My boyfriend and I stayed at the Blue Bay for a week at the end of June, I booked the flights through Jet2 and the hotel through Laterooms and with very little difficulty spent very little on a wonderful week away.

I 100% reccommend giving the Blue Bay a go but make sure you go not expecting the Four Seasons, the reviews I read on here were pretty valid, the rooms are small but very clean and comfy, the sea view over the marina is truely wonderful and waking up to that and the sunshine everyday really makes the difference. Breakfast was good and the rest of the meals were ok...I have no problem with this when the basis is all inclusive and I paid £43 per room per night!! Hardly breaking the bank.

The pool and pool area is clean with plenty of sunbeds and a nice bar area however its only a short walk down the steps to bars and restaurants but like the previous reviews said Cala Mayor is pretty tired and depressing, it cries out of memories of a previously bustling resort but now is like a ghost town. This isnt really an issue though because getting to Palma is so easy, the 46 and 3 buses are almost every 10mins, Palma is so gorgeous, wonderful shops, little back streets of boutiques, restaurants and bars...with a real Spanish feel. I would highly reccomend the restaurant Cabilleto De Mar, its a seafood restaurant in the Old Town close to the Cathedral. FABULOUS food and service.

Each day we got the bus (in the opposite deirection to palma) to the beach in Illetas, choose the beach to the left as you get off the bus at the end of the line, it is a very pretty cove with a fantastic terrace restaurant serving drinks and fine food all day.

We're booking to go back as soon as we can. A 2 hour flight, 15 min transfer, lovely little hotel, sunshine and beaches. Perfect.

I stayed at the blue Bay hotel with my partner for 1 week on a B&B basis in May 08. I had read a number of reviews and was worried about what I was going to find but was not disappointed at all. A number of the reviews appeared to be a series or moans so I am going to try and keep this review as constructive as possible to help those thinking of staying there.

The hotel was situated 20 minutes from Palma Airport and set upon a hill in Cala Major. The room itself was quite small but had a double bed (two single beds pushed together) large wardrobes, TV, bathroom, air con and a balcony. (Some people have said the balcony was small and could only fit two chairs on which is true, but I am not sure what else you would want to put out there!) The rooms were cleaned daily and fresh towels were provided.

We were on the 7th floor overlooking the pool with a lovely view of the marina and sea. I did ask when we checked in if it was a sea view room and would recommend you do the same so if it isn’t you can see if they can move you as it would be a shame to miss the beautiful view.

The breakfast at the hotel was good – There was a selection of cereals, breads and pastries, cooked breakfast, fruit and yoghurts to choose from and as it was a buffet style, you could eat as much as you liked. It was served from 7.30 – 10.15.

The pool area was clean and had plenty of sunbeds, there was a small bar and seating area by the pool which also served toasted sandwiches (but they were not very appetizing.)
There was a Bar in the main hotel which was open in the evening, but we only had one or two drinks in there after returning from a night out in Palma so I cannot comment too much on it, but it didn’t look like there was much going on… the entertainment board had a few things on like bingo and from 2130 each night a mini disco but I think that just meant they played music. It also seemed to be catered more towards Germans who were certainly the majority at the hotel.

The hotel was fine for us as we were using it as a base to explore the island but most people we saw were either half board or all inclusive and I would have got very very bored had I had to stay there all day and night for the entire week.

There was a shop just to the left of the main hotel entrance which sold drinks, crisps, sweet, papers etc. To get into Cala Mayor or to the beach you had to walk down around 200 steps as the hotel was built on a hill, or you could walk down the road.

The Cala Mayor area was very disappointing. I wasn’t expecting much from the websites I had looked at but thought it would be ok to have a wander around and find somewhere decent to have lunch on the few days we were not out and about but even that was a struggle. There were a handful of restaurants but none were particularly appealing. We did however find a nice bar down at the marina where we had drinks and also went to a restaurant which had been recommended on one of the websites. Shu Bi Dua is just at the bottom of the hill (by scots corner.) It is nothing to look at (in fact we almost didn’t go in as it looked really old fashioned) but the steak and strogonaff were both amazing!! It looks like a family run place and I would definitely recommend it. The owner came out and spoke to us and all staff were very friendly – we ended up going back on our last night as it was so good!


