We found two options of currently trading agroturismo hotels, one was ideal with the exception it was outside the budget, the other required some renovation work to be at its best.

We were able to offer assistance and an introduction to a bank to help with financing the additional amount on the first property, make suggestions as to how to increase the turnover and profit.

The second property we negotiated a substantial reduction and organised quotes for the refurbishment of the business so that the clients could make a good comparison of the two.

The families after careful consideration decided to go for the first hotel as the potential for growth that could be achieved outweighed the cost of the finance.

They have taken over the business now and the previous owner is assisting them until the end of the tourist season 2008.

Well done, we believe you made the right choice. Good luck.

The businesses association publicised its findings after interviews with around 50 of its members. It pointed out that another factor responsible for the downturn in these figures is that the all-inclusive hotel requires the clients to pay for lodging, food and drink in advance. This leaves them with little money to spend at the other restaurants of the island. It is reported that Soller is one of the worst affected regions this season.

PIMEM, the business association of Majorca said that spending lever of the customers is considerably low. Cafés, Bars and restaurants at S’Arenal, Can Pastilla and Cala Ratjada reported serious decline in the business. At Porto Cristo in Manacor district, the association has blamed the “advance” payment of the all-inclusive hotel offer for low trade conditions.

In the capital Palma, the situation is different. People come here to sight-see in spite of bad weather and hence, the tables are filled but the spokespersons of the restaurant industry say that the levels at which the customers are ready to spend have fallen by about twenty percent.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFGwY6PbbcI

In collaboration with a similar organization in Balearics, the “GOB,” they staged a presentation to the press  yesterday before the campaign started intending to make the politicians and the public feel a sense of responsibility and act towards confronting the threat to our environment from the changing climate. The Coastal department has issued a warning that if the exploitation of the coastline continues, unchecked, at the present rate, then it will create problems for the ecosystem which is already under pressure due to changing climate. “Ecologists in Action” had explained that by 2050,the wind pattern changes and the temperature changes will have lead to a change in sea wave movement all around the Balearics, and in particular at Ibiza and the southern and eastern parts of Majorca and this might cause nearly 50 metres of the beach to be submerged. Besides the erosion of natural coastline, the effet on the tourisim industry of Balearics can be disastrous.

The organizer of “Ecologists in Action”, Pablo Cotarelo, informed that there are other factors which are exacerbating the threat. High  temperatures in the sea and the pressure due to increasing human population on the coastline had resulted in acidification of coastal waters. The sea flora and fauna are being subjected to erosion at 3% every year.

There are a selection of businesses normally for sale in the resort of S’Illot. These can range from British owned bars to Spanish restaurants and the occasional shop. S’Illot itself is a quieter resort although has grown in recent years to meet its neighbour Cala Bona. This has created additional business for the bars in the area. Buying a business in S’Illot can be a good investment if you are careful about the location.

Please scroll down the page for more detailed resort information.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTc6uSOoMwY

Resort Information -- S’Illot

The resorts of S’Illot and its nearest neighbour Sa Coma, are part of the municipal district of Sant Llorenç des Cardassar, and are situated along the east coast of Majorca, neatly sandwiched between the resorts of Cala Millor and Porto Cristo.

Public transport around all of the east coast is at best “unreliable”, but for the very brave or very foolish, buses do run into Palma 4 times each day during the summer, inland to Manacor 9 times a day, south to the Caves of Drach 5 times a day, and north to the resort of Cala Millor 10 times each day. Over the years many visitors to Mallorca have asked us for information on bus timetables, and although our general advice is the “sit and wait, and enjoy the sun”, timetables are published each year on the bus stops throughout the town and also on local bus operator’s Aumasa web site, although, clearly no responsibility can be accepted as to either the content or accuracy of information provided by these external sources.

Most visitors to S’Illot would be surprised to learn that until the late 1970′s the east coast of Majorca did actually have its own railway line running from Manacor to Arta, passing through the local towns of Sant Llorenç and Son Carrió. Although the grand station of “Pou Vell” still remains in the centre of Sant Llorenç, sadly there are no plans to reinstate this line, which for a relatively small investment of the much hated “tourist tax”, would undoubtedly prove to be both a major tourist attraction and amenity for the area.

