THB Felip, Porto Cristo

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The THB Hotel Felip is supremely situated across the road from the small but immaculate beach and the sailing club. The Felip has some 90+ rooms, including 2 disabled and 8 single units situated in 2 blocks. The front of the hotel boasts the most spectacular views of the harbour inlet and the upper rooms also have a quality view of the town. The rooms are simply furnished but well appointed and spotlessly clean. The fourth ...
...conditioned, had a full bathroom with shower attachment, plasma TV with 2 English news channels, decent sized fridge/mini bar, good storage space, balcony with table and 2 chairs and sufficient electrical points and decent lighting.

Our stay was on a half board basis and we found the restaurant to be very pleasant with more than adequate choice at dinner but a little sparse for British taste, at breakfast. However, the food was always ... more

First of all, a word to the warning for anyone who enjoys the Magaluf/Palma Nova style holiday experience - the Hotel Felip and the resort of Porto Cristo are not for you! I say resort but in fact, Porto Cristo is a small coastal town built on the fishing industry and now boasts a very busy marina for private boat owners in addition to the still substantial fishing fleet. The town is on the east coast of Mallorca, about 62 kms (55 minutes) from Palma by car.

Porto Cristo is probably most famous for the popular and stunning Caves of Drach which hosts day trip coach loads from all parts of the island, on a daily basis. The small town centre has a few tourist shops and cafe/restaurants together with local bars but no large clubs and you're very unlikely to spot a lager lout here! To be serious, the ambience of Porto Cristo is suitable for singles and couples seeking a quiet relaxing break and a good base for touring either by hire car or using the public "Aumasa" bus network.

The THB Hotel Felip is supremely situated across the road from the small but immaculate beach and the sailing club. The Felip has some 90+ rooms, including 2 disabled and 8 single units situated in 2 blocks. The front of the hotel boasts the most spectacular views of the harbour inlet and the upper rooms also have a quality view of the town. The rooms are simply furnished but well appointed and spotlessly clean. The fourth floor double occupied by myself and my wife, was air conditioned, had a full bathroom with shower attachment, plasma TV with 2 English news channels, decent sized fridge/mini bar, good storage space, balcony with table and 2 chairs and sufficient electrical points and decent lighting.

Our stay was on a half board basis and we found the restaurant to be very pleasant with more than adequate choice at dinner but a little sparse for British taste, at breakfast. However, the food was always very well presented, ample and wholesome so no real complaints (after all we choose to holiday in the country!) The bar terrace and a'la carte eatery offered a 10% discount for hotel guests. There was also a very small covered pool in the garden area.

The hotel was only a very short walk from the bus station with services to neighbouring resorts and the cities of Manacor and Palma. Buses were frequent and reasonably priced though time keeping was not a strong point! We used the services to Palma (1hr), Calas de Mallorca (20 mins), Sa Coma (15 mins), Cala Millor (20 mins). Single fares to neighbouring resorts averaged £1.40 and a return to Palma was just over £8.

Back to the Felip then and our overriding memories will be of a peaceful, traditional Mallorcan atmosphere (almost like walking back into the 1940's but with mod cons) and a friendly helpful service from Manager Pedro Morell and all his staff who made our week's stay most enjoyable. Indeed I toasted his health every night on the balcony with several bottles of Estrella and the odd Baileys!

A great hotel with atmosphere and charm in abundance and we will certainly look to pay a return visit in the not too distant future.

David Evans 

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