Sun, sea and sand holidays on the Balearic island of Majorca have been drawing millions of tourists from the chillier regions of Northern Europe since the 1950s, when the dream of cheap Mediterranean flights became a welcome reality. The island grabbed the opportunity to become a number one destination with both hands and, by now, has every possible visitor amenity in place as well as the best beaches in the region.

Most visitors will arrive at the capital Palma de Mallorca’s international airport and head straight for a dose of sun and fun on one of its famous beaches. Stunning but crowded white sands and azure seas backed by towering hotels run the length of the coastline here, with the five kilometre Playa de Palma stretching from s’Arenal to Can Pastilla and boasting fine sand and shallow waters perfect for families. Water skiing, jet skiing and paragliding are the sports here, with the busy beach backed with palm tree shaded eateries.

To the west of the capital is Cala Major, another major destination during the summer season, with its shallow crystal waters safe for children and pedal boats for hire. A true urban beach two kilometres from Palma’s downtown district is Playa Ca’n Pere Antoni, backed by a wide promenade with cycle paths and beach restaurants. The shore slopes away to a good depth of clear water although no water sports are offered and it’s less safe for children.

The north of the island is its mountainous area, with the resort of Alcudia a favourite destination for its glorious beach and shallow sea, the best for families on the entire island with even a children’s playground set along the sands. Paragliding, water skiing and jet skiing are popular here. The child-friendly beach at nearby Port de Pollensa is less crowded, with spectacular views of the mountains and a wider selection of watery activities than its neighbour. Quieter Port de Soller hugs the foot of the mountain range in beautiful Bahia de Soller bay with Playa d’en Repic, the lovelier of its two beaches, a narrow, natural sandy strand steeply sloping to deep water.

Majorca’s east coast is rockier, with small sandy beaches set in narrow coves, crowded in summer although the resorts here are less touristy. The best-known is Cala d’Or with its five fabulous beaches and great snorkelling below the cliffs. Isolated Cala Mondrago, flanked by two headlands, has pale turquoise waters, with neighbouring s’Amarador beach 400ms away and far less crowded even in high season.

Majorca’s south coast holds Es Trenc beach, one of the island’s loveliest, unspoilt and carefully preserved. Nearby Colonia Sant Jordi has a few hotels and Cala Pi beach is surrounded by pine trees and set in a romantic cove with just a few small guesthouses. On the island’s western peninsula is Magaluf – party central with noisy nightlife in its over 100 bars and clubs. The beach is good, with a great selection of water sports facilities, but used mainly for recovery from riotous nights out! Adjacent Palma Nova is the family-friendly equivalent, with three pretty beaches.

For more information on Majorca, including the latest money saving deals on Majorca holidays and Majorca villas check out our website www.YourMajorca.net.

Popular as a Roman colony and later conquered by the Vandals, followed by the Byzantine empire, the Moors, invaders from North Africa and finally the forces of King James of Aragon in 1229AD, the island of Majorca’s present incarnation is as holiday heaven for sun-starved northern Europeans. The largest of the Mediterranean Balearic Islands, Majorca has been a hub for tourism since cheap flights ushered in the package holiday era in the 1950s. Nowadays, over eight million visitors arrive for their summer getaways each year, with the coastline of the entire island given over to resorts, hotels and facilities for fun in the sun.

Majorca’s endless white-sand beaches and their crystal-clear waters are the main attraction, with the busiest and most popular strands the closest to the charming, historic Balearic capital of Palma de Mallorca, famous for its long heritage and delicious food. Other popular resort towns include Magaluf, a favourite with Brits escaping chilly, wet summers, and the smaller beach resorts of Ses Illetes, Cala Major and Puerta Pollensa, popular with families. Beaches, of course, equal water sports, with a fabulous selection on the island including windsurfing, snorkelling, diving, sailing, fishing, sea-kayaking and water-skiing.

Outdoor sports on the island aren’t just confined to watery activities, with a huge choice of land-based sports including hiking, biking, horse-riding, golf, rock-climbing, caving, hang-gliding, canoeing and hot-air ballooning. Hiking and walking trails across the island’s mountainous northwestern region may be challenging at some points, but offers spectacular views and a chance to get to know the real Majorca, away from the tourism hotspots. For serious golf aficionados, courses here are set in magnificent surroundings and maintained to a high standard.

Given the island’s impressive history, it’s no surprise to find glorious heritage sites scattered across Palma de Mallorca and the many small towns and villages along the coast and inland. History and heritage buffs are in heaven here, with much to explore from all eras of Majorca’s chequered history. The massive, magnificent cathedral in the capital is a good place to begin, and the medieval Castell de Bellver, looming over the city in its unique circular design, holds a fascinating museum as well as superb vistas across the bay. The 13^th century Valldemossa Monastery set high in the mountains was originally a royal palace and now holds the Musee Municipal Art Contemporani.

