Non-German speakers beware! (El Arenal)

Member Name: bkecky

Product:	El Arenal
Date:	23/06/09 (51 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great nightlife and if you enjoy speaking German its great!

Disadvantages: Not many brits, can be noisy, typical drinking holiday

El Arenal is situated 15 minutes by taxi outside of Palma in Mallorca. I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent here but it is not to everyone's taste. I first found this resort when I picked up a last minute deal, which was incredibly cheap, to stay at the Palma Bay Hotel. When i arrived there I realised why it was so cheap. It is a huge German resort and you will be lucky to find a group of English people. However being a student of German i was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed the resort immensely.

This place is like Germany with a hot sunny beach with its Bavarian restaurants, buy one get one free litres of beer, Bavarian flags, German clubs with German music. In fact there is not much of Spain left here. It is quite dead during the Winter but it is more like a club 18-30s for German speakers during the Summer months.

The Area
This particular beach is famous in Germany "Ballermann 6". The main strip is divided into numbered sections and 6 is where the best part of the beach is, although it is also a busy area with undoubtedly some German youngsters with some sort of portable radio playing German Mallorca songs. El Arenal is a step away from the Ballermann or Balenero strip and consequently you get the best of both worlds, being able to escape into the quiet and party when you choose to. El Arenal is made of backstreets and is a little residential but you are no more than 10 minutes walk from the action should you choose it. Although it is reasonably safe, you should take care at night walking alone down backstreets and also there are many watch/sunglass/necklace/watch sellers that although will not harm anyone, can get annoying, especially when you are trying to enjoy your meal along the sea front.

The Accommodation
There is a wide range of accommodation, ranging from the more expensive 4 star Riu Palace to the cheaper hostels and hotels. There are apartments, all inclusives, bed and breakfasts, basically something for anyone on whatever price range you have in mind. I stayed at the Palma Bay Club, which was all-inclusive and quite basic but at a reasonable price with everything you would expect at a family hotel. Sports, Bar, a few pools, mini golf, 4 restaurants. If you do decide to stay there i recommend staying in the Copacabana villas as they have a much nice terrace and the rooms are larger.

Cuisine
The main strip that the streets of El Arenal lead to are lined with cafes, bars, clubs and restaurants. There are many German restaurants but you can find some places that serve Spanish paella and other such dishes but to find the real Spanish food you would be better going somewhere else where it is based on tradition and with quality ingredients. There is a particularly good steak house along the Ballenero though, which serves amazing ribs and BBQ style grills. Sometimes it may be a struggle to find somewhere that has an English menu, but there is a Dutch section of the strip that usually has English speakers and menus.

Nightlife
This is certainly the centre of nightlife with two main clubs, Bierkoenig and Mega Park. These are entirely German speaking but with an offer of buy one get one free litres of beer at 7 euros you may just find yourself enjoying those cheesy German songs. It is an experience though as you are free to dance on the table and there are often entertainers and dancers and in Mega Park there is a club downstairs where you can find less german music later at night. They will often be handing out free gifts such as beach towels, t-shirts, Bavarian hats and sunglasses and there are regular foam parties. In El Arenal there are a few English and Dutch bars such as The Sportsman and The Hole In The Wall where you will find friendly English staff and if there are any English people you can guarantee they can be found there! You can also find a few clubs that are less German and more mainstream music, although they are not large super clubs like you may find in Magaluf. Bierkoenig is on two floors and is lit up nicely. Mega Park serves food during the day and the pizza is amazing! Also although it is a young resort for Germans, you don't tend to get the trouble associated with Magaluf and fighting is irregular, which makes a refreshing change to see people genuinely merry and enjoying themselves!

Transport
Luckily transport is not too much and a taxi can cost around 17 euros directly to the centre of Palma where you can find that Spanish cuisine and the cathedral and all the touristic sights.

Overall I really enjoyed this place and I return often and am always welcomed by the same friendly people. I see people return there year after year but you really should avoid this place if you want a Spanish culture holiday or you want to make friends with fellow Brits because it can be difficult for non-german speakers.

Summary: I loved it but I understand why it may not be to everyone's taste.