Cala Mandia, Hotel Insotel Club Cala Mandia

Hotel Insotel Club Cala Mandia is a very classy 4 star hotel but seeing as the locals call it "little Germany" it's not surprising the standards are high. There's not much to criticise here. The entrance is modern, very shiny and welcoming and the reception staff are courteous and efficient.

The complex is laid out over a large area so there is plenty of space wherever you go. Even at peak pool usage we managed to find 6 sun loungers available and space to put them together. There's even a choice of pools (Area C we preferred).

We stayed on an all-inclusive basis and instead of wristbands we were given a swipe card per couple to obtain drinks or snacks, but only two items per visit to the bar. This is obviously to stop you getting drinks for non A/I guests.

The restaurant seemed to cope easily no matter how busy and the food was excellent. Even though they catered mainly for German tastes, we always had a good choice.

We stayed in one-bedroom apartments that gave plenty of room and the single beds were very comfortable. The bathroom was of a good standard, in particular the shower which was excellent.

The TV however had just 2 English channels: CNN and Eurosport. The rest were mainly German with a couple of Spanish and one French.

The grounds are very well kept in every part of the complex and there is a nice walk down to the small beach.

Inside the hotel, in the bar, restaurant and large lounge, the furniture and decoration were very good and everything was kept so very clean. That was the main thing commented on, the cleanliness in every area. It's the cleanest hotel any of us have ever stayed in.

For the first few days the bar staff were a bit formal, even grumpy, but as the week went on they realised we were more jovial than their usual clientele and treated us accordingly.

A couple of things we didn't like:

The entertainment was fine if you were a German child of less than 12 year old. We enjoyed ourselves in the lovely large lounge with a pack of cards and various mixes of spirits.

And,

Our A/I entitlement stopped at 12 noon on our last day and we were not being picked up until 22:45 but complaining got us nowhere. We couldn't even have an evening meal unless we paid 20 Euros each. We politely declined. Spent the evening in Molly Brown's just up the hill.

Overall: Excellent

Would we go back? Certainly