Mallorca recce part two booked

[PEJ]

My recce to Mallorca to check out marinas went very well, so much so that I have booked Recce II - this time it involves boating.

I am taking 2/3rds of the family to Cala D'Or in July and we are chartering BCU's Targa 47 and taking it out to explore the calas. Can't wait. So if any forumites are about on July 22nd to 24th please do come and say hello.

For those of you following the Med move threads here is my take on what I saw in Mallorca.

We flew from Southampton and the whole thing was very smooth. We hired a car from Terry's car hire. Excellent. Just picked it up in the car park and dropped it there, no waiting. Drove in to Palma. Traffic quite bad. Looked around the marinas in Palma but we were put off by the busy main road that skirts around them all. Of the Palma marinas we liked club de mar the best.

Then on to Cala D'Or. The road was better than I thought it would be and the journey was not off putting at all. Had a good look around and chatted with Nick Barke of BCU who was very helpful, a really nice guy.

Cala D'Or is a bit like a river in that rather than the traditional rectangular UK marina it is mostly berths on the land side of a long thin stretch of water with a road that run around the edge. I assume that the parking spaces with a big R on them are for berth holders only so I you can park behind your boat. The "river" is surrounded by shops and restaurants. I found it a much nicer place to hang out on your flybridge than Palma.

Here is Cala D'Or marina from the top of the hill at the far end.




From the middle looking up



From the middle looking down (excuse fingers - the go pro has a small screen and a wide angle!)



We went on to Alcudia and Pollenca after this. More on those locations in the next post.

 

[PEJ]

After Cala D'Or we went to Alcudia.

I liked Alcudia as a place. The beach is lovely. Wide and shallow and although it gets busy with people there is plenty of room to spread out.

The marina is more of traditional rectangle but it looks like parking is more of a problem in that there are more boats than parking spaces.



The place is a little bit industrial, see the chimnies in the background but first and foremost is a family beach resort. There is a water park nearby so plenty to do around here on days that you don't take the boat out (if, like me, you have kids).



The trees aren't bent. It is a go pro camera and the wide angle lens bends stuff at the edges!

After Alcudia we went to Pollenca. I was a bit underwhelmed by Pollenca especially when I heard the price of the berths and of the Yacht Club membership. I didn't take any photos of the marina because I forgot to take the camera out from the car.

Pollenca is like a mini-Alcudia. Smaller town, smaller beach but with a bit more of an up market feel. It didn't really tick any of my boxes.

So the conclusion is we are probably going to move to Cala D'Or. We will do a trial run on the charter boat with some of the kids and if they like it then we will start the move process in earnest.

 

[Dorset Dan]

Look forward to reading this with interest.

We are currently staying in a villa pictured in your first pic if Cala D'or. This is a pic taken just now:



Spent a morning on kayaks yesterday exploring yesterday, then a day at Mondrago beach today and doing a little self drive charter tomorrow.

It certainly makes a switch from the uk very appealing. Cala D'or marina area is great with loads of places to eat, sampled a few of them already this week and will be trying a few more before we return next Sunday.

 

[CLOUD9]

So if any forumites are about on July 22nd to 24th please do come and say hello.

Hi PEJ. Very interesting to hear your thoughts on the various Mallorca mooring options. I did the rounds in November 2015 and although perhaps not the best time of year to view marinas, came to similar conclusions as you have. We will be in Cala d'Or on 22nd-24th July and will say hello if we see you on board. You may not see CLOUD9 as she is in the quieter part of the marina on the Pontoons at the seaward end. We have not regretted the move to Cala d'Or.
Rick

 

[ashtead]

Lovely photos and very interested in your research as was out there last summer when between boats taking look around same location .
I found car hire process really poor at Palma airport so can you advise as to Terry's details as he might be a better bet for future ? Can you book direct and just get a code to unlock keys in a box on car with him which is how we pick up for example in Tenerife.

 

[PEJ]

Re: Terry's car hire. See here: http://www.terryscarhire.com/

They leave the car in the car park with the keys in the wheel arch and you just drive off. On the way back you shut them in the boot and get your flight. So easy. You never see human being, all transacted by email.

 

[PEJ]

@cloud9 - Great hope to see you out there and get so top tips!