Prinsotel La Caleta
Prinsotel La Caleta is a low-rise 4-star superior hotel on the south-west coast of Menorca, in Spain's Balearic Islands, set in Mediterranean gardens between the small neighbourhoods of Santandria and Sa Caleta. Two sandy beaches are a short walk away and the old capital, Ciutadella, is about 2.5 miles down the road. Families come for the quiet gardens-and-pools setting, a heated children's pool and two à la carte restaurants on the upgraded board.
On this page
Is it worth it?
Who La Caleta suits, how the board plans work and the facts to skim first.
Prinsotel La Caleta is a quiet, mid-size hotel where the setting is the draw rather than big facilities. It sits in planted gardens a few minutes' walk from two small sandy beaches, a short drive from Ciutadella old town, with two main pools, a heated children's pool and five places to eat. Families rate it highly, 8.7 out of 10 across nearly 2,700 Booking.com reviews, and what they praise most is the staff. Where it stands out for young children is the practical detail: ground-floor suites the hotel recommends for prams, free cots and high chairs, free baby purées on the half-board plans and two à la carte restaurants included once you take the CLUB board.
Two things shape whether it suits you. There's no structured childcare for the youngest: the Mini Club is a single all-ages club, under-3s need an adult with them and there's no crèche, so parents of babies and toddlers do the childcare themselves. The airport is also a fair way off, about 50 minutes, and unless you book one of the two private-pool suites there's no transfer laid on, so you arrange your own. It isn't an all-inclusive resort either, and it has no big splash pool or slides.
Best for
You want a quiet gardens-and-pools base a short walk from two small beaches and minutes from Ciutadella, with two included à la carte restaurants on the upgraded board.
Maybe not for
You want structured childcare for a baby or toddler, an all-inclusive plan, a big splash pool with slides or a short airport transfer.
Best ages
Works from babies up, but with no crèche and under-3s needing an adult at the Mini Club, parents of the youngest carry the childcare themselves.
What stands out
Ground-floor suites the hotel recommends for prams, a heated children's pool and staff that guests praise more than anything else.
What to check
Which board plan you want, since baby purées come on either half-board plan but the à la carte restaurants need Half Board CLUB, and whether to book a private-pool suite for the bundled transfer.
Where is it?
On Menorca's south-west coast between Santandria and Sa Caleta, about 2.5 miles (4 km) from Ciutadella and 50 minutes from the airport.
Quick facts for families
What the resort is like
Where La Caleta sits, how it's laid out and what that means with a buggy.
Prinsotel La Caleta is a low-rise 4-star superior hotel, mid-size rather than a sprawling resort, set in Mediterranean gardens of bougainvillea, jasmine and palms with Balinese sun-deck areas and hammocks slung between the trees. It's run by Prinsotel, a family-run Balearic group with more than 50 years behind it, four hotels on Mallorca and this one plus a villa property at Cala Galdana here on Menorca. The layout is easy to picture: two main pool zones, one by the double-room block and a heated pool in the Suite area, plus a separate heated children's pool, with the restaurants, a gym and a multisport court arranged around the gardens. Reception is staffed around the clock. For the island itself, its beaches and when to go, see our Menorca guide.
If you're travelling with a buggy, a pram or pushchair, the ground-floor suites are the ones to look at: the hotel's own copy singles them out as set up for pram access and for anyone who would rather avoid stairs, which is a more useful steer than most hotels give. The three entry-level Deluxe rooms are the categories that have been renovated most recently. If a fresh refit matters to you, ask about the specific suite when you book rather than reading anything into it either way.
Every restaurant and bar
The buffet, the two à la carte restaurants, the lunch and café options and how the board plans work.
Meals here run on a board plan rather than all-inclusive. Every room comes with breakfast. You can add Half Board, which adds the buffet dinner at Kitchen Market, or Half Board CLUB, which instead opens the two à la carte restaurants, the Grill and Picco, in full at dinner. Rooms with an in-room water feature include the CLUB breakfast programme; other rooms get CLUB only by taking the Half Board CLUB plan.
