My husband, 3-year-old and I stayed in a one-bedroom apartment in the Vista Blanes from 21 to 28 September 2011. The apartment was ground floor and had a small terrace overlooking the pool, on the shady side of the complex (which we thought was a good thing in the afternoons).

The apartment was basic and the furniture, bathroom and kitchen were tired but functional, but the lovely blue pools (one paddling pool, one swimming pool sweeping round in a spiral from nothing to a "deep end") made this holiday for us as my son absolutely loved them.

We largely handled the evening entertainment programme by being out at dinner elsewhere (bingo is not our thing).

However, having an inquisitive toddler, I did have an issue with not being able to secure the door from the inside in any way. I asked for a baby gate to put across the door alcove (which would have fixed the problem for us) but none could be found, though I do believe that the rep tried very hard but was let down by her property and operator in that respect. We were offered a travel cot, but a) my son hates sleeping in cots because, as he tells me, he's a big boy now, and b) the slatted base was broken and it didn't have a proper mattress pad over the top, so we rejected that. Eventually, and - somewhat startingly - as recommended by the chap in reception, we pushed the kitchen table up against the door and brought our son into our bedroom. Asking around, other families with small children were doing something similar. Not quite what I had in mind when we booked, really. I think the most aggravating aspect of this whole episode was that I was told that the door arrangement was due to Spanish fire regs, and that the operator's UK H&S team were sticking to that line, whereas a sensible risk assessment might have guessed that mums wouldn't be keen on small children wandering off towards swimming pools in the middle of the night (and no, UK H&S team, I cannot "properly supervise" a child when I am asleep, as the child may not happen to wake me. That is why I have a baby gate across the top of the stairs at home, which I close each night before I go to bed, and why I lock my front door). I am no expert on Spanish fire regs, but I do suspect that they would frown upon heavy furniture routinely being shoved up against the main exit route from the apartments, particularly above ground floor level....

Anyway. The good thing about Vista Blanes was that it was in a very quiet spot a short walk from a small sandy cove with handsome palm trees shading the shore-end of the beach. I think we would have been fairly disappointed if we had stayed in a property nearer Los Delfinos (the main strip), which was a bit tawdry in places and definitely too busy for us, so the 20-ish minute stroll there through residential streets was fine by us.

We did find two really lovely places to eat right on the near edge of the strip. L'Ancora was just great, the staff were pleasant, the food was reliably good (thoroughly recommend the cod in Menorcan-style sauce in particular), the menu was varied, and I have to say that the staff were fab with my little one - even going so far as to bring out every type of ice-cream they had on a tray, so he could choose! Bless them. We also liked very much Sa Torretta, which was a quiet and friendly crepes-and-tapas place with a really thoughtful little courtyard play area full of Ikea toys, which was much better than the ubiquitous bouncy castle for my toddler.

We would return to Menorca, but I think we'd look for somewhere generally a bit quieter on the whole, and I would have to blow 3 kilos of the baggage allowance on a portable travel safety barrier.

Just returned from a week at the Vista Blanes, so glad we ignored the bad reviews,we had a fantastic week and found ALL the staff very helpful and friendly.

The appartments are clean and tidy and have everything you need should you wish to cook, there is a small supermarket which has most things you should need at fairly reasonable prices, however the shop shuts at 2pm the last two weeks of the season but it,s not a problem as there are plrnty of other shops nearby.

The bar and restaurant were open every day serving a good choice of food and drinks at reasonable prices and the bar staff are such a laugh, so friendly.

Entertainment was provided and the Robbie Williams/Michael Bubble tribute was great.
Felt sorry for Astrid the entertainment manager as she turned up every day to offer some form of entertainment even providing a mini disco for i little girl ,thats dedication and she,s also a very friendly and lovely lady.

Although it was end of season we still managed to get out and about and found some lovely beaches/coves and some good places to eat and drink (can reccomend Bianco,s ) and the weather was good as well.

We must say a big thank you to the lovely Charlotte, our Thomson rep, who was always there with a big smile ready to offer any help and advice should you need it, this lovely young lady obviously loves her job and it shows.
Many thanks Charlotte for making our first time in Menorca so memorable, enjoy your well deserved holiday. xx

We would definitely reccomend these appartments to both young and old there is something there for everyone.

Many thanks to all at the Vista Blanes, see you next year.

Ali(48) & Pete(57)
xx xx

The complex has a brilliantly laid out pool where easy access for both children and the elderly.rooms are well equiped with mod cons.Balconies are quite spacious.Local access to ciutradella we found very easy by bus and only 1.55euro per person.The nearby beach is very popular but sometimes a bit busy,so use of the complex pool was brilliantly welcomed.The bar/restaurant/snack staff were very friendly and the food well up to standard.A quick taxi ride(5mins)can be called for from reception and thus making easy access to calla n blanes /forcat where there is lots of shops /restaurants and a fab water park slides etc.With excellent Thompson rep "charlotte"we were well informed about the locality and various trips available.Only the miserable people will want to miss the great fun shows/entertainment on the evenings,the childrens reps were very good with the children.

We came back on Monday 5th Sept 2011. We booked as a last minute 10 night cheap deal 2 adults, and 1 child for just under £900 but that didnt inc transfers as we had arranged a car from the airport. We had stayed in the Talayot 2 years previous so we knew what to expect from the area, restaurants etc. But we werent prepaired for the Vista Blanes.

Our moto is as long as its clean and we can get some undisturbed sleep we just use the apartment as a base, unfortunately this didnt happen at the Blanes......