For most holidaymakers, shopping and dining out in exotic locations are essential enjoyments on a foreign holiday, with Majorca holidays scoring high on both. Palma de Mallorca is a shopaholic’s dream destination, with everything from factory shops offering fashions at budget prices, specialist stores selling traditional local products for the home including colourful ceramics, embroidery and basketwork to wines, local foods and delicious pastries. The weekly markets held in towns and villages across the island give great opportunities for people-watching as well as stalls selling jewellery, leather goods, souvenirs and much more at great prices. A sunset supper sampling Majorca’s delicious seafood and its local wines is the perfect end to your day.

There are a number of operators who offer fantastic deals to sunny Majorca, Thomson Holidays and Thomas Cook Holidays are two of the main agents with a range of package holidays and flights for you to enjoy this beautiful island.

Some of Hollywood’s best known actors and actresses already visit Majorca for their holidays, and Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones have a home on the island and spend much of their time there – so perhaps it should come as no suprise that Majorca would like to see some feature films that use it as a location.

And with this in mind the local authority is applying for a grant from the central government for promoting itself to filmmakers in Hollywood, but also to film studios elsewhere including Europe.

The UK for example has a well known and extensively used film industry, with plenty of British actors and actresses appearing regularly in Oscar winning films since the very first days of cinema – and the appeal of filming in a location they know well will appeal – and with flights to Majorca taking just two hours from the UK it will be close to home for many of them too.

The benefits for any travel destination to be featured in a well made and popular film makes sound economic sense – the number of people watching a top film runs into the millions, and with DVD releases along with terrestial and satellite television taking up a film too the benefit can last years – and will be far more cost effective than advertising and marketing Majorca as a holiday destination through traditional advertising methods.

The island has some excellent beaches for a Mediterranean backdrop, Playa de Muro for example, while the interior has traditional countryside with fincas and plenty of natural landscape to ensure a wide spectrum of films would make Majorca suitable.

Playa de Muro Majorca

It’s not just post production where the island would see a direct benefit. During filming of a Brad Pitt movie ‘World War Z’ in Malta recently one local newspaper estimated that the island’s economy had an extra 30 million Euros spent during just three weeks, with quite a few residents receiving money directly for inconvenience while their roads were closed, and a similar story is likely to unfold for any films shot in Majorca.

Locals hoping to be in a film will have the opportunity to be an extra, but they aren’t likely to make a fortune – media reports in Malta suggest that extras were paid just over 6 Euros an hour, and for many it was a twelve hour day, much of it spent waiting patiently between scenes being shot.

When compared to the Mediterranean island of Malta it’s surprising perhaps that so few films have been shot in Majorca. Apart from the World War Z Brad Pitt film due for release in January, other epics that have Malta as a backdrop include Troy, Gladiator and the Da Vinci Code.

If funding is approved and more people take holidays in Majorca, what can they expect to find, and what are the main resorts to look out for when considering where to book?

For those who like the beach and the Mediterranean to be the centrepiece of their trip there are a good number of blue flag beaches – awarded to the best holiday beaches in Europe for cleanliness and facilities. One of the best is Playa de Muro, close to Arinsal, and it’s easy to access by car or public transport, and is popular with locals too.

And there are plenty of other good beaches with blue flag status available to enjoy, with some of the hotels in Majorca having direct beach access – plus good restaurants, attractions and a host of things to do. Or you could just let the world go by you, relax and enjoy the best island in the Mediterranean and see just why Majorca holidays were the choice of many in the late summer no matter when you decide to visit. And don’t forget to visit the historic capital Palma that is full of character and traditional charm, it’s one of Europe’s best capitals to visit.

When you visit Majorca, are you missing one of the best places on the island to visit?

If you think Palma is just where the airport is, a recent article in the travel section of the Daily Mail is worth having a look at, to see whether you think a trip into the old town of Palma might be worthwhile.

It also reviews one of the hotels, and describes a new service provided by the hotel (rooms start at £40 a night) which takes you out on a yacht.

To read the article click here

For reviews of the hotels in Majorca visit yourmajorca.net

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Just a few days into August, but early signs are that it’s going to be a good month for the hotels in Majorca – with occupancy at 90 per cent.

Majorca

Before the advent of the internet and access to all, the standard practice for many families was to place a deposit on a holiday in January and pay some off each month, so by the time the summer holidays came along everything was paid for.

It made financial sense as holidays were factored into household expenditure, and a trip to Majorca or elsewhere could be looked forward to during the cold dark winter months.

It was good as well for the travel industry as they could see months before the peak season booking trends and volumes compared to previous years, with reps deployed to the favourite destinations, with some research time between being employed for the summer months and arrival.

For travel agents it made for good business financially. The start of the year was a boom time, and ensured cashflow for the next six to seven months as families faithfully paid the next installment of their annual holiday each month. It worked it seems for everyone.

But prices were higher than today in real terms, and a family holiday abroad in recent years as a percentage of annual household income had fallen over the last twenty years. Often the savings were put into more holidays, and the once a year fortnight often turned into two, three and sometimes four trips a year.

But another travel trend has become stronger recently, enabled by consumers access to travel sites once the preserve of a travel agent, and since the banking crises in the autumn of 2008 and the continued recession value for money has become more important to many – and often the best value for money is booking last minute.

