Royal Son Bou Family Club
Royal Son Bou Family Club is a four-star apartment-hotel on the south coast of Menorca, built for families and run as a children's specialist for more than 35 years. It sits about 100 metres from Son Bou, the island's longest beach, reached by a step-free tunnel under the road, and everything from the pirate-ship kids' pool to clubs for every age from babies up is arranged around young children.
On this page
Is it worth it?
Who Royal Son Bou suits, what's built in for children and the facts to skim before the detail.
Royal Son Bou is the family hotel most often recommended on Menorca, and it's the depth of what's arranged for children that puts it there rather than a designer finish. It's a purpose-built apartment-hotel, so every family gets a kitchenette and a balcony rather than a hotel room, and the whole place is organised around young children: free clubs from babies through to teenagers, supervised childcare while you eat, a solar-heated pirate-ship pool and a tunnel that takes a pushchair straight under the road to the beach. The standard board is half board, breakfast and dinner, with All Inclusive as an upgrade, so it isn't all-inclusive by default the way many Menorca family hotels are.
It rates well across the board: 8.9 out of 10 on Booking.com from 51 reviews, with staff scoring 9.5, cleanliness 9.1, facilities 8.6 and value for money 8.5, and it's consistently among the highest-rated family hotels in Spain on TripAdvisor. HolidayCheck named it across multiple categories in its 2026 awards. Guests single out the clubs, the kids' pool and the staff most often. You'll get the most from it if your children are small, roughly babies to six, and you want a resort you barely need to leave. It's less of a fit if you want air conditioning as standard, generous indoor space or a boutique feel. Within Menorca, nothing else combines childcare from birth, clubs for every age and a consistently Blue Flag certified beach through a tunnel in one place.
Best for
You want a self-contained beach resort built around young children, with free clubs from birth, a tunnel straight to a long sandy beach and up to two children already free in the price.
Maybe not for
You want air-conditioned rooms as standard, a boutique or design-led feel, roomy apartments to spread out in or a spa and gym on site.
Best ages
Strongest for babies to about six, with the BabyClub from birth, Magikland at mealtimes and the kids' pool. Clubs run to 17 in July and August.
What stands out
Magikland mealtime childcare from birth, an age-banded club programme from 0 to 17 and a step-free tunnel to a 2.5 km beach that's consistently Blue Flag certified.
What to check
Cooling in the apartments for a July or August stay, and whether La Basílica is open for your dates.
Where is it?
By Son Bou beach on the south coast of Menorca, about 25 to 30 minutes from the airport near Mahón.
Quick facts for families
What the resort is like
Where it sits, how it's laid out and how you get around it.
Royal Son Bou Family Club is a purpose-built, four-star apartment-hotel run by the independent operator Promoturist, and it's been a family specialist for more than 35 years. It's on the south coast of Menorca, at Playa de Son Bou in the municipality of Alaior, about 100 metres from Son Bou beach. Menorca has been a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 1993, which is one reason the coast around the resort is largely undeveloped.
The feel is functional and family-focused rather than boutique or design-led, in soft blues, whites and ochres, with child-safety worked into the building itself, from bathroom furniture sized for children to knife racks moved out of reach after guest feedback. It's compact and walkable in a few minutes, with none of the golf-cart shuttles that bigger resorts run, and it's built around three points: the main pool with Bar Marés and the entertainment stage, the gated Club Kikoland and the tunnel down to the beach. The apartment blocks are reached by stairs. For the wider island, its beaches and seasons, see our Menorca guide.
The resort also runs on renewable power from its own photovoltaic plant and partners with UNICEF through a family-care scholarship.
Every restaurant and bar
Los Olivos, La Basílica and Bar Marés, then how the board basis and booking work.
Meals are served in two restaurants, with a bar between them by the pool.
