On our recent family holiday to Majorca, we stayed at the Pirates Village Hotel located in Santa Ponsa, Majorca. Travelling with our three children we decided to go all inclusive as it only worked out about £500 more than self-catering and we thought it would be best for the children. Before we went I tried looking online to see what the food was like, but there was not much information available and I was a bit worried as my daughter is a very fussy eater (so am I). So I thought I would write this post in case anyone is else is visiting and is wondering what the food and drink are like on the all-inclusive package.
When we visited I would say at least 95% of guests were all inclusive, we saw very few self-catering guests and I would say the hotel is better suited to all-inclusive. All hotel guests wear a wristband, pink for all inclusive and I think it was gold for self-catering, this is to stop people who are not staying at the hotel from getting in. If you do go self-catering you can also upgrade to all-inclusive once you are there if you wish, but there was a large supermarket a few minutes walk away and lots of places to eat near the beach if you didn't want to.
All meals were served in the restaurant at set times breakfast was 8am-10am, lunch was 1pm-3pm and the evening meal was 6pm-9pm. You just find a seat in the restaurant and then go and help yourself to food and drinks. During the day between 10am -6pm you can also order from the snack bar too. The bar was open from 10am to 11pm but you could help yourself to hot drinks, water or fruit juices from the machines from around 8am.
Breakfast was one of our favourite meals each day, they had a good selection of foods and the food was always really nice. They had a show cooking station where they would freshly cook fried eggs, bacon and pancakes for you. Every day the breakfast option was the same for you to help yourself to, hard boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms (cooked in garlic), baked beans, bacon, English sausages, hash browns, sausages cooked in onions.
They also had a couple of toasters with a few different types of bread to toast yourself and packets of butter, jam, chocolate spread and marmalade. They had pots of yoghurts, a few types of cereal, little packets of breakfast biscuits, chocolate doughnuts - much to my children's delight. There was a bread basket with different types of bread rolls, cooked meats and cheeses, smoked salmon, fresh fruit slices and fruit bowls with apples, bananas, oranges etc. They also served delicious freshly baked croissants and cinnamon swirls.
They had a table with sauces like ketchup and HP brown sauce, which seemed to be popular. Drink wise they have a coffee machine where you can make a few different types of coffee and teas and hot chocolates. They have a fruit juice machine that serves fresh orange, apple, pineapple juices and smoothies which were really nice.
My children loved the breakfasts my teen had pancakes each day covered in syrup or chocolate sauce, Sophia enjoyed slices of cooked meat, cheese and bread rolls and chocolate doughnuts and Jacob loved the yoghurts and pain au chocolat or chocolate mountains as he called them.
Lunch & Evening Meals
Lunch and evening meals were similar kinds of foods, every day there were different choices but the setup and types of meals they served were similar. The show cooking station was always serving up one meat dish and one fish dish, that would be freshly cooked for you, things like steak, chicken breasts, ribs, lamb kebab skewers, pork chops, shell on prawns, fish fillets etc. Chips were available every mealtime along with one other potato-based dish such as Mallorcan potatoes (delicious), mash, roast potatoes etc. They would have a few meat and fish dishes such as fish fillets, battered salmon fillets, fish dishes in sauces, chicken curry, meatballs and stews which changed daily and a paella dish. On an evening they also had a fresh joint of meat or fish they would carve for you.
There was a children's section which was lower down so children could help themselves, they always had a pizza, plain pasta with sauces and cheese you could add yourself. Some kind of vegetables like peas and carrots, chicken nuggets or chicken wings, normally a dish like a pasta bake or cauliflower cheese. They had cubes of ham and cheese, which my little girl loved.
They had a salad bar with lots of fresh salad, sweetcorn etc, plus a few salad based dishes like shrimp salad and rice salads. Every day a different soup would be available and fresh bread rolls from a bread basket.
