It was my eight-year-old who sealed it for me. As an all-inclusive debutant I hadn’t been completely sure what I made of our first day at the Iberostar Albufera complex, in Mallorca. Welcoming, comfortable, with good food – and completely hassle-free – it had already ticked many family holiday boxes. But the travel snob inside me was niggling away. With its nightly laid-on entertainment – bingo, discos, cabaret – and themed restaurants, was this busy resort really just a posh holiday camp in the sun? That’s no offence to holiday camps – I’ve had some of my best weekends in Britain’s finest. But when going abroad, I’ve always liked to find my own accommodation, eat where the locals eat and try and imbibe at least some of the local culture. Then my daughter cut to the chase. “Dad, what will your review say?” And before I had chance to reply, she cut in with: “I’d give it five stars.” Really? What do you like about it? “Everything.”

Between beach and nature reserve

Iberostar Albufera is on the eastern side of Mallorca, 15 minutes’ drive from the port of Alcudia, with its medieval old town. The twin hotels that make up the complex have been built right up against Muro beach, a 6km stretch of golden sand and turquoise sea. It’s also next to Albufera Natural Park, an ancient wetland with more than 300 species of birds. Beach and wetland aside, the immediate area is an unremarkable strip of large hotels, punctuated by small neighbourhood supermarkets and restaurants. But the complex is designed so that there’s no need to venture out, unless you actively want to. It’s big, with 608 rooms across the two hotels. But because they’re split across three long and relatively low-rise (four storey) blocks, with gardens and seven swimming pools in between, the cream-coloured buildings don’t feel monolithic.

Enormous wetland bird sculptures

It does, however, feel premium. When you walk into reception in Iberostar Selection Albufera Park, the hotel aimed at families, you’re greeted by enormous statement sculptures of wetland birds and an indoor slide that whisks children down to the kids’ club and free ice-cream parlour below. The pools on this side of the complex get busy and noisy during the day and have slides and a large inflatable, which kept the younger members of our family very happy. But the three pools next to the Iberostar Selection Albufera Playa hotel – where the rooms are doubles, with a few suites, rather than family-sized – are more peaceful if you need some respite. There is also a more sedate rooftop pool and lounge area on one of the buildings.

Family rooms

Around 260 of the rooms are family-sized, and 10 doubles are adapted for guests with disabilities. Our family room was actually two bedrooms, plus a bathroom. The larger of the two had a lounge area at one end, and comfortable children’s bunks at the other. A sliding door led to a generously-sized master bedroom, and both rooms opened up onto a balcony with table, chairs and a sea-view. The décor was tasteful, muted, Scandi style – pastels and light wood – decorated with pictures of local wildlife.

Specialist restaurants

The complex includes three specialist restaurants – Spanish tapas, Mexican and Greek. We tried them all and liked the Mexican, Nopal, best. As a veteran of many previous “Mexicans” offering the same non-descript sludge with a variety carbs, I found the zingy and sharp flavours in dishes including marinated pork shoulder and ceviche a welcome surprise. Our daughter described her quesadillas as “yummy”. The lunchtime beachside terrace grill was another favourite, serving fish and meat cooked to order, accompanied by pretty much any salad or vegetable you can think of. Another two buffet restaurants had among the most extensive breakfast offerings I’ve seen and similarly vast arrays for lunch and dinner, taking in paella, pizza, pasta, steak and a white chocolate fountain that our four-year-old loved. For those after even more gluttony, there’s a free 24-hour cafe to fill in those annoying gaps between meals.

Free-flowing cocktails and pools

It wouldn’t be an all-inclusive without plenty of booze available, and here, limitless quantities of most forms of alcohol come on tap. The beer and wine was drinkable, if nothing special, but the cocktails flowed freely and were made using brands of spirits we’d actually heard of. We were only there for five days, so the endless cycle between eating and drinking, pools and beach were more than enough to keep us “busy”. For someone used to continually planning where to go and what to do on holiday, I have to admit that having to think about little more than what flavour ice cream to ask for was a very welcome change. However, if you do get bored of the endless relaxation there’s plenty to do outside the hotel: paddleboarding is available, boat trips around the coast can be arranged and there’s the wetland nature reserve to explore.

Golden sands and crystal-clear water

With so much going on in the hotel, it’s easy forget the reason it’s there – the beach. That would be a shame because it’s only a couple of minutes’ walk away and is beautiful, with golden sands and crystal-clear water. There are plenty of other features worth writing home about. My wife, an experienced spa-goer, rated her massage as one of the best she’s ever had. The kids club was excellent, with a big range of activities that you could see ahead of time, a passport scheme that incentivised our children to attend – result! – and entertainment that had them laughing and squealing with excitement. Both daughters are desperate to go back to the hotel for “extra, extra fun”. So how did my own reservations fare in the face of such unadulterated joy? They melted. My all-inclusive snobbery was cured. For a week at least.

Booking it

The writer stayed at the Iberostar Selection Albufera Resort, Playa de Muro, Mallorca where a double room, with all meals, drinks and on-site activities included, starts at £146/US$200 a night. A family room suitable for two children and two adults starts at £287/$393.