Occidental Menorca

I have mixed feelings about this hotel. We visited at the beginning of September with another couple. The intention was to have a week in the sun not doing a massive amount of touristy things. We all like trying local food and sampling the beverages in bars and restaurants so Punta Prima seemed a good place to go to that wasn’t too busy. In general we got what we wanted with the lovely beach, small bars and restaurants and friendly locals. The hotel was kept immaculately clean and tidy and, even though we didn’t try it, has a lovely looking spa if that’s what you want. The Hotel buffet style food was definitely influenced by Spanish tastes and on occasion included Chinese, Mexican and Italian choices. Sometimes the quality was a bit poor and all of the chicken options were on the bone. In general, we enjoyed the food but it wasn’t sufficient reason to come back to the hotel. Food around the pool was ok but nothing to rave about. We spent a couple of evenings at the pool bar and didn’t really enjoy the experience for a number of reasons. Firstly, trying to get a waiter was difficult so we walked up to the bar and ordered there. One bar man served me a reasonable Rioja for the first round and then decided to try pass off an ordinary red as Rioja for the second round! This probably reflects the fact that most people were all inclusive and just get what they are given but we weren’t and so I refused to take it. Cue a sour faced barman. Unfortunately, at 12 o’clock every night the bar closes and then shortly after the external hotel lights are all put out. When I say all I mean all. The only illumination comes from pathway lights. This believe it or not includes your balcony lights so don’t think you can go back to your room and sit outside with a glass of something. Try treating your customers as adults Occidental Menorca and not occupants of some kind of care home! We ended up spending our evenings at the bar opposite the hotel entrance which I would recommend. Friendly people, good reasonably priced drinks and the food also looked lovely. We visited Mahon twice and would recommend a harbour trip on the Yellow catamaran and also the Xoriguez gin distillery. Free samples of all their gins believe it or not! We were lucky and spent a day there during the Mahon September fiesta which was a marvellous event. Unsurprisingly the hotel didn’t advertised it at all which is probably because they prefer to keep their all inclusive customers on site all day and not wandering off to enjoy themselves. In Punta Prima we found an excellent restaurant which specialises in paella and a beach front bar which does superb Mojitos. In conclusion, we all agreed we got what we wanted from the holiday but wouldn’t come back to this hotel.

Very friendly staff, all very welcoming. We went mid September with a 6 months old baby. Hotel is great for families with young babies. There were plenty of high chairs in the restaurant. Not much plain food that you can mash for weaning babies, but we took puree jars and pouches with us, so wasn't an issue. Would have been nice to have some plain veg or mashable fruit, but can't expect everything. There were plenty of fruit, just not mashable.The food choice and variety was great for adults and children. We were half board, so had to pay for drinks at dinner (juice, milk, tea, coffee etc was included at breakfast). Prices weren't cheap, but weren't too expensive either. About an average restaurant price.We got a cot in our room (emailed them in advance to be sure and received a reply quickly). We had a bath tub, but they would provide baby bath on request, free of charge. Had a kettle and fridge too. The fridge wasn't very cold, more like a bit cool, but it was enough to keep breastmilk and baby food in there and not to go off. There is a good size safe, but on HB we had to pay for it which is a bit annoying as nowadays you would think that a safe box in a 4* hotel is a given, irrespective of whether you do AI or HB. The hotel has a car park, but costs €5 per day. There is plenty of parking on the street around the hotel - we parked on the upper side of the hotel, rather than on the street in front of the main entrance. Sometimes it looked busy, but we never had an issue with parking on the street. There were loads of babies and toddlers as well as older couples. I guess lots of other young families make the best of September holidays while the kids are not at school. It was great for us and nobody frowned upon the other if they happened to have a fussy or loud child on them, even in the restaurant. Mind you, if we were there just as a couple, it would have been disturbing, but as parents with a child with us, it was great and we didn't feel awkward or bad at anytime during our stay.The pool was clean, but a bit on the cool side. Probably around 25 degrees, so not cold and you got used to it quickly, but more for our baby - we take him swimming at home where the pool temp is 32 degrees, so he is used to that. But otherwise it's not too cold, just not what we are used to.There were always plenty of sun loungers free. Yes, there were people reserving them with towels, but whenever we went down, we found free loungers, so no complaint there.

Very nice hotel and it caters for all ages. Pool areas all very clean with areas that could be adults only if you wanted to get away from kids.Eating areas also very clean and plenty of choices of food.

