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The furthest distance
that can be travelled on this island of 581,564 inhabitants and
covering an area of some 3,640 km2 is 120 km, which is the distance
between Puerto de San Telm and Formentor lighthouse at Cape Formentor.
Most visitors tend
to stay around only part of the coastline, many without realizing
about the magnificent inland scenery of plains and mountains that
can also be enjoyed.
Palma, the island's
capital, has a population of approximately 300,000, which is practically
half of the entire population of the island. It stretches some 15
km along the coastline, from El Arenal and Palma beach in the east
as far as the cosmopolitan districts of Cala Mayor and San Agustín
in the west.
Palma is a smallish city, having all the advantages that this brings,
while at the same time having all the possibilities of a much larger
city. Its main source of income comes from tourism and, consequently,
leisure activities of all kinds are more than well-catered- for
here. There are restaurants, cafeteries, pubs, concert halls, discotheques,
a bull-ring and all types of shows, offering the visitor entertainment
and amusement at all times.
Tourism had already
become an important aspect of life on the island of Majorca back
in the early 1920's although on a much smaller scale than today,
of course. It was a select, mainly winter tourism which grew up
steadily until the begins of the Spanish Civil War. The later "discovery"
of Ibiza and Menorca did not occur until well after the Civil War.
At that time Majorca was full of artists, who established what was,
to all intents and purposes, a colony in and around Pollensa and
its port. One of the most famous of them all was Anglada Camarassa.
That conglomeration of artists and poets at Pollensa was to bring
about something previously unheard of in island tourism - the construction
in 1929 of the Hotel Formentor. It was promoted by the Argentinian
entrepreneur Adan Dihel, who even suffered personal hardship in
his determination to build the finest hotel on the Mediterranean,
near a beach which was not really considered the most adequate place
for rest and relaxation. The Hotel Formentor brought about a previously
unimaginable change in the island's tourist industry, and was soon
imitated by the Hotel Cala Dor and the Gran Hotel Camp de mar. These
new hotels successfully joined forces with the already-existing
Hotel Victoria Gran Hotel de Palma and the Hotel Príncipe
Alfonso.
Beaches to the
West
Cala Mayor - sports
installations.
Illetes
Two coves some
75 and 150 meters wide, respectively. Pine trees stretch as far
as the shore. Excellent sand.
Portals Nous
Small beach with
a magnificent urban development.
Palma Nova
Excellent beach
with fine sand, good installations and pine groves.
Magaluf
Magnificent beach
with fine sand and crystal-clear waters.
Santa Ponsa
Another beach with
fine sand and crystal-clear waters.
Peguera
Interesting tourist
resort. Beautiful, quiet beach with fine sand surrounded by pine
trees.
Cala Fornells
Small beach with
fine sand.
Puerto de Andratx
Nearby are the
beaches of Camp de Mar and that of San Telm, which is sheltered
by Dragonera island. Both have pinewoods.
Beaches to the
east
Ciudad Jardín.
Can Pastilla - El Arenal - seven kilometre long beach know as Playa
de Palma.
The northern coast
Estellencs (489
inhabitants)
Rocky coastline
with a beautiful, small bay. Very picturesque site.
Banyalbufer (535
inhabitants)
Magnificent nearby
coves. Typical scenery with tomato fields all around.
Valdemossa (1,300
inhabitants)
The Royal Carthusian
Monastery has reminiscences of Chopin and George Sand. There is
also a small port just a few kilometres away.
Deia (414 inhabitants)
A picturesque mountain
village with the Llucalcari cover and a small beach.
Puerto de Soller
(1,000 inhabitants)
Its semi-circular
beach is approximately one kilometre in length.
La Calobra
A very beautiful
cover. Nearby is the Monastery of Lluc and the Torrent de Pareis
beach.
The north-east
coast
Puerto de Pollensa
(300 inhabitants)
It has the beaches
of Cala de Sant Vicencs and Formentor, the former situated some
7 km away from Pollensa. It is very cosmopolitan and has beautiful
pine groves running right next to the beach. Formentor beach is
9 km from the port of Pollensa and 16 km from Pollensa itself.
Puerto de Alcudia
(500 inhabitants)
Has an extensive
beach with fine, clean sand, and is the location of many urban developments.
Can Picafort (800
inhabitants)
Extensive beach
with fine sand and pine groves.
Cala Ratjada (1,500
inhabitants)
The location of
the Artá Caves, as well as the beaches of Son Moll and Cala
Guia. Both have fine, clean sand and crystal-clear waters.
Cala Bona - Cala
Mllor (300 inhabitants)
There are magnificent
sandy beaches in a lovely bay surrounded by pine trees.
The east coast
Port Cristo (1,000
inhabitants)
The caves of El
Drac and Hams can be visited, and there is also Porto Cristo beach.
Nearby is an aquarium and a safari park.
Porto Colom (411
inhabitants)
Has beautiful beaches,
like those of Porto Colom, Cala Murada, Cala Marsal and Arenal.
Satanyi (6,640
inhabitants) Here we find the fishing port of Cala Figuera, surrounded
by pine trees. Cala Santanyi lies 5 km away and has fine sand and
clean, shallow waters. Other interesting sites include Port Petro,
Cala Llonga and Cala D'or - the latter being surrounded by rocks
and pine trees.
Colonia de Sant
Jordi
There is a lovely,
sandy beach with crystal-clear waters, as well as pine groves and
salt pans.
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