It has been two weeks already since we returned from our family holiday in Mallorca. A holiday we have been longing for such a long time. It is great to have travel fully back again.
Our last Sun family holiday was six years ago. Chloe was still very little and she wasn’t a fan of the heat or the pool. Thankfully tables have turned and she tells me this was the best holiday she ever had.
When it comes to a Sun holiday, I generally book with a travel agency. If you do a bit more research, I am sure you can get the flights and accommodation a bit cheaper, for example, if you book them individually and on the hotel website itself. We wanted to be more at ease as this holiday was booked last August and nobody was sure how travel is going to look like in 2022. We even booked travel insurance, just in case.
The kids had a week off in June before the Summer holiday itself so it was the perfect opportunity to head away for ten days as it meant they would only miss two days of school. Plus, during this time it is not that busy yet as most people would head away in July and August.
It was an early morning flight on a Friday, just before the June Bank Holiday weekend. We tried to be at the airport as early as we could because it was meant to be a busy one. We got there 2h 30 minutes before in the end and we still had time to sit down and have some breakfast.
[booking_product_helper shortname=”holiday”]The Resort
I’ve done hours of research to find the perfect hotel for us as we have not been away on a Sun holiday in almost six years. It had to be a good one. We chose Hotel VIVA Blue which is located in beautiful Playa de Muro, 40 minutes drive from Palma. The beach is literally just across the road, less than a five minute walk.
We checked into the hotel in the late afternoon. Our apartment was located in a convenient section of the hotel complex. The garden led straight onto the pool area and the chill out pool area which is a separate section for adults only. The apartment was spacious, modern and the garden for extra space made a huge difference to the kids when we chilled out after lunch. It also had a little kitchen area with a hob, fridge, microwave, pots and pans and cutlery.
A lot of people had all inclusive but we booked half board which gave us breakfast and dinner. Lunch time we usually went to the shop down the road and had something small in the hotel. We only ate out for lunch once or twice.
Apart from the few days we rented the car to do some sightseeing on the island, we pretty much had the same chilled and relaxed schedule every single day.
Each morning we got up to have breakfast between 9 and 9.30am. It continued with getting our gear together for either the pool or the beach. We went to the beach twice in that time. The kids enjoyed just messing in the water with their buckets. They tried to catch the fish swimming around close the shore. We also invested in a few inflatables which were handy for the sunbathing. But also to get over the waves in the Sea. Matthew had so much fun being pushed by the waves.
Fresh fruit was available daily on the beach. There was a guy walking around with a wheelbarrow selling watermelon, pineapple, coconuts etc. Those two days we were at the beach we enjoyed a fresh watermelon for €5 and some coconut, too.
Lunch time and the early afternoon we spent in our apartment to relax and hide away from the sun. It was our Siesta. I went to the local shop to grab some lunch such as a baguette or crisps for the kids. This saved us a huge amount of money instead of eating out all the time. Plus, with the heat, they were not interested in eating too much food anyway. Matthew pretty much had a plate full of fruit every single day.
The late afternoon always brought us back to the pool for an hour or two. Here Matthew enjoyed a water gun fight with his new friend he made from Cork. They hung out together every evening when the entertainment was on. The Viva Blue hotel has five pools in total. We didn’t use the lane swimming one at all but the option was there. We took turns hanging out in the Chill area which was literally for adults only. It was right beside our apartment which was so handy as we could just hop in and out.
Dinner was served from 6.30pm. We generally got there for around 7pm. I just love buffet, you get to choose what you want and how much you want. I love to always choose a bit of everything. Desserts in Spain are always the highlight for me. I probably had more dessert than actual dinners. The kids loved the ice cream and sweets they had every night. They loved the independence of walking up and choosing their own food and bringing it back to the table.
We saw almost every show every night. There were acrobats, singers, magicians etc. The kids loved it and that’s all that matters. However there was times they couldn’t stay away from the grabber machine in the Sports Bar.
One of the amenities the hotel had, was bouncy castles, table tennis, a playground and a pitch to play football and basketball on. Sometimes we would have been there at 10pm at night playing with other kids. I had a match with hubby but he beat me badly, surprisingly as I used to be better at table tennis.
Out and About
Playa de Muro is a lovely little town to go for a stroll. There are plenty of shops along the way. I bought a few souvenirs for the home including a new magnet to join my collection of course.
Fun World
Just a few metres across the road from the hotel, we found a bouncy castle park called “Fun World”. We ended up going three times here in the evening time. It is literally like a big play centre but outside. We paid €6 for 30 minutes and they were absolutely covered in sweat afterwards. It shows they had a great time.
Alcudia Bay Glass Boat Trip
We couldn’t leave Mallorca without doing at least one boats trip. We didn’t require a rental car for this as I found a glass boat that would pick us up not too far from the hotel. All we needed to do is arrive at the pier closest to us. I booked this through a website called Click Mallorca. They have a lot of great other deals on. This boat has a glass bottom which means the kids could see the bottom of the sea and fish.
We stopped off at one of the bays for everyone to get an opportunity and jump into the water. I took this opportunity because when it comes to water I just simply can’t say no. The kids watched me from the boat as both can’t fully swim yet. At first the water was cold but once in it, it was grand. I forgot to bring my goggles but the water was so clear you could see down to the ground. Snacks, ice cream and light food options such as hot dog are available on board. We then headed further North along the coast. The sea was a bit rough which made some of us seasick. So if you feel the same, be sure you bring some tablets with you. Although you might get lucky as it was very windy that day. The whole boat trip was around two hours long.
