Majorca Hotels - Sol Calas de Mallorca

One of the most attractive and popular holiday destinations on the island of Mallorca, the Sol Calas de Mallorca Resort would be an ideal choice for your stay on the island. Set in twenty five thousand square metres of landscaped gardens and offering 875 rooms in either of three accommodation blocks (Sol Mastines, Sol Chihuahuas and Sol Balmoral), the Sol Calas de Mallorca is certainly a beautiful place to enjoy the wonderful Mallorca weather and atmosphere. Overlooking 2 of the three beaches of Calas de Mallorca on the east coast of the island this hotel resort has several swimming pools and children’s play areas, each of the hotel blocks has its own restaurant, lounge and pool, and stages for both daytime and night time entertainment. The resort of Calas de Mallorca itself has some excellent facilities and is a tranquil place away from the hustle and bustle of Mallorca’s major resorts, it is situated in the Manacor district, and is around sixty seven kilometres from the airport at Palma de Mallorca. Rooms in the Sol Calas de Mallorca Resort are offered from around 38 euros per night (£32) a great price for a desirable location. Calas de Mallorca is on Mallorca’s east coast between the resorts of Porto Colom and Porto Cristo.

Manacor, Santanyi, Felanitx and Cala Rajarda

Some inland towns in the east of Mallorca in the Balearic Islands, Spain, include the second largest town on the island, Manacor, an industrial town which is renowned for its artificial pearls. The pearl factories are a major tourist attraction for the town and thousands of visitors arrive each week to watch the pearls in production, the pearls are made from glass beads, covered in resin and fish scales, they are hard to tell from the real thing. Another small inland town is the charming Felanitx, famous for its ceramics, it is worth visiting for its 13th century church of Sant Miguel. Further south is the honey-coloured Santanyi, built from the same stone as Palma cathedral, Santanyi is a former fortified town, with much remaining of its fortifications, its coastal are Cala Santanyi is a popular holiday resort. Ending with another little coastal resort to the north near Capdepera, Cala Rajarda is a pretty little resort in an area of rugged coastline, this former fishing village has become popular with holidaymakers seeking a quieter holiday.

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Palma de Mallorca - Part Two

Last week we looked at a little of the history of Palma de Mallorca, in the Balearic Islands, Spain, and visited some of the main attractions, this week we will look at what else Palma has to offer. A great place to start your day would be a morning stroll along Palma’s waterfront, with the city stirring for the day, the busy fish market bursts into life, the Es Moll de Pescadors hosts the Llotja del Peix (Fish Market), here you can pick up fresh prawns, sea-bass, mullet, sardines and much more, but you will need to be early as it opens at 6.00am. Little is left of the Arab occupation of Palma, but well worth a look are the Banys Árabs (Arab Baths), which date from the 10^th century and would have originally been part of a nobleman’s house. The domed horseshoe arches, are supported by a dozen columns in various styles. Possible salvaged from an earlier Roman building, the steam room had underfloor heating, with a separate ‘cooling off’ room, next door. The Arab Baths are located in Carrer Can Serra and are behind the Museu de Mallorca, which is the most significant museum in Mallorca, covering over 3,000 years of the island’s history, from the early Talaotic Period, through the Roman and Arab occupations, up to the present day, with exibitions by modern day Mallorcan artists. To take a break from the ancient and historical, you might fancy a trip to the market, in the Plaça Olivar you will find the vibrant Mercat Olivar, a covered market offering a huge range of consumables, most notably fruit and seafood which are displayed in mind boggling quantities and varieties. While you are there try out one of the tapas bars, where the market workers eat, here you can taste some real Mallorcan tapas. If you wish to do a little shopping whilst in Mallorca then Palma is the place to do it, the main shopping area is in the Plaça Juan Carlos I, which is located beside the cathedral, here you will find numerous big stores such as El Corte Ingles, interspersed with smaller shops. Shops generally open at 10.00am and close at about 1.30pm, the evening session is from 5.00pm to 8.00pm. When you are all spent out you could take a look at the Poble Espanyol (Spanish Village), a sort of Spanish theme park, where you can see reproductions of famous buildings from Madrid, Toledo and Cordoba, visit handicraft workshops, eat traditional Spanish food and get a lesson in Spanish architecture through the ages. Getting back to culture one of the many churches worth a visit is the impressive Basilica de Sant Francesc, originally from the 13^th century, the façade was rebuilt in the 17^th century. The church houses the tomb of Mallorca’s most famous citizen Ramón Llull (1235-1316) a wealthy courtier from Palma, who later became a hermit after a failed seduction attempt, he was later stoned to death in Tunisia, for attempting to convert Muslims to Christianity. While there is still plenty to see in Palma, you could perhaps wind down your visit with an evening stroll up the Passeig des Born, a tree-lined promenade, which has long been the centre of city life in Palma. Have a coffee in one of the al fresco cafés and relax after a busy day in the beautiful Palma de Mallorca. If you need a map for your visit to the city you can find one here: Map of Palma de Mallorca, if you are planning to travel by public transport you will need to take a Palma de Mallorca bus and find out the fares and timetables.