Unlike nearby Sa Coma, the resort of S’Illot is not a modern purpose built holiday resort, but a traditional Mallorcan fishing village that really only started to adapt during the mid 1980′s to meet the ever increasing demand for tourist accommodation on the island. Visitors to S’Illot will often stand and stare as the few remaining fishing boats here are hauled up each day, over the rocks and onto a concrete ramp at the end of the beach.

Over the last 25 years or so, S’Illot has continued to grow in a fairly controlled manner by Mallorcan standards. In all fairness to the local council, considerable efforts have clearly been made to maintain “green zones” and to extend protection over areas of special environmental interest, the most notable of these being the Punta de n’Amer headland which we’ll cover in more detail on our Attractions page, and it is sincerely hoped that this policy is allowed to continue into the long term against the ever increasing demand for tourist beds.

A wide traffic free promenade also runs through S’Illot, north towards the resort of Sa Coma and south to the smaller sheltered beach of Cala Moreya, which you may sometimes see written as Cala Moraia. If during your stay here you venture into Sa Coma, don’t expect to find a mirror image of S’Illot, as most visitors find the contrast between the two resorts to be quite surprising.

If you are looking for all night karaoke bars or night clubs with foam parties every night, I am afraid that S’Illot just will not appeal to you. Evening entertainment here is generally hotel based, although the resort does have a small number of lively bars, but even these tend to have few customers after about midnight reflecting the family market that the town attracts. However, if you ever tire of S’Illot and are looking for a wider selection of bars and restaurants, the “bright lights” of the more lively Cala Millor are only around 5 minutes away by taxi.

The resort of Cala Mandia has a selection of bars and restaurants for sale and to rent. Business can be good in the height of summer, there are two major hotels and several smaller ones in the area, this is supplemented by an ever increasing amount of new build apartments and villas on the edge of the resort. The mix of tourists is predominantly German, although there are an increasing number of Scandinavian and British. There is very little or no winter trade to be had in Cala Mandia although one of the hotels in the area does open earlier than most.

Please scroll down for more detailed resort information.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhkv-5Mvr78

Resort Information -- Cala Mandia

If you’ve never heard of the resort of Cala Mandia before, you can be certainly be excused, since most of the maps of the island don’t as yet recognise this as being a resort in its own right. However, if you look closely enough you may see a reference to the development of Porto Cristo Novo, some 4km to the south of Porto Cristo on the east coast of the island. If only to add further confusion, a number of the tour operators are also marketing this destination as Playa Romantica, which literally translates into English as “Romantic Beach.”

In any case, this fairly remote area of the east coast, is part of the municipal district of Manacor around 70km to the east of the capital Palma, and generally visitors should normally expect a transfer time of around 1.1/2 to 2 hours from leaving the airport grounds.

Cala Mandia, Playa Romantica, or Porto Cristo Novo, which ever way you wish to refer to it, is still a relatively new resort destination that has been specifically developed to meet the ever increasing demand for tourist accommodation on the island.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8c1iRWJki6E

If you’ve ever visited Majorca before, you may recognise that the town of Porto Cristo is synonymous with two of the biggest tourist attractions on Majorca, namely the Caves of Drac and Caves of Hams. As a result of this close proximity, Porto Cristo can sometimes become very busy during the summer months with coaches of day visitors. To a large extend Cala Mandia escapes this attention of the general public, and the only day visitors to the town are normally those looking for a relaxing day on the beach.

All things considered, it’s a very quiet resort, perfect if you want to retreat and get away from it all, but still within easy reach of the more lively resort of Cala Millor which is only a short taxi ride away.

There are two popular theories on how the town got it’s name, which literally translates as “The Port of Christ.” The first comes from a legend that in 1260AD, around the time of the earliest Christian conquest of the Island, a fishing boat carrying a crucifix was washed ashore here. The other is, two oxen who were carrying an icon of Christ to Palma, stopped here and refused to move any further. So the icon stayed, and the town was renamed in its honour.

Unlike so many of the other municipalities of Majorca, the economy of Manacor is not solely dependent upon the the tourist. Porto Cristo is still a very typical Spanish fishing village, whilst Manacor has a long tradition with the manufacture of quality furniture and is also the centre of the island’s pearl industry. These artificial pearls are produced in a special process that somehow combines glass and pulverised fish scales. The resulting article is then barely distinguishable from the genuine article.

