Universal Romantica Hotel

Lovely hotel in a beautiful location. Very happy with our room and sea view., beds were really comfortable and good pillows. Nice clean room and lovely housekeepers. Booked all inclusive on this visit and wasn't disappointed , good selection of food and drinks. Good value. Nice quiet hotel and staff very friendly and helpful.

Very disappointing — sold to us as four-star accommodation We stayed at the Universal Hotel Romántica in Colonia Sant Jordi, Majorca, booked through Jet2holidays, and unfortunately our experience was extremely disappointing. I feel it is important to make one thing very clear from the outset: Jet2holidays advertised and sold this hotel to us as a four-star property. The hotel itself is advertised as a three-star hotel. Had I known at the time of booking that this was a three-star hotel, I would never have booked it. That difference is particularly important because we paid just under £1,000, and our expectations were based on the four-star rating we were given when booking. There were a few positives. Our room was clean, the shower was good and the hotel was generally quiet in the mornings. The rooftop bar was also a nice area and one of the highlights of the stay. Unfortunately, the negatives far outweighed the positives. Poor service The reception staff were extremely disappointing. They appeared to have very little knowledge about the surrounding area and, on several occasions, gave us incorrect information about train times and prices. They also seemed unable to provide useful information about places to visit or how to get around. One of the male reception staff was the most helpful, but some of the female reception staff made us feel as though we were a nuisance whenever we approached them. Eventually, we stopped asking reception for information and found things out ourselves because they were so unapproachable. The service around the pool area was also very poor. The waiters and waitresses rarely came over to ask if we wanted drinks, meaning we had to go to the bar ourselves every time. On one occasion, I went to use the card machine and accidentally pressed the wrong button because it was in Spanish and nobody had explained how to use it. The waitress shouted “NOOO!” at me. I found this incredibly rude and completely unnecessary. More generally, we did not feel particularly welcomed as English-speaking guests. Communication was difficult on several occasions, and we felt there was very little effort made to make us feel comfortable or valued as paying guests. An unfortunate incident on arrival Unfortunately, our holiday also got off to a very unpleasant start. When we left the airport, a driver slammed a vehicle door onto my arm, leaving me with extensive bruising. I showed photographic/evidence of the bruising and reported the incident. The local Jet2 representative was fairly helpful when I raised the matter, and I am currently awaiting the outcome. I don't believe incidents like this should simply be brushed aside, particularly when they happen as part of the holiday transfer experience. The food was the biggest disappointment I have travelled all over the world and very rarely stay in three-star hotels, but I was accompanying my mother on this trip. I can honestly say that I have never experienced such poorly presented and poorly cooked buffet food. The food was repetitive, often freezing cold and, in our opinion, completely lacking in flavour. One example that summed up the lack of care was the cheese, pickle and biscuits selection — except there were no biscuits! We were staying half board, yet we ate out on two evenings because I simply couldn't face eating the hotel food again. The restaurant service wasn't much better. The staff seemed to pay very little attention to guests, and even getting a drink felt like a huge effort. Throughout the week, I felt as though we were there for the convenience of the hotel rather than the hotel being there for its guests. The location We also found the area disappointing. There isn't a huge amount to do immediately around the hotel, and we found getting around difficult. We also had frustrating experiences trying to get taxis, with drivers seemingly reluctant to take us anywhere other than the airport. I absolutely love Majorca, but unfortunately I disliked this particular area and, even more so, the hotel. For the first time ever, I was genuinely happy to get home. For just under £1,000, we felt completely overcharged for the experience we received. The fact that we booked this hotel through Jet2holidays on the understanding that it was four-star accommodation, when the hotel itself is three-star, is particularly disappointing. Had it been clearly presented to us as a three-star hotel, I would never have booked it. Clean rooms and a nice rooftop bar simply aren't enough when the food, service and overall experience fall so far short of what we expected. I would not return to the Universal Hotel Romántica and would not recommend it.