Son Bou Gardens, Minorca

Son Bou
We stayed at the Son Bou gardens for 2wks from 21.5.08. Transfer from the airport takes approx 25 mins. Son Bou Gardens stretches over several zones. The apartments are built into a hillside so there are small steps everywhere. Not much of a problem unless you use a wheelchair or have a pushchair but there's usually a grass slope both sides & the occasional ramp.
Reception
Is situated a few minutes walk from zone 3. The ...
...for your return journey to Son Bou. In Mahon turn left when you get off the bus, cross the road & head downhill for the shops.
Supermarket/shops
There are several supermarkets. We found the cheapest was the one near the entrance to Andreas. There's a good selection of gift shops selling the usual tourist stuff but shop around prices vary a lot.
Beach
Is approx 10 mins walk away. It has a lovely stretch of sand & gently ... more

Son Bou
We stayed at the Son Bou gardens for 2wks from 21.5.08. Transfer from the airport takes approx 25 mins. Son Bou Gardens stretches over several zones. The apartments are built into a hillside so there are small steps everywhere. Not much of a problem unless you use a wheelchair or have a pushchair but there's usually a grass slope both sides & the occasional ramp.
Reception
Is situated a few minutes walk from zone 3. The staff were friendly & helpful. The ones we spoke to had excellent English. You can hire a safety deposit box for 10€ pw & 5€ refundable deposit. The boxes are in reception & open from 9am to 10 pm & kept behind a locked screen at other times. If you have an early flight the next day, make sure you empty your box the night before!
Apartments
We were in zone 3 opposite the pool. This zone is closest to the shops, restaurants etc. Our apartment was clean but dated. The brown kitchen units & floor tiles made it look quite dark. We had a broken kitchen worktop & several broken/loose floor tiles. So some refurbishment wouldn't go amiss. The bathroom was much newer & modern. Water was hot enough but with a small water tank showers had to be kept short as the 4th person usually ended up with cold water. We had 2 bedrooms with single beds, 2 sofas, dining table & chairs, coffee table, microwave, fridgefreezer, toaster, a good selection of pans etc, iron, ironing board, clothes airer & t-towels. There isn't a kettle but drinks can be heated in the microwave. There's a terrace at the front with table & chairs & small patio at the back. We had 2 towels each which were quite small. 1 towel we used as a bath mat as the floor was slippery when wet. So if you like bigger towels, take a couple with you.
Maid Service
The one thing we were disappointed with was the maid service or rather lack of it. We arrived on Wednesday & had 1 loo roll & didn't get any maid service until Saturday. The following Wednesday they arrived so early we were still in bed. They left towels/bedding & said they would come back later but never did. So we swapped the towels & changed the beds ourselves & left the old ones in the bag outside which sat there for 3 days when the maids took the dirty ones, left clean ones and buggered off again. We thought perhaps they were doing all the deliveries 1st & then come back. Once again we changed everything ourselves. So in the 2 wks we were there we had maids clean once. Now whilst I don't mind changing linen I draw the line at buying cleaning stuff to do the bathroom etc. We could have complained but on holiday we had better things to do & it's been a long time since we stayed somewhere & had to supply our own loo roll!
Pools
Each zone has a pool. As we only used the pool in zone 3 I can only tell you about that. It was large & 2 ½ metres at its deepest with a fenced off toddler section. There's plenty of sunbeds which are unchained at 9.30am. The problem is lack of space to put your bed. We managed ok & on some days we didn't get to the pool until mid morning after we had been out first. We were told by the rep ALL the beds are free except for the beds at the waterslide pool & they only charge when the slide is open. The beds aren't adjustable so can get uncomfortable if you like to sit & read. There are the usual snacks during the day & a full menu in the evening. If you upgrade to half board its 16e per adult & 8e for kids under 16.
Entertainment
Is daily, both during the day & evening. This includes waterpolo, tennis, kids games, crossbow, mini disco, puppet show, bingo, a quiz, singers etc etc. It never went on til late & noise wasn't a problem. The maze is near the waterslide & from what we could see it's only a series of wooden fence panels & nowhere near the biggest in Europe like we read it was!!!!!
Eating Out
There's plenty of places to eat including a few snack bars. They all have almost identical menus. Average price for a steak was approx 15€ & kids meals were around 4 or 5€. Check the back pages of the menu as some offer set 3 course meals for a fraction of the price. We would recommend Arthur's, Andreas, Atalis, Boni & of course our favourite Las Dunas which along with Arthur's had good food & a friendly welcome. We also ate at Compostella. Whilst the food was fine we had a problem with our meal & the service was slower so didn't eat there again.
Buses
Buses are regular & user friendly. A trip to Alaior is about 10mins. We stayed on into Mahon which takes 20mins & cost 2.20€ pp each way. You cannot buy return tickets! The main stop is next to the roundabout near Arthur's restaurant, it can get very busy especially on market days. For a better chance of getting a seat get on at the previous stop along the road near the waterslide. The bus station is clearly signposted. You need stand 14 for your return journey to Son Bou. In Mahon turn left when you get off the bus, cross the road & head downhill for the shops.
Supermarket/shops
There are several supermarkets. We found the cheapest was the one near the entrance to Andreas. There's a good selection of gift shops selling the usual tourist stuff but shop around prices vary a lot.
Beach
Is approx 10 mins walk away. It has a lovely stretch of sand & gently sloping sea & wasn't over crowded. Sunbeds are expensive so take a towel/mat.
Duty Free
Cigarettes aren't widely available in Son Bou. Your best bet is to buy them at Gatwick or go to Mahon where the cheapest tobacconist we found was down hundreds of steps near the harbour. 10x50g packs of Golden Virginia was 45€ & 200 B&H ciggies were 30€. There isn't much difference in the price in Mahon or at the airport on your way home.
Waterpark Trip
We had fun but it's not big enough to pass almost 6 hours especially as we had some rain when we went. However, you can go out of the park but get your hand stamped first so you can get back in again. This makes the trip more worthwhile. There are shops, restaurants & a burger king outside which are cheaper then Son Bou.

Tips
Take matches to light the gas.
Extra towels if you want.
Use the bus stop by the waterslide.
Take Loo Roll. 

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