| Place to eat | Style | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen Market | Buffet, breakfast and dinner | The main buffet, with themed sections that change through the week and dishes cooked in front of you. Children's menus, and no booking needed. |
| Grill | À la carte grill | Grilled meats, fish and vegetables, from grilled octopus to a Tomahawk steak. Included in full on Half Board CLUB; a reservation is recommended. |
| Picco | À la carte, Italian and Japanese | Pizza and pasta alongside sushi, tempura, poke and cocktails, with gluten-free pizza and pasta. Included in full on Half Board CLUB; a reservation is recommended. |
| Salt & Co | Poolside bistro | The hotel's suggestion for lunch, with daily-changing Mediterranean dishes, since the buffet serves only breakfast and dinner. |
| Mint | Café | Freshly baked pastries and specialty coffee through the day. |
Kitchen Market is the buffet, open for breakfast and dinner, with themed sections that change through the week and show cooking, dishes prepared in front of you. There are children's menus, and you walk in without booking. Because it does breakfast and dinner only, the poolside Salt & Co is the hotel's suggestion for lunch, a relaxed bistro with daily-changing Mediterranean dishes, and Mint is the café, with freshly baked pastries and specialty coffee through the day.
The two à la carte restaurants are the reason to consider the CLUB board. The Grill cooks meats, fish and vegetables over the grill, from grilled octopus to a Tomahawk steak. Picco is an Italian-Japanese room, pizza and pasta alongside sushi, tempura and poke bowls, with gluten-free pizza and pasta and a cocktail list. Both are included in full on Half Board CLUB, and both take reservations.
Special diets are catered for at no extra cost: gluten-free, lactose-free and other allergy-adapted dishes are available across the Prinsotel hotels, arranged in advance with reception or the restaurant Maître. There are free baby purées too, of meat, vegetables, fish or fruit, made for guests on Half Board or Half Board CLUB and ordered from the Maître at the buffet. They're not part of the bed-and-breakfast plan, so if you'll want them, book at least Half Board. Daytime dress is casual; at dinner the hotel asks for a step up, shirts and long trousers or dress shorts for men, blouses, skirts, jeans or dress shorts for women, with no swimwear or wet clothing at any meal.
How restaurant booking works
Reservations are recommended rather than compulsory for Picco and the Grill, booked through the Prinsotel Hotels app or at reception; Kitchen Market needs no booking. Check the current meal-time windows on the app or with reception when you arrive, rather than planning your first evening around a guessed time.
Rooms and suites
Every room type with its official size, the pools across the gardens and the two beaches nearby.
There are eleven room and suite categories, and the table below lists every one with its official size. Most are worth reading through one question: do you need a door to close on a sleeping baby or toddler?
| Room | Size | Sleeps | Family notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deluxe Double Room | 20 m² | 2 adults | Renovated; two singles joined or a double, a balcony and a walk-in shower. A two-person room, not a family one. |
| Deluxe Double Room with Hydromassage Spa | 20 m² | 2 adults | Renovated, ground floor; a double, a private terrace hot tub, a stocked minibar and a Nespresso machine. |
| Deluxe Family Double Room | 20 m² | 2 adults + 1 child | Renovated; a double plus a 1.80 x 0.90 m sofa bed and a balcony, set up for a couple with one child. |
| One-Bedroom Suite with Balcony | 51 m² | Up to 4 (max 3 adults) | A separate king bedroom and a living room with a sofa bed, so a child can sleep behind a door. |
| One-Bedroom Suite with Private Pool | 84 m² | Up to 4 (max 3 adults) | Ground floor; separate king bedroom, living room and a terrace with a heated private pool at 28°C. A complimentary airport transfer is bundled if you request it when booking. |
| One-Bedroom Suite with Hydromassage Spa | 84 m² | Up to 4 (max 3 adults) | Ground floor; separate bedroom, living room and a Balinese bed with a hot tub on a solarium terrace. |
| Two-Bedroom Suite with Balcony | 51 m² | Up to 4 (max 3 adults) | A separate bedroom with two singles, a living area with a double and a sofa, plus a balcony. |
| Two-Bedroom Suite with Private Pool | 75 m² | Up to 4 (max 3 adults) | Ground floor; separate twin bedroom, living area with a double and sofa, plus a terrace with a heated private pool at 28°C. Airport transfer bundled if requested when booking. |
| Two-Bedroom Suite with Hydromassage Spa | 75 m² | Up to 4 (max 3 adults) | Ground floor; separate twin bedroom, a living area and a terrace hot tub. |
| Imperial Two-Bedroom Suite with Balcony | 60 m² | Up to 4 (max 3 adults) | Two fully separate bedrooms, a king and a twin, with two en-suite bathrooms and a dining area. |
| Imperial Two-Bedroom Suite with Private Pool | 125 m² | Up to 4 (max 3 adults) | Two separate bedrooms and two bathrooms, one with a hot tub, a Balinese bed and a private pool. |
One occupancy rule runs across all the Prinsotel hotels: a double room takes two adults, and a suite takes up to four people with a maximum of three adults. So even the 125 m² Imperial suite won't sleep four adults, which is worth knowing for a three-generation trip.
