I’ve been lucky enough to live in Mallorca for just over 30 years now and even for such a small island I’m still discovering new things. When I take the boys for their football matches, it’s a great opportunity to get out and about and admire the island. Take this week, I was scrolling through Instagram and the photo above came up. I had to look twice at the picture as I couldn’t actually believe what I was seeing.
A whole in the rocks that totally mirrors a map of the island of Mallorca! When I posted the same picture on social media, I discovered I wasn’t the only one who didn’t know this existed.
Forat de Mallorca is situated in Pollensa in an area that can only be reached by sea. There’s a great story as to how it was created. Legend has it that the hole was created during a pirate attack in 1582, after a cannon shot sculpted the silhouette of Mallorca in the rock. I’m going with that as nobody has come up with anything better and as I work in Pirates let’s stick with it.
Sometimes you tend not to appreciate where you live but that’s difficult to do that here. Take my drive to work. It takes me past the sea and the beautiful Port Adriano housing some of the best yachts and boats in the World. The well renowned golf courses of Santa Ponsa and T Golf and when I get to the radio studio I’m looking out over one of the best beaches on the island, Magaluf. You might snigger but believe me there aren’t many better on the island. Magaluf may have a bad name but the beach and it’s promenade are one of the best. Put it this way, Nikki Beach has 13 of its luxury beach clubs all over the World including Miami, St Tropez, Barbados and Dubai. They could probably have had their pick of anywhere on the island but they chose Magaluf beach for the one here in Mallorca.
There is no doubt that people come back on holiday year after year as Mallorca does have everything but in the past 18 months that might have been forgotten. Those that know me, know I’m very passionate about the island and what it offers and I sometimes get exasperated by how we are marketed as a destination. I’ve written countless columns and blogs on the island and it’s advantages as a holiday destination. But there’s something that we need to be wary of as it has no doubt become more popular since the pandemic. I’m talking about the “Staycation”.
According to the Cambridge dictionary a staycation is a holiday that you take at home or near your home rather than travelling to another place.
In most people’s eyes though they don’t think about staying at home or near to their home, Depending on where they live they’re thinking of Devon, Cornwall, the Lake District or Scotland. So in reality that isn’t a staycation.
There is something that Mallorca can guarantee that the UK can’t and that’s the weather. Lots of family and friends have told me that the weather in August was awful but strangely enough as a write this they’ve got great weather. No good now though considering the kids have gone back to school. A staycation doesn’t come cheap as lots of people have told me. I also think people want to try and be somewhere else in the World with different cultures, cuisine, scenery and nightlife.
I think the only problem for us is the traffic light system and the different test rules there are. However I read a report in The Times this week that the Government are talking about changing the traffic light system to red list countries only and people who have been double vaccinated will not have to have any tests on their return to the UK. That is rumoured to be happening at the end of this month.
Mallorca in my opinion is still one of the best holiday destinations anywhere in the World. An island with turquoise blue waters, secret coves, soft golden sands, lush green foliage, rugged mountains, picturesque villages, amazing cuisine, an up and coming wine industry, bustling nightlife and a vibrant capital city. We’re also an island in the Med only a couple of hours flight from most European cities.
Let’s look forward to a bumper 2022.
Take care everyone and enjoy your Weekend!
Richie presents the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show Monday to Friday 07.30-11.00am on 93.8fm in Mallorca and 102fm in Calvià, online at www.radioonemallorca.com on mobile through their free App for IPhone & Android, The Tunein Radio App, iTunes, the Spanish TDT TV service and all smart speakers. If you can’t hear him on the radio then you’ll find him working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again he may make an understudy appearance!
Follow him on Twitter @DadTaxi1 & Instagram @dad.taxi or feel free to email him at rprior@globobalear.com
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