Mallorca with kids – what to do, where to stay?

 

When you are looking for family-friendly holidays – Mallorca is a perfect choice. A small Spanish Island in the Mediterranean.  Beautiful beaches and easy to explore. If you are planning to go there, read our guide on Mallorca with Kids.

 

Mallorca or Majorca with kids or maybe Menorca with kids?

What to do in Mallorca with Kids?

Mallorca and Majorca are two names for the same place. Mallorca is the Spanish name, and Majorca is an English version of it, while Menorca is a different island  – much smaller and located about an hour and a half away by ferry. 

First, relax and enjoy yourself. Mallorca has a vast tourist infrastructure, and most of the hotels have an  all-inclusive option. I would advise if you plan to enjoy Mallorca book yourself into a nice all-inclusive hotel with a kids club.  We chose Zafiro hotels (Zafiro Bahia on the north and Zafiro Palace Palmanova on the south part of the island – more about that below) and chill out for a few days building sandcastles on the beach. 

Klook.com

Best Things to See in Mallorca

Enjoy Mallorca Beaches and the Sea

Weather tip – Mallorca claims to have 300 days of sun, but when we were there in May, even though it was sunny, it was too cold to swim in the sea or even the swimming pools – unless heated. 

Explore Palma de Mallorca 

Palma is the capital of Mallorca, with an exciting history – founded by the Romans, then conquered by the  Arabs, and in 1229 regained by the Christians. 

Visit the Cathedral of Santa Maria di Palma

It’s hard not to notice the Cathedral of Santa Maria – it dominates Palma both in both height and mass. It is 109 metres long, 33 metres wide and the nave is 44 metres high.  Inside the columns are 22 metres in height but only 2m in diameter giving an impression of lightness and grace. 
It took over 400 years to build the cathedral starting in1230 when King Jaume I set the first stone in gratitude to God for his victory over the Muslims. And of course, it was designed to outdo the biggest Mosque which has previously stood on the site.
Locals call Santa Maria “La Sue” which simply means Cathedral in Spanish.

Le Sue – Useful Info

• Website
• Mallorca Cathedral Location
• Opening hours
  • Daily 10:00 – 18:00
• Typical Entry and Other Prices
  • Adult: 8€
  • Child: Free

Try the Local Food

It feels like every second shop in the old part of Palma offers cured meat. DO try it, it’s gorgeous. We are rather a meatless family, but whenever we are in a new place we try the local food – and in Palma, it was cured sausage which was so good that my girls were fighting over them. Extra plus – they are pure meat – no filler, no additives.

Go to see the Mallorca Caves. 

Coves del Drac – The Drach Caves – Dragon Caves

The Drach Caves are the most famous caves in Mallorca. They are approximately 4km long (not all are accessible to the public)  and as much as 25 metres high. Entry to the cave is every full hour, and they become crowded quite fast- so it’s best to arrive for the earliest entry at 10 am.  If you can’t make that timing, then second best is to go for 4 pm. Why it is so essential to be earlier or later? Part of the underground tour is by boat. Queues to take a boat can be very long, so long that many end up walking. 
At the end of the tour, you can listen to a live concert. It all feels very magical, but having seen both, I would choose the alternative Hams cave – possibly not quite as spectacular but it knocked our socks off nonetheless and it’s much less touristy. 

The Drach Caves – useful info

• Website http://www.cuevasdeldrach.com/
• Google Map Location and How to Get There
• Opening hours
  • Daily 10:00 – 17:00 – entrance every full hour
• Typical Entry and Other Prices
  • Adult: 15€
  • Child (below 13 years old): 8€

Coves dels Hams

We planned to go to the Drach caves, but on the way there in our hire car I spotted a big billboard saying turn here for the cave, so I did, and then found ourselves buying tickets.  Only when we were inside, I learnt that we came to the wrong cave. Oops! It wasn’t a bad mistake – Coves dels Hams – (hook caves) is stunning. The whole visit starts with a short video about the cave and how it was discovered. After the first video, we went to the caves and saw another multimedia show, this time in the cave about the history and creation of the universe. The cave itself is beautifully lit to show some unique stalactites looking like fish hooks – which gave the cave its name..
The main Hams Cave is divided into 12 sections – at each one you can stop to listen to an audio guide telling you what you see. The tour ends with another show light and video show –  on the underground lake. 

