Review: Hilton Mallorca Galatzo – bookable in the Hilton sale

This is our review of the Hilton Mallorca Galatzo resort hotel.

Hilton is currently running its latest sale for hotels and resorts in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

You can get up to 20% off participating properties for weekend stays up to 8th September 2024. You must book by 3rd September 2024. You can see full details on the Hilton website here.

To show you what sort of hotels you could book in the Hilton sale, the HfP team split up and visited four different properties in four different countries. 

We started in Paris when Rhys reviewed the Canopy Paris Trocadero. For our second review we stayed closer to home, with Conny reviewing Hilton London Tower Bridge. Last weekend saw Rob reviewing the Hilton Molino Stucky Venice. For our final review in the series, I visited Mallorca.

Hilton provided all four hotels in this series for free for review purposes. HfP paid for all of its incidental expenses. The articles are not sponsored and Hilton has not seen the reviews before publication.

The Hilton Mallorca Galatzo website is here.

Where is the Hilton Mallorca Galatzo hotel?

Hilton Mallorca Galatzo is built into a hillside on the west of the island, situated between the village of Costa de la Calma and town of Peguera. It covers over 50,000 square metres with tropical gardens and pathways connecting the various buildings forming the resort.

Port Andraxt is about a 10 minute drive away and it is less than half an hour into Palma. The hotel is up a roughly 1km road from the Ma-1 (motorway) and very easy to get to by car, with free parking onsite. As an aside, the road network in Mallorca is really good, and it is one of the easiest places I have been to for self-driving holidays. Travel by taxi from the airport takes about 25 minutes.

The hotel operates two shuttle services a day to Peguera and its three beaches, departing at 10am and 5pm, returning 15 minutes later in each case.

The hotel is close to a couple of golf courses – Andratx Golf Club and Golf Santa Ponca.

Inside Hilton Mallorca Galatzo

The hotel opened its doors as a Hilton two years ago, after extensive refurbishment from its previous incarnation as a German owned Maritim property. It is a good value mid market property which is in excellent condition – it’s not five star luxury, but it is literally 20% of the cost of Mallorca’s most upmarket hotels.

It looks like the design inspiration was the art deco period of the 1930s, and the result can be seen in the dimensions and shapes used in the shared spaces such as Reception below.

Reception was well staffed and I was swiftly checked in and upgraded from the Superior Room I had booked to a Suite. The hotel was not aware we were reviewing it so the upgrade was only due to my Hilton Honors status, but I should add that I was only there for one night. You would be very lucky to get a big upgrade on a longer stay.

Note that suites are not substantially more expensive than standard rooms. For the first weekend in September, an entry level room is €200 whilst the cheapest suite category is €248. If you want a suite, I would recommend paying for it rather than relying on an upgrade.

Rooms at Hilton Mallorca Galatzo

My room was on the sixth floor of the Lighthouse, one of three accommodation blocks at the hotel. This was a short walk through the grounds from Reception, entering on Floor 7 and descending from there.

The suite consisted of a living room with a large sofa, coffee table and arm chair, with a dining style table and chair (with a welcome plate of very fresh fruit and a couple of bottles of still water) close to the entrance. The room sleeps three with the addition of a roll-away-bed.

Opposite the sofa is a large HDTV on the wall, and the entrance to the bedroom.

There are tea and coffee making facilities, including a Nespresso machine, and a mini fridge. The cans of sparkling water are free for Hilton Silver, Gold and Diamond members and 4 Euros for everyone else. There is also an iron and steamer, ironing board and safe.

Every one of the 208 rooms in this hotel has its own balcony. Mine had a table with two chairs and a view over the sea. You really can’t complain at this:

The bedroom wasn’t large, but it had a very comfortable king size bed, a second HDTV, blackout blinds and a wardrobe with hanging space, drawers and bathrobes/slippers.

