Spain - Balearics - Majorca Discussion Forum

Discussions regarding holidays in Majorca.
condesa la bahia
25 Posts
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Hi,
We stayed at this hotel in 2001 and 2002. It a lovely hotel, the food was good and plenty of choice. the pool and surroundings were nice too. Entertainment wasnt that gd (depends on taste).Its in a lovely position, a few steps down to the beach where you can walk a couple of miles to the port. Its set back from the main road so its fairly quiet but there are plenty of shops and restaurants on the main road. I would certainly go again.

Regards
Karen
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Yes, it's fine. Its main advantage is that it's virtually on the beach which is great for kids. There is also a nice pool, apparently, if you can't be bothered to go as far as the beach :wink: .

p.s. a lot of hotels in Alcudia are the "other" side of a very busy, very wide road, with few crossing places, so being near the beach is a real bonus!
  • Edited by Acorncup 2005-10-05 16:13:15
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nice hotel on the beach but dont really rate the food very much. if you dont want to leave the hotel then will be a good place to go
but alcudia town is a good walk away probably best in a taxi this hotel is more near calan picafort!!
just depends on what they want to do!!!
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Just got back from a 1 week Holiday to Alcudia , we stayed in the Condesa de la Bahia which was absolutely fantastic. The weather was good for the first 5 days but a little bit cloudy on the last 2, but it was still warm.
The hotel was in a fantastic location right on the beach & was out of the main centre of alcudia around the Belle Vue hotel area, it was about a 10 -15 minute walk to the centre but the taxis were cheap 3 Euros, or there was still quite a lot of bars, restaurants & shops nearby.
The food for both breakfast & evening meal was great, with a reasonable amount of choice. Having 4 Kids from 8 months upto 12yrs there was always plenty for them to eat. In particular there was a childrens menu for the evening meal which did chicken nuggets etc. Having stayed in few different 3* hotels half board this is very typical of what you get & in reality was probably the best so far.
The pools were quite cold but were kept very clean, but as the beach was so close we spent alot of time there.
We had 3 problems whilst away, firstly as we have 2 young kids (1 8months & 1 21/2 yrs) we took our normal double buggy which was absolutely scruffy, the fabric ripped & other damage caused during the flight out, suit cases were very dirty. *** warning to everyone check your luggage & buggy etc at the airport & report the damage to your rep at the airport as to be able to claim off your insurance you need a PIR form which can only be done at the airport, also make sure if you need to claim keep the tag attached to luggage on that flight. We were unaware of this & due to us being in a bit of a rush & not having a rep on the coach transfer told the rep at resort who filled in a damage form ( which is of no use). Luckily (or not ) the cost to rectify the damage is only £6 more than the excess.
The second problem was to do with a certain Thomson rep . My wife enquired about hiring a car so that we could go to marineland for the day. Bearing in mind there would be 2 adults & 4 kids ( only 2 to pay entry into the park due to age) The Thomson rep claimed that their trip would be so much better to spend the "whole day" at marineland & use their Private beach etc. Their package included vouchers for dinner. She stated that the coach would collect us at 9 am & return at about 5pm which we thought was OK as the drive is only 1hr. We decided that as Thomson couldn't hire us a suitably sized car that we would go on their trip. We were picked up at 9 Am & after only a few other pickups we arrived at Marineland just before 10:30. As we pulled into the car park the Rep Accompanying us stated that the coach would leave at 2:30 . We immediately complained to the rep, as having been sold this trip as a full day out & paying 120 Euros we were shocked that we could only spend a maximum of 4hrs there. Another rep who later turned out to be a senior rep told us that Thomson have never done Full day trips to Marineland& they always left the park at 2:30. We were told to take it up with the rep at our hotel who originally sold us the trip. To add further insult the 2 main attractions at Marineland are the dolphin/sea lion show & the parrot show, & due to the time constaints you were only able to attend 1 of each of the show if you were lucky ( there were atleast 3 shows of each throughout the day) as the between the dolphin show ending & the parrot show starting there was only about 20 minutes. Having to take the 2 young kids for toilet & food & drinks we were basically unable to catch the parrot show as the queues were already massive & the seating full. When back at the hotel we saw the rep who Obviously had been informed of our complaint & was quite snotty about it saying that it was down to "time management" & that different people manage time differently. We stated that she knew we had 4 kids & had badly advised us on going on the trip. I asked how were we supposed to make use of the private beach when to take in the 2 show & the rest of the parks attraction & get food in 4 hrs was impossible. She said she couldn't give us a full refund but offered us a free hire car for the day, but due to us only having 1 full day left & having been to Majorca twice before to see the other sights, we decided to decline this offer. No other form of compensation was offered. But we were asked to fill in a customer complaint form which we have done & awiat the reply from Thomson. Basically it was not about the money side it was about being badly advised on the trip & spoiling what should have been a really enjoyable DAY out ,& by other peoples comments on the coach it appears that others were sold the trip as a full day.My advice would be if you want to appreciate the whole park either hire a car or go on public transport as there is a bus stop just outside the park. Ticket prices at the gate were about 17 Euros for Adults & 11 for kids

