Tablao Flamenco Alma Palma: which ticket

Two tickets, one show

Tablao Flamenco Alma sells one performance: about an hour of dance, song and guitar on a small stage at Avinguda de Portugal 5, in central Palma. The two tickets differ at your table, not on the stage. The basic ticket covers the show and one drink. The upgrade adds a selection of Spanish tapas to the same show and the same drink. Everyone in the room watches the same hour, so neither choice is the artistic one. Pick by what you want on the table, how hungry you are and what else the evening holds.

• Show and one drink: sangria, beer, wine, cava or a soft drink
• Show, one drink and a selection of Spanish tapas
• Both run about an hour and can be cancelled free a day before

Show and a drink

Take the basic ticket when you have eaten already, or when dinner is booked for afterwards. You get the performance and one drink of your choice, and nothing arrives at the table that competes with the stage. The drink list is wide enough to suit everyone in a mixed party, because a soft drink is as valid a choice as sangria or cava. The ticket also fits easily around other plans, which matters on a package holiday where meals sit at fixed hours and a transfer waits outside the hotel at a set time.

Show with tapas

The upgrade turns the hour into a small meal eaten while the artists perform. It suits people who would otherwise rush a dinner to make the start, or who want the full sit-down feel of a tablao, with food and flamenco arriving together. The selection contains cured meat, cheese and fish, so vegans and anyone avoiding fish or meat should book the drink ticket and eat elsewhere. Mention allergies and dietary needs to the venue before your date, not at the table, so that staff have time to answer you properly. A first tapas ticket is also an easy way to judge, on one evening, whether you like eating while you watch.

Picking a session

The booking calendar shows the sessions open on your date, and the venue says capacity is limited each night. It marks one of its evening sessions as the most popular, so that one is the first to fill. An earlier session leaves the rest of the night free for a walk through the old town. A later one fits a long dinner first. Work back from your meal plans, not the other way round. The venue itself recommends booking in advance, and a date that looks full today can reopen as people use free cancellation, so check again closer to the day.

Seats and the room

The venue publishes a seating-zone layout on its programme page, and the booking page shows any zone choice for your date. Look at the layout before you pick. Guests describe the room as small and the chairs as simple rather than plush, which is no problem for an hour but worth knowing if you have back trouble. The venue and the booking page both say the tablao is wheelchair accessible, so tell the venue about any access needs when you book. In a room this size the artists are never far from any seat, and a clear view of the dancer's feet is worth more than a few extra rows of distance.

If your date is sold out

The venue limits capacity each night, and the booking page carries a warning that this show is likely to sell out. If your first choice is full, try the neighbouring date, another session on the same evening, or the drink ticket if the tapas version has gone. Reserve now and pay later keeps your plans flexible, and free cancellation up to 24 hours before means a held seat costs nothing to give back. Do not count on turning up without a booking: with limited places, the door is not a plan.

Groups and young children

For a larger party, the venue asks groups to check its terms before booking, so write to it first rather than booking several separate tickets and hoping for adjoining seats. Birthdays and hen or stag evenings suit the format because the hour is short and the drink is part of the ticket. If you plan to bring young children, ask the venue first: the show is a seated hour of live music in a small room, and it will not suit every age or temperament.

GetYourGuide or the venue's own site

The venue sells the same show on its own website, and its cancellation window matches the one you get here: a day before the show, with the money returned. The practical differences are small. GetYourGuide lets you reserve now and pay later, shows the booking page in your language and keeps the booking beside your other trips. The venue's site also takes table bookings with a tapas menu, a separate product from this ticket. Whichever route you take, keep the confirmation: it is your way in.

At the door

Show your confirmation, printed or on a phone or tablet. Guests may enter from an hour before the show begins, giving you time to settle in and choose a drink. The host speaks Spanish, English and German, so you can ask questions in whichever you prefer. The venue recommends smart clothes, so a clean shirt or a dress is the right level; nobody needs a jacket and tie. Leave large bags at your hotel, because the room is small, and keep your phone for the confirmation until you are seated; once the music starts, the screen goes away.

How the hour is built

Every run of performances has its own line-up. The venue's programme page lists a guitarist, a singer and one or two dancers for each block of about two weeks, and the cast changes when the block ends. The ticket is for the show, not for a named artist. The venue calls the hour improvised, which fits the art: flamenco is built on improvising inside fixed rhythms. Two visits a fortnight apart can feel like different shows. The guide to flamenco palos explains what you may hear.

Read next: Flamenco palos explained for visitors

Who this isn't for

Anyone hoping for a full sit-down dinner with a stage show should look elsewhere: the hour is a performance with a drink or a tapas selection. If you want a large-hall production with a big cast, the room here is small by design. And if you cannot sit still for an hour, the simple chairs will feel long. In those cases a restaurant dinner followed by a separate show, or a table booking with the venue, may suit you better. Everyone else gets what the ticket promises: an hour of live flamenco close to the stage.