Mallorca Hotels With Indoor Pools: Family Stays for October Holidays

1.

Sheraton Mallorca Arabella Golf Hotel, Son Vida

Best for: Families who want peace, golf, and Palma on their doorstep | 5★

Swap the seafront for space, golf and greenery. Up in the hills above Palma, the Sheraton is where you come when you want the city close but still need it to feel like a holiday. It sits in Son Vida, a green, well-heeled residential neighbourhood, and the resort follows suit: spacious, surrounded by rolling hills, with big family-friendly pools to keep the kids happy and three golf courses on the doorstep for anyone who can be prised away from the sun lounger. There’s basketball, tennis and kids’ playgrounds too. The style is traditional golf resort rather than young and contemporary, but with that grandeur comes plenty of room to spread out.

Palma is ten minutes by taxi for old town exploring, brilliant restaurants and seaside walks. For proper beach days you’ll want a hire car.

Not for you if: you want to walk to the beach, or need chic ‘n’ boutique interiors.

The Family Friendly take: The one we’d pick for family friendly resort facilities close to Palma. Pools, playgrounds, golf and great food, plus the city easily close enough for afternoons out and seaside strolls.

2.

Kimpton Aysla Mallorca, Santa Ponsa

Best for: Design-conscious families who like their downtime with a side of sport | 5★

3.

Hotel Es Port, Port de Sóller

Best for: Families who want character, calm and the Sóller valley on the doorstep | 4★

A 17th-century manor house in Port de Sóller, the hotel is set in 40,000 square metres of grounds with orange and lemon trees, century-old olives and shaded terraces. It’s one for families who’d rather have room to roam than an entertainment programme. The beach, the harbour cafés and the tram to Sóller town are all a flat, pushchair-friendly walk of under five minutes.

There’s a big outdoor pool for sunny days and an 18-metre heated indoor pool for cloudy ones, open to children from 10h to 15h. Three tennis courts, a spa and two restaurants give you plenty on site when the port gets busy. Mostly, though, you come for the setting: green, unhurried and backed by the Tramuntana mountains.

Not for you if: you need a kids’ club.

The Family Friendly take: The hotel has plenty of character, the indoor pool is handy, but the real reason we love Es Port is the idyllic location just steps from Sóller’s beautiful port and brilliant restaurant scene.

4.

Mar Hotels Playa Mar & Spa, Port de Pollença

Best for: Typical resort vibes close to Pollença’s beach and port | 4★

Slides, sand and all-inclusive ease. Mar Hotels Playa Mar & Spa is the one for families who want full resort vibes in a charming port setting. The beach is 50 metres away, the main pool has a beach-style entry for little ones, and the Splash zone next to it has slides and giant animals. The 168 suites are in low buildings set among gardens and olive trees.

When the weather turns, the spa’s 25-metre heated indoor pool takes over, with a Turkish bath, jacuzzi and sauna to add to the fun. For a change of scene, the Boquer Valley walk starts around 12 minutes away on foot, a good one for October’s cooler days. See our family walks guide.

Not for you if: your style is boutique over buffet

The Family Friendly take: A practical Pollença choice with kids of all ages. An ideal pick if you’ve got a gaggle of kids and need something splashtastic for the younger ones but want freedom to roam for the tweens and teens.

5.

Iberostar Waves Playa de Muro

Best for: Optional all-inclusive ease minus the pirate ship mayhem | 4★

A big family hotel on one of the island’s best family beaches, it’s simple in design but well styled where it matters. There’s a family pool for lazy afternoons, a kids’ splash zone just around the corner, and a spa shared with its five-star sister resort next door. The 25m indoor pool comes into its own out of season, big enough to feel like a facility in its own right rather than a hotel afterthought.

S’Albufera Nature Reserve is moments away for bike rides and flamingo spotting. For evenings out, Alcúdia’s port or old town is close enough for a wander through cobbled streets and medieval walls.

