Fiesta Hotel Castell Playa

castell playa for golden oldies

by TripAdvisor Member Theresa43

hotel is dated but kept very clean,our room was good size and cleaned everyday by maid ,with towels changed everyday and sheets every other,The restaurant was very busy with long queues ,food ok nothing special,deserts ,consisted of mousses ,jelly. and sponge cakes!the place felt more like a canteen !!!even though it states not to reserve sunbeds everymorning well before 7am down they would go to pick the best position for the day,lay their towel on the sunbed and then dissapear,by 9am almost every bed had towel on them,we would watch some mornings from our balcony,we had to laugh it was quite comical watching them pace around before choosing a spot.We hired a car from a rental place in the resort and visited some of the lovely places in menorca,which i feel is why you visit a country and not just sat round the pool allday,The hotel was a t least a good base to do this from, Arenal is a very small resort,in fact far to quite for us ,a few shops bars and restaurants, but it does have a lovely beach, we bought a couple of lilos,and relaxed sunbathing and swam in the clear crystal blue waters,
and we never had to get down there early to reserve a place.We would not choose to go to a gold again ,we felt that the majority of the guests were of a more mature age than us,and at times we ifelt out of place,maybe it just did not match up to hotels we have stayed at in the past, Evening entertainment was pretty good ,but as there was no where really to go in the evening in the.resort, we mostly stayed in the hotel, We never booked any trips with thomsans as we hired a car, but we thought they seemed very expensive!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ian Ross- fantastic rep, fantastic hotel!

by TripAdvisor Member LondonDegania

Sorry it's late, stayed at the Castell Playa last year, had the best holiday. The staff and reps, especially Ian, were fantastic, nothing too much. I hope to be back this year and hope to see you all soon!

Lovely return visit

by TripAdvisor Member barnsfield

This is our third visit to the Castell Playa and we thoroughly enjoyed it once again. We stayed there for the last 2 weeks of the season (16 - 30 October) and the weather was absolutely superb. This is a good standard 3 star hotel with excellent facilities, entertainment to suit all tastes and a stunning location. I would recommend that you book a sea view room as the views are wonderful. The food is quite good but gets a bit "samey" after 2 weeks although there is so much choice that you would never go hungry. We ate out one night at the lovely Alcalde restaurant (near the bus stop) which does an excellent Menu of the Day for 18 euros (starter, main course, dessert, water & bread). There is also a substantial a la carte menu. The bus to Mahon leaves every morning at 9.05 and 10.00 and returns at 12.45 or later in the afternoon. Most people return on the 12.45 as the shops close in the afternoon. The journey only takes around 30 mins and costs 1.85 euros each way. The bus stop is situated just down the hill a few minutes walk from the hotel. If you wish to hire a car I would recommend Miramar car hire (again just down the hill) who does deals like 3 days for the price of 2 for around 70 euros. The evening entertainment is quite good and in the 2 weeks we were there we had many tribute acts (Blues Brothers, Four Tops, Three Degrees, Bee Gees and the wonderful Dylan Cassidy as Rod Stewart (the highlight of the holiday) plus 2 comedians - Aiden J Harvey & Jeff Fry and fabulous Chinese acrobats and flamenco dancers. The staff are superb and are always on hand to help. The only downside of this holiday is as the hotel was closing for the season and we were there right up to the very end they were in closure mode by removing sunbeds, tables and chairs from around the pool and closing the pool bar and barbecue restaurant a few days prior to the closure. This however did not spoil our holiday and I'm sure one day we'll be back.

Too many flies

by TripAdvisor Member Droggs

My wife and I have just returned from this hotel. We both had a fairly good time there but will not be going back.

This hotel was built over 50 years ago with its last major refurbishement in the year 2000. The main hotel area looks fine but many of the rooms good do with a refurbishment immediately. Many of the rooms on the third floor 330/340 have been subjected to water damage. Our bathroom door was warped and so was the wardrobe doors. This meant neither would close. The room opposite us the front door was warped which meant the occupiers had to slam it hard at any time of the day or night. The night porter let slip that these rooms are only used when the hotel is busy.