Out and About in Mallorca
Since there was not a lot to do in Cala Mayor, we found that most nights we ate in Palma. There is a bus stop right outside the shop and number 46 takes you to Palma. You can get it from either side of the road as it does a circular route but the shop side is slightly quicker and the buses run approx every 20 minutes until late at night. The cost for one trip is 1.20 euro and you do not need to state a destination just tell the driver how many people (uno (1), dos (2) etc) There are numerous stops in Palma but we got off most nights around Avinguda Jaume III and walked down towards the cathedral where there are a number of restaurants.

We also got the bus into Palma and then got the old train to Soller which cost 17 euro return. Once in Soller you can get the tram to Peurto Soller for 4 euro each way. From Soller, the train back to Palma leaves at various times until 1400 and then next one is then not until 1830. You can get a one way ticket on the train and get a bus back to Palma if you decide but I would definitely recommend the train for at least one leg of the trip. Soller is a wonderful old town, perfect for pottering around the shops having a nice lunch and a bottle of wine!

Puerto Pollensa and Pollensa are also worth visiting either by car or by bus (as we did.) We paid 8 euro to go to peurto pollensa for a lovely lunch overlooking the beach and a walk down ‘Pine Walk’ and then got the bus to pollensa for 1.20 euro and had a look round the shops, the old streets, climbed the 400 steps to the church and had dinner. We got the bus back at around 1930.

Overall a lovely Island and excellent hotel for the price but Cala Mayor was a real let down.

We've just returned from the Blue Bay Hotel this morning and wouldn't go there again. We only booked the holiday as a last minute deal three days before we went and the holiday still wasn't cheap, although we booked through a travel agent they in turn booked it through Hotels4u!! We got there at 4am to find that the 1 room apt we were promised was actually a twin room, when we questioned this with reception they said that there wasn't any apt's available and that was that!! From our 4th floor room our view mainly comprised of the building site across the road and then the view of the Bay.We booked the B&B option and the food was bland and not at all appealing. The weather was shocking with thunderstorms and rain and unfortunately the array of TV channels available were all in German apart from an english speaking news channel. Over the week we only talked to two or three english people and the rest of the guests were german, spanish, french and danish. The entertainment package was also catered to the majority of german guests including menus and newspapers. On the day before we were due to leave we asked reception about our late check-out which we'd also been promised and told that there wasnt one even if we were willing to pay 20,30,40 or even 50 euros and we had to check out of our room by 11:30am when considering our flight wasnt until 2:45 the next morning was an absolute joke!!! I've been to Majorca 6 times previously and this was the worst place that I've ever stayed, I'm sure that if you're german then you would certainly enjoy this hotel unfortunately because we're english we didn't!!!! I certainly wouldnt bother spending your hard earned money on this place!!!!

I stayed here for four nights half board in April and this hotel is good value for money, the rooms are clean, the staff freindly and helpful and my room had fantstic views over the marina and out to sea.

The food was good, on offer at breakfast was fresh & canned fruit, yoghurt, breads, toast, fruit cake, crossants, selection of cereals, cheese, cold meats, boiled eggs, fried eggs, beans, sausage, bacon, cooked tomatoes etc. To drink there is tea, coffee, hot chocolate, juices & water.

Each night there was a good selection of freshly prepared salad, breads, meat, fish, potatoes anfd usually a vegetarian pasta dish. Desserts tended to be the same each night but were ok.

The hotel has fabulous views because it is located quite high up on a hill, which means that there are a lot of steps. We didn't find these to be a problem but they would not be ideal for elderly, small children or those with walking difficulties.

Although all of the staff spoke english, I would advise that taking a few minutes to learn some basic spanish will be appreciated and will get you further.

The only downside for me was that our room was located at the top of the stairway and accross from the lifts, so it could get a little noisy a night with.

Overall, I would recommend this hotel and would stay here again.