Plazamar Family Resort

If your idea of a useful base includes a kitchenette, a balcony and somewhere to cool off without making a ceremony of it, this aparthotel in Santa Ponsa is easy to understand. You get the practical shape of an apartment with the services of a resort: a pool, a restaurant, a bar, daily entertainment and a 24-hour reception.

The setting suits couples, families and divers who prefer a lively resort town to an isolated property. English, German and Spanish are covered on the hotel's website, so you can check the essentials in one of those languages before you arrive. Once there, the day can follow a simple pattern: breakfast, diving, food, a swim and a balcony.

You are in Santa Ponsa, on Mallorca, rather than in Calvià as a broader catalogue label might suggest. Santa Ponsa Beach is about 450 metres away, while Caló d'en Pellicer Beach is roughly 0.7 miles on foot. Es Castellot Beach is about 0.9 miles away, giving you a few different stretches of sand to investigate when the surface interval lasts longer than expected.

The resort sits in the useful part of town. Shops, bars and restaurants are within a five-minute walk, with Restaurante Tauro about 0.1 miles away and Pizzeria a Casa del Padrino roughly 0.2 miles away. Splash Pub Terraza is around 0.1 miles from the property, while Jungle Park is about 1.1 miles on foot. Palma de Mallorca Airport is approximately 12 miles away by road.

The room choice is really about how much living space you want around the dive kit bags, wet towels and the slightly heroic amount of clothing that a week by the sea requires. The Premium Studio suits a couple or a small family wanting a compact base, with two single beds, a sofa bed, a dining table and a kitchenette. For four guests, the One-Bedroom Apartment gives you more room to spread out and separates the sleeping arrangement from the main living area.

Every studio has air conditioning, a balcony and either a pool or mountain view. The kitchenette includes a fridge, microwave, toaster, kettle and basic kitchenware, which is useful for keeping water cold or putting together something simple when a full restaurant meal feels ambitious. A private bathroom with shower, towels, toiletries and a hairdryer takes care of the practical end of the evening.

There is also a seating area, a desk, a wardrobe and a flat-screen TV with satellite channels. Free WiFi is available throughout the property, and the tiled floors should be welcome after a day of sand and salt. The balcony gives you somewhere to sit outside; just remember that a pool view can also mean a livelier outlook than a mountain view.

The main dining option is Restaurante Buffet, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner with Mediterranean cooking. Breakfast brings English and continental choices, Spanish meats, cheeses, fresh seasonal fruit, bread and pastries. Gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options are available, which is handy when the morning begins early and the group does not all eat the same way.

Harry's Bistro covers lunch and dinner on its terrace, with Spanish and English dishes, tapas and a Sunday roast. It runs from 13:00 to 23:00, giving you a later option when the boat, the shower and the post-dive debrief have all overrun. The all-inclusive formula keeps the food arrangements straightforward.

There are two bars. Cubanito Cocktail Bar is the place for a morning coffee, a pre-dinner drink or properly mixed cocktails on the terrace; Pool Snack Bar adds soft drinks, cocktails and snacks beside the pool. Summer brings weekly barbecues, while the resort also has vending machines for drinks and snacks when your appetite refuses to respect restaurant hours.

The lagoon-style pool, surrounded by palm trees and sun loungers, is the obvious landing zone for a lazy afternoon. A poolside snack bar is close at hand, and there is also a sun terrace, garden, solarium and umbrellas when the plan is simply to sit still and let the day catch up with you. A water slide and a separate children's pool give younger guests something more energetic to do.

For a little movement without committing to another expedition, the resort has a fitness centre, table tennis and a games room with billiards. The fitness centre is available around the clock, including for guests of The Jutlandia, and guests under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. A golf course lies within 1.9 miles, while bicycle hire and car hire can be arranged at reception.

Families have access to an indoor play area, board games and puzzles, high chairs, strollers and baby safety gates. Daily entertainment and activities cover all ages, with summer barbecues adding another reason to stay around the property rather than wandering into town every evening.

A 24-hour front desk handles arrivals, local information, currency exchange and tour-desk requests. Car hire can be arranged there, and luggage storage is available for the awkward gap between leaving the room and leaving the island. Free WiFi covers the property, and nearby public parking is free, subject to availability in the surrounding streets rather than a reserved hotel space.

The published hotel timetable places check-in from 14:00 and check-out by 12:00. Other booking conditions give arrival from 15:00 and departure by 11:00, so confirm the applicable times for your accommodation before building a tight airport or dive schedule. Palma de Mallorca Airport is about 12 miles away; an airport transfer is not listed as a hotel service, so plan your own road transfer.

Children of any age are welcome, and cots can be requested for children aged up to two. Extra beds are not available. The property accepts cash, smoking is not allowed, and parties, pets and stag or hen groups are not permitted. Laundry is available, and the hotel has a lift, air conditioning and heating.

Solar panels form part of the property's energy arrangements. It is a practical measure rather than a grand statement: the resort uses a photovoltaic installation while you get on with the important business of finding shade after lunch.