Riu Bonanza Park, Illetas
We stayed her for 7 nights in Late September early October. When we booked the hotel we were looking for a nice hotel in a quiet resort and the Bonanza Park seemed to fit the bill. We booked it through Alfarooms who and paid a very reasonable price for 7 night half board.
The Bonanza Park is situated on a quiet road which runs along the seafront in the small resort of Illetas. It is not actually on the seafront as there is a row of seafront hotels and the hotel is on the landward side of those hotels. There is no main beach at Illetas rather a series of small coves with beaches in them the closest of which is a 5 minute walk from the hotel.
Illetas is a small and very quiet resort which attracts a more mature clientele who are looking for a quiet and peaceful holiday. There are a few bars and restaurants dotted here and there around the resort but it certainly isn’t for part animals and indeed many of the bars were closed by 12pm with only a couple staying open later.
The hotel itself is relatively small, it has a smallish bar on the ground floor with an outside terrace where the evening entertainment was held. The dining room is on the first floor and there are 2 pools in the gardens which are on the third floor.
The first impressions were good with a welcome drink and an efficient check in from very friendly staff. Our room was on the second floor which because of the design have large balconies, the room itself was fine being a large room with the obligatory 2 single beds shoved together. The furniture and decor were very fresh and everything worked. There is a mini bar which we used to keep our own drinks cool. There is a flat screen LCD TV with 5 channels in English including BBC1, BBC2 and Channel 5. The air conditioning worked well being efficient and quiet. There is a safe in the rooms for which there is a charge of 1.5 Euros per day. The rooms looked as if they had been designed to have an inner door between the bathroom and the bedroom but for some reason no doors had ever been fitted which is a shame as our room was next to the stairway and the lift so we did get some noise from the corridor. The hotel itself was very quiet noise wise but there always seemed to be someone using their bathroom during the night or people coming and going. Our room was above the dining room and we tended to hear the air conditioning units from there when they were switched on about 7.30 am.
The food in the hotel was of a very good standard if a bit limited in choice compared to some other hotels we have stayed in. Breakfast was pretty standard fair with all the usual suspects on offer. Fresh fruit cold meats cereals, yoghurts and good selection of rolls and bread. The hot counter was less varied with bacon, sausages, beans fried and hard boiled eggs available as well as pancakes. There was no option to have a fresh omelette cooked for you which was a disappointment. As with many Spanish hotels the coffee at breakfast was of a very poor quality as was the fruit juices which were of the diluted type dispensed from a machine rather than being proper fruit juices. There were never any problems getting seated for breakfast.
Evening meals were served in two sittings the first being 6pm to 7.30 the second 8.00 to 9.30. On checking in you have to decide which sitting you want and that is set for the duration of your stay. You are also allocated a table for dinner which is your table for the duration as well. As we were there with Mrs H’s parents the fixed table allocation didn’t seem to bad but I am not a fan of this system. The food was very good in quality but as I said it was not as wide a choice as I we have had elsewhere but having said that there was always a wide choice on offer. As always there was a good choice of tempting salads with meats and cheeses. There was always soup and other hot starters as well. For mains there was always different pastas with a choice of sauces, paella or other rice dish (aroz brut). The cooked meat counter had a good choice on offer with a choice of fish and meats cooked fresh as you waited, as well as that there was always a roast on offer, beef lamb or pork. There was also a selection of meat and fish cooked traditionally as stews etc. The selection of deserts again was not the most varied but of good quality and always had something to please most people. There was a decent selection of cheese and crackers as well for those without a sweet tooth. We did find that the meals seemed a bit rushed especially with there being four of us we tended to take our time but with the waiting staff clearing tables as soon as people left the restaurant and setting them for breakfast you always felt under pressure to eat up and go.
The hotel had a smallish bar/lounge and an outside terrace for sitting in the evening as well as a small tv/reading lounge just off the main lounge. There was entertainment for a couple of hours every evening this being a solo artist singing to their backing tracks. To be honest I was none to impressed with the four or five different entertainers we saw. The drinks were relatively expensive but just what you would expect to pay in this type of hotel. A small beer was 2.50 euros and a spirit with mixer about 7 euros. Unfortunately the outside terrace overlooks the road to the front of the hotel and it does tend to suffer from some traffic noise especially as there is a bus stop right outside the hotel.
People who stay at the Bonanza Park have the option to use the facilities at the sister (bur more expensive to stay) hotel the Bonanza Playa. We spent a couple of evening there which we enjoyed, the bar at the pool level was very spacious and there were quiet areas to sit and enjoy the evening. My father in law asked if it was possible to use their pool during the day and was told he was welcome to do so but in the end he didn’t as he thought it was to noisy after the peace and quiet of our hotel. Me and Mrs H did on a couple of occasions head off for a wander and have a couple of drinks elsewhere and we found the prices a bit cheaper but no bargain prices.
The Hotel has 2 pools set at different levels within the grounds. The grounds are quite compact but well landscaped and maintained. The pools were always very quiet and on our stay there we probably never saw more than a third of the sunbeds used. All the people sunbathing seemed to all be looking for peace and quiet and it was a pleasure to be able to enjoy some true peace and quiet. On our stay there were almost no children staying in the hotel except on our last 2 days and the parents were very respectful of the other guests right to some peace. The pools were a bit on the cold side and did put some people off using them. There was a snack bar in the gardens which served light lunches and drinks, the food was a bit expensive and again limited in choice.
Illetas itself is a very compact, relaxing and laid back resort, it has a tremendous bus service into Palma with busses every 8 minutes and a cost of 1.30 euro per trip. There are a few small beaches dotted along the seafront with bars and restaurants but not a busy promenade you might find in bigger resorts. If you want a bit more action Puertal Nous is about a half hour walk although you cannot get there along the seafront. In the other direction half an hour takes you to Cala Mayor which is a lot more lively if that is what you are after, I did think it looked a bit scruffy and not too inviting to be honest.
We picked up a hire car at the airport and as usual the Sat-Nav took us right to the hotel door. On arrival at the hotel it became obvious that there was no free car parking in the area and we had to pay for the use of a gated car park just across from the hotel and it cost us 7 euros per day and to be honest there is little other option as finding a space on the streets is impossible.
In all we really enjoyed our stay at the Bonanza Park, all the staff we met were extremely friendly efficient and helpful. The hotel is extremely well maintained very clean and well looked after by the staff. The pools were fantastically quiet and the gardens offer little sanctuaries of total peace when you want to get out of the sun. The food was of a good standard and the level of service was great. Our only quibble was the staggered meal times making it a bit regimented and rushed for eating. Other than that and our room was a bit noisy due to its location within the hotel. Mrs H’s parents thoroughly enjoyed their stay there and found very little to be negative about, they had a higher up room at the end of a corridor and were less effected by noise than we were. I would certainly recommend the Riu Bonanza Park to anyone looking for a relaxing and peaceful holiday
The Riu Bonanza Park Hotel
Our room
The Balcony
Reception and bar area
Views from our balcony
The pool and gardens
The hotel had some apartments in the gardens
It had some nice peaceful corners to relax out of the sun
Some of the small coves with beaches at Illetas
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Tue Oct 25, 2011 8:18 pm
