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.

It's changed now.

No longer were offering food when friends visited this year or free drinks throughout.

There is a different company that sells trips from the jetties, several boat trips run every day. There is someone sitting under an umbrella ever day selling tickets on the jetty at Muro but they also pick up at the Alcudia jetty so imagine there's a seller there too.

Hilarious though that the mention of numerous pools both me and another poster thought this was where you meant?

I did enjoy my holiday there with ds but it really was an experience in so many other ways

I'm never going to actually go there but I need to know what's wrong with Club Mac!?
Had a quick flick through the pics and it looks clean and modern and the recent trip advisor reviews are good so why's it so bad?

Hope you can make the best of your holiday OP ❤

Yes. We walked all around the canals too and that was nice.

Mallorca is so tricky… it can be heaven or hell depending on where you are. I would look into renting a car, prices have come down a lot since the beginning of summer. If you can get around it would make a world of difference to your holiday!

I don’t know much about Club Mac. Our hotel is 5* but it reminds me slightly of the Benidorm programme on tv….

I recommend researching tripadvisor:
www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g187462-Activities-Majorca_Balearic_Islands.html

I wonder if you’re in the Bellevue?

We stayed at the Iberostar Ciudad Blanca, it’s brilliant and probably going to go next year. If you’re at a 4* all inc it’s fine. The sea is extremely warm and the beach is nice.

Sadly Alcudia the resort is looking tired in places; 20 years ago I came here on a girls’ holiday and it was buzzing but loads of places had shut down this year. Probably due to Covid.

Maybe Palma Nova is doing better, anyone been recently?

Alcudia is the most mosquito thing ever and they seem to be immune to mosi bands.

Honestly, I can’t believe all the love Puerto Pollenca is getting. When we went just pre Covid, one end was lovely, the other was all shops selling bottle openers shaped like cocks.

Nothing wrong with the complex imo.

But when we went if your sunbed wasn't hanging over the edge of the pool by 5am then you weren't getting one.

And some were reserved at 5am and not occupied until 4pm!

There were large family groups who went for 2 weeks and spent all day everyday at the pool drinking. They left a mess everyday for someone else to clean up.
They took plates full of food which mostly went uneaten too.

The complex itself is great. Mini golf, children play area/splash pool. Swimming pool. Long shallow pool and a few other pools.

They had a lake with electric boats on.

Rooms weren't huge but they varied in size dependent on which of the hotels you were in on the complex and with which holiday company you booked with. We went with a cheaper company as opposed to First choice.

Food was good. Very varied and fresh cooked food by choice every night.

We didn't use the entertainment so can't comment on that.

We got free use of the hidropark.

The snacks were also quite good for an all inclusive!

But the environment was certainly interesting as a whole!

I wonder if you’re in the Bellevue?

That's the other hotel I wondered about 🤣🤣

I knew it would be Club Mac from the OP! It is notorious as the most 'Brits Abroad AI' hotel in Alcudia. Lots of the other hotels are lovely (sorry not helpful now I know, but I really like Alcudia!)

Oh, just re read, it's not Club Mac! 😂

@Catcatcat12 and other who have suggested renting a car - I don’t think we will this time because we will probably find enough to do that’s nearish by and we can walk/bus/cab to. My children are definitely happy to spend 2-3 hours in the pool most days. The earlier they get into the pool the less crazy it is. I really, really, really dislike resort type hotels and it’s been an eye opener. We often stay in smaller hotels and always chat to people and it’s just relaxed and friendly. Here it feels much less relaxed!

so for example, there is a bouncy pillow water thing in one of the pools. It’s for children only and the lifeguard enforces this. But the lifeguard had just left and lots of men started jumping on it - one accidents kicked one of my children in the head as he came down. I was sitting next to this man’s wife and said “that’s why adults aren’t meant to go on that” and she was completely unapologetic and said “yes well the pool is meant to be closed so the children shouldn’t be there either!” I had no idea the pool had closed (no announcement) so just got my children out and left. My child was ok. But so bloody dangerous and such an unfriendly attitude. Sorry for the (slightly) off topic rant. If I had accidentally kicked a child in the head when on childrens equipment I would have been really apologetic/checked they were ok etc.

Anyway. And breathe. Oh, and tomorrow when we go to the pool at 8.30am and no one else is in it but every sun lounger has a towel on it, I am moving a towel so I can sit down!! Yes reader, I am!! 😆

@NancyJoan bottle openers shaped like….. 🤯🫣

Do you not think, perhaps, that the people saying it's lovely are talking about the, you know, lovely end?

so for example, there is a bouncy pillow water thing in one of the pools.

Ah, you are in one of the Zafiro hotels? Palace?

The buses do seem to get busy, the ones going to Can Picafort or Pollensa were always rammed in the evenings.

I thought the Hidropark was really good as it wasn't too big, but it doesn't get the best reviews on Trip advisor.

If you did hire a car, and don't mind very windy roads, the drive to Sa Colabra is absolutely stunning.

There are also good boat trips out of the port, there is a catamaran called Anacaona, which is a really good trip, but I think the company do other ones as well.

Don't know about the old town, we drove past, it looked OK.

(sorry, OP) @basilmint , it was Le Banquet in Les Eyzies. Was recommended to me by someone on here funnily enough. We went twice it was so lovey. Might be too quiet for the more outgoing kids. Le Banquet

Owners are really lovely. Live on site but are really laid back. Gets booked up quick for school holidays I think.

The bigger water parks near palma are excellent depending what you and your kids are like. I expect there may well be day trips including xfer to them from alcudia. Me and my two sons (7&10) went to the western water park twice and it was incredible.

Better on a cloudy day (if there are any) as queues smaller and no sun burn!, but the sunny day we also went was ok. There's also aqualand which I think is even bigger. Never been the hidro park in alcudia but it looks much smaller.

@ThickCutSteakChips bingo

Both Soller and Deia are lovely but I don't know if I'd attempt a long trip with young children by public transport in the heat and Deia, although stunning, isn't very entertaining for kids. Puerto Pollensa is perfect for a day out with children. We hired bikes and cycled from Puerto Pollensa to Alcudia Old Town regularly. It wasn't far at all.

Club Mac is just Pontins abroad. I think it's more the clientele than the surroundings that make it so bad.
Hellevue - similar story.

They may well be, but one might imagine that they would qualify it with mention of the shops selling boxes and boxes of cigarettes, the restaurants where each menu item features a photo of the dish, and the tat shops where packets of seeds that apparently grow into genital-shaped plants are on display as you walk past with your young children. All cheek by jowl with the nicer bits. Yes, I am a snob, but so is the OP, both self confessed.

No need for the quizzical face.

That's near where we were. There's a restaurant along the canal called Syrah Tapas and Grill which was very nice.

A 5 -10 minute walk to a big sandy beach. Theres shade under the trees or sunbeds for hire.

If you're self catering the Eroski supermarket is a 10 min walk to the edge of town and much better value than the Spars.