Los Olivos is the main restaurant, an international buffet with show cooking: grilled meat, fish and paella at lunch, and ten rotating themed evenings at dinner. It has a dedicated children's buffet, and high chairs, bibs, plastic cutlery and purees on request come as standard. Breakfast runs 8am to 10.30, lunch 12.30 to 3pm and dinner from 6pm to 9pm in low season, stretching later into the evening, up to 7pm to 10pm, in high season, so confirm the exact sitting on the resort app once you arrive.
La Basílica is the seasonal speciality restaurant, with sea views and show cooking: fresh pasta you pick the ingredients for, wood-fired pizza and focaccia, grilled meat and fish and risottos, plus a children's buffet. It's the dining highlight for many families. It's open from late May to early October, with the dates depending on how full the resort is, so if you're travelling in May or late in the season, confirm it'll be open for your dates. Breakfast is served from around 8.30am.
Bar Marés sits by the main pool next to reception, with a TV and two terraces, one of them at the entertainment stage. It serves coffee, cocktails, gin and tonics, mojitos, children's ice cream and All Inclusive fruit from 10am. The bar is open until 11.45pm, with All Inclusive drinks served until 11pm.
The head chef is Dounia Laghzioui. There's no separate allergen menu; instead the maître d' and chef guide you to safe options, and a vegetarian dish is available on request. Beyond the two restaurants and the bar there's no other food outlet.
Board basis and booking
The standard board is half board, breakfast and dinner, which doesn't include drinks, so a bar tab is on top unless you upgrade to All Inclusive; children still get free soft drinks and ice cream at the pool during club hours on any board. On half board you can swap dinner for lunch twice a week if you reserve at reception. All Inclusive is available as an upgrade and can't be booked for fewer than three nights.
Prices already include up to two children free, which is built into the rate rather than being a separate discount.
How the two booking rates work
The free-cancellation rate takes a 10% deposit, lets you change the booking up to 72 hours before you arrive (the price recalculates at current rates) and refunds the deposit less a €5 admin fee if you cancel in time (€25 if the refund needs a non-EU bank transfer). The semi-flexible rate takes a 30% deposit, allows one change up to 14 days before arrival, cancels free up to that same 14-day point and has a five-night minimum stay. Prices update in real time, the balance is paid on arrival for direct bookings, the main cards are accepted and an early departure is charged at half the remaining nights.
The apartments, every type
Every apartment with its official size, then the two pools and the beach below the resort.
All six categories are apartments rather than hotel rooms, so each has a kitchenette with a fridge, microwave, kettle and basic houseware, a balcony and a bathroom with furniture adapted for children. Every apartment is non-smoking, including the balcony, and pets aren't allowed. The table is the full line-up with official sizes; the guidance after it is which suit a family with a baby or toddler.
| Apartment | Bedrooms | Size | Sleeps | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hooky | 1 | 44 m² | 4 | Faces the main pool, by reception and the restaurants. |
| Hooky Royal Pool | 1 | 44 m² | 4 | A pool-view balcony to watch children swim from. |
| Hooky Royal Sea View | 1 | 44 m² | 4 | Sea view by the beach tunnel and kids' pool, quieter. |
| Cuqui Royal | 2 | 55 m² | 5 | A separate children's bedroom; the pick for a family of four. |
| Cuqui Royal With Side Sea Views | 2 | 55 m² | 5 | The Cuqui Royal layout with side sea and cliff views. |
| Kiko Royal | 2 | 65 m² | 6 | The largest, with a king bed, two bathrooms and ceiling fans. |
The three Hooky apartments are one-bedroom, 44 m² and sleep up to four. They share a layout: a parent bedroom and a sofa bed in the living area. The difference between them is outlook and position. The standard Hooky faces the main pool and sits near reception and the restaurants; the Hooky Royal Pool has a pool-view balcony you can watch children swim from; and the Hooky Royal Sea View looks out to sea near the beach tunnel and the kids' pool, in a quieter spot. At 44 m² a Hooky is comfortable for two adults with a baby or toddler, and tighter once four people are spending time indoors.
