San Luis Hotel, Minorca

...visitor.

HOTEL SAN LUIS

The Hotel San Luis in S’Algar is a modern hotel situated less than half a kilometre from the sea. It claims to offer a large variety of entertainment during the day and evening, for adults and children. There are over 200 rooms in the hotel, all of them with air conditioning, sun terrace, full bathroom complete with hair dryer and cosmetic mirror, TV, telephone, safety deposit box, and on request ...
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The Hotel San Luis has four themed restaurants and bars where local alcohol is served. A satellite TV lounge enables those that need to keep up to date enjoy their favourite programmes and any significant international events. Cabaret entertainment is available at the nearby S’Algar resort and we enjoyed spending some evenings there during our stay.

Car Rental is relatively cheap in the area and the Hotel has a free public ... more

MENORCA AND S’ALGAR

The resort of S'Algar is situated on the extreme south east corner of Menorca. At a little over 10km, or 6 miles, the transfer to the resort from the international airport usually takes around 15 minutes. However, if you are an independent traveller and drive to the resort by car, it is possible to end up in the Menorcan capital of Mahon as you aquant yourself with the local roads. Another interesting point if you make your own way to the resort is that the local Government has re-numbered most of the roads on Menorca in recent times. An up to date map of the island is, therefore, a must.

Once you are in S’Algar moving around is fairly easy. Mahon is close by for shopping and sightseeing and during the summer there is a regular bus service and the trip takes about 20 minutes. From the capital buses are available to the rest of Menorca. The resort itself is small and consists primarily of two fairly large hotels, a few self catering apartments, and some privately owned villas and holiday homes. The area is considered as quiet, although it does have a good selection of sports facilities.

A key quirk about S'Algar is that it actually lacks a proper beach. The narrow strip of imported sand in front of the Hotel S'Algar is not really up to the job and you need to walk to a real sandy beach. Fortunately, most people will make the walk in about 20 minutes to the cove at Cala Alcaufar. We found this beach perfectly adequate during our stay, but in fairness it isn’t the best beach on Menorca. It is, however, quite sheltered and an ideal place for sunbathing or a quick dip in the sea. Children can become absorbed at spending time in the cove.

Shopping in S’Algar is limited, with only small supermarkets available for the purchase of essential goods, so for designer label shopping you’d need to travel into the capital Mahon. The resort is, however, well maintained and welcoming to the new visitor.

HOTEL SAN LUIS

The Hotel San Luis in S’Algar is a modern hotel situated less than half a kilometre from the sea. It claims to offer a large variety of entertainment during the day and evening, for adults and children. There are over 200 rooms in the hotel, all of them with air conditioning, sun terrace, full bathroom complete with hair dryer and cosmetic mirror, TV, telephone, safety deposit box, and on request mini bar. The last two items are subject to a local charge.

Sport facilities available at the hotel include: mountain biking; trekking with guided tours; a brief introduction to scuba diving; kayaking; sailing; snorkelling; tennis; golf driving range with net; putting green and bunker; archery; table tennis; chess; gym and a sauna which incurs an extra charge. Entertainment for children includes a mini-club for 4 to 10year old and a kids club for 11 to15year olds.

The Hotel San Luis has four themed restaurants and bars where local alcohol is served. A satellite TV lounge enables those that need to keep up to date enjoy their favourite programmes and any significant international events. Cabaret entertainment is available at the nearby S’Algar resort and we enjoyed spending some evenings there during our stay.

Car Rental is relatively cheap in the area and the Hotel has a free public car park for the use of residents. With a hire car you can go further afield on the wonderful island of Menorca to places like the old capital Ciudadela or the longest beach Son Bou. The more adventurous can also make the scenic trip up the winding road to the top of Mount Toro - the highest point on the island. I just love the views from there.

We stayed at the San Luis for two weeks at the end of September on a half board basis. We thought the hotel was cool and clean and that the hotel staff were friendly. The food for many meals in the main dining hall was quite repetitive. However, the La Pasta Italian restaurant provided a different menu for lunch, the snack bar Sporting opens for lunch and dinner, and the Asia restaurant for dinner (upon reservation).

A free mini train runs round the resort in the evening with a number of drop off points. There are many options for staying at the San Luis from May to October and half board in August with transfers and flights can be in the region of £800 for one week. However, with all the numerous options now available for independent travel I’m sure a stay can be taken for less than this, even at peak season. 'All inclusive' options are available, but we didn’t go on this board basis.

I would certainly recommend this hotel in it’s relatively quiet location on what is one of the most unspoilt of Spanish islands. The accessible swimming pool and all the sports activities (most of them free) mean that a holiday to suit most tastes is available at S’Algar and despite the resort not having a real beach, I must say we hardly noticed with all the facilities and the use of the hire car to get out and about.

The Hotel San Luis is wonderful for families, especially those with younger children who can appreciate the quieter atmosphere. We had a room with a sea view and if you can afford the small extra amount I would recommend this. Overall a great experience and I would go again. 

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