WHY NORTHERN MAJORCA IS THE TRENDIEST SPORTS DESTINATION?

Its landscapes, wonderful beaches, charming harbours, the Mediterranean sea, its peaceful winds, quiet atmosphere and kind people, high quality healthcare, great connections with the rest of the island... Not to mention, the hotels specially designed for practicing any kind of sport. These factors make northern Majorca one of the best places for international tourism, but especially for outdoor sports lovers.  

According to the official published figures, Sports tourism is one of the best consolidated in Majorca, as well as in many touristic destinations in Spain (only national tourism). More than 2,3 million Spanish travellers travel just to practice sports on their holidays. The number of international travellers coming to Spain for this reason is even higher: more than 9 millions a year. Most of them stay at golf hotels in Chiclana, golf hotels in Isla Canela and top hotels in northern Majorca. More than half are men and tourism expenditure in Spain exceed 10 million euros.

In the Balearic Islands, more than 2 millions of visitors come to the islands to practice sports. This figure keeps growing continuously. Cycle tourism is also growing in Majorca and particularly on the north coast of Majorca. Hiking is also really popular in Menorca and Ibiza is one of the favourite destinations for sailing lovers, as well as Palma de Mallorca, hosting world-famous regattas such as King’s Cup or Princess Sofia Trophy sponsored by IBEROSTAR Hotels & Resorts. Majorca stands out on golf tourism and cycling, even attracting international teams on their seasonal trainings in the island.

Historical evolution

If we look at the growing trend of these sports segments in Majorca, we can see that the pioneer was golf tourism, including 5-star hotels surrounded by exclusive golf courses of 18 holes all over the island, designed by some of the most world prestigious golf figures: Son Vida and Son Antem (near the capital, Palma), Calvia coast (Golf Bendinat, near Grand Hotel Portals Nous, one of the most exclusive hotels in Europe inaugurated this season; Golf Santa Ponsa…). On the north of the island, there are some of the most popular golf courses such as Golf Puntiro, in Sineu; Pula Golf and Golf Son Servera, both in Cala Ratjada; Golf Alcanada in Alcudia; and Golf Pollensa.

Many 4-star hotels are now committed to sports due to cycle tourism popularity. Many hotels in Alcudia and Can Picafort, such as the hotels in Son Baulo by Ferrer Hotels, are committed to offering facilities and services to meet athletes needs: bicycle repair shops, specialized shop, cyclist menus, special rooms… A good example are the hotels in Playa de Muro managed by IBEROSTAR Hotels & Resorts. Garden Hotels has its own athlete travel packages: Garden Experience and Protur Hotels offer special deals and services for athletes.

Most of these hotel chains have decided to join forces with private local businesses or international companies specialized in cycle tourism, thus benefiting the island’s complementary offer, making it grow thanks to the hotels nearby.

Step by step, as the variety of sports travellers practice increases, hotels offering athlete services increase too. New hotel concepts have emerged such as spa hotels, which apart from sport areas include wellness and athlete special care.

Average stay

Taking a closer look at the sports traveller profile and his behaviour in Majorca, we can see that the average stay is often not as high as family travellers in summer (usually between 2 and 3 weeks) but similar to getaway, short break and constituency week visitors: about 9 days. Daily expenditure is more than 100 euros and keeps growing, as there are more and more customized products and services that meet their needs.

The travel planning changes. Travelling with kids is very time consuming and it is really difficult to combine both children and intense sports day or island tours. However, many group travels are organized, leading to high occupancy at certain times of the year like spring or early autumn, previously offering low-occupancy. Seasonality remains a major concern.

Sports promotes deseasonalization, thus institutions and public administrations in Majorca (and Spain) are committed to the cause, creating cycle tourism and hiking tours, diving, surfing, sailing, kite surfing areas…particularly in northern Majorca.  

Key Points

Alcudia, Pollensa, Playa de Muro, Can Picafort, Son Serra and Formentor Cape surroundings are some of the best sports tourism areas in northern Majorca. Their natural beauty makes them different from any other Mediterranean destination. They offer high quality services for travellers and they are perfectly connected with the capital, main harbours in the island and the airport (within 50 minutes by car).