The basin area in the bathroom was good, well lit with space around the basin and Crabtree & Evelyn hand wash and body lotion available in wall mounted dispensers. The only other provided amenity was a shower cap, but other items are available from reception on request. The hair dryer was located under the basin.

The bath and shower area were clean and functional, with decent water pressure, but I did feel a little hemmed-in whilst taking a shower as the tub was quite small. It was also quite high, with a step up to get into it.

I was unable to see any other room categories due to high occupancy, unfortunately. I couldn’t push this too hard as I wasn’t on a formal organised review trip.

Leisure facilities at Hilton Mallorca Galatzo

The spa at the Hilton Galatzo is over two levels at the bottom of the Lighthouse block. This area has not been refurbished but didn’t really look like it needed to be – it retains the Moorish tiling from its time as a Maritim.

The spa is open between 9.30 am and 7.30pm. There is a modest heated indoor pool:

…. with poolside loungers, albeit lacking in padding:

The spa area also offers two saunas, jacuzzi and steam room. These are all located on the ground floor.

The treatment rooms are on the next floor up and offer a wide range of face, body and nail treatments.

Also on the level above the pool is the Fitness Centre. This is an air conditioned space and it always makes a pleasant change to go to a hotel gym somewhere other than the basement.

As well as the machines pictured there are some others as well as free weights and a space for floor work.

Outdoor pools

There are two outdoor pools at Hilton Mallorca Galatzo.

Pictured above is the Paradis pool area. It’s not open at night but this was the only time I managed to photograph it when there were no people around! This is the family pool and has a kiosk offering snacks and a drinks menu including cocktails.

As well as the loungers and (during the day) tables and chairs around the Paradis pool, this lawned terrace area near the pool and overlooking the sea provides ample opportunity for relaxation in the sun – or shade, as large parasols are available.

The adult only Vista de Rey pool area is at the far end of the resort.

There are Balinese beds available to be hired (€20 per day) in addition to the ubiquitous loungers and tables and chairs in the area.

As well as poolside drinks and snacks, Vista de Rey has its own restaurant which is open for lunch.

I didn’t have the opportunity to sample the fare, but the menu looked good and included sushi and sashimi as well as salads, and a couple of meat and fish dishes plus desserts. There was also a good drinks menu, including cocktails, wine, beer and soft drinks including smoothies and milkshakes.

In non water related activities, Mallorca is known for its tennis. I tracked down the sound of tennis balls being hit when I checked in to an area below Reception where there are three sand tennis courts available to book.

Golf is the other big sports draw in Mallorca. There is a dedicated golf concierge at the hotel, as well as a golf shop, who can arrange games at many of the Mallorcan courses, with special rates for Hilton guests. The shop also has golf clubs for hire and sells golf apparel.

Food and drink at Hilton Mallorca Galatzo

The main restaurant at the hotel is La Cocina, with all meals served as buffet style.

The restaurant is situated on the first floor of the main building housing reception, and is a very large space. The styling of the room with the multitude of lights and the dividers created with bench seating does much to make the space manageable.

For dinner, one half of the space was open, and the views overlooking the grounds are lovely. It works for groups I think, but would not be my go-to destination for a ‘romantic meal for two’. The restaurant is open between 6.30pm to 9.30pm for dinner and no booking is required.

Almost the whole side of the room opposite the windows was given over to the buffet, and there was a lot on offer. As well as the rows of starters and salads ….

…. soup and various breads, delicatessen style cold cuts and cheeses, both hot and cold mains (including pasta parmigiana, spaghetti with sauces) and accompanying vegetables, there were chefs constantly preparing steak, chicken breasts and fish (hake on the evening I was there), as well as a starter of mussels.

The mussels have earned their picture in this review by apparently being some of the best my husband has ever eaten!

There were multitudes of desserts on offer as well as a whole section of different ice creams and toppings, and of course fruit and cheese and biscuits.

