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Cala Dor, Mallorca: the pros and cons of a package holiday

16th May 2017 by [email protected] 10 Comments

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the pros and cons of a package holidaySo this is what we work all year for! A holiday in the sun. We are having an all-inclusive week in Cala Dor in Mallorca, where we are experiencing the pros and cons of a package holiday.

We fancied some sunshine and that is exactly what we are getting! The views are also stunning here, with clear blue sea and bright blue skies. Gorgeous. Check out the face in the rocks in the pic below!

As with anything we buy, we searched for a good deal before booking. We found the best price on Teletext Holidays. I didn’t know they still existed! Incredibly, when we looked, the all-inclusive was a cheaper price than half board. How can that be? It seems holiday pricing structures move in mysterious ways.

the pros and cons of a package holidayHidden extras

We flew with Ryanair. The flight was absolutely fine with no problems or delays. However, I found the online check-in process frustrating and misleading. They wouldn’t let you check in more than seven days in advance unless you paid, and you couldn’t reserve seats until you had checked in, which they also charged for. I wanted to make sure we sat together so we had to pay more – around £50!

I think this could have been reduced or avoided but, as I said, it was bewildering. We also had to pay a 15 Euro local tax when we arrived, which we weren’t expecting. We had a cup of tea on the plane but  brought some fruit and baguettes with us to save a bit of money on food whilst travelling.

the pros and cons of a package holidayGreat food and plenty of it

I have never been on an all-inclusive holiday before. I usually like to self cater to keep my budget low. I wasn’t sure how the food would be, but so far it’s pretty good. Lots of salads, fruit and veg, free wine or beer, and you can have as much or as little as you fancy. However, this hotel is busy and so is the dining room, so not the place for a quiet meal.

As well as your meals, you can have drinks and snacks throughout the day as part of the all-inclusive deal. We will be putting on weight!

the pros and cons of a package holidayI am British; give me a kettle!

The room is good, clean and basic, but there is no kettle! We couldn’t find a cup of tea anywhere when we arrived yesterday – something of a crisis for us tea swilling Brits 😀. We did have a very strong coffee at the hotel beach cafe in the afternoon, but there was no tea there or in the restaurant. Apparently we had to find the sports bar, but we were too tired. Having been up to catch our flight at 3.45 am, it had been a long day.

Which brings us to our next problem: our room overlooks another bar, where there was loud entertainment until midnight. This will be ok when we are out in the evenings, but not when we want to relax in our room. I guess they intend you to chill in the sports bar with your evening cuppa! We asked them to move us and they did. The staff here are great.

Although this post is headed the pros and cons of a package holiday, we found more advantages than disadvantages. It helps that the hotel has its own private beach complete with sun loungers at 12 Euros a day. Being money savers, we opted for a couple of towels on the sand. We stayed at the Hotel Barceló Ponent Playa. If you want a good basic hotel and value for money, you can’t go far wrong.

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Filed Under: FUN AND TRAVEL Tagged With: cala dor, mallorca, Spain

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Comments

  1. Helen Tristram says

    17th May 2017 at 07:00

    No matter where I go in the world I always pack a travel kettle. You can stuff the inside with your clean smalls so the space it takes up is minimal. If I can in goes the coffee filter cone and a few papers. We are coffee drinkers but don’t always want just an espresso. Enjoy your holiday.
    Helen in France

    Reply
    • [email protected] says

      17th May 2017 at 07:02

      I will do that next time, Helen

      Reply
  2. Elizabeth says

    17th May 2017 at 13:09

    It looks like you’re both enjoying yourselves, lovely photos, too. Sorry about the tea, though…

    Reply
    • [email protected] says

      17th May 2017 at 13:12

      Elizabeth, we have now found a source of hot water and brought our own teabags

      Reply
  3. Kirrie says

    17th May 2017 at 13:54

    Ryanair tried the £12.50 each way per person con on my sis,her hubby n 2 kids 6 and 11 to sit together would have been£100. Sis said I,m not paying someone else can look after the kids and he snores, lovely I,ll sit reading magazines and drink g n t on my own!. Booking person smiled they all got seats together funny that

    Reply
  4. Tania says

    17th May 2017 at 14:15

    My kettle, teabags, coffee and biscuits (hubby insulin diabetic) go everywhere we go. We have been on many all inclusive but prefer half board so we can go out during the day. We don’t like local spirits and prefer to buy known brands that are invariably cheaper in Europe. We have just returned from a Jet2 holiday and it was fantastic. We are going away with them in Sept to Crete and if another bargain comes up I’ll be there! Enjoy the sunshine e and change of scenery it’s a wonderful tonic. Tx

    Reply
  5. Eloise at. thisissixty.blog says

    17th May 2017 at 15:54

    Have a fabulous time!

    Reply
  6. Jacquie says

    17th May 2017 at 21:27

    We are flying Ryan air for the first time too. I’ve just been reading the instruction from our booking agent that we need to book seats so we can check in online for the return journey before we leave. This will work out expensive for 5 of us. So annoying.
    I hope you get to relax and enjoy the warm sunshine. Rain all day here today.
    Jacquie x

    Reply
    • [email protected] says

      18th May 2017 at 07:24

      Hi Jacqui, Google it before you go to see if there is any way round it. It is a rip off as it means the flight is much dearer than you are led to believe. Enjoy your holiday

      Reply
    • Helen Tristram says

      18th May 2017 at 07:27

      Ryanair make their money from the add ons. Treat it like a bus service, cheap, no frills and don’t pay for the extras unless you have to take luggage.
      Helen in France

      Reply

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