We'll be at Club Son Antem next month, and would love restaurant recommendations, car rental, favorite places around the island, and villa request suggestions. My husband will be happy to hear more about Sixt...in another thread it was mentioned Mercedes and BMWs are more readily available from them, but any other experiences with car rental would be welcome!
Only the two of us will be there, and we don't play golf, so will be out exploring most days. Thanks!
Hi Ann:
Hope you will love Son Antem. As a multiple weeks owner I am biased but it is a great resort. All villas are two storey town houses. The two bed units come in two types. One with two beds upstairs and one with the master suite downstairs. Units with just one bed upstairs have a roof terrace as well as the garden that all units have which face onto one or other of the fairways of one of the two golf courses. There are a few 3 bed units which have two bedrooms upstairs and a smaller roof terrace for one of the two bedrooms upstairs.
What units to request. I would recommend units in the 500, 600, 700 and 800 series. Best for me are low 700 and low 500 numbers. I prefer the 2 bed units with 1 bedroom upstairs as these give the feel of a separate unit for adult guests on the upper floor with the master suite downstairs. The two types are mixed up throughout the resort. If you have a 3 bed unit then choice is more restricted as there are only a few of these scattered across the resort about 10% of the total number of units. The units are in blocks of 8 and there is a small pool set between blocks on average each pair of blocks has a pool.
On site you have the Marriott Hotel and Spa. There is a hotel restaurant and bar. There are two large pools. The main pool also has a bar and pool cafe. The Spa pool is heated and is both outdoors and indoors. Great Spa.
The golf club also has a bar and restaurant. This is OK but is more casual food than the main hotel restaurant.
Also on site is an independently run restaurant and bar - La Finca which is also okmfor casual dining.
Car hire. As already stated Gold Car may be cheap but queues at their airport desk can be long and very slow. They are cheaper for a reason. Onsite there is Sixt which is reasonable and offers higher quality cars. I am using Hertz this year along with the Marriott Rewards CDP code. That is giving me a cheaper rate than Avis and Sixt. Car size is an issue since many of the country roads on the island are quite narrow. A car is essential. Each unit has an allocated parking space and there is extra space for additional cars if you are a large party with two cars.
Palma the capital of the island has some very good shopping and also great places to eat. Palmanis like a smaller version of Barcelona with a cathedral worth a visit and the old town is good to visit. Valdemossa is a must see place and the valdemossa hotel is a superb restaurant with fantastic views across the village and countryside.
Other places we like to visit are Portals Nous and especially the marina which is a very upscale location without the sleaze of places like Puerto Banus on the Costa Del Sol. In Portals I would recommend Flanigans for lunch and dinner.
Other places to visit Port Andratx, Port Soller. Places to avoid - Magaluf and Palma Nova to name but two.
Places to eat. My favourites are Portixol, many local restaurants and the boutique Hotel Portixol is very good. The hotel Es Reco de Randa in Randa is excellent and has superb views if it is warm enough to eat outside.
The information centre will give you some other good recommendations for places to eat.
Finally, every villa has a BBQ in the garden - this is an old fashioned charcoal grill and is good for cooking for yourself. The marketplace will take orders for meat for the BBQ. There is also a great supermarket in nearby Llucmajor and the fresh food is Spain is always excellent. It is also the best place to buy your wine as it is cheaper than the onsite Marketplace.
Have a great stay and enjoy the Mallorcan culture and especially the local wine.
