The Osprey Menorca Hotel needs some attention
A 3-night stay at the Osprey Hotel! The location is truly unbeatable, just a few minutes' stroll from the beautiful, sandy beach of Cala en Porter with its crystal-clear waters. The small town is also easily accessible by the scenic uphill road, but a bit of a difficult climb for seniors or those with arthritis.
From the moment we arrived, we were impressed by the friendly, helpful and professional staff and large lobby. Access to the reception is by stairs or by a lift a bit further to the left of the stairs. The hotel lacked an indication sign to advise new arrivals that there was a lift so we had to struggle up the stairs. The lift is not controlled by a keycard so anyone can enter the hotel premises at any time which gives one a feeling of insecurity.
The hotel offers excellent value for money. Our room No.212 was modern, clean, and very comfortable with two single beds attached to each other, a small fridge, and a small table top TV, clearly having been recently renovated. On entering the room, I tried to lock the door from the inside for security but found that the locking mechanism was not aligned properly and that it would not lock. I tried a bit of force by kicking on the door but that did not help. By the time I went down to reception to complain, there had been a change of staff and I spoke with a young lady who was sat beside another lady who claimed to be the Manager. On hearing my complaint, the Manager said to me that all the rooms were like that (she did not know that I could prove her wrong as my daughter was in another room). Anyway, the young lady who tried to assist came up with me to see the problem for herself and next I took her to my daughter’s room to show her how she could lock the door from the inside. She said she would see what she could do and then a few minutes later the Manager came up with the Housekeeper to see the problem. I asked if she could change our room but she said she only had an inferior room available on the 1st floor which I was not prepared to accept and tried to convince me that it was quite safe in Menorca. I was not happy that she did not seem concerned and apologise or say that she would arrange to have the lock fixed the next day or that she would find us a better room the next day. I decided to make a complaint online using their contact page and a short while later received an apology and a promise to change our room to one with added facilities the next day. On return to the hotel the following afternoon, I collected the cardkey to room No.101 which had a double bed, a wall mounted TV three times the size of the one in the previous room, a coffee/tea maker which we could not use as there were no instructions available, two beach towels and two bottles of water and two bottles of apple juice in the fridge. However, there were issues with this room which I did not complain about but I shall make all aware about them now. There are tiny black ants crawling around in the room and bathroom. The commode seat is coming off on one side and the mattress is not an orthopaedic one and it caused me severe pains in my lower back on both nights that I slept on it. The caretaker should thoroughly inspect all the rooms and get all the problems if any in each room sorted out so that customers do not have cause for complaint. The rooftop pool area was a highlight—a beautiful sun trap with comfy beds that was wonderfully quiet, perfect for relaxing in the late afternoon and early evening. The breakfast was nice and good value for the price, but the queue for the lone coffee/tea machine was long and slow so it is recommended that another machine be installed at the other end of the counter. We also had a great dining experience at the hotel's restaurant, where the food was delicious and the views of the beach were lovely.
Apart from all the drawbacks, overall, it was a somewhat pleasant stay at this beachside hotel.