Problems in PP
 

Sorry Pollensa, I may have strong opinions sometimes but have never knowingly attacked anyone for their opinion, i leave that to the sort of board were this is welcome.

We used to holiday in Cala Millor, then a lovely quite resort, similar in feel to PP, have you seen it now? Believe me resorts can change, very quickly, very like at home a nice apartment block who unfortunately receives the wrong sort of occupants.

I too have been a twice yearly visitor for the last 4/5 years to PP but last year decided to try Cyprus just for a change. The trouble I am finding now is justifying to myself the extra expense to get a similar standard of accomodation on a like for like resort.

We went to a Smallish resort called Pernera in June and it was as good as PP in most respects, (weather is actually better but hey). The price of going to a brand new 3 bedroomed Villa with flights and car came in at just under £2k. Now for the same price I am looking at a 2/3 bedroomed apartment in Pinaret, no pool, my opinion is that people are trying to make a killing but it is backfiring. Lower the price of the accomodation and numbers will return. The euro is the euro throughout europe (obviously) but my euro unfortunately certainly seems to go alot further when I get away from PP!

Interesting to note that Jose has extended the " happy hours" from 4 p.m. til closing time this week.

Sign of the times or just trying to squeeze the extra mile out of the last three weeks of the season ???

Note that his 1 Euro baguette deal lunchtimes is pulling the punters in.

BonysLad :)

Good for Jose hope he keeps deals on next week.

Dont mean to sound cheeky,but how old are you to remember Cala Millor like that?We have been going to PP for 25 years now and always popped along to Cala Millor at what I presume is the old town end.The front has always looked to me like it nearly could have become Mallorcas Benidorm!In truth the only real reason I go there is to get my yearly treat! at the KFC.{Yes I have my faults too!)I would never want to see one in PP,it was bad enough seeing Burger King appear.
PP was bound to change the first summer when the new beach appeared.For the first few years it was great ,ideal beach in an ideal resort what a magnet!You cant blame people for wanting to have a holiday in such a place but it comes at a cost(not just monetary).Like my other half I will always love this place ,warts an all.

Cala Millor went twice last time was in 1967 stayed at Hotel Morieto next door to the Said great resort then, dance every night in one hotel or the other Bal de este Hotel flew the Dan Air DH Comet 4. Have now been going to PP for last 25 years yes lots of changes just fields behind the church, now look at it. I still love it its like coming home for me looking forward to seeing the friends we have made over the years next week. also a new friend in Bonyslad hope also to catch Sparky in El Posito she promised me a drink well I think she did !!.
So yes its 2009 and prices are refelecting this, it's take your pick time, in 1967 paid lots of money for my holiday I remember going to Arenal week-end before Christmas in 1970, Friday to Monday with Clarksons full board for 14 guineas (£14 14s), our treat as we got married in the March that year, Boy two murders and I would have been a free man by now.

...wow! Respect mate... nearly as impressive as your jokes!
:)
x
S

I also went 'near' to Cala Millor about 20-odd years ago prior to 'finding' PP.
Immediately to the north of Cala Millor is the small resort of Cala Bona, it was quite nice with a few hotels looking over the harbour and a small beach a hundred yards (should say metres) or so away. Even back then those days Cala Millor looked like a mini-Benidorm, but it did have a wonderful long white sandy beach with turquise sea!
Never been back, but looking at brochures on occasions since, Cala Bona seems to have been developed with several large hotels... bit like the 'Tomsons' hotel which is set back from the very end of the Pine Walk (near the football ground). The hotel in PP is not 'in your face' as the saying goes and is not high-rise. It seems to have been built quite sympathetically into the landscape and with the new road it is relatively un-noticed.
I'm another one who doesn't really want too many changes to PP. Certainly not of the kiss-me-quick variety and I am not too sorry to see the loss of 'theme-bars'.
Developments such as Bellresguard are up-market and generally well landscaped and draw a 'better-class-of-punter' (awful word) and therefore 'help' to put prices up.
Even though present costs are high, mainly due to the Euro, it does keep PP on a better (dare I say more exclusive) level which we all seem to prefer.
We can't have it all ways!! Better get saving up!