There was also a wine and soft drinks list, and tea and coffee but we decided to retire to the bar for coffee after dinner.

The Alma Bar is located next to reception and the art deco theme continues. Here is the bar itself

…. and there were multiple seating areas like this:

…. as well as a large outdoor seating area with plenty of tables and chairs. In addition to being a great spot for after dinner coffee, the bar has a tapas menu.

During the day, as I mentioned, light bites are available at both outdoor pools and a more substantial lunch (adults only) at the Vista de Rey restaurant.

Finally to breakfast, served between 7.30 and 10.30am back in La Concina. Once again the wall opposite the window in the main restaurant area was the backdrop to an enormous breakfast buffet, with everything you might expect. The chefs were also back in action. This time preparing various types of egg dishes ….

…. topping up the bacon and sausage, as well as providing fresh crepes (there was a machine, popular with the children producing American style pancakes while you watched).

The other side of the restaurant area was opened up for breakfast, so it really was a very large space. There were a couple of satellite buffet sections with the ‘basics’ of yoghurt, fruit, cheese, cold cuts and pastries/bread.

Kudos to the catering team because, despite the large numbers of guests, the food stations seemed to be continuously well stocked and nothing looked like it had been hanging around for too long.

Other facilities at Hilton Mallorca Galatzo include an onsite ATM, an automatic, chargeable bean to cup coffee maker with Starbucks coffee and tea and a ‘mini market’ which offers a selection of alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks and snacks.

There is also a Kids Club which caters for children between the ages of 4 and 14. It had two rooms with a TV, arts and crafts and some soft play equipment, and a small outside space with a climbing frame and slide. It looked perfect for younger children but would not suit the 14 year olds that I know.

Conclusion

As with Rob’s review of Hilton Molino Stucky Venice (a converted flour mill), this is another property which falls into the ‘not your usual Hilton’ category.

I think this hotel could be an excellent base for a family holiday to Mallorca. I would defy any child not to find something they liked to eat at La Cocina. The room was very comfortable and, importantly for families, the free wifi was fast. The resort felt as though there was plenty of space for everyone – no fighting for sun loungers here.

For a stay of more than a couple of days I think it would be helpful to have a car. This would enable you to more easily access the local area, including the old Mallorcan town of Andraxt and Peguera with its sandy beaches, and also Palma and beyond.

The hotel may be less suitable if you are looking for a secluded luxury break for a couple, especially during the school holidays.

The great news, however, is that the exceptionally luxurious Cap Rocat, part of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, is now available via Hilton – see here. Room rates are usually above €1,400 but you can book for just 130,000 Hilton Honors points. This is adults only.

Hilton Mallorca Galatzo is your far cheaper option. A weekend in early September (2nd to 4th) booked in the current Hilton summer weekends sale, costs just €200 per night or 58,000 Hilton Honors points. A suite would be just €248 on the same weekend.

You can find out more about the hotel and book on their website here.

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How to earn Hilton Honors points and status from UK credit cards (September 2024)

There are various ways of earning Hilton Honors points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

Do you know that holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Hilton Honors Gold status for as long as they hold the card?  It also comes with Marriott Bonvoy Gold, Radisson Rewards Premium and MeliaRewards Gold status.  We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

Did you know that the Virgin Atlantic credit cards are a great way of earning Hilton Honors points? Two Virgin Points can be converted into three Hilton Honors points. The Virgin Atlantic cards are the only Visa or Mastercard products in the UK which can indirectly earn Hilton Honors points and they come with generous sign-up bonuses. You can apply here.

You can also earn Hilton Honors points indirectly with:

• American Express Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Rewards Credit Card (10,000 bonus Amex points)

and for small business owners:

• American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Business Platinum (40,000 bonus Amex points)

The conversion rate from American Express to Hilton points is 1:2.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which can be used to earn Hilton Honors points. 

(Want to earn more hotel points?  Click here to see our complete list of promotions from the major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.)