Not for you if: boutique vibes or restaurants to wander to are top of your list.

The Family Friendly take: The one to book if a baby friendly beach is top priority. We simply love the seafront setting, and the indoor pool and spa set up is definitely one of our favourites.

6.

Zafiro Palace Alcudia

Best for: Families who want the ease of all inclusive with the finesse of five star | 5★

Zafiro Palace is an impressive family resort that keeps the whole family busy. The pool set-up alone is reason to book: a heated outdoor splash pool (don’t mind the pirate ship), a huge outdoor family pool (not heated), smaller heated indoor spa pool, an adults-only heated outdoor pool, and private swim up pools with select rooms and suites.

There’s a Mini Club for ages 4 to 15yrs, with kids activities organised by age (drop off activities are age-dependent), mini golf on site and five restaurants: one buffet and four à la carte, including Mediterranean, Italian and Japanese. Some of the à la carte restaurants may be closed outside peak season.

Setting

Port d’Alcúdia, walking distance to the old town and port for evenings out

Beach

450m to Alcúdia beach

Pools

Heated outdoor splash pool with pirate ship, plus outdoor family pools. Indoor pool in the spa, open to children accompanied by an adult

Food & drink

Buffet plus 4 themed restaurants

Kids Club

Free kids’ club for ages 4 to 15, running throughout the season. Drop-off depends on age and activity. Mini golf on site too

Family rooms

Family suites sleep up to 6, some with 2 bedrooms and a private pool

Getting around

Car not needed

Open

February to early November

Not for you if: you want small and personal, or need sea views.

The Family Friendly take: Zafiro delivers five star food and services for families who want to switch off. We love that the outdoor splash pool is heated in the cooler months – a rarity on the island.

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7.

Meliá Cala d’Or Boutique Hotel

Best for: Beach hopping and south coast exploring in style | 5★

Cove-hopping without the car. Meliá’s boutique hotel sits in the middle of Cala d’Or, an easy-going resort town of whitewashed buildings, a marina and a string of small sandy coves, all within walking distance of each other. By October, the touristy summer crowds have gone, and Cala Gran, Cala Ferrera and the town’s restaurants feel a lot more like the place itself, rather than a busy (very British) holiday resort.

It’s the smallest hotel on our list, and the one for families who’d rather make their own fun than follow an entertainment programme. The style is calm and classic, there’s a heated indoor pool for the odd rainy day, a little playground in the gardens, and junior suites sleep four, with children on the sofa bed.

Not for you if: you want a kids’ club or entertainment.

The Family Friendly take: A rather special retreat from an otherwise bustling resort, the hotel feels grown-up enough that we’d check in with or without the kids in tow, and the beaches and restaurants nearby make this a top choice for families who like to explore.

8.

Blau Colònia Sant Jordi

Best for: Space, tennis and the southern beaches | 4★

Space, sport and frogs in the ponds. Blau Colònia Sant Jordi is a huge family resort in the south, close to the beaches of Es Trenc, with clean, modern family suites in low buildings spread across 80,000 square metres of lush gardens. Kids will love tracking the frogs down, then flopping into a hammock under the trees.

There’s a big family pool with a swim-up bar, a quieter one for grown-ups, and a spa where children can use the indoor pool and jacuzzis at set hours. Blaudiland is an entire kids club village on one side of the resort, and the seven tennis courts, three padel courts and a multi-sport court will keep older kids busy. Eat lunch at the breezy poolside restaurant (or the main buffet if you’re all-inclusive), then walk into town for dinner. Bring a pushchair, it’s flat, but around a fifteen-minute stroll to the port.

Not for you if: you normally avoid all inclusive stays

The Family Friendly take: The draw here is clearly space and sport. But beyond the hotel’s impressive facilities, we think Colònia de Sant Jordi is a super getaway for families with school-age kids, with easy village cycles, kayaking adventures and, of course, the island’s most “Caribbean” beaches just a stroll away.