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Leonardo Royal Hotel and Suites in Es Canar, Ibiza

FamilyFunDarloMum

Updated: Jan 25

This review is based on our visit in May half term 2024. There was myself, my husband Stef, our two boys aged just under 2 (Leo) and 8 (Kamron) at the time and my stepson who was 15 (Damon). This trip was fully paid for ourselves and does not include any collaborations.


GETTING THERE FROM THE AIRPORT AND LOCATION;


Leonardo Royal Hotel and Suites is located in Es Canar on the East Coast of Ibiza. A compact yet lively resort with everything you could need for a stress free convenient and fun family holiday. The hotel is located on the more relaxed side of the resort, but within easy walking distance of the nightlife (around 10 minutes)


The transfer time from the hotel if getting there via coach is around an hour. We travelled with Jet2 and the journey was smooth and hassle free on the coach. It was comfortable and air conditioned. There wasn’t too many drop offs before ours either.


We were dropped off outside our hotel to check in at the reception area. We were staying in the suites just next door. The reception area was lovely! It felt very modern and bright, providing a welcoming positive start to our visit. The staff were polite and informative letting us know all the basics we needed to know for our stay and how to get to our suite.


The hotel and suites are in two separate blocks. The suites are just next door a couple of minutes walk away down the road from the entrance then to the right. We decided to stay in the suites as they were more spacious with a separate bedroom for the same sort of price as staying in the hotel. The road has a very slight decline to get to the suites and it’s not the most even or wide paths in parts (they were improving these in parts during our stay). You can just go on the road if needed as it’s not a through road but cars do turn around in it still. Once in the main path opposite the suites it’s much wider and all pedestrianised.


One of the key selling points for me choosing this hotel is the easy direct access to the beach, and the access didn’t disappoint. You can either go down a few steps onto a boardwalk (you can carry a pushchair down) from the main hotel pool area or for fully step free access you go through the main entrance of the hotel down towards the suites then take a left round the side of the hotel or if leaving from the suites entrance it’s straight down onto the boardwalk to the beach within about a minute. The beach had such beautiful views and the sand was lovely and soft. It was in a small cove with shallow waters so I found it perfect with the boys being young. On the beach right next to this hotel, there were some public toilet cubicles including disabled toilets.


OUR SUITE;


Our suite was clean enough and it had everything we needed. It was basically like a one bedroom apartment in terms of layout. It was on the smaller side compared to some one bedroom apartments we have stayed in. I think because the two older boys had beds in the living area this made it cramped much more. There was a wardrobe in the living room for the boys clothes though so this was good.

In the bedroom where me and Stef slept there was a double bed, a adressing table, and a double sliding wardrobe as well as space next to the bed for a travel cot for Leo. They provided the cot for us as we requested at the time of booking.


The kitchen area /counter was just to the side of living/dining room where the boys also slept. It was small but adqurarectir our needs. There was an under counter fridge to fit bottles of pop/juice and milk in. There was a kettle, sink and two hobs and from what I could see enough cutlery and utensils for the 5 of us. We didn’t eat in the room being on All Inclusive, but I did use the kettle for a cuppa now and then.


The balcony was a good size with a table and chairs and it had beautiful views of the sea and pool area, especially on the evening with the sun was setting. We enjoyed a few evenings together on here enjoying a few drinks and some card games whilst Leo was sleeping. There was also a pull out dryer rail for towels and swimwear which was handy. The balcony had railings rather than a screen but I wouldn’t leave the kids near them anyway I was just more cautious of Leo.


HOTEL ENTERTAINMENT;


The hotel activities programme and facilities I thought great for families, particularly with younger children. It had an indoor kids club with a separate baby play. The softplay frame was closed whilst we were there but Kamron still enjoyed visiting the kids club a couple of times. There were some board games, climbing wall and computer games as well as tables for arts and crafts. The baby play area in the room right next to it had sofas for you to sit on whilst your little ones played. It was nice to come in here for a bit to get out of the sun. Parents would need to stay with 0-4 year olds in the baby club. For children over 4 staying in the kids club you would need to sign them in and also collect and sign them back out, this is very reassuring. The kids club would also run different arranged activities in the pool area and inside the kids club at certain times and had a bouncy castle on a few afternoons too. The image below shows the kids club activity programme for whilst we were there.

