From food and drink, to entertainment and activities, my detailed review of the Grand Palladium Ibiza Resort & Spa will help you decide if this is the hotel for you.
As I finished packing, and plucked our 15-month-old son Cooper out of the suitcase for the 100th time, I wondered what the next few days would have in store. He took his first flight at 10 weeks, and has already visited three continents. Needless to say, each stage of travel with little ones is different, and the toddler age is always going to have its challenges!
We were looking for a short break in the sunshine, ideally where everything was taken care of. We’re emerging from a stressful patch, after losing a close family member and starting the process of house hunting. We were longing to laze by a pool, sip on tasty cocktails and enjoy some delicious meals.
While searching online, we discovered some amazing family holidays to Ibiza with Jet2holidays. We’d had a great experience flying with Jet2 in the past, but this time we booked the entire trip through them. We selected the Grand Palladium Palace Ibiza Resort & Spa – a 5-star resort in Playa d’en Bossa.
This hotel is ideal for families, with all-inclusive dining, several pools, a kids club, splash pool and plenty of restaurants. If you’re not usually a resort person, I can confirm this one is big enough that you won’t go stir crazy!
There’s another great selling point too. This resort is just a ten-minute-drive from Ibiza Airport, so you won’t be wasting hours of your holiday travelling to and from your hotel. You really can land on the island and be on your sun lounger within an hour!
In my detailed review of our stay at Grand Palladium Palace Ibiza Resort & Spa, I’ll share my thoughts on the resort’s dining options, amenities, activities for kids and our overall experience with Jet2Holidays.
A Family Holiday To Ibiza
Airport Check-In & Flight
We caught our Jet2 flight from London Stansted Airport. We booked an early flight (8am), as when you have a toddler, you’re up early anyway! There were lots of Jet2 staff welcoming us at the airport, showing us where to check in. We waited in line for about 5 minutes, then checked our luggage in. We’d allowed a lot of time as we were travelling in June, but it was all very quick and efficient. I love that Jet2 include 22kg of luggage per person. They might be a low-cost airline, but they don’t have the annoying restrictions of Ryanair or Easyjet.
The security queue took around 15 minutes, but was also very organised. They’ve just introduced new scanners at London Stansted Airport where you don’t have to remove liquids from your belongings, which is speeding things up.
The flight itself was pretty relaxed. It’s only around 2 hours to Ibiza, so it doesn’t feel overwhelming with small children. Cooper played on our laps for some of it, then napped in the baby carrier.
Transfer from Ibiza Airport to Grand Palladium Palace Ibiza Resort & Spa
Our Jet2Holiday included a coach transfer to our resort. This is another great reason to book a package holiday. Every detail is taken care of! The journey to our resort only took 10 minutes and we were the first drop off. What a great feeling to have just landed and already be checking into our luxurious hotel!
Review of the Grand Palladium Ibiza Resort & Spa
The Grand Palladium is one of the largest 5-star resorts in Ibiza, and is consistently voted as one of the top hotels on the island. In fact, right now it’s rated as the number 1 hotel in Ibiza on Trip Advisor.
It’s home to 7 restaurants, including 2 buffet restaurants and 4 à la carte restaurants, as well as 7 bars which include pool bars.
Interestingly, the Grand Palladium in Ibiza is actually two resorts linked by a bridge – the Palace and White Isle. When booking our holiday, it sounded like the two resorts might feel quite separate, but it’s actually just a short walk between them. There’s a bridge between the two and you can easily pop between the two for different meals, entertainment or to use the swimming pools.
Grand Palladium Palace or Grand Palladium White Isle – Which is better?
If you have the choice, I’d recommend the Grand Palladium Palace as it’s where more of the restaurants, pools and entertainment venues are located. It felt a little more family-friendly too, especially as the kids club is situated just across from reception.
However, if you’re travelling as a couple or prefer a quieter life, you might prefer Grand Palladium White Isle. There really isn’t much between the two though, and as I mentioned, it’s a short walk over the bridge to get to the other.