The focus of Porto Cristo is it’s natural harbour, which along with nearby Porto Colom is one of the largest along the east coast. Over the years it has provided a safe mooring for both fishing boats and in more recent years an ever increasing number of leisure craft.

During the evening Porto Cristo is a very quiet resort, perfect if you want to retreat and get away from it all, but still within easy reach of the more lively Cala Millor which is only a short taxi ride away. However, during the day the resort can become very busy with tour buses due to the close proximity of both the Caves of Drac and Caves of Hams, which between them are possibly the biggest tourist attractions on the island of Majorca.

Porto Cristo is very popular with middle aged couples and the accommodation here is quite modest and low key, which is in keeping with the rest of the town. There is a generous handful of hotels and apartments here but certainly nothing above the 3 or 4 star standard. For visitors in self catering accommodation, there is also a good selection of cafes, bars and restaurants, along with a number of SPAR type supermarkets that should cater for the everyday holiday essentials as most stock a wide selection of UK recognised branded goods, albeit at slightly higher prices than you would expect to pay back at home in the UK.

All things considered, Porto Cristo is a quiet family oriented resort, that will be more suited to those who don’t require constant entertainment, but take enjoyment from strolls around the town and along the quayside.

Business Information

Very few businesses come up for sale in Porto Cristo, partly due to the fact that it is a thriving day time visit resort, so the businesses particularly around the harbour have a constant stream of tourists of all nationalities on day trips to the nearby caves. Bars, Restaurants and Souvenir Shops are all very busy during the summer months.

The business area here is very concentrated around the harbour area and although you see businesses for sale outside of this immediate area they are not as busy and you need to make allowances for this fact.

Cala Bona is not a purpose built holiday resort, but more of a small traditional fishing village that has grown and adapted to cater for the islands tourist market. The town today still has its original narrow streets, which from a drivers point of view can be an absolute nightmare to navigate without incurring the wrath of another drivers horn, along with a small working harbour, around which you’ll find a wide variety of open air cafes and bars. Although, many of the other resorts on the island have developed a very German feel, Cala Bona still remains a favourite of the British tourist.

As little as 50 years ago much of this area of Majorca was still little more than a lonely dune covered stretch of coastline. But with almost 2km of fine sandy beach running from Cala Bona (‘The Good Bay’) to Cala Millor (‘The Better Bay’) and an every increasing demand for beds, the area has grown to become the major resort development on Mallorca’s east coast. In all fairness to the local council, considerable efforts have clearly been made to maintain “green zones” and extend protection to areas of special environmental interest, the most notable of these being the Punta de n’Amer headland to the south of Cala Millor.

Cala Bona itself also boasts a number of small sandy beaches situated between rocky outcrops, however, in recent years there has been a particular problem with seaweed gathering here. Thankfully now the local Council have recognised the problem and are gradually bulldozing it away.

Once you move away from the larger hotels, the town itself has few attractions for the active family, when compared to the likes of either Palma Nova or Magaluf, which may be an attraction in itself. However, it is possible to walk along the new promenade from the harbour at Cala Bona to the more lively resort of Cala Millor approximately 15 to 20 minutes away to the south.

Business Information

Cala Bona is mainly a British tourist destination, however there has been a significant increase in the amount of Scandinavian tourists in recent years. This has kept the area regenerating with some thriving businesses being established here for many years.

There is opportunity for all year round trading here, it is much quieter in the Winter but there is a Saga based tourist market throughout the winter months with a few hotels remaining open for tourists taking advantage of lower prices and a milder climate.

Sa Coma is a modern purpose built resort that really only started to develop during the mid 1980′s to meet the every increasing demand for tourist accommodation. Since then it has continued to grow in a fairly controlled manner by Mallorcan standards, to the point where the resort now offers a good selection of shops bars and restaurants, many of which are either British owned, or targeted towards the British tourist which tend to be in the majority in the town. In all fairness to the local council, considerable efforts have clearly been made to maintain “green zones” and extend protection to areas of special environmental interest, the most notable of these being the Punta de n’Amer headland and it is sincerely hoped that this policy is allowed to continue into the long term against the ever increasing demand for tourist beds.

Until the late 1970′s the east coast did actually have its own railway line running from Manacor to Arta, passing through the local towns of Sant Llorenç and Son Carrió. Although the grand station of “Pou Vell” still remains in the centre of Sant Llorenç, sadly there are no plans to reinstate this line, which for a relatively small investment of the much hated “tourist tax”, would undoubtedly prove to be both a major tourist attraction and amenity for the area.

