Mallorca - Base advice please

bikemanspen

What's the score with transfers ie is it a flight to Parma and then a taxi to pollenca??? I'm really interested in booking something but I don't know where to start? Could someone give me a few pointers pls,the hotel in the the link looks great and just what my family will like (I think)

Cheers ben

mattythemod

JackPozzi wrote:

mallorcajeff wrote:

The bire bikes at club pollecia are first rate i know the mechanic there. If you use balear risen also onsire you can buy the canyon once your finished with it i bought the mrs one last year as we only live round the corner and they are amazing. Dont use pro cycle hire in pollenca i used to work there and the stuff that goes on behind the scenes there will just ruin your holiday. Saw so many people deflated with the bike that they never booked and just old poor condition bikes. There is a new max hurzeler dtstion opening in port pollenca next year and thst will be the place to go in future. Best bikes and the shop sales are half the price of everyone else. Pch try selling tyres at 45 earos each they are 25 for gp4000s in there. Worth stocking up while over. Have a great trip,

Is PCH the one that recently relocated opposite Pollenca Park?

Yes i fink so ....

whoof

Mikey23 wrote:

Reading this thread with interest as this is now on my bucket list... So how do bike hire prices compare with frinstance taking your own bike on easyjet? For those who have done it, what are the pros and cons?

It depends on your priorties.

Some people find bike set up extremely important and they will only achieve this with their own bike.

Cost: depends on how long you go. Easyjet £70 return. Bike hire I'm paying £64 for a weeks hire of a Cube.

Transfers: Take your own bike you need a box or a bag, and some amount of disassembling and reassembling at each end. You also need to consider getting it to the airport and to the resort. I've got a tranfer the length of the island for £13 return. But they won't take bikes. On a flight will your bike arrive undamaged and at the same time as you.
Repair/damage whilst on holiday: My hire includes insurance. If the the bike breaks or is damaged it will be either immediately repaired or I'll be given a replacement (does not include theft). If I go on my own bike and break a spoke I need to go to the bike shop and wait for them to fit me in which could be tomorrow or the next day.

Unless you are going for an extended period I would say on the balance it is better to hire.

Tjgoodhew

I wouldnt dream of taking my own bike when its so easy and much cheaper and less hassle to hire. Especially if flying low cost i wouldnt want to take the risk of my bike not turning up or turning up damaged

To add to the above i see hiring as a great way of test riding different bikes and groupsets.

ilovegrace

mallorcajeff wrote:

The bire bikes at club pollecia are first rate i know the mechanic there. If you use balear risen also onsire you can buy the canyon once your finished with it i bought the mrs one last year as we only live round the corner and they are amazing. Dont use pro cycle hire in pollenca i used to work there and the stuff that goes on behind the scenes there will just ruin your holiday. Saw so many people deflated with the bike that they never booked and just old poor condition bikes. There is a new max hurzeler dtstion opening in port pollenca next year and thst will be the place to go in future. Best bikes and the shop sales are half the price of everyone else. Pch try selling tyres at 45 earos each they are 25 for gp4000s in there. Worth stocking up while over. Have a great trip,

Did just that a pair of Contis 4000s for 50euros , £40 a great buy.
By the way I was very tempted to buy the Focus Izalco I hired from Belear risen but have just bought a Look.
They have it for sale at 1200 euros full sram red , cosmic wheels and a new Izalco frame , fantastic deal , but just to hard for me to justify.
PS If you pop into Balear risen please send my regards to the mechanic , he is the guy from Holland , smashing chap , let him know that a guy from England who was keen to buy the Focus sends him all the best.
Regards
ILG

Bar Shaker

How would you compare Pollensa Park to Pollensa Club Resort?

ilovegrace

Bar Shaker wrote:

How would you compare Pollensa Park to Pollensa Club Resort?

Never been to the Park , however the club was very good.

