ALCUDIA

PUERTO DE ALCUDIA

Puerto de Alcudia is a fishing and commercial port at the northwest end of the vast Alcudia Bay. The resort has been developed extensively to its south east for about 2 miles along its vast sandy beach. The area is especially suited to families with its gently sloping sands and children’s play facilities that the resort and most hotels provide. This built-up but well planned resort fizzles out the more one heads east along the bay past Playa de Muro, until eventually there is just a beach of almost white sand backed by dunes and pines as far as C'an Picafort, a further four miles along the bay.
There are effectively three resort centres in the Alcudia area; these are Puerto Alcudia, Playa Alcudia and Playa de Muro. There are many bars, restaurants and hotels in all three resort centres, however, Playa Alcudia (also known as Bellevue) is by far the liveliest with its many fun pubs, theme bars, discos, music bars and fast food joints.
The eastern part of Playa Alcudia (the Platja D'Or area) along with Playa de Muro is a weekend resort destination of Mallorcans as well as being a fast growing international holiday area. Much of the beach here is directly backed by pines offering welcoming shade almost to the water's edge.
The Playa de Muro area is backed by the S'Albufera National Park, which consists of over 1700 hectares of marshes and dunes. This is by far the largest and most important wetland area in the Balearics. The abundance and diversity of marine life and invertebrates are a magnet for scores of bird species both sedentary and migratory. Examples of the most common species to be found in summer are warblers, buntings, finches, linnets, egrets, rails, grebes, kestrels, and herons. Osprey is a year-round visitor to the park albeit a little less common a sight than the other birds mentioned, but by no means rare.
Given the size of the park the best way to see it and its wildlife is on a bicycle. No motorised vehicles are allowed in the park.
Largely because of the many canals and rivulets in the Playa Alcudia area there is a thriving population of mosquitoes. These local residents are enthusiastic and voracious diners every evening with a particular penchant for soft northern European flesh! It is therefore strongly advisable to take protection against mosquito bites when holidaying in this area.

For a street map of Puerto de Alcudia showing the locations of hotels and apartments click the button below.
 

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ARTA

Arta is an impressive town built on a hillside, dominated by its medieval castle and parish church. It has a good museum, housing local finds, and in the vicinity are important prehistoric monuments, particularly the Talayot de Ses Paisses which is constructed of huge blocks of stone.

ARTA CAVES

These are some of the finest caves in the world, impressive for the size of the galleries and for the countless number and length of stalactites and stalagmites. Entrance to the caves is through a yawning hole in the side of a sheer cliff, facing the sea.

Here in 1230, 1,500 Moorish fugitives took refuge from Jaime I; but he eventually smoked them out by burning their huts.

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Arta
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