One other issue people should be aware of is with Regards to the E111 form. Basically our 2 yr old son slipped on the floor & split his forehead open on the buggy in an area were a plastic cover had been broken off during the flight. We took him to the Doctor was already in his surgery/room in the Hotel. he basiocally cleaned the wound & applyed 1 butterfly clip. The bill for this was 60 Euros. we asked the rep who accompanied us into the Doctors if we could use the E111, & she informed us that on majorca the majority of doctors are Private & the E111 can only be used at NHS doctors/hospital. This is apparently a standard callout charge for the doctor & doesn't include any treatment & it is irrelevant whether the Doctor is already in your hotel or not.
So that was the reason why we went to Marineland 'cos he could not get his head wet. so in all due to the buggy being damaged in transit we had a injured toddler, 60euro medical bill, a hectic/ disappointing day at marineland & £80 repair bill for the buggy.
But all in all we still had an excellent time, We would definately go back to the Condesa, because of the location & facilities. The Hotels kids reps were excellent & never stopped all day entertaining people, this was on top of the Thomson reps who all except 1 were also excellent often staying on longer during the day than was required.
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We've just returned from Tenerife and also had our double buggy damaged :evil: We too had to call out a doctor four our 5 year old who after eating uncooked sausages in the hotel restaurant became very sick 48 hours later. The doctor, incidently called out by the hotel, diagnosed laryngitis!! If anyone out there has become delerious, vomitted constantly and had a terrible gurgling noise in their tummy whist NOT having a sore throat, loss of voice or cough I'd love to know about it.

He prescribed 3 days worth of anti-sickness pessaries, then oral antibiotics which were only to be begun in 3 days time :bhead The E1-11 I was told is useless and was charged 60 euros for the call-out 27euros for taxis getting to an all night chemist and another 11 euros for the medication. Oh and great, Thomsons silver insurance has a £75 excess.

To top it all the hotel next door was being refurbished and we had to endure kangos and smashing tiles while lying by the pool.

Guess who I'm writing to next?
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I bet it's the Same people we are writing to!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:
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pamplemousse,
did you report your buggy damaged at the aiport & get a PIR form & are you claiming off your marvellous insurance? as we also have Thomsons silver insurance. which seems to have so many clauses & get outs it's not worth having
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Perhaps you should both contact Ros Fernihough who wrote the safe and sound brochure isted at the top of the page. Her contact details are in the brochure and she will give you advice on how to make your representations to the travel company.

I shall copy this to the Holiday complaints forum.
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Glad you liked the Condesa, it is in a lovely spot. :)

Shame about the Marineland trip. I think the reps can be a bit vague about the logistics of the trips. When we were last in Alcudia we went on a boat trip that "anchored in a cove for swimming etc." Now a family from another hotel turned up with all their beach gear etc. and when it became obvious that the trip was one where the boat did as described and did NOT go to a beach, they got really angry and demanded a refund. They had been badly advised as to the content of the trip.

