Tag: ibiza

Mallorca’s Extreme Weather: Lessons from Recent Storms

The weather has been hitting the headlines here for all the wrong reasons over the last couple of weeks. The islands were hit badly by the storms, with Ibiza probably getting the worst of it.

I really believe we are sleepwalking into another flooding disaster, like the one we experienced back in 2018 here in Mallorca. If you can’t remember that awful night seven years ago, here’s an excerpt from my blog at the time:

“Thoughts and prayers are with the people of San Llorenç and the surrounding areas this week. Living on a holiday island, you never expect us to be hit by the kind of storm that hit last Tuesday. Shocking videos and pictures were all over social media, and I think the realisation of how bad it was only dawned the following morning. Thirteen people tragically lost their lives, making it one of the worst natural disasters here on record.”

That storm happened at night, and the true devastation it caused only really became apparent the morning after. I don’t think even the word apocalyptic describes it — it was truly shocking.

The storms were caused by an extreme weather event with a massive amount of rainfall, exacerbated by factors including the town’s geography, existing infrastructure, and the difficulty of accurately forecasting the disaster. There was also a subsequent discussion about potential shortcomings in the emergency response and planning.

So here we are, seven years later — and what have we learned? Well, after talking to my Talking Balearics podcast partner, Martin Makepeace, who lives in Ibiza, the answer is: precious little. Ibiza bore the brunt of it, and the warnings that did come arrived too late. Martin, like me, has a blog called Man in San An.

He wrote:

“Saturated streets, mudslides, rockfalls, collapsed roofs, DC10 underwater, UNVRS without power, flights missed, cars submerged, tunnels full of water, the port of Ibiza cascading with water as passengers disembarked up to their knees, and the two most important hubs of the island – the airport and hospital – both leaking like a sieve. This was a generational event that will be spoken about for years to come.”

Remind you of anything?

The only good thing to come out of these recent awful storms is that there was no loss of life — probably more by luck than by preventative measures.

Back in June, we learned that since its inception in 2016 and up until the end of 2023, the tourist tax had raised a total of 698 million euros. Of this total, 218 million euros relating to the years 2020 to 2022 were used to cover needs arising from the pandemic. Of the remaining 480 million euros, only 59 million had been spent on fully implemented projects — a touch over 12%!

Remember, the tax was introduced to offset the environmental and territorial impact of mass tourism by funding projects for environmental conservation, cultural heritage restoration, and the promotion of sustainable tourism. It also aims to compensate local residents for the strain tourism places on the islands’ resources and infrastructure.

If ever there was a time to spend some of this money on our islands’ infrastructure, it’s now. Well, it was after the storms of 2018 — but when you look into the management of the tax, you seriously wonder who is actually running this absolute s…show (sorry, I couldn’t find a better word!).

The Public Audit Office has criticised the “chaos and lack of control” in the management of the tax up to 2023 — one of the reasons there has been such a low level of project execution. Difficulties the Audit Office encountered in preparing this report have led it not even to issue an audit report. It cannot endorse tax data or guarantee that the law has been complied with, or will be complied with, throughout the processes pertaining to the various projects. I actually can’t believe I’m writing this.

Now we learn that the Balearic Government — which has changed since the tax was first implemented — would like to increase it further. Surely they should be looking at the management of the money that hasn’t yet been spent first?

According to the experts, global warming is making weather more extreme and unpredictable by causing hotter temperatures, more severe storms, and more frequent and intense droughts. This is driven by rising global temperatures, which lead to more evaporation and moisture in the atmosphere, fuelling powerful storms like hurricanes and causing intense rainfall or longer periods of drought. Melting ice and warming oceans also contribute to sea-level rise, which exacerbates coastal flooding from storms.

I just hope someone here realises the seriousness of this — and sorts this mess out.

Starting A New Chapter: My Mallorca Concierge Service Launch

2024 was a difficult year if I’m honest . Losing my Mother, having a few health problems and leaving Pirates after 30 years wasn’t how I had planned the year to turn out. I decided to take stock of everything and reevaluate what I wanted to do going forward. It did give me an opportunity to spend some time with my family and friends and do some things I probably wouldn’t have done in the past. 

My eldest son Jacob had decided to carry on his education for another two years which really pleased us. After doing a summer season at Pirates he had also managed to find a job coaching football for youngsters with Rob Croll who runs the Russell Martin Academy. More free time also allowed me to spend more time with my youngest son Jude who has signed with a football agency and was asked to play in a higher age group for his club CD San Francisco. At 15 years old he is already playing for San Francisco Juvenil regional and he trains and is the reserve goalkeeper for San Francisco Juvenil Nacional who train at Real Mallorcas training ground Son Biblioni. 

A few people thought I had retired but that wasn’t on my radar, if I’m honest. If I wanted to carry on living on this beautiful island I certainly needed to earn some money. The start of a new radio station came a little bit out of the blue and hadn’t been in my plans. However as I said before the feedback has been amazing and the feeling we’re getting from the community and also further afield makes me think we made the right decision. That was strengthened even further this week when we did three live broadcasts from the Palma International Boat show. I’m reliably informed that it’s the fourth largest boat show in Europe and is probably second to tourism as far as its size as an industry on the island. A big thanks to Estela Yachts and Precision Marine for inviting us to their stands and a shout out to all our sponsors that made it possible. It was a classic example of how a team of professional people pull together to put on such an event. We are already looking forward to next year. 

