Gavimar Ariel Chico Hotel and Apartments

We have just returned from 11 nights here and had an absolute blast (15th -26th July). We were slightly anxious after reading a few negativie reviews, but we had a great time, with very little to complain about. This is an honest review from three English families with kids aged 8, 9, 12, 12 and 14. We are friendly, polite people who have a laugh wherever we go. We often make our own entertainment, so we're not difficult to please, but there are fundamentals we always expect from a holiday and these are mentioned in this review. Yes, there are some aspects (as with anywhere) that we couldve found fault with but nothing that would stop anyone from having a great time here. Pools - main pool was great and fantastic for the kids. We barely ventured to the other two quieter pools, although our kids did enjoy going off and exploring those ones. These were good for those who wanted a more quiet experience.. The adult pool, isn't really a pool. More of a hot tub. Didn't really see the point in this as it's a family hotel, so not sure why people would need to use this. If trying to escape kids I would recommend booking elsewhere. We've previously been to Turkey where there were numerous pools, slides, pool bars and playgrounds etc. This wasnt in the same league, but for a 3+ plus hotel, the pools were clean and well looked after. *Gripe - pool shut at 6pm so everyone had to be out (lifeguard hours of work). Quite often we sat up at the pool bar at this time anyway, but it would've been nice sometimes to stay around the pool a little later. There seemed to be one male lifeguard that allowed inflatables and the female one didn't. Sunbeds - the pools only open at 10am each day so there is a queue and a dash for sunbeds. This was like a military operation for us, as there are two gates that they would open and we wouldn't know which was being opened first. We managed to get the sunbeds we wanted every single day by queuing from about 915am so this wasn't an issue for us. Plus it saved the usual designated sunbed claimer (me) from super early starts each day. Bars and Queues- this is one thing we are always apprehensive about, however we never had an issue. The main bar by the pool was rarely busy, and even at the busiest times, the longest wait was 5 mins. Spirits aren't branded, and the beer is Cruzcampo (self pour). Bar staff were great and learnt what we drank straight away. All work their socks off, and we had a laugh with them all. Some of the cocktails from the machine aren't very strong but they will always add additional measures if you request. Soft drinks, slushies, ice creams, lollies are all included on the all inclusive package too which was great for the kids. Again, these were all self pour and help yourself. *Tip - take your own plastic glasses. We took our our plastic pint glasses as we'd read previously that there was a deposit of 1 euro for each cup. The idea works as there is no rubbish by the pools, however the ones supplied by the hotel are very small. *Gripe - last orders is 11pm. We felt this was a little early. They then turn out all lights at 12, Beach - the beach is a 2 minute walk to Cala Gran and was great (one of the nicest beaches we've visited). A nice pretty little cove with a couple of surrounding bars. There is a small ledge where people can swim out to jump off. The kids loved this. Pedalos are available on the right of the beach. We also walked to Esmeralda which is slightly smaller and found the famous fruit man. You can't miss him with his chirping and shouting. There is also another fruit man at Cala Gran. Pineapple was the best ever! Staff at hotel - all superb! They work their socks off and if you have a bit of a laugh with them and are polite then you'll get looked after. The amount of people we saw just not saying 'please' or 'thank you' was embarrassing. As with anywhere a little 'hello' or 'thank you' always goes down well. Food - we were pleasantly surprised at how good the food was. It was never too busy in the dining room either. The food hall can be warm, but if you get just outside the main room then it's slightly cooler. We always found plenty of choice and rarely ate the same thing for lunch/dinner. Plenty of salads, fresh fruit and ice cream. Then always 2/3 grilling stations for meat and fish. Breakfast was the usual cereals, bread, continental meats and cheeses, bacon, sausage, eggs. Also, a fresh pancake cooking station that the kids loved. They then moved some croissants etc to the outside pool bar for anyone who missed breakfast in the main restaurant. A good idea but after the first hour of being outside I can imagine these not being the best. At lunch time we always ate in the main restaurant but they did have snacks like chips and burgers on offer at the pool bar. *Gripe - Only issue with food we found was a couple of burgers wernt cooked one time. It seemed this was a new chef and he put them back on the grill for us. Also, the pizza is not the best at all. A simple pizza oven or selection of pizzas for the kids would be a huge benefit. Entertainment & staff - these guys are brilliant. Robin, David, Jose, and Alex particularly made our stay even better by going out of the way for all of our kids. The mini disco could be a little better but I feel this is more down to kids not taking part, as Robin does so his best. There could also be more music as it's not very long. However, our youngest ones still enjoyed it. The shows were a little different. Wild wild west was bizarre, yet hilarious. We watched this twice and on both occasions found ourselves confused and in tears of laughter. Kareoke nights are always a laugh and we always got involved. There was also a music quiz that was good. It's not the West end by any stretch but the team try their best and we appreciated that. Daytime there was always plenty going on from water polo, darts, archery, and volleyball to more lazy games that you could do from your sun lounger. Rooms - Basic and small. Air con works but goes off when you open the doors to the balcony. But rooms are just for sleeping in, get a life and get out enjoying your holiday! They were cleaned every other day with fresh towels provided. Only thing we struggled with was space to hang things as the wardrobe was quite small. Grounds - Well cleaned and looked after with lots of people cleaning the place each morning. Its a small hotel complex compared to where we've been before. There are two main buildings separated across a small road which isn't busy. We would've preferred some music around the pool and maybe the entertainment team doing their themed dance around the pool rather than on the stage. Resort - Cala d'Or is perfect for anyone really. There is a square of bars and restaurants just a stones throw from the hotel. Slightly further is the marina with another good selection of bars and nice restaurants. The hotel has loads of little shops around it. Overall - we loved it and were anxious before coming due to reviews on here. If you want to find something to complain about then you'll find something for sure, but my advice is to remember this is a 3+ star hotel in Majorca. We had an amazing time and made some memories that we will cherish. Kevin De Bruyne, Jill Frock, Boris, the Fritzls, the lads from Brighouse, Ozzy, Jeremy Clarkson, Harriet poorly Potter, Danny Dyer, and Banksy all played their part. As well as Spider crutch and John's last. So many fantastic times. Another brilliant holiday with our favourite people.