"Lovely, clean hotel but some things could be improved!
My husband and I stayed at Hotel Garden Saladina in Cala de Muro, Majorca for one week. Overall, the hotel is clean and well maintained, some of the reception staff were friendly and welcoming. We also never had an issue finding a sunbed around the pool, which was a big positive.
However, there were quite a few things during our stay that we felt could have been much better.
Food & drinks:
The Majorcan food night was particularly disappointing. We were told by reception that the evening would include a mixture of Majorcan and Spanish food, but the buffet had a very small selection and, in our opinion, the food was dreadful. We complained to reception about this, but unfortunately nothing was really done other than being told that our feedback would be passed on. We didn’t feel this was good enough, especially when paying for a hotel advertised with a Spanish buffet.
Another issue was the water situation. For the first four nights, water was available from a machine in the buffet restaurant. After four days, the hotel removed it and guests then had to pay for drinks with dinner. This was particularly frustrating because there are water dispensers available around the hotel, so it seemed unnecessary to remove the free water option from the restaurant.
We also noticed that champagne was offered at the entrance and in the dinner hall, but there wasn’t an obvious non-alcoholic alternative. As I am pregnant and not drinking alcohol, it would have been nice to have something such as freshly squeezed juice, an organised juice option or even water offered instead. It felt a little unfair that there wasn’t an alternative for guests who don’t drink alcohol.
Pool area & entertainment:
The pool area is extremely quiet. If you’re looking for a very peaceful and relaxing holiday, this could actually be perfect for you. However, for us, it was perhaps a little too quiet. The music around the pool was very slow and there wasn’t much atmosphere or vibe.
Some of the evening entertainment also wasn’t what we expected. On some nights, the entertainment involved phone games in a big hut, which felt quite antisocial and lacked atmosphere. It wasn’t the kind of evening entertainment you’d expect from a holiday hotel and, unfortunately, felt quite dead.
Room & pool towels:
Although the hotel itself was clean, we found that our room floor wasn’t properly cleaned during our stay. It didn’t appear to be dusted or mopped, as our feet would become dirty when walking around the room.
You are provided with a pool towel, which is great, but if you want to change it for a fresh one, there is a £1 charge each time. We’ve stayed in many hotels and have never experienced this before.
There are also four-poster beds around the pool area which cost an additional £25. We weren’t expecting this based on the EasyJet booking, as the photos showed a lovely pool area with these beds available, so this was disappointing when we realised they were an extra charge.
Location:
The hotel is around a 15-minute walk into the centre, so it’s not too far and perfectly manageable if you don’t mind walking.
Overall:
There are definitely positives — the hotel is clean, reception staff are friendly, and there were always sunbeds available. The hotel would suit someone looking for a very quiet and peaceful break.
For us, though, there were too many small things that took away from the overall experience, particularly the limited buffet, the Majorcan food night, removal of the free dinner-time water, lack of a non-alcoholic welcome drink, additional charges for changing pool towels and the four-poster beds, and the lack of atmosphere around the pool and during some evening entertainment.
We enjoyed parts of our stay, but based on our experience, we feel there are several areas where the hotel could improve and provide better value and service for guests.
We also spoke to other people in the hotel and they were really disappointed with the food selection and general taste of food in the hotel.
Greek night- nothing Greek just a roast chicken and salad with potatoes
Indian- Thai green curry & samosas ( hardly Indian)
Also we had an issue with how the food was being cooked, I don’t eat pork and asked for grilled fish, however the chef then used the same utensils and placed pork next to my fish , I then said no no I can’t eat this and she didn’t understand as didn’t speak English. They use all the same spoons and grills for the same meat which is an issue , there should be a separate section for anyone with allergies.
We would not return to this hotel due to these issues which we have never experienced in other hotels ! Everything here seemed to be an extra to have an enjoyable experience."
