Menorca is a beautiful, quiet and small paradise of an island where it would be difficult not to have a good holiday.
It's one of those places which remains relatively unspoilt in spite of its immense popularity. Tourists are catered for everywhere yet somehow Menorca retains a traditional feel. It's the second biggest of Spain's Balearic Islands and is a perfect destination for a family holiday. In fact I don't know anyone who's been to Menorca and not had a fantastic holiday. You really can't beat it!
We travelled to Mahon, the capital of Menorca, from Bristol as we couldn't get a flight from our local airport Cardiff. However as Bristol is but an hour away, it was as good as local. Being able to fly from an airport on your doorstep makes a huge difference particularly if you're holidaying with little ones as it means less time travelling.
Our holiday was booked through First Choice who made things very easy for us. Our tickets were sent to us promptly and unlike on previous holidays, I don't think we had to contact them once beforehand to check anything out as everything was perfectly clear on the FirstChoice website and in the documentation sent to us beforehand.
We were booked into the Insotel Club Punta Prima which is one of the exclusive hotels in their Premier range. We read a few reviews of the place on TripAdvisor before we went and most people seemed to be pretty positive about it so we were optimistic before we even got there - and we weren't disappointed.
After a really good flight, we arrived on the dot and it only took a matter of half an hour to get to the hotel from the airport. One of the advantages of the First Choice Premier holidays is that you get either priority airport transfers to your resort or return private taxi transfers. This means that you don't have to hang around for all the slow-coaches to get from the baggage carousel to the coach and you get to your hotel before the coach drops everyone else off.
As most of you know, this sort of arrangement is worth its wait in gold when it comes to travelling with babies and small children as the less hanging-around you have, the better. Although if they do get bored and fed-up, at least they have a few bits and bobs to keep them occupied in their First Choice Goody Bag! I forgot to mention the guaranteed reserved seating that also comes with the Premier range of holidays. No family wants to be split up and have to sit apart on the flight but this did happen to one family of 5 on our plane. We, however, were sitting together and had no worries when we were queuing to check-in unlike some of our fellow-travellers.
Insotel Club Punta Prima was an impressive looking place, set on a hillside stretching right down to the a quiet, little beach. It was incredibly clean and tidy too. The grounds were immaculate! Reception was busyish but they checked-us in quite quickly and sorted out our 'All-Inclusive' swipe cards in record time. There was a little bit of good-humoured confusion about where to go/what to do when we got to Reception but the charmingly, efficient staff soon resolved any issues.
The All Inclusive Deal was simply fantastic and we are convinced that it saved us so much money. We didn't have to pay for anything once all the time we were there. The cost of icecreams and lollies for the kids can really mount up over the week so knowing that you don't have to worry about extras is an added weight off any parent's mind. From breakfast, which if you were really decadent included champers, to morning coffee and a nibble, to drinks and ice creams by the pool, to lunch, to afternoon tea, to dinner and drinks - everything was included in the all-in-one price you pay when you book the holiday, including most alcoholic drinks too! All we had to do, whenever we wanted something to eat or drink, was flash the card at one of the many staff members and bob was the proverbial uncle!
The staff at Insotel Club Punta Prima were, without exception, wonderful. Everyone was friendly and the service they delivered was second-to-none. They were unbelievably efficient and I don't think I've been taken to my table and served so quickly in such a busy restaurant ever. A few holiday-makers, the sort who 'moan' about everything, felt that the main restarant was too canteen-like, but I beg to differ. Considering the place was full of predominantly young families, I thought they achieved a comfortable balance. It was informal and casual enough for families to feel at-ease but for the few couples too to feel equally at-home. It was a buffet-style restaurant with food to suit just about every taste imaginable. Fresh fish, chickem, steak, pizza, pasta, salad and about a dozen different desserts every day. Although a lot of the puddings did seem to have a cream theme, there was always plenty of lovely fresh fruit available too. The little ones even had their own little buffet area which was low enough for many of them to reach up and fill their own plates. It was lovely to see so many of them trotting up to choose their own dishes, although it has to be said, a fair few plates were heard to fall every night without fail!
There were another couple of restaurants on site too and one night we went to the semi al fresco Italian up by the top pool. Much quieter and a more adult-feel with top-notch food.