Ok - much has been discussed here over the past few weeks. A few opinions have related to the cost of renting, restaurants, car hire and generally the feeling of being ripped off and the effect this is having on PP. Well - I rent my villa and I feel ripped off and I am angry. We employ a local to look after our pool and garden. On our visit in May we spent the first week cutting back and dealing with the garden. It was so bad that we had ivy growing from the boarders up the side of the pool. Many excuses were given. We gave the person the benefit of the doubt. I have just returned from a quick visit. On arrival I found yet again the garden to be overgrown. and the outside looking somewhat tired. Another 2 days of my holiday taken up with cutting back. I decided to not let my visit be known and watched in amazement a 5 minute visit by the gardener/pool man who later tried to charge for 2 hours. Also on checking the bill I had been charged 45 Euros for a call out by a renter, to our pool man to deal with a cloudy pool. My pool person charged me monthly and as such it should have been part of his duties to ensure the pool was ok not charge extra for getting it wrong! He also charged me 30 Euros to lift a tile to check our water tank level! Anyway - I have disposed with his 'services' and engaged someone else. We now find that this first person has entered the villa to find a key to the pool house and taken chemicals to the value of 100 Euros plus other items. I have been told that an old trick is that 1 set of chemicals is bought and shared between 2 pools but charged as one unit to both.
Of course deny deny deny -I do not understand.......
I have come home so angry and feeling that I now wish to sell as the costs of running a villa in PP are so high and I feel so fed up with feeling so ripped off.
Attitudes need to change and fast - not just restaurants and car hire companies but right across the board. I am someone who has visited PP for over 25 years and owned for 18 years and obviously I love the place. I have come home as an owner feeling very fed up. The problem is that the few rip off artists just spoil it totally for everyone - just who can we trust?

Just to add a different perspective to the discussions re price and staying at home, just looking into a break in the February half term, Centreparcs are asking £1000 for a four night mid week break in a 2 bedroom villa. Just checked flights with Easyjet 4 people £437 and looked at the accommodation advertised here on the site and countless places for 4 people for £400 for the week. It is certainly cheaper to eat in PP than at Centreparcs and I know where I would prefer to go!

Three cheers for PP! Well done SWS! As much as I love Center Parcs, I think I'll go for the cheaper option!:)

Yeah but what if you could get the same deal in some equally nice reosrt in Cyprus or Turkey where the sun will be shining and they dont charge you anywhere near 1.80 euros for a pint of milk or 16 euros for a 7 mile taxi ride.

I really dont think PP will lose visitors to the UK but if they dont see the bigger picture they might lose vistors to Cyprus/Turkey or even all-inclusives within other parts of Majorca/Spain

Thanks Bella, as I say I know where I prefer to go, the problem is convincing the family!

Rab, I think one of the main reasons Mallorca will stay a winner, is the flight time. I am more happy to pop over for a few days with a 2 hour flight and a less than one hour drive to the apartment, than to a 4 hour flight (am I right?) to Cyprus. A friend has just bought an apartment in Cyprus, but much prefers Mallorca. It does come down to finance in a lot of cases, especially when its a longer family holiday, but the short breaks are the life savers!

As would I Bella but everybody on this site loves the place and rates it above all others. The bigger picture and the one I tried to paint in one of my previous posts is that this discussion is not really applicable to members of this forum. I feel we are missing the point.

Its the new visitors who PP should be reaching out to. Its the people who have no emotional attachment to it, its the people who go to PP on the recommendations of people like yourself and come away feeling short changed vowing to try somewhere else next time that PP should be embracing.

And by the way reducing prices on essentials does not always lead to football shirts and stag/hen nights galore. I enjoy reading Smiddys posts usually but I thought his post earlier on was a wee bit OTT. PP has plenty of choice in restaurants bars etc. but the essentials (taxis, milk, bread, toothpaste, soap) even in the market are vastly overpriced IMO and shoud be looked at. God knows how the local residents survive.