The three Deluxe Double rooms all measure 20 m² and sleep two, or a couple with one small child in the Family version with its sofa bed, so they suit a couple or a couple with a baby rather than a family that needs separate space. For a door between you and a napping child, the One-Bedroom Suites give a separate bedroom and a living room with a sofa bed, at 51 m² with a balcony or 84 m² with a private pool or hot tub. The Two-Bedroom Suites add a separate second bedroom with two singles, useful for an older sibling or a grandparent, and the Imperial suites go further still with two fully separate bedrooms and two bathrooms. If you're travelling with a buggy, the private-pool and hot-tub suites all sit on the ground floor, which is why the hotel points prams towards them. The two private-pool suites also include a complimentary airport transfer if you ask for it when booking.
Pools and water features
The pools sit in two zones. The pool by the double-room block is the larger everyday pool. The pool in the Suite area is heated, as is a separate children's pool, both warmed for the cooler months outside the height of summer. The children's pool has a tipping water-bucket feature for play rather than any slide or pirate theme, and it's the resort's headline for little swimmers; there's no splash park or slide complex here. If you have a nervous paddler, it's worth checking the pool depths on arrival.
There's no shared spa or wellness circuit here, which is worth being clear about before you book: the "Hydromassage Spa" in several room names is a private hot tub for that room only, not a spa centre you can book into. Pool towels are lent for a small deposit that's refunded when you leave, and the pools close each day for cleaning and water treatment.
The beach
Two small beaches are within walking distance. Cala Santandria, about 250 m and a five-minute walk through quiet residential streets, is a 110 m-long, about 25 m-wide town beach of fine pale sand with calm, shallow water and full facilities, bars and restaurants; it has a busier main stretch and a smaller, palm-shaded corner used more for family picnics. Sa Caleta, a little further at about 450 m, is a smaller, more sheltered sandy cove. Neither holds a Blue Flag for 2026, whatever some listings suggest, so take them as small, calm, sandy beaches rather than award-winners. An independent Menorca beach guide describes Cala Santandria as set up for reduced mobility, with ramp access, an amphibious beach chair and marked accessible areas, though that isn't the hotel's own detail, so confirm it locally if it matters.
Babies and toddlers
The Mini Club, the under-3 picture and what's set up for babies.
Childcare here is a single Mini Club rather than an age-banded system, so there's no crèche. It runs for all ages, with a frog mascot called Froggy: children under 3 need an adult with them throughout, while those aged 4 and up can join in on their own as long as a parent stays on the resort and reachable. Activities cover water sports, volleyball and arts and crafts. The daytime sessions run to the group's chain-wide default of 10.30am to 11.30am and 3pm to 5pm, though the hotel notes these vary by hotel and season, so confirm the current times when you arrive. The Mini Disco for children runs from 8pm to 9pm each evening.
Cots and high chairs are free, subject to availability; a cot can be added when you book, and a high chair is requested from the hotel. There's no steriliser, buggy hire or baby toiletries provided, so pack those or pick them up locally. Free baby purées come with the half-board plans, as covered above. For a baby or toddler, ask the hotel for the current rates when you book. If you'd like an evening to yourselves, check with the hotel about babysitting before you book. Taken together, the heated children's pool, the buggy-friendly ground-floor suites and the free purées make this a workable base for a young family, but with under-3s needing an adult at the club, parents of babies and toddlers do the bulk of the childcare themselves.
Things to do
On dry land there's a gym with Technogym equipment and free weights, a multisport court, which the hotel describes only as multi-purpose without naming a sport, and billiards and table tennis, with the kit lent from reception. Bikes are available to hire through reception, and reception can arrange car hire too. The adult activity programme named for the hotel covers aquagym, yoga, water polo and archery. Evenings bring live music and a rotating show most nights; guests put the shows at around half past nine for about an hour and rate them unevenly, strong some nights and thinner on others. The children's Mini Disco runs earlier, from 8pm to 9pm. WiFi is free throughout.