For more space and a door to close on a sleeping child, the two-bedroom apartments have a separate children's bedroom with two single beds. The Cuqui Royal is 55 m² and sleeps up to five, the natural pick for a family of four, since a baby or toddler can be put down at seven while you use the living room. The Cuqui Royal With Side Sea Views is the same 55 m² layout with side sea and cliff views from the balcony. The Kiko Royal is the largest at 65 m² and sleeps up to six: it's the only apartment with a genuine king-size bed rather than two singles, it has two full bathrooms (one with a bath, one with a shower) and ceiling fans in both bedrooms. It suits a family of five, or two families sharing.
The parent double in the Hooky and Cuqui apartments is two single beds pushed together rather than a fixed double, the usual Spanish configuration, which some UK families like to know before they book. Only the Kiko Royal has a true king. The sofa bed in every category is a child-sized 1.80 by 0.80 metres, the same as the beds in the children's room, which is worth weighing if an older child needs the third sleeping space.
Cooling is the one thing to check for a summer stay. Only the Kiko Royal has ceiling fans, and none of the apartments come with air conditioning as standard. If you're travelling in July or August, confirm what cooling your apartment has with the hotel before you book.
Access to the apartments is by stairs, with no lift and no step-free apartment, so contact the hotel directly if step-free access matters.
Each apartment comes set up for a baby: a free travel cot (one per apartment) and free high chairs, with the fridge and microwave handy for bottles and food. Housekeeping cleans the apartment daily but not the kitchen, linen is changed weekly and towels every two days. Check-in is from 3pm and check-out by noon; a late check-out to 5pm is sometimes available, subject to availability, for €60. If your flight home is late, there's luggage storage, ground-floor changing rooms with showers and cots in the BabyClub for a pre-flight nap, and a cold dinner is left in the apartment if you arrive too late for dinner service. Apartment location requests are noted but can't be guaranteed, so treat any specific spot as best-efforts and email [email protected] if it matters.
Pools and water features
Royal Son Bou has two pools. The main pool is a big freshwater one of 1,200 m² in the centre of the resort, in front of Bar Marés and the entertainment stage, ringed with sunbeds and parasols and cooled by overhead sprinklers; it's open 8am to 8pm, and the animation team runs pool games like water polo and water basketball through the day. Large inflatable pool mats aren't allowed. The second is the Kids Pool, and it's the feature families praise most: a solar-heated pool built as a pirate ship with waterslides, fenced off with artificial grass around it, open 10.15am to 8pm. There's no adults-only pool, no indoor pool and no spa pool.
On the beach, the sunbeds and umbrellas belong to independent operators and are paid for on the sand, not booked through the hotel.
The beach
Son Bou is Menorca's longest beach, a south-facing stretch of fine white sand about 2.5 km long and 50 metres wide, and largely undeveloped. It shelves in very gradually over a homogeneous sandy seabed, so small children can wade a long way out before it deepens; the posidonia sea-grass meadows further out are a sign of clean water. It's consistently Blue Flag certified. There's a full lifeguard team and a Red Cross first-aid post with rescue boats, and the standard Spanish flag system runs each day: green for swimming allowed, yellow for caution, red for no bathing, orange when no lifeguard is on post.
The best part with young children is how you reach it. A step-free tunnel runs under the road straight to the sand, roughly 100 metres from the resort, so there's no traffic to cross with a pushchair. It's an open-sea beach rather than a sheltered cove, sheltered from the northerly tramuntana wind but exposed on southerly or westerly days, so check the daily flag before young children go in the water.
Along the beach, independent operators run showers, toilets, bars, sunbed and parasol hire, a disabled-access pathway and paid watersports from pedalos, canoes, rowing boats, motorboats and sailing boats to a banana boat and a sky-bus; horse-riding and scuba diving nearby take part in the resort's rewards scheme. Behind the beach, El Prat de Son Bou is a protected wetland of about 80 hectares with nesting birds, which the older children's clubs walk to. At the ends of the bay there's the small naturist cove of Atalis to the west, a walk rather than a swim with little ones, and the fifth-century Early Christian Basilica ruins to the east.
