Tenerife has topped Cosmos Holidays sales chart with a 60% increase year-on-year, report traveldailyco.uk

Majorca, last year’s number one, is now fourth in the sales list with Florida and Turkey before it.

Other Canary Islands have seen bigger rises in sales, particularly Fuerteventura (250%), Gran Canaria (100%) and Lanzarote (40%).

Menorca

The Algarve, Menorca, Shaem el Sheikh, Zakynthos and Mexico are also within the top ten.

“Whilst early booking trends indicated that this summer was all about the Eastern Mediterranean, the improved strength of the Pound against the Euro has resulted in a last minute surge of bookings to destinations throughout the Western Mediterranean and the Canary Islands,” said Monarch Travel Group Tour Operations Managing Director Hugh Morgan.

“After the challenges of the past 12 months, confidence has clearly been restored in the market and it’s great to see holiday durations lengthening from last year’s seven and 10 night durations to the traditional 14 night breaks.”

As British Airway’s business airline CityFlyer announces its first ever leisure flights to Palma from London City airport in May, the mood for the 2010 season is relatively upbeat. 

Although the travel industry expressed concern for significant losses to the Mallorca tourist industry at the beginning of 2009, recent figures show better performance than expected.  Air Berlin, which uses Palma as its European hub, brought 6.72 million passengers to the island last year in comparison to 6.75 million the previous year, but will nevertheless increase its passenger capacity this summer by 10%.  The airport remains the third busiest in Spain.

Although the majority of visitors will be heading to hotels, a significant proportion will already have bought their piece of the sun and will be looking forward to spending time in their own apartment or villa on the southwest peninsula.  The popular coastal stretch between Palma and San Telmo has a well developed infrastructure and while visitor numbers swell in the summer, it doesn’t shut down in the winter months.  The municipality of Calvia has a resident population of 50,777, 29% of whom are foreigners from other EU countries, predominantly UK, Germany, Italy, France and Bulgaria. 

Puerto Andratx lies at the westernmost tip of the island, its fishing fleet nestled within a wide, natural bay set against the backdrop of the Tramuntana mountain range.  There are no high rise hotels and no beach.  Its harbour side is crammed with bars and eateries and its laidback feel has drawn second home owners as far back as the 1970s when the first, distinctive Pedro Otzoup apartment complexes began to spring up on the port’s south facing slopes.  A number of residential estates also took shape, including Montport, now a highly favoured residential area with panoramic views towards the La Mola headland and out to sea.  Mid level villas on this hillside today fetch €1.75m to €3.5m; substantial villas at the top command €4.5m to €5m.

Despite its prestigious properties, however, the roads in Andratx had become increasingly potholed over the years and almost un-driveable in places.  Complaints from local resident associations to the council went unheeded and the situation worsened. Fortunately, Andratx has now moved on, with sweeping changes in the planning department and a fresh look at the problems of failing infrastructure within ten residential estates in the municipality, including Montport, Cala Llamp, La Mola, Cala Marmacen and Can Borras.  Work begins this May on installation of mains water and drainage, underground electricity and telephone lines, road resurfacing, creation of pavements and new street lighting.  However, the council has sent out demands for payment to cover the costs amounting to €44 million because the urbanisations were never officially recognised thirty years ago.

The bills affect around 2,500 property owners and are based on the maximum area of construction permitted on each plot.  Once completed, residents will finally be entitled to council refuse collection but in the meantime, they are faced with sums of €16,000 - €25,000 on average, payable in four instalments over the next two years - and in order to ensure payment, charges have been entered in the registry against all properties concerned.

Renting your house in Mallorca

For owners contemplating renting out their property this summer season, a word of caution.  A few miles along the coast, a property owner in Santa Ponsa is facing the prospect of a large fine for renting out his villa on a short term basis without the appropriate tourist licence.  

There was a six month window of opportunity when owners of detached properties could apply for a licence but it lapsed on September 30, 2006.  Criteria were stringent as to safety requirements and level of equipment, nevertheless, 2,265 villa and finca owners made applications. 

In April 2008, Santiago Balaguer, then head of the tourism ministry, confirmed that no further licences would be granted and that 19 owners of detached properties had been fined from €3,000 to €30,000 for renting out illegally during the previous year, with the highest fines based on 20% of projected annual rental income.  The majority of these had been discovered and investigated because they had openly advertised online.  Twelve months later, only 1,555 applications had been approved and due to lack of inspectors within the tourism department, it was estimated it would take until the beginning of this year to process them all. 

