday to Minorca.



It was our first family holiday and had specifically asked Thomsons to recommend somewhere as I didn’t know what I was looking for! - based on this I was actually quite disappointed.



Although it wasn’t too far from the beach - it was extremely hilly and not easy to get around with a pushchair. My youngest child had very little to do apart from going in the pool.



Yes the pool.... now that’s another problem - we actually only saw it being cleaned twice whilst we were there on our 14 day trip. So really it was no surprise when me, my husband and youngest child got so ill we had to get the doctor out.





On the good side, my oldest child had a fantastic time - the kids club was fantastic and the mini discos every night was a huge hit - in fact we are still singing and dancing along to the songs now. The reps were great, and kept them well entertained with daytime activities as well.



I wouldn’t go back- although I feel many of the reasons being as it was the end of the season and not much effort put into looking after the place. The maids did a good job but the pool area was quite dirty.



I know many people that went to this resort in peak season and the holiday was excellent- I think it depends very much on the time of year.

My partner Dan and I went to...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Oct 2005

Tour Operator:

Skytours

Submitted By:

Ms Z Moody

Comments:

My partner Dan and I went to Bahia Park for 2 weeks in October 2005 and couldn't fault it. We took my 2 older children and our baby. My daughter is 9 and my son is 4 and they had a wonderful time. The kids club gave us a break and the kids made lots of friends, we even swapped addresses with 1 family and have kept in touch.



Mari, the kids rep was brilliant. Every night she would get on stage with the kids and get them all dancing and playing games, we already miss her. She also does a very entertaining game of Bingo, as I found out, having won a full house I found myself dancing like an octopus round the terrace, although Dan’s was better as when he won he had to do ballet (cue lots of running to the toilet trying not to wet myself.) My parents also came with us which helped as it meant Dan and I could get time alone without the children.



The food at the hotel restaurant was lovely. The kids lived off pizzas and ice-cream. They do a lovely home-made chocolate cake(don't they mum!!) and the breakfasts are equally nice. Gines(pronounced-iness) the waiter was great, always willing to help and great with the kids too.



The beach is nice, although with nearly 200 steps to get there it's quite exhausting. There is however, a train which stops outside the hotel which will take you to the beach for 6 euros.(about 4.50.)



The weather was nice, not so hot that you sweat, but hot enough to not need a jacket. We were worried about the baby but we needn't have been. He was 7 months old and was happy everywhere we went. He had an obsession with spoons at cafes and we now have a collection of them in our kitchen. Oops!!



I would definitely recommend the Salamandra restaurant, about a 10 minute walk from the hotel. For 15 euros(about 11 quid) per adult you get a three-course meal, plus a half bottle of wine each, plus coffee and liqueur after your meal. We came out very bloated and quite light-headed!! There is also a kids play area there so the kids didn't get bored while waiting for their food.



The kids enjoyed the swimming pool, although its quite cold as it's not heated(as Dan found out when he dived in.)



There is never a shortage of things to do(I am the QUEEN of mini-golf), and the entertainment finishes at 10.30pm which is good as then the kids are more willing to go to bed if nothing going on.



The supermarket is 10 minutes up the road and will deliver your shopping free to your hotel room within a couple of hours.



I would recommend the Bahia park complex to families with young children, although teenagers may get bored as there isn't much for them apart from a couple of pool tables. Overall we had a fabulous holiday and would consider maybe going back..