Babies and toddlers
Club Kikoland age by age, everything that fills a family day and the towns and days out beyond the gate.
This is where Royal Son Bou goes deepest. Every club is free, gated so children can't wander off and comes with a welcome gift; you register each child at the Kikoland reception and leave a contact number, and the team speaks Spanish, Italian, English and German.
Club Kikoland runs by age. The BabyClub takes babies from birth to two, with finger painting, clay, dress-up, Lego, a ball pool and physical-play sessions. The MiniClub covers threes and fours, adding cooking and costume workshops, a bouncy castle, a labyrinth, mini football, a pool and a cinema, plus off-site pony rides, a mini farm and the Trogloland cave that parents go along to. The MaxiClub is for fives and sixes, with sports, crafts, pool games and the same off-site outings plus wetland nature walks. The JuniorClub, sevens to twelves, adds water polo, water basketball, table games and nature walks out to the wetland, plus the Royal Club, an indoor games room with consoles, table football, pool and billiards, robotics and video-game sessions. The TeenyClub for thirteens to seventeens runs in July and August only, with team sports and the Royal Club opening in the evening in high season.
Standard club hours are 9am to 12.30 and 3pm to 5.30pm, shifting to 9.30am to 12.30 and 3.30pm to 6.30pm in high season; the TeenyClub keeps its own hours year-round, 11am to 12.30 and 4.30pm to 6.45pm. The mascots, Kiko, Hooky and Cuqui, share their names with the apartment categories.
At mealtimes there's Magikland, free supervised childcare for under-fours inside the Los Olivos restaurant during the lunch and dinner sittings, so you can eat while your child is looked after nearby. It runs in Los Olivos only, and it isn't a separate crèche you drop a child at outside meals.
The BabyClub is properly equipped for the youngest: napping cots, nappy-changing tables, adapted bathrooms, a baby bath, a bottle warmer, a fridge, a microwave and a small kitchen with food, a ball pool, a stroller, walkers and a pushalong, a play mat, teethers and rattles, toy cars and animal figures for sound recognition, shape-sorters, Lego, finger-painting and other craft materials, puzzles and story books, a tunnel and an outdoor swing. Both restaurants make fresh purees to order, and high chairs, bibs and plastic cutlery are out at every restaurant without asking.
The resort doesn't list a babysitting service, so don't count on evening babysitting; contact the hotel directly if you need it. A private doctor visits the resort every morning, below reception, and there's a pharmacy in Son Bou. Mahón, about 22 km away, has the island's main hospital, Hospital Mateu Orfila. UK families should bring a GHIC, the free card for state healthcare in the EU, and take out comprehensive travel insurance, listing every child's age at the time of booking. For baby supplies, that Son Bou pharmacy and the local supermarkets on the same strip stock the day-to-day basics, so nappies, wipes and formula don't need packing for a full week.
Things to do
Evenings centre on the Royal Fiesta at the stage by Bar Marés: shows with the mascots, mini-discos, acrobatics, magic and music from the animation team and parades round the resort with the Alaior Drum Band, a local marching band. Through the day the animation team runs pool games, water polo, water basketball and circuits, and inside Kikoland there's a bouncy castle, a labyrinth for children up to ten, film screenings and a mini football pitch. The pony rides, the Trogloland cave and the mini-farm visits are off-site, and a parent goes along to each.
For the practical extras, there's a laundry service (wash and dry, or with ironing, dropped at reception and back in about three hours) and free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel with the password given at check-in. There's no gym, spa or fitness class, so don't plan around one. The resort also runs a Royal Family Rewards scheme linking it to local businesses, including the horse-riding centre and a dive centre.