Bedrooms
We booked a deluxe room with pool view (room 2126). The rooms are pretty standard, with large beds, neutral furnishings and balconies. If you’re looking for ocean views or suites, you might pay a little more.
We really liked the look of the poolside rooms on the ground floor too, where you can step out of your patio and go straight to the pool. If we’d had a little more to spend, perhaps we would have splurged on a jacuzzi suite.
The hotel was happy to provide a cot for our toddler, which we requested in advance.
Restaurants at Grand Palladium Ibiza
When you check in, you’ll be given a wristband which acts as your room key. It also gives you access to the all-inclusive food and drink.
In my opinion, the food is usually the element that lets all-inclusive resorts down. I’ve been to several in the past where the food is bland or unadventurous. Thankfully, this wasn’t the case at the Grand Palladium Ibiza. We were really impressed by both the quality and variety on offer.
There are two buffet restaurants (one at each resort) which are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Portofino, the restaurant by the beach also offers a buffet lunch. So, what kind of dishes are on offer in the buffets? At breakfast you’ll find everything you’d expect, including fried foods, a selection of breads and pastries, fresh fruit, salads and cereals.
I’d recommend dining on the terrace at La Sal as it has gorgeous views over the lagoon.
At lunch and dinner, you’ll find a huge variety. Some of the things we loved were the freshly-made pizzas, grilled fish, steaks, burgers, tacos, delicious salads and pickles. We never missed an opportunity to have dessert too, whether that was a zingy lemon meringue pie, a decadent chocolate tart or a few scoops of ice cream with fresh fruit. Essentially, don’t be put off by the word ‘buffet’. The food quality was great, dishes had real flavour and it didn’t feel like everything had been sitting under hot lamps all day overcooking.
We also dined at some of the à la carte restaurants, which offer 3-course menus. There’s La Doña, the resort’s Mexican restaurant, with its pretty outside terrace and menu featuring tacos, fajitas, grilled fish and ceviche.
Next door you’ll find Il Palazzo, a chic Italian restaurant with white tablecloths and a chic al fresco dining area. Here, we enjoyed starters of beef carpaccio with parmesan cream and fresh pasta with seafood. This was one of our favourite dining experiences – it felt plush, the food was great and it had a lovely ambience.
We didn’t manage to dine at Portofino in the evening, but we had a buffet lunch here on several occasions. This beachside restaurant has glorious ocean views. The dinner menu features Mediterranean dishes with a modern twist.
Top tip: If you’re keen to book any of the à la carte restaurants, I’d recommend doing this as soon as you check in. You can reserve easily using the Grand Palladium App. They do get booked up, and we missed out on a reservation for our final night as they were all fully booked.
Bars at Grand Palladium Ibiza
One thing I’d say about this resort, is that you’re never more than a few steps away from a bar… or your next all-inclusive cocktail for that matter! There are bars by each of the swimming pools, lobby bars in the main receptions and even 24-hour sports bar Xtra Time (yes, you really can get something to eat or drink 24/7!)
The Grand Palladium App is where you’ll find all of the menus , including what drinks are available as part of your all-inclusive stay. From sparkling wine, sangria and port, to Aperol, amaretto, rum and beer, you name it and you’ll see it on the menu. The cocktail menu is pretty lengthy too, with pina coladas, margaritas, tequila sunrise, mojitos, negronis and Aperol spritz, to name a few.
Some of the spirits used are local versions, and some cocktails have a pre-mixed element (mojitos for example) so you won’t always have the balance or care of a top mixologist, but they were generally pretty good!
There is an option to upgrade to premium spirits, but we never really felt this was necessary.
Swimming Pools
There are three main pools at the Grand Palladium Ibiza, each located in the centre of the accommodation buildings. Some have sunken beds; others have graduated entry so there’s a really shallow area for little ones to splash. There’s also a shallow kids pool in the Palace resort.
Meanwhile, head over the road and you’ll find the tropical-themed splash pool for children, which has slides, sprinklers and a bucket that tips every few minutes. There are loungers around the outside of all of the pools, and while it got quite busy by the afternoons, we never had trouble securing a spot in the morning.
