Amic Horizonte

Pros:

• The reception and communal areas were warm, inviting and comfortable
• Didn't use the pool but the sofa area was very comfortable for reading
• Our room (124) was on the same floor as reception so no stairs to climb
• The room and balcony was clean and spacious, with a good view of the sea
• The aircon was good and easy to control
• The bed, wardrobe, mirrors and TV were a good size and the bathroom was spacious, with a powerful waterfall shower and separated toilet
• The lighting was good and blackout curtains were great
• The door also had privacy glass so you couldn't see in from the outside
• There was a mini fridge and the wi-fi was great (could watch Netflix on iPad with no buffering)
• The safe was free and easy to use
• There were big bottles of hand wash, body wash and shampoo to use
• We didn't have breakfast included in our package but we added it on a couple of days at reception and simply paid at the end of our holiday (€15 each) - it was very tasty and there was a good range of options
• We only ate one dinner at the hotel but the bread/aioli/olives and nachos were brilliant
• The hotel was a 5-10 minute walk from the main town road, with a few small supermarkets, the main bus stop and the Portopi shopping centre
• The number 4 bus was easy to use and we never waited more than 5 minutes for it to arrive (the bus stop outside Portopi goes to the beaches, over the road goes to Palma city centre, €2.60 each for all day, just step on and pay by card)
• The Portopi shopping centre is a must, very impressive number of shops and restaurants, 5 floors altogether, huge supermarket on the ground floor
• The walk back to the hotel was well-lit at night

Cons:

• Definitely a 3-star, no frills but good enough
• The sun loungers and surrounding areas looked quite tired and mucky (but could have just been because we got a bit of rain)
• Bed was a bit hard for our liking and squeaky (we thought we'd have 2 twin beds we could separate but it was a double)
• You walk into the room straight into the bathroom which was quite odd, and is only separated from the bed area by a screen which is very easy to see through with the lights on so didn't feel very private
• We didn't have a kettle, mugs, tea, coffee or spoons (we had to ask for a kettle and mugs a few times but we got them eventually - we brought our own Yorkshire tea because we're Brits obviously)
• There were no hooks for bags or jackets, just hangers in the wardrobe
• The walk up to the hotel includes very steep hills, definitely not for non-walkers
• The surrounding streets are not very welcoming and packed with parked cars
• The main town road does not include many restaurants, cafes or bars - you have to go to the Portopi shopping centre (walkable), Palma city centre (via bus) or the beaches (via bus) for any signs of life (although we did go in late Sep / early Oct)
• The roads were very busy and we nearly got hit by a cyclist whizzing past us even when the green man was on
• It was quick and easy to book a taxi to the airport with reception

This isn’t the first time I’ve stayed at this hotel – for practical convenience – and the pros and cons are more or less always the same. With a few more cons this time, despite the hotel’s promises. The services are good and the communal areas aren’t bad. The breakfast buffet is plentiful, but the restaurant’s menu isn’t very appealing; it’s a bit odd that they serve chicken, pork and lamb, but veal isn't among the options. The standard drops dramatically in the rooms, at least the cheaper ones. Maintenance is poor and it shows: the toilet seat is old and worn, the toilet brush looks like something you’d find in a suburban pub, the shower head is half-broken, the extractor fan is on the verge of falling off, and there are neither coat hooks nor chests of drawers. Nothing serious, but all in all it hardly worths the money it costs.