COME AND SEE WHAT THE ISLAND OF MALLORCA HAS TO OFFER. (Mallorca)

Member Name: saramac

Product:	Mallorca
Date:	15/07/09 (86 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Not too far away, lovely sunny weather most of the year.

Disadvantages: Personally I can't think of any.

Mallorca is one of five islands called the Balearics, the other four being-
Ibiza, Menorca, Formentera and Cabrera.
They are situated just off Spain , you can take ferries from Barcelona or Valencia to Mallorca.
The flight lasts approx two hours and fifteen minutes from Britain.

Me and Mallorca-
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Any one having read my previous review (sadly in the wrong category), will know of my Love for the island of Mallorca and the fact my Sister has a house not far from the old town of Pollenca so enabling us to visit quite regularly (not regularly enough though, Ive even considered "squatters rights" but don't know if they exsist in Mallorca).
I will give you a brief look at most of the island and a deeper look at places I visit regularly.

Mallorca-
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Weather- Much as we have a "rosy" view of Mallorca always drenched in sun, it does get quite cold and wet at certain times of year.
Jan & Feb- March & April- May, June, July & August- Sept & Oct- Nov & Dec
14C -15C- 17C -19C- 22C - 26C - 29C- 29C- 27C- 23C - 18C- 15C
57F- 59F - 63F - 66F - 72F - 79F - 84F - 84F - 81F - 73F- 64F- 59F

The main rainy months are November and December, but you can experience heavy showers in September and October and again in March.
The quieter months are- May, June, September and October if you wish to avoid the crowds.

Many beach resorts close during the winter, but Mallorca still attracts many people for a city break in Palma or walking holidays especially with those mountains on offer, golfing holidays , bird watchers, and of course not forgetting the many cyclists, in fact May last year the British indoor cycle team had a training camp on Mallorca and it obviously worked looking at our medal tally in last years Olympics. They regularly featured in the local newspapers and it seemed Mallorca was proud to have been a part of our success.


Airport-
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The Son Sant Joan airport is situated in the capital Palma and is a fabulous airport there is so much to see and buy, even if you are delayed there is plenty to occupy most people.
It has grown to be one of the busiest in Europe from June to September, handling more than 20 million passengers in a year.
One problem it does cause is, its such a massive airport you can have a very long walk to certain gates, they do provide moving walkways but its still a long "trek".

Magaluf-
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Situated West of Palma- Magaluf is the one place that can "put some people off" visiting Mallorca but lets face it every island has at least one town that attracts the young "letting their hair down", that was very diplomatically put I think.
In the 1990s Magaluf did alot to shed this image by destroying some high rise hotels and building a new seafront promenade and offering guided walks(with no alcohol involved) and Tai Chi on the beach, but still the "Beer Monsters" come- my advice- simples avoid Magaluf.

West of Palma-
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The west side of Mallorca offers, beautiful beaches, bustling resorts and a rugged coastline and some fine mountain scenery. New building is very strictly regulated and sympathetic to the local environment. In fact some hotels deemed "ugly" were pulled down and replaced by palm fringed promenades.
Alot of the rich and famous have houses in this area including-King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain, in Cala Major.
Saying that you can still find traditional Majorcan villages such as Puigpunyent.
Popular places-

Andratx- surrounded by orange and almond groves.

Port D'Andratx- one of the classiest resorts, popular with film stars and people who own yacht's, dress up if your visiting. Its harbour is one of the prettiest on the island.

Calvia- known for its beaches and the fact its now said to be the richest municipality in Spain.

La Reserva- a nature reserve that calls itself" Mallorca's Paradise".

Magaluf- enough said before.

Palma Nova(new Palma)- a good place for a family holiday.

Santa Ponca- a good beach resort, but rich with history.

Northwest-
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Along the northwest coast of the island from Sa Dragonera to Cape Formentor is the Tramuntana mountain range therefore attracting many mountain climbers and walkers with its dramatic wild landscape which is visible from all over Mallorca.
Puig Major rises to 1,455m (4,749ft).
You can smell the scent of wild rosemary and see the pine trees growing out of red rock, some of the pine covered slopes almost lean into the sea. In the background you can hear the sheep" bells" as they munch their way around the slopes.
In the winter the mountains absorb much of the rain and snow and in the summer offer a cooler retreat from the heat of some of the resorts.
Tourism is the main income in this area.

Cala Sant Vincenc- my favourite beaches. Its an old fashioned resort thats become chic of late, but still attracts alot of Mallorcans especially weekends and holidays so be warned it can be very busy but try not to miss it.
Made up of four small coves each with a beach nestled away beneath a limestone ridge, the sea can be particulary wild here with massive waves to play in and they have a safety net that you are not allowed to go in front of, infact they have life guards on duty and if anyone steps out of line, a siren sounds.
You can also jump off the cliffs into the sea if you are crazy enough like my other half and 13 year old son.

Jardins De Alfabia-classical gardens are a legacy of the Arab talent for landscaping and irrigation their name derives from "al fabi"- " jar of olives" in Arabic. You can see tall palms, lily ponds, bamboo groves or citrus trees growing in the shadow of the mountains.

Lluc-Alcari- Mallorcas smallest village which is little more than a bend in the road, with a few houses, but it does boast one hotel.

Pollenca- the old town, one of my favourite or probably my favourite town to date, Im not going to repeat myself here and bore you, I have a detailed description in my other review "Come hold my hand and we can take a trip to Mallorca". Port De Pollenca is also mentioned in the above review.

Soller-
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Set in a valley of orange groves, between the sea and the mountains, its popular for day trips, to eat tapas, drink coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice, eat local pastries and icecream and generally watch the world go by.
It also boasts two museums worth a visit- Natural Science Museum-fossils and a botanical garden. Museu de Soller-antiques and relics of old Soller.

Valldemossa- a small town in the mountains that has a strong conection to Chopin who came to live here with his male lover in 1838. They were classed as the islands first tourists. Its also the birth place of Mallorca's patron saint Catalina Thomas in 1531.
Its renowned for its beauty and I cant wait to see it for myself hopefully next time I go.

The Northeast-
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This coastline has what most people believe to be the best beaches. Alongside the historic town of Alcudia and the dunes and marches, which attract bird watchers from all over Europe, we have the Port d'Alcudia quite a lively town with its fair share of night clubs.

Alcudia- the town on the hill- the old town is a maze of narrow streets, it was once the Romans capital Pollentia, you can have a walk around the remains of Roman houses and witness the well preserved Roman ampitheatre and one of Mallorcas oldest churches.

Auto-Safari (safari-zoo)- Mallorca's only zoo is a 4km drive(2.5mile) through the open country to see Giraffes, Zebra, Flamingos, Monkeys and Deer. Leading to a "baby zoo"- Crocodiles, Elephants and various young animals. Its very expensive though.

South-
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Hosts the rural heartlands of the island, this area is untouched by tourist invasion and its mainly an agricultural area, February each year boasts a blanket of white almond blossom carpeting the countryside and really is a sight to behold. With its patchwork of orchards and almond groves the area is attracting foreign buyers and some country hotels have sprung up.

On the southeast coast there are busy resorts such as Cala d'Or.
Porto Cristo is on the east coast., with the coastline being so rugged some beaches can only be reached by boat.

Palma itself, again I covered in my previous review.

I hope I have given you a comprehensive view of Mallorca and what it has to offer, obviously I can't cover the whole island or we would be here all night. I wanted to show you how much is on offer, something for everyone I think and its still got lots to offer in the winter months.

Thankyou for reading my review of Mallorca.



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Summary: A lovely, sunny, Spanish island only just over two hours away.