The area and days out
Son Bou's own strip has bars, restaurants, supermarkets and shops, including ones selling Menorcan abarcas sandals, and children's menus are common. Alaior, a traditional market town, is about 7 km and ten minutes away by bus or car, with weekly craft markets. Mahón, the island capital, is around 22 km and 25 minutes; its glass-bottom catamaran trip round the harbour is about an hour of flat, calm water and the easiest paid outing with a baby or toddler, though several operators run it at different prices, so check when you book. Mahón also has the big supermarkets, Mercadona, Lidl and Aldi. Ciutadella, the old capital, is about 35 km and 45 minutes, with a flat buggy-friendly old town, a daily market, gelato and the Aqua Rock waterpark at nearby Cala'n Bosch.
The 185 km Camí de Cavalls coastal path passes through Son Bou: west to Santo Tomás is an easy, flat 6.4 km, east to Cala'n Porter a medium 8 km, though most of it isn't passable with a buggy. Torre d'en Galmès, Menorca's main prehistoric Talayotic site, is close by and a quick visit, with a small entry fee that's free for under-eights and on Mondays. Loc de Menorca near Alaior is a small family zoo with a lemur walk-through, dwarf goats, a playground and a splash park, and makes a good half-day. The resort's own activities page also mentions water slides in the nearby San Jaime area as a popular local day out; small local water parks change name and hours fairly often, so check it's still running under that name before you plan around it.
The resort is self-contained enough that you don't need a car for a beach-and-club week: the beach is through the tunnel and a bus runs to Alaior and Mahón, and summer boat cruises leave from nearby Cala Galdana and Cala'n Bosch. A hire car pays off if you want to explore Menorca's calas and towns more widely.
Loves and gripes
What families rate and what frustrates them, how it compares on Menorca, the journey in and the weather by month.
What families love
- Club Kikoland and the BabyClub, which families call under-advertised.
- The pirate-ship kids' pool, the single most praised feature.
- The step-free tunnel straight to the beach.
- Staff who are quick and kind, from high chairs appearing unasked to the doctor arriving in minutes.
- La Basílica's food, the fresh pasta and wood-fired pizza especially.
- The mini-discos and evening entertainment.
- The long, shallow beach itself.
- All Inclusive guests praising the certainty of drinks and snacks covered resort-wide, all day.
Common gripes
- Compact one-bedroom apartments at 44 m² for a family of four spending time indoors.
- No air conditioning listed in the standard apartments, which tells in July and August.
- The parent bed being two singles pushed together rather than a fixed double.
- Room-location requests not being guaranteed.
- No private parking, only a public car park nearby.
- La Basílica not always open at the edges of the season.
- One guest found the food at Los Olivos hit and miss, depending on the cook and how busy the buffet gets.
- One guest found the sofa-bed mattress hard, though the hotel brought a topper when asked.
How it compares
On Menorca, Royal Son Bou is the benchmark family hotel, and the comparison is usually about what you'd trade for a shorter transfer or newer facilities. TUI BLUE Grupotel Turquesa Mar at Cala'n Bosch has a nursery from birth and a baby lounge, but it's a 50 to 55 minute transfer against 25 to 30 here, and Son Bou's consistently Blue Flag certified 2.5 km beach through the tunnel is the bigger draw. Occidental Menorca at Punta Prima is about ten minutes from the airport, with a splash pool and three clubs, but Royal Son Bou's 35-year focus, the BabyClub from birth, Magikland and the long beach give more for babies and toddlers specifically. Insotel Punta Prima Resort & Spa is five-star with a newer splash park and a short transfer; Royal Son Bou counters with free clubs for every age, Magikland and its heritage. Prinsotel La Caleta on the west coast is well rated but sits on a small sheltered beach rather than Son Bou's open 2.5 km strand. For a family with a baby or toddler, none of these alternatives brings mealtime childcare from birth, clubs for every age and the tunnel to that long beach together the way this one does.