At the time, no logical argument was given for restricting further private villa rental other than sufficient existing choice in tourist accommodation, though pressure was mounting from hotel groups.  Feeling the pinch of the recession, they have been forced to introduce more and more all-inclusive deals to encourage new business. To read the rest of the article click here

Jan Westwood is a buying agent with specialist knowledge of the market in Mallorca. (www.thepropertyfinders.com; +34 971 233 207)

For Majorca flights visit yourmajorca.net

The Daily Telegraph ran an article recently about areas of Majorca which aren’t frequented by many tourists - it reads:

From Foradada we drive to Deià, the picture-book village made famous by the residence of Robert Graves. Miquel says that although Graves lived here until his death in 1985, and was buried in the local church of St Joan Baptista, he learnt no Spanish and lived in an “English-speaking cocoon”. From Deiã we drive to Fornalutx, whose reputation as the most beautiful village in Spain is borne out on this glorious sunny day. It is located in the heart of the Serra de Tramontana, dates back to the Catalan conquest of the island in 1229, and is a symphony of tiny cobbled streets and pink and brown stone houses surrounded by terraces of orange groves. It has a grand total of 469 residents. But time is tight, and after a brisk walk through the village we are off again to nearby Sóller, set in a neighbouring valley that is famous for its orange groves, hence the derivation from the Arabic word suliar, which means golden bowl. From there we drive down to Port de Sóller.

To read the rest of the article at The Daily Telegraph click here

For more details about Majorca, with today’s weather in Majorca and holidays in Majorca visit yourmajorca.net

The Daily Mail in the UK recently featured the top holiday destinations for families with children, and included Majorca - here is what they had to say:

With its great beaches, short flight time and family-friendly resorts it’s not surprising that Majorca has remained top of many people’s list this summer, despite some fierce competition from the Turkish coastal resorts.

To read the full article click here

Microsoft are looking to open two new centres in Spain, and already have one on Majorca - to read the article click here

To read about holidays in Majorca visit http://www.yourmajorca.net/holidays

An excellent article appeared recently in The Times about walking and hiking on the island - here is an extract:

A thousand meters above sea level in the northwest of the island with the Mediterranean Sea sparkling in the distance, you find yourself in a very different Majorca to the coastal strip’s bars.

It’s an island that offers some of the most accessible, varied, rewarding and breathtakingly beautiful hiking terrain in Europe.

Hiking first to Stanford’s – London’s foremost map and guide bookshop – I was astonished to find the number and range of books devoted to walking in Mallorca.

Just published is Dry Stone Route about the 90 kilometre path, much of which dates back to the Moorish occupation of the island, on which you can walk the length of the island, as well as Holiday Walks in the Discovery Walking Guide series which describes two-hour “very easy” ambles up to five-hour “strenuous” climbs.

To read the full article click through to The Times here

Britain’s biggest selling daily newspaper The Sun reported recently that the number of young Britons opting for holidays in Majorca
is on the increase. To read their story click here

Here are details of some good press reviews we have noticed recently, with links to the original news sources if you would like to read the whole story for each:

From The Daily Mail

Once owned by Sir Richard Branson and now part of Orient-Express Hotels, La Residencia is made up of two manor houses dating from the 16th and 17th centuries. Its 65 elegant rooms were filled with local antiques and art, and its immaculately maintained gardens were stunning.

It is situated in the medieval village of Deia, long popular with artists and writers  -  Robert Graves is buried in the churchyard  -  and with the Sierra de Tramuntana mountains towering above the village in one direction and the Mediterranean a few miles away in the other, the setting couldn’t be more suited to peaceful contemplation.

On our first day we were up at 6.30am for Sunrise Yoga, and although at first it felt painfully early, once outside in the dawn light with birds singing in the

pure air, I felt jubilant. Jeanne Lurie, our yoga teacher and a glamorous fifty-something New Yorker who has lived on Majorca for 30 years, explained the reason for the prompt start: ‘It’s a bit cold, but I thought it would be nice to see the sun come up.’

To read more click here

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An excellent article appeared in the Daily Mirror about villa holidays in Majorca

Happily, self-catering in Majorca fulfilled all the criteria when we travelled out late last summer for a big birthday holiday in a group aged from 14-month-old Jasmine to some over 60.

We opted for two villas just outside Pollensa on the north of the island.

They were ideal - spacious and well equipped with wonderful views across the countryside.

One was a stone farmhouse beautifully restored, with a great area for barbecues and a sheltered terrace. Top attraction, of course, was the swimming pool. We had four double bedrooms with doors out on to a large first-floor balcony and three bathrooms.

We were about two miles from Pollensa, a pretty 13th Century town with a magnificent main square with cafes and restaurants.

On Sunday, the place leaps into action with its colourful open-air market. Here we could stock up on fruit, salads, cheeses, hams and salamis.

Behind the square are tiny streets with interesting boutiques and tucked-away bars.

A 20-minute drive and we were down in Puerto Pollensa with its wide beaches and promenades lined with hotels and restaurants.

To read more click here

It’s the helter skelter called Spanish property - and it’s coming down fast.

To see how much by click here

The Daily Telegraph in the UK ran an excellent article about Majorca’s art and history recently.

To read the article click here