Sa Coma does have an exceptionally sandy beach with the usual selection of water sport and beach facilities including windsurfing and pedalos to hire. Behind the beach is a wide traffic free promenade that runs the full length of the resort towards S’Illot to the south and the smaller sheltered beach of Cala Moreya, which you may sometimes see written as Cala Moraia.

If you do venture into S’Illot, don’t expect to find a mirror of Sa Coma, as most visitors find the contrast between the two resorts to be quite surprising. Unlike the modern purpose built Sa Coma, S’Illot was originally a traditional fishing village that has gradually adapted, and grown into a small holiday resort. The few remaining fishing boats here are still hauled up each day, over the rocks and onto a concrete ramp at the end of the beach. The two resorts are joined by a footbridge over the small freshwater lagoon and also a slightly longer road bridge. Of the two resorts, Sa Coma being the more modern, does have a somewhat better selection of 3 and 4 star hotels, whereas S’Illot tends to have a slightly larger number of self catering apartments.

Evening entertainment here is generally hotel based, although the resort does have a small number of lively bars, but even these tend to have few customers after about midnight reflecting the family market that the town attracts. There are an increasing number of British owned bars in the area. However, if you ever tire of Sa Coma and are looking for a wider selection of bars and restaurants, the “bright lights” of the more lively Cala Millor are only around 5 minutes away by taxi.

Business Information

At any one time there are normally a selection of bars for sale in Sa Coma, Spanish, German and British owned. As with most East coast resorts the season is May to October, however there are an increasing number of ex pats, day trippers and residents in the area so Winter opening could generate some revenue.

The modern resort of Cala Millor (which translates into English as “the better bay”) is on the islands rugged east coast, and is separated from its more quiet and traditional neighbour Cala Bona (“the good bay”) by a small rocky headland. The resort is without doubt the largest tourist development along the east coast, and is jointly administered as part of the municipal districts of Son Servera and Sant Llorenç des Cardassar.

The first person to see the potential of Cala Millor as a tourist destination was Jaume Vicens Andreu, who in 1933 built the Hotel Eureka, which is now officially recognised as being the first hotel in the town. In the 60 years that followed the opening of the Hotel Eureka, controlled development saw Cala Millor grow to accommodate over 16,000 tourist beds in approximately 61 hotels and 65 self catering apartments.

Most of Majorca’s east coast is dotted with tiny creeks and coves, however, the beach at Cala Millor stretches for more than 6km along a wide sheltered bay which is protected by two large unspoilt headlands, which we’ll cover in more detail on the Attractions page. The beach here is considered by many to be one of the best on the island, with clear water and gently sloping sands. Parasols and sun beds can be hired at various points along its length, along with the usual selection water sports activities, including a windsurfing school.

The resort has a good selection of shops, but in all fairness to the town, they do tend to lack any great variety in the range of products they each stock. If you do venture beyond your sun bed, local markets are held every Friday in nearby Son Servera, further a field to the north in Arta on a Tuesday, and 20km inland at Manacor every Monday. For those of you who have been to the island before you would recognise that Manacor is also the home of the Mallorcan Pearl industry.

The nearby resort of Cala Bona, which effectively is now almost becoming part of the Cala Millor development, can be easily reached by a walk along the new promenade to the north, and for the more adventurous the resorts of Sa Coma and S’Illot are a further 3km beyond the Punta de n’Amer headland to the south.

Of the 4 resorts along this short stretch of coast, Cala Millor is without doubt the more lively and has a wide selection of bars and discos providing evening entertainment to supplement that provided by the hotels. Although Cala Millor has a quite a wide appeal, it is still perhaps more suited towards the traditional family holiday than those 18 to 30′s who are possibly looking for all night clubs and karaoke bars.

Business Information

There are a wide variety of bars, restaurants, shops and cafes always on the market for sale in Cala Millor. Mainly due to the fact that there are so many around this resort area. There are many British owned bars, many of which stay open all season.

There is more opportunity to to open all year in Cala Millor as many of the hotels stay open for longer than in other East coast resorts.

Prime beach front locations are generally more expensive but there are bargains to be had in the side streets leading to the promenade.