We travelled to Cala Longa in Ibiza in September 2006 and stayed in the Club Playa hotel which is an all inclusive hotel on the beach front.
This is very handy if you want to keep nipping back for snacks or drinks seen as they are already paid for.
It takes between 45 mins and an hour and a half to transfer from the airport to the hotel depending on time of travel but we must have hit a bad day as it took us well over two hrs to get there that was the worst bit.
The hotel is approximately a 100m walk to the smooth sandy beach.
I thought the hotel to be fantastic.
The natives are polite and nothing is too much trouble for them.They readily greet you on entering the shops. In the bars we were asked if we wanted to sit down and they would come for our drinks order and fetch it for us but I chose to fetch it myself. The least I could do was a little excercise!! They didn't seem to mind getting items out for you and off shelves as many as you liked to compare. They fuss around children making them welcome too.
At the time I smoked and called in a shop and asked for some cigarettes, they did not sell them but went out of their way to come out of the shop and direct me to somewhere that does. I felt welcome everywhere I went.
It is a 3 star all inclusive hotel, the cost was £770 per adult, (which is variable for the month of travel). I chose September as the week before it worked out overall £800 dearer and also going the first 2 weeks in September it would be mine and my daughters birthday so we would have an excuse for 2 parties. The first child was free, 2nd child £400 and I felt that it was well worth it. The cost was for a family room with a sea view and a balcony.The view from our room was fantastic. We could see the beach, the shops and the sea. We could also keep an eye on the kids if they went down first.
If you are a smoker, smoking is permitted outside on the balcony or outside the hotel itself. There is no smoking inside the hotel. Ashtrays were provided when we went but there was talk of making it a no smoking hotel.
We had our own room and the children had a separate bedroom so we got some privacy!! We thought it was simply furnished but comfortable. There was plenty of storage space for clothes and cases. In our room there was a double wardrobe drawers and a dressing table. In the 2nd room there was 2 single beds, a wardrobe and a chest of drawers.There is a safe in your room if required for a small fee which is hidden away in the double wardrobe.
There are 3 lifts in the hotel to get to your floor or if you are feeling fit you can use the stairs.
There is a maid service 6 days a week and towels are provided. the maids were thorough and made a good job of cleaning the rooms. Clean towels were left every day even if you did not need them. If the maids came whilst you were still in they came back when you had gone if you prefered.
There is a restaurant, and 2 snack bars to get food and drink. The variety of meals and snacks available was great, plenty of choice for children and adults and of course you can eat and drink whatever you want between the hours of 10 AM and 11 PM. Breakfast was full english or continental. For the other 2 sittings there was always a starter, main meal and a sweet to choose from. salads, fries and other english food were always available if you were not keen on trying something different.
Alcholic drinks available are their own brand not english unless you want to pay, I found their drinks to be reasonable but you had to watch the barstaff as when they got to know you a little they would make you a very strong drink and think it fun to see your face on tasting it. This was only a bit of fun so don't worry.
Hot and cold food is available from the snack bars. The queues were tiny so you did not have to wait long to get served. Alternatively if you want to go out for the day on one of the rep planned excursions or just to another town you can order a packed lunch from reception the night before.
The staff are very welcoming and polite. They go out of their way to make you welcome, they join in the fun and always have a smile.
There are activities with onsite reps for the children every day to keep them entertained whilst you do what you want.
Activities include Swimming pool with children's section which is manned by a lifeguard 95% of the time • Sun terrace • Bar • Sauna • Jacuzzi • Multi-sports court for football, volleyball and basketball • Tennis court • Pool table • Table tennis • Laundry room a small fee is payable for some of these.
There are a variety of bars, shops and restaurants for you to visit including a duty free shop for cigarettes and perfume. They are all within walking distance of the hotel. I think the furthest we walked to a shop took us around 10 mins.
The hotel is a 5 min walk away from the bus stop or you can walk onto the small pier 3 mins away to catch the boat to santa eulalia, Ibiza Town or one of the other islands, it doesn't cost much. We paid 3 euros return to go on the boat to Es Cana. It was 1 euro on the bus to Santa Eulalia which is a very busy town.
I would definately recommend this Ibiza island to anyone.