There is a whiff of money in the air in the famous resort of Magaluf and I’m not talking about Paco Rabanne 1 Million that seems to be worn by every single male in every single bar on the strip.
Over the past couple of years money has been pouring into the tacky and brash holiday resort. Hotels have been updated and are attracting wealthy Russian clientele, an old car park is now an open pedestrianised square with Pirates Beach Bar alongside, The Wavehouse Mallorca is attracting a different type of person to the resort, a new mini theme park, Kathmandu, has opened and the new Nikki Beach Mallorca is enticing those with money burning holes in their pockets.
When I first visited Magaluf it was happy to rely on its popularity with the British holidaymaker. On every corner there was a place showing Only Fools and Horses on the TV and serving up a Sunday Roast or English breakfast. Now don’t get me wrong these places still exist and they will always be popular with certain holidaymakers but other parts of the resort are really changing and for the better.
The biggest thing I noticed was that the dominance of British Holiday makers in Magaluf has changed. There were a lot of Russians, Scandinavians Germans and Italians which wasn’t the same a few years back.
The food has changed too! There are many more restaurants on the beachfront than there used to be and they are serving up good modern fresh food rather than just chicken and chips.
The resort is still popular with those who love to drink and have a good time and it has always been popular with Hen and Stag do’s. However some of the bars on the strip are tidying themselves up and looking less tacky and this can only bring the reputation of the resort up. (Tip for the stags – wear something other than One Million to stand out!!)
Ibiza Rocks has also brought its party hotel concept to the island and Mallorca Rocks has had an incredible year with some fantastic artists playing throughout the summer season.
I’ve heard there are still another two or three phases to the project of redeveloping the area and billions are being spent. They even want to change the name to Calvia Beach although I can’t see that sticking!
For now the resort is still a crazy place in July and August but during shoulder season it is a great place for a cheap fun break with lots to offer.
Now to answer the questions all the travel snobs out there are thinking – you’re probably wondering why I would go to Magaluf in the first place right?! Well for me any form of travel, any new experience is a good thing. You can get caught up trying to get off the beaten track proving you’re some kind of nomadic independent traveller better than others but then you kind of forget to have some fun instead of ticking off lists.
For me my week in Magaluf was pure fun – I saw live bands at Mallorca Rocks, spent a few hours on the flowrider, watched the Pirates Adventure, drank a load of shots and dodgy drinks and generally just chilled out.
Everyone needs some escapism sometime and Magaluf gave me just that if you want a fun trip away the changing face of Magaluf is worth some consideration.
For this trip the guys over at Essential Travel kindly gave me some free meet and greet airport parking and I just want to give them a little shout out and say thanks. I’ve never tried a meet and greet before but the service was first class and made my arrival and departure seamless. Definitely something I would consider again in the future.