A collision with a large dog in February sent holiday plans and a body flying through the air. Landing with a badly broken knee and shattered leg, all trips for the year ahead were scuppered. Confined to a sofa in a leg brace for three months, 10,000 daily steps were reduced to 10 paces at a hobble with crutches. As Deputy Features Editor of a national newspaper, this was less than ideal. Ironically, while selecting destinations and reviews for award-winning travel content, travel could only be a dream.
Redefining holiday criteria
How could one think about exploring Krakow when unable to reach the kitchen, or visit Darwin if a wheelchair was needed to reach the door? A holiday would only be possible with military planning and huge support. Criteria changed dramatically: no long-haul, no busy city breaks vulnerable to knocks. Fast forward three months, a call to TUI's accessibility line revealed the quiet resort of Puerto Pollensa in northern Majorca fitted the bill perfectly.
Until then, there was no idea that this team of 100 experts tackle accessible travel daily. They transport medical baggage, oxygen, medications, and safe food. A freephone number is used for assisted travel; for sign language users, TUI offers a video service with staff trained in BSL. As recently as ten years ago, families with a disabled relative could rarely contemplate air travel. Now, the TUI team (who regularly vet hotels for accessibility) says four TUI Blue hotels in destinations like Cyprus and Spain have sensory rooms, with expansion planned. They hand out sensory bags filled with tactile visual and auditory items in kids clubs, provide visualisation cards for youngsters, and have staff trained in neurodiversity. To my shame, it's an area of travel that didn't exist in my awareness.
Gatwick experience: a humbling start
At 4am check-in at Gatwick, I present myself to the accessibility desk. Already manned, despite the hour, we are placed in a large holding area with seats and a coffee machine, out of sight, where passengers with extra needs are handed a pager. There are wheelchairs with oxygen tanks, grandparents on mobility scooters, and many children with headphones to block out sounds. A collected air of exhausted relief, everyone nods, smiles, and says hello. It's the friendliest airport lounge ever entered—and the most humbling. TUI organised this; when it's time to board, the buzzer pings and a cheerful young university student whisks me through security. She woke up for her shift at 3am. Does she ever resent it? 'Oh no,' she says with a smile. 'This is travel with a difference. Everyone's grateful.'
Arrival in Puerto Pollensa
Loaded on the plane, at Palma airport we are taken off by an ambulator (a sort of cherry picker), avoiding stairs. Spanish assistants are cheerful and efficient. Then we're on the way to Puerto Pollensa—a scenic one-hour drive through mountains and villages. For accessibility, TUI suggested the historic Hotel Illa d'Or which sits overlooking the bay. We're paying more because it's my birthday, but it does not disappoint. Calm white walls, trendy furniture, and immaculately uniformed staff make for a beautiful atmosphere. The double room boasts a balcony with a sea view. Entering through the back, the vista through the hotel is of glistening sea. Nothing disappoints. There's a lift, and ramps if needed. Full marks for accessibility.
The hotel has an indoor pool and a wellness spa offering Turkish baths, ice fountain, water jets, sauna, and hydromassage beds. The restaurant on the waterfront terrace, drinks on the patio with other guests who strike up ready conversation, the jetty where everyone catches the hotel's daily boat trips, sun loungers overlooking the ocean, and the brilliant array of singers who take the mike every evening for soothing sundowner soundtracks—all are perfect. There's a sea-facing swimming pool for adults only. As this hotel was a favourite of crime 'Queen' Agatha Christie who loved this bay, almost everyone is reading a classic Christie whodunnit beside the pool. It has shallow steps and two hand rails so anyone with mobility issues can easily enter. Families have access to a beautiful pool across the road, set within lawn and gardens with sun loungers and a few double Cabana daybeds.
Exploring accessible surroundings
The famous Pinewalk—an accessible path snaking alongside the seafront, lined with pine trees and scented by local flowers—leads towards town, with restaurants and bars just ten minutes away. Try the Bahia hotel restaurant for their famous paella overlooking the beach. For budgeting, the Alfresco Deli run by locals stuffs huge sandwiches to take away, while small mini markets behind the seafront make fresh baguettes for a picnic on the beach. A meal with beer can start at £15, but bear in mind there's usually no service charge, alcohol is far cheaper than the UK, and venues with no sea view offer better value.
Unlike other travel features written, I recommend things I simply couldn't manage. Fellow guests reported back with relish each evening. The hotel's vintage boat The Isabel Maria leaves daily from the private jetty, whisking around the bay and allowing jumps into crystal clear water to see local fishes. Choose full day, half day, sunset tours, or private hire (the captain is an unofficial and brilliant tour guide, say fellow guests). Just over an hour drive away is the famous Soller train, a historic 1912 wooden train carrying from the delightful capital of Palma to the pretty town of Soller in an hour. Meanwhile buses take to Palma, which has a cathedral, cobbled streets, pavement cafes, and vintage shops aplenty—think Paris, with more smiles. Then, the famous Drach Caves in Porto Cristo have one of the largest underground lakes in the world. Enjoy an hour-long tour, then a live ten-minute classical music concert. It is touristy, but locals say they love it too. Book online at cuevasdeldrach.com.
Staying in Puerto Pollensa
Mostly, one won't want to leave Puerto Pollensa, a delightful bay (admire yachts in the harbour) with calm sea like a hot bath. Twice a week, the local market sells stunning linen-like dresses, trousers, and shirts from just £10 (they hold colour perfectly). Leather handbags and pretty jewellery are available; after browsing, plenty of local cafes to enjoy coffee (or stronger) in the shade. Bustle without trouble, food as good as anywhere—try local squid. One top dining venue is Hotel Illa d'Or's own seafront restaurant, La Terrassa. From sea bass to vegetarian pasta to carpaccio, every dish could give any famous London eaterie a run for its money. The hotel's 1929 Signature restaurant is inside with cool contemporary style.
While many can fully enjoy this wonderful island, I was stuck by the pool and unable to explore. It didn't matter. The charm of the hotel completely overcame me, and I relaxed like never before. When it was time to return, support at airports arrived, and I returned to London, scarcely believing I'd had such a wonderful break (this time, the right sort of break).
Reflections on accessible travel
So what did I get from my summer holidays? I'll never walk (eventually) through Gatwick without thinking of the room without a view filled with passengers and families who may never once have been able to travel. They're able to do so because of an army of experts and airport workers who team up to make holiday dreams come true—and I am truly humbled by the TUI accessibility team. Finally, I'll never dive into a swimming pool without accepting just how incredibly lucky I am. Did my holiday change me? It shaped every future trip I'll ever make.
The essentials: TUI offers 7 night bed and breakfast stays at the Hotel Illa d'Or in Puerto Pollensa from £1,206 per person travelling from London Gatwick flying with TUI Airways on 1 August 2026. Based on two adults sharing, including overseas airport transfers and 20kg luggage per person. To find out more, visit www.tui.co.uk, download the app, or visit a local TUI store.
