Portals Nous Mallorca Spain

Portals Nous, located on the south west coast of the island, on the west side of the Bay of Palma (7 mls SW of Palma, 13 mls from the international airport), is a S-facing stretch of coast at the foot of forested slopes, accessible by old coast road and new highway from Palma.
The area is mostly used by the yachtsmen and their guests from Puerto Portals yacht club. Portals Nous has a nice and peaceful beach with clear waters, and lots of protection from swell. It is certainly one of the better places to go if you just want a small quiet beach. It is just a short walk from the yacht club where one can find plenty of restaurants, bars and shopping.

This resort was little more than a bend in the main Palma – Magalluf road until the marina was built (claimed with likely exaggeration to be the best in Spain), which raised it to the status of chic resort.

It has a few attractive buildings, including a parish church beautifully situated above the bay and an American school, but it is a dispersed settlement, stretching about 1 ml from E to W and ¾ ml N to S, with ordinary residential areas between the straggling high street, marina and beaches. Properties near the main road can suffer from constant traffic noise.

The resort is popular with the British, especially villa and apartment owners. Suits couples and families seeking a quiet but accessible base. The accommodation here is mainly apartments, with a few modest hotels catering mainly for independent travellers and small groups.
The beach here is small but is an attractive sandy cove, there is a second, much larger artificial beach beneath a crumbling red cliff next to the marina.
There are a couple of supermarkets and a handful of souvenir shops offer poor choice. Shopping is better in nearby Palma Nova.

During the daytime visit the Marineland dolphinarium on the edge of town, and play golf at nearby Bendinat. The nightlife here is a bit unreliable, but there is a better range of options exists in Palma Nova and Magalluf, which are 3 miles away.

There are some smart restaurants at the marina, and half a dozen fairly standard options on the high street.

Palma Nova Mallorca Spain

Palma Nova can never ever be described as being a typical traditional Mallorcan town, during the summer, both Palma Nova and Magalluf are more suited for those looking for an active, action packed holiday, and are certainly not suitable for long lazy days on the beach, followed by a quiet relaxing drink in the evening.
Whatever your preconception of Palma Nova is, the reality is either better or far worse than you can ever imagine. This resort mainly caters for young singles, especially in the summer season, though they will find that nearby Magalluf is noisier and more lively. In the mid and low seasons, the resort is ideal for families and for more mature visitors.

There is a choice of 70-plus tourist apartments and hotels, the majority in the middle range, but with a couple of good 4-stars in secluded positions at Son Calid Punta Negra.

Magalluf is geared mainly for young Brits looking for a loud and lively holiday; it’s not a great destination for those after peace and tranquility. Although it has improved in recent years, the skyline of Magalluf remains characterised by 1960s and 70s apartment blocks and the resort is packed with salesmen; the street vendors are best avoided but the ‘PRs’ outside the bars and restaurants can be worth chatting up as they offer free drinks. Visitors should be aware of the pickpockets on the beach at night.

Locality:

Palma Nova can be found in the south west of the island, on the west side of the Bay of Palma (9 mls SW of Palma, 15 mls from the airport). It is set on the Costa de Calvia, facing east across the bay. It forms part of the largest tourist nucleus in Mallorca when taken together with Magalluf and Torrenova.
There is a small cove at Son Caliu and 3 separate beaches in Palma Nova itself. The first, near the port, is a thin ribbon of sand served by several water-sports clubs. The second and largest has terrace bars with good sea views. Son Matias is the third a large sandy beach.

There are many Supermarkets and various stores which meet all general shopping needs. Souvenir shops are distributed throughout the resort. A greater choice is available within walking distance at Magalluf. There is a monday market at Calvi for the bargain hunters.
Entertainment here during the daytime consists of mainly water sports.
The nightlife here consists of a casino/restaurant in Magalluf and almost all of the hotels have some form of organised entertainment programme, from bopping to bingo in Palma Nova itself. There are also numerous music bars and several discos. Most clubs don’t get going until around 11pm, but there are lots of good bars nearby which offer good music and large jugs of sangria. Popular ones include BCM Cafe, Panama Jacks, Bar 29, Lennon’s and Eva’s.

There is a big choice of restaurants, with many snack and burger bars, plus restaurants serving local and foreign cuisine. Choices such as Indian, Chinese, Mexican, Italian, and even some Spanish restaurants compete with fast food outlets and lots of pubs and cafés offering full English breakfasts and Premiership football. Better restaurants can be found in Palma and Andraitx.

Paguera Mallorca Spain

This is a compact resort with a bustling, thriving, occasionally chaotic, atmosphere, with tourists and traffic competing for limited space. A bypass takes some traffic away from the resort so the main coast road, which is packed for most of its ¾-ml length with shops, bars and restaurants, is slightly easier to negotiate than in the past.

There are quiet, winding residential streets on the uphill side, where most of the hotels are located, although parking is a problem even here. A small park with pine trees, near the tourist office, has a fair-sized water slide.

Before the growth of the tourist industry on the island during the 1960′s, Paguera was originally a tiny fishing village, however, the last 40 years has seen it develop and grow, into a popular modern tourist resort with plenty of restaurants and facilities.

