YOU ARE THE ROYALTY AT THE NIXE PALACE in MAJORCA

Contributed by Michael & Emila Balagula - Gary D Travel Clients

ARRIVAL:

We arrived at the Nixe Palace in Majorca early in the morning  and received a very warm welcome from the staff.  While our room was being prepared, we had the opportunity to speak with the General Manager, Francisco Serrano, about the resort, his staff and his work ethic.  He joined the Nixe team as a bellboy, carrying luggage, assisting hotel workers and running errands. He loved being around happy and pleasant guests, who clearly loved the services and accommodations of this magnificent hotel.  Very soon, the management noticed his dedication to the business, the right attitude, the willingness to learn and as such he was promoted to receptionist.  Because he loved to chat with people from different parts of the world and the fact that he speaks Swedish, French, English, German, Spanish and Catalan he felt that the position was invented specifically just for him.  Over the years he developed close and lasting relationships with the guests who witnessed his rapid growth.

He said that he was able to assemble a great team of people who are dedicated to make every one of their guests feel special and privileged.   And he was exactly right.   An indispensable part of his team is Nina, head of Guest Relations.  Nina is fluent in English, German, Spanish, French and conversational in Russian.  Francisco and Nina show up every morning in the restaurant to chat with some of the guests.  While Francisco would cover the social aspects, exchanging pleasantries and jokes, Nina would be more attentive to details, asking guests specific questions that pertain to their everyday needs.  Nina is very observant and in fact, when she noticed that I was reading some English paper, she asked me what American published paper I would like.  Sure enough, the next morning a stapled printout of the Wall Street Journal was placed at my door.  A few times, I noticed how Nina would quickly approach an elderly man and advise him where his wife was.  Somehow, she sensed that this is who he was looking for and sure enough, that was it.  She remembers people’s names, which I think is a unique and amazing quality.  When my wife, Mila got sick, it took Nina less than 10 minutes to send us some special tea for cold treatment with lemon and honey.  Those small things are what make guests feel like they are being cared for.

Nixe Palace is an apt name because you are made to feel like royalty!  Thank you Francisco and Nina!

The hotel has five dining areas.  The formal dining room is inside the hotel and is located on the main floor.  Despite the impressive spaciousness and high ceiling, it still gives an intimate feeling.  White cloth covered large tables are spread adequately apart to allow for a private dining experience.  It has a sense and feel of an expensive 5-star restaurant. One side of the room has large sliding windows facing the sea. 

A video of our fish entree being expertly filleted and served:

During breakfast time the windows are wide open so guests can feel a light sea breeze. The other dining area is a wide balcony (I would say 18 ft wide) which runs alongside of the main dining room separated by the sliding windows.  The dining experience on the balcony is almost the same as in the main room except protected by a roof.  Because the balcony is on the main floor, which is really the 6th floor counting up from the beach, the view is awesome.  One can see the panorama of the entire bay.  The other food serving areas are outside, spread out through the facility including one next to the pool, where guests wearing bikinis can grab a snack or even a full meal (which will cost you extra). ​

Breakfast is served buffet style.  The variety of food is astonishing and makes one feel like you are on an unlimited expense account.  Coffee selection is excellent including espresso and cappuccino of the highest quality.  The dinner menus are expertly designed, change daily and reflect the freshest seasonal ingredients.  At dinnertime, food is served to you.  Plate presentation is beautiful and makes one salivate as soon as it is placed on the table.  Need to note professional service: waiters are almost invisible in the morning but clean plates and new sets of utensils magically appear on your table as soon as you get up for a refill.  In the evening, the approach is opposite – they are very visible and right there on your slightest gesture. ​

ACCOMMODATIONS:

Our room was spacious and clean with a nice welcome note from the management. Furniture is up to date.  AC works well and louvers direct cool air up to the ceiling as it is supposed to be (most of the hotels have AC set up to blow air right in your face). Bathroom is sizable but not too large.  Everything is clean and new.  Water pressure is adequate and hot water temperature just right and safe.  There are enough towels for two showers per day for each person.  There is no forced ventilation in the bathroom, which cause mirrors to fog up – hate this. No ironing board in the room – ask and they’ll bring it.  The built-in wardrobe is large enough for all clothes.  The balcony is enormous in size.

The view from our balcony was exquisite:

THE BEACH:

The beach is public but locals are not visibly present.  Hotel guests start to show up around 11.  Beach towels are provided by the hotel pool manager.  The towels are standard-large and good quality.  The beach lounges and stationary straw-covered umbrellas are rentals at $25 / day.  Beach sand is white, soft, clean and well maintained. Getting in to the shallow water, gradually deepening is easy.  There are no rocks, no pebbles and no sharp shells – just wonderful. 

POOL:

There is one relatively (compared to Jamaica resorts) small outdoor pool on the main level surrounded by a few rows of lounges.  There is no shade to hide from the mid-day sun so make sure you are protected.

THE GROUNDS:

The front of the hotel is facing the street and it appears like a no big-deal two story small structure.  The part of the hotel facing the sea (the rear side) is constructed on a 60 degree cliff.  Architecturally designed stairs have very large landing zones with patches of landscape where palm trees and decorative plants are growing.  At night time the trees and the stairs are cleverly illuminated making the atmosphere soft and peaceful. 

GARY D TRAVEL TO THE RESCUE

The Nixe Palace is a fantastic place to take a week and wind down after touring the mainland of Spain.  Our tour and hotels were booked by Gary D Travel Agency and they did a fabulous job of making all our arrangements, from tours to hotels to transfers.  Some may wonder why you need a travel agent to book your travel when you have the internet. Well, we found out why!  A day before getting ready to leave the Nixe, we received an email from Ryan Air, saying that "Spanish baggage handlers in Madrid were on strike," and that we would be unable to take ANY checked baggage!  Can you image?!  We needed to get to Madrid the next day for a connecting flight to NY which we had already paid for.  When we found it nearly impossible to communicate with Ryan from the Nixe Palace in Majorca, we called Gary D Travel in the states.  They were able to do some detective work and find out that it was not ALL baggage handlers in Madrid, as Ryan Air would have you believe, but just Ryan air handlers.  Gary D Travel immediately found us another flight into Madrid which arrived in time to make our previously arranged connection to NY.  We honestly don't know what we would have done without Gary D Travel.  We highly recommend them for your travel needs.  You can call them at 516-300-9924.

Please feel free to call us at 516-300-9924 to book your next dream vacation.
We look forward to speaking with you!