The resort of Cala Mayor, which you may also see written locally in Catalan as Cala Major, is a residential suburb of the City of Palma, and is situated along the southern coast of Mallorca, approximately 20km, or 12 miles to the west of the Son Sant Joan International airport.

Because of the resorts' close proximity to Palma and the Via de Cintura ring road, it usually takes little more than ten minutes to get to Cala Mayor from the airport, which by taxi would typically cost around 20 Euro for a standard vehicle carrying 4 passengers plus their luggage.

For the more adventurous traveller, it is also possible to make the journey by public transport by taking the Number 1 bus from the airport to the Plaza Espana in the centre of Palma. This runs every 10 - 15 minutes throughout the day.

From Palma you would then need to change to any one of the buses that run regularly into the resort.

These include the L106 and L107, which are yellow and red buses operated by the Consorci de Transports de Mallorca, or alternatively the 3 and 46 routes, which are blue buses operated by the Empresa Municipal de Transports Urbans de Palma de Mallorca.

Either way the total journey time to Cala Mayor will normally take around 20 - 30 minutes.

Whilst Cala Mayor was once a popular destination for those pioneering tourists to Mallorca more than 50 years ago, and was infact one of the islands' first tourist destinations to be "discovered", it soon lost it popularity following the development of other more popular south coast resorts such as Arenal, C’an Pastilla, Magalluf and Santa Ponsa.

As a result, despite its close proximity to both Palma and to the cruise ship terminal, which is well within walking distance, the town of Cala Mayor slowly deteriorated and became more of a residential area than an appealing tourist destination.

In all fairness to the resort, the local city council have recognised this situation, and considerable sums of money are now being invested in the area to improve both accommodation standards and resort facilities.

Being a suburb of Palma, access to the city by public transport is very easy, with the journey taking little more than ten minutes.

Also, because of its location to the west of Palma, it is in a great position for getting to the main south-west resorts like Illetas, Portals Nous, Palma Nova, Magalluf, Santa Ponsa and Paguera, all by bus.

For independent travellers who have hired a car, it is also an ideal location because you can get onto the Palma ring road (MA-20) in a couple of minutes, and from there you can exit it at many different points taking you to some of the island other resorts and places of interest like Valldemossa and Deia.

For those visitors who enjoy a little "retail therapy", the covered shopping precinct of Porto Pi, complete with restaurants, cinema, casino and bowling alley, is also easily reached either on foot or by bus from Cala Mayor.

The main resort beach is easily accessed from the main road running through the town, and also from the hotels Playa Cala Mayor and La Cala, both of which have beach front access.

It is a sheltered beach with safe swimming areas. The areas for bathing, and where boats must not enter, are clearly marked in the summer months. Visitors will find a bar/cafe on the beach, as well as toilets, showers and wheelchair access.

The resort of Cala Mayor actually boasts one of Mallorca’s superior hotels in the Hotel Nixe Palace. It was first opened in 1957 and is named in honour of the Austrian Archduke Luis Salvador who landed in Palma in 1872, mooring his boat, the Nixe, in Cala Mayor Bay for many years.

Luis Salvador played a big part in popularising Mallorca across Europe in the latter 19th and early 20th Centuries, and later owned the house currently owned by actor Michael Douglas on the west coast of the island.

The Hotel Nixe Palace was bought by new owners and re-opened after a complete renovation and modernisation in 1997, after being closed for nearly 10 years, and is now recognised as being one of Mallorca’s top 5 star hotels.

Cala Mayor is also home to the Marivent Palace, formerly known as the Saridakis Palace, which is the summer home of the Spanish Royal Family when King Juan Carlos and other members of his family visit Mallorca during July and August each year to attend various official and unofficial functions including the King’s Cup series of yacht races in the Bay of Palma.

Unfortunately, visitors cannot gain access to the Palace, and very little can be seen from the main road and the only way you can get to see the Palace is from out at sea on a boat.

You will however always know when the Royal Family are in residence because there is a massive special police presence in the area and across all of the bridges passing over the Paseo Martitimo on Palma’s sea front.

However, if you are in Palma in the main summer months, keep your eyes open, as there is nothing more Queen Sofia enjoys than walking around the streets of Palma on a shopping trip. Also at night, you may well just be enjoying a meal in the same restaurant as the King and Queen.

Just 400 metres from the Marivent Palace is the Fundacio Pilar i Joan Miro a Mallorca, which is an exhibition of works by the Barcelona born artist Joan Miro, who lived in Palma until his death in 1983. The exhibition, which also houses some works by Pablo Picasso, is open to the public.

There are a few shops in the Cala Mayor, but not many gift shops. However, there are many restaurants and bars and you can find every type of cuisine: Italian, Chinese, Mediterranean, European, British and so on.

Nearby, in the adjoining area of San Agustin there is one of the best Italian restaurants in the south of Mallorca; Buona Sera, which has been established for many years.

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