mallorca villas

Six new villas with pools have been added to Freelance Holidays’ Mallorcan programme for 2011. The specialist, which focuses on Mediterranean islands, has also added apartments in Puerto Pollença to an expanded mallorca villas programme.   

Typical of the new properties is Ca’n Alou, quietly tucked down a long drive, surrounded by almond orchards and with inspiring views of craggy Castell di Santueri.  It is only five kilometres from the sandy beach, fishing harbour and inviting bars of Porto Colom. 

Lovingly restored, the result is quintessentially Mallorcan, with high, beamed ceilings, exposed stone walls and cool tiled floors. The styling is ‘simple traditional’ and yet up to date in terms of the well-equipped kitchen and shining bathroom.  One double and one twin bedroom make the villa perfect for small families or couples alike. 

Outside, the covered terrace is furnished for both dining and lazing.  The sparkling tiled pool, with wide steps at the villa end and a purpose-built barbecue at the far side, is surrounded by sun terraces and lawns.

As with all Freelance Holidays’ mallorca villas , Ca’n Alou can be booked online for any-day-arrival and flexible stays from five nights upwards.  Nine nights’ villa rental in May costs from £1,029, while 12 nights in August is from £2,983, including mid-week maid service.

Other new villas in mallorca  include Son Albaricoquer, surrounded, as its name suggests, by apricot trees.  The house can sleep eight and as well as its own pool, boasts a half-size snooker table in the downstairs den.  The nearest bars and shops are in Cas Concos, 20 minutes’ stroll away, with the pretty harbours of Cala Figera and Porto Petro both within 20 minutes’ drive.  A week in August costs from £2,495. 

 Elsewhere in the Mallorca villas programme, deals for April holidays include Cana Joana, where seven nights’ rental starting 1 April is reduced from £675 to £595, for a villa sleeping up to six with a private pool set in 10,000 acres!

Mallorca villas for rent

If you’ve never been to Mallorca, you may have formed the view that it is a mass-market destination.  However, in Mallorca, villas for rent in the most picturesque and inviting locations will entirely change your perceptions of this magical island. 

An island to explore

Mallorca has a fabulous history going back thousands of years. Numerous civilisations and peoples have left their mark through the march of centuries. Exploring around this island will be something that starts to change your views about its culture – which is not just about sea, sand and sun. Visiting ancient towns such as Inca, Valldemossa (the mountain village home, for a short time, of Chopin and George Sand) or Alcudia (the ancient Roman capital), will quickly open up to you a side of Mallorca’s cultural heritage that is a million miles away from coastal resorts. The magnificent mountains, countryside and beach at Formentor will perhaps surprise you with their isolation and stunning natural beauty.  Manacor is also well worth visiting, not just for its blue flag beaches but also for the pearl industry that has made the town world famous.

 Even some of the busier resorts may be quite different to what you expected. On the northern tip of the island you’ll find the resorts of Alcudia (a short distance from the ancient town of the same name which is a few kilometres inland) and Puerto Pollensa (Pollenca). These are two bustling but chic resorts with a wide variety of upper-end shops, restaurants, cafés and bars. You will also find many wonderful Mallorca villas for rent  here, tucked away in scenic locations.

 Mallorca has over 500 kilometres of coastline, where you can still find quiet isolated coves and stunning natural scenery and countryside. Also the modern capital of Palma can’t be overlooked with its magnificent cathedral and fantastic winding streets where there is always the possibility of picking up that bargain. 

Mallorca villas for rent – considerations

 Tourists have always been attracted to this wonderful island.  The 1960s saw perhaps the first larger scale tourism, though many of the resorts of today were little more than fishing villages at that time. In the 1970s and 1980s, as in other parts of the Mediterranean, some parts of the island did experience larger-scale development and the arrival of mass tourism. However, since the 1990s the island has actively sought to restrict this development and to protect its essential core charms.  Many would say that this has been very successfully done.

 Of course, the fact that you’re looking for a discerning holiday doesn’t necessarily say anything about where you’d like to be based.  Some visitors prefer a degree of isolation while others wish to be a little closer to a major centre. If you’re thinking about Mallorca villas for rent, your requirements will be unique to you. You may want an exclusive villa that is only a short distance away from a major centre but which retains an essential degree of privacy and exclusivity. However, you may equally want to get as far away as possible from towns and even the concept of ‘a centre’. In either case, there will be Mallorca villas for rent that will suit you.

