ROBINSON Cala Serena

English is spoken by the hotel team, alongside German and Spanish, so you can deal with the practical details without resorting to dive-sign language at reception. ROBINSON Cala Serena is built for a proper seaside stay, with direct access to a sandy cove, outdoor pools, a spa and enough organised activity to keep a non-diving companion occupied while you are under water.

The atmosphere leans towards an active club rather than a small, hushed hideaway. Tennis, fitness classes, water sports, evening shows and a theatre all sit within the wider offer, while the gardens, terraces and pool areas give you somewhere to slow down when your legs have had enough. Couples, families and divers who like a little structure around their holiday will find plenty to work with here.

You are in Cala Serena, on Mallorca's eastern coast, between two small bays and directly beside the sea. Cala Ferrera Beach is roughly 0.02 miles away and Cala Serena Beach about 0.05 miles away, putting sand and salt water within an easy walk of the hotel. Cala de Esmeralda is around 0.9 miles away, while Cala Gran is about 1.2 miles away.

The setting is coastal rather than urban, with palm trees around the property and the Mediterranean in front of you. If you want to eat or drink outside the hotel, Restaurant Cala Ferrera is around 0.25 miles away, while Restaurante Paparazzi and Tapas y Mas are roughly 0.7 and 0.8 miles away on foot. Cala Mondragó Nature Park is about 4.3 miles away, giving you a straightforward change of scenery when the only thing you have explored for several days is the bottom of the sea.

Palma de Mallorca Airport is around 34 miles away by road. Cala Serena sits within the Cala d'Or area, but the hotel itself keeps the emphasis on the coast rather than the resort centre.

The rooms are arranged around the useful basics after a day in warm seawater: air conditioning, a private balcony or terrace, a refrigerator, bathrobes and satellite television. The balcony or terrace gives you somewhere to sit with a drink while the kit of the day dries out on you, and the fridge is handy for keeping water cold rather than discovering that every bottle has reached bath temperature.

For a couple, a double room keeps things simple; the Superior Double Room adds a sofa bed and more breathing space for a small family or anyone who dislikes storing half a holiday's belongings on the only available chair. The Junior Suite is the obvious choice when you want a separate sense of space rather than merely somewhere to sleep. Solo divers have several single-room options, including a garden-view room with a king-size bed.

Daily housekeeping, a private bathroom, towels, toiletries, a hairdryer and a shower cover the practical end of the deal. WiFi is free throughout the hotel, and the lift helps when your post-dive enthusiasm has not quite made it back from the boat. The rooms are non-smoking, with heating as well as air conditioning for the less summery days.

The main restaurant handles breakfast, lunch and dinner as varied buffets, with Spanish cooking in the mix. Breakfast is a late buffet, and the choice includes continental, vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options, with special-diet menus available on request. That gives you room to build a breakfast that matches the day's plan, whether you need something substantial before the boat or something gentler after an early start.

There are also two à-la-carte restaurants serving Spanish specialities, so the evening does not have to follow the same buffet route every night. Three restaurants in total give you more choice than a single dining room and a familiar queue, although the exact opening arrangements belong to the day rather than to a permanent promise carved into stone.

For the gaps between meals, the hotel has a bar, a snack bar, a coffee house and a pool bar. The pool bar is exactly where it should be: close to the loungers and the heated outdoor pool. A themed dinner night, wine and champagne and children's meals add a few more options, while a tea and coffee maker in the room handles the modest but important business of waking up.

The heated outdoor pool faces the Mediterranean and has loungers, umbrellas, pool towels and its own bar. There is also a children's pool, so you can choose between a proper swim and the more traditional diver's recovery position on a sun lounger. Direct access to the sandy beach brings the sea closer without requiring an expedition involving footwear, maps and a packed lunch.

The spa is the main recovery option when shoulders and backs have collected the day's work. Treatments include full-body, back, neck, foot, head and couples massages, alongside a steam room, body scrubs, wraps and other body treatments. Manicures, pedicures, facials and hair services are also available, which may prove useful when one half of the travelling party wants a treatment and the other wants to remain horizontal.

If sitting still becomes too ambitious, there is a fitness centre with fitness and yoga classes, tennis courts, cycling, walking tours and hiking. Golf is available, as are kayaking, snorkelling, boat outings and other water-based activities. In the evening, live music, performances and theatre entertainment take over, with themed dinners, sports broadcasts, a games room, table tennis and billiards for the less theatrical hours.

Palma de Mallorca Airport is around 34 miles away by road, and an airport shuttle is available through the hotel. Car hire and bicycle hire are also available, while the tour desk can help organise outings. Luggage storage, lockers, a 24-hour reception and private check-in and check-out make the arrival and departure windows less awkward when flights and diving schedules refuse to cooperate.

Check-in starts at 15:00 and check-out runs until 11:00. Free WiFi covers the hotel, and an on-site infirmary adds a useful practical service for a property where guests spend much of their time in the sun, on the water or attempting both at once. Laundry, dry cleaning, ironing and packed lunches are available as well.

The hotel has a lift and facilities adapted for guests with reduced mobility. Children of any age are welcome, with a kids' club, children's pool, children's meals, babysitting and play areas available. Guests under 18 must stay with a parent or legal guardian, and pets are not allowed.