Entertainment and Activities
This resort has activities for everyone! For kids, that includes arts and crafts, face painting, DJ workshops, and the ever-popular mini disco (seriously, there were so many kids there one night, all having a boogie!) For adults, there are aqua aerobics sessions in the pool, yoga classes, basketball and graffiti workshops.
The live music and entertainment were a great addition to our stay. There was a really fun pool party one afternoon, with a singer and live percussion. We also loved the rock duo who performed at one of the bars in the evening.
Then, there’s the big resort entertainment which takes place at the outdoor theatre. We thought the performers were really talented! Great singers and dancers, who really brought the stage alive.
Our favourite show was The Lion King – an hour long version of the stage show, with great puppetry, group dances and costumes. My only fault with the entertainment was that it was on too late. The theatre shows started at 10pm, which, considering the resort attracts so many families, felt far too late to keep the really little children up!
And, perhaps less of an activity, but I did book an amazing massage at Massage Beach, the wellness area by the pool. The 60-minute marine detox massage was exactly what I needed after so many twists and turns as I picked up my 15-month-old son! The masseuse realigned my spine and I felt really relaxed afterwards.
Kids Club
If you’re visiting Grand Palladium Ibiza as a family, you’re probably desperate to find out about the kids clubs. I didn’t manage to take photos inside the clubs, but I can tell you straight away that they have amazing facilities. The kids club is divided into three different zones.
There’s the Baby Club from 0-3 years, which has a ball pit, ride-on toys, soft toys and games. Stays of more than 7 days include 3 x 2 hour slots for free. If you’re staying for under that, you get 1 x 2 hour slot every 3 days. You can’t pay to add additional slots, which seemed a shame, but I guess it’s fairer that all guests get the chance to have some time there.
For children aged 4-8, there’s the Mini Club. The team organise more structured activities here, like arts and crafts sessions and games.
There’s also the large tropical splash pool and an outdoor playground with a climbing frame, slide, trampolines and outdoor games.
Then for older kids and teenagers, there’s the Black & White Junior Club. We thought this looked brilliant! With a cool design, movie area and games consoles, it would be really appealing to teens.
The clubs are run by an enthusiastic and welcoming team, who just love kids! We felt confident leaving Cooper with them for a 2-hour session, and it was nice to earn a little break.
The beach at Grand Palladium Ibiza
This resort doesn’t have an area directly on the beach, but there is beach access. We used the path beyond Portofino and ended up on the golden sands of Playa d’en Bossa, enjoying views of the Torre des Carregador in one direction and the fort in Ibiza Town in the other.
I wouldn’t say this is the prettiest beach, and it does get quite busy during the day, but I liked that the resort is located right at one end, so you have the backdrop of the tower.
Pros and Cons of Grand Palladium Ibiza
Pros
- Great for families
- Good value
- Amazing kids clubs that run from age 0 to teenage
- Tasty and varied food and drink options in the all-inclusive
- Lots of restaurants and bars to visit
- Two resorts in one
- Lovely swimming pools
- Big range of activities and entertainment
- Close to the airport so a short transfer
Cons
- Low flying planes as it’s so close to the airport
- A la carte restaurants get booked up quickly
- Sometimes we could hear loud music in our room at night (from the theatre)
- Entertainment scheduled too late
- No hotel service on the beach
- Spa was expensive
We had an amazing family holiday in Ibiza with Jet2holidays. It was such a special getaway, with beautiful sunshine, a great range of food and drink options, and it really felt like all the details were taken care of. We’d return in a heartbeat, and we know that Cooper will enjoy the experiences even more as he gets older!
A big thanks to Jet2 Holidays for organising our trip to Ibiza. As always, all opinions are 100% my own. You can search here for flights to Ibiza with Jet2 or take a look at other all-inclusive holidays.
If you’re looking for other things to do on the White Isle, don’t miss my Ibiza itinerary and my guide to the best tours in Ibiza. Plus, I’ve got an amazing list of tips for spending a great summer in Ibiza.
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