Hi everyone,
I'm back at work after the long weekend and understandably not enjoying it very much. 
Unfortunately my first impression of Alcudia wasn't as great! Like a lot of Spanish 'resort' areas there was just resort after resort (apartment style resorts) along the beach. There were touristy signs everywhere - British Pub, British restaurant, Steakhouse, British TV here etc etc, and everything was written in English so it didn't feel in any way Spanish. Unfortunately a lot of Spain is like this now as the English tourists have been such an economic force in the last few years for the country (Alicante, Valencia, Torrevjeca are places I've been which were similar). 
The second shock was that when we arrived in our accommodation, we had been put in a studio apartment, not a proper one with a double bed. The stupid rooms are about 3m across, 5m long and in it are two couches which are also the beds - cheapo! After enquiring about a room with a double bed (which should have been booked), we found out that these came with a seperate lounge area as well. We were dreading the worst (i.e. paying a fortune) and so were pleasantly surprised when we found out the proper apartments were only 6 euro extra per night - so cheap. I think we were lucky that the season hasn't really kicked off yet, so we had a pick of rooms, even getting one looking over the pool. 
So the accommodation turned out ok (very clean - smelt like cleaning products), now to check the area. The beach is a pleasant surprise, white sand, blue water... not as good as Aus, but still impressive. There's of course no waves, and because it was quite windy on the first day (it was sunny though so it was fine), there weren't many people around. Those that were around are definitely the older lot, just lazing around in the sun. When we booked we were told it would be like this, so it wasn't too bad. 
After wandering down the beach a little (looking at resort after resort lining the beach) we came across the main 'center' of the resort bit of town. There's two main parts to Alcudia - Alcudia town and Puerto (i.e. Port) d'Alcudia - we were in the Puerto d'Alcudia bit, as it's where the long nine miles of beach is. Because the resorts span along the beach, we weren't even near the proper Port, so there wasn't much there other than cafes, bars, a beer garden - all of which were either British or German. Oh and all the supermarkets basically sell are beach supplies (towels, kids toys, blow up rafts etc), booze, chips/snack food and . Shop after shop selling the same crap, it's not very impressive. 
Eventually we found a decent Spanish-looking cafe, sat down in the sun and grabbed some Paella for lunch - yuuuuum. It was very good with lots of seafood. Being a little tired, we then walked back to the hotel, grabbed some towels and lay on the beach. We found a spot just out of the wind and tanned! We got so hot after a while that we had to move out into the wind to cool down! 
When Lany and I started looking at the menu, it looked expensive as the dishes came in full and half portions. When we asked the waiter about the portions, he said to get half size ones, so we started ordering, and after four things he actually told us to stop and try what we had before getting more (he reasoned tapas can be made quickly etc). I'm so glad we listened because he was right, even a half portion was huge! We ate as much as we could and even then barely finished it! The mixed lightly fried seafood (seafood in a very light/thin tempura-type batter) was awesome, as was the toasted bread with crushed tomato and olive oil spread. 
To further top off our luxurious meal, we had seen a very popular ice-cream cafe when e originally walked around and had pledged to get sundaes after dinner. We were so full we had to walk around for about 30 minutes after eating to make room for desert. When we did finally go to get our sundaes, they didn't disappoint. Lany got a chocolate one that was so rich, even she (the demon-desert fiend that she is) couldn't finish. I was stunned - a desert had beaten Lany! Mine was a lot lighter, so I could help her finish the end of hers. They were delicious. 
After such a heavy meal, and such an early morning, we caught the bus back to the hotel and crashed out. One slight downside of the hotel/resort thing is that bars/lounges etc play music until 12 o'clock, so if you want to sleep early like us lame-o's, you have to deal with that. Still, it wasn't too much of a problem. 
Sunday started warm and cloudy, but cleared up quickly to be lovely. We got up fairly late and caught the bus into Alcudia-city. It's here there is a bit of the more cultural spanish village stuff. The old town has markets on Sundays, and is also very pretty to walk around with city walls, paved narrow streets etc. The markets weren't amazing (no real Majorcan handcrafts) but it was nice to explore. For an 'old town' area it's been very recently renovated which is both a good and bad thing (it looks too new, but it also shows what it would have looked like when Majorca was richer). We shopped a little, grabbed some food and nice ice cream (it was good to be somewhere hot enough to eat it), then headed back to the beach for the afternoon. It was good to swim again! 
