European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 28, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Focus Balearic sea i Menorca Majorca is the vacation spot for Many of Spain wealthiest residents including King Juan Carlos and his photos Maiorca tourism Agency by King Cruger Bureau chief Majorca is one of the most Beautiful islands on Earth and annually attracts millions of yet in recent years it has acquired a somewhat tarnished Why most of it can be chalked up quite simply to the islands enormous a 60 40milewide Spanish speck in the Mediterranean is the tourist Island of tourist its the resort that inexpensive air charter travel the Island is where inclusive Tours on a mass basis were first found to be enormously refined and then applied to the world wide Majorca is where mass travel began and where it still reigns although these its challenged by Spain various the Canary islands and dozens of other far Flung in the process of accommodating All those millions of vacationing Northern europeans seeking a spot in the greed spawned growth spiralled out of control on the High Rise hotels and apartment buildings came to Block marvellously Long Sandy beaches that were once nearly deserted and had been fringed Only by Palm discos and Tacky shops imposed state theart sleaze on Little fishing villages that had slumbered in centuries Long time Urban blight had come to spelled Majorca by the British and pronounced similarly Malawka by is the largest of Spain Balearic the located approximately 100 Miles South of is shaped like an artists palette with the Bay of the cutout for the facing toward at the top of the 15milelong Bay and dominated by its huge Golden gothic Cathedral is capital of the around this Bay is one of the thickest concentrations of resort hotels in the its just this concentration of touristic trappings and tourists that turn Many people they come seeking an idyllic Isle and All they if they dont venture out of these people Are a lot of people desperately seeking a Good time with whoever happens to be at it must be said that there Are others who love these kind of resorts precisely because they dont want to spend their evenings All on their lonesome and want to be swallowed up in a multinational crowd that loves to the biggest single resort on the Bay is Al some six Miles East of it is a nearly three mile Long unbroken stretch of High Rise separated from the Beach a wonderful one by a wide and Busy Al Arenal is the Headquarters of the under30 gang and the beat goes on until the wee Small hours of the in Al there is no excuse for staying alone for on the other Side of the Bay Are the Side beside resorts of Palma Nova and they too boast Fine they were quiet places that were Ideal for Young couples who wished to take their children along and yet still Sample a bit of i i of w v to nightlife after the kiddies had been tucked those tranquil Days Are no the area has been Over built and taken Over by a Young noisy crowd with More than its share of mostly on a trip Back to Majorca last i was truly saddened by the present plight of what were once two truly splendid although Majorca is the Island of the it also is an Island of millionaires people who can afford to vacation anywhere but who choose Majorca at least those parts of it that Are removed from the crowds and the Hustle and Bustle because it offers something the Spanish Royal family Summers in Majorca and that in itself must say Majorca cant be stereotyped because it has so much there Are scores of Small coves on the Island lined with Palm Trees and with a handful of hotels and Majorca offers All the peace and quiet and Antiquity that anyone might ask a travel agent to recommend the kind of resort you have in mind and if the agent Doest know take your business to one that the North of the Island has the handsome Bays of Alcudia and pollens with their roman magnificent yachting schools and to class resort is Cape the islands wild and Rocky northeastern tip where the sheer Cliffs drop 800 feet to the magic Blue six Miles to the Northwest of puerto on a Small quiet Bay with a backdrop of rugged lie the two Golden beaches of cab san the shallow Waters at the Center of the beaches make the resort Ideal for the unspoiled Southeast coast of the Island contains my favorite resorts such As gala gala Santany and gala outside the Small resort of Colonia de son Jordi is is the Best Long stretch of Sandy Beach still spoiled on the the spaniards Call the Beach the last Paradise and it stretches for Miles with blinding White Only three Are dotted along the Beach in certain attracts nudists from All Over with the Dollar being As highly valued As it is against the Spain continues to be a place where the Buck goes a Long Long i doubt whether a family can go any place cheaper on an air package Holiday than to drink and motor around the Island by rental for All three a Fine real can be had for less than wine drinks Are dirt cheap with a bottle of Beer costing about 50 a bottle of House wine less than and mixed drinks around 75 or Many people who have been to Majorca and then returned Home to badmouth have never explored the they have been too Lazy to venture outside the noisy resort they have booked its still possible to step Back Way into time in Many of the islands heres a favorite tour of mine that shows off Majorca at its rugged Best if you dont wish to do the driving Many excursion buses do a variation of it head out from Palma Worth spending a Day exploring on its own because of its old palaces and magnificent Cathedral to the once sleepy fishing Village of puerto de the port is one of the smartest yachting centers in the med and its a great place to pause for a Light seafood lunch at one of the Small outdoor restaurants alongside the make sure your Seatbelt is fastened because from there you Are going to Corkscrew up into the mountains and travel along Cliff tops with the sea breaking against rocks at their base hundreds of feet the Road Between banal far and Estalle chs contains some of the most Majestic scenery the irrigation network that turns this area Green was largely built by the moors and is still in Valde Mosa is the next Stop and Calls for a Short visit to the old carthusian monastery something of a tourist trap where Frederic Chopin and his French writer George once the two lovers spent a miserable Winter there for it rained during most of their an unusual occur Ance on the that brings up the subject of when is the Best time to visit heres the weather forecast from May through the weather is if not and is nearly always october can be quite warm with Cool although there is a Chance of november is a bad time to visit for its usually Cool and december is but afterwards continued on Page 10 8 stripes Magazine March March stripes Magazine