Hotel Cala Galdana & Villas d'Aljandar

Rooms tiny and very shaby. Furniture falling to bits and stained. Air con blows out warm air only. Music round pool played constant gangster rap with bad language and we were with our 10 and 7 year olds. No help from hotel staff so spent extra 800 euros renting elsewhere.

6 readers found this review helpful

Loved it, Hotel was lovely, clean & tidy, i thought the food was excellent, the entertainment was good, the beach & clear blue sea were both beautiful & best of all the weather was great.
My daughter(10)loved the pool, she made a great group of friends there, staff were always friendly.. hotel was easily a "4 star"..
Perhaps the only one downside is that there isnt a great deal to do at the resort, if there was just a little more to see or explore locally it would have been a perfect holiday
i am disappointed to read that since i have been it seems to have declined in staff & quality, this maybe the case or just isolated incidents or people looking for faults because the weather was bad, you do tend to look for faults if your not having a good time due to the weather.

2 readers found this review helpful

We went with friends and booked 2 twin/double rooms. On arrival we were told we were told we had been upgraded to a villa, great until we saw it, directly above the 'pub, dark and dingy extremely basic, no privacy couldn't use the balcony as if you did you looked straight into the other couples bedroom, the sitting room had 3 chairs to be shared between 4 people, no mini bar, no whirlpool bath, no mirrors only the one over the sink in the extremely small bathroom and no place to put washing gear as no surround on the sink. When spoke to the staff on the reception desk and asked to be moved back into the hotel we were told we had been upgraded and if we wanted to move back into the hotel we would have to wait until the next day as the hotel was full and we would be given rooms at the back of the hotel as we had booked a cheap package holiday the rooms we would have would be looking at the wall, we complained to Thomsons but were told the same by them, the hotel was full until the next day. When we finally got into the rooms they did look over the wall which could have been quite nice as it was layed out as a water feature with waterfalls, its a shame they never had these working as if they had when it was lit up it would have been nice. The entertainment was very good but would have been more enjoyabe if there had been the staff to serve drinks. Towards the end of our stay they were down to 2 waiters in the bars to serve pobably 100 people. The staff in the restaurant never smiled and again were always rushed off their feet, the restaurant opened at 7pm and if you hadn't been seated by 7.30pm you had to queue, we often saw a queue of about 30 to 40 people.
Would we return to this hotel, not on your life. On top of this it rained every day.
The beach was lovely until it rained then the sea was full of sea weed. There were some nice walks but again because of the weather these were not possible.

10 readers found this review helpful

We first came to this hotel 28 years ago and have only missed one year. We have been to many other places in the world, but we always compare them to Cala Galdana. We have seen the hotel grow from a 2* to a 4*. We agree that the bathrooms and the balconies in the hotel are smaller than you get in other hotels, but they are comfortable and very clean, with the linen being changed daily. We now stay in the luxury suites situated next to the main building, which consist of a bedroom, lounge, Jacuzzi bath and large terrace. We feel that the extra cost is worth it to us. The staff, many of whom have been with the hotel for years, carry out their duties in a professional and friendly manner. However, this year, because of the global economic problems, the staff levels have been reduced and we know from speaking to them that they are frustrated that they cannot give the service that they know the clients deserve. One of the main reasons we like the hotel is because they do not cater just for the British clientele. There is a mixture of cultures, which means they serve a choice of food. We read the reviews that say the food is swimming in fat. The Menorcan’s do not cook with fat. They use olive oil, which everyone knows is good for you. The location of the hotel is perfect with the white sandy beach and blue Mediterranean sea just a short walk away. The bus service will take you to many of the places of interest on the Island. If you hire a car you will be able to explore this Paradise Island. OK the entertainment is not West End standard, but then we are not paying West End prices. Many members of our family and friends have enjoyed holidays in the hotel on our recommendation, and they in turn have recommended it to others. If you want a quiet relaxing holiday with good food and service, then this is the place to choose. We have every intention of going again in September this year and again and again.