That night we headed back to the same restaurant as the previous night as we'd only gotten through half the things we wanted to try. Kath, they had the roasted little pepper things which are amazing, and we tried more seafood stuff - the fish croquettas were excellent. Lany returned to form and managed to eat her desert (not an ice cream sundae, just a normal Creme Brulee). 
So that was about it - we just went back to the hotel, packed, and crashed out. The return flight was fine yesterday. Unfortunately I picked up a cold last week which hit me pretty badly Sunday night (I didn't sleep much Thurs, Fri, Sat or Sun), so when we got home yesterday I was pretty sick. I got a good sleep last night though so I'm feeling a lot better today. I don't think it's swine flu or anything! Lany is suffering too because after complaining on Saturday night that I was starting to tan after only a few hours in the sun and she never even burns, she got promptly burnt on Sunday and now has red-raw shoulders!!! (Sars/Jen, are were remembering Rottnest?). As a bit of a surprise, and true to Spanish form, I unknowingly snapped a photo of a topless woman in the water.. so enjoy people ;) It was pretty funny to find it later.
I'm back at work after the long weekend and understandably not enjoying it very much.
This weekend Lany and I were in Majorca, specifically a part called Alcudia. Unfortunately because we booked the holiday late (i.e. one week before the break), we had to fly at some difficult times which meant that we were up at 3am on Saturday morning to get to the airport for a 5:40am flight. We also flew back Monday morning at 9:45, which meant we were up at 6:15 to get the transfer to the hotel etc. Not much sleep!
This was our first attempt at going on a 'package' holiday like most of the British public seem to do in those holiday shows on TV. We weren't sure what to expect, but overall, like anywhere, if you find the good bits (i.e. away from the British) the holiday is fun. The trip also seemed ridiculously cheap (given it's a bank holiday), so that was a bit weird too, we were a little apprehensive.
After getting to the airport REALLY early on Saturday, we slipped through check-in etc and onto the plane without any fuss. Similarly, after landing in Majorca we found our transfer bus and were across the other side of the island very easily. On the flight over the plane came along the coast so we got a good view over the whole island and the main city of Palma - there wasn't much beach there. The drive over to Alcudia was quite nice, Majorca is more green and fertile than I expected and quite pretty. On the way (and all weekend) we saw a LOT of people cycling around the island on proper road (speed) bikes. We found out later a Swiss bike holiday tour company was in town and it seemed like a really good idea as the island is pretty much flat.
Unfortunately my first impression of Alcudia wasn't as great! Like a lot of Spanish 'resort' areas there was just resort after resort (apartment style resorts) along the beach. There were touristy signs everywhere - British Pub, British restaurant, Steakhouse, British TV here etc etc, and everything was written in English so it didn't feel in any way Spanish. Unfortunately a lot of Spain is like this now as the English tourists have been such an economic force in the last few years for the country (Alicante, Valencia, Torrevjeca are places I've been which were similar).
The second shock was that when we arrived in our accommodation, we had been put in a studio apartment, not a proper one with a double bed. The stupid rooms are about 3m across, 5m long and in it are two couches which are also the beds - cheapo! After enquiring about a room with a double bed (which should have been booked), we found out that these came with a seperate lounge area as well. We were dreading the worst (i.e. paying a fortune) and so were pleasantly surprised when we found out the proper apartments were only 6 euro extra per night - so cheap. I think we were lucky that the season hasn't really kicked off yet, so we had a pick of rooms, even getting one looking over the pool.
So the accommodation turned out ok (very clean - smelt like cleaning products), now to check the area. The beach is a pleasant surprise, white sand, blue water... not as good as Aus, but still impressive. There's of course no waves, and because it was quite windy on the first day (it was sunny though so it was fine), there weren't many people around. Those that were around are definitely the older lot, just lazing around in the sun. When we booked we were told it would be like this, so it wasn't too bad.