Last minute bookings have been around for some time now, and spawned the name of one of the most famous travel sites which allowed for example flights and Majorca hotels to be booked at discounted rates if people were able to travel with a few days of booking.

Today it isn’t just those with time on their side who are booking last minute – increasingly the population as a whole are booking as late as possible, even if they have fixed annual leave time, to ensure they can still have their Majorca holidays – but at a price they can hopefully afford. And with fewer people taking trips abroad this year than anticipated there is usually a good amount of availability, so the risk factor of booking last minute and finding there isn’t anything suitable is greatly diminished.

For those who like Turkey last minute bookings are specially favourable, as bookings have dropped considerably compared to recent years, with much of the blame for the decline put on political unrest in neighbouring countries and in the region as a whole earlier this year.

But what about perenially popular Majorca? Can couples and families leave their booking to the last minute to secure a great deal – and find decent hotels in good areas with Majorca flights included as well?

Taking the tour operator Thomson Holidays as an example, for their late deals they have an aparthotel in Magaluf available, for two adults and two children to include flights at a total cost of under a thousand pounds for a seven night trip in early September.

Magaluf isn’t for everyone, and probably not best suited for familes, and more suitable could be Santa Ponsa which has a good reputation for being family friendly. It’s more expensive at one thousand three hundred pounds, again for a family of four with flights from Gatwick, but it still represents a good value last minute break.

There’s plenty of other tour operators apart from Thomson Holidays who include Majorca, so with a little research it shows that even on popular islands like Majorca a last minute holiday is possible, with different locations available.?

Check our profile and

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The worldpropertychannel has published an article about the island, and focuses on yachting over the summer months.

Included is information on the annual Super Yacht Cup, now in its 15th year.

To read the article click here

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Reviews for hotels in Majorca are available at www.yourmajorca.net and comments from competitors are available on twitter

Majorca

It’s one of Europe’s most popular holiday islands, with both British and German tourists visiting Majorca time and again.

But with many families having less disposable cash at the moment, advice on how to still have a holiday in Majorca but spending less than in previous years is more sought after than just a few years ago.

There’s plenty of advice on how to save money while on your overseas holidays, and one way families are cutting their costs is to opt for package trips – a trend increasing so much that well known tour operator First Choice, part of the TUI travel group that includes Thomson Holidays, is to offer this exclusively from 2012.

But new research shows that something as simple as which day you depart and return from your holiday can have a major impact on the overall cost, with the same trip having a difference of hundreds of pounds within the same week as starting a holiday.

Well known and respected British consumer group Which? did the research, and it shows that by switching the departure day from a Saturday to a Thursday considerable savings can be made for Majorca holidays and elsewhere this summer.

Noting that nearly all holidays cost more from mid July to end August than any other time year – along with Christmas – when the school holidays occur, they show that it is possible to cut the cost of a peak time family trip relatively easily, especially as most families now have internet access and can act as their own travel agent.

A good example the consumer group gives is for a week’s holiday for four to Majorca in August, which costs just over £2,300 with Thomson leaving the UK on a Saturday. But by moving the departure day to a Thursday the same vacation is £1,480 – an astonishing saving.

And staying with Majorca holidays they give another example, this time with travel firm Cosmos and flying from Manchester Airport, where the same holiday departing on a Saturday costs over £2,500 but if the flight was taken on the Friday afternoon the overall price would drop by over £600.

With a little forward planning the research shows potential holidaymakers how they could save hundreds on exactly the same trip but with just a liittle variation in departure and return dates for exactly the same package, with no comprising on quality of the Majorca hotels they have to choose from with the major tour operators who sell the majority of holidays in the UK.

Independent travellers are also finding that there’s some great money saving deals available if they are prepared to spend an hour or two doing some basic research if they want a villa holiday. Some of the big companies have some online late bargains available for Majorca villa holidays this summer.

Private owners too are slashing prices to get occupancy and some money in during the peak months – well run internet sites allowed an advanced search where you can not just specify a particular country, but an island or region and even individual villages, with options to show those where the owners have special offers available in the coming weeks.

For more Majorca holidays visit www.yourmajorca.net

The Manchester Evening News has run a good review of Majorca, and informs its readers that the island isn’t Blackpool, and if they haven’t visited before because of that image they should forget it and see Majorca for what it really is.

The review says that Palma is a two hour flight away, and quickly becoming a popular destination for short breaks as well as traditional one and two week holidays.

It also says how good the Hotel Tres in Palma is, for those looking for Majorca hotels.

To read the review at the Manchester Evening News click here

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Overall Easter was good for Majorca’s hotel and holidays industry, partly due to Easter being later than normal this year, and partly due to a lot of British tourists taking advantage of the extra public holiday for the royal wedding to take a week or two on the island.

But some areas have done better than others – the capital Palma for example had hotel occupancy nearing 85%.

Other areas doing well include Soller, Calvia and Cala Millor, while Alcudia didn’t see as many tourists as they might have hoped for.

For Majorca hotels visit yourmajorca.net

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