Santa Ponsa Verdemar Apartments, Majorca.

A good choice for your accommodation in the popular resort of Santa Ponsa on the holiday island of Mallorca in the Spanish Balearic Islands, is the Verdemar Apartments complex, located in Calle Ramon de Moncada close to local amenities and beaches. Apartments in the Verdemar Santa Ponsa offer rooms with bathroom, balcony, kitchenette, safe, etc, complex facilities include 24 hour reception, restaurant, bar, laundry, room service, and meeting facilities, there are also leisure facilities including outdoor swimming pool, ideal when the weather is hot. Santa Ponsa is situated on the south-west coast of Mallorca, close to the resorts of Magaluf and Palma Nova, and just 18 kilometres from the island’s capital Palma de Mallorca, it has excellent sandy beaches, a pleasant climate, and good amenities for both daytime and night time entertainment. Apartments are available in the Apartmentos Verdemar Santa Ponsa from around 26 euros per night (£22), perfect for your stay in the Balearics.

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Sol Calas de Mallorca Resort

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.

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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 exhibitions 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.

Palma de Mallorca Map.

Castillo Hotel Son Vida Majorca

Surrounded by the beautiful 18 hole Son Vida golf course, the charismatic Castillo Hotel Son Vida is one of the most popular in the area, which is in turn extremely popular with golfers due to there being 3 fabulous courses in a small area. The Castillo Hotel has 171 well presented rooms which all have the usual facilities expected of a top class hotel including bathroom, mini-bar, air-conditioning, internet, heated floors and coffee making facilities. The Castillo Hotel Son Vida located west of Palma, is housed in a building which dates from the thirteenth century, providing a unique atmosphere, making a visit to the hotel a memorable experience. The hotel itself of course has lots of facilities with swimming pool and sun lounging area for enjoying the wonderful Majorca weather, tennis courts, games room, internet, health spa, fitness centre, massage, salon and restaurant, all set in stunning grounds. The Castillo Hotel is situated within easy driving distance of Majorca airport, which is located in nearby Palma de Mallorca. From the airport you can easily obtain a taxi or transfer, or you may choose to obtain a car hire vehicle and make your own way to the hotel.

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 The city itself has some wonderful attractions including the famous La Seu Gothic cathedral, which boasts one of the biggest stained glass windows in the world with 1,236 pieces and measuring some 11 metres across – amazing.

 Founded as a camp by the Romans in about 123 BC, Palma de Mallorca became an important port on the Mediterranean trade route. Known as Medina Mayurqa to the Arabs, its name is actually taken from the Roman city of Palmaria. Much of the original Roman city still exists below the present day city, and Roman remains are being found all the time.

Mallorca (normally called Majorca in the UK) is the biggest of the Spanish Balearic Islands, the other main islands are Ibiza, Menorca, Formentera and Cabrera, Mallorca itself is often likened to a continent rather than a small island, due to is rich and diverse landscape, which varies from the alpine like mountains of the Serra Tramuntana and the Serra de Levant to the flat fertile plains of central Mallorca. The island is also rich in flora and fauna and its natural parks such as the wetlands of S’Albufera in northern Mallorca, provide important protection for hundreds of bird and animal species.

Mallorca was one of the pioneers in mass tourism during the 1960’s and 1970’s and many of its popular resorts became over developed, but don’t let that put you off the place, get away from the built for tourism resorts (mostly gathered on the south coast), and you will find some charming little towns and villages, which remain much as they have for hundreds of years. Though almost nowhere is Mallorca is totally untouched by tourism, and most places rely on it, in one way or another, there is plenty to see that has not been spoiled by it.

Mallorca was first inhabited in around 5000 BC and its first organised culture was known as the Talaiotic Culture which built settlements in Capocorb Vell and Artà in  1000 BC. The Talaiots left their mark in the form of great stone towers which can still be seen today (the neighbouring island of Menorca is particularly rich in these structures). The Romans conquered Mallorca in 123 BC and called it Balearis Major, they built their capital at Pollentia (Alcudia) and introduced vineyards and olives, though it remained an outpost of the Roman Empire and less important than the Spanish mainland. After the collapse of the Roman Empire, the Vandals arrived on Mallorca, persecuting the Christian population, though their control was relatively brief and they were ousted by the Byzantines who restored Christianity and order to the island, under Byzantine control Mallorca became a province of Sardinia.

The next major year in Mallorca’s history was 902 AD when the Moors invaded, incorporating the island into the Caliphate of Córdoba, the Arabs called it Medina Mayurqa and set to work improving the irrigation of the island with their advanced techniques, introducing new crops such as oranges and almonds.

Mallorca was re-conquered for the Christians in 1229 by King Jaime I of Aragon, his son Jaime II was later to become the 1^st King of Mallorca.

Mallorca suffered numerous pirate attacks throughout the 16^th to 18^th centuries and a number of watchtowers were built around to coast to warn the inhabitants of these attacks.

In late 1936 during the Spanish Civil War, Mallorca was attacked by Republican troops, the attack was repulsed and the island remained in Nationalist hands throughout the war (1936-39).

Mass tourism arrived in the 1960’s with the opening of the Son Sant Joan Airport and Mallorca catered for this modern invasion by developing its southern coastline, in 1983 the Balearic Islands became an autonomous region of Spain, with Palma de Mallorca as its capital.

Mallorca Map.

Magaluf Majorca

One of the best known resorts on the holiday island of Majorca, Magaluf is a sun and fun resort that would not suit everyone. Mostly attractive to the younger generation, Magaluf boasts a wide range of entertainment with friendly bars, lively discos and nightclubs and a vibrant atmosphere. The resort does have some excellent sandy beaches which will suit those looking for a more relaxing holiday, and on the beaches visitors can make the most of the wonderful Magaluf weather, which is ideal for holidays during the summer season, and remains pleasant throughout the winter months. The nearby Pirates Show has, since its inception, attracted over 3 million visitors and continues to attract and entertain. Other attractions in Magaluf include water sports, horse riding, golf, aqua parks, go-kart racing and much, much more. Magaluf has an excellent range of hotels and some privately owned rental accommodation, so booking a Magaluf holiday should not be a problem. If you are looking for a non-stop sun and fun holiday, Magaluf might just be the place for you. Magaluf Map.