The area and days out
Ciutadella de Menorca, the island's former capital, is about 2.5 miles (4 km) and a seven-minute drive away, with a Gothic cathedral, a working harbour and a strong local restaurant scene; our Menorca guide covers the town in more depth. Right across the road from the hotel is a small supermarket, handy for bottled water and basics without a car. Cala Blanca, another small resort beach, is about 0.9 miles (1.4 km) along the coast, which by that distance works out at roughly a 15 to 20 minute walk. TIB public buses on routes 64 and 65 stop about five minutes' walk away and run along the coast, into Ciutadella one way and out to Cala Blanca, Cala'n Bosch and Son Xoriguer the other, which is useful without a hire car.
For anything more than the shop across the road, the fuller range of shops and pharmacies is in Ciutadella. The nearest emergency care is there too: Juaneda Ciutadella, a private hospital on Camí de sa Caleta close to the hotel, runs a 24-hour emergency department, and the state-run Canal Salat health centre has a round-the-clock emergency service. The main state hospital for serious cases is Mateu Orfila in Mahón, near the airport. As with any travel health information, it's worth confirming the current position locally when you arrive.
Loves and gripes
What families rate and what they flag, how it compares with other Menorca resorts, the journey in and the weather by month.
La Caleta rates consistently well: 8.7 out of 10 across nearly 2,700 Booking.com reviews, with staff scoring highest of all its sub-scores, 4 out of 5 on TripAdvisor from over 2,500 reviews and ranked #9 of 182 hotels in Sa Caleta, and 4.4 out of 5 on Google. Here's what comes up most, good and bad, drawn from those reviews.
What families love
- The staff, the single most repeated praise across the reviews, called friendly and attentive.
- The pools and the planted gardens.
- The food, with Picco and the Grill singled out.
- The family fit, and the children's pool in particular.
- The quiet location close to two beaches and an easy drive from Ciutadella.
- The cleanliness and modern feel of the renovated rooms.
Common gripes
- Late-night music from Picco carrying to some rooms on busier nights.
- Waits at reception, and in one case a long wait for a travel cot at check-in.
- Room condition varying between categories in some accounts.
- No bottled water provided in the room as standard.
- Evening entertainment that some found uneven night to night.
- A wish for more daytime kids-club availability, and a quiet setting some found remote.
- Breakfast buffet prices that felt high to at least one guest not on a board plan that includes it.
- A family-configured room that arrived set up for two rather than four, worth specifying bedding needs such as a made-up sofa bed when you book.
How it compares
Within Menorca the choice usually comes down to what your children need in the water and how young they are. Zafiro Menorca at Cala'n Bosch has the stronger children's water feature (a pirate-themed slide pool) and apartments with a kitchen in every room for warming bottles and storing baby food; La Caleta counters with its buggy-friendly ground-floor suites and two included à la carte restaurants, and neither has a crèche for under-4s. Royal Son Bou Family Club has an under-2s crèche, age-banded clubs across the 0 to 17 range and a 3 km Blue Flag beach, so it's the stronger pick for the youngest children and for all-day structured childcare, while La Caleta is better placed for Ciutadella old town. Meliá Cala Galdana sits on a sheltered horseshoe cove with a mini club from 8 months and 5-star positioning; La Caleta is a 4-star superior with included à la carte dining and the buggy suites. TUI Blue Grupotel Turquesa Mar at Cala'n Bosch has a nursery from birth and a Baby Lounge with sterilisers and bottle warmers, a stronger offer for babies, against which La Caleta has free cots and high chairs, purées on half board and the ground-floor suites. Occidental Menorca at Punta Prima is roughly a 10-minute airport transfer against La Caleta's 50, and has three age-banded kids' clubs; La Caleta's answer is its Ciutadella-adjacent location and its very high staff ratings.
The journey in and the best monthsGetting there and when to go
Menorca airport, near Mahón, is about 30 miles (48 km) away, roughly a 50-minute drive, which is longer than the hotels over on the south-east coast. There's no general transfer service for all guests. A complimentary airport transfer is bundled only with the two ground-floor private-pool suites, and even then you have to request and confirm it in advance; everyone else arranges their own taxi, transfer or hire car, and reception can help with car hire. Parking is free on the streets around the hotel. The buses on routes 64 and 65, covered above, are a car-free way to reach Ciutadella and the beaches along the coast.
