having read some of the more negative reviews after booking i was a bit worried. however, upon arrival i was pleasantly surprised. we had been given a 1st floor apartment(as promised) and allthough it was a bit dated it was more than good enough for our party of 2 adults and 2 children aged 2 and 6. the apartment was very clean and the maid service was very good.(every day except wed and sun) as for the resort, loads to do for the kids with an ample sized pool/area and a great sand pit/play area. my eldest spent most of the week in the pool with my wife while i chased my 2 year old around in the sand. the kids club was great for those who went and the mini disco/evnings entertainment was great fun for all, with the on site team working very hard and giving us a good laugh, the more you joined in the more fun you would have. the staff are first rate, well turned out smiling and friendly. we went all inclusive with some trepidation but were rewarded with an excellent choice and quality of food and drinks, both my boys found more than one thing to eat at every sitting. we were pleased about going all in after talking to quite a few who hadn't, and were finding the prices a little steep. i certainly got my moneys worth. overall i much prefered this holiday to the one we had in cyprus previously and would wholeheartedly recommend this place to anyone looking for a cheap(ish) break. we found that the timing was good for us. we had the first week in june so it was not over crowded as i imagine it would be in peak time. there is quite a lot to see within a very short walk down to the harbour, with the usuall array of shops and places to eat out if you wanted to. we booked with tomas cook through our local travel agent and found their service fine. overall rating 8 out of 10. we would definately go there again.

This is classed as a 3* hotel but it is only really a 2*. We have nothing bad to write about any of the staff from reception, cleaners and entertainment staff. They were all great. We had read some reviews before we went, good & bad, so went with an open mind. We were given a ground floor room. Our first impressions when walking in were "Ok, this isn't bad. Basic but clean." Then we opened the patio doors. There was a small patio with 3 chairs and no room for any thing else. There were two windows from other apartments which opened on to our patio so no privacy at all although they were never opened while we were there. The window in our bedroom opened on to someone elses patio so we didn't have this open. This in turn made the bedroom very dark and no air circulation.
The first night we were greeted with very noisy upstairs neighbours who were shouting, screaming and moving furniture into the early hours. We asked to be moved to an upstairs apartment but were told nothing was available for 3 days. The second day was when the damp smell creapt in. We hadn't noticed the first day because they had obviously well aired the place before we arrived. The room had obviously been subjected to lots of flooding in the past. The next couple of nights were unbearable to sleep because of the damp musty smell. All our clothes were feeling damp aswell.
We were finally moved to an upstairs apartment and what a difference. Better quality overall. No rickety furniture, clean newer cooker, more channels on the T.V and a lovely large balcony. No smell of damp or lose floor tiles.
All the apartments are so badly designed, even the staff admited this. The rooms need knocking down and rebuilding. The rest of the complex is fine. Great pools, restaurant, reception, shop etc. We saw no evidence of cockroaches anywhere. A few ants on the pathways but not in the room.
As for the area, this is lovely & quiet. Nearby is the Marina with all you need in the way of shops and restaurants. A few closed for the winter while we were there but plenty still open. One restaurant we would recommend is the La Fortana. Once we found this place it was hard to go else where. Great food and fantastic service.
We had a great relaxing holiday, just go with an open mind & if you are not happy with the room, asked to be moved, or even better insist on an upstairs room when booking.

If you are considering the Marinda Garden. Dont.
If you have already booked, go back to your agent and get out of the deal.
If you are on your way, you probably dont want to read this..its too late.
We read a lot of mixed reviews before we went and everything negative you will have read is absolutely on the money. I can only assume the people wo have written anything remotely flattering about this place were bribed.
I read one guys review about how gutted he felt having shelled out four grand on a family holiday. I paid less than half that for 3 of us and i felt like i'd been mugged. If i'd paid four grand for this dump i'd have been suicidal..
The Marinda is pretty well summed up by your first impression, that of the main entrance sign, held together with a bit of blue string. Its a sad affair, a throwback from the 70's and 80's developments which are now on their last legs and in desperate need of refurbishment. It is also dangerous, but more of which later.
Before i comprehensively annihilate this out of date complex, i will offer some compliments. This review is not about the personell, the people were all very nice, the staff good and the kids club people very good. Indeed, the complex had all the right ingrediants, its just that they are all now 20 years old. This review is about the 'physical', which is all pretty poor to say the least.
We got a ground floor room offered to us intitially. Despite requesting an upper room from Thomas Cook. (Interesting point to note for any of you UK travellers like me - Apparently Marinda Garden has a contract with some scandinavian company who block book all the first floor rooms, so why they are even offered to you is a mystery...one for Thomas Cook that one.)
Anyway, upon entering the dull room and tripping over the uneven and 'active' tiled floor, we inspected the rest of room (i use the term 'room' very loosely..) - the cheap melamine faced doors were warping, the plaster was clearly damaged at low level throughout (this place obvioulsy gets wet...) and the tiles and mastic in the toilets look like something your local nursery kids would stick together (actually thats an insult to the kids....). No thanks.
We got a move (to another ground floor room), which was equally appalling. Same ropey doors, damaged plaster work, cracked ceilings, dangerously exposed electrics (right at 2 year old level...), same bouncy floor tiles some of which had been patched well enough to catch your toes on..., dated kitchen and corroded fridge. Real 3 star plus stuff...Oh and if you like your telly, forget it. The ONE channel that worked was straight out of poltergeist, pure snow...oh yes and in spanish...
The food was ok, we were all inclusive, but average at best. It plays at being a restuarant. If you want a real meal go down to one of the restuarants in the harbour. Different class.
We made a point of staying out of the 'room' and trying to enjoy the break. Cala n Bosch is a great place and our kid loved it, but do not stay here, and definately not on the ground level. (Ants and other creepy crawlies also come as standard here...)
This place is desperate for a comprehensive refurbishement, and it should be withdrawn from UK travel agents until it is.
Spend your money elsewhere. You've earned it.
This place is 1 star plus at best or 2 star if it was 1974.
There are much cleaner and more modern complexes in Cala n Bosch. You have been warned.

