Iberostar Waves Cristina — Hotel in Palma

We have just come back from a week at the Iberostar Waves Cristina. Having stayed at several Iberostar hotels this one was my favourite.||Positives: I liked the layout of the hotel and the way it flowed, it was easy to navigate and find things simply. The decor was fresh and white and clean and modern which I love, and we had a ground floor family room which was a great location and very central for the pool and dinner. ||The staff were super helpful everywhere you went, from the reception to the cleaners, and the bar staff. All happy to be there too which is not often the case at all hotels so it was great to see everyone friendly and smiling and happy. ||On reception, everyone was really helpful especially Suanny who really went above and beyond to help facilitate requests. A big thanks to her. ||The entertainment team were REALLY fantastic, full of energy and great at getting people up and involved. They worked so hard doing all different kinds of roles from morning until late at night! There was a constant range of activities and programmes throughout the day to keep kids and adults entertained - we all really enjoyed this. There was often an afternoon adult activity like Sangria making or Mojito making which Omar was very good at doing and we all enjoyed. ||The playground facilities were excellent, having had a newly fitted trampoline and swing area located perfectly near the dining area but also near the evening entertainment area meant that children could play safely without being out of sight which was a HUGE highlight for me. I could relax knowing they were busy and happy and safe. They also had a separate bigger play area at the bottom of the pool which my child and the friends he made used every afternoon to have a break from swimming.||The proximity to the beach was great, it looked further away on a map but it was just a 3/4 minute walk. Supermarket at the end of the hotel too which was handy. ||There were however some parts that definitely need improving. ||Negatives: The sofa beds. We made friends with several families and every single one of them complained about the ‘sofa beds’ in the family rooms. They are completely inadequate for sleeping on and have zero support. Had we known this we wouldn’t have booked a family room as the sofa bed was for my dad who is 70 years old. He woke up so sore and in pain from the sofa bed and we were told nothing could be done as every room was the same. They literally had cushions underneath the frame pushing it up to support it from collapsing and a metal bar across the middle which went straight into your hips. We ended up converting it back to a regular sofa and he just slept on the ‘L’ part of the sofa for the whole week which was really a huge downside to the holiday. If the bed was being used by a small child I imagine it wouldn’t be as bad but an adult can absolutely not use that as a bed which we were not aware of. ||Evening entertainment variety: the downside of having stayed at several Iberostar hotels meant we had seen the majority of the evening shows. Some of which were fine to watch again but a couple were not great and very cheesy like the magic show. Would’ve been great to see a better variety of shows that lasted longer! ||Evening entertainment length and disconnect: The night time entertainment lasts for 90 minutes and then it’s all finished. The quizzes start at 8.30pm for 30 minutes and then there is a 1 hour show 9pm - 10pm. At 10 everything is pretty much finished and you have no choice but to go to bed. Again this was a huge talking point amongst guests we met there as some nights you want to be able to stay up later and have some live music on, or a bar environment. At other Iberostar hotels once the main show finished you can move into the main bar until 1am where you can play cards, games, have drinks, hear live bands or DJ sets…. But no vibe after 10pm here. They also really need to sort out the disconnect between the children’s entertainment which starts stupidly early at about 5.30pm when the majority of guests are still in the pool. This finishes around 6.30pm and then there’s nothing on until 8.30pm.|Seems silly, the kids entertainment should just start later so that adults don’t have to cut their evening short, and then continue straight into adults entertainment so you can make an evening of it. ||Dinner drinks: we were half board and obviously knew we had to pay for drinks, but at evening dinner if my 6 year old wanted water there was no option to have a glass of tap water even though there are water machines everywhere! They are not in use during dinner time and we were told each night that we had to buy him a large glass bottle of water in order for him to drink, which is crazy. This needs to be rectified as it is a stupid policy. Water at dinner should be free. ||Dinner: the dinner options were mainly good but quite hard to find options for children to eat, the childrens food station really didn’t have very much for them to choose from except chips and some hotdogs. My child hardly ate anything at breakfast or dinner and I ended up having to buy lots of things throughout the day that he would eat. ||All in all it was a fab hotel and we really enjoyed it, they just need to improve a few things to make...