Mikey23

@w and @t... thanks for that ... good advice which seems to be the way to go. My own recent experience in sorrento italy is that bike hire is not such a good idea. a roadie would have cost me 40 euro for first day and 30 euro for subsequent days ie 160 for the five days i needed it. i didnt book in advance and was given a wide tyred cannondale hybrid for 100 which didnt give the impression that it had had much in the way of servicing ...

so the way to go would be to communicate well in advance and make sure you get what you want at a good price. And majorca being bike capital of the universe there will be lots of providers trying to get your trade and competing with each other on price and quality. N'est ce pas?

poppit

If you're looking at the Pollensa coastal area it's also worth considering Jet2, they do bike holidays to Mallorca with bike carriage at a reasonable cost, plus they include transfers so it's generally less hassle if that's important to you.

KnightOfTheLongTights

Bar Shaker wrote:

How would you compare Pollensa Park to Pollensa Club Resort?

I thought Pollensa Park and its food were very average but then I just don't like those big resort hotels, so it might be OK for the money. Certainly seem to remember the word was when I was there that Club Resort was better but more expensive?

KnightOfTheLongTights

PS. Looking around myself to go back with the fiance at some point, I came across some much nicer looking smaller hotels around the same price - Mar Calma, Sis Pins, Hoposa Bahia.
But guess places like Pollensa Park are probably better for meeting and socialising with other cyclists etc cos that's where all the groups / training camps stay.
(There's always Tolos for that anyway!)

JackPozzi

Bar Shaker wrote:

How would you compare Pollensa Park to Pollensa Club Resort?

I've stayed at both during training camps this year. PCR is much nicer, food is better quality and more varied and facilities are better. PP is much more central and compact, at PCR I had to walk half a mile from my room to the restaurant which was a pain. The camp at PP was also half the price for a week half board.

Personally I much preferred PP, when I'm on holiday I prefer to eat out anyway so the quality of the food didn't bother me and it's much easier to get to a load of places to eat from there...

Bar Shaker

Both seem to have pluses and minus'. Thanks for the feedback.

janwal

6 of us go every year in October.Tried Alcudia last year and enjoyed Sa Colabra etc.But going back to C'an Pastilla,near Arenal again this year and our usual half board at the Hotel Java. Excellent hotel with secure bike store.Hire bikes from Berganti bikes just along the front,good quality Ultegra bikes.You can pre book online and still sort the fit out on the day to which bike you do or don't want.Usually about 15 euros a day.
The other good thing about C'an Pastilla is that it is only a 5 minute bus ride from the airport and stops outside the hotel Java,3 euros bus fare.Usually land at 10'ish and we are out for afternoon ride in no time.Palma is within easy reach.There is a 12k cycle way runs all along the coast right into Palma.So you can then go along that coast right up to Santa Ponsa,Andtraxt etc.Again there are some large well signposted cycle ways for a lot of it.You are also within easy reach of the mountains at that end of the island such as the coll de Soller.Go into Palma,head up through the center to the station at the top and follow the roads out from there.You can go to Valdermossa on the way if you like,very nice little town.From Soller itself you can go up the Pug Major.If you do go to Soller you've got to go to the bakery on the corner by the little square up by the railway station and have one of there local majorcan pies.Don't know what meat it is but boy are they tasty and after the climb over the Soller you will be ready for it.Going out via Arenal instead there are plenty of rides up to Luc and other towns in land but within easy reach of many nice coastal resorts.

bernithebiker

^^^^^+1

Good to see I'm not the only one that prefers the South!

PP / Alcudia are fine, but I love going out at night in Palma, it's such a great city, and the family loves it too. (So much so that we now have a flat there.....)

There is some excellent riding all around the South, and IMO, the best ride on the island, from Andratx to Soller via the coast.

And the bus from the airport is 3 euros.....

Tjgoodhew

Im off to Can Pastilla in 3 weeks and cant wait.

My main reason for going here was the fact that its right by the airport so no time wasted travelling across the island and i am really looking forward to a ride through Andratx and around the South West

Bar Shaker

Surely the reason for going to Mallorca is to ride the hills in the North, in good weather.

After the cost and time of flying all that way, a one hour €30 transfer is neither here nor there.

Tjgoodhew

I can easily ride a loop taking in the hills of the north. Puig Major and Calobra and back again is an 85 mile loop. Im going on my own so i dont need the option of a quick blast in the morning before family time in the afternoon. If that was the case then the north is probably a better option.