The official Tourism website of the Balearic Islands points out that the quality of the environment is one of the best advantages of practicing several sports. Cycle tourism is really popular and all those who practice this sport stand out that Majorca has an excellent network of roads for bicycles and other vehicles. 675 of the 1275 kms of roads in Majorca, are secondary and town roads, where you can ride freely. In addition, according to the regional government,  20% of these roads are mountain trails: Serra de Tramuntana, which is not just a unique place in the world declared a protected World Heritage Site, but the perfect place for cyclists and mountaineers.

Risks remain but the administrative commitment is high in this sense, as well as the awareness among residents and visitors, so the number of accidents is low compared to the number of cyclists visiting the island every year.

Some of the best routes are the Green olive tree tour (across some towns like Selva, Caimari, Mancor de la Vall…), Port de Pollensa to Campos tour (one of the longest as it crosses the island from the north to the south), the tour of Inca, Sencelles, Algaida, Llucmajor…

Recommendations concerning cycle tourism tours in Majorca:

• Wear reflective clothes to increase the visibility of the bike and the cyclist, especially in the dark.
• Wearing a helmet is mandatory in all intercity roads in the island.
• Children’s seat can only be occupied by children under the age of 7 and must be perfectly standardised.
• Group riding is not allowed in Majorca roads: just pace line riding or in two parallel pace lines. In dangerous areas, just pace line riding is allowed.
• Riding on sidewalks, highways and motorways is not allowed.
• Drinks and food are essential in non-stops long journeys.
• Sun protection is essential and avoid early afternoon hours, as in Majorca temperatures are really high in summer during those hours.   

Sol Hotels invites you to have fun in Majorca

In Majorca you will be able to know three or four coves on your holidays. Majorca is full of contrasts, wonderful landscapes and must-visit places. If you want to have fun with your family, Majorca is the perfect choice. Enjoy the sun all day long, ride along Bahia de Palma and the most important thing: enjoy Majorca to the fullest with Sol Hotels.

Have fun in Sol Katmandu Park Resort

Hotel Katmandu Park offers bottomless fun. Sol Hotels suggests you this hotel to make your holidays in Majorca unique and memorable, so you will look forward to going back.

The hotel is close to popular places like Palma, Puerto Portals or Golf Poniente, and next to bus and taxi stops. From there you can take the taxi or bus and explore the entire island, just in case you want to leave a hotel offering you everything you need.

When you reach the hotel, a huge themed park will welcome you. It’s located in Playa de Calvia, within 300 meters of the impressive Magalluf beach. The hotel has 3 pools, one of them is just for kids; a bar in every pool; a themed restaurant with Spanish and international cuisine; babysitter, kids club (for kids over 8 months) and maxi club (ages 5 to 12) to enjoy fun activities.

All rooms in Sol Katmandu Park Resort evoke happiness, which is perfect for families.

4-star entertainment

The hotel is designed to entertain you with a fantastic themed park on the shore of two impressive beaches in Mallorca (Calvia and Magalluf). Come and enjoy the sun and the sand in this great hotel (and its park).

Of course, you should also visit its aquatic park (restricted to kids), where you can enjoy breathtaking jumps. A place where fun is assured and designed for you and your family.

Madrid travel recommendation: activities and accommodation

The Spanish capital is one of the richest cities in the world and welcomes lots of tourists and visitors, whether they come from Spain or abroad. This city offers them lots of different places where enjoying the natural environment, but it’s also the perfect place for shopping, business travels or romantic getaways.

It’s one of the most visited cities, where you can find lots of monuments and places, icons of the international architecture and culture. A place where all cultures play a leading role and business and leisure opportunities are guaranteed.