Our fourth visit to the wonderful Cala n Bosc, and a long review, because I think you all deserve to know as much as possible about this brilliant resort, so do bear with me.
The Marinda Gardens is always going to get mixed reviews - and I suspect this is going to depend greatly on the location of the apartment you are allocated.

The reviews show a pattern, and I can only repeat very strongly - when you book, request an upper floor apartment! (I would also request a "quiet" location - I'll explain why in a moment). These are way more pleasant, and very importantly, they have a large private balcony. The ground floor ones, many of them have really pokey little almost enclosed patios, which due to the design are overlooked by the windows of adjoining apartments, and even worse, many are a tiled patch right on to the walkways - zero privacy, and you really wouldn't want to sit out/hang out your underwear to dry there!
Having said that, the design does add a certain "quirkyness", and dare I say it, those pokey enclosed patios do look rather characterful.

After reading reviews, we were really worried, but thankfully we were given an upper floor one. After seeing some of the others, it honestly would have really spoilt the holiday getting a ground one (Expecially if there was a freak rainstorm as happens - they would as said in some reviews I've read definately have flooded due to the design). Also beware - some apartments I'm told are smaller than others, if you have one sofabed in your "lounge", you have been given one of these few substandard apartments - reject it if you can!

Warning - there is a cockroach problem with this hotel. One even reached our upper patio one evening, and once in the foodhall, one scuttled across the floor - to be stood on and scooped up by a staff member before anyone else saw it. Eeeurgh!
The cleanliness though was faultless. The same "maid" arrived early each morning, and she was lovely. Couple of complaints about non-working lights and an ant problem were promptly dealt with.

Huge piece of advice - if you are on half board, drinks are not included in the restaurant. On your first night they tell you in the restaurant to in future pay in advance, but you can pay direct that evening. Don't do this - go straight back to reception, and you get 7 nights unlimited drinks in the restaurant for the price of five - about 15 euros per adult. Pay, go back, and cheers. PS - there is an unlimited self service beer (San Miguel - wow!) tap amongst the drinks. Fantastic value.

The food is pretty good - mostly. Always a choice of fish, and quite a variation. Must though protest about the sausages and bacon at breakfast. They didn't seem fully cooked - beware!
Eggs are fried in front of you - as are omlettes at breakfast. In the evening, they fry fish steaks, and real steaks. Brilliant.
All the staff are great, I don't think there is a miserable one amongst them.

The Thomas Cook reps are really great, and a special mention to the children's ones who are fantastic (Especially "Giggles"). The kids club is at the back of the swimming pool, and it's really relaxed. (The bean bags there are very comfortable when I tried them after the kids had gone, and had a go on the Nintendo DS's, much to the amusement of the reps).

The general look of the complex seems (Compared to the incredible Casa Lago apartments) a little bit run down almost. The rendering was a bit flaky, and it could to be honest do with a big refurb - but having said that, it's really good compared to some hotels, and it's main downfall is as I've already said -the ground floor apartments.

The entertainment isn't exactly the best ever, but they try, just don't expect sophistication, it's more than adequate, and over a cool beer or three, it's all forgiveable.
Yes, the entertainment stage is noisy, and no-where in the complex is away from this noise, but hey - you're on holiday, and if you want a quiet hotel - there are plenty of others. Requesting a "quiet location" will get you a bit away from this stage - the sound in the facing apartments must be pretty intrusive.

The air conditioning is weak to say the least, but it sort of works. The TV is just about useless if you speak english (Eurosport only).

The clientelle are mostly UK and Germans speakers with a smattering of Dutch and Spanish. Good crowd really.

The incredibly annoying habit of sunbed reserving seems to be at a minimum - we mostly managed to get one when we needed one.

So, out and about.
The Marinda is at what I can only describe as the slightly tattier part of Cala n Bosc. It is after saying that though definately improving with more building works going on there. The walk to the harbour is easy enough (Turn left, then first right and you can't miss it). The beach (same, but keep bearing right over the bridge, and you then can't miss it) There is an awful looking run down chinese restaurant you pass, and a very run down local playground - money needs to be spent on this area, but I suspect it will happen soon - the resort is one of the best I've ever visited, and you can see investment everywhere.

Next door is a go-kart track (You might or might not find the noise distracting - we didn't), and a waterpark.
The hotel location is better than say the nearby Nuramar or Viva Menorca - even more of a walk to the resort centre.If you turn right out of the hotel, you find a slightly characterless shopping area (Sexy clothing shop! Purleeze!), but there's a Betterbuy supermarket which is good. My still favourite supermarket though is Topmarket at the back of the harbour area, just a bit of a walk back to Marinda.

Cala n Bosc, as lovely as ever. Plenty of reviews about the resort, so no need for me to add to these much. There's a great atmosphere here at night, check out El Pato - good as always, and don't forget to get the kids a hair braid from the ladies you'll see their stalls round the edge. If you walk to the harbour from the Marinda, make friends with the cuddly sheep which sits outside one of the shops (You can't miss it - just about every kid and teenager went to hug it and have their pics taken with it we noticed).

We'd definately go back to Cala n Bosc, but wouldn't dare stay at the Marinda in case we had a ground floor apartment - it really was that crucial.