Hilton is Back in Mallorca: A Review of Hilton Mallorca Galatzo
The Hilton Mallorca Galatzo (external link), formerly known as a Maritim hotel, opened under its new name after extensive renovation and redesign in the summer of 2022. We were on site at the beginning of March for the start of the 2023 season and had the rare experience of being the first guests of the year at the hotel. This led to a very special welcome from all the staff present.
LOCATION
The Hilton Mallorca Galatzo is located west of the capital Palma, without traffic it is about a 30 minute drive from the airport. A journey without a car or cab seems almost impossible, but due to the usually favorable car rental prices on the island, this is certainly an option and thus also allows some excursions to other areas and the surrounding towns.
For the international traveler it is important to know, that the Hilton Mallorca is located in an area of Mallorca that is heavily frequented by German tourists, with many local establishments catering to this demographic by featuring ads or menus in German.
The hotel resort consists of the main building and another building called The Lighthouse, which houses all the hotel's suites, fitness area and indoor pool/spa. The Cotton Club Mallorca (external link) is also located on the grounds of the complex, and there is also a residence building at the bottom of the mountain.
For larger meetings, there is also a facility called The Island Hub, which serves exclusively as a conference center.
ARRIVAL, LOBBY & CHECK-IN
The access to the hotel is a bit unusual. After leaving the highway, a small road leads back to the hotel right next to the highway, for quite a distance. The hotel is located on the highest point of the mountain. Once at the top, you can drive up right in front of the hotel, the gate opens as soon as you get close by car.
Despite arriving too early on the day the season started, it was about 12 noon, a hotel employee immediately came to meet us with a luggage cart to help us unload. This was also very helpful, as the entrance to the hotel is still a few steps up from the driveway. We were able to park our rental car for free in the various parking lots on the premises.
We entered the lobby and were immediately greeted by various friendly staff members. We apologized for arriving early on the first day, but this was not to be a problem. We learned that we would be the first guests to check in this year and all of the staff members present from various departments introduced themselves to us. We were served a fresh welcome drink.
The lobby of the hotel offers various seating areas and access to the outdoor terrace, the hotel bar and another part of the building with a golf store, piano and other seating areas, even for larger groups.
Our check-in was quick and smooth. Our additional benefits through Diamond status with Hilton were granted and explained to us. We took the liberty of asking if we would receive a nice upgrade, since the hotel was not yet that full. This was confirmed to us at check-in but without giving details.
In the room, unfortunately, it turned out that we had actually not received an upgrade in terms of category, but when we asked, we were told that it was the room with the best view - supposedly there were still too few rooms open to grant us a higher upgrade. Of course, since upgrades are always based on availability, this is fine, however, we were a bit caught up in anticipation by the staff member's hint at check-in.
We always find it more pleasant when the staff member tells us about the details of the room and category right away, rather than trying to hide a mere view upgrade. We were otherwise very satisfied with the room.
For the completeness of our blog, we asked the hotel management the next morning if there was a possibility to get access to a suite for a short time for a few photos. Since there had also been a faulty fire alarm with an evacuation request later the night before, the friendly hotel manager decided without further ado to surprise us with a subsequent suite upgrade.
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ROOM
KING GUEST ROOM
Our first room was the King Guest Room, the hotel's standard room. The room is located directly in the main building and in our case offered views of the pool and the sea in the distance, but on the lower floors these are covered and there is only a garden view. However, all rooms have balconies or terraces, so the warm summer weather can be enjoyed.
The 27 sqm (291 sqft) room is equipped with a king bed, two nightstands, a small lounger and a small desk with chair. Of course, there is a large TV and luggage storage. On the balcony there was also a table with two chairs and a small fixed clothes rack, where you could dry bathing suits or sportswear easily.
The room has a spacious bathroom with a bathtub, which unfortunately does not quite match the rather modern style of the rest of the hotel's interior, because it is rather small and narrow, and we also found it to be very slippery. For a taller person, showering in the tub becomes a bit of a challenge.
We faced a challenge as we could constantly hear background music from the hallways in our room due to the speakers being located directly in front of our door. Although the music was turned off overnight, it was still an annoyance when working or relaxing during the day. The hotel eventually disabled the music throughout the house, which solved the problem satisfactorily.