As a general rule, locations around the Bay of Palma will be busier and with easier access to a wider choice of evening and perhaps daytime entertainments. They will also be closer to the airport if you don’t like long transfers. By contrast, around the northern coasts of the bays of Alcudia and Pollensa, you’ll be able to find a quieter form of sophisticated location where you will have plenty to do if you wish, but in a generally slower-paced and quieter environment. They will be around an hour’s drive from the main airport at Palma. You can find smaller and far less developed coastal locations around the west coast where evening entertainment may be more limited. It’s also possible to find inland villas that are comparativelyisolated and where you’ll be able to sample the mountain views and marvellous fresh air.

 As you would expect, Mallorca at the height of the season can become very hot. The luxury Mallorca villas for rent will typically come with air conditioning of course, however, if you’d like to stay cooler even when out and about, then that may be another reason you’d wish to consider a location up in the hills. Even in a mountain location, on Mallorca you will never be far from a good beach, many of which have blue-flag status.

Your decision

Mallorca is sometimes called ‘The Island That Has Something For Everybody’ and it’s not hard to see why. Having a villa that meets your exact needs will help you see the island at its very best.  On Mallorca, villas for rent are plentiful and finding one to match your precise personality is easy!

 A Real Taste of the Islands
Nothing gives you a more literal taste of an exotic place than the local cuisine. Basic to the traditional Mallorcan diet are thick, rich soups and stews, savoury pork dishes, seafood, and flavourful sausages. In fact, the Mallorcan sausage called sobrassada is an island icon. The main ingredients are chopped pork, ground red pepper and sea salt. It can be grilled on its own, or served in soups, with bread, on pizza, with eggs, figs, honey, or any of a dozen other combinations.

 Other popular meals are frit Mallorqui, which is a tasty lamb dish; arros brut, which is a soupy dish made with pork, rabbit and vegetables; and a fish stew called suquet de peix. A traditional Mallorcan meal always starts with a bowl of olives and a chunk of pa amb oli (rye bread and oil). It might be topped with chopped tomatoes or mao – a locally produced cheese that is similar to cheddar. For a beverage, there’s the local wine, which has a good reputation, or Spanish cervesa. You can also try a couple of locally made spirits: herbes and palo.

Restaurants across the island serve up all of these great dishes and drinks; however visitors who take advantage of Mallorca villas for rent can try preparing some meals themselves. The ingredients are all available in the markets, and you can even take a few Mallorcan cooking classes. Just keep in mind that in Mallorca, it’s customary to sit down and slowly savour a meal. Lunch is the main meal of the day, and the courses from appetisers to after-dinner drinks can be drawn out over several hours. Mallorcans like to go all-out with food when they entertain, so if you’re invited to someone’s house for a meal, be ready for a feast. It is customary for a guest to bring a gift of a bottle of wine or box of chocolates.

mallorca

For people travelling to Mallorca, villa rentals are easy to arrange through Freelance holidays,  If you love the outdoors, one of the great advantages of renting a villa is that it puts a great range of Mallorca activities right at your doorstep.  Thanks to its mild climate and natural beauty, Mallorca is all about the great outdoors. People of all ages come here for every sort of outdoor sport and hobby imaginable, except for the ones that require snow! And since the great majority of the ten million tourists who visit Mallorca each year spend most of their time on the beaches, many of the wild coastal stretches and mountainous areas are blissfully uncrowded.

 Ride a Bike or Take a Hike
Mallorca has been a favourite destination for walkers and hikers for a long time. Whether you like an easy, leisurely stroll, or a rugged, challenging cross-country hike, Mallorca offers you your pick of terrific trails. You can hike the bald limestone peaks in the west, the fertile plains of the interior, or the rocky coastal trails in the east. Many of these trails have been in use for centuries, but the island administration has decided nonetheless to mark them to ensure that no one gets lost. If you’re a veteran hiker, you might like to try the Ruta de Pedra en Sec (Route of Dry Rock) which crosses the Serra de Tramuntana.  This is a five to seven day walk. Hikers spend the night in rustic mountain huts. Hiking maps are available, as well as English speaking guides.

If you’re a cyclist staying in a Mallorca villa, rentals of bikes and other equipment are easily arranged. Best of all, the path from your front door leads to 1250 kilometres (777 miles) that have been adapted for cycling. For the most part, the roads are excellent and have marked bike lanes. The hilly terrain and peaceful countryside draw cycling enthusiasts from all over, especially in the spring and autumn when the weather isn’t too cool or too warm. If you’re into mountain biking, you’ll find a maze of trails to choose from, ranging from flat dirt tracks to rugged single track climbs. Just be sure that you have a good map, and don’t head out into the mountains alone.