At the moment it is the start of the season, and you will probably find that the hotel rep has never been to Marineland him/herself yet, so could not advise you properly! :roll:

I see there has been some discussion about the E111 and Thomson's Silver Insurance, hope you get it sorted out
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Yes JTwonk, I made a report on arrival. Can't see the insurance is worth the paper it's written on. Complained to reps in resort and will follow up with letter to Thomson tomorrow.
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Regarding the E 111. We were in Palma Nova in May and I had to get a Doctor for my husband who then sent us by ambulance to a Clinic in Palma where he stayed for 4 days. Neither the doctor nor Clinic wanted to see the E 111 as it was all private so it seems that is the procedure in Majorca.
Why then is there so much fuss about having the E111 when travelling in Europe?
I am awaiting the outcome of our insurance claim.
Sue
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Speaking from past experience Thomson couldn't give a stuff!

If you get them to cough up you'll have done a better job than me!

We endured 2 weeks opposite a fully operational building site (complete with crane), cots with badly fitted mattresses - one was a DEATH TRAP, mould on wall in bedroom, sunken tile in bathroom (perfect for catching toes on) and that's not touching upon the fact that we were placed on 2nd floor and double buggy wouldn't go up ramps to lift or in lift! We ended up buying singles out there! There were other bits that helped to completely ruin our first family holiday including a snotty Guest Service Manager who was the patronising arrongant little toad I have EVER had the misfortune to come across!

Apparently they don't realise that twins travel in twin buggy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Surely the name gives it away!

Thomson couldn't give a stuff, you write a letter, they answer, you write a letter, someone else writes back, you write a letter, someone else rings back and before you know it you've had a letter from the entire customer 'service' team and still got sod all sorted!

I wouldn't travel with Thomson if they were the last tour operator on the planet - their customer service sucks!
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Mrs Chivas here.

Sorry to hear you've had insurance problems. I always pay the excess waiver on mine (have done since my father-in-laws case got run over in a Turkish airport!). That means I can claim everything back. With one Dr I saw with a trapped nerve in my back we paid him £50 to see me then my husband went to the chemist in a taxi and bought the medication I needed and we claimed all that back plus the cost of the calls to the insurance company off insurance from Lunn Poly (part of TUI). The following year I got a rash and the Dr saw my insurance, treated me and then billed the insurance company direct. It was Lunn Poly insurance and he said that it was one of the best policies available.

To be honest when I book my hols I never pay for the insurance and as most places are stingy about beating other's prices I usually manage to push them into paying the waiver as well. Next years holiday I have got the gold insurance and the excess waiver for free as well as a good discount because Chivas and I played the agents off against each other. Works well as we have 2 Lunn Poly's, a Holiday Hypermarket, Thomas Cook and co-op Travel all fairly close to each other!
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Hi

When we were in Magalluf, my son had a major allergic reaction to something. I asked the Thomson Reps at our aparthotel where I could take him and use the E111, they were brilliant and told us where to go and got a taxi for us. We got to the clinic and he needed 2 injections to help with the swelling etc and they just took a copy of the E111, gave us a prescription for antihistamines and all in all were brilliant. I would recommend asking when you arrive in your resort, where the nearest doctor/clinic is where you can use the E111. It saved us about £150 euros.
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Th form of E111 is NOT intended to be a replacement or travel insurance, it wouldnt cover you if you had to be repatriated back to the UK, or for long term treatment so always have FULL travel insurance whenever you go away wherever you go.
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jtwonk,

I am sorry to hear of your complaints rearding your excursion :(
But wondering if you have posted a review of the Condesa de la Bahia in the hotel review section? We have just booked to go here summer 06, long time away yet but looks fab ! Alot of the old reviews seem to complain that the entertainment is poor in the evenings - would you agree? We have booked a rom with a sea view - did you book this and if so how was your view?
I apologise for all the Questions but you know what its like :lol: find something on your hotel and you want all the details !

Karen x
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hi - the entertainment is probably best described as "typical" - as in an "animation" team that try to be all things to all men.

So long as you dont get annoyed at Bingo and Kiddies discos then you will be fine - I'm sure the evening entertainment wont spoil your holiday :)
I have a picture taken from our room when we stayed there in 2004 - I'll upload and pop a link to it if I can find it :)
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http://www.spyrotechnics.com/condessaview.jpg

the view from our room - and we were on the side of the hotel - there were rooms on the end that would have had a far better sea view than us - but we were happy enough :)
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