Coves dels Hams – useful info

• Website
• Hams Cave Location Map
• Opening hours
  • Daily 10:00am – 04:30pm
• Typical Entry and Other Prices
  • Adult: 20€
  • Child (5-12 years old): 10€

Soller and Tren de Sóller

Soller is a picturesque little town on the north-west coast of Mallorca. Soller owes its fame to the delicious oranges they grow there.  These were exported to France and Spain through the Port de Soller about 3km from the town. Soller was inaccessible from the rest of the island overland until 1912 when a railway was constructed. Then the inhabitants of Mallorca could at last taste their own delicious fruit.
Now this train line itself is a tourist attraction.  Take Tren de Soller from Palma de Mallorca to Soller. The trip takes an hour and feels as if you have gone back in time as the old vintage train runs over viaducts, and through tunnels (all thirteen of them). 

Tren de Soller is known as an “Orange Express” and not because it is orange but because it was used to transport oranges. 

Tren de Sóller – useful info

• Website
• Tren de Soller – Palma Stop location
• Opening hours
  • Daily 09:00 – 17:00
• Train timetable
  • http://trendesoller.com/en/timetable/
• Typical Entry and Other Prices
  • Adult:Tickets price one way 25,00 € to Soller to Port the Soller (train and tram 32,00 €)

Road trip to Sa Calobra

Sa Calobra is a small fishing village with two beaches. It is quite isolated but accessible by a winding mountain road. Another way to visit the town is by boat. From my point of view, the town was lovely, but the road to it was just breathtaking though pretty scary.
Advice – the smaller the car, the better – we got upgraded to a long sedan, and when passing tourist buses, I needed to fold my mirrors. 

Go for a boat trip or a snorkelling trip.

From almost every port in Mallorca, you can take an organised boat tour around the local bays. Which tour to choose depends on which part of the island you are. I think one of these boat trips is a must – first because you should try snorkelling in turquoise blue water and also to see how the island looks from the sea. For anyone who was brought up inland as I was, such a sight is truly magical.
You can always combine your trip with a dolphin-watching tour. 

Jungle Parc – Mallorca

The Jungle Parc (as opposed to Mallorca’s water parks) is great fun – especially if you can make it offseason when it’s not too hot. The Jungle Park has three different courses depending on age. The first course is The Pirates, suitable for 4 to 12 year-olds. Parts of the course are graded for difficulty depending on the child’s ability and height.  The great thing is that the course is designed so that at each point the child can either go to the next level or back off for a different route without losing the fun. 
There are two other courses for adults or older kids, we haven’t tried those ones, but they did look fun. 

• Website
• Jungle Parc Mallorca location

Klook.com

Jungle Parc Junior

Jungle Parc Junior is a tree obstacle course designed for children from 4 to 11 years old. It’s formed as a succession of tree platforms connected by nets, zip lines, swings and even a rocket. It all works with a continuous belay system. 

Minimum height to use the facility is 1,05m

Jungle Parc Junior – useful info

• Website
• Jungle Parc Junior Location
• Opening hours
  • Daily 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
  • Thursday closed
• Typical Entry and Other Prices
  • Child (4-11 yr): 14 Euro

Visit one of the Mallorca Water Parks

Mallorca has 3 water parks Aqualand Mallorca and Western Water Park, and Hidropark.