It took us a long time to decide where to take our 4 year old daughter on her first holiday abroad and we are so glad we chose this hotel! We arrived on the 7th Sep for 10 nights. Originally we booked H/B but on realising what we were then paying for lunch elsewhere in Punta Prima/drinks and snacks throughout the day, and that we enjoyed the food in the hotel, we decided to upgrade to A/I about 3 or 4 days in and actually saved a lot of money. Room: We booked a family room and it was extremely spacious with 2x twin beds in separate areas, one bathroom and one shower room, 2 fridges, 2 safes etc. It was the perfect size for all of us and allowed my daughter to go to bed early and undisturbed while we stayed up in the other room. Two sets of sliding doors separated the rooms but we didn’t even have to close them over and she slept soundly. We were on the first floor and while we didn’t need to use the lift as we didn’t have a buggy, it was very handy for her little legs. I had requested a kettle in advance with Thomas Cook and that + tea, coffee and sugar were there on arrival, so thank you for that! Lots of wardrobe space for both folded and hanging clothes, lots of space under the sink for your toiletries and also mini toiletries (shampoo, condition, body wash, body lotion) all supplied by the hotel. Lots of people mentioning that the soundproofing is bad but it honestly didn’t bother us at all, it’s no less quiet than any other hotel I have stayed at, including other 4* and 5* hotels. Clothes horse on the balcony was really handy. Free WiFi throughout the hotel worked really well and was consistent. I can’t praise the housekeeping staff enough. The housekeeper we had most days was wonderful. Our daughter talked about her all that time and by the end of the holiday she had learned to reciprocate calling her ‘guapa’ ☺️ Room cleaned to a high standard every day, towels replaced, floors swept and mopped, bathrooms thoroughly cleaned, beds made perfectly. The housekeeper even propped up my daughter’s toys in different cute places every morning - really what more could you ask for? I hope she got our thank you note. Cleanliness overall in the hotel is really excellent, I didn’t see anything dirty including pools and surrounding. I also noticed that the entire outdoor areas were jet washed in the mornings. Food: We all enjoyed the food. So much variety and both the main restaurant and outside Italian terrace were great (Rosy is amazing!) New items to surprise us all the time, meal timings were perfect and really convenient, plates and cutlery were always clean. None of us have allergies so I can’t speak for that but we thought the labelling was in general good. The main indoor restaurant was well air conditioned and the outside terrace was wonderful at night. We didn’t have any issues with people smoking near us as there are clearly marked sections therefore we sat in non smoking. The cats didn’t bother us at all, we didn’t feed them as per the sign but we did see some other guests who couldn’t resist! I believe the pools are all saltwater, really refreshing and cool, really pleasant to swim in. The kid’s splash pool at the other side of the hotel is where we spent most of our time. Always loads of sun loungers/umbrellas available (no sun bed wars) and no one leaving their towels to claim their lounger. The slides and toys are all in good condition and the area is very safe and enclosed. There are both stairs and a ramp from the upper area down to the kid’s pool. Playparks are great. The bouncy castles have seen better days but they worked just fine and we weren’t on them much. The hammocks dotted around in secret shaded areas are amazing. For the adults the smaller pool in this section of the hotel next to a whirlpool was our favourite, generally quiet and very peaceful. The entertainment, especially for the kids, was second to none really. We didn’t know what to expect as we had never been on this type of holiday before, but all I can say is that my daughter had the time of her life. We went to the mini disco every night (music, dancing, games, Barcy mascots) followed by nights such as a circus, flamenco. Really really good. The entertainment staff were amazing. The mini disco was on at a really convenient time right after dinner, and nicely fills that space where slightly older kids aren’t quite ready to go to bed yet and need to burn off their after dinner energy. Well organised! Lots of great things to do during the day (aqua gym, morning stretching, pool games etc). My partner took part in pool basketball, but next time we would like to do more! The main point that made this SO enjoyable were all the staff. Everyone sort of felt like a friend, remembered our daughter’s name, always said hello or chatted to us/her. The restaurant staff worked their butts off every day, as did bar/entertainment staff and the rest. The photographer was amazing, so good with the kids and we got some beautiful photos printed from our stay. Overall the 5 stars I have given is more than deserved and I only have one point to make: We didn’t plan on putting our daughter into the kid’s club to stay alone, but after having spent an hour in there with her, she asked to go back the following day by herself. We signed her in for maybe an hour and a half and just stayed by the pool next to the kid’s club. When we picked her up, she was sitting on her own and the ladies were around the corner, totally out of sight looking at their phones. When asked if anyone played with her she said no. The kid’s club is totally enclosed with a locked gate so quite safe, but I felt very bad that she had been sitting on her own the entire time when she could have just been with us. Therefore we didn’t go back to kid’s club. I’m not sure if this is the norm but it would have been nice for the ladies to interact with the kids? Apart from that, thank you so much for a wonderful family holiday.

Great hotel for kids of all ages, we went middle of Sep, nice time for young kids, plenty of families with kids around the same age. Great pool area, play areas etc to keep them entertained during the day and then the mini disco at night! Staff were all friendly and helpful! Hotel itself is clean and well maintained. Our room was a good size, cleaned every day and towels replaced etc. Good variety and quality of food at meal times! Great holiday here and would definitely recommend! Thank you!