Accomodation well above expectation. The brochure did not sell enough the very roomy apartments. Only down side was equipment in kitchen if you wanted to cook in but as we were all inclusive this did not matter. The entertainment team were truly excellent. They worked all day long and it was not unknown for them to do a 72hr week and they still smiled all day long. The kids teams were equally good and In to Action had brill staff too. Hotel staff also seemed to work incredibly hard too and were very helpful.

Location was a let down. Brochure led us to believe short walk to beach - in reality it involved crossing a busy wide main road which meant that In to Action team although trained to take older children off site could not because it took too long.

Only time we went to the beach near by we all got covered in tar. 2 miles down the road it was beautiful.

Pirates show was excellent.

Water park was rubbish and First Choice rip you off big time charging around 57Euros for trip which was only 20Euros to get into. They also claimed it was largest park in Europe which was rubbish. About 5 rides and small compared to one we went to in Spain.

Overall fab holiday made so by staff and hotel complex.

Agree with most of the other posting as far as the cleanliness and the facilities of the complex are concerned.

This however is a complex for those with families aged 14 and under. The hotel staff work like Trojans as do the reps - but 90 percent is geared towards children.

Evening entertainment is below par for adults - they try really hard but were obviously not booked for their singing talents! Cringeworthy! Simon Cowell would have a field day! Daytime entertainment for adults is limited Killer Darts???? Killer Pool???? I ask you!! Not a lot for over 15's apart from swanning around tryng to pull the opposite sex... I suppose that's what they want anyway!

Food and drink very expensive - much, much cheaper in town and obviously more varied with a sea view thrown in. Just that bit too far out of town for comfort and drivers take no notice whatsoever of the crossings - so beware.

All that said, this is a great place to go - clean, friendly and I would highly recommend it to those with littlies - definitely for an enjoyable family holiday. Not recommended for couples, older couples or those with older teenagers.

Air conditioning not up to much and that is the worst thing I could say about the apartment.

Excellent accommodation. The hotel was very clean, hotel grounds were kept immaculate, plenty of palm trees, green grass and flowers - gardeners always attending to this.

Staff were friendly and very helpful.

AI definitely worthwhile if you have children - you never wanted for anything as far as food and drink was concerned.

The pools were lovely - 1 large pool and 1 smaller, but deeper pool. 1 very small pool for toddlers.

A great variety of food in main restaurant.

Entertainment was geared for kids and finished at 11.00 pm - we found that a little early, but the standard of entertainment was not of a professional standard.

Had to be up around the pool for about 8.15 am to get beds and umbrella.

Our youngest boy who was 8 enjoyed the soccer school - well worth doing. Did not see the children very much as they made friends and were off doing their own thing in a safe environment. Wished we had been able to stayed for longer, finding 7 days too short.

All in all had a great holiday, probably the best we have ever had. Would recommend Holiday Village Viva, Can Picafort to any family.

I don't normally feel compelled to write about my holiday but on this occasion, I felt the need to!!

I have just returned home from a fortnight's holiday at the Holiday Village Viva with my husband and 7-year-old daughter and I must say we had an absolutely fabulous time! The complex is superb, the grounds are kept spotless and there seemed to be cleaners cleaning everywhere! The hotel staff worked very hard, especially in the restaurant. Having originally booked self-catering, we were offered the choice of upgrading to all inclusive which we decided to do very dubiously but we needn't have worried as the food was superb. Having lost approximatley 3 1/2 stone between us since Christmas, my husband and I were a little worried as to how we were going to keep in shape but we needn't have worried as the choice of food was brilliant. You name it, we had it.

The kid's reps were fantastic and they seemed to work tirelessly all day. My daughter thoroughly enjoyed the evening's entertainment (although she would not join in, she preferred to watch from a safe distance!) especially the kid's disco and every night, she would hurriedly eat her dinner so she could go and get a table at the front to watch the disco, and also to take part in her new found hobby of bingo (probably because she won both a full house the first week and a line the second!).

Both swimming pools were excellent but if you wanted to get a sun bed, you had to get up at the upgodly hour of 6.30 a.m. to ensure you got one. Not something I wanted to do as I was on holiday to have a rest, not get up earlier than I would do at home to go to work. However in the end, I had to do it, otherwise we ended up on the grass or in the Carribbean Grill.

The only complaint that we would both have, is that the gym was far from satisfactory. We assumed that because this was a 4 star resort, it would have at least a 4 star gym. How wrong we were. There was no treadmill, the two bikes that were there appeared to be second hand and the stepper was far from stable. However, we made do, but perhaps it is something for First Choice to look at.

Couldn't fault the cleanliness of the apartments or grounds.

Bar and restaurants immaculate as was pool and splash park areas.

We mainly had our meals in town as we were self catering, but on the occasions we ate in the food was good and enough choice even for picky eaters.

Sun beds get grabbed early even with the 9am rule, but the grassy areas are just as good for sunbathing and not so crowded.

Staff friendly and helpful and very hard working, they never stopped.Soccer school went down very well with our footie daft boys and it was a great way to make new friends.