Western Water Park

Apart from high entrance fees, at Western you will pay extra 5 Euro for sunbed, 10 Euros for locker, 5 Euros for parking and 3,80 Euro for a drink of water. 
We came here to experience thrills and fun. We were very disappointed. Everything here was about screwing as many euros from us as possible. Everything is extra. 5 euros for each sunbed 10 euros for a locker, you have to rent the inflatables, 5 euros to leave the car park. What felt like continuous extortion left a very bitter taste in my mouth which franky ruined the day. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad but even the rides felt shabby and seedy, the food disappointing and expensive, he toilets no better. Tickets are expensive and if you pay extra you can jump the queue with fast track.  Of course this means that everyone who has bought the ordinary tickets spend longer standing still. We have had lots of fun in water parks worldwide, but not this one. I won’t be going again and suggest that you can find many better attractions to enjoy on this otherwise lovely island.

Western Water Park – useful info

• Website
• Western Water Park Location
• Opening hours
  • Daily 10:00 am – 05:00 pm
• Typical Entry and Other Prices
  • Adult: 30.00€
  • Child (5-12 years old): 21.00€
  • Child (3-4 years old): 12.00€

Hidropark

Hidropark Alcudia, is located in the northern part of the Island. If you stay in Club Mac, then free entry to the park is part of the accommodation package, and that’s probably the best option to visit this waterpark. Food is expensive but if you get a stamp for re-entry you can leave for lunch and come back.

• Website
• Hidropark Alcudia, Mallorca location

Aqualand El Arenal

This is another Waterpark in Mallorca which doesn’t have good reviews. We haven’t visited it, mostly because only 4 rides were available for kids below 120 cm (and my kids were below this height at the time). 
The main complaints here are much as we found at Western.  It seems everything is payable extra – sunbed, locker etc and also the food is expensive. but this seems to be characteristic of all waterparks in Mallorca 
Aqualand El Arenal Useful Info

• Website
• Aqualand El Arenal location

Katmandu Park 

Katmandu Park is an indoor and outdoor hi-tech theme park which is part of a resort Sol Katmandu Park & Resort but it accessible to everyone. The indoor part is in “The House” and it’s full of interactive experiences and mazes. 
Other attractions consist of mini-golf, 5D cinema, 4D roller coaster, XD  Rides and Splash Park with twisted slides. 
Katmandu Park is great fun for the whole family. You can easily spend a few hours here. 

Tip – Advice to buy the vip pass unlimited drinks and food and snack all-in the price

Katmandu Park – Useful Info

• Website
• Katmandu Park Location
• Opening hours
  • Daily 10:00am – 10:00 pm

Marineland Mallorca

Marine amusement park.  There are sea lions and dolphins and 3 exotic bird shows, every 90 – 120 minutes. Between the shows, you can see the aquarium or visit the aviary. 

Marineland Mallorca useful info

• Website
• Marineland Mallorca Location
• Opening hours
  • Daily 09:30 – 17:30
• Typical Entry and Other Prices
  • Adult: 23€
  • Child (5-11 yr old): 13€
  • Child (3-4 yr old): 11€

 

Go to the Aquarium 

Palma Aquarium has 55 tanks with over 700 different species, including a 9 meter deep tank which is home to 11 kinds of shark.  Palma Aquarium also has the Aquadome attraction dedicated to humpback whales. There is a kids play area in the Mediterranean garden, and also the largest rooftop garden in Spain, themed as an Amazonian jungle including a 7-metre waterfall.

Palma Aquarium – useful info

• Book tickets here
• Website
• Palma Aquarium location
• Opening hours
  • Daily 09:30 – 18:30
• Typical Entry and Other Prices
  • Adult: Aquarium +Aquadom 28,50 €
  • Child (4-12 years old): Aquarium +Aquadom 17,00 €

 

Visit the Zoologico Natura Parc

 Zoologico Natura Parc is a small family-owned zoo.  It is especially suitable for smaller children because the animals are closer and the walks are shorter and it has a great petting zoo and a great kid’s playground. Most of the animals in the zoo are there because they have been rescued either from ill-treatment or smugglers.
The biggest hit is an enclosure where your kids can feed lemurs themselves. 