Desserts consisted of fresh fruit, melon and pineapple slices. They have an ice cream cabinet with strawberry, chocolate or vanilla ice cream and different sprinkles and wafers. There was always two type of cake, normally a vanilla or lemon meringue pie and a strawberry or black forest gateau. They had profiteroles, jelly, pancakes, bowls of cream, custard, strawberry or chocolate mousse. They often had stewed fruit like apples or pears and bananas covered in chocolate sauce and sprinkles. They also have little pots of strawberry or chocolate mouse which my children ate most evenings.
One night a week (it was a Thursday when we were there) they also bring out the chocolate fountain with fresh fruit and sweets to dip in, this was such a hit with my children.The meals were nice, with a good mix of Spanish and English food options. I am a fussy eater and so is my daughter but each meal time we always found something to eat and the food was nice. It was actually much better than we expected and the choice was good with different dishes available each day.
Snack Bar
The snack bar is located next to the bar area and you order at the bar, find a seat and they cook the food fresh for you and bring it to your table. Only items marked with a star on the menu are available on the all-inclusive, such as burger and chips, hot dog and chips, cheese and ham toasties, onion rings and tuna salad. They do have more foods but you have to pay for them, but they were not expensive.
We ate at the snack bar most lunch times as the children really liked the food. The burgers were really nice and were well cooked and not pink in the middle like you often find abroad. The hot dogs were nice and were proper sausages, the toasties and the onion rings were delicious, although the onion rings are a big portion so we often just got one to share between the five of us with our meals.
Drinks We ate at the snack bar most lunch times as the children really liked the food. The burgers were really nice and were well cooked and not pink in the middle like you often find abroad. The hot dogs were nice and were proper sausages, the toasties and the onion rings were delicious, although the onion rings are a big portion so we often just got one to share between the five of us with our meals.
There is one bar where you can get drinks from, soft drinks are all self-serve as is the larger and wines. You can get selected spirits and premixed cocktails from behind the bar in the all-inclusive too (they have a list with what is included at the bar). You can also buy handmade cocktails, spirits and other drinks not included from the bar too as well as ice lollies and snacks such as crisps and chocolate.
Soft drinks included in the all inclusive are Pepsi, Pepsi Max, 7Up, Orange or Lemon fizzy pop. They also have a slush machine and water machine and a whippy ice cream machine too which was delicious on a hot day around the pool. I didn't try the larger, cruzcompo as I don't drink it or the wines which were white, red, rose or sangria from the tap my partner really liked the sangria with ice cubes added. The premixed cocktails were from a tap behind the bar and they were really sweet but tasted ok, I liked the strawberry daiquiri, my teen liked the alcohol free one and the other half liked the pina colada.
I did pay for a handmade cocktail a couple of times which were around 7 euro and really nice. Spirit wise you could get vodka, rum, gin & tonic, tequila, sambuca and banana liquor. I didn't try any of the spirits so can't comment on them.
The whole bar and dining area are both kept really clean, the staff were constantly cleaning tables and countertops and sweeping the floor. The staff in the restaurant also constantly brought out fresh food and checked the food and kept the food areas tidy.
Overal we were impressed with the food and drink options available, it was much better than we expected for 3* all inclusive in Spain. There was always a good choice available, even for fussy children (and adults).
I paid for this holiday myself.
Oh sounds great Lindsay x
ReplyDeleteIt really was much nicer than we expected, mind there is so many lovely places to eat nearby too. If you head out the hotel turn left and walk past the roundabout and follow the beach there was some great places to eat with play areas that overlooked the sea and served nice food x
DeleteI’m going here in 3 weeks, and like you said couldn’t find anything on the food. I myself can be fussy and travelling with a 6 year old who can also be fussy.
ReplyDeleteThis has been a great read, my belly is rumbling now and excitement is really kicking in!! Thank you!
Do you have any idea how much it was to upgrade to all inclusive
ReplyDeleteIt was a few years ago when we visited so I am not too sure, the hotel are active on Facebook so I am sure if you message them directly they can let you know
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