Puerto de Pollensa; Spain’s secret resort – oops!
If you are yearning for holidays, the way they used to be; take a look at Puerto de Pollensa on Mallorca’s quieter north-west coast. The busier and noisier resorts to the south are, however, only an hour away. Here, there are the same facilities, but on a quieter, less frenetic scale. Safe sea bathing and extensive white sandy beaches form the icing on the cake for returning visitors. They see Puerto de Pollensa as their secret destination. Oops! Now, you know about it too!
A Blue Flag rating for Puerto de Pollensa
Staff at Puerto de Pollensa’s hotels will tell you that is the finest resort on Mallorca! The marina invites you to wander around and admire the boats of the well to do. The beach, on the other hand, makes you feel like a millionaire, yourself. Blue Flag rated and almost a mile long, it’s perfect for bathing. The bay is horseshoe in shape and the Tramuntana Mountains provide an inspiring backdrop. Beach facilities include parking, toilets, showers and parasol and lounger rental. There is also a reassuring lifeguard presence. The Pine Walk is lovely for an evening stroll. This takes you to d’Albercuix Beach which is smaller and even quieter. Puerto de Pollensa is the most northerly of Mallorca’s resorts and incorporates several main areas; Boquer, Central, Siller, Pinaret, Llenaire and Gotmar. As night falls, there’s no noticeable difference in the town’s atmosphere, apart from the emergence of a number of small bars and restaurants. Most of these, plus a few nightclubs are in the Main Square area. They are the ideal places in which to reflect on your peaceful day in Puerto de Pollensa.
A sea of local activity
Dry land excursions include those to the underground lakes at the Caves of Drach. Then, bus, train, boat and tram transport is included in a full island tour which also features mountain, coast, orange and lemon grove visits. If craving for more robust entertainment than that offered in Puerto de Pollensa, kick off your shoes with flamenco dancing at Son Amar. Maybe the five hour drinking trip to the city of Palma is a dance step too far? Or maybe not! You can undertake these and many other excursions independently with your hire car. The advantage of the organised excursion is, though, that they will take you to places that you might otherwise miss. There are plenty of things to do and places to explore from the resort’s hotels, apartments and other accommodation bases. From the marina, there are day-long boat trips during which the family can enjoy swimming, snorkelling and fishing. The slightly adventurous should experience, also, the catamaran sightseeing trips from this, one of Spain’s quieter and more restful resorts.
Not remotely remote in Spain
There’s no need to feel tied to a resort that’s in the middle of nowhere. You are not – and it isn’t! If you’ve got a hire car, it will take you less than an hour to hit the island’s capital city, Palma. It’s an easy drive along the Ma-13 motorway. If the prospect of driving is too stressful then the direct express bus service is the answer. These coaches are comfortable and air-conditioned. They run to and from points in Puerto de Pollensa’s marina area every 90 minutes or so. The journey, again, takes approximately one hour. The train is OK, but only to Sa Pobla. Onward return transport from there to Puerto de Pollensa is difficult … but that’s railways for you! More locally, Alcudia is worth a visit and is busier and noisier than Puerto de Pollensa. The car journey takes about 15 minutes. You can walk, but only via the cycle tracks. Apart from the car and cycle hire, you can always catch the 352 Autocares bus. Problem solved!
Frenetic fiestas
Public holidays, fiestas and festivals are celebrated throughout the year in Spain. Puerto de Pollensa hotels, plus those in neighbouring Alcudia, can be pushed to the booking limit at these times. Be warned, it’s worth planning and booking ahead - particularly for the February Carnaval celebrations. Pre and post Easter events also feature prominently in the calendar. There are fireworks in May for the Festival of Sant Pere and there are more processions, celebrations and fireworks for The fiesta of the Verge del Carme in July. Regular holidaying visitors now have their finger on the pulse and book really early for their chosen events, just to ensure that they don’t miss out. Puerto de Pollensa is certainly well occupied with a full quota of celebrations; something that’s evidenced by the well-thumbed booking diaries of its hotels, apartments and B&Bs. This isn’t surprising as the resort is the perfect point from which to enjoy many of Spain’s national events.