Today’s guest review, Hotel Saratoga, is by Zine Fethazzar. Zine found himself in Palma at the last minute and needed a hotel recommendation which is always slightly nerve-racking for me as hotels can vary from stay to stay! I stayed at the Hotel Saratoga a few years ago and had fond memories of it, but would my recommendation have stood the test of time?
In this post:
Arrival at Palma
This was my first time in Palma de Mallorca, known as one of the Jewels city of the Mediterranean. Palma is a resort city and the capital of Mallorca, one of Spain’s beautiful Balearic Islands.
I landed at Palma international airport (PMI) and exiting the airport couldn’t have been any easier. Passport control and baggage delivery was fast. The arrivals hall had an abundance of cafés, bars and restaurants with surprisingly very reliable WiFi and good access to electric plugs if you need to charge your batteries!
Location of hotel saratoga
One of the best things about the Hotel Saratoga is its central location near the port.
Access to the city and the hotel proved to be much easier than I had anticipated, The bus (bus number 1) to the city was a few steps away from the exit. There is no Uber in Mallorca and a taxi will cost you about €25 to the centre. I took the bus which was comfortable and cost me only €5! (or €8 return). The hotel was situated at the heart of the city centre near the port and was conveniently very close to my bus stop.
Check-in at Hotel Saratoga
After a short walk, I arrived at the historic 4 star Saratoga hotel. This flagship hotel was the first urban hotel to be built in Palma in 1962 and has been renovated to meet modern standards.
The entrance had a five star feel to it under a very chic arcade which dominated much of the city street design. It is a good place to sit with a drink outside the hotel and do some people watching!
The hotel had a big lobby lounge with very comfortable sofas. The check-in was with the receptionist was a five-star experience, and I was welcomed to the hotel with a glass of cold water with lemon which was a lovely touch. After explaining to me everything about the hotel, the receptionist gave me a little virtual tour and advice about the area such as where to go if I fancied a drink or something to eat. He was extremely polite and had good attention to detail.
Hotel Saratoga Room
I had a standard double room but there are also larger rooms with balconies that have fantastic views over Palma.
My room was on the ground floor, medium in size, with good lighting, mini bar plus everything else you would need such as bathrobes, desk and fridge.
The bed was very comfortable and the window was looking over a quiet little side street, I didn’t hear any noise while I was there.
The bathroom was very clean as you would expect, but the shower could do with a little more pressure. The bath was a decent size with the shower over it.
Hotel Saratoga Food and drink
The hotel has a very elegant jazz bar and restaurant on the seventh floor.
Another bar at the rooftop serving cocktails was a perfect way to starting getting a real feel of the city.
It also has an annexe with a bistro-bar restaurant with a terrace with day beds.
Hotel Saratoga Facilities
One of the main attractions of the hotel is the rooftop swimming pool overlooking the beautiful city of Palma. Despite being on the rooftop, it is still a good size.
There is a second swimming pool on the ground floor which is less attractive as it is mainly in the shade. This may be useful in the scorching summer months though!
The hotel has also a spa, plenty of public spaces with seating and a modern gym.
Surrounding area
I decided to leave the hotel for a quick wander around, although it was a bit late! But never too late in Spain. Within no time and no map in my hands, I found a very lively street just behind the hotel with bars and tapas places and very friendly locals! It’s easy to walk around late at night in the area with no problems. Walking around in Palma easily be immerses you in its Moorish past.
Check-out
The next day I had to check out at 1200 which wasn’t ideal as my flight was not until the evening. But I was allowed to use all the facilities including the swimming pool and they also kept my luggage.
Conclusion
Michele’s recommendation was spot on! For a short stay, the hotel is perfect with its central location and ease of access to the airport. The swimming pool was a great way to see the views and cool off after some sightseeing in the heat. My stay was short but the experience was great and I would definitely go back to Palma! The hotel is also good value with prices at around £120 a night.
You can find more information and prices for Hotel Saratoga here.
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3 comments
Looks a good option, will try next time I’m there
It’s hard for me to believe I stayed at this hotel FIFTEEN years ago in 2004. Not much has changed apart from the furniture update. It truly has some amazing views across Palma bay from the rooftop bar, and is definitely one worth considering in Palma. It’s vicinity to the cathedral and city centre for shopping is also very convenient for a short stay. The bus! Yes, not much has changed in those years: taxis still too expensive in my view.
In those days I remember flying on an Iberia A320 from the Queen’s building T2 at Heathrow to BCN (at about 06:20), then changing for an IB A320 for the hop to PMI. The rtn was an IB MD87 to BCN & a BA 320 back to LGW late at night! (I remember being surprised to be served hot pizza food and snacks on BA at 23h – grateful for anything!).
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