They were coming over on holiday and wanted to combine business with pleasure.

We found them two options, both trading, one with a cafe combined.

They were able to view both businesses for sale and see them in operation during their stay. We suggested just taking a couple of days to watch each business during it’s trading hours and a few days further researching the area with our assistance.

They decided that the one with the attached cafe was the one for them, we negotiated an offer while they were here and a deposit was paid.

They returned to the UK and within a month they were back in Mallorca with their daughter and son in law who are now running the cafe part of the business with them.

A great success story, great family and decent fish and chips as well!

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.

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.