Cheap and cheery, for those on a budget (Hotel Voranova (Palma Nova, Mallorca))

Member Name: BeautyGeek

Product:	Hotel Voranova (Palma Nova, Mallorca)
Date:	26/05/09 (33 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap, not bad location, amazing pool

Disadvantages: Weird All Inclusive plan, gets very busy

I've visited Majorca on a number of occasions and have stayed at various hotels. I have a couple of favourites that I usually stick to, but my second to last holiday was more spontaneous than usual, so my regular hotels were all booked up. I like to stay in 4 star hotels when in Majorca. This is mainly because the way they class their hotels is slightly different to the way we do, so a 3 star hotel can be quite similar to a 2 star hotel in the UK. Whereas a 4 star hotel in Majorca is usually closer to a UK 3 star, although this is just speculative based on my experience.

I've stayed in 3 4 star hotels in Majorca and I would say this is the worst out of the three, although this is only because the other two are really impressive.

**PACKAGE**

The appeal of the Voranova (other than it's great price) was the fact that it does an all inclusive package, which you would assume means that everything is included. However, they operate a slightly odd AI policy which means that it's all inclusive at certain times. This means that in between those times you have to pay for your drinks. I feel like this defeats the object of advertising an AI package, but that's how it works! It isn't terrible as you can plan around the time slots, but it's a little awkward. I believe they run a slot in the morning, afternoon and evening, with roughly 2 hours in between those slots. So if you plan your day around that then you can generally get away without having to fork out for drinks.

Unfortunately their drink selection is quite limited, so for alcoholic drinks you have a small choice. This wasn't great for me as I'm a cider drinker, so I had to pay for my drinks in the evening. At the time, the euro wasn't even close to equal to the pound, so it didn't work out too expensive.

Cost wise, we got a very good deal and I understand that it wasn't luck as the hotel is generally rather cheap. Certainly much cheaper than the Son Caliu which is a nearby 4 star hotel that costs almost double for the same stay, yet is only half board. However, there are most definitely reasons for this.

**ROOMS**

My friend and I decided to upgrade our room to the best room they have available. They have two types of rooms: standard and luxury. The difference between the two is the amount of space and the positioning. We were right at the back of the hotel which was great as it was very peaceful. We had a large room, with two single beds, a double wardrobe, a large sofa and a vanity desk with a large wall fitted mirror. On the balcony - which was an excellent size - we had a table and 2 chairs. There was ample room on the balcony to dry clothes and towels etc. The bathroom was your standard toilet, shower/bath and sink. There was no bidet. Cleaning was offered on a daily basis, as with most hotels. Whilst I wouldn't say the room was unclean, it definitely wasn't spotless. It had a sort of grubby feel to it; I suppose 'lived in' is the best way to describe it. However, it wasn't dirty and the beds were in excellent condition. There was also a really good air conditioning system, certainly better than other hotels I've stayed at in the area.

**LOCATION**

The location for this hotel isn't brilliant, although I suppose it depends what you're looking for. Ideally I'd like a hotel that is in a quiet location but within easy reach of shops and bars. I also like to be as near as possible to the beach. If this is your thing to then I'd suggest trying to Sol Cala Blanca also in Palma Nova. Voranova isn't front line, so it's a good five minute walk to the beach. I know it sounds picky, but I like to be very close to the beach, or at least be able to see it from my hotel room. This wasn't the case for us, however maybe you can see the sea from other rooms in the hotel. It's about a five minute walk from shops and bars and the main part of Palma Nova. I think it's tricky for me to be objective about this aspect of the review, as I'm so used to staying at a hotel with everything pretty much on my doorstep, and five minutes may not seem to bad, but in the blistering heat it felt like forever! It's difficult to describe, but I just feel like the surroundings seemed a tad industrial and lacking in the joy that is the Majorcan way of life.

**POOL AREA**

The pool is rather lovely, quite large and an interesting shape. There's a shallow end as well as a cut off part for toddlers and young children. The railing that cuts off the children's area has a wall that you can sit on if you want a break from swimming; it's a small thing to mention but I feel a really nice touch. The pool is kept very clean and there's a huge area for sun loungers, all of which were taken up by holiday makers, so take that into account when you arrive. You will definitely need to establish your territory as early as possible in the morning, if you desire to sunbathe by the pool. There's also a large seating area, some of which is covered by umbrellas if you would like to cool off. Next to the pool is a bar which serves bar snacks (however I'd suggest avoiding them as they're of very poor quality and massively overpriced; there's a cafe 2 mins outside the hotel if you're peckish) and a range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. I would say the best thing about this hotel is the pool as it's really charming and a lovely place to hang out by, whether you're relaxing with a book, sunbathing of swimming. The size of the pool means that it rarely feels overcrowded, even when there are quite a few swimmers in it.

**FOOD**

The food is served as a buffet with some rather interesting choices. They have a salad cart and a hot mains cart as well as a dessert cart. I've read a few scathing reviews about the food served here, but I have to say that I found it OK. Realistically, I was never expecting gourmet cooking as part of my AI deal, so I think it's safe to say you get what you pay for. However, I found the meals adequate and occasionally enjoyable. I don't think they serve a great menu for vegetarians, unless you're a vegetarian who only eats salad.....

**STAFF**

The staff were generally very friendly, apart from the occasional moody receptionist. They were happy to help and I feel they follow the philosophy of 'if you're nice to me, I'll be nice to you' which is fair enough. The diner staff were especially friendly and became familiar with us really quickly, which I always enjoy.

**ENTERTAINMENT**

The entertainment here is pretty generic. The usual guy on a keyboard with a pre-programmed drum rhythm and a female singer with a great voice being held back by the terrible backing. It seems to be a slight variant of that every night. OK as background music, but nothing compelling.

**OTHER INFORMATION**

The hotel is very large and quite grand on entrance. There are two diners for your daily meals and a large reception room. There are two lifts, both of which can be accessed by stairs. The hotel has a reputation for being very good for disabled holidaymakers. This definitely seems true as everywhere in the hotel has easy access and there are plenty of ground floor rooms. There are also wide lifts and ramps next to any stairs (proper fitted ramps, not make shift ramps). There is also a lift to aid disabled visitors into the swimming pool. They have a connection with a scooter loans company, so if any visitors have trouble walking and want to get out and about, a scooter can be loaned for around 14 euros a day, but special deals can be made if you take a scooter for an entire week or two.

**SUMMARY**

Even by Majorcan standards, I would not call this a 4 star hotel. Whilst my visit was very pleasant and I had little to complain about (apart from the slightly odd approach to their all inclusive deal) I very much doubt I'll be visiting again because I feel, for a little more money you can stay somewhere less crowded and more convenient with a better class of food. I would recommend this hotel if you are looking for somewhere cheap and easy. This is definitely a hotel for a younger crowd as I don't think older people would feel comfortable here. Mainly because the hotel is so large and reaches full capacity frequently, so there's always a lot of people around at all times, most of which are rowdy young people heading to/back from Magaluf.

Summary: If you're short on cash then this is excellent value for money