 Name the Activity; Mallorca Has It

 If you’re a golfer visiting Mallorca, villa rentals are bound to put you close to a golf course, because the island has nearly two dozen of them. You can play 18 holes with the blue Mediterranean in the background. For bird watchers too, Mallorca is a paradise. It is a major resting point for birds migrating between Africa and Europe. At the Parc Natural de S’Albufera you can see more than 230 species, including moustached warblers and shovel ducks. Horseback riders will find miles of great trails. If you’re interested in water sports, Mallorca offers sailing, surfing, wind and kite surfing, and sea kayaking. There’s excellent snorkelling and scuba diving. You can take a cruise on a yacht, or go for a water tour on a glass-bottomed boat.

 All you have to do is get out there and enjoy.

Sand castle time....

 

For families going on a vacation in Mallorca, villa rentals are an excellent choice of accommodation. It’s like having a home-away-from-home for parents and kids. It’s also important to keep in mind that even though most resorts welcome children, some of the big clubs have age restrictions for obvious reasons, and do not allow minors. With your own villa, you don’t have to worry about that. Moreover, a villa gives you the kind of space kids often need, and in many instances you also have a private swimming pool. 

 Lots of Things for Kids to Do 

 Families that take advantage of Mallorca villa rentals will find that there is plenty to keep children entertained and occupied. Of course, they are going to love the beaches; but sooner or later the kids, especially the older ones, are going to want other activities. 

 Children always love exploring the Bellver and Sant Carles castles. These are genuine castles that were built centuries ago to protect Palma. Both have museums with great displays of weapons and other artefacts. The Museo de Munecas is a fascinating doll museum that is usually just as interesting for the boys as it is for the girls. At Es Baluard, which is an art museum built among the ruins of an old shipyard, kids can combine art with fun activities. 

 There are parks with swings and climbing things all through Palma, but the best ones are at Parc de les Estacions near the bus station, Sa Feixina Park near Es Baluard, and at Parc de la Mar near Palau de l’Amudaina. Palma’s Marineland has dolphin shows and an aquarium. Kids can also see reptiles there. Right across the road from each other are Western Water Park and Aqualand, where kids can see marine life and have fun on waterslides and rides in the aqua gym. There are entertaining shows that include mock pirate battles and water jousting tournaments. Most attractions charge lower admission prices for kids under 14 or 15, and very small children are free. 

 Festivals and Circuses 

 You’ll likely find that Mallorca villa rentals don’t give you access to the children’s activity programs and babysitting services that some of the resorts offer, but you will still find plenty to keep the kids amused. Fairs and circuses often visit the islands and there are a number of festivals that are celebrated with music, fireworks and pageantry. Semana Santa (Easter) is the biggest week of the year. The Nit de Saint Joan (June 23), held before the Feast of St. John, features the correfoc (fire running). After dark, people dressed up as demons run through the streets with blazing fire-making equipment. Then everyone heads to the beaches for bonfires. The parties can carry on until dawn, by which time the kids will have long been in their beds, but the fire runners always get their attention. Sa Rueta and Sa Rua, which is held in February, is Palma’s version of Carnival. It always has a special procession for children, followed later by the larger one

It’s been pretty snowy here in Stratford on Avon over the last few days, like much of the rest of the country.  Although that’s made life difficult for many, I have managed to struggle into the office each day, without much problem as, being a farmer ‘s wife ‘in my other life ‘ so we do have a four wheel drive.

Calender

It was going home the other evening that really brought home how we are coming to a turn in the years. My windows were thick with snow and although I had loaded the car with a blanket, shovel and boots before I set off, I had not considered anything for snow removal from the body of the car. This is where the turning into the new year becomes relevant, because we still had a small pile of desk calenders dated 2010. Although they have been usful this year their use is shortly expiring, so I grabbed half a dozen (you may remember, they had a lovely photo of fishermen in Castellemmare, Sicily  on the front) , put them into a plastic wallet and stylised my own snow scraper.  It even warmed me a little to think of the sunshine in Sicily this year and how guests at our Villas in Sicily   have enjoyed their holidays.

I’ve left my ‘snow scraper’ in the car for future use  – I wonder how many other uses those calenders have been put too?

All this snow is certainly very beautiful. Of course they do have snow high up in the mountains in Crete, Sardinia and Mallorca. But rarely off the mountains, although when I went to Mallorca last April I met up with Francicsco, the owner of Villa Hort d’en Gelos  and Villa Sa Torre, who by the way has an amazingly quiet and dry sense of humour. He was keen to show me photos he’d taken a few weeks previously of his lovely Villas in Mallorca  with snow lying all around them. The following day the temperature had gone up to 16degs so it didn’t stay around for long, but for those few hours it was almost magical in that lovely valley under the Tramantana Mountains.

I expect we will have to wait until April at least before the temperature here gets up to 16degrees. Oh well -roll on the New Year.