It is a lively, crowded resort favoured by German visitors who make up the vast majority here. It would be regarded by most as being of superior quality to, say, Magalluf, but equally it is not ideal for those seeking peace and quiet. The traffic and hills make it less than ideal for the elderly or disabled.

The accommodation here is more hotels than apartments, which accounts for the large numbers of bars and restaurants. There are a few good-class 4-star establishments but most are in the middle order.
Locality:
Paguera is on the south west coast of Mallorca (14 mls W of Palma, 20 mls from the airport). It is sitated on undulating land on the margin of a broad, south facing bay, and is sheltered behind by steep, wooded hills.

Beaches are mediocre with the better beaches situated on the east side. Those in the central bay area are very narrow and crowded but shallow, equipped with pedalloes and good for children. All of the beaches are of moderately fine, light sand.
During the daytime the most populat activities are water sports and golf at the 2 golf clubs nearby.
The nightlife here is several small-scale disco/bars and nightspots. There are entertainment and shows in the hotels.
There are bistros, pavement cafes, seafood and general restaurants in particularly generous numbers.

There are dozens of souvenir shops and an adequate provision of minimarkets should meet most needs. Behind the promenade there’s a long shopping street know as locally “El Bulevar”, and it’s here where most of the restaurants and bars seem to be concentrated. Paguera has an excellent selection of souvenir shops and Spa type supermarkets, which are supported with others selling local arts and crafts and famous designer label clothes.

Magalluf Mallorca Spain

Situated in the liveliest part of Mallorca, offering wonderful long white beaches, a wealth of entertainment and an exhausting nightlife. Much has been done to improve Magalluf over recent years with some of the 60s apartment blocks being demolished and a new palm-lined promenade being created, however it is still very much a party town popular with 18 to 30s looking for sun, sand and the odd San Miguel. Quieter areas can be found on the outskirts of Magalluf, in the suburb of Torrenova and in neighbouring Palma Nova.

It is boisterous and noisy, but its notoriety is only partly deserved. The Lager Belt includes all the flat ground at the centre and back of the resort, as well as the base of the Torrenova promontory. Outside this area are more peaceful enclaves, including Cala Vinas and Torrenova, a quieter, greener and more scenic suburb.

This area is suited to the younger lively crowd, singles and many families, mostly European and British, throughout the high season. Mature holidaymakers tend to take over in the low season. This resort has something for all, though the focus is still on the younger crowds who come to enjoy the active nightlife.

This resort has over 100 tourist hotels, aparthotels and apartments. Many are large package operations with a holiday-camp feel, which have set dining hours and intrusive public-address systems. Most of these are securely middlemarket, and many open from May to Oct only. The more appealing, higher-rated establishments are at Cala Vinas and in a group at the S end of the beach. Some good properties can be found in the quieter suburb of Torrenova. There is a handful of good-quality hotelswhich exist in Son Caliu, adjacent to Palma Nova.

Locality:
Magalluf is found on the south west coast and is 15½-ml from Palma Bay, merging with the smaller resort of Palma Nova (9½ mls SW of Palma, 15½ mls from the airport). The resort is facing south east, overlooking the wide bay and Magalluf Beach. It is backed by open rural land.

The beach here is the largest on this section of coast and, indeed, on the S side of the island. It is broad and deep, with fine white sand, though it is still capable of overcrowding. It’s safe to swim here; the currents are not too strong and the waters fairly shallow; lifeguards are present from May to October.
Ther are scores of shops with reasonable prices, selling jewellery, clothing, beach and water-sports wear, souvenirs and handicrafts. There are some some high-street retailers. However there is lots of junk, and the more serious shopper will do better in Palma. There is a Monday-morning market in Calvia, and various others throughout the island. There are many small, well-stocked supermarkets in the centre itself, with a couple of large supermarkets on the edge of the resort.

During the daytime there are water sports, go-karting, water parks, bowling and pony rides in the precincts. The standard glass-bottomed boat trip has now been outdone by “Nemo”, the Finnish-built, glass-sided submarine. There are facilities such as tennis, cycling, bungee rocket (summer) and golf courses all within 5 mls.

Magalluf is Mallorca’s entertainment and clubbing capital. Most hotels have organised entertainment, some excellent, some appalling. Most are free with the exception of Pirates, which is a must for those who aren’t easily offended. The largest nightclub on the island is BCM, which attracts top DJs from around the world.
Other clubs include Bananas, School Disco, Boomerang and Carwash (60s and 70s music). Most clubs don’t get going until around 11pm, but there are lots of good bars nearby which offer good music and large jugs of sangria. Popular ones include BCM Cafe, Panama Jacks, Bar 29, Lennon’s and Eva’s.

There are plenty of restaurants in Magaluf cater for many tastes. Indian, Chinese, Mexican, Italian, and even some Spanish restaurants compete with fast food outlets and lots of pubs and cafés offering full English breakfasts and Premiership football. Better restaurants can be found in Palma and Andraitx.