On our first day we found that two cokes and a coffee costs 7.35euros so we opted for the drinks option package at 90euros per person per week. There are a couple of bars nearby who charge similar but give larger measures of recognised brands.

The food is varied, of good quality and there is plenty of it. I'm afraid however that no effort has been made to reduce the number of flies in restaurant. They are particularly prevalent during the evening mealtime. You expect flies in a hot country but you should also expect a little effort to reduce their population.

Our other gripe was the two main lady Thomson reps. They were only interested in selling you the trips. We were told nothing about the hotel, local transport or the surrounding area. I mean nothing!!! Most new guests were learning from previous arrivals and not the useless reps.

Regarding the tours they are expensive but the sunset sail was well worth the money. Loads to eat and drink included.

Don't be put of by the walk down many steps to the beach. Just go slow or stop off in one of the cafes half way and catch your breath.

Finally, the sea is crystal clear. Great for swimming and warm.

Loved

by TripAdvisor Member Chrisy1

My wife and her mum and dad have just returned from this hotel and we loved it. The food was good and the entertainment was spot on. The Rep Dave Beattie is a star in the making and from the start to the end of the day, he went the extra mile for everyone. Also, the resident band Reaction was good and they catered for all musical tastes and along with Dave provided top entertainment.

There was a problem with flies and although there was more than normal for the time of year, we was able to cope and the food was great. We did have a problem with ants and the reception and the cleaners did sort the problem out for us.

However, the hotel was more than aware and I am sure they will sort this problem out. Therefore, it is a good hotel the staff are more than friendly and would recommend thisplace as a holiday, however, be aware that it is a hilly place and the less mobile might struggle moving from and to the hotel. Overall and excellent place, with it's little bars and shops and a brilliant beach......

Fine - all good.

by TripAdvisor Member phucdx

It was Thomson Gold hotel and lots of older oeople there. We were a young couple (I teach and went during Oct Half Term) and did a Pricebreaker and were allocated on arrival.

Overall, it was a very nice week (helped by the weather!).

Hotel fine - Spotlessly clean - very impressed. Not the newest of hotels, but not old by any means. Rooms adequate in size. Nice balcony view over swimming pool and countryside. The other side faces the sea.

Food - buffet breakfast delicious. Lots to choose from. Continental and English Breakfast. Fruit juices, coffee and tea etc. Waitors very efficient. Sometimes too efficient at taking plates! Evening meal - varied. Again lots of choice for me, but my girlfriend is a vegetarian. There was always a vege option, but in things like rice, they put meat in for the sake of putting meat in!!! Pudding was often dissapointing - always LOTS of delicious fruit, but often only served with jelly and other jelly type foods - just not my favourite! Overall - very impressed.

Swimming Pool - lovely looking but VERY VERY COLD!!!! The sea was much warmer! Once you got in though and started swimming, all was well again! Again, very clean and pool attendant always cleaning the area.

Locality - North side of the island. Not very lively for 23 year olds, but it didnt help that it was the end of the season. A few bars nearby (auzy and irish bar) but no one in them as Menorca was closing!
Didnt use or see any buses - hired a car for 3 days from the hotel - reasonably priced (about £20 per day for a Citreon C3 air con)
About 20 min drive from Mahon airport.

Reps - very helpful. There were daily activities to take part in and reps available morning and evening to ask questions, such as where to go and what to do. Excellent evening entertainment - just as well as little else to do!

Would i go back there again? Yes probably, but not necessarily in Oct 1/2 term. I got back on Saturday 28th Oct 06 and the hotel closes for 6 months on the 31st October. It was clear that they wanted to close and have a holiday by Friday. There were fewer reps around and the lunch time food menu was reduced to either a pork bap or a tuna bap (tuna was very tasty!). They also closed the outside bbq thing.

Had a great week. Very relaxing. Didnt hear anyone complain.

