Insotel Club Cala Mandia

We read the negative reviews before travelling and thought “how bad can it be?” Let me save you the same mistake: this hotel is disgusting, and we have the photos to prove it. Check-in, 22/8 — first room (Classic Apartment Area B): Smelly, dirty and very dated. The room did not appear to have been cleaned, and there were clumps of hair left on the dining table from previous guests. The safe didn’t work, even after we paid for it and reception gave us the code. The air conditioning in the room didn’t appear to work either. It was quite clear to us at that point that this hotel was gross and we complained immediately - we asked to check out with a refund so we could salvage our holiday elsewhere. The hotel refused, offering only two alternative rooms as a resolution. Second room — same block, same problems: Also dated, smelly and dirty. When our son got into his sofa bed, he found a used chopstick in his (supposedly clean) bed sheets. There also appears to be visible damp next to our daughter’s bed and mould in the main shower. The main bathroom window has no tint, curtain or blind — we’ve had to wedge a towel into the frame so we aren’t visible to passers-by while showering or using the toilet. There was no hand soap provided in either room (or in any of the four toilets in those rooms), only hair and body shampoo. 24/8 — breakfast: A cockroach bolted under our table and then started running around the buffet counter in the main restaurant. There was also food debris still on the floor at our table, we assume from the previous night’s dinner service. The food generally is very poor — we’ve been eating dinner outside the hotel just to get some respite. In summary: this hotel appears to have a completely laissez-faire attitude to cleanliness and basic hygiene. Both rooms we’ve stayed in are dirty, dated and smelly, and the food is genuinely bad. This is a one-star property at best, nowhere close to the four stars advertised. We work hard all year to enjoy our family holidays, and this hotel has completely ruined this trip. We paid over €6,500 and were refused a refund on day one when we asked to leave. If you’ve not yet checked in and can change hotels or cancel your stay here, absolutely do it. If you haven’t booked yet — don’t bother.

The hotel is fantastic because of its staff! We had a good room with great air conditioning but admit the hotel is a little tired. However as soon we engaged with the staff and enjoyed all of the activities on offer then it very quickly become one of the best holidays we've had. Our girls, 12 and 14yrs old said it was the best holiday they've been on. This is because the animation/entertainment were simply amazing! They took the time to talk to everyone and little things like remembering the children's names and being so personable made the holiday really special. The variety of activities was great too, from football to table tennis and specific teen activities every day as well. They worked endlessly to engage with all the kids and adults alike. Cannot express how great they all were! The evening shows they also put on were great too. The food in the hotel was varied and good quality and once again the staff were great all working very hard! The only downside was that service ended at 9pm which we found a little restrictive. There is also a stables next door to the hotel which my daughter used and loved as well. The air con in the reception area was lacking but this did not detract from what was a really great holiday. We would definitely come back.

Fantastic hotel, excellent food, maid service everyday, very clean. The only disappointing element was that the lifts were frequently out of order and some of the handrails to steps / stairs were loose.

Lovely location withe beach just a 5 minute walk from resort. I stayed in the adults only area, which was very peaceful, along with its adults only pool with fantastic Bali beds, which were the size of a double bed and extremely comfy. I also visited the other pools as well when I wanted to watch friends kids playing in the pools. You helped yourself to alcohol and soft drinks at the pool bars and restaurant, which gave you an option of sitting inside or out. The food was all buffet style with most fish and meat cooked freshly in front of you. There was lots of choice for all tastes with different countries catered for most nights at dinner. I especially enjoyed the make ur own tacos night. There were also 4 other restaurants on site that you could book the night before, 2 of which which were incuded for 1 visit for an alternative to the buffet, e.g. Diner style, Indian. The rooms were quite spacious, although could do with more coat hangers and deeper shelves. The bathroom was wonderful with a huge overhead shower in what was practically a wet room. We had a medium sized balcony overlooking a lovely small garden with hedges and palm trees which kept most of the noise from the childrens pools low. I would have liked coffee making facilities in the room, but we did have a small fridge and they supplied a 2ltre size bottle of water. We used the spa for a head, neck and back massage. It was just a bit too hard for my liking, but was told I had a lot of knots in my back!!. The entertainment at night was pretty much the same as other hotels, acrobats, singers, kids entertainers etc... I did not come across a staff member i did not like. I intend to come back next year but with my grandkids, I dont think you could get a better recommendation than that. Good job guys.

The hotel is good but it really is the staff that make it excellent. The team at reception was very friendly and welcoming, the staff running the daily entertainment by the pools were absolutely superb and did a great job getting the children and adults involved. David at the events desk did an excellent job arranging a day trip for our family and went above and beyond to help us. We all thoroughly enjoyed the different pools and the kids had a blast. The food was great and we were spoiled for choice. The hotel is very close to a lovely beach. All around a great experience for our family!