closeicon
Travel

Barcelo Illetas Albatros

Mallorca

articlemain

Sometimes you just want to holiday somewhere without kids. This means a swimming pool with no bombing, a restaurant with no crying babies and a reception area with no pint-size humans running around. This four-star adult-only hotel, 20 minutes or so from the airport, delivers all this on the sunny island of Mallorca, and offers a welcome glass of cava on arrival too.

The 128 rooms have a contemporary look with clean lines, grey-white walls, with bedding and curtains to match. They are spacious, but not exactly en-suite - the shower and toilet are separately enclosed by muted glass, with a free-standing sink and mirror. It's a neat, slick, funky design.

Balconied front rooms have lovely sea views and if you sleep with the curtains open, you will wake up to a scene of inky blue seas and lashings of sunlight that shines through floor to ceiling windows. There are mod cons of course and breakfast, continental or cooked, can be taken in the restaurant or its terrace.

The bright, white reception area looks smart with purple sofas. It leads to a bar with comfy seating. On the bar top there's a box with an eyebrow raising sign that says "Silence is sexy please rub the button" - this sends a message to a waiter who turns up promptly. If you like gin, there are 17 on offer including their own Blue gin. They are big on cocktails too.

There are two restaurants: a Mediterráneo buffet with several fish options and an a la carte Black Restaurant open in the summer.

Evening entertainment is a DJ who doles out disco tunes (no disco ball) and in the morning there is an al fresco yoga class. The only thing missing is a beach (save a tiny cove of sand) - the nearest one is a ten-minute drive away. On the bright side, the capital, Palma is easily reached via a frequent bus service that stops outside the hotel.

And there is a thalasso spa with plenty of treatments, a gym, an indoor salt-water pool with a Jacuzzi, an outdoor pool peppered with sunbeds and an efficient waiter service for cocktails and snacks.

www.monarch.co.uk

Share via

Want more from the JC?

To continue reading, we just need a few details...

Want more from
the JC?

To continue reading, we just
need a few details...

Get the best news and views from across the Jewish world Get subscriber-only offers from our partners Subscribe to get access to our e-paper and archive