Family a flair
Get ready for the Balearics
Connor and Cara hit the dessert bar and actors. Judging from the number of times the kids have nicked our phones since we returned for making their own mini movies, we have an inkling their stay has fired a passion for videography. If all this was heaven for the kids, I have to say it was equally pleasurable for us adults. With the our two safely contained in Star Camp, Ian and I were able to enter our own promised land: Star Prestige. This is the hallowed adults-only ground within the hotel, featuring some pretty groovy guest rooms and a Ian and Lynne Gorgeous beach at Playa de Muro playground for big kids on the roof. We knew we’d found nirvana when the lift doors opened on to a terrace with cava bar, Balinese beds, whirlpool and pool looking out to sea. Star Prestige is only for those holidaying without kids, but Ian and I were allowed investigative access for a few hours of peace where we stretched out on a cabana and played the Sliding Doors game to a soundtrack of Absolutely No Children Arguing Anywhere.
‘‘In another life, imagine if...’’ I said. ‘‘Yes,’’ he nodded. ‘‘Imagine if the kids had grandparents who’d take them for a week so we could come back here on our own.’’
Luckily there was plenty to enjoy together as a family to ease the pang of leaving this idyll behind. Back down on the ground we fluffed out our towels and settled into the hotel’s spacious family pool complex, with slides, splash pools, aqua aerobics and stacks of loungers.when we fancied a Pool at Alcudia Park
to Palma, Majorca, from €25 per person one-way based on two people on the same booking. easyjet.com Iberostar is introducing an eco campaign, Wave Of Change, to its hotels, including Alcudia Park. There’s no single use plastic here any more, which is explained alongside some (gentle) messaging about the saving the world.
We knew it had hit home when the kids emerged from the sea waving a rogue Twix wrapper they’d spotted bobbing, and didn’t whinge once about not having a straw for their Slushies. David Attenborough would be proud.
The family rooms comprise of separate bedroom for parents, and a lounge with sofa bed converted to a bunk bed for kids. Expect warfare over who gets to go up top.
change a scene we walked all of 50 yards down to Playa de Muro beach, which some higher power clearly designed with families in mind.
The water here is so gentle and shallow we felt happy leaving the kids to splash about while we watched from the hotel’s all-day snacking bar.
Frankly, our two would have stayed in the sea all day if it wasn’t for the daily bingo games and afternoon icelolly. In the evenings the rhythm was equally chilled. We piled our plates at the buffet grill, ate far more puddings than necessary then took our seats under the stars for the beach bar show.
A bit of embarrassing Mum and Dad dancing to the 80s prom night spectacular? Consider it payback for every harvest festival assembly we’ve endured, suckers. It’s an easy sort of holiday to sink into and, as our airport cabbie and his sand-splattered car will attest, a hard one to relinquish.
And if CCTV footage of a man pulling trousers on over his swim shorts on a late-night Gatwick Express ever goes public, you know the story behind it.