The various pools at the resort were fantastic and each pool, unusual for Spain, had a lifeguard. Plenty of safe areas for babies, toddlers and young children and vast expanses of the deep stuff for anyone who wanted to have a proper swim. The pool set-up like the food set-up, catered for everybody and I didn't hear one bad word said about the pools all the time we were there. The areas around the pools and the pools themselves were pristine. We never saw any litter anywhere actually all the time we were there and that's saying something when you consider that it was practically full that week.
All the children seemed to enjoy the Children's Clubs aka Insi Club. Hearing 3 year old Scottish children interacting and in their own way communicating with 4 year old Italians and watching English, German, Spanish and Russian children dance in the Mini-Disco every evening was delightful. A few moaning minnies had a whinge that they'd expected the Insi Club to be English but what they didn't seem to realise was that the children just didn't notice. Kids adapt remarkably easily and will always find a way to communicate with or without words. By the end of the week there were a fair few kids doing the old Hola, gracias and Guten Tag and more than one or two adults too.
There were a variety of different clubs available catering for babies, minis, juniors and maxis - 0 to 12 in other words - offering everything from 'Art Attack', beach volleyball, Nutella Party (yum!!), pool games, tennis, Pirate Days, face painting and much much more. At the end of the week, a group of them even put on a very cute 'Show' for all the mums and dads where outgoing and shy were all given equal opportunities.
The night-time entertainment in the simply enormous main bar, wasn't really our cup of tea though the Flamenco dancers deserved all the applause they got. In fact, the only disappointing aspect of the week was that that bar was the only one available in the evenings. The lovely pool bars closed promptly at 6pm which we felt was a bit strange. Not everyone wants 'entertainment' on holidays and usually there's an alternative venue of an evening but for some obscure reason this was not the case at the Insotel Club.
I've rambled on for so long, I've forgotten to mention the apartment - spacious, clean, modern, lovely big bathroom and small kitchen, quiet with own balcony and cleaned every day - so no complaints and just praise there.
As far as we could see, every family who stayed there in June when we were there, had a whale of a time and many, no doubt, booked for next year as soon as they got home. If you go to the Insotel Club Punta Prima in Minorca you'll be guaranteed a brilliant, relaxing family holiday with good food, a safe environment for the children, lovely weather and you can't fail to have a good time. It won't be exciting or packed full of adventure but you and your children will leave happy, relaxed and full of memories of a wonderful, wind-down week.
Kathryn Crawford, Mum and Editor of TheBabyWebsite
June 2009
Note: First Choice Holidays are now part of the Thomson/Tui Group. Links in this mail have been amended to reflect the change. (Jan 2010)
Additional Information: Although me and mine just laze around the pools and the beach reading and swimming all week, you and yours might be a tad more active, so here's what else is on offer at the Insotel Club Punta Prima......
Activities
Nightly Entertainment programme, Daytime Activities programme.
TV Lounge, Live music, Cabaret, Disco.
Sports
PADI approved scuba diving school*, 8 Tennis courts, 2 Squash courts, Multi-sports court, Table tennis, Pool table, Volleyball, 1 free tennis class per week, 1 free scuba dive per stay.
Tennis lessons available, Archery, Rifle shooting, Volleyball, Bicycle hire*, 5-a-side football, Badminton, Basketball, French boules, Sports tournaments, Waterpolo, Aqua aerobics.
Health & Beauty
Wellness centre*, Indoor pool, Gym, Sauna*, Beauty salon*.
Indoor pool, Beauty centre*, Whirlpool*, Steam bath*, Beauty treatments*, Hairdressing salon*, Aerobics, Massage*, Turkish bath*, Acupuncture*, Aromatherapy*, Manicure*, Pedicure*, Reflexology*, Cosmetic and body treatments*.
For Families
Children's pool, Playground, Supervised games and Activity programme, Hotel-run kids' club.
On a hillside stretching down to the seafront, the Insotel Club Punta Prima is an ideal choice. This large Premier Families complex is great for hotel-based holidays, with plenty of activities, all a five minute walk from the resort centre. First Choice offers a seven night holiday in Menorca staying at the 4 Sun Plus Insotel Club Punta Prima on an all-inclusive basis, from £659 per adult and from £489 per child, based on two adults and two children sharing, departing from London Gatwick on 26th September 2009.
For more information or to make a reservation go to the Thomson Holidays Website.
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