IBEROSTAR Cristina

We stayed at Iberostar Waves Cristina in Mallorca on an all‑inclusive basis as a family of seven including grandparents, adults (35–45), and a 10‑year‑old for one week in July 2026. We chose it because of the strong reviews and its suitability for mixed‑age groups, and in a few ways it delivered exactly what we hoped for. There is a question, though, about how “family-friendly” this hotel really is. This hotel only offers one rate meaning that children are paying exactly the same as adults to stay here. On this basis, one would expect parity between all paying guests, regardless of age.

Pros:

• Exceptionally friendly and helpful reception staff at both check‑in and check‑out.
• Great food variety at all meals. Our 10‑year‑old loved the fresh grill station.
• The included all‑inclusive café was excellent, always stocked with drinks and snacks.
• Rooms were immaculate and housekeeping was consistently efficient.
• Air‑con issues in a couple of rooms were fixed quickly once reported.
• The whole hotel was clean, modern, and comfortable.
• Superb location. Close to the beach, shops, and nightlife.

Cons:

• Very difficult to get a table for seven. The dining room layout favours small groups (2s and 4s), and it always felt like a chore for staff even when we offered to move tables ourselves. On all occasions, it felt like we were being a nuisance, even when we started giving dining staff a 15-20 minute heads-up to try and help.
• All inclusive alcohol is capped at three drinks during meals, which is fine and advised at booking, but drink service was slow and staff rarely, if ever, returned after the first drink to ask if we wanted to order more.
• Only one working lift all week made getting around slow and awkward, especially with luggage.
• The most disappointing issue was the treatment of children at the pool, especially considering that we paid the same holiday price for children as we did adults . Kids were daily moved out of the shallow end so adults could play volleyball, despite the deep end being huge and barely used. Balls regularly hit children in the face, and management’s response to it was engraved table‑tennis rackets with our surname frustratingly spelled wrong. Whilst this was a nice gesture, this didn’t address the actual problem and children (including our own) were continuously asked to leave the shallow end and/or put in danger from errant volleyballs. I would advise that the pool is not big enough for such activities and that children should not be discriminated against in favour of adult guests, especially given that everyone is paying the same rate to stay at the hotel.

Overall: We enjoyed our holiday and liked the hotel on the whole. The food, cleanliness, and location are genuinely very good. But, the lacking dining setup for large parties, lacking drink service, poor lift situation, and terrible pool rules for children took the shine off what could have been an outstanding stay.

Have recently had a very enjoyable stay at the Cristina due to the exceptional customer experience we received during our stay.  Laura & her colleagues - Claudia & Martina within the Guest Services Team all assisted me greatly with arrangements to help celebrate a special birthday during my stay. Special memories were made for us & thank you to you all.

Awesome place, fabulous staff and exquisite food!