Just over 2 weeks ago we jetted off to Puerto Pollensa, Majorca for our first family holiday. We actually booked this in March 2017 so we had a very long wait for the date to actually come around. I had been on major countdown for weeks and by the time our holiday came around I was absolutely bursting and so were John and Erin. I’m not going to go into loads of detail about our whole holiday, because that would end up in one massive post but here is some of what we got up to and quite a few pictures!
London
Before our flight on Monday 16th we had 2 days in London. This was mostly due to the fact that there was engineering works on the trains on the Sunday and it would have taken us 6 hours to get to Stansted. There was no way I was doing that with Erin so it was much easier to stay an extra night. On the Saturday we stayed at the Novotel London Blackfriars thanks to a BuyAGift voucher and we also had a great meal at TGI Friday’s. On the Sunday we spent some time at the park at the Imperial War Museum before heading to the Holiday Inn Express London – Stansted Airport Hotel and having a lovely meal in the restaurant. Although we didn’t do nearly as much in London as we normally would have, it was still a great couple of days.
The Flight
Our outbound flight was Erin’s first and I was a bit worried about how she would cope with it all. Not only is the idea of a holiday exciting for a 2 year old but airports are also pretty busy and exciting so everything was different for Erin. However, Erin was really excited at the airport and loved it.
The flight also went as well as we could possible have asked for! Erin wasn’t very happy to have to keep her seat belt on in the middle seat because she wanted to climb everywhere and see what was going on. For the first half of the flight Erin was happy enough eating and playing with the entertainment I packed for her. About half way through Erin got quite tired. Strangely, our flight was super quiet and less than half full so John and Erin went off to another row and had a little nap. John actually had to carry Erin off the plane still snoring away. When she woke up she was super happy to see that we were somewhere new.
The flight back wasn’t quite as smooth but it also wasn’t bad either. Our flight home was at 1:35pm and Erin had been napping at about 11am every day. By the time we’d got on the plane Erin was overtired, hungry and annoyed. Once she finally managed to fall asleep everything was absolutely fine.
Really, I was quite surprised at how well Erin coped with flying. Apart from being tired she barely complained and was more excited about it than anything. She’s already asking to go back on a plane again.
The Hotel
When we booked the holiday we wanted to splash out a little bit. It had been a few years since we had been anywhere abroad and we wanted to stay somewhere nice. There are so many great hotels in Majorca but after a lot of debating, we chose the FERGUS Style Pollensa Park SPA. There were a few places in the shortlist but this hotel looked lovely and it seemed to be in a perfect location as it was only a few minutes away from the beach and also about 15 minute walk away to the nearest town.
As we approached the hotel in our transfer from the airport it was easy to see that this was one of the largest hotels in the area. Others we had passed were tiny and nothing compared to this one. When we arrived we were quickly checked in and told we could put our luggage in storage while we got some lunch as there was only 10 minutes of serving time left. The staff were nothing but helpful during our stay and did everything they could to make our holiday a good one.
We were upgraded to a Seaview room instead of the standard double we had booked and this meant we had a balcony and also a bit of a larger room. The hotel room was immaculate and so spacious. We had 2 beds as well as a travel cot for Erin, a huge bathroom and so much storage space for our luggage and clothes. My only issue was that there was no air conditioning until 1st May as this is when their season really starts so I was a bit warm at night.
Entertainment
The hotel runs plenty of activities for children but only during the season which unfortunately started 2 weeks after we visited. Also, the children’s club is for children aged 4+ so with Erin only being 2 there was nothing extra available. However, Erin was more than happy spending time in the hotel grounds. There is a large outdoor pool as well as a children’s pool. Erin especially loved the splash park and the playground. She’s definitely happiest when she can run around and be free.
For adults there is a gym, spa (treatments are extra), a tennis court, football, archery and quite a bit more. As we were away as a family we didn’t use many of these facilities. John and I could have quite easily gone off to do something alone at times but it’s been a long time since we got real quality time together just the three of us so we decided to stick together instead.
The Food
When we booked this holiday Erin was the fussiest eater imaginable. Instead of having to worry about which restaurant to pick and finding somewhere to eat for 3 meals a day I thought it would be much easier just to have everything sorted at the hotel. This is the first time I have done an all inclusive holiday before so I had no idea what to expect from the food.
In short, there was a lot of choice and John ate a lot of fish! I, on the other hand, didn’t fare so well but only because I’m picky and I’m not very adventurous when it comes to food.
I’ll be writing another post on our stay at the hotel and also another on what to expect from all inclusive food so if this interests you, be sure to keep an eye out for these!
The Area
Although we went all inclusive we were also able to explore Puerto Pollensa a little bit. Only a few minutes away from the hotel was a lovely beach which Erin loved visiting and then there was also the port and shops! This was one of the main reasons why I chose this hotel. I wanted to be able to explore a little bit without ever being too far away from the hotel. On the Wednesday of our holiday there was a market happening in Pollensa so we enjoyed having a look around and seeing what was on offer.
We spent every morning walking down the sea front and exploring different areas of the beach. Puerto Pollensa is absolutely beautiful and what I was so happy to see was how well children are catered for. Along the beach we must have come across 4 or 5 different parks or play areas right on the beach. There were also 3 or 4 play areas on the walk to and from the beach as well.
If you want to explore outside of Puerto Pollensa then there are plenty of opportunities to go on day trips, boat trips and excursions. You can even hire a boat on the marina if you wish. Palma is only about an hour away so you can really explore Majorca if this is what you like to do.
Again, as this was our first holiday abroad with Erin we didn’t do anything like this as we just wanted to see how she was in one area.
Overall
An all inclusive holiday with a toddler was definitely something I hadn’t done before now but we all had so much fun! After the first day we settled in to a nice routine of meal times and what Erin was happy to do and for how long. She woke up quite early every day and was always busy so she napped most days between 11am and 1pm. This, at least, gave her some more energy for more playing and fun in the afternoon.
I really couldn’t have asked for a much better first trip abroad than this one. It would have been nice if Erin had wanted to eat more than biscuits, sprinkles and drink her weight in pineapple juice every day but if that was the only downside, I’d take that every single time.
Looking for more options? Check out Holiday Village Majorca.
If you fancy a better look at what we got up to, watch the video below:
PIN IT FOR LATER
It looks like you had a lovely holiday, we have just returned from Santa Ponsa in Majorca and we loved it xx
So glad you had a great time. I want to go back already.