The hotel is sold as a flight-inclusive package by several major UK operators, including On the Beach and First Choice, as well as TUI, Jet2holidays, easyJet holidays, loveholidays and Thomas Cook, and you can also book it independently through the hotel's own site, Booking.com or Expedia. It's open from about May to October. June and September are comfortably warm for young children, without July and August's peak heat and crowds; July and August are the hottest and busiest; May and October are cooler and quietest, and the point at which the heated pools matter most.
Month by monthWeather
Menorca has a typical Mediterranean climate, and because the island is low and flat there's no real difference in weather between its coasts, so figures for Ciutadella, right by the hotel, apply directly. The warm, dry stretch runs from June to September, when the sea climbs from around 22 to 24°C in June and July to about 26°C in August. May and October are cooler shoulders with a sea still cool for small swimmers, and September is the wettest of the open months.
| Month | Daytime high | Overnight low | Rain | Wet days | Sea temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May | 22.5° | 14° | 31 mm | 4 | 18° |
| June | 27° | 18° | 15 mm | 2 | 22° |
| July | 29.5° | 21° | 5 mm | 1 | 26° |
| August | 30° | 21.5° | 22 mm | 2 | 27° |
| September | 26.5° | 19° | 79 mm | 6 | 26° |
| October | 23° | 16° | 73 mm | 6 | 23° |
Typical monthly averages from weather-station records. Sea temperature is the open-water figure, so a sheltered bay can feel a degree or two warmer. The hotel is open from about May to October; the sea is warmest, near 26°C, in August. April is shown for reference, ahead of the season.
Health and practicalities
Menorca is part of Spain, in the Balearic Islands, so the usual Spain entry rules apply for UK travellers: your passport needs to have been issued less than ten years before you arrive, and you can visit for up to 90 days in any 180 without a visa. For health advice and any recommended vaccinations, gov.uk points to TravelHealthPro's Spain guide. For emergencies, the nearest 24-hour care is in Ciutadella, as covered above.
Baby basics are straightforward: the small shop across the road covers bottled water and essentials, and Ciutadella, about 2.5 miles away, has the fuller range of shops and pharmacies. Pets aren't allowed except guide dogs. An independent beach guide reports adapted access for reduced mobility at Cala Santandria, rather than the hotel itself, so confirm it locally if you'll rely on it. If you'll need laundry during your stay, ask at reception.
Questions
The things families ask most, the official pages worth a bookmark and when this guide was last refreshed.
Is the airport transfer really free?
Only if you book one of the two ground-floor private-pool suites, and only if you ask for it and get it confirmed before you travel. On any other room you arrange your own taxi or hire car, so factor that in when you weigh a private-pool suite against a cheaper room.
Is there babysitting so we can have dinner alone?
The hotel doesn't say either way whether it offers babysitting, so don't count on it being there. If a night to yourselves matters, email to ask before you book, and plan a backup such as taking turns at dinner.
Do babies and toddlers stay free?
Don't assume babies and toddlers stay free here. Cots and high chairs are free, subject to availability, and you'll need to ask the hotel for the room cost by age when you book.
Is it all-inclusive?
No. Breakfast comes as standard and you add Half Board or Half Board CLUB for dinner. The two à la carte restaurants come with Half Board CLUB, while the free baby purées come on either half-board plan, so pick your board plan with that in mind rather than expecting an all-inclusive wristband.
When should we go with little ones?
The hotel runs from about May to October. June and September give you warm, swimmable days without the July and August crowds; if you're tied to the school summer holidays, expect the busiest, hottest weeks and book early.
Is the beach a Blue Flag beach?
No, neither carries a Blue Flag for 2026. That award tracks water quality and beach services rather than how well a beach suits small children, and both here are a short walk away, sandy and calm with shallow water, which counts for more with a toddler.
What sort of sports court is there?
The hotel calls it only a multi-purpose court and doesn't say which sport it's marked for. If a specific game matters to your family, check with the hotel before you travel rather than packing rackets on spec.
See more Prinsotel La Caleta photos
Open the Prinsotel La Caleta photo gallery →Useful links
- Prinsotel La Caleta: the hotel's own site for rooms, the board plans and the children's club.
- GOV.UK Spain travel advice: entry rules and safety updates before you travel.
- Menorca with little ones: our guide to the island, its beaches and when to go.
Last updated 17 July 2026.
