Apartamentos Marthas

We’re on day 3 of 10, and so far we have zero complaints. The apartments are spacious and there’s a nice, quiet pool. The hotel is in a fantastic area, about 10 minutes from the restaurants and beaches. I don’t understand the bad reviews. Don’t expect 5 star and then leave a bad review just because you’re a tight git. This was the cheapest option available for a short notice holiday, and we’d definitely come back.

The location was splendid, and we couldn’t fault it. Son Caliu beach has lovely coffee shops and restaurants just a 3-4 minute walk away. Mercadonia supermarket is around the corner, and the A11 bus stop takes you straight to the airport. The room felt more like a 2 star place and wasn’t the best, though it was big enough as a base for four of us. We made do with the kitchen supplies, but there were only two knives and one bowl, and it lacked a tea towel, a sharp knife, and cooking tools like spatulas, tongs, or wooden spoons. We chose not to ask for more. It did come with washing-up liquid and a small sponge, which was handy. The bathroom seemed recently renovated, and the beds were fairly comfortable. Apart from the bathroom, though, the rooms were tired and battered.

The pool was a hit with the kids, and I believe the owner greeted us with a fantastic introduction to Mallorca, including tips on sights and things to visit. We stayed a week, though we also had several problems. The terrace door handle was broken, so we couldn’t open it. Staff took no action when we reported it. The owner came to our room to retrieve a bathing suit dropped by visitors upstairs, and we found the other side of the terrace door was open and couldn’t be locked. Luckily, there was no break-in, since it could easily be opened from outside. The hair dryer didn’t work, and staff again did nothing after we informed them. A charger melted while left plugged in when we were out for the day, so it’s better to unplug everything when leaving the room. The safe was unusable, apparently because its keylock pad had been removed. In my 40 years of travelling, I’ve never seen that before.

The desk staff were nice, and the area was quiet with a good feel, but maintenance was so poorly managed, especially for early season. The location would be lovely for a quiet break, and the desk staff seemed almost apologetic. There was noisy building work every day, with so much dust. The pictures show what it looked like after half an hour. I asked for cleaners, but they barely touched the place, like a teenager doing a reluctant room clean. There were three guests but only two sets of bedding. Plug sockets and the outside light didn’t work, and the TV only tuned into radio. The front door felt as secure as a chocolate padlock, while sockets and switches were falling out of the wall, even though our room had apparently just been updated. The new bathroom was nice, but had no towel hooks, toilet roll holder, or shelves or hooks for shower things. The kitchen was poorly equipped, and we had to wash everything before use. There was only one socket, not above a work surface, so wires had to stretch to reach. I could go on. The pool was nice but dirty. I saw the filters working only once in 10 days, and pool lights had fallen out of the walls and were lying at the bottom.