We were a bit remiss with photography apart from family pics on this holiday so I will do a combined review of resort, accommodation and the overall holiday.
We had booked to stay at Marinda Garden apartments in Cala’n bosch. We chose this accommodation because it included free access to the next door Aqua rock water park. Water parks seem to be popular with the teens.
Once again we opted for all inclusive as it was half term and prices were inflated leaving our spending money budget reduced.
We arrived at around 10.00pm Menorca time. The young man on reception was very friendly and informative. He gave everyone lots of details about the hotel on arrival. On route to our apartment, another friendly staff member asked if we needed help finding our way. The apartments were fine for a family of 4. Perhaps more coat hangers would have been good as we had two each.
RM and I had our own room which was a bonus. The kids had beds in the kitchen/television area which were full sized beds when the cushions were removed. We had a small bathroom but it had everything we needed.
The safe cost 17.50 euros with no extra charge for the television. There was also free wi-fi in the lobby. I struggled to connect but gave up quite easily as I wasn’t that bothered really. Teen boy managed to connect on his game device.
There were no snacks available after 9.00pm but we were offered cold food in the dining room for late arrivals. We did have a little food as the meal on the plane (Flybe) was a ham roll and flapjack!!!
We managed to grab a couple of drinks in the entertainment area before retiring to bed.
On closer inspection the next day, the apartments were clean and airy with the shutters open. The upper floor balconies were spacious and sunny (We had requested a higher level due to reviews complaining about ants on the lower levels.) The ground floor outside spaces were not very private and mostly small. The whole complex was in need of refurbishment but this has little impact on my holiday enjoyment as we spend so little time inside anyway. The beds were comfortable and we all slept well. RM had a couple of restless nights due to the air conditioning not working too well.
The food was a very nice surprise. We had set off with our expectations fairly low and a budget to eat out a couple of times. In my opinion Marinda garden buffet was of a much higher standard than the Sol Mirlos. Most evening and lunch times I wanted to try a bit of everything instead of struggling to find something to put on my plate. We all ate well and put weight on!!! Even the more fussy family members (females) were happy. I found some nicely cooked vegetables to eat each day and throughout the week had Rabbit, chicken, beef, turkey, lamb and lots of different fish dishes. Also chilli and burritos one night. All of it very tasty but as always with buffets, sometimes the food was a little dry depending on how long it had been standing. There was always some meat and fish being freshly cooked however. Plenty of cold meats cheeses and salads were available too. There was usually a rice dish or paella and this was not swimming in grease and too salty to eat. There was soup each day also which were really tasty. I was reluctant to try them initially after the experience at the Mirlos when I swear the soup was yesterdays mixed veg thrown in some boiling water.
Puddings were typical Spanish cakes, loads of fruit, different flavoured ice creams and sorbets, chocolate brownies etc.
The entertainment was pretty much what you would expect for a family holiday but credit should be given to the hotels own entertainment staff. They were from Holland, Spain, Italy and probably other parts of Europe but we didn’t have much contact with the kids club staff. The three staff who did the evening shows worked very hard during the day to get the teens and adults involved in the activities. They even got me doing some pilates one day. My abs are still aching.
There was always something going on and both our kids really loved getting involved after getting over their initial reluctance. Mostly down to the perseverance of the staff to include them. They won some medals and were genuinely sad to go. One of the staff even came over to wave our coach off with some of the friends the kids had made.
The pool area was pleasant and we never worried about reserving a bed. We managed to get 4 together whatever time we made it to the pool. I was quite surprised it wasn’t busier being half term although it did seem to fill up the last two days we were there.
The water park was fairly small but the kids spent an hour or two there most days. There was a wave pool and several large slides.
We ended up only going out once as everybody was more than happy to eat in the hotel. We went to Es tast de na silvia which was rated number one in cala ‘n bosch.
It cost about 15.95 for the set menu (3 Courses) Rm and I started with stuffed peppers which tasted a little like lasagne. Very tasty. Teen girl had a goat’s cheese salad and teen boy had asparagus and prawns. For our mains we had vegetable lasagne, chicken in pastry with a mushroom sauce. Very tender and tasty and RM had bream which he enjoyed.
We had crème caramel and profiteroles for desert. Clean plates all round. The restaurant was on the harbour so it was a lovely setting to enjoy a relaxed dinner.
There is a lovely inland manmade harbour in Cala’n bosch surrounded by shops and restaurants.
It’s a quiet resort with a lovely beach which we visited one day.
This mermaid washed up on the beach while we were there.
We also decided to book the castaways cruise offered at the Thomas cook meeting. It was £50 euros for adults (over 12’s) and £25 for kids. We were taken to Cuitadella harbour by coach (about 25 mins).
lighthouse at Cala'n bosch.
We boarded a boat called Fiesta which cruised along the coast stopping at a couple of lovely beaches. The first beach was Cala en Turqueta,
the second was Cala Son Saura (we think).
Lunch of paella and sangria or pop was provided (Not great but we didn’t go for the food)
The skipper gave us information as we went and played some excellent tunes loudly. The whole family seemed to enjoy the day. It was hot though and luckily we had gone armed with our factor 30.
At various intervals throughout the day one of the crew would come with some sangria or local lemon gin, in a vessel which looked like a small indoor watering can, and pour alcohol into our mouths.
All in all a great time had by all. We were sad to leave
Home 
Sun Jun 10, 2012 5:06 pm
. Yes the kids were all very proud of their medals. 