Activities in Madrid

If  you travel to Madrid, you should visit a nice café, drink a delicious milkshake and then visit the places below:  

·       Museo del Prado

·       Parque del Retiro

·       Puerta de Alcala

·       The symbolic Cibeles Fountain

·       Angel Caido monument

·       Museo del Traje

·       Templo de Debod

·       Almudena Cathedral

·       Jardines de Sabatini

If you like football, you should visit at least one of the 4 stadiums of Spanish FIrst Division in Madrid, which are also headquarters of the 4 teams playing in the gold category: Real Madrid, Atletico de Madrid, Rayo Vallecano and Getafe.

Where to stay in Madrid?

Madrid offers a wide range of hotels, but we just mention the best ones in this article. We emphasize the 4 best hotels in Madrid that you should choose:

·       Embassy Serrano: located in Calle Serrano at Salamanca neighbourhood, this boutique hotel with its own restaurant is perfect for couples and business travels.

·       Lealtad Plaza: this impressive hotel in the heart of Madrid’s art Triangle, between Parque del Retiro and Paseo del Prado is perfect for romantic escapes.

·       Cliper Gran Via: 3-star hotel with familiar rooms in Madrid in Gran via. It’s designed for you to enjoy the Spanish capital, without difficulties.

·       Savoy Alfonso XII: next to Puerta de Alcala and in front of Parque del Retiro, we can find this 4-star renewed which has become one of the most desired 4-star hotels in Madrid,                        A perfect hotel for business or couple travels to enjoy a relaxing  experience.

Travelling like this, of course!

Sometimes we go crazy because of the enthusiasm and desire. We choose the destination, buy the travel guide and start dreaming. There is just one inconvenient, the expectations that we create, which later could not be as we thought. It does not mean that the destination is not as nice as we expected, it means that holidays are short and it is impossible to make all the plans that we organized or thought, because it can fill our holidays of too many fun proposals that turn into an obligation.

Reset everything and choose destination and hotel and let yourself go. Travel to enjoy, relax and have lots of great adventures, but improvising a little, which is not bad from time to time.

Let’s travel then to relax. Let’s look at the map and point the finger at a nice destination, not too expensive (pockets are not up for parties) and treat ourselves to some peaceful days. Here are our proposals. Some of them will surely offer you a great plan.

Cadiz

Sun, endless beaches, luxury gastronomy, great atmosphere and hotels at good prices. Yes! It’s one of our favourite destinations. You can go alone, with friends, kids or in couple and there are many possibilities of organizing a tailor made travel. For example, you can book a  golf hotel in Chiclana if you want to relax and enjoy the nice weather practising sports; book an apartment in Roche for a romantic escape; book a charming hotel in the centre of Cadiz to experience its nightlife…

Don’t get stuck. Cadiz is full of activities and it is one of the best places for a relaxing and affordable holiday. However, take enough time to look for accommodation and flights: it is usually sold out on high season.

Tenerife

Canarias is always a good option. It is a bit tiring getting there, because just flying from Madrid takes two hours…But it is worth if you have 4 or 5 free days. Tenerife is full of possibilities: aquatic sports, spa, wellness, relax activities, gastronomy, culture, bars and pubs, everything you want. We suggest you enjoy the calm and peaceful atmosphere of the island to disconnect from the world. For example, book a hotel with Jacuzzi in Tenerife, whether in the South or in the North. It is better, if it has not Wi-Fi: disconnect from everything.

Lanzarote

Another Canary interesting alternative -even better than Tenerife in our opinion- is Lanzarote. It is really nice to travel with kids to Lanzarote and relax: its natural quietness, its extraordinary landscapes, which seem from another planet and its people are unique. It is a guarantee for you to stay as at home, but with the chance to live lots of adventures. Family resorts in Lanzarote , hotels for couples, apartments and villas have average prices (it is not a cheap destination) but in line with service quality and everything that is offered by the island.   

Fuerteventura

We cannot leave the fortunate islands without suggesting you Fuerteventura. Here the hotels in Jandia beach are great to organize an affordable family holiday in a luxury destination.  There are also family hotels with adult spaces, which allow you to relax while kids have fun with animation teams. Beaches are fabulous in the South of Fuerteventura, where you can visit the small villages and the natural environment of the area, one of the best things you can find in The Canary Islands.

