The municipal district and holiday resort of Puerto Pollensa lies on the north
west coast of the island, approximately 58km, and a 1.1/2 hour drive from the
capital
Palma
and the
Son Sant Joan International airport.
Despite being one of the furthest resorts from the airport, driving over to
Puerto Pollensa from Palma, isn't really a bad journey.
From the roundabout leaving the airport grounds take the 1st exit onto the Ma-19
Autovia de Levante heading west towards Palma, before then joining the Ma-20
Circunvalacion de Palma.
As the Ma-20 arcs around the northern outskirts of the city, keep a sharp
lookout for exit 3B signposted towards Inca/Port d'Alcudia/Son Castello.
From here the fast Ma-13 Autovia de Palma - Inca heads north past the industrial
town of Inca, where shortly after, just outside the village of Crestatx, the
Ma-2200 will then effectively take you all the way into the centre of the
resort.
As with the other resorts on the island, this route is reproduced in greater
detail, complete with links to maps where appropriate, on the
Route Map
link on the left hand frame of this page.
For the growing numbers of visitors who are now opting for a taxi transfer,
there are always plenty of taxis available from the ranks outside of the
arrivals hall, although on occasions you should be prepared to queue, and in
theory at least, they should all operate on a fixed price basis, typically
charging around 75 euro for the journey to Puerto Pollensa, however experience
has shown that this "fixed price" may vary slightly depending upon the number of
suitcases, the time of day or night of the journey, and of course the number of
passengers carried.
Also an important consideration for families with small children, is that these
taxis do not as a rule carry child seats, therefore children may have to sit on
their parent's knee for the journey. If this is a cause for concern, we strongly
recommend that you make arrangements for a pre-booked taxi to be waiting for
you, and clearly specify at the time of booking that a child seat is needed for
the journey.
Most of the tourist developments that have gone on over the last 40 years have
tended to be centred around the port area, and undoubtedly it will here in
Puerto Pollensa where your accommodation will be situated. The old Roman town of
Pollensa can still be found 5km inland from the port, and it is certainly worth
a visit with many of the narrow streets dating back to the 18th Century.
For some bizarre reason, the old town of Pollensa now actually lies in the
municipal district of
Alcudia,
although this is something that we will hopefully cover in more detail on our
Attractions
pages.
The bay of Pollensa is home to a multitude of luxury yachts, as well as a
mixture of colourful local fishing boats which sadly in recent years are now in
the minority. There are a number of small natural beaches in the area, as well
as the recently extended artificial one, all offering the usual selection of
facilities and water sports. Although, the warm shallow waters of the bay do
make it especially popular with families with small children.
During the summer months, there is always a good selection of shops, bars and
pavement cafes to choose from, although towards the end of October a number of
these do close until around Easter time the following year, when the visitors
begin to return to the island.
Although not popular with everyone in the town, a couple of years ago a Burger
King opened on the sea front, which does get busy during the school holidays,
and in complete contrast, the resort also boasts several high class fish
restaurants, which are claimed to be the best on the island.
Without a doubt the main feature of the resort is the dramatic Sierra de
Tramuntana mountain range that surrounds and shelters the town. For the more
active, there are numerous walks into these hills from where the views back over
the bay are stunning. A word of warning though, before you venture into the
mountains be sure to take a local guide book with you which documents the walks,
and tells you everything you need to know.
Beyond the beach and the activities programme provided at many of the larger
hotels in the area, the actual resort itself really has little in the way of
family type attractions. You won't find water parks or karting tracks here, and
is therefore perhaps more suited for those seeking a quiet relaxing break.
Although, if the prospect of doing nothing for two weeks isn't that appealing,
there is a waterpark, karting track and three mini-golf courses, less than 10
minutes away at the Hidropark in nearby
Alcudia.
Tourists have been coming to Puerto Pollensa since the 1920's, and the hotels on
the sea front still retain an old fashioned air, having been built long before
the concrete boom of the 1960's developments. During the summer months the town
attracts mainly British families looking for something more than the hussle and
bussle of the popular south coast resorts.
However, once the families have left from October onwards, the resort then
becomes very popular with middle aged couples who are able to take advantage of
extended stays, escaping from the cold British winters.
Evening entertainment here is mainly hotel based, although the resort does have
one very well established disco called Chivas which first opened it doors 1969,
but don't expect to find loud music and non stop karaoke bars. If that is what
you are looking for then Puerto Pollensa is not for you.
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This website was launched on 1 May 2002
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