All-Inclusive with Iberostar
The ideas of all-inclusive holidays, generally, fills me with dread. I am not sure if it is the sense of being in a battery farm, the 24 hr marathon drinking that fellow holiday makers seem to partake in or the habitual gluttony. Even though I have reached a certain age, and have a family to think of, I still hanker after the adventure, like diving the cenotes of Mexico, sleeping in a salt lick in the Taman Negara rain forest or sailing the Gulf of Thailand, however this Summer I was completely out of Brownie points to be able to dispute my spouse's choice of holiday destination - so it was the Iberostar Alcudia Park Mallorca and I had no way of arguing otherwise.
So with my anxiousness in-grained, since stepping through the sliding doors of the Alcudia Park, I have been completely blown away. The newly renovated facilities gave the hotel a fresh and optimistic feel that instantly made me visibly excited. Blown away is not an under-estimation and even with a critical eye (I am always determined to go back to my spouse with some sort of snide comment to make her think twice of forcing me to an all-inclusive again), I found very little to complain about. In fact the hotel, and therefore my holiday, has been amazing.
So where do I start? The staff, which includes the entertainers, the admin, the chefs, the waiters, the cleaners and most importantly, the bar staff, have been the most friendly collegiate group. They are obviously treated very well as they always bubbly, happy and eager to please. Their attentiveness and friendliness have been amazing and impeccably turned out. The managers are always available and talking to the customers. The next important criteria is the food, which has always been fresh with plenty of variety. My all-inclusive tummy has been increasing and ignoring the assault on it by pool aqua aerobics. It is surely a culinary feat to feed so many demanding customers with consistent variety.
The perception of "same thing every night" was also in my head; I certainly did not want to be caged, feeling that I had to stay in every night to make the most of the all-inclusive drinks. However, the entertainment was really good. Iberostar seem to have their own professional entertainment acts that tour the island which include: rock; pop; latin and swing. And when these live music events aren't being carried out, the entertainment staff do remakes of different
shows, which are certainly bizarre. I was in fits of laughter during the Aladdin remake with the flossing magic carpet; there is no way a description by me would do it justice. So with this, combined with the pools, the mini-waterpark, the beach on the foot step and the foam parties - there isn't much more you could ask for!
The whole experience has been luxuriously relaxing and thoroughly enjoyable. The Iberostar branding has been every where and describing a professional but personal approach to holiday making. I would not only consider Iberostar again, I would openly look to come to one of their hotels next time (although don't tell my spouse, I am still trying to persuade her to do an Arctic Cruise!)