Ibiza

Forget thinking about Ibiza as a crazy party island. We are going to talk about the other side of the island, the quiet and peaceful Ibiza. For example, what about organizing a family holiday to Ibiza, enjoying its natural beauty, the delicious gastronomy, the hippy markets, the sunset, its secret coves, the natural parks, dinners at the beach…It is not necessary to go to Playa d’en Bossa or Vila, we just need to go to the North, to Playa de San Miguel area, so as to have a good time without stress.  

Bilbao, Beach and City

Bilbao is one of the touristic destinations that has grown and it has been modernized over the past years. Yes, even in the middle of the crisis it hasn't stop advancing in this field turning into one of the main Spain capitals more connected to art, alternative music, youth, gastronomy, nature and last but not least,the beach.

Its ria and its spectacular natural environment along with a frenetic cultural life has been its fundamental pillars since the beginning. All of this bounded to the kindness and hospitality of its people, its modern touristic service and the increased air connections with most of the spanish airports.

Nowadays, Bilbao appears as a perfect weekend plan for a short break but its shows as a destination to spend a one or more weeks comfortable, close to the sea or in the mountains.

Hotels in Getxo, with bedrooms with a view to Ereaga beach, the accommodation in the historic centre in Bilbao -next to the famous 7 streets of tapas and bars- the rural houses, the apartments, the red of bedrooms and hotels to stay in Bilbao is huge and its prices are pretty affordable. The most expensive are in the centre, but thanks to the good public transportation it's not important, all that matters is to enjoy everything you can find in Bilbao and its surroundings.

An evening in Ático Las Letras

If Madrid is a living and exciting city, the atmosphere in its terraces aren’t less, especially from the attic of the Hotel  Iberostar Las Letras Gran Vía, where you can enjoy one of the best views of the city from height, while enjoying its fantastic outdoors atmosphere

On the seventh floor of the Iberostar Las Letras Gran Vía, this original attic has become a unique magical place where you can enjoy life on the heights of Madrid, an oasis to hide from the hectic pace of the city.

From the terrace of this hotel in Gran Vía of Madrid, you will be able to enjoy the most beautiful views from the buildings that surround this emblematic street, as well as its warming atmosphere. You can also book to organize personal or professional meetings in one of the most exclusive places in the city.

But the charming air that characterise the terrace can be found in the rest of these hotel in the centre of Madrid, which outstands thanks to its location, its unique atmosphere that resembles to a book passage, full of elegance.

The place is perfect for those who like to go to the theatres and movie theatres of Madrid, since these are located around the Gran Vía of Madrid, A place to live and experiment the most cultural face of Madrid in the neighbourhood Las Letras and then enjoy the evening in its comfortable bedrooms.

September holidays in Santa Cruz de Tenerife

September is always a very difficult month because it is the end of the summer holidays, children go back to school, autumn and the cold weather begins…. But, if there is a destination where you can prolong the summer, it is without a doubt the Canary Islands.

The month of September in the islands is specially pleasant and there are many proposals to enjoy with your partner. Considering that the school year has already begun, the number of families with children on holiday is far less than in the summer months.

One of the most popular destinations is the island of Tenerife. The prices of flights and accommodation in this time of year make Tenerife a very desirable destination.

In the capital of Tenerife you find one of the most emblematic hotels of the Canaries, the Iberostar Grand Hotel Mencey. Situated in an idyllic location for rest and relax, it offers numerous proposals for its guests. In special, Mencey’s Cookery Classroom stands out, an are designed to enjoy the best gastronomy in an unique setting, with 3 restaurants, including the popular Los Menceyes restaurant.

The Grand Mencey hotel is known as the best gastronomic hotel in Tenerife, a location where cooking courses are held with some of the best chefs in Spain, as well as the possibility to celebrate events and presentations among the kitchen’s stoves.

This 5 star hotel also has exclusive services, such as its SPA and thermal circuit, where to enjoy all sorts of massages and thermal and beauty treatments.

For further information, do not hesitate to contact the hotel directly.

Enjoy your holidays in Tenerife!