1 reader found this review helpful

Terrible room situated above and next to power plant. Constant hum and vibration. Could not sleep. Hotel moved us after 2 days. Thomson failed to reimburse us after months of delayed and lost complaints correspondance.

1 reader found this review helpful

Excellent resort to stay in. Fabulous weather, nice beach although for 2 beds and a parasol it will set you back £16 per day, so be prepared. Some nice shops, and one or two nice restaurants, not all the waiters are English friendly, and can be quite obnoxious,
having said that, we all have our faults. The hotel was nice and friendly with a really nice pool area, and there were even some empty sun loungers after 9 0 clock in the morning, that was a first for me. The only really down side was the food side of the holiday, we stayed half board. The dining hall was a little works canteenish, no disrespect to works canteens. The food was acceptable most of the time, other times it was not. The biggest complaint being hot food served on cold plates, which equals lukewarm food. The food was repetetive most of the time, and on a number of occasions not properly cooked, the wife had a number of raw eggs and sausages, and i experienced items that were not cooked, however, the restaurant was clean and most of the staff were top drawer. Putting all of that on one side, we had a great holiday and would go back but with a sea view next time. If i was asked to rate this hotel i would say it is a top 3 star, with a little TLC could be a 4 star.

2 readers found this review helpful

our stay at the cala galdana hotel was wonderfull, we stayed in a villa, which had 57 steps but well worth it, the views they were stunning! Our room was beautifull and our lovely maid came in every day and changed the sheets and towels. We could not fault the food lots of choice and two restaurants to choose from.The waiters and staff were always polite and friendly. The pool was great never any problem getting a sun bed. It is a beautifull resort with spectacular views and walks. We felt it very safe and everything so close made our holiday no effort what so ever. Just three of us on our hols my husband myself and my 13 year old, who made some great friends. Our First Choice rep, Damian was excellent nothing was too much trouble always had time for a chat and booked us some brilliant excursions (eastern delights a must).
Definately go back cant wait for next year.

3 readers found this review helpful

We travelled with our son (nearly 2) and really enjoyed our holiday. Both the resort and hotel are lovely and the location of the hotel is perfect. The beach at Cala Galdana is one of the best I have seen and is perfect for children as the sea and beach is so clean and shallow. The hotel staff are friendly and the food is excellent with plenty of choice and a really nice restaurant with the option of dining outside which is nice. There is entertainment every evening and a mini disco for children. The pool area is nice although can be a bit cramped but don't let this put you off. I recommend hiring a car as Menorca is a lovely island and really easy to drive around. All in all a brilliant holiday and we would return!

1 reader found this review helpful

lovely place lovely hotel we keep goin back sometime twice a year a safe place at night to be lovely people cannot fault it going in sept 08 cant wait the beach across the road from the hotel is lovely plenty of restaurants to get lunch snacks and drinks we realy feel at home there everything is on hand for you would recommend it toanyone who likes a quiet holiday no hussel and bussel entertainment for the children will be takin my grandaughter when shes older

1 reader found this review helpful

First class hotel&staff.All very friendly helpful&courteous.Food very good selection of choices.Hot food tends to be lukewarm, but a microwave is supplied if u need really hot meals.Everywhere spotlessly clean.
Rooms small but good ,except for rear of hotel where there is a brick wall, but this is also a waterfall ,on from 9.30am until early evening.
The only problems seem to be from noisy people on the floors above your floor.As the floors are tiled&ladies wearing high heels make a lot of loud noise, late at night.we had this problem 3 times in 2 weeks,with 3 different sets of people.Didnt get much sleep!!!
The stage area was near to our room at the side of the hotel&the music of the various acts was very loud from 9-11pm most nights, too loud to sit on the very small balcony,for long.If you wanted to watch tv it was almost impossible to hear the tv!!!
Otherwise this hotel was excellent especially for families.
If you want drinks with your meals the waiter comes for the order but there are no prices&it goes on your room number the bar bill .it can be a bit of a shock when you get the bar bill especially over the 2 weeks holiday!!
Since the euro came to Spain prices have tripled.Trips are especially dear,as is food&drink.