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Attractions and Amenities

The nearest town to Cala San Vincente is Pollensa old town, which you will have undoubtedly passed through on your journey from the airport. The name Pollensa originally dates from the 14th century when settlers from nearby Alcudia named the town after their former Roman capital. Among the many remaining historic buildings is a former Jesuit convent which is now still used as the local Town Hall. It's here that the Sunday morning market is held in the Placa Major square, selling fresh local fruit and vegetables, as well as flowers and craft goods. A further market is held at Puerto Pollensa every Wednesday, but since the same traders attend both events, the variety of goods for sale is somewhat limited. Most markets on the island are held in the morning from around 8:00 to 13:00, so you'll need to get there early and be prepared to haggle like a professional to secure the best bargains.

One of the most popular cultural attractions in the north west of the island is the cypress tree lined Calvari steps which lead up to the tiny Calvari church with its ancient wooden cross and magnificent views of looking back over the Pollensa old town. The 365 Calvari steps are the scene of a moving procession each Good Friday, when a figure of Christ is removed from the cross and carried down the steps by torchlight.

Throughout the rest of the year, a number of less formal parades also take place as part of the annual fiesta calendar in and around the north west of the island, including Pollensa and Cala San Vincente, although the first event will undoubtedly be missed by most of the visitors to Majorca. Early in the New Year on January 17th in honour of Sant Antoni, an enormous fir tree is paraded through Pollensa, past the local church, and on to the main square. Once here it is then smeared with soap and eggs, and the young men of the town are challenged to climb it. Three days later, on Sant Sebastians day, is a further parade that includes the ancestral dance of Els Cavallets where two young children dance wearing paper maché horses.

However, the big event of the year commences on July 26th and culminates a week later on 2nd August with the re-enactment of the battle of the Moors and Christians. This fiesta commemorates the battle by the local population of Pollenca against 1500 Moors led by a Turkish pirate named Dragut. The fiesta can be traced back to the middle of the 19th century, and almost the whole of the town is involved, the Christians are all dressed in white and the followers of Dragut in various colours. On the evening of the 1st August a dance is held until the early hours of the morning, and the town then waits in suspense until at 5am the local band plays the "Alborada" (the dawn). After this Mass is said throughout the day along with other various activities until the battle is finally fought at 7pm in the evening. After the battle the Christians return to the church for prayers, and on leaving the church the band again play the "Alborada". The fiesta then finishes with the singing of the "Visca Pollenca" (Hooray Pollenca) and a grand firework display.

The final event of the year is then the Autumn Fair or "Fira de Tardor", which takes place during the second weekend of November in Pollenca. This event combines a traditional country fair with a jazz festival, and features exhibitions of local crafts along with various games and sporting activities.

A regular bus service runs the 5km trip between Cala San Vicente and Puerto Pollensa on a daily basis, leaving Cala San Vincente at;
Weekdays: 08.45 - 12.30* - 14.45* - 18.45
Sundays and Bank Holidays: 10.00 - 12.30 - 17.45*
and returning from Puerto Pollensa at:
Weekdays: 08.15 - 11.15* - 14.30* - 18.30
Sundays and Bank Holidays: 09.30 - 12.15 - 17.30*
* indicates that the bus doesn't run during December, January and February.

For the really brave, or just plain foolhardy, a daily bus also passes through Cala San Vicente twice daily on the route between Soller on the west coast, to the resort of C'an Picafort at the eastern end of the Bay of Alcudia. Whilst the term "timetable" may be a little too formal to describe the times the bus actually arrives at any of the stops en-route, further information can be found at their web site http://tramuntana.info/transport.html

Not to everyone's interest or taste, but Cala San Vincente is the site of one of the most important, and largest, pre-talaiotic necropolises in Majorca. Before you ask what "pre-talaiotic necropolises" are?, they are a series of man-made cave dwellings dating back to the Bronze Age. At the beginning of the 20th Century, records show that there were about 20 of the original caves still in existence, however, this number has declined to the 7 that we can see today. Hopefully, the Local Government will now act to preserve them for future generations, a possible use for the revenue of the much hated Tourist Tax?

At the other cultural extreme from "pre-talaiotic necropolises", the resort also has a good mini golf course.

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