Both kids are now at University so Mrs B and I are looking at a short break. Somewhere we've not been before. Not too cold, not full of noisy yoof.
After looking at a few cities we cast net wider and found a decent self catering break in Puerto Pollensa out 27/10 back 31/10 flying Monarch from CastleDon. Hire car through holiday autos is dirt cheap so we can see more of the island.
One possible downside is that late season it might be a bit too quiet with eateries etc shutting up for winter.
Any relevant experience out there?
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Majorca's open all year (unlike Minorca). Pollensa's a large place and you should have no problem finding places open. I recommend keeping away from the Irish theme pubs and anything that seems British (unless you like that sort of thing).
I've only ever used Holiday Autos once. We arrived at the airport to be told "we have no car for you, you'll have to hire from somewhere else and claim a refund on return to UK". This at ten at night. I wouldn't touch them with a barge-pole now. I hope you have better luck if you've already paid.
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We've been to Puerto Pollensa twice and would happily go again, but never that late in the season - I suspect your choice may be limited, but still enough, if you know what I mean.Most of the eateries are along the seafront to the north of the port and offer a reasonable range of menus if I remember correctly
One thing I vaguely remember was driving out to Cala St Vincenc and passing either a big private house or exclusive hotel where the ground floor was a glass walled garage full of some seriously classic motors, but I've never been able to track it down on the net
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With a car you should pretty much be able to cover the island in a week - Palma is worth a visit for the Cathedral and architecture but there is probably not much reasom to tarry too long in the far west (Palma Nova, Magaluf etc). Soller is interesting for a short visit, and while you have a car you should drive out to Cape Formentor. There is a nature reserve nearby at Albufiera, and the island is riddled with archaeology, well worth reading up on or taking some sort of guide book with you, and if like me you did Robert Graves' "Wellcome to the Caves of Arta" for O level, you'll just have to go and visit some of the caves on the east coast.
Also, now I remember, the last time we were there we hired pushbikes for a few days - Pollenca town and Alcudia are easily reashable, but that may be a bit of a busman's holiday for you !
Last edited by: borasport on Mon 7 Oct 13 at 11:52
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>>Any relevant experience out there?
As it happens we go there quite often about now. The weather is nice. Can be flakey, but basically nice.
You need to find out when the half-term break is.
The week before that break, everything is open but everything is quiet and gentle because the kids are at school.
The week of that break its packed with kids and families.
The week after that break everything is closed (Well, not everything, but a lot) since its now on the go-slow until the Christmas period.
I'd recommend the place quite strongly in the right week. 'Course, it depends what pastimes you're looking for.
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Don't forget your cycling gear. There are some great climbs if you hire decent bikes and out of the tourist season, the roads are fairly empty.
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This might provide some cheap sight seeing www.trendesoller.com/en/cms.php/Timetable_and_Prices
I am just off for a week in Crete. Weather forecast to be 25C - ish. Nicely timed flights and all inclusive. Now I am worried about my Holiday Autos car! £52 for 3 days.
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Dont worry about your holiday Autos car, I have used them 5 times, all over europe and they have been fine.
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Thanks Zero. Over the years I too have never had a problem; I was just a bit bothered by the earlier post!
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>> Dont worry about your holiday Autos car, I have used them 5 times, all over
>> europe and they have been fine.
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Yep, used them to with no issues
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However, unless you need the rental car to get to your hotel, there are a myriad of off-airport rental places which are dirt cheap; albeit the car might be a few years old.
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Remember - The warter in Madgeorka don't taste like wot it orter.
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The town of Pollensa is in my opinion much nicer that Puerto Pollensa and has more of an all the year round appeal. I stayed there in February and never found a problem in finding somewhere to eat. Nice big square in the middle of town with restaurants with lots of narrow street and alleys to get lost in. I seem to remember hiring a Ford Ka and being pleased I had nothing bigger!
Tramuntana mountains are beautiful and the mountain roads are great to drive. Unusually it snowed quite heavily whilst we were there and the locals found this a bit of a novelty stopping on the hairpin bends to play with the snow.
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Ever been to Madeira in the winter?
Locals drive to the top, make snowmen on the roofs of their cars and drive back down again.
On Holiday Autos. It was my first experience of dealing with them and if you'd been treated like that would you use them again?
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A really good break was had.
Holiday Autos were fine; they're an agent/consolidator so I guess they're only as good as the firm they match you to. In our case it was Centauro - a shuttle bus ride from the terminal The 'Golf sized diesel' turned out to be a Hyundai i30 CRDi.
Although we've driven 30-40k in France in our own cars over last 15 yrs driving LHD for first time was more difficult than we thought it would be. Sat myself in front pax seat once before working out I was wrong and still reaching to my right for seatbelt this morning.
The i30 was OK for a few days though I'd not choose one myself. Found it's extremities difficult to estimate - a bad thing when roads are narrow and have deep ditches but kept it on the macadam. Mrs B, who's short in leg and buys her clothes from Evans, found herself far too close to wheel but I was OK. Daft gear change indicator in instrument display I wish I could have switched off (another thread may follow!!)
Apartment, Don Miguel, was just behind Pollensa Park Hotel, a modernisation of sixties/seventies tower block style accom.
Clean, comfortable and with just enough catering capacity for breakfast - two electric rings and a toaster. Plenty of places to eat though we only used two - Simbad's Restaurant (*2) and a Tapas bar 'La Cabana' run by a Geordie lady. Self assembly tapas in the apartment did us on Monday.
Spent most time on north coast. Sa Calobra and Fornalutx were particular highlights. The grave of Graves in Deia was astonishingly difficult to locate!!
Tuesday's thunderstorm felt like standard Med/Alps fare, sort of thing The Lad sleeps through while Mrs B, Bromptonette and I are watching the lightening. Must have been unusual as first 15mins if local telly news, seen over dinner in Simdab's, was fallen trees, flooded streets and water being squeegee'd out of the airport etc.
Monarch airlines flights excellent both ways. Why does anybody fly Ryanair???
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Nice little review, B. Enjoyed that. Ta.
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Hope Sa Calobra wasn't covered in damn bikes, like the last time I was there!
;>)
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>> Monarch airlines flights excellent both ways. Why does anybody fly Ryanair???
Another plus for Monarch.
We had hold baggage as part of the package. When we got home we found one of our cases damaged. Internal polycarbonate shell was shattered, presumably as a result of being dropped from height.
A quick call to the airline last night and one from their baggage agent this morning to get full detail. I couldn't even give them purchase date or price for the damaged one but brand new replacement is being delivered on Monday.
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Autumn Break - Majorca - bathtub tom