Getting thereGetting there and when to go
Menorca airport, near Mahón, is about 20 km away, roughly a 25 to 30 minute drive. You pre-book the transfer yourself rather than it being laid on: the resort links to Shuttle Spain (+34 971 36 99 92), and families need to book ahead and ask for child seats. That matters because under Spanish law children under 135 cm need a child seat and street taxis generally don't carry them, so don't plan to grab a taxi at the airport with a toddler. The TMSA public bus stops near the resort, with routes to Alaior and Mahón. There's no hotel car park, only a public one about 50 metres from the entrance, paid directly. Direct flights run from major UK airports through the season with Jet2, TUI, easyJet and others, taking roughly two and a quarter to two and a half hours. A five-night minimum stay applies on the semi-flexible rate; the free-cancellation rate has no stated minimum.
The resort is open from around May to October. June and September are the best balance of a warm sea, manageable heat and space on the sand; July and August are the hottest and busiest, with every club including the TeenyClub open; and May and early October are quieter shoulders when the sea is cooler and some facilities aren't yet in full swing.
When to goWeather
Son Bou sits on Menorca's south coast, which is more sheltered from the northerly tramuntana wind than the north; that wind blows most often between October and April, outside the resort's own season, and even a summer blow usually only stirs up the sea on one coast for a day or two while the other stays calm. The open beach can still pick up swell on a southerly or westerly day. The figures below are long-term averages for the season the resort is open. Days climb from the low twenties in May to around 29°C in July and August, the sea warms from a bracing 17 to 18°C in May to 25 to 26°C by August, and July is all but rainless.
| 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 resort runs from around May to October.
Questions
The things families ask most and the official pages worth a bookmark.
Which apartments have a sea view?
The Hooky Royal Sea View and the Cuqui Royal With Side Sea Views are the two with sea views; the others look over the pool or the resort. View and position are noted as requests but can't be guaranteed, so if a sea view matters, book that category and email [email protected] rather than relying on a preference note.
Is there a babysitting service for an evening out?
The resort doesn't list one, so don't count on in-room or evening babysitting; contact the hotel directly if you need it. In the day the free clubs cover children from birth, and Magikland supervises under-fours inside Los Olivos at lunch and dinner, which is what most families use for a quieter meal.
Do drinks and snacks cost extra?
On half board, yes: drinks at the bar are on top, so factor in a bar tab or upgrade to All Inclusive. Children get free soft drinks and ice cream at the pool during club hours whatever your board, and All Inclusive covers drinks resort-wide from 10am to 11pm.
Which booking rate should we pick?
The free-cancellation rate costs a 10% deposit and lets you change or cancel up to 72 hours before arrival, so it suits uncertain plans. The semi-flexible rate is a 30% deposit with one change allowed and a five-night minimum stay, and tends to be cheaper if your dates are fixed. The balance is paid on arrival for direct bookings.
Can we take a taxi from the airport with young children?
Not with a street taxi: they rarely carry the child seat that Spanish law requires for children under 135 cm. Pre-book a transfer with seats through Shuttle Spain, the resort's linked partner, or bring your own. It's about a 25 to 30 minute drive.
Is it easy with a pushchair, and is it accessible?
The resort is compact and flat to walk, the beach tunnel is step-free and wooden boardwalks cross the sand to the water, so a pushchair is fine day to day. The apartment blocks, though, are reached by stairs, with no lift and no wheelchair-adapted apartment, so if step-free access to your apartment is essential, contact the hotel before booking.
See more Royal Son Bou photos
Open the Royal Son Bou photo gallery →Useful links
- Royal Son Bou Family Club: the resort's own site for apartments, board basis, the children's clubs and booking.
- GOV.UK Spain travel advice: entry rules and safety updates before you travel.
- Menorca with little ones: our guide to the wider island, its beaches and when to go.
Last updated 17 July 2026.