They also had a full adults activity programme if you get a bit bored of just relaxing in the sun!


POOL AREAS;


There is the main pool area in the hotel where the pool activities took place from. This pool was always quite busy with sunloungers being taken up very early. It was right near the snack bar and pool terrace bar which always had plenty of seating too. We got round this pool maybe twice during our stay. There was also a splash park just next to the main pool with a few sunloungers. We visited the splash park area a couple of times but with Leo being just under 2 and there being a lot of splashing elements and the water was freezing. Also with Kamron preferring to actually swim it wasn’t a huge hit. The first couple of times they enjoyed it I think because of the novelty. A lot of kids would love it though if they love the water and splashing around! There was a pirate ship with slides, tipping buckets and splash features so it was good fun!

We all much preferred the quieter pool over at our suites. You could only access this pool with your room card at the suites building entrance meaning it was never that busy. The only downside was there wasn’t a pool/snack bar here, so if on All Inclusive like we were you would need to keep going back to the hotel and bringing them back. Not ideal with kids to watch or with mobility issues. I think a pool bar being introduced here would be a great benefit. There were two shops next door and opposite, so we would end up buying drinks/snacks and keeping them in the room instead. You can stay in these suites on a self catering basis which may be something to consider.


The rule around inflatables in the pool was also very hit and miss depending on who was the life guard. We went out and bought some after seeing they allowed them the day before; then the next day they didn’t. They did however always allow small rings/floats for babies in the baby pool. Kamron practiced some diving with his googles and diving bars. They had day beds up on a terrace next to this pool too which were on the front of the suites building overlooking the beach. We didn’t get up here to have a look with having the kids, but it looked very relaxing from what we saw from our balcony!


Next to reception there was a games room which came in handy one day when there was a bit of rain. The two older kids went in here a few times too whilst we were finishing our evening meal in the hotel restaurant, as it was located next door without them needing to go outside. Just make sure you have a few euros change with you.


For an evening they had a mini disco in the indoor bar area. This was on quite late at 8:45pm so we only went a couple times to this if we had a chilled afternoon in the room beforehand so Leo my youngest wasn’t too tired. For adults or families with older children, they had singers on an evening in the bar too after the mini disco. You could also hear the music and singing from the terrace area so you could choose to sit outside and enjoy the evening views with the sunset and evening lights from the busier side of the resort. There was plenty of seating out here. We preferred to sit on the terrace area so the boys could run around a bit and it was just more relaxed with the nice sea breeze. The outdoor bar was open quite late too, so you could get a drink and they sold some snacks like crisps and icecreams.



What we also enjoyed most evenings is going for a walk along the boardwalk after our dinner. The boys enjoyed this as the boardwalk led to a wide promenade next to the sea so lots of space for them to run free. The sunsets and scenery was all so beautiful, and there were a few benches in the way to just sit and take in the surroundings.

FOOD AND DRINK


This is based on what was available to us on All Inclusive. There was the option to eat in the restaurant and pay daily if you weren’t on All Inclusive. I’ve included an image to show you the upgrade costs on arrival during our stay.


Having never been All Inclusive before I wasn’t sure really what to expect. But when comparing the quality of the food to eating out in Spain I was actually impressed with the choice and quality of what was on offer.


For breakfast there was toast, pancakes, pastries, biscuits and fruit as well as yogurts, cheeses and deli meats. They had hot options too including sausage, bacon, egg, beans. Gluten free bread was available on request.


For dinner they always had a meat, fish and vegetarian dishes each evening, as well as lots of fruit, salad, potato, chips and pasta dishes, as well as cold deli meats and cheeses. There was a good selection of desserts too including cakes, mousses, jellies and an icecream machine with sprinkles and sauces to put on yourself (which the kids loved!)


Allergens;

There was always atleast a couple of meal choices each sitting that were gluten or dairy free as well as staple sides such as potato dishes and veg. They also had chicken nuggets and pizza slices each sitting for those who like simpler options. The majority of food was labelled with the allergens too.


The restaurant is a good size, we never had any issues getting a table. There was also an outdoor covered terrace area at the restaurant to eat in too, but this always got quite busy. If you can get seated here it’s lovely though. They have a drinks machine area on this terrace too so you don’t need to go back inside if you want another drink after your meal. High Chairs are also available and there’s an area to leave your pushchairs at the entrance of the restaurant (don’t leave any valuables as they aren’t watched by staff).