After wandering down the beach a little (looking at resort after resort lining the beach) we came across the main 'center' of the resort bit of town. There's two main parts to Alcudia - Alcudia town and Puerto (i.e. Port) d'Alcudia - we were in the Puerto d'Alcudia bit, as it's where the long nine miles of beach is. Because the resorts span along the beach, we weren't even near the proper Port, so there wasn't much there other than cafes, bars, a beer garden - all of which were either British or German. Oh and all the supermarkets basically sell are beach supplies (towels, kids toys, blow up rafts etc), booze, chips/snack food and . Shop after shop selling the same crap, it's not very impressive.
Eventually we found a decent Spanish-looking cafe, sat down in the sun and grabbed some Paella for lunch - yuuuuum. It was very good with lots of seafood. Being a little tired, we then walked back to the hotel, grabbed some towels and lay on the beach. We found a spot just out of the wind and tanned! We got so hot after a while that we had to move out into the wind to cool down!
After some resting on the beach we went back to the hotel for a quick nap before heading out to the port district for dinner. A lady at the hostel had given us some places to try, and after wandering around the district a little - it's a very nice area, not like the resort bit we were staying in - we found the restaurant she'd recommended. This restaurant because a highlight of the trip because it did a lot of seafood tapas, which is quite hard to find. It was amaaaaaazing.
When Lany and I started looking at the menu, it looked expensive as the dishes came in full and half portions. When we asked the waiter about the portions, he said to get half size ones, so we started ordering, and after four things he actually told us to stop and try what we had before getting more (he reasoned tapas can be made quickly etc). I'm so glad we listened because he was right, even a half portion was huge! We ate as much as we could and even then barely finished it! The mixed lightly fried seafood (seafood in a very light/thin tempura-type batter) was awesome, as was the toasted bread with crushed tomato and olive oil spread.
To further top off our luxurious meal, we had seen a very popular ice-cream cafe when e originally walked around and had pledged to get sundaes after dinner. We were so full we had to walk around for about 30 minutes after eating to make room for desert. When we did finally go to get our sundaes, they didn't disappoint. Lany got a chocolate one that was so rich, even she (the demon-desert fiend that she is) couldn't finish. I was stunned - a desert had beaten Lany! Mine was a lot lighter, so I could help her finish the end of hers. They were delicious.
After such a heavy meal, and such an early morning, we caught the bus back to the hotel and crashed out. One slight downside of the hotel/resort thing is that bars/lounges etc play music until 12 o'clock, so if you want to sleep early like us lame-o's, you have to deal with that. Still, it wasn't too much of a problem.
Sunday started warm and cloudy, but cleared up quickly to be lovely. We got up fairly late and caught the bus into Alcudia-city. It's here there is a bit of the more cultural spanish village stuff. The old town has markets on Sundays, and is also very pretty to walk around with city walls, paved narrow streets etc. The markets weren't amazing (no real Majorcan handcrafts) but it was nice to explore. For an 'old town' area it's been very recently renovated which is both a good and bad thing (it looks too new, but it also shows what it would have looked like when Majorca was richer). We shopped a little, grabbed some food and nice ice cream (it was good to be somewhere hot enough to eat it), then headed back to the beach for the afternoon. It was good to swim again!
That night we headed back to the same restaurant as the previous night as we'd only gotten through half the things we wanted to try. Kath, they had the roasted little pepper things which are amazing, and we tried more seafood stuff - the fish croquettas were excellent. Lany returned to form and managed to eat her desert (not an ice cream sundae, just a normal Creme Brulee).
So that was about it - we just went back to the hotel, packed, and crashed out. The return flight was fine yesterday. Unfortunately I picked up a cold last week which hit me pretty badly Sunday night (I didn't sleep much Thurs, Fri, Sat or Sun), so when we got home yesterday I was pretty sick. I got a good sleep last night though so I'm feeling a lot better today. I don't think it's swine flu or anything! Lany is suffering too because after complaining on Saturday night that I was starting to tan after only a few hours in the sun and she never even burns, she got promptly burnt on Sunday and now has red-raw shoulders!!! (Sars/Jen, are were remembering Rottnest?). As a bit of a surprise, and true to Spanish form, I unknowingly snapped a photo of a topless woman in the water.. so enjoy people ;) It was pretty funny to find it later.
Anka
posted by Anthony Hawke at 7:18 pm
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