Catalonia Mirador des Port

The grounds and room were lovely, and the cleaning service was excellent. Ros the lifeguard also deserves a mention. He kept a close eye on children around the pool, helped us with some particularly nasty mosquito bites, and went above and beyond despite the obvious staff shortages. The pool was busy, but there was no food or drink service there. Reception told us the delightful food truck was closed because they were short-staffed and it was the beginning of september. To get a drink, we had to go to the bar by reception, nowhere near the pool, and then look around for someone to serve us. For the price we paid, we expected the advertised amenities, and reception staff made us feel dismissed by saying September is quiet and out of season.

We stayed five nights. The morning buffet staff were the only ones we found polite, a complete contrast in attitude, and the promised upgrade through Catalonia awards when we booked directly was a sham. At the hotel bar, staff heckled us over a bottle of water they hadn’t served us, then made a scene because we brought the bottle of cava the hotel had given us for my birthday to drink on their terrace. The front desk had to step in and explain that this was the case. The restaurant reservation staff member was aggressive too, and wouldn’t give us a dinner table even though around 20% of the tables were eventually empty. It’s a shame, because otherwise this is a great hotel in a decent location. The boorish, arrogant staff completely undermined the stay. I wonder why people work in hospitality if they don’t have a bone of service towards others.

I even got to use the gym a couple of times, and I really liked how the pool area was run. Guests were considerate and didn’t take over the sun loungers by leaving towels on them at 6 a.m. The hotel is attractively designed, with friendly, efficient staff who seem to care about customer service. It’s about a ten-minute walk to the town centre around the Fish Market. I’ve stayed in Mahon before, and my previous hotel was closer to the port restaurants. We got a taxi there one evening because it was too hot to walk, so we could still enjoy that area. Even so, I’d choose this hotel over the other one because of the poolside atmosphere. It was a lovely surprise, and I may stay again.

The food was so good that we ate in the restaurant most of the time. We had a fabulous stay, with very helpful and friendly staff. The rooms would have earned five stars if they’d been a little bigger.