subject: 2010 Holiday Choices - Majorca [print this page] Europeans have been taking holidays in Majorca for over half a century
- and it's as good today as it's ever been for a well earned break.
Information about Majorca is readily available through many travel articles and wiki websites. As a vacation location and tourist attraction, the Balearics have made quite a name for themselves. Some of the islands are considered party islands while others have earned a more family friendly reputation.
Most articles focus on the resorts, hotels and beaches in the Balearic Islands, but we would like to focus on residential areas and towns. Aside from being a great vacation destination, Majorca is home to about 3.5 million residents. Some of the more famous residents include Hollywood's star couple Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, Annie Lennox, Claudia Schiffer and Julian Lennon to name a few.
Palma de Majorca
Palma de Majorca, officially named Palma, is the capital city of the Balearic Islands. According to the last, the city's population was 383,107 and the surrounding area was home to 517,285 people. The sheer number of people living in or around Palma made it Spain's 12th largest urban area. The city's economy is largely driven by the port and tourism. Cruise ships and other water craft dock in the harbor as the city welcomes tourists and other visitors with an open, friendly atmosphere.
Transportation in and around Palma includes taxi services, boats, rental cars and off-road vehicles. Walking is the most popular mode of transportation in the busy streets of the city. Aside from tourists and winter residents, full-time residents of Majorca live and work in the city just like any other city in the world. The Son Sant Joan airport serves as a transportation hub for more than 22 million people per year.
Port de Soller
Port de Soller is located on the northwest coast of Majorca. Soller is a valley in the shape of a bowl and includes the village Fornalutx and the hamlet Biniaraix. The combined population of the area surrounding Soller is about 13,000. Soller and Port de Soller are linked by a tram. The port is open year round for cruise ships and other water craft.
Port de Soller is a horseshoe shaped bay surrounded by incredible beaches and treacherous cliffs. The resorts and hotels nearby provide many of the local jobs and support the economy. The area surrounding Port de Soller is a large mix of residential homes as well as rental properties to support tourism. This area is connected to Palma de Majorca via bus service.
Palma Nova
Palma Nova, or New Palma, lies just outside Palma de Majorca in the Calvia municipality. Palma Nova has seen tremendous growth in recent years with many international property investors purchasing investment property on the island. Each year more and more Brits, Germans and Russians are purchasing property on Majorca. The most recent focus has been Calvia, or more specifically, Palma Nova.
About 28,000 people call the municipality of Calvia home and welcome an estimated 1.6 million tourists each year. The municipality as a whole is one of the wealthiest in Europe. It is home to four professional golf courses, several water parks, a modern promenade and the Gran Casino Majorca. The Chess Olympiad, where some of the brightest minds in the chess world compete, was held in Calvia a few years ago.
Majorca Much More Than Vacation Hot Spot
Although it is one of the most popular year round vacation destinations in the world, Majorca is simply called home to more than 3 million people. Residents live, work, raise families and play on this incredible island that so many tourists each year enjoy for only a short period of time. On your next Balearic Islands vacation, take the time to really look and enjoy the normalcy the island has to offer. Make a point to visit Palma, Port de Soller and Palma Nova; even if it's just to pass through and see the sights.
If you haven't decided where to go on holiday this year, why not try Majorca and join many others who have visited before and fallen in love with the island.
by: Henry Ashworth
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