Out and About

by TripAdvisor Member Peug

My wife and I have just returned from a two week holiday and had a very enjoyable stay. Our room overlooked the pool and had full sun from early afternoon. The rooms are a good size and are kept spotless with towel changes and bed linen changes on a very regular basis. The main evening entertainment was not for us as we had a late dinner anyway. The sunbed musical chairs from around 7.30 a.m. however was, after all there was only about 300 to choose from!!!!!! The same people each morning took part in this ritual of moving and replacing beds all around the pool area which we found highly amusing and pathetic. Food was generally good and a wide choice to suit most tastes, the starters werevery varied,with lots of fresh fruit , cereals were plentyful and bread and pastries of all types. The sweets were enough also for most tastes, However some of the main courses were a let down, Pork in some shape or form were on the menu every night and it was of the highest quality. There was sea food and a fair choice of other meats also of good quality. One night however the beef casserole was unedible tough and had to be dumped. One other small grumble was the way chicken was presented, in small boney pieces on a regular basis under different names instead of nice quarters or even drumsticks. We were disappoined, being fond of chicken. This island has so many lovely places to visit and we hired a car for a ten day period and would say it is essential to do so unless you want to fry all day on a sunbed. We booked our car with the travel agent but there are plenty of hire places and in fact Europ cars are in this hotel contrary to what the travel agent told us and some good deals are available. This hotel is unsuitable for the less mobile unless you have a car, it is very hilly with lots of steps also. The staff at this hotel are top class and always have a smile.

horrible

by TripAdvisor Member teapotDurham

this hotel is terrible just got back went for the drinks option which was 75 pound each getting served was a big problem waited half an hour every time little old women on reception very nasty could not talk to us civilized paid extra for double bed and ended up with two singles staff in dining area bent over backwards to be nice food lovely wont be back again ever entertainment good if your willing to wait till twelve o clock which then you have to pay for your drinks if you need to see a rep see mark as the others are just not intrested

Relaxing Holiday

by TripAdvisor Member Ailie-J

I stayed at this hotel in September 2006 and found it to be okay. As it is a Thomson Gold hotel, I expected the standard to be a bit higher, but then it is only a 3* hotel so maybe I expected too much. The hotel itself is pleasant, although a little dated and in need of some tlc. We stayed in a superior room, which was a good size and came with bathrobes, slippers, fruit, water, reclining chairs on the balcony. The room also faced out to sea rather than overlooking the pool, which meant we couldn't hear the entertainment if we wanted some peace any evenings.

I'm not big on hotel entertainment so I'd say it was average, although the Thomson entertainment reps Dave and Sian were a good team. I was really surprised that the reps show was one of the best nights of the week. There were various tribute type acts such as the Bee Gees, Rod Stewart etc and the Chinese Acrobats were excellent.

Daytime around the pool was enjoyable. There are activities to join in if you want to but if not you can lie in peace and enjoy the sun. It's good fun watching the water polo in the afternoon though, especially when there's plenty of cheating going on! I also enjoyed the afternoon quiz every day, when there was the chance to win beach towels, t-shirts, wine stoppers etc

I had no problem with the food in the hotel, apart from the labels were sometimes muddled. However, there was always a reasonable selection of soup, salad, hot dishes and desserts. The gala dinner wasn't anything special though...the only difference from any other night was that they gave me a flower. I've been to gala dinners in other hotels and this didn't come close to those.

The drinks package was value for money as it worked out at about £16 per day for a couple. We definitely got our money's worth by having morning coffee, soft drinks by the pool all day, wine with our meal and drinks at night. There was never any problem getting served, although when the entertainment was on it was a case of catching the waiters eye or getting up and going to the bar.

If you want a peaceful, relaxing holiday then this hotel and resort fits the bill. There's not too much going on around the hotel and not many bars or restaurants either. The beach is lovely though and you can get around the coast by mini train, as well getting the bus to Mahon. It gets really full though so be at the bus stop long before the bus is due to ensure you get on.

If I was going back to Menorca for a quiet holiday I'd stay at this hotel again, but there are other Thomson Gold hotels I'd like to try before I return to this one.

Arenal d 'en Castell

by Leipzig

"Arenal d'en Castell"

Arenal is one of the largest resorts on the island of Menorca. The beach forms an almost perfect circular cove, 500 m (1.640 ft) in diameter, it is enclosed by high cliffs to the east and lower slopes to the west.

"Hotel "Castell Playa""

View down from our hotel room

"Donkey Safari"

Don't miss to explore the island riding on the back of a donkey.

"Take the sun away"