Entertainment was what you would expect from reps, sometimes not that great but other times terrific, like "the wizard of OZ" and "Grease", however 'Powder Blue' didn't really 'float my boat' The town itself is clean with plenty shops and places to eat, special mention to 'BIRDIES BAR' couldn't get the kids out of there, Mark & Nicola very friendly and great food and entertainment too.

Beach clean and safe, be aware that sand shelves for the first couple of feet though, for wee kiddies this might cause problems, but if they are lifted over this little bit the water is warm and shallow and will be great for them to experience the waves that roll in.

We found it was only a 5-10 minute stroll into town and beach and just like at home caution should be taken at zebra crossings.

Only buy cravendale milk, the rest goes off after 24hrs even in the fridge!!!

We would certainly go back to the village again and possibly go AI next time, but then again it's nice eating somewhere different each night....aw well until next time....100% great holiday and highly recommended to all.

We have just come back from 2 weeks at the Holiday Village Viva and it is fantastic !

We originally booked as self-catering but quickly upgraded to All-In. Well worth the upgrade.

Food - buffet style with huge selection to choose from, including themed nights (Mexican, Spanish, etc). We tried almost everything available.

Rooms - very clean, no complaints.

Hotel staff were pleasant and friendly. They never seem to have any time off - they were always working !

Pools - excellent. If you want to get a sunbed though, you have to be there before 9.00 !

Location was good - 10-15 minute walk to the beach, which was really clean and there were no timeshare reps to bug you ! Plenty of duty-free shops to choose from on the beach front as well as cafes/restaurants.

The entertainment team were fantastic. They made our holiday really enjoyable and you could always find a rep on the complex when you needed one. They were all fab and never seemed to stop working - they have so much energy.
Spikey Mike was our 3-year old's favourite !

We really enjoyed the First Choice theme nights (Grease, Wizard of Oz) and the guest entertainment was equally as good. There is a mini disco for the kids, followed by cash bingo and games involving the holiday guests, followed by the cabaret. At 11.00 the sports bar opens and disco continues in there until 2.00 a.m.

The Pirates Show in Magaluf is not to be missed - they really get the audience involved. We love Barbarossa !!

We would highly recommend the Holiday Village Viva to anyone and would definitely visit again.

Enjoy !

Review topics have been covered many times and we have to agree with them on the cleanliness etc of the hotel and grounds.

Soccer school doesn't seem to have been mentioned much so I will just comment on that.

Pre-booked soccer school in UK for our 2 kids (9&12). On first day the time was moved forward to 4.30-6.30 (normally 5.00-7.00), temperature was unbearably hot due to the build up of heat throuhout day (34deg). Children did enjoy it, though our 12 year old didn't return next day saying it was too unbearable running around in such conditions (we were inclined to agree). Despite the heat, the course was very organised and thorough and eveyone enjoyed it though early morning sessions would make much more sense! Alternatively they should provide large shaded areas (one parasol was not enough).

Our only other comment is that the astroturf pitch used by soccer school was locked at all other times... Some friends of my sons tried to organise a kick-around and had no-where to go! It was a waste of such a great facility which could have been utilised maybe even on a 'deposit-for-key' system. The small basketball area is not suitable for footy due to the glass dining room windows adjacent to it!?*...

All in all, soccer school good if they sort out some shade or different time-slot.

Happy Hols...

We all really enjoyed our holiday, even our oldest of 15. I was a bit worried, as all the reports I'd heard, were youngsters enjoying themeselves, (3&4year olds) but she did ok doing things on her own like archery and other activities with Mikey and Dee, she met new friends an had a good time.

People who worry about sun beds, really need to get out more or even get a life! Even if you have young children.
Your holiday shouldn't revolve around your hotel, get out there enjoy what you see, because your luckier than some!(Take a look at the rest of the world)

The Holiday Village is lovely and clean, rooms a spacious and cleaned every day but Weds & Sunday. I thought the pool bar food was very poor and after 2 days we dressed and ate in the restaurant at luchtimes.

The restaurant foor was ok but not upto 4* standard.
Onsite entertainment was average and nothing special but the children enjoyed it.

Same problems as everyone else booking the children in the kids club, had to queue up for at least half an hour to make sure they could get in.

The children had swimming lessons which were excellant!
Also if you don't put your towel on the sunbeds by 9.15am you have no chance of getting one!

The Hotel Holliday Village Viva
What a great place. We stayed in a ground floor apartment with a pool view. Apartments are very spacious and well laid out. Imaculately clean as staff seem to constantly follow you around tidying and cleaning. The all inclusive food choice was great, plent of choice and compared to some other places I have been, quite varied. We did not try the Carribean or Italian Restaraunts as other guests we met did not give them such great reviews.
The kids clubs were great and my two loved them, the only bug bear is the queue the night before to book them in. The reps turn up at 8 o'clock to take down the bookings, however, many of the parents start waiting in line at about 7.15 so obviously the queue starts. If people would wait till the reps arrived then there would hardly be any queue.

The ents team from first choice were excellent, they really put in a lot of effort all day and throughout the night. Well done Stewart,Spikey Mike,Dee,Jennie,Nat,Kat and all the rest

Dont forget to head down to the Sports bar after 11 for another hour of live Music and dancing with resident duo Powder Blue (Andy and Helen) they will keep you going until the AI stops at 12.

All in all a great holiday