This must have been about our seventh stay at the Lindner (or the Bendinat Golf Hotel and the Ofra Resort as it’s been known previously!) Firstly, and above all, it’s a superb hotel. The rooms are comfortable and well furnished, the décor fabulous, the staff very helpful and the food is excellent! It’s also well situated for driving into Palma and down to Puerto Portals, with the added bonus of several nice restaurants, a couple of bars, a newsagent and a supermarket at the bottom of the drive! So under normal circumstances I’d give it a 5-rating as what we’ve always described as the “best kept secret on Majorca!”

However, rather inevitably, as its popularity has grown it has also got trickier to get a reservation (especially if there are conferences scheduled in) and it’s also got a lot more expensive. We paid 220 Euros a night (plus tax) this time around.

One problem is that there’s not a lot of space around the pool area when the hotel is full, as the golf course encroaches on the other side. So for the first time ever this year - admittedly it was mid summer - it was a real struggle to get a sun lounger in an area that had some sun! In fact I’ve never known anything like it. Honestly, at times, if you weren’t up and out for around 8.30am, the towel hoggers of all nationalities had “reserved” all the sun loungers…. which often left people just lying around on the grass for the rest of the day! On a few occasions we were getting up earlier than if we were at work…. just to get to breakfast, get changed, get a pool towel and get out in time! (In fact I’m sure that a fair few people using the pool area weren’t even residents at the hotel!)

Another downside of the lack of space means that it’s not necessarily the most relaxing of places in high season! Imagine 30 kids splashing, dashing around and shouting and you’ve got the picture! Also, the hotel attracts quite a lot of what I’ll best describe as the modern day version of Harry Enfield’s Loadsamoney character! So prepare yourself for a fair few “ladies who lunch” in their Prada and Gucci - loud, proud and lacking the ability to control their kids! In fact on a few nights the Chumbo Bar (excellent food by the way) was more in keeping with how I’d imagine Epping Forest Country club!

Perhaps we did just pick a particularly busy week this time! Roll on our next trip in October when it’s normally a bit calmer!

We just returned from a week at the Lindner Hotel in Mallorca. Although the address of the hotel says 'Portal Nous', it is located in Bendinat just outside of Portal Nous. Puerto Portal Nous is where the rich and famous park their million-dollar boats and hang out. Portal Nous itself has down-to-earth cafes and amenities. Bendinat or the area just outside the Lindner Hotel has a small conglomeration of shops comprising a supermarket, 3 restaurants, a cafe, a corner store and some other stores which you wouldn't need if you are on vacation. In other words, nothing to see. The bus stop is very nearby and buses will take you into Palma and the beaches/areas on the south-west coast. Palma is only 7 km away.

This hotel stands alone, surrounded by golfing greens. Although it is a 'golf' hotel, the hotel has nothing to do with the Real Bendinat golf course. You do get a discount for playing there. However, you can't just walk to the course. A hotel shuttle bus will drop/pick you up or you drive with your rented car. Bendinat is very hilly and the golf course is located on the top of the hill with spectacular views. These views are not to be had from the hotel. You either get pool view, golf course view or driveway view.

The hotel has about 100 rooms divided between 3 blocks. Although the hotel was full while we were there, we saw very few people. There were also children there but again, we hardly saw them. During the high season, the hotel has a children's play house with an activities coordinator. There is also a little wading pool. For the adults and older kids, there is an outdoor pool, a nice indoor pool and jacuzzi, a nice wellness/sauna area, a tiny but well-equipped (with good stuff) gym. A restaurant, a cafe and a bar complete the hotel's amenities.

We booked a deluxe room with half-board which was a blessing - seeing how there weren't many restaurants within walking distance. If you have a car, there are lots of nice places around to suit all budgets, in the neigboring areas. The room had a canopy bed, a sitting area, a bathroom so huge, you could put an extra bed inside and lots of cupboard space. That was really nice. Be aware that a standard room has a regular-sized bathroom.

If you opt for half-board, you will really be pampered at the restaurant. You get served a 3-course fine dining menu every day (2 choices per course) plus a 'welcome' hor d'oeuvre and after dinner cookies. Drinks extra. Kids can either order from the same menu or the kids menu. Even the food from the kids menu was very well prepared.

Breakfast was buffet-style. The offering was more or less the same everyday with a slight variation on the pastries and fruit. Compared to other hotels we have stayed at in Mallorca, I would say this was quite good.

Although we did not indulge in any of the beauty treatments and massages, the range of services seemed wide.

We were very pleased with the hotel although it was located a little outside of the action. We fixed that by getting a car.