I'd emailed beforehand after reading the reviews on here and asked for a room overlooking the pool on the 1st floor, which when we arrived and directed to block 5 at around midday seemed to be a good choice not much of a view as we had trees infront of our balcony, however as there is NO aircon in the room the heat was un-believable, we had to open the patio doors and the main door in order to get some cool air through. The bedroom had a ceiling fan which didnt do much to help either. Basically the room was like a sauna, uncomfortable and un-bearably hot. We would shower in cold water, come out and still be boiling hot, it was always uncomfortable!

The apartment itself is a little run down the beds were hard and uncomfortable, settee/bed was not very comfortable to sit or sleep on either, however we did find the rooms very clean, and it was well stocked as a self catering apartment, kettle, toaster, microwave, fridge, and plenty of utensils. Every door seemed to have to be slammed in order to shut them properly, which you could hear on the floors above you, the hot water is limited as well, the tank will give you 1 warm bath, and you'd have to wait at least 30min for more hot water, so it was quick barely warm showers for us.

We booked on the understanding the Vista Blanes was a quiet, but family friendly establishment. However, the noise from the unrully foul mouthed young boys who were left to run riot around the pool at 8.30pm proved what type of people were also staying there. These 4 boys must have only been around 10 years old certainly no more than 12, but the language was disgusting! We couldnt close the doors/windows because of the heat either, these parents should be ashamed to bring up children like that! Then the music started, now we like entertainment, and will often go and watch the shows just to keep my daughter happy, but, the level was defeaning, we'd been awake since 4am that morning and all we wanted to do was sleep, so at 10pm I went down to reception to ask to move, but was told to come back the following morning, however, she did radio down to the entertainment block to ask for the music to be turned down, which it was for about 3 songs then bumped back up to full volume again! The woman who runs the disco loves the sound of her own voice and spent the 3 hours shouting and cheering between songs if I had gone down to the bar I probably would of rammed the mic down her bloody throat!! Just to shut her up! We had to wait until midnight after the music finished and the other guests had staggered back to there rooms, talking loudly, swearing, and the chavvy kids running up and down the corridors, before we could even attempt to sleep, not a good start or first impression!

Next morning I went and saw the Thomson rep Charlotte a lovely irish girl, explained that were a family that like our sleep and asked to move which she said she would try and do and would contact me back, so I also went and spoke to the manager and asked him to move us, all I got was you cant move till Monday, ignorant and rude!

The thought of having to spend 3 sleepless nights in that room was to much so next time we saw Charlotte we asked to move to a different hotel. On Sunday however Charlotte arranged for us to look at a back room in block 3 (reception block) on the ground floor, as soon as we looked we knew it was going to be a million times better so we moved. The room was much cooler and once the main door was closed you could barely hear the gobby blonde on the mic at nights, So if you have young children and like your sleep ask for a room at the rear of block 3. We had a noisy inconsiderate neighbour one night swearing, laughing shouting out at the tops of theyre voices til gone midnight. And you do have a bit of traffic noise, but it was so much better for us.

The pool area is nice and has two sloping shallow ends great for the kids, although you have to be up early to claim a sunbed we couldnt be bothered with that so we spent most of the time travelling out to different beaches, Santo Tomas, Calan Bosh, Cala Galdana is by far the best beach, but when the tide started coming in so did the jelly fish.

We had 1 breakfast at the Blanes which was full english good value at 5euro, the entertainment was terrible, although the woman who sings on the puppet show was so funny as her singing was so bad! We only stayed to watch the magician, I left, packing for our flight was a more entertaining option. The only entertainment we thought was good was the Thomson kids club, my daughter loved the girls and she always came out smiling, so that was well worth the money.

As for the area, for meals we had an amazing Paella at Mr Beps, we had to wait 40mins for it, but it was worth every second, by far the best weve ever had! turn left out of the Blanes and just follow the signs. On the opposite side of that square is Es Pitus another favourite of ours and its always busy, the staff are great and the food is gorgeous, try the chicken breat in menorcan cheese sauce. We ate a few times at LAncorra, again lovely meals and they have a small indoor childs play area. The chinese restaurant at the end of the strip to the right of the roundabout served lovely food, but very very slow in service. The Chinese buffet restaurant called Kings a few doors up, was vile and had definately gone down hill since we visited 2 years ago. Our last meal was at Pirates Cove down on the Calan Forcat beach, we had the sirloin steak in mushroom sauce, it was the most expensive meal but it was mouthwatering, never had a steak like it before and an amazing view of the beach.

My biggest gripe is the kids meals, very rarely were there any vegetables on offer, I asked in the chinese for broccoli for my little girl who loves it, and he just shrugged his shoulders, the most I could get for her was some salad and it was like that in every restaurant. If you like chips with every meal you'll love Calan Forcat!

Eating out every night probably cost us between 25-40 euros every day, for 3 of us, groceries cost around the same here as they do there, we shopped in the one opposite the Talayot, and used the eroski just outside cuitadella. The Vista Blanes shop we found was no more expensive than the others in the Calan Forcat area. And was handy for the big bottles of water, ice lollys and newspapers.

We love Menorca, for us its the perfect holiday destination the beaches are wonderful, the food and sangria lovely and the local people were great, the Vista Blanes however, was a whole different story, the Reception staff, Kids club staff and of course Charlotte the rep, made our holiday really because they did go out of there way to help us. We did meet some lovely guests around the pool and some real characters, but to me it was a proper brits abroad, more tats than brain cells type place, kids screaming because of tiredness but parents to busy downing pints to take them to bed.

If the Blanes sorted out the rubbish entertainment, the loudness of it, and installed air con, we may considered it again in the future, but unfortunately I cant see us going back anytime soon to stay, probably just to visit and say hello to the girls.

Thank you Charlotte (the best thomson rep weve ever come across) and Caroline (reception) for helping to ensure we had a better stay xx