Zoologico Natura Parc – useful info

• Website
• Zoologico Natura Parc – location
• Opening hours
  • Daily 10:00 – 5:30
• Typical Entry and Other Prices
  • Adult: 15€
  • Child: 9€

 

How to get to Mallorca ?

Mallorca has an international airport connecting the island to the whole of Europe with both regular and budget airlines like Ryanair. The Airport is located in the south part of the island close to Palma. Because Mallorca is small, the longest you would have to travel on your transfer to a hotel would take around 1 hour. At the airport you can pick up a hire car, use a pre-booked hotel transfer car, as we did it, or take a taxi.

Family friendly accommodation in Mallorca

Mallorca is very family friendly and the best way to enjoy it is by booking a two-centre holiday in both the north and the south.  We stayed at two places, both part of the Zafiro hotel chain.
In the North, we chose the Zafiro Bahia and in the South, we stayed in Zafiro Palace Palmanova. 

Zafiro Bahia

We started our holiday by exploring the North part of the island. We stayed in Zafiro Bahia which is located on Platja de Muro – said to be one of the best beaches in Spain.
At first sight, the hotel feels rather squeezed onto its site and quite intense. Though this had its advantages – everything is easy to get to, and when your children disappear, they are actually quite easy to find.

What was so good about Zafiro Bahia?

Our room – we were in a newly refurbished “Swim-up” room with our own swimming pool. Sounds awesome! – Yes 🙂 but not at the beginning of May when the air temperature is around 20 degrees and water 17. But I bet that now in June I would spend the whole day in that pool – living the dream. Other special rooms have a terrace with jacuzzi and great views.

Zafiro Bahia has five pools. One was entirely dedicated to kids with slides and a pirate ship. It did look great although again at that time, the water was cold. Luckily there were two other heated pools, one for families and the other for adults only – both with Balinese types of bed. Now imagine the bliss.
The main pool had a wet ball – total craziness and kids loved it – my girls had a blast.

Zafiro Entertainments

First, we have to define entertainment. My personal entertainment is a book, a glass of wine and some freedom from my lovely girls. If you add to this a pool and a great view, then I’m in my own seventh heaven. And Zafiro was perfect for that. From 10am, there were kids activities. Starting with arts and crafts, following with sport and other fun activities including for example a pirate treasure hunt, face painting, glittery tattoos – the list goes on.
Every evening there was a kid’s disco. And this was so so exciting that my girls managed to have a shower with hair washing in less time than it usually takes just to discuss the question of whether and why they should wash their hair.
After the disco, there was more entertainment for the whole family. We saw an acrobatic show, magic show, live music and different birds of prey. All shows were of great quality and kept both the kids and me captivated.
Zafiro had dedicated kids entertainers, who were really full of life and good with kids and they spoke several languages (including Polish) so no one would feel left out. Children can be left in the kids club without supervision from four years old.

Apart from organized entertainment. Kids can always jump in the pool, trampoline, play mini golf or even terrorise a local peacock (there was a small enclosure with peacock and ducks). There is so much stuff to do that you can forget your family with a clear conscience because they will already have forgotten about you.

Zafiro Bahia Food

Do you know that moment when you are trying something delicious and involuntarily you find yourself making peculiar noises of delight? … yes, I had these moments during every single meal. and better still it worked for the girls too. Never before have I been dragged to lunch by my little gourmets because they were so excited by the tuna tartare. And I never had my little Tania insisting that I need to go the chef and ask how to make pesto as it was so delicious. That’s about the quality.

I was impressed that although the restaurant was always packed even to the point of being loud, the buffet constantly had a great choice and never lacked anything. The organization was faultless and the staff were perfectly attentive with taking drink orders and with tidying up.