Palma de Mallorca - Part One

Whether you are arriving by plane or ferry, your landing point on Mallorca in the Balearic Islands, Spain, will almost certainly be the city of Palma de Mallorca, and rather than just heading off for one of the busy coastal resorts, as most visitors do, why not take some time out to visit this surprising city? There is lots to see and do and you could easily spend a week there and still not see all of it. Palma is home to over half of Mallorca’s population and is in fact the 12^th most populous municipal district in Spain (with around 800,000 people). Palma is named after the Roman city Palmaria and much of the original Roman city, which was founded in around 123 BC, still exists underneath the modern city (remains are constantly being found in the area around the cathedral). The city you will find today, is a mostly modern creation, the majority of the old city walls were levelled long ago, to make way for a network of avenues, forming today’s Palma. Some of the ancient walls still remain however, and sections can be seen facing the sea in the old part of the city. From the harbour, fishermen still sail from Palma to lay out their nets, much as they have done for hundreds of years. First port of call for most visitors to Palma is the magnificent Gothic cathedral (La Seu), which was built on the site of an Arab mosque, which was in turn built upon a Roman temple. Legend tells that in 1229, when caught in a terrible storm at sea, on his way to conquer Mallorca, King Jaime I vowed to build a great church if God would lead him to safety. And so he did, and a great church it is, so great in fact, that it was not completed until 1587. One of the most breathtaking buildings in Spain, Palma cathedral also boasts one of the largest stained glass windows in the world – The Great Rose Window has 1,236 coloured pieces and is over 36 feet in diameter. Below the cathedral lies the Almudaina Palace, originally built during the Arab occupation of Mallorca (Majorca), it was converted into the Gothic style by King Jaime II (Jaime I’s son) in 1307, it still belongs to the Spanish Royal Family, parts of it are open to the public including a 13^th century throne. Another of Palma de Mallorca’s attractions is the Castell de Bellver (Bellver castle), standing in an elevated position on a wooded hillside some 3 miles from the city centre. This unique circular castle was commissioned by Jaime II for use as a summer residence, it has commanded sea and land approaches to Palma ever since. Three large towers surround a central courtyard, connected by an arch to the keep, from the battlements, visitors can enjoy one of the finest views of the city (a clue can be found in the name – Bellver in Catalan means “lovely view”). The castle has over the centuries been a Royal residence and a military prison, nowadays it houses a well-laid out museum, outlining the archaeological and military history of the city.

Palma de Mallorca Map - Latest Weather in Palma de Mallorca

The Northern Towns of Mallorca

Previously we looked at the capital Palma de Mallorca, in this article we shall be visiting the north of the island of Mallorca (Majorca), in fact we shall start in the extreme north at the Cap de Formentor, located on a long headland at the northern end of the Serra de Tramunana mountains, the Formentor Peninsular is an area of steep cliffs rising to a height of 1,300 feet. From here you can enjoy some breathtaking views of the sea and coastline, you may even catch a glimpse of the neighbouring island of Menorca on a clear day, you can also enjoy the varied birdlife, many species nest in this rugged and remote area. Some of the best views can be enjoyed from the Mirador des Colomer, look out for the Talaja de Albercutx, a 16^th century watchtower built to look out for invading pirates. The historic town of Pollensa (Pollença), situated in the foothills of the Serra de Tramuntana, was founded by the Romans, it is still relatively unspoilt and retains much of its traditional Mallorcan charm. Worth a visit in Pollensa is the parish church of Nostra Senyora dels Angels, originally built by the Nights Templar in the 13^th century, the Municipal Museum, houses in the former Convent de Santo Domingo, the Plaça Major (Main Square) where you can enjoy a coffee in one of the many traditional cafés, the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross), leading to the El Calvari chapel and the Ponte Romà, claimed to be a Roman bridge but probably much later. Pollensa itself is an inland town, placed to protect it from raiding pirates, its coastal limb being Puerto Pollensa, these days a busy holiday resort, attracting families to its excellent sandy beach and attractive harbour. Another of the northern town of Mallorca and probably one of the oldest is Alcudia, originally a Phoenician settlement, it was rebuilt by the Romans and called Pollentia and subsequently became the capital of Mallorca until sacked and destroyed by the Vandals in 456 AD. The present name Alcudia originates from the Arab occupation, when their fortress Al-Kudia was built there. Worth a look in Alcudia is the port area, the 13^th century Gothic church of Sant Jaume, the remains of a Roman theatre from the 1^st century BC (the smallest Roman theatre in Spain), the Porta de Moll gateway and the Museu Monographic, with some interesting exhibits from the Roman occupation. Also worth visiting whilst in the north of Mallorca is the Monastery of Lluc, a place of pilgrimage for over 800 years, the Natural Park of S’Albufera, an important area of wetlands to the south of Port d’Alcudia and the agricultural town of Muro, dominated by the huge Gothic church of Sant Joan Baptista.