Tickets were €26 per adult and €16 per child.
Kilombito Beach Bar
In the evening it was time for the parents to go and do something fun as well. So two of the evenings we ended up in the Kilombito Beach bar a short walk from the hotel. Great music, a huge menu of cocktails and lovely area to sit.
Beach Walks
The evenings were generally for us to have a walk around in the neighbourhood (or buying every fake Pokemon pack that exists) and a lot of the times we ended up at the beach. The kids were chasing waves, Chloe was building sand castles. It was a pleasant time to be at the beach and enjoy the views.
Sightseeing
To mix things up other than sitting at the pool or beach all day, I decided to book a car for a few days for us to explore the island. The rental company Vanrell was just a short walk away from the hotel. We booked this in advanced, however many people book on site, too. There is no shortage of rental companies in the town we stayed. We got a Peugeot 3008.
Palma Aquarium
On our first day we booked tickets to go to the aquarium in Palma with the car rental company. This gave us 30% off the ticket price. You will also receive a leaflet that will give you a free gift. (this is a tote bag and shark pencil)
Free parking is available next to the aquarium. We spent roughly two hours in the aquarium. I have been to various aquariums over the years and this one is definitely one of the best ones up there.
We saw so many sea creatures. The kids were fascinated by them. From sea horses to sharks and nemo, it was all there.
In one of the rooms they had a few tables setup for the kids to draw and colour their own fish. But this wasn’t the best part. Once they were finished, one of the guys scanned the kids picture and seconds later it appeared on the big screen for everyone to see with their name on it. Absolute brilliant idea and the kids loved it.
It was too hot to be playing in the playground so instead we had some lunch in the cafe. Afterwards we checked out the last area which was outside. Mainly turtles and the nursery where the fish are raised until they are ready for the big tank. It was time to head back to the hotel and go for that well deserved swim.
Train Soller
The next day we drove back into Palma itself, parked the car in an underground car park and walked over to the train station where we boarded the old wooden train. This brings you to Soller town, an hour train ride. Tickets can be booked in advanced, however they are limited. We booked a return ticket at the ticket office when we arrived.
Trains don’t leave that frequent so you will have to let the lady know at the ticket office what time you want to return to Palma again. There is a big gap between 2pm and 6.30pm. We took the train back at 2pm which gave us an hour to explore Soller. Another tram (booked with a combined ticket) going to the port of Soller is also available and departs every thirty minutes. Unfortunately we didn’t have enough time for it.
The train ride is a lovely experience for the kids. On the way you will spot plenty of beautiful scenery such as valleys, farms, almond & lemon trees and fields. Depending on which train you will board, it will stop at the viewpoint of Pujol d’en Banya. The train drives through a long tunnel to get to the other side which was probably like five minutes until we saw some light again.
When we got to Soller, we grabbed some lunch on the square in a cafe overlooking the cathedral. It was quite hot that day but the small alley ways with plenty of shops around gave us the shade we needed. On the way we found a shop that sells fresh fruit popsicles. I had the watermelon and the kids had orange and coconut. It was time to head back to Palma. Straight back to the car, drive back to the hotel and hop into the pool to cool us down.
Tickets for two adults and two children were €84 return.
Cuevas Del Drach
The third and last day we had our rental car, we drove to the East part of the island. Just metres away from Puerto Cristo are the Dragon caves, best know as Cuevas Del Drach. They are approximately 1200 metres long and 25 metres deep. Also they have the largest underground lake in the world. Temperatures never reach below 17 degrees.
We booked these tickets in advanced as it is always better to have that reassurance you are not going to miss out on the attraction when we arrive. It was quite a busy morning, even though we went during the week.
The tour lasted about an hour. It is a self-guided tour but there is a brochure you can download on the website that will tell you all about the different sections.
As we reached the bottom point of the caves, we all sat down on benches right beside the lake to enjoy a live concert. This consisted of several boats rowing towards us with musical instruments on the boat such as a piano, violin etc. The caves are pitch dark at this time and all you can see is the lit up boats which was absolutely beautiful. The concert lasts about ten minutes.
Once the concert was over, we could decide whether we wanted to cross the lake by boat or make our way by foot over the bridge. The queue was massive to get on the boats and we could have been there for a while. We decided on the bridge. This is also where the tour ends and you are ascending to the outside world again.
We enjoyed a hot dog from the hot dog stand on one of the benches. There is a big cafe too to have hot food or sandwiches if you wanted to. We had an ice cream afterwards too before walking down to Porto Cristo. That day was overcast which was actually nice and bearable to explore. We couldn’t walk past the playground of course that was right beside the port.
After a little stroll around the port itself, we walked back to the car. It was actually very quiet along the port. I think it must have been Siesta or something as there were not many people around.
Tickets for the caves were €50 for 2 adults and 2 kids.
Our Sun holiday was ten days long and in my opinion it was the perfect length. We had plenty of time to explore but also plenty of time to relax. I am already looking to book for next year which more than likely will be Mallorca again, but this time in a different area. I personally think Mallorca is great island to holiday as a family. As a child I have been to Mallorca three times myself. According to Chloe, this was the best holiday she ever had.
