steviedeluxe

As the writer admits, we've heard this before, but is it different this time?

http://my.telegraph.co.uk/expat/anna...s-this-summer/

amideislas

Yes, heard it all before, but on a related side-note, Mallorca has been attempting to "upgrade" its image for a long time now. It aspires to become the "5-star" resort of the med. And to a certain extent, the quality of accommodation have improved in the past 10 years. We now have the density of 4- and 5-star hotels and resorts per square kilometer in all of Spain. But that's only in the tourist areas. The rest of the island is still well-rooted in the 1970's, which is in some ways, a good thing.

Until now, politics, EU law, money, and local opposition have all presented barriers to "cleaning things up". The problem in Magaluf is a good example of a "cleanup" that has been all but absent as a result of local and EU politics. But that may all change in the next couple of years, as an infusion of foreign cash establishing a swanky complex of posh hotels and resorts starts to kick in.

Luckily, the "badly behaved" tourists are almost exclusively limited to the few remaining "party zones" including Magaluf and Arenal "the Ballermann" (the German Magaluf).

Now, "cleaning things up" in Magaluf and Arenal is long-overdue, but if some of the more petty violations are brutally enforced in places where it patently isn't necessary, (e.g., Pollensa, Soller, Cala Millor, Playa de Muro, Cala d' Or, etc.), then it can only serve to hurt tourism for good.

Fredbargate

Does it still look like this then?

Casa Santo Estevo

Great photos! More karma

amideislas

Actually, yes, lots of the island still looks like that. But tourists rarely go to those places.

Fredbargate

October 1970

One of the young ladies is still Mrs. Fred but no clues as to which

amideislas

How well do you remember that trip, Fred?

I'm curious whether your remember if there was electricity / plumbing in much of the island, or only in Palma. Anything else that sticks out in your memory?

Fredbargate

We stayed 2 weeks in Puerto Pollensa at the Pollensa Park a Clarksons holiday £40 all in flying with Court Line. I'm on good terms with one of their pilots now. We checked his logbook but he didn't fly us.

Did a few bus trips around the island + hired the scooter for the day

It was definitely not touristy in the North with the exception of Alcudia.

Brandy 5pts a glass.

On the Saturday night in the middle of the holiday the hotel was taken over by Franco and friends ( posted before that I had met him ) he didn't say a lot to me .
We were fed in the corridors with no choice of menu. But we did have caviar for breakfast the next morning

I suppose the major memory was of a very quiet place sparsely populated and very pleasant.

For our 25th we drove up from Gib took the ferry from Valencia toured the West of the Island and stayed one night at the Pollensa Park which cost more than the whole 2 weeks 25 years earlier + it was all German

First photo is the beach in front of the Pollensa Park with the "Marina" in the background.

2nd is the Pollensa Park from the sea

3rd is Porto Cristo I checked on Street View and the house just to the right of centre is still there

johnnyone

We were in Cala Bona around 40 years ago and our friends were across the island somewhere else and we couldn't make contact with them as the 'phone system was down or just could not cope.
Ditto the electricity and water supply to the hotel.
How times have changed.

amideislas

I'm a bit surprised you had electricity or phone at all, or that there even was a hotel in Cala Bona. I understand that 40 years ago, the place was pretty desolate.

By the way, we have electricity and phones now, but they still don't work very well, despite being amongst the most expensive in Europe.

MikeJ

The one mending the fishing net! You're Collie Kibber and I claim my prize.