Pollensa or Port
 

Hi

We are moving to Mallorca early next year with our two kids (one year old and four year old) and are in the process of deciding where to live. We will be renting.

We viewed some properties last week, and are torn between a finca within walking distance of Pollensa, and a duplex in the Boquer area of the port.

Both have their advantages, but the location of the duplex in Boquer, being 30 seconds from the sea, is pretty amazing.

We have generally only been to the area in May or October, so not peak season, so I was wondering what it would be like to live in the Port / Boquer area when it was busy with tourists during the summer.

I'd welcome people's opinions / experiences.

I would imagine that your decision will be based on wether the finca has a pool and where best your kids will be catered for.

Boquer is mainly a residential area so tourists, even in high season, will not be a problem other than the beach and the Formentor road will be quite a lot busier, especially on weekends.

The finca does have a pool, and fruit trees etc. so I think will be better for the kids in that respect.

It was just the idea of being so close to the beach, and to the town of Puerto Pollensa that appealed about Boquer

I know one or two scousers who live in Boquer, if that should make any difference.

Seriously though, not that there is a big distance between the town and the port, but you will most probably find more "ex-pats" to meet and maybe socialise with in the port than the town.

We have been coming to PP since 1994 as tourists, 2-3 times a year. We first stayed in villas in countryside near Pollensa, but as our young sons grew older, we gravitated towards the Port. We've stayed in the centre of the old town of Pollensa too, and have visited in every month of the year, except December or January.

If I was planning to move to the area, I wouldn't hesitate to live as close to the Port as possible.

Good luck with your decision.

I dont really get Pollensa. Yes, it is nice and going up on a Sunday for teh market is a nice wee day out but other than that.........

Its the port every time for me.

Yes same for me Love to be near the sea and see that beautiful view every day

We visit the area very regularly nine times this year and have to differ from most others we prefer Pollensa, although we do like to stay in the Port in the summer & we did stay there in August and in October this year. Pollensa wins out for us, for year round living it does not seem to close down as much out of season. We visited last week and we did drive in to the port for lunch at the Stay and a walk round the pine walk so see the attraction of the Port, but personally would go for the Finca. We all differ so very hard to get a decision from others as we all like different things, we prefer to be more immersed in with the Spanish way of life. Looking at schools may be a deciding factor if you can walk to school might be better than driving from one place to the other every day.

If its your wish to integrate more with locals then Pollensa every time, it has everything, fantastic sports facilities & schools for the kids ,plus there are all sorts of local things to get involved with.

Very true except that living in a "finca" tends to distance yourself from the rest of the population whereas living in a flat in town ( or port ) gives you the opportunity to get out and about more and go for a coffee, shop or just have a sandwich.

It's a hard life having to decide between Pollensa or Puerto !

Hi Dan

We went through a similar process earlier this year looking for either a countryside property around Pollensa or somewhere in the port. Our intention was to buy a place as a family holiday home but which could also in the future be suitable for my wife and I to live in all year round.

For our budget we could have got a lovely rural finca or a ‘second/third’ line apartment in town – a ‘heart versus head’ decision. We saw a number of rural properties – fincas, small villas etc. many of which had the ‘wow factor’. But we ended up with an apartment close to Boquer and although it did not have the ‘kerb-appeal’ or extensive outside space of ones we had seen in the countryside, its huge advantage (for us anyway) is practicality. With 4 grandchildren staying with us in August it was so easy to stroll down to beach in 2 minutes; pop back to the apartment for lunch; have a siesta and then back to the beach for late afternoon sunshine. We love dining out and so no worries about driving to or getting a taxi to a restaurant. Similarly with supermarkets, weekly market, shops, bars, buses etc – all so accessible.


You have the advantage of wanting to rent – so perhaps a month/two month let of property in both locations will help you decide.

Hi Dan
Looking back at your original posting I think I misinterpreted your query as being rural versus port. I missed the bit about finca being walking distance from Pollenca, so some of my comments may not be relevant!

When we came here we rented in Gommar for 5 months, the plan was to then move to Pollensa. We spent a lot of time visiting the town to get a feel for living there and although the people were nice enough they did seem a bit reserved. Near the end of this first phase we were offered a long term rental in the center of the Port which we accepted, all our neighbours are locals and they accepted us immediately, often offering help and advice. There are many expats living in PP and we get along very well with the ones we have got to know but we spend most of our time socialising with the locals.

