AFTER spending most of my adult life in Mallorca I thought I knew the island like the back of my hand. Well, that is what I thought until I was invited to Colonia de San Pedro on the Bay of Alcudia. It is one of those places which is close to everywhere but near nowhere. After a long haul from Palma I was immediately taken with the place. The beach, near my hotel, was deserted. There was a cool breeze and the seawater was clean and sparkling. When I posted a photograph of the beach on my Facebook site one friend enquired...where are the tourists? Good question. The beach is at least a kilometre long, a mixture of rocks and sands but easy bathing. There was not a sun-lounger in sight, no beach bar and no people. In fact, the only person I saw was a Tom Hanks lookalike having a long conversation with a football called Wilson!!!!! No, but seriously if you want a beach of great natural beauty which is empty in August try Colonia de San Pedro!
El Cruce, what a place
Well it was a weekend of firsts. First, a visit to Colonia San Pedro and then secondly lunch at El Cruce. Yes, I had never been to this enormous and hugely popular restaurant on the outskirts of Manacor but I had heard good reports. It is a restaurant which is so good there were groups of people enjoying a takeaway lunch in the car-park! The queue for a table was almost a mile long but I quickly discovered for a great reason, this is good grub at a discount. Good service, good food and cheap prices. A recipe made in heaven. After being charged seven euros for a small glass of wine at one Palma restaurant I was pleased to see that at El Cruce you can have a whole bottle for that price. Well worth visiting, but prepare to queue.
Whatever suits you
l Pedro Sanchez, the Prime Minister, has told us to ditch the tie to work and save energy. I am not too sure how not wearing a tie is going to save on your power bill but it is a question of Yes Prime Minister! I am a great believer in wearing a tie. It has saved my bacon on numerous occasions. I will recount this one story which is one of many. The names and places have been changed to protect the innocents!! A major international rock bank were staying at a top island hotel. Security at the hotel threw up a major security barrier to keep the press out. It was a summer and the press pack, not the best dressers at the best of times, were in their summer uniform of T-shirts and Bermuda shorts. They were all waiting outside the hotel and there was no chance of entry. I turned up in a suit and tie and walked into the hotel with the security team wishing me good morning. I asked at reception where I could have a drink and sat at the bar and waited. Not long afterwards, key members of this international rock band joined me. I asked them for a photograph and they duly obliged. I then finished my drink and left. To this day it is the only photograph of this international rock band on the island. Years later I was having lunch at the same hotel and the manager was recounting how he had managed to keep the press at bay and the only photograph was taken by a over-dressed man who obviously wasn’t a member of the media. I just looked at the floor and smiled!