KING SUITE SEA VIEW
The next day we moved in the afternoon to a King Suite with Sea View (35 sqm / 377 sqft) in The Lighthouse building. This was one floor below the highest floor and offered a really great view of the open wide sea from the large balcony of the suite.
The suite consists of two separate rooms, a living area and a bedroom. The living room has a cozy sitting area with couch and armchairs and a large TV, there is also a large dining table. The bedroom is relatively small, but offers everything it needs with a bed and a TV.
Connected to the bedroom is the bathroom, which is even larger compared to the King Room. Unfortunately, the same narrow bathtub is found here, which we already criticized in the first room. Too bad, the room would offer space for shower and bathtub.
In this room, we were surprised by the poor sound insulation of the room, whether this is the same in the other building we could not judge, as we were probably the only guests in the hallway. In the suite, however, we could nearly hear the conversation from the neighboring room from the living room, despite the closed window, and perceive all the noises from the hallway, including the slamming room doors. During the night, a crying baby on the floor above us woke us up several times. If you need absolute quiet to sleep take precautions and at least use earplugs.
Apart from that, you will enjoy a well designed suite with a great view.
WIFI SPEED
The measured internet speed varied only between 5 and 10 MBit/s despite premium access. Since we had some video calls planned, we asked if a better speed was available. In fact, the hotel's IT manager was immediately called over, who was able to create an individual access for us where we were subsequently able to measure about 30 MBit/s in a stable condition. This was completely sufficient for our requirements; we were able do all our video calls and watch streamed videos without any problems.
ROOM TEMPERATURE
The room temperature was not difficult to regulate at our time. Since it still got very cold during the night, the hotel's air conditioning was still set to heating mode, which means you couldn't use it to cool the rooms. The staff was also not sure how exactly the system was supposed to work.
When we asked if we could cool the room, several staff members came by one after the other and adjusted the air conditioning, all without success. The last one then said that it should get cold after two minutes, but the room temperature rose by a good three degrees in these two minutes.
A little later came the call that the whole hotel can currently only be heated. Since it could get very warm during the day with direct sunshine, this was initially a disadvantage, but the outside temperature was low enough to cool the rooms pleasantly with a slightly open window.
HOUSEKEEPING
The housekeeping team did an excellent job. Both rooms were very clean when we moved in, and the daily cleaning was not only impeccable, it was also done immediately after we left the room at our request, so that we could use the room again a short time later. The housekeeping colleagues were also remarkably friendly when we encountered them in the corridors.
In the room we found a printed menu with different pillows to choose from, we ordered a selection of them and received exactly the pillows we wanted, this is not always the case in every hotel. It was also remarkable that we found exactly the pillows we ordered in our new room even after we changed rooms, although we had not ordered them again. We were really impressed.
BREAKFAST
At breakfast we were also the first guests of the season, we were up extra early to photograph the buffet untouched. We were welcomed with a glass of sparkling wine and were introduced to the diverse buffet. At the end there was a hint to please let them know if we were missing something, everything would be done to make it possible.
There was a wide selection with good quality. In addition to cold cuts, a large bread selection and a cereal bar, the highlights were a very large and varied salad buffet and a machine for fresh pancakes. The whole thing was rounded off with a live cooking station where various egg dishes could be ordered. Unfortunately, there were no Eggs Benedict or other dishes with Poached Eggs. All the dishes were very good and were prepared exactly as requested.
We do not want to forget the extensive selection of drinks, in addition to still and sparkling water in bottles, there were various juices and cava in self-service, even a non-alcoholic variant was offered. Only the taste of the coffee I dare to criticize a bit, a coffee gourmet will not be happy here.
Overall, the entire team was very helpful and attentive, drinks were served to us at the table and used plates were cleared very quickly.
The breakfast room is on the second floor of the main building and offers plenty of space and a view of the sea in the distance, covered by a few palm trees. During summer, the floor-to-ceiling windows can be opened so you can enjoy the fresh breeze.
