Please help salvage our holiday - Mallorca…

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I know IABU. I didn’t research properly (I thought I had, but clearly didn’t…)

We’re staying in Alcudia. I have name changed because outing. I have two children who are 7 and 11.

Our hotel is fine but I hadn’t realised how big it was, so it’s loud and although there are 846 pools (slight exaggeration) there are only two that are fun to play in

We walked to the beach today (5 min walk) and it was a bit grim. Lots of shops selling fake sunglasses etc, not very clean beach, just a bit… hmm…

I need to make a plan for the next 4 days. PLEASE HELP AND TELL ME WHERE TO GO AND WHAT TO DO?!

1. I thought we could go into the old town of Alcudia - would love any recommendations
2. Is the Hidropark worth it?
3. Where can we find a beach that is clean and calm??
4. Anything else?

Before anyone tells me I’m a snob, yes probably I am a bit. We normally stay in much smaller and calmer hotels or rent a villa/house. We rarely come abroad so this is meant to be a real treat.

I will be so grateful for any good ideas so I can make a plan. Please don’t tell me to embrace the hotel aqua aerobics/disco/etc. It’s really, really not my thing (although v happy for my children to take part in anything they’d like to, but the childrens club seems aimed at younger ones really).

THANK YOU! And yes, I’m grateful to be on holiday but want to make it really great for my children and at the moment we’re all a bit underwhelmed.

Crikey this has brought back memories of an all inclusive near you that we went to in the mid 90’s with youngest son. Think it was called mars or Jupiter. It was horrific. We just made the best of it though and went on a train to Sollen(?) the caves etc.
Son was about 6 at the time, older boys already at uni so just three of us for a week. If it any consolation the 6 year old now 31 year old thinks he can remember having a fun time!
Hope you manage to have some nice times

"9 months to bring up the hotel on your computer to see what it’s like and that AI!"

The photographs of the hotel look great. Recent reviews (this week) describe people screaming at each other over sun beds, hand, foot and mouth, raw chicken and gastroenteritis

Awful.

That's one classy lighter OP 😂

@Midpmcoffee I didn’t book AI and I didn’t know it was an option. Please be kind.

Its the general vibe and business that I’m finding super tough, not whether people eat all their meals here.

@Knittingnanny2 thank you - that was the point of this thread, so people could tell me where to go and what to do to make this really fun for my children. They loved the caves of Drach today and are now in the pool where they will probably stay until supper. Tomorrow, we go to the beach and thanks to all the super helpful people on this thread, we know where to head and how to get there!

Glad you enjoyed the caves

The nicest bit of the beach is by the hotel Condesa. There is also a bus stop near there as it can be tricky getting a taxi. There is a rank on the next block but it's always empty. It's walkable though, especially with your feet in the sea so it doesn't feel as hot. There's a bridge to cross the canal at one point but the rest is all along the shore

Just realised where you are staying, the old town is very walkbale from there, it's a straight road, paths all the way and only takes about 10 minutes. The part of the beach I mentioned is about 45 minutes walk from where you are.

Thanks @CeeceeBloomingdale

I've been to Alcudia and the place we stayed also had 846 pools. The old town is lovely, well worth a visit. There are some Roman ruins you can visit too just outside the town. Palma is also a beautiful town right on the beach. it's a bit of a journey from Alcudia but there are buses. We actually hired a car and drove there and there were some lovely places to stop on the way. We went to Magaluf to see this acrobatic Pirates show. It was very expensive bit it was good.

We once stayed at a really nice privately owned apartment (3 bed) on a complex just behind the illa d'or in Puerto pollensa. Got it off VBRO - lovely development and2 mins walk to beach and pine walk- 2 big pools etc

Oh wow I've found those reviews on trip advisor. It does seem that the more recent reviews are worse though - people who stayed there earlier in the summer seemed to have enjoyed it. It was the prices people were quoting that shocked me - €20K for two weeks!!! I suppose they may have had large families - but still ....

That sounds nice @Crikeyalmighty - I think the apartment we've booked is the economy version !

Please don’t tell me to embrace the hotel aqua aerobics/disco/etc. It’s really, really not my thing

op, it’s not really my thing either but a few years ago I accidentally ended up in a beach side hotel in Diani Beach, Mombasa that wasn’t what I thought it would be and I ended up having one of the best times ever doing things like aqua aerobics and volleyball and going to the disco at night where we were entertained buy the childrens club before they were all sent to their rooms at 9pm. Granted the scenery and the beach were beautiful but I'm so glad I didn’t go home first morning I woke up and a monkey was sitting on my dressing table throwing my sachets of coffee and sugar at me - I hadn’t shut the double balcony doors properly. Anyway to add insult to injury when I threw my pillow at it it jumped off the table, ran to the balcony door and pood on my floor on the way out.

Ive holidayed all over Majorca and Puerto pollensa and Cala Dor were my favourite. A coach trip to Palma is easy to do. Also do the Tren Soller is beautiful.stick to the okd town of Alcudia and take lots of trips

Just come back from pollensa (kids are also 7 and 11). Port de Pollensa beach is great- also restaurants by the harbour end! Pollensa old town for meals too. You can hire bikes a cycle from alcudia or loads get the bus. We went to the hidropark and they loved it! We went to alcudia old town too which we liked. Honestly we stayed in a small villa with a pool and thought perhaps the kids would have been better in a hotel in alcudia as there is more to do but now you have made me think perhaps not!! We glimpsed it when we went to the hidropark and i felt a bit snobby when i saw the kfc/bk/pubs for miles.

I’m going to say you’re in Bellevue or Club Mac?

I’m so shocked that Alcudia beach is dirty. It’s usually spotless. Is there an option to swap hotels as there are lots of smaller more intimate hotels in Alcudia. Failing that. We’ve got back from Cala Bona which was lovely. Failing that, lots of trips out to surrounding areas! Majorca is beautiful so hope you can enjoy it.

Second all these.

We went to Mallorca last year and stayed in Palma and Port de Pollenca, with a day trip to Pollenca old town. Had a fantastic time, despite the onset of morning sickness (which was massively triggered when we visited - and smelt - the beach in Alcudia 😳)

@ThankYouStavros sorry, it’s not dirty as such. But the bit nearest the port looked like a Preston’s beach play area if that makes sense. The sea was completely flat and the sand was… worn? Grey? I don’t know how best to explain it. We drove along the coast today on the way to caves of drach and it definitely looks so much nicer the further south you go!

I’m holidaying in mainland Spain at the moment and also feeling underwhelmed so you aren’t alone. The Aquarium near Palma is great - our kids loved it and the little train over the mountains from Palma to Soller is also worth trying.

Pollensa is lovely much more quaint. I think it's about 20 minutes bus away

Platja de Muro is just south of where you are. It's gorgeous! The water is a beautiful clear blue. Some of my most gorgeous photos of the kids swimming are taken here. There is a long wooden jetty which is a great photo op spot!

Puerto Pollensa along the coast from Alcudia. Sounds like it will be much more your scene as long as you go to the other end from Alcudia (I think). It's lovely. Mind you I liked Alcudia....
The hyropark af Magaluf is s good if a bit tacky.

Go to pollensa- gorgeous town and also go to Puerto pollensa to the beach .. if you can hire a cat and go early to fornentor beach - get there by 9:30 as the tourist boats start coming at 11:30- all lovely spots .. Alcudia - whole close isn't nearly as nice as the lovely areas around it

We're in Platja de Muro right now and the beach is lovely.

These were taken on the bit of beach on front of Sunwing Alcudia Beach