As you will know if you follow me for some time, my girls have severe food intolerances. Most of the time we eat rice and fresh vegetables only. I always try and choose a place where I can cook for them. Zoe is a kind of processed-food-detector. Tomato sauce, for example, will almost always upset her. Here to my surprise, there were no issues all week – tomato sauce included. All the staff was kind and helpful every time I asked about ingredients. The juices were freshly made, not diluted with juice from a carton. Almost for the first time in the past two years, we spent the whole week eating without a single episode of food-related problems. Thank you, Zafiro for that.
I don’t know if I’m so thankful for the extra two kilos I gained! I’m no foodie, and though I enjoy eating, I can generally take it or leave it, but in …. the food was far too good – I just wanted to try it more to learn and discover more new tastes.
My only complaint was that there weren’t more vegan options. There were as loads of salads but in true “Spanish manner” they almost all included some kind of dead animal.
Zafiro’s motto is “Freedom of Choice” Each room has a small well-equipped kitchenette and it’s your option if you want to book just a stay with breakfast or all inclusive. After trying both the Hotel’s catering, and also eating in outside restaurants, I would choose Zafiro’s full board.

Cool bracelets and cool idea

On check-in at Zafiro, we received nice bracelets with the Zafiro logo which served both as room keys and by a scanning system as currency within the hotel. It was a great thing to make life easier and not have to worry about room keys – especially in the pool. And they looked so nice that we have kept them as bookmarks.

Zafiro Palace Palmanova

During the second part of our holiday, we moved to the Southern part of the island. Our second base was the Zafiro Palace Palmanova, not to be confused with Zafiro Palmanova as we discovered when we were dropped at the wrong place. Luckily the right hotel was close so we took our luggage and made the journey on foot.
Zafiro Palace Palmanova is a new hotel and from the moment you enter you take a step up in luxury. It is a five-star hotel and feels like it.

Our new room… another wow, lovely bathtub, comfy bed, great balcony and an extra roof-top terrace with jacuzzi.

Food

Because Zafiro Palace Palmanova is 5-star hotel it was less crowded. The waiters remembered my name and room number. They were very nice and sweet towards the girls and you could notice everywhere that you receive personal attention. All Zafiro staff were excellent in both hotels, but for sure if you want to feel special, Zafiro Palace Palmanova is the place to be.

The hotel has a number of themed restaurants for fine dining but for us the buffet dinner was ideal – an excellent choice of food for the girls, and we would never tire of the spectacle of the finest ingredients prepared right in front of us at a number of live cooking stations.

The kid’s facilities were similar to those in Zafiro Bahia, so the girls immediately felt at home and sank right into the vibe. Again the Zafiro children’s entertainers were amazing and even on the second rainy day, there was no single moan from my girls. They just loved everything, and the great organisation was, of course, great for me – when they are busy, I am free.

Getting Around

This hotel doesn’t have direct access to the beach but it’s only three minutes away. Palmanova seems to be more the destination for party people than for families as opposed to Platja de Muro in the north.

Mallorca for Families – Conclusion

Mallorca was a perfect spot for Family holiday. Idea of standing in two different places on the island made the discovery of the island much easier. Both hotels are excellent and very professionally managed and staffed. The rooms were excellent and the food especially far exceeded expectations.
Zafiro Bahia in the north, on Platja de Muro, was the perfect location and environment for young families, whilst Zafiro Palace Palmanova in the South – although child-friendly, is especially ideal for adults who want a touch more sophistication and to stay in the South but once removed from beach parties.

Family friendly Mallorca – Pin it for later

Disclaimer: We enjoyed Zafiro hotels complimentary in return for a written review. All views expressed are entirely our own.

Privacy Policy Disclaimer

This website uses affiliate links for income and support.

If you like our website, please consider using these links. You will be directed to the vendor, and we will get a small commission on your purchase price at no increased cost to you.

We have researched facts stated here as far as practicable but please check anything critical before committing your time and money. We do not claim any special knowledge or expertise, and we are not consultants for our readers.