Globespan

...hotel is actually owned by Globespan and is their own local office and base for their reps.

So we had a Globespan holiday, travelling on Globespan’s own airline, staying at a Globespan Hotel with reps “on site” , with day time flights on a Saturday at the end of August, from and to our local airport and a further bonus – if there were any problems to sort out afterwards, the Globespan Head Office is just a mile from us on the same ...
...a huge queue for the Globespan flight. Most people were obviously leaving check in to the last moment – who really wants to hang around any airport for two hours. Makes you wonder whether its really security reasons that cause these long check-ins or something more commercial like wanting you to be so bored and hungry that you spend a lot of money in the shops, restaurants and bars boosting BAA’s profits..

Check in was completed relatively ... more

In July, we decided we needed a holiday and having enjoyed Puerto Pollensa in Majorca in the past we decided to go back again in the near future, but after the schools were back! (Our own children have flown the nest long ago)

This opinion is primarily about Globespan, but I’ll tell you a bit about the holiday as well as we go along. To quote Globespan’s web site “we are celebrating 28 years of Tour Operating and are currently not only the UK’s leading and biggest Tour Operator to Canada (voted Tour Operator of the Year for 1999 at the Canada Travel Awards), but are also a major player in low cost scheduled airfares worldwide”. We were more aware of them as a specialist in Puerto Pollensa (PP), offering direct flights from Edinburgh, our nearest airport (20mins away - a real drag!). We were also aware that they had recently started their own airline offering low cost flights from Edinburgh, Prestwick and Glasgow to a range of holiday destinations in Europe.

First stop was Globespan’s web site where we were able to check availability of accommodation against our dates. Within a relatively short time we had booked and paid for a week’s holiday at the Hotel Sis Pins in PP. The online facility was great and saved a lot of time. It was a bonus that the hotel is actually owned by Globespan and is their own local office and base for their reps.

So we had a Globespan holiday, travelling on Globespan’s own airline, staying at a Globespan Hotel with reps “on site” , with day time flights on a Saturday at the end of August, from and to our local airport and a further bonus – if there were any problems to sort out afterwards, the Globespan Head Office is just a mile from us on the same road. The question was would all this Globespanning make a difference?

The tickets arrived about two weeks before departure which made a nice change from many operators who seem to delight in leaving it to a few days in advance of departure, making you wonder if the tickets will arrive at all. In fact the flights themselves were ticketless – just turn up with your passport.

So on to the big day – departure was 10.30am so we had to check in by 8.30am. Taxi at 8.15am and as there was little traffic, at the airport by 8.30am only to find a huge queue for the Globespan flight. Most people were obviously leaving check in to the last moment – who really wants to hang around any airport for two hours. Makes you wonder whether its really security reasons that cause these long check-ins or something more commercial like wanting you to be so bored and hungry that you spend a lot of money in the shops, restaurants and bars boosting BAA’s profits..

Check in was completed relatively quickly with three check-ins operational and off we went to have a cuppa and wait for departure. Wife did her usual check of the perfume prices in the duty free so that she could do comparisons whist on holiday.

The flight eventually left at 1105 am – about 35 mins late. In flight service consists of drinks – chargeable from 50p to £3 and then lunch – no extra charge. We had expected a long wait for food so we had brought along some fruit, some crisps and a couple of cans of Pepsi to keep us going. The supplied food can only be described as, yes you’ve guessed it, ‘airline food’. The very slow drinks and food service (aisles permanently blocked with trolleys) meant that there was little time for a visit to the loo before it was seat belts time on again. Several people were very annoyed that they were not allowed to remain in the loo queue.

Smooth approach, smooth landing and in no time we were inside the terminal building at Palma, which you may have heard is huge and it does take quite a while to walk to the baggage hall. For some unknown reason but great news nevertheless, the baggage hall was empty, remembering it was Saturday afternoon in a peak part of the holiday season. Collected the bags and very quickly back into the hands of Globespan. The efficient reps gave us a slip of paper telling us the bus number and parking spot accompanied by verbal instructions as well.

All this efficiency caught the bus driver on the hop – he was still having his afternoon nap. A knock on the window brought him back to life, the luggage compartment was opened up, and in no time at all we were on our way to Peurto Pollensa about an hour’s journey to the north of the island. (PS We did have seats inside, we didn't have to share the luggage compartment!)

