FUN IN THE SUN
OK. Like everyone else who is thinking of booking, I read the reviews and went to the bad ones first. Having been recently (12l - 1710/17), let's scotch a few misconceptions about this hotel. In no particular order:-
1) The rooms are fairly basic, but clean and serviced every day. We had a twin bedded room, with a small balcony looking out over some other buildings. There isn't a side with a full sea view because the hotel isn't on the sea front. This didn't stop us from using it to sit out, read or just spend time being nosey in relation to people going by.
2) The hotel is relatively old (60's, 70's) but there have been regular makeovers. Everything in our room worked. WiFi is strong throughout the hotel. There are no tea and coffee making facilities in the rooms and we paid extra for the use of the room safe - About 15 Euros for the 6 days that we were there. Given the cost of staying there I wasn't overly put out by this and thought that it was reasonable.
3) The food was good and varied, just bare in mind that they are catering for a lot of people with all sorts of expectations. It isn't 'à la carte' but we were there for six days and had no cause for complaint. We spoke to a fair number of other guests while we were there and the consus was that all in all, it was excellent for the money. In fairness, the hotel is no more than 5 minutes walk from the beach and there are some excellent places to eat and drink- If you want more variation you can have it.
4) Don't be put off by descriptions of the hotel being a steep walk from the beach, unless you are infirm, it really isn't.
5) The staff, without exception were professional, helpful and an absolute credit to the hotel.
6) There are loads of things to see and do nearby, We went to Palma (twice, including a visit to the cathedral, which is a must if you get the chance), walked along the coast to Cala Blava. Hired bikes and cycled, walked around the marina. There are some lovely bars and restaurants to stop off at if you are so inclined. We also spent a couple of days just chilling at the hotel. There is a bar open from 10 am at the pool and the lobby bar is open to 11 pm. Drinks are varied and no-one went thirsty while we were there. Despite this we saw no stupidity or unruly behaviour. There is a mix of nationalities of resident, favouring German, but with a healthy mix of Spanish and British. In fact, the only 'Loudness' that we saw while we were there was exclusively Brit, but nothing more than the holiday spirit.
7) It was the first time that we have been to an 'Adults only' hotel. After 30 years of family holidays, I have to say I quite enjoyed the difference.
A word of caution.
We went to the beach front on the first and second day - (I would thoroughly recommend a swim in the sea there, ideally with goggles, there are loads of fish about and the water is crystal clear). There were the expected 'Looky-look' guys, but there were also some people walking the beach with buckets of ice hawking cold drinks and beer. I bought two beers and offered a 5 Euro note. The lady that sold them told me that they were 20 Euros each, professed to have no English, but offered to take the right money from my wallet, in the end, after some flim flammery, she walked away with 25 Euros. I saw her do the same to some other people, so beware! There are loads of mini-markets along the front that will happily sell you an ice cold drink for less that a Euro, so I would recommend steering clear of the beach traders if you can. I think the trick is not making eye contact...
All in all, what was a budget holiday to get a bit of late Autumn Sun turned out to be a really positive experience. Ultimately, these things are what you make them I guess, but Blue Sea Arenal Tower gave us nothing to complain about and much of the credit for this must go to the staff, who went about their jobs extremely professionally and with a minimum of fuss.
I would have no reservation in going back again and a number of the other residents I spoke to were repeat visitors, which for me is about the best recommendation that you can have.
