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.

I think you can get boat trips to some caves as well and swim/snorkel off the boat.

Is cala'dor nice like Puerto Pollensa? We wanted to go to Cala d'or but got a bit put off by the tiny beaches.

Really want to try Cala Mesquida too.

Deia/Soller/Valdemossa areas….

how do you get there? these areas are all 66 km or more away from where op is staying - is there a bus service?

I agree they're beautiful, but not terribly exciting for children. Although my kids enjoyed the train to Soller then the tram to Port de Soller. A pizza lunch, a swim in the sea, an ice cream, a wander. Lovely day.

We enjoyed the Pinewalk end of Puerto Pollensa, towards the Illa D'Or. So peaceful. The other end is a bit busier and more "package". When my kids were that age they used to love messing about in the sea at the Pinewalk end, and snorkelling looking for fish etc. They weren't too keen on the other end of Puerto Pollensa either.

I think I know the hotel …it was big. There’s a good hydro park nearby,
Just about to say the same, about Porto Ollensa, it Is lovely, a short taxi ride away.
There’s a lovely zoo, Loro Parc you could visit.
Go exploring the area . The local buses are good, punctual and good value, trains too.
much better than our rail network.

Oh god, I went Alcudia a few years back. What a hole. You can go to C’an Picafort for the day which is only like 20 odd minutes up the roads, lots of restaurants along the beach, or puerto pollensa.

• Porto Pollensa

Pollensa is indeed lovely and more upmarket but subsequently more expensive and the best tables at the restaurants along the front were all reserved when we went. Has a nice market in the square for fresh produce. Lovely feel to the place, wasn’t that awed by the beach but only saw one bit of it.

Cala Sant Vincenc is small with 3 coves but there’s bugger all else there except hotels and a handful of shops/cafes. The further east cove is nicest, good snorkelling!

Alcudia is not like Magaluf. It has the
whitest sand in the area and the sea is so warm; yes there are tat shops but also some great restaurants. There is apparently an area on the way out of town that is more drunken and rowdy, but no need to go anywhere near it (unless that’s where your hotel is!) Hire a pedalo with a slide, great fun for the kids. 20 euros for an hour. Walk further along the beach towards Muro where it’s quieter.

100% go to Alcudia Port on an evening at least once, look for the 322 bus which takes 10 mins, or walk by the sea front, 30-40 mins. Beautiful restaurants all along the pier and a night market Weds-Sat. Good ice cream shops!

The old town is also worth a visit or two,
very pretty and some gorgeous
shops. 322 bus again. See post upthread about tapping on and off with a debit card, brilliant system.

We thought Can Picafort was a dump compared to Alcudia, awful seafront and a narrow strip of beach. And the Hidropark will set you back
£100 and your bags get searched - no food or drinks allowed in, and obviously the shops there are pricey even for water, not ideal when you’re all thirsty!

It is what you make of it, OP, but it sounds like you need to check out
what’s in the couple of miles around you, enjoy!!!

Taxi to Pollenca won't be much more than bus. Go to old town and the Puerto.

Go up to Alcudia pins - lovely beach if narrow and away from really touristy area.

@gogohmm you could look at Fuerterventura, perhaps

Sounds like the kids are loving the pools.

How about cycling or walking in the Parc Natural de s’Albufera?

We also liked Capdepera, which is a small medieval town and castle. There was a festival when we went which was really fun, but I think it’s worth a wander otherwise.

Like everyone else, I’d recommend the area around Pollença and Puerto Pollença. We actually liked the Old Town in Alcudia. However, we were there out of term time in the Spring, so our experience may have been different.

Oh yeah, we did the Hidropark too. Just went the once. That was enough but the kids enjoyed it. I don't know why these places insist on holding you to ransom regarding food and stop you bringing stuff in. I mean, if they served decent quality food I wouldn't mind. But yeah, they just seem to cater for the Brit tourists and do nuggets and chips. Horrid for adults but good for fussy kids I suppose (like mine were when they went).

I just stayed in the shade, it was bloody roasting, and the ground was painted dark red so absorbed the heat and properly burned the soles of your feet if you weren't wet from going in the water. I had to jump from one bit of parasol shade to the other.

Water parks are at the opposite end from what I consider to be enjoyable but at least you can get a sunbed I suppose. Someone has to mind the stuff too. DH likes all the slide stuff so he enjoyed taking the kids round. I just stayed on a sunlounger sweating, people-watching and imagining the kids in a freak accident on one of the slides, maimed for life, or worse.

Have you done one of those family surrey style cycle thingies? 2 in the front, 2 in the back, with a shade round the edge? They are in lots of resorts in Majorca, can't remember if there are any in Alcudia. Kids tend to like those.

Is that the 3 linked hotels, we stayed in saturn mainly Germans so quieter. The others mars and jupiter?? Were riotous.

Soller is lovely.
Inca too.
Pollensa (in the hills) and Puerto Pollensa are lovely.

Total hijack but @CurlyhairedAssassin can you share where you stayed in the Dordogne.

Hope you enjoy the rest of your holiday OP. I too have suffered from holiday disappointment. Enjoy the nice weather at least!

I meant to add, OP, maybe next holiday look into putting something together yourself, so that you get what you want. I find that with a lot of packages, unless you really pay a LOT, you end up having to put up with a load of shit like "no free sunbeds", and overcrowded noisy pools etc and you end up feeling tense about it all. We've been to Majorca quite a few times when our kids were younger. A week at a time was enough. We self-catered in a quiet villa or apartment with a pool (you get your pick of sunbeds and no-one blaring out bloody rave music or stupid Spanish disco songs all day forcing everyone to join in "The Dance"), hired a car to tour the island ourselves at our own pace, and either barbecued at night or walked/drove to the nearest restaurants. The kids were big into messing in the pool at the time, but then mine grew out of it a bit and wanted different things from a holiday (probably because one of my kids was forever at the bloody clinic with Swimmer's Ear)

Several people have posted ways to this without a car such as organised excursion with no frills, local bus (alcudia to pollensa, pollensa to soller) or bus to Palma then train. I did it myself a fortnight ago.

Get a taxi to Hotel More just north of Alcudia in a quiet suburb. Directly opposite is a small, quiet, shallow sandy beach.

I hope you aren't staying at the horror that is Club Mac, I visited my parents there once and it is awful! Alcudia isn't that great. Palma is lovely for a day trip, and the caves del Drach are a nice diversion out of the sun.

Get a taxi up to Alcanada. Stop at the president Hotel and walk down the steps to a teeny tiny sandy beach. It's beautiful. Further down there is a 'beach' made up of dried seagrass which is very comfy for lying on. Alcudia old town is delightful and the roman ruins are worth a look. Same for pollenca town which is gorgeous. You can get the bus there.
I've just come back from Alcudia but we stayed in The President in the Alcanada area. I had a brilliant holiday but would have struggled in the main port area.

Thank you all (again). Both children live a few hours of pool/beach but then get bored. Our best holidays are in Cornwall/Devon staying very close to stunning beaches but we always have a car there and do lots of day/half day trips too.

Its v hot here (of course) so they’re not up for too much wandering outside without water nearby. But both very happy to go to Pollença and Alcudia old town. Think we’ll miss the hydro park because neither were ott keen and it sounds like my idea of hell.

Yes, Corralejo old town fits brief. Music square and great Tapas

@CurlyhairedAssassin this is the second package holiday I’ve ever done. Booked a long time ago and booked a package in case of covid cancellations. At least I know it’s v much not for me!!

Absolutely love Deia but bit too far for us this time. Another time!