At our first stop on the edge of PP a local Globespan rep joined the coach and we got the usual welcome speech. Our hotel was second stop and it seemed that most people were staying here. We were expecting a long wait for check in but the staff were ready, well organised, passports taken, keys given and soon we were in our room overlooking the main road from PP to Formentor. No cause for complaint – that’s what we’d booked mainly because the ones on the other side of the building with a sea view were aleady taken. Anyway with double glazing and the background hum of the air conditioning there was no problem with road or people noise. The view was quite good over the rooftops (there’s no high rise in PP), to the mountains of the west coast.

PP is noted for quite a range of restaurants, large and small serving all sorts of local and international cuisine including genuine English fish and chips. The Sis Pins has a very nice restaurant with tables bordering the “Pine Walk”, the local pedestrian promenade, one of the two centres for eateries the other being the local square. However the a la carte menu looked a bit expensive at first glance, but a wee notice inside the hotel offered a fixed price to residents, three courses with a glass of wine for 15 euros (£12). That was quite a saving considering the cheapest list price would be from 22 euros upwards and there were no restriction on choice. Not surprisingly our original plan to eat somewhere different each night quickly changed and by the end of the week we had eaten four times at the hotel, good food, good service and excellent price. The same restaurant serves the inclusive breakfast and the same levels of quality of food and service were present. There was a wide variety of fruit, fruit juices, cereals, breads, rolls, cheese, ham, and a cooked selection of eggs, bacon, sausages. mushrooms, tomatoes.

The hotel reception is a twenty four hour Globespan service desk, taking bookings for tours to most parts of the islands, car hire, boat trips, kids nursery etc. We booked a car for a couple of days and used public transport as well. No reps meeting – no sales pitch. Maybe too low key for some but suited us fine.

The hotel is on three floors with most rooms having a balcony of some sort. Apart from the restaurant, there is a large lounge with comfy chairs, outdoor seating under cover and a large area next to the beach with loungers. No swimming pool (the sea is only 25m away), apparently no special facilities for kids but we didn't check, and bliss - no discotheque, no night club, no background music.

During the week we went to the Caves of Drach on the east coast, Puerto Alcudia on the north coast, Valdemosa and Puerto Soller through the mountains on the west of the island - all recommended, with the Caves gaining a very special mention.

The week flew in all too quickly and it was time to travel back. Coach pick up time was 12.10pm and we didn’t need to vacate our room until 12 noon – all very convenient. Coach on time, a few local pick ups and off back to the airport. Rep met the bus, usual farewell speech and told us the check in aisle numbers. Long queues for check in, but so what – no one was really in a hurry to leave the sunshine. When we checked in, the Globepsan rep told us that the flight would probably be early and could we hurry on down to the check in gate and not hang around too long in the duty free. It was now 1.45pm and flight departure was scheduled for 3.30pm still nearly two hours away.

We had a snack lunch and as there was no boarding sign for the flight we meandered through duty free and headed off for the departure gate. The next obstacle was security where there was a huge queue. It all looked a bit casual until the guy in front of us tried to take a Swiss army knife on board. It was spotted immediately and he was handed straight to the police – so be warned. Off now to the departure gate – there are a few shops and snack bars on the way but the best are before security. We arrived at the departure gate at 2.45pm to find just a few other people there and no ground handling staff. The flight eventually boarded at 3.20pm with a mad scramble – not by seat number as in Edinburgh and it left at 4.05pm – 35 mins late. I can only assume that the airlines and reps are a little economical with the truth to try to avoid travellers hanging around in the cafes, shops and duty free when they still have to negotiate security and a long walk to the departure gate.

The return flight was the same routine as before – very slow service, leaving many people stranded in the loo queue when the seat belt signs were switched on approaching Edinburgh. The arrival time was only a few minutes late. Collected our bags, through non existent customs, into a taxi and home.

If you’ve managed to read this far you can see that on the whole Globespan did very well and the fact that it was Globespan all the way did make the interfaces pretty seamless. All in all an excellent holiday with the very sunny weather and the delights of Majorca away from the more traditional resorts, also making a significant contribution!
 

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