Elba Sunset Mallorca, what can I say! Perched on a cliff in Palma Nova, this hotel offers stunning views of the Balearic sea. I’m talking really stunning, the hotel looks rather opulent as you walk in with lots of marble, so the sea literally glitters. This image of the lobby seen rom the seventh floor will give you an idea.

Walking into the hotel, we were impressed with the modern look and feel, check in was smooth and the staff were super friendly.

The rooms are clean and minimal, though amenities are limited. They have tea and coffee, as well as complimentary water, but no bathroom toiletries ( shower cap, dental kit etc). This is minor but I always find it a nice touch when in a hotel, so I missed this.

The hotel itself has two pools, one infinity pool on the lower level and one sky pool on the 8th floor. With daybeds and sun beds in abundance this hotel offers endless places to sit (or lay) back and enjoy the views. The name is apt because this hotel is a perfect sunset spot viewing spot (they even have a sunset terrace).

One of my favourite parts about this hotel was that it was QUIET. Especially the pool on the 8th floor, very peaceful. The water in the pool was cold, but we did go out of season technically (mid April).

Isla de da Porrassa is the uninhabited island you can see in the distance, from the local beach you can probably swim there.

Now despite the hotel being “instragrammable” the food was a real let down.

The main restaurant “The Galley” is buffet style. At breakfast there were plenty of options, an omelette and egg station with a chef to prepare them fresh for you, continental style breakfast with pastries and cured meats and cheeses, as well as hot options. There were variations of milk on offer (including plant based for vegans), dairy and gluten free options and modern coffee machines for the coffee drinkers. This again all looked impressive but lacked flavour and finesse, which is a shame. The best part was probably the fresh smoothies!

At dinner time, again there were plenty of options, pasta, pizza, grilled meat and veg, and an extensive cake selection. I wish that the food was of a higher standard, because that would have changed this hotel’s rating for me!

Having been unimpressed with the mine buffet, we dined at the paid restaurant on the pool desk called “The Bow”. The food here was mediocre, and although it looked decent, the flavours didn’t match up. The prawns lacked seasoning, the chicken wings were dry with what tasted like shop bought bbq sauce on and the octopus could have been so much better. The paprika mash was lumpy and all of the dishes were cold. I had to get dessert, obviously, but again, it wasn’t great. The apple tart tatin was just about warm (the menu says hot served with ice cream) so that was disappointing.

We visited the spa while we were there which is small but mighty. There is pool with built in jacuzzi, a small sauna and steam room, as well as an ice fountain. The wide windows from the jet pool give you the same views of the sea at the hotel. I had a massage which was really relaxing, my therapist was attentive and the rooms are ambient.

Enough about the hotel, what about the beach I hear you cry, the nearest beach is Playa de Magaluf. A 5 minute walk downhill ( lots of steps) and be warned the walk back up is not fun LOL. I wasn’t optimistic about this, but the beach was so pretty. Beautiful sand (I know how some of my people said they don’t like a pebble beach ha!) this beach is for you.

The sea was calm, nice wide beach with plenty of restaurants and bars lining the walkway. There were quite a few restaurants catering to those wanting burgers, kebabs etc, but we did get some nice seafood and paella from one of the restaurants there. Beach view from this restaurant below, they also had some impressive cocktails.

Look all in all, this hotel gave a welcome break from the hustle and bustle of London. The weather was great, the views were stunning and the hotel are trying really hard to impress. However, for me, food is a big part of any holiday, Spanish food is full of flavour and packs a punch, the food at this hotel swung and missed.

That said, if you fancy visiting the area there are lots of things to see and do nearby. We did this trip without our children, but if they were with us, they would have enjoyed it I’m sure. ( But i can’t tell you how glad I was to not have to push a stroller up the hill from the beach!!).