What I have been working on was starting my own concierge service. It was a natural move into that World considering the amount of contacts I have acquired over the years. I am constantly being asked for a variety of different things and turning that into a business was the perfect progression. 

I have built up a team of people who are professionals in their own particular fields and it’s a case of using their professionalism to help others. 

Therefore if I can be of any help to your business or you have family or friends coming to Mallorca or any of the Balearic Islands, please let me know.

http://www.prioritymallorca.com 

Magaluf & San Antonio: From Excess to Excellence

Back in January 2020, the Balearic government passed a decree law against the so-called “tourism of excesses” and for the improvement of quality in tourist zones. They singled out the resorts of Arenal, Playa de Palma, and Magaluf in Mallorca, and San Antonio in Ibiza, as the areas that would be affected.

At the time, these laws didn’t really come into effect as the pandemic took over, but when everything returned in 2022, they were put into practice.

In 2024, after the elections, the laws were relaxed a little—but what has changed in these resorts since 2020? Well, having lived and worked in Magaluf since 1990, I think I’m well placed to tell you about it. I’ve also asked my good friend Martin Makepeace to give you a view on San Antonio in Ibiza. We do a weekly podcast called Talking Balearics, where we talk about Mallorca and Ibiza. Martin, like me, has lived in Ibiza for over 30 years.

Magaluf, ever since I’ve known it, has had a reputation—some see that as bad, others see it as an opportunity for good.

When I arrived in 1990, families and young people mixed without any problems—even in the winter. Slowly but surely, that balance ebbed away, and the headlines became worse and worse. You didn’t need to be a rocket scientist to know that something had to change.

Meliá was the first to invest in the resort, followed by pretty much every other hotel chain, meaning that over 75% of the hotels in Magaluf are now either 4 or 5-star. Anyone in the know will tell you that Magaluf beach is still one of the best on the island. A new four-million-euro promenade is being built as we speak, with phase one due for completion at the beginning of May. Phase two will be completed in the early part of 2026.

In my opinion, the measures brought in were a bit draconian and wouldn’t have been needed if the resort had been policed properly. The map of the so-called “Red Zone” was drawn in a way that benefited some businesses and not others. It should have been a blanket ban or nothing at all.

It was the short-sightedness of authorities in the past that meant they didn’t understand that the youngsters of today will be the families of the future. Most of my friends had been to Magaluf in their teenage years. They loved it so much that, fast forward five years, they were coming back and staying in a four or five-star hotel. Fast forward another five or ten years, they were renting villas with their families—and all of a sudden, they are the clientele that the authorities want.

You need to give people a taste of what your tourism product is at a relatively early age and hope that it ignites that blue touch paper. They then become bonded and emotionally attached to that location for the rest of their lives.

My list of positives about Magaluf is endless. And when you look closely, it’s a resort that still mixes families and youngsters—and, in my opinion, for longer throughout the year. For families, there’s Pirates, Gringos Family Rave, Western Water Park, karting, Katmandu, the beach, and countless bars, beach bars, cafés, and restaurants to cater to their needs.

For youngsters, there’s Reloaded & Gringos, Oceans Beach, BCM, The Strip, the beach—and again, countless bars, beach bars, cafés, and restaurants to cater to their needs.

I like the new Mayor and his administration in Calvia and believe the changes that are being made are good for the future. Magaluf has changed for the better, and my love for it doesn’t diminish.

Reputation is everything, and the court of public opinion can be a brutal place, passing judgment without the full facts. But times change. 

San Antonio, or Sant Antoni de Portmany to use its official name, is a great example. The stigma of the 80s and 90s still lingers—but it ain’t 1987 anymore. It’s 2025, and the shackles have been released.

New luxury hotels, top-end restaurants serving delicious food, world-class entertainment venues, a sunset that many say is the best on the planet—and more importantly, a young, ambitious mayor who’s not afraid to try new things, improve infrastructure, and make big plans for the future with major investment.

San Antonio now has some of the most expensive real estate in Spain and is already the most expensive place to rent. The gentrification process continues unabated on a small island with limited space. This is the yin and yang of an island that has seen incredible growth over the last 15 years. 

Being comfortable in your own skin takes time, and Ibiza’s second-largest town is finally the mature adult it wanted to be—rather than a sulky teenager prone to bouts of self-harm. 

“It’s a process” is a well-used phrase, and the perception of San Antonio is no different. But this can only be changed by a potent mixture of self-awareness, communication, consistency, and patience. The town is now controlling its own narrative—with actions rather than words. 

New and improved pedestrianised areas, world-famous street art, a new environmentally friendly summer police station, a spanking new port area, plans for cutting-edge sports facilities… and this is just in the last 12 months!

The future is bright. San Antonio isn’t walking into the future—it’s sprinting with confidence.

We both feel that the tourist model of Mallorca and Ibiza is changing for the better—and will need to change even more to keep up with its competitors.

You can hear “Talking Balearics” every week wherever you get your podcasts and Martins blog is https://maninsanan.com