Vista Picas

Vista Picas has a great pool, with more than enough sun loungers, and the staff are exceptionally good. Cala en Blanes is the best beach nearby, about a 30 minute walk. The bus to Ciutadella costs 1.70€ per person, though it was crowded even out of season. Sleep is another matter. The nearby Irish karaoke bar can be handy if that’s what you want, but its mind numbing noise is off the scale and can go on until 3am some nights. Most of the “entertainment” (or torture) carries on until midnight. Closing the doors and windows doesn’t help when they crank the volume up to 11. The two bedroom apartments are worst because they’re closest to the Irish bar and Jimmy Hills, a sort of poor man’s Wetherspoons with football on screens all day. Jimmy Hills is noisy too, just nowhere near the Irish bar. We stayed half board at the end of September/early October, and every day half the menu was “not available”. Over a fortnight, you end up repeating a few meals to suit your taste 3-4 times. If the lamb shoulder IS available, it’s superb. We had a great holiday, but wouldn’t go again.

We always holiday in Menorca, but this first stay at Vista Picas will be our last. If you’re after a sandy beach holiday, definitely don’t book here. The beach is a five minute walk, but it isn’t sandy, just sunbeds on rocks. The two bedroom apartment was spacious, and the hotel is close to supermarkets, restaurants and a water park. The water park is half price after 3pm. There were plenty of loungers by the pool throughout the day, although some guests get up at six and throw towels over them. The lifeguards were a mixed bag: one was lovely with guests and joined in games, while another kept looking at their phone. There’s a bus stop right outside reception for exploring other parts of Menorca, and restaurant staff were friendly. Inside the apartment, though, we found ants and spiders, including two nests under the beds, and all of us were bitten quite badly. The receptionist said maintenance would come, but nobody showed up. The furniture needs updating, and there was no air con, just small standing fans. The on site restaurant was overpriced compared with nearby places, and we had to pay extra for WiFi. After spending over £2500 on the holiday, we didn’t feel it was worth it. Music from next door went on until after 4am. If you’re unlucky enough to get a room in the two hundreds, you probably won’t sleep much. Also watch your inflatables at the pool. Guests sometimes used ours while we were out for lunch, so take them back to your room when you’re done. Some of the pool tiles need replacing too, they’re quite sharp.

We went just before the British school holidays and really enjoyed our stay. The hotel was quiet by 10pm, which suited us, and our self catering apartment was just right for my wife and me. The local area is great for tourists, with lovely coves for swimming and plenty of places to eat or pick up provisions. There’s a bus stop right outside the hotel, making it easy to visit Ciutadella or Mahon for the day. Staff were super helpful and friendly. It was an unforgettable holiday.

The pool’s position, with the apartments arranged around it, was lovely, and the complex itself has a lot going for it. Staff were all lovely and helpful, and the food we ate there was very good. Housekeeping let the place down. You go away to rest, but we were left a broom, dustpan, mop and bucket to clean the apartment ourselves. Towels were changed every other day, but they only cleaned the sink and toilet twice and took the rubbish a few times. They were meant to clean the bathroom every other day when changing towels and taking rubbish. We were there for two weeks, and they changed the sheets twice when it should have been three times. The pool was a bit dirty and black, and they never hosed down the area around it at night. The apartment got dirty every day because of that. It’s a shame, this could be a very good place if those issues were dealt with.