I know your circumstances are very different to ours but i feel the beauty of living in the Port is that you can have the best of both worlds. You have the swimming pool and sports facilities as well as schools and nurseries for the children.

Whatever you decide to do i wish you all the luck in the world, this is a great area to live in.

I suspect that your decision may depend on the needs and likes of the kids initially,which ,of course the port would win!
Rent in one but seriously research the other.Both have real advantages.The beach,sea,sunsets and rises ever the bay are lovely.I love the quiet calmness of the bay/sea at breakfast time and early evenings and the calmness of early and late season.
But dont be fooled ,the town has a lot to offer. Plenty for the kids who live there to do.Its a all year round place.There is a charm and a peaceful atmoshere about the place.
I do not necessarily doubt Sparky about the standoffish approach of the locals but I have not experienced that.We have had a house 80m from the main sq for over 12yrs and love the location.I can walk out, in minutes you have every kind of shop and all levels and prices of bar.cafe and restaurant.Its proper living town full of locals all year round and lots of sport/culture to join in with.
But,of course,I have no doubt Sparky could make a case for PP.
Its a wonderful choice you have to make just look carefully at both,you can always change when the time comes,if it does,to buy.
Ive been visiting for 30 yrs and its still special to me!

Jonquet can i just point out that i did not say the town folk were standoffish, i said they were reserved which is very different.

yes Mrs S you are right,it was wrong of me to misinterpret your point, forgive me.

We have been holidaying in PP for over 25 years now, first with our own children, and now with our grandchildren. We did look at going to Pollensa this year, for a change, but after a short debate we decided that PP was much more suited to the children.

Please do not get me wrong, we have been to Pollensa quite a few times over the years, particularly many times for the Moors v The Christians (what a wild night that used to be!), but we just think that PP is heaven for us and the kids and as they will be wanting to do this for the next 10 years or so, we will stay in PP.

Just an opinion, but from experience. :)

We've been coming to PP since 1992 . We've stayed in varìous locations in the port both in and out of season. We always visit Pollenca town two or three times on every visit . It's absolutely charming town . If I was forced to choose between the two I honestly wouldn't know which one I'd go for.
I hope that whichever you choose you thoroughly enjoy the experience.

An important point to take into consideration if thinking about residing in Pollensa town and not in a house close by, is car parking.

This can be extremely difficult in town especially on weekends, whereas in the Port it isn´t such a big problem, especially in the "low" season.

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate you taking the time to provide feedback. The Port seems to be winning out location wise, which I completely get.

The finca within walking distance of Pollenca has fallen through (turns out it was already rented out via James Villas for several weeks next year already!).

So I'm flying out on Monday to look at another which is pretty much exactly in between Pollenca and the Port, not really within walking distance of either.

I guess our choice anymore isn't so much "Port or Pollensa" but smaller place with limited outside space in the Port versus a finca with pool, outside space etc.

We are leaning towards the latter at the moment, after seeing the potential opportunities for more outside living, particularly for the kids. But I do also like the idea of being able to walk to the beach, pop for a coffee etc.

I agree it's a nice decision to have to make!

One thing you haven´t mentioned is whether you can earn your income ( if you need to ) from home or need to travel to do so.

The answer to this would obviously influence your desicion.

Yes, I will be earning my income from home, so other than a decent internet connection, in theory it could be anywhere.

We found a kindergarten for my one year old daughter in the Port, and a school for my son just past the golf course the other side of Pollensa, so opposite directions.

So school location isn't a deciding factor either.

I don't think either choice would be "wrong", just different. And as we are renting after a year we could try a different option. But it's very useful to get the experience of others, who either live in the area or who have spent a lot more time than we have there.

If you are thinking of buying
 

My friends are selling their apartment and coming back to the u.k. They have a wonderful three bed ground floor, behind the pine walk, so near everything. It's immaculate and includes great furniture. Can't stress how good a ground floor apartment is as you have all the outside space you need with this garden. Private message me for further info. Good luck with the search.

Val

Dan Ashton

I've been following your posts as we are planning to move to mallorca with the year. We have 2 children 3 and 6 yrs old. I noticed you had put the eldest into a school. I just wondered how you were finding the school? How did you decide on school and how do you register?

How has the move been so far for you and your family ?

Any advice or help would be great. Thanks

Karen

Just read this comment...fascinated to know what the relevance of "one or two scousers" is?