Valldemossa Mallorca

One of the big attractions on the cultural tourist route of Mallorca is the small town of Valldemossa, which sits in the mountains north of the capital Palma de Mallorca. What makes this place so special is that for a short time in the winter of 1838-39, it became the home of French novelist George Sand and her lover composer Frederick Chopin, who went there to escape the gossip of Paris, and also in the hope that it would aid Chopin’s bad health (he suffered from tuberculosis). Ironically that winter Valldemossa weather was not kind to its new visitors and it remained wet and windy for most of their stay. The celebrities were also apparently given the cold shoulder by the locals as they were not married, and George Sand wrote a derogatory book about their stay called “A Winter in Mallorca” in which she called the local inhabitants savages and thieves. Their visit has still not been forgotten and the book can still be found on sale in the town!

Map of Valldemossa located on the island of Mallorca (Majorca), Balearic Islands, Spain.

The East Coast of Mallorca

Today we shall be looking at the east coast of Mallorca, in the Balearic Islands, Spain, where ancient fishing villages stand beside modern tourist resorts. We will begin our visit at the ancient fishing port of Porto Cristo, an important harbour since the 13^th century, when it served as the seaport for the town of Manacor which is about 10 kilometres inland. Located at the end of a long sheltered inlet, where the El Rivet river runs into the sea, Porto Cristo is, these days, a popular family resort with a fine sandy beach and some decent restaurants, worth a visit is the Mallorca Aquarium, where over 100 aquatic displays feature a range of species from Brazilian piranhas to fish from the Australian Barrier Reef. Another of the nearby attractions are the Coves del Drach, a series of three dark, humid limestone caves with beautiful stalagmite and stalactite formations and also the largest underground lake in Europe (Lake Martel) which is named after Edouard Martel who first discovered the caves in the late 19^th century. Visitors can take a boat ride on the lake, accompanied by the sound of classical musicians. Porto Cristo is also significant as being the only Mallorcan town to see action during the Spanish Civil War (1936-39), when it was briefly captured by Republican forces in 1936. In stark contrast to this ancient fishing village, the modern resort of Cala Millor is one of the most popular on Mallorca’s east coast. Fifty years or so ago this was a deserted area of dune-covered coastline, now it is an unbroken stretch of hotels, apartment blocks, bars and restaurants, sitting behind one of the best beaches on the island. Mostly attracting the younger generation, Cala Millor is especially busy during the summer months when visitors party long into the night. Just inland from Porto Cristo and Cala Millor you will find Mallorca’s second largest town, Manacor, which is the nearest you will find to an industrial town on the island. Well known for many centuries for its handicrafts, Manacor is perhaps best known for its artificial pearls, produced by the millions and almost indistinguishable from the real thing. Most visitors to Manacor end up in one of the pearl factories, where they can watch glass beads being coated with a glaze of resin and fish scales, some 50 million are produced each year using the scales from some 1 million fish. Also worth a look in Manacor is the church of Nostra Senyora dels Dolors, built on the former site of a mosque, it has a distinctive minaret style clock tower, an immense wooden door and an unusual figure of the crucified Christ. Further south you will find the pretty fishing village of Porto Colom, originally a seaport for the town Felanitx, it was named after the famous explorer Christopher Columbus who is claimed (with little evidence) to have been born there. Close by you will find one of the most important ancient burial sites, “Navetas”, on the island. Still further south is the Park Natural Mondragó, an ideal location for walking trips, with some excellent market-out routes along a region of rugged coastline backed by attractive pine forests. A couple of inland towns of interest in this area are Felanitx and Santanyi, Felanitx is well known for the production of capers and boasts a fine 13^th century church (Sant Miguel) with a superb façade in the Renaissance-Baroque style. Santanyi is mostly built from the local golden sanstone and is dominated by the huge church of Sant Andreu Apostel, Santanyi is the location of one of Mallorca’s most popular street markets.