But the south also gives good access to the South West which Berniethebiker reckons is the best riding on the island and im also pretty close to la Randa and San Salvador.

t4tomo

we stay in Paguera near Andratz when we go,mainly as a mate has an apartment there. But it makes decent base- couple of good bike hire options (RAD and Max Hurzler) good access to the hills from the south West, and reasonable nightlife for the evening. Similar in many ways to Alcudia and Pollenca excepts its SW vs NW and more Germans than Brits in the SW corner

poppit

If you stay in the middle of the island you can do both north and south quite easily. Also, if you stay near the main train line its easy and cheap to nip into Palma.

bernithebiker

poppit wrote:

If you stay in the middle of the island you can do both north and south quite easily. Also, if you stay near the main train line its easy and cheap to nip into Palma.

Geographically, that's a good call; Inca is pretty central to the island.

Only problem is Inca isn't that amazing a place, and doesn't really cater for tourists very well, and you're a good way from any beaches.

Jeff's place is in Sa Pobla I think, a pretty village/town, not far from Pollensa and Alcudia, but a leg up if you want to head South.

Brian1

I am goin to Puerto Soller for 5 days. Anyone any experience of this area. Thanks.

bernithebiker

Brian1 wrote:

I am goin to Puerto Soller for 5 days. Anyone any experience of this area. Thanks.

It's quite a good base for access to all the best bits.

The port and beach are pretty, and the main town is only a short tram ride or drive up the valley.

Only downside is every ride goes up from Soller; you can go North to Puig Major, South down to Andratx (beautiful) or East over the col towards Palma.

There are some great walks/hikes in the area too.

RyanB

Going out to Majorca for the first time next Thursday with my wife and our 3 year old.
As a birthday present, I'm getting a pass to clear off for the day and do Sa Calobra.
We're staying in Can Picafort and I was just going to hire my bike from the local WheelsSport shop. (Was just going to use a 105 equipped Bergamont)

Does anyone have any negative/positive experiences with them, or any advice you can provide?

Thanks.

markhewitt1978

I'm about to put in an order for a hire from Pro Cycle Hire in Port de Pollenca? Are they to be recommended?

Bar Shaker

markhewitt1978 wrote:

I'm about to put in an order for a hire from Pro Cycle Hire in Port de Pollenca? Are they to be recommended?

Majorcajeff didn't rate them (see earlier posts) but others may have positive feedback.

Our group use Max H.

ilovegrace

Bar Shaker wrote:

markhewitt1978 wrote:

I'm about to put in an order for a hire from Pro Cycle Hire in Port de Pollenca? Are they to be recommended?

Majorcajeff didn't rate them (see earlier posts) but others may have positive feedback.

Our group use Max H.

I would whole heartedly recommend www.balearreisen.de based on the Club Pollenca site , great bikes.
Canyon and Focus , I used a Focus Izalco, full sram red , £90 for 6 days, a fantastic bike.
Had a look at the Canyons when I was there , good range and all kept in great condition.
Max H is also on on the same site . bikes well serviced and good staff , I just wanted a little something special in carbon rather than the Centurion bikes at Max H.
regards
ILG

Bar Shaker

Our group mostly had Cube Agree carbon with Di2 from Max H last year. Good bikes.

ilovegrace

Bar Shaker wrote:

Our group mostly had Cube Agree carbon with Di2 from Max H last year. Good bikes.

I dont think that you can hire them from the Bike station in Club Pollenca, I would have tried one but on the web site it stated that they were not available.Plenty of Cube aluminium but no carbon !
regrads
ILG

markhewitt1978

Bar Shaker wrote:

markhewitt1978 wrote:

I'm about to put in an order for a hire from Pro Cycle Hire in Port de Pollenca? Are they to be recommended?

Majorcajeff didn't rate them (see earlier posts) but others may have positive feedback.

Our group use Max H.

Interesting thanks! I'm actually booked to hire from 'Rent March' in PdP I've hired from there before and they were ok, but just ok.