We just returned from a three-week stay and I want to share the good, the bad, and the ugly.||||The Good:||||The entertainment team was great, especially the girls.||||Our baby absolutely loved the mini disco and Starky and Stella.||||Some staff truly stood out for their kindness, like Vero, Emma, and Cassia, who always took time to greet and interact with our baby.||||We also enjoyed the 20:30 live music in the bar. ||||The Bad:||||We paid a €30 deposit for an iron, which we were fine with, but the one provided was dirty and unusable.||||Food was repetitive, almost the same every day, and it was very difficult to find anything suitable for a baby. Even simple, plain options like cooked broccoli and cauliflower or chicken/turkey were hard to come by.||||Vegetarians will struggle too: only sides, endless pasta, and no real variety. On top of that, food labeling was unclear and often incorrect, which makes it especially difficult for vegetarians or anyone with allergies.||||No soundproofing at all from the hallways. Sometimes housekeepers shouted in the hallway, even with a “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door and other guests were even less considerate.||||The elevators were a constant frustration. Always occupied, often too long to wait with a stroller, and used by staff as well. One time it even stopped three times in a row, full of housekeepers with carts.||||We booked all-inclusive thinking it would make things easier with a baby, but it wasn’t worth it given the food situation.||||There were no activities specifically for 0–3-year-olds. The Kangaroo Club only held one activity during our entire stay, even though we were told it would be daily, with the explanation that “there wasn’t enough interest.”||The Ugly:||||Our bed on the first night was unimaginably squeaky, to the point where we couldn’t move without risking waking the baby. It was adjusted the next day and it improved a bit, but it still squeaked enough that we had to be careful how to sit up and lie down. On top of that, it was pretty uncomfortable.||||The bathroom sink backed up with black grime and wouldn’t drain.||||Curtains were badly moldy. Shockingly, our baby slept next to them for nearly two weeks before we noticed. They were replaced the same day after we complained, but mold should never have been an issue in the first place. (also the whole place smelled moldy) ||||The pans in the restaurant were in awful condition, with the Teflon coating completely peeled off. It’s a health hazard, those should be replaced the moment they’re scratched. I was even told the black flakes in my food were “pepper” but they certainly didn’t taste like it, and pans were not addressed. ||||When we raised concerns about baby food, a manager invited us to create a simple menu, which we appreciated. But after I did, we were told it was “too detailed” and redirected to whatever was already on the buffet, like porridge, vegetables, or pasta with pesto. In practice, this meant nothing extra was offered, and since those items weren’t consistently available, the problem remained unresolved.||||Overall, the whole experience felt like a budget stay dressed up as a 4-star hotel. For the price we paid, we expected much better. Between the squeaky and uncomfortable bed, the sink clogged with grime, moldy curtains by our baby’s bed,, we honestly had the same experience in our first apartment rental, down to the mold problem, for...

We just returned from a three-week stay and I want to share the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The Good:

The entertainment team was great, especially the girls.

Our baby absolutely loved the mini disco and Starky and Stella.

Some staff truly stood out for their kindness, like Vero, Emma, and Cassia, who always took time to greet and interact with our baby.

We also enjoyed the 20:30 live music in the bar.

The Bad:

We paid a €30 deposit for an iron, which we were fine with, but the one provided was dirty and unusable.

Food was repetitive, almost the same every day, and it was very difficult to find anything suitable for a baby. Even simple, plain options like cooked broccoli and cauliflower or chicken/turkey were hard to come by.

Vegetarians will struggle too: only sides, endless pasta, and no real variety. On top of that, food labeling was unclear and often incorrect, which makes it especially difficult for vegetarians or anyone with allergies.

No soundproofing at all from the hallways. Sometimes housekeepers shouted in the hallway, even with a “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door and other guests were even less considerate.

The elevators were a constant frustration. Always occupied, often too long to wait with a stroller, and used by staff as well. One time it even stopped three times in a row, full of housekeepers with carts.

We booked all-inclusive thinking it would make things easier with a baby, but it wasn’t worth it given the food situation.

There were no activities specifically for 0–3-year-olds. The Kangaroo Club only held one activity during our entire stay, even though we were told it would be daily, with the explanation that “there wasn’t enough interest.”

The Ugly:

Our bed on the first night was unimaginably squeaky, to the point where we couldn’t move without risking waking the baby. It was adjusted the next day and it improved a bit, but it still squeaked enough that we had to be careful how to sit up and lie down. On top of that, it was pretty uncomfortable.

The bathroom sink backed up with black grime and wouldn’t drain.

Curtains were badly moldy. Shockingly, our baby slept next to them for nearly two weeks before we noticed. They were replaced the same day after we complained, but mold should never have been an issue in the first place. (also the whole place smelled moldy)

The pans in the restaurant were in awful condition, with the Teflon coating completely peeled off. It’s a health hazard, those should be replaced the moment they’re scratched. I was even told the black flakes in my food were “pepper” but they certainly didn’t taste like it, and pans were not addressed.

When we raised concerns about baby food, a manager invited us to create a simple menu, which we appreciated. But after I did, we were told it was “too detailed” and redirected to whatever was already on the buffet, like porridge, vegetables, or pasta with pesto. In practice, this meant nothing extra was offered, and since those items weren’t consistently available, the problem remained unresolved.

Overall, the whole experience felt like a budget stay dressed up as a 4-star hotel. For the price we paid, we expected much better. Between the squeaky and uncomfortable bed, the sink clogged with grime, moldy curtains by our baby’s bed,, we honestly had the same experience in our first apartment rental, down to the mold problem, for...