Applefan

Has anyone stayed at the La Manga before? Do they upgrade Diamond guests? The rates look great in the off season. I'm thinking about staying there early next year. Does anyone know what the climate is like in Jan or Feb.
Thanks, James

tinkybelle

La Manga-the whole estate- is fantastic BUT be careful. I got a great deal there around $90 us per night about 3 yrs ago. When i arrived and checked in at the hotel they directed me to villas up on the hill.
Its a little village away from the hotel all the villas are different bright colors and there is a little laundry and kitchen. it was really cute but I loved the hotel. I am diamond. i complained that I didnt know I had booked the villas and they showed me my reservation which didnt say hotel.
There is a wonderful restaurant above the sea which cooks seafood in the open.i imagine it would be really cold then.its mid winter and right on the sea.
There is a little shopping village with lots of different restaurants and the food is good.
One other thing. The whole place is a little hard to find because of the lack of signs so get directions.
They gave me a nice bottle of red as diamond that is all.
i was able to use my Club at the hyatt card there for half price dining.
Id love to stay there again. The pool is great and there are wonderful things to buy in the shops-a little expensive though.

RayinMaui

AppleFan,

We just got back (2 weeks ago) from our second trip to the Hyatt La Manga. (Last one was 3 years ago this week.) We stayed for 10 days and it was fantastic once again. The staff is really great!

All the restaurants are great! The beach restaurant is called La Cala and is fantastic. The main dining room is Amapola and we had one of the best meals in Europe there!

Of course, being at the Hyatt the prices are double what you would pay in town, but still less than most places in the US and, once again, everything is REALLY nice! For more reasonable prices, go to Cabo de Paolo or Cartegena. We really like Miramar and El Pez Rojo in Cabo de Paolo - about a 10 minute taxi ride. On the way into the La Manga resort you'll see a restaurant Rusticana - some people in our group went there and said it's fantastic.

Cartegena is about 20 minutes away and worth visiting.

Check out this site for car rental http://www.regamallorca.com/ Several people in our party rented from them and were very satisfied. Three also rented from Avis and were also happy, but a bit more expensive.

If you want any other info I have a bunch.

Ray

listener

thinking of spending a week or so how does it compare to Scotsdale, or Kaui??

tinkybelle

havent been to either but La manga is WONDERFUL.
Make sure you are in the real hotel though as they have little apartments up on the hill. although they are great the main hotel is very luxurious-looks like a european palace. the shops and the pool area is amazing.
The little village where the apartments are is very cute. i think if you were staying a week the apartments would be good as there is a washer and dryer and a place to make breakky and there is a little shop that sells supplies. the reataurants are great.
You will love the place. there is also a woonderful restaurant at the clifftop and a great beach below.

BoulderHyattHopper

I am bumping this up as well. Since I am the lover of Regency Clubs, disappointed to hear there is not an RC here. We were thinking of using FFN for a week here, but with no RC, looking for other suggestions instead and maybe heading down to La Manga for a weekend, instead.

Any specifics on this place???

What do they do for Diamonds since no RC?

Breakfast?

Coupons?

I am sure the pools are amazing, which is a high priority. Saw there is a pitch and putt like Grand Cypress, which is so fun.

Any other input???

ben20

You all know, I can be very critical at many hotels, but I really love La Manga resort !

Take a hotel room, not an apartment (unless you go with a lot of kids)

Please wait untill end May/June to visit, otherwise can be chilly.

kv99

I'm going to be here for a few days in June w/two rooms. How is this hotel about Diamond benefits? Will we expect to get a nice room and breakfast without too much demanding?

I'm taking my parents there, so looking for good cultural stuff to do in the area. Any favorites?

mauld

There was an article in last weeks (Mar 7) London Telegraph, that went on about a problem with some footballers celebrating at this Hyatt resort. Whether they are guilty of rape or not, is not what I'm concerned about. More to the point, was a lot of comments from hotel staff and other visitors who talk about the..
"Predatory males and loutish behaviour that are part of the sporting holiday packages at the Spanish resort. The unspoken agreement is that a woman in La Manga knows what she's getting. Beneath the five-star gloss, the resort is teeming with the same drunken loutishness as the high-rise hotels in Ibiza. The surface looks prettier, but the seediness is more virulent. I've seen about 5 girls since getting here a week ago, said one female guest at the Hyatt, and most of them were wives or girlfriends. Hardly any single women come here, and if they do, they know what to expect... Men visit La Manga to be men--its like a non stop stag night... One might expect the Hyatt staff to be rather fed up with the British footballers and their antics. Instead, any queries are greeted with stony silence and a hunted look. 'We don't know anything', was all Pedro Luis a harassed looking hotel porter would say. Pedro and other staffers seem to have grown to accept the La Manga ethos of British men behaving badly. It is after all, what purposed -built resorts in Spain are renowned for".

I know there are 2 sides to every story, and some things can be taken out of context, so has any FT'er stayed at this resort and care to comment? Or should I (as generally a solo female traveller), just plan to stay away from LaManga?


[This message has been edited by mauld (edited Mar 14, 2004).]

RayinMaui

After reading this I mentioned it to my wife. She couldn't believe it! Her comment - "We had a great time".

We've been there three times, once for my wife birthday party when there were 5 or 6 single women invited along. No one had a problem - at all.

Also, there were many single women at the resort.

Maybe it's a time specific situation? But we certainly didn't see anything like this. (And we usually didn't turn in until sunrise.)

I know we'll go back there.

hedoman

So avoid the place when the footballers visit once a year. Geez, what a lousy article to print. She (obviously) could have written a similiar article about a thousand different conventions.

Yes, I've been there. For different reasons, I would not recommend the place.

tinkybelle

I was there a few years ago. it was during the world cup.maybe 1998?
I was with another very attractive female. we ate at all the restaurants and I dont remember anyone even coming over and talking to us!!

There were a heap of guys in an irish type pub in a square wathcing the british match and yes they were extremely loud but as far as I remember kept to themselves.

I would certainly recommend it and have for years.
Maybe it has changed in 6 years-probably.
I found it a sleepy little resort but then again I dont go out much past 9pm!

kv99

I'm a single guy who's been at this resort with my parents and sister and we had a great time (except that my sister and I found it, as tinkybelle notes, a little sleepy). Nothing like what the article describes.

Markie

Let's be clear here - nothing has been proved against these men, and there were some counter allegations in the British press last week. One does admit having sex with one of the women, but that present is all.

GUWonder

In bed by 9 p.m.? You must be addicted to morning flights too.

I am supposed to leave Buenos Aires on June 1st ... I should be in Sydney sometime in June depending on how many days I spend along the route -- Buenos Aires to Sao Paulo to London to Singapore to Sydney (and back via Bangkok).