The toilets are located back in the foyer just to the right of the reception.


At lunchtime, we preferred the snack bar with the kids next to the pool as it was just much easier. We did eat in the restaurant for lunch one time and it was quite similar to what was offered for dinner.


At the snack bar, you could get burgers, fries, toasties, simple salad, pasta, chicken schwarma, pizza slices and hotdogs and then sweet options including croissants, pancakes, popcorn and donuts. Basically all the stuff our kids would love to eat all the time if they could! The snack bar opened a few times a day too late morning to lunch and then again in the afternoon with the sake options. So dinner was too late for your kids you could get them something from the snack bar.

For drinks at the restaurant during both lunch and dinner there was wine, beer and fizzy drinks all on draught as well as jugs of juices and milk. They also had hot drinks machines for tea, coffee, hot chocolate and also a water machine.


The pool bar that was located next to the snack bar on the terrace was open most of the day and had a good choice of alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks on the All Inclusive. Below is the drinks menu from our visit, the burgundy banner showing the All Inclusive options (some available at a small supplement). We often had a couple of machine cocktails late afternoon/evening whilst the kids were having a snack and they werent overly weak to be honest! The Tequila Sunrise was the nicest in my opinion. You could get soft drinks too including fizzy drinks, milk, water and juice and also some ice cream choices and ice lollies were included in the All Inclusive.

ACCESSIBILITY;


The hotel and suites buildings themselves are both fully accessible. The main pool area at the hotel is accessible via ramps from the hotel foyer as well as a further ramp to the terrace and bar area. The splash park is level access next to the main pool. The pool area at the suites is on a level access from the entrance of the building. There is a lift to all rooms as well as stairs (two lifts but only one worked when we were staying). There are some ground floor suites and a couple of them were adapted for wheelchair users, which you can request through your agency or through the hotel directly when booking. These have a terrace area and lead straight out to the pool side. We didn’t bother getting one as didn’t want it to be too noisy right next to the pool. We knew that had lifts. Our suite wasn’t adapted and it was a shower over a bath with a fixed bath screen which did cause a bit of difficulty with my husbands mobility. If we were to go again we would ask for an adapted suite, this was a complete error on my side not requesting this and they were all taken when I did ask during our stay.


The restaurant is also level access to the hotel foyer located near reception. When leaving the restaurant the exit of the hotel is directly in front then the suites are a few minutes walk just up the road past the shop.


LATE FLIGHT CHECKOUT FACILITIES;


There is a courtesy shower room downstairs in the main hotel below reception (accessible via lift or steps) and there is a luggage room located right next to reception. They can provide towels at reception to use for the courtesy shower. Late checkout may be available but you need to ask the day before checking out.


OUR OVERALL THOUGHTS;


Overall, we had a lovely stay and it’s somewhere I would go back to. We would probably opt to stay in the hotel if we went here again but the price difference is what swayed us to book the suites so depending on that really. The suites were lovely, had everything you could need in the kitchen area and were clean enough, although they did still feel a little cozy with the 5 of us. I think we definitely need two bedrooms. On All Inclusive the suites weren’t ideal due to the back and forth to the hotel. A two minute walk is still a pain if having to move the kids from the pool area or with mobility issues. I do think a pool snack bar here included with the All Inclusive would make all the difference I would however recommend the suites if you were going self catering and prefer a more chilled pool area and easy access to the beach.


The resort itself (Es Canar) is beautiful. It has such a relaxed feel and pretty scenery, plenty of restaurants for different budgets and tastes as well as beach bars for a casual drink. And although it’s relaxed there is still plenty to do with kids and also with some family friendly nightlife such as karaokes bars/singers etc with older kids too, or even for your annual friends get together. I will be writing a separate blog article on the resort. Please subscribe if you would like to be notified by email once this is published.


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THANKS FOR READING 💜


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This blog has been produced by Charlotte Walcott (Business Owner of Family Fun Darlo Mum)


A bit about me- Mum to 2 boys, Kamron-8 and Leo-2, and stepmum to Damon- 15. Sharing family days out ideas, family venues and events in Darlington, County Durham, Teesside and Yorkshire.





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