BREAKFAST TO GO
Since we had to leave the hotel very early on our departure day, and thus before breakfast opened, we asked if we could get an alternative offer on our last morning. We were immediately promised that a small package of sandwiches and snacks would be put together for us. This pleased and very much.
Unfortunately, the implementation in the morning was then not quite so good, the sandwiches were completely missing, we got two bags with fruit, crackers and a few nuts and two drinks. Better than nothing, but there is still some potential, especially compared to the really excellent breakfast at the hotel.
Very nice, however, was that the bellhop who picked up our bags from the room at the agreed time asked for our coffee wishes and a freshly prepared hot drink was waiting for us at the reception.
LOUNGE
Unfortunately, the hotel does not offer a lounge.
RESTAURANTS & BARS
The hotel offers several food & beverage outlets.
Alma Restaurant & Bar
Alma is located in the main building across from reception and offers a wide selection of drinks in the evening hours, including various cocktails and a small tapas selection to accompany them. While we were visiting, the outlet was also used during the day when the weather was bad as a substitute for the pool bar - with the pool bar menu as well.
Cotton Club
The Cotton Club is the restaurant by the second hotel pool, which unfortunately was still closed during our visit.
La Cocina
Breakfast restaurant (see Breakfast section), which was used in the evening hours for a dinner package deal. Price-wise, the three-course choice menu with drinks was 35€.
Paradis Pool Bar
The pool bar by the hotel's main pool offers a few cocktails during the day, as well as other drink and a selection of smaller dishes, such as burgers.
ROOM SERVICE
Unfortunately, room service was not yet offered during our visit, as the hotel was not yet heavily booked. Instead, there was a smaller self-service Market option across from the front desk.
GYM
The gym is located on a lower floor of The Lighthouse building and offers a large selection of fitness equipment, weights and exercise balls. Through the large window front you can enjoy the view of the sea while running or cycling, especially at sunset was very nice.
Another nice thing was that headphones were lent out at the reception, which you could use for the fitness equipment or your smartphone.
There are also tennis courts on the premises, which can be booked by hotel guests.
POOLS
The hotel has two different outdoor pools and a smaller indoor pool for bad days. During our visit, only one of the two outdoor pools was open, providing a pleasant ambiance. The surrounding area offers a quiet atmosphere and the sun chairs invite you to linger. There is also a larger grassy area with sun loungers for sunbathing.
SPA
In addition to the indoor pool, there is a small spa area that includes two saunas and a steam room, as well as a Jacuzzi and a small vitalizing pool. Different treatments are offered as well.
Interestingly, the area is open 24 hours, the only thing is that during the night hours there is no lifeguard.
OVERALL SERVICE
All interactions with the hotel's team were really outstanding. All of the staff were not only very friendly, but also incredibly eager to fulfill our every wish. Starting with our arrival with immediate assistance with unloading luggage to check-in, restaurant visits and housekeeping staff, we can confirm that the team really stands out from our experience in many other hotels. In particular, the responsiveness to and consideration of feedback and the handling of any minor challenges was impeccable.
STAY DETAILS
We spent three nights at the hotel, in early March 2023. Nightly rates at that time were starting at 110€, in peak season they go up to 200€ if booked in time.
STATUS RECOGNITION
With our Diamond status with Hilton, breakfast was complimentary for us and we were also automatically offered premium wifi. Due to the benefit of our status, we had booked for one person only and the second guest was added free of charge, except of course for the tourist tax.
An upgrade was not given during our visit, as mentioned in the Check-In section. According to the welcome letter, upgrades are also only given by one category, but upon request, we were assured by the hotel that under normal circumstances, upgrades are given up to the King Suite, depending on availability.
There was no welcome gift in the room. However, instead of a lounge, we were given two vouchers for selected premium drinks at the bar, which we could use for two cocktails of our choice.
SUMMARY
With the new Hilton Mallorca Galatzo, the Hilton brand offers its loyal fans a good opportunity to stay on the Balearic island. The newly renovated hotel offers a modern and luxurious environment and invites you to relax. A very attentive and eager team reads every wish from your lips, the modern rooms invite you to linger, only the thin walls have sometimes briefly interrupted our rest.
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