Magaluf

Located in the municipality of Calvia, Magaluf is one of Majorca's big resorts, if not the biggest. The resort of Palma Nova is right next door and it's difficult to tell where one stops and the other starts.Tourists are mainly from the UK with small pockets of other European's to be found, mainly Irish, German and Swedish.

During peak season, Magaluf is definitely a resort for the younger generation (think Club 18-30). Most holiday makers spend the day lounging on the beach or around the hotel pool and then partying into the morning.Well known as a budget Majorcan resort, Magaluf's party atmosphere continues 24 hours a day!

During peak season (June to mid September) Magaluf is mainly occupied with the 18-30 crowd and young families, whilst in the off peak months many of the bars and clubs are closed and the resort becomes a popular destination for the older generation seeking warmer winter climes.

Be warned, speaking from many experiences with the resort during peak season, no matter how much spending money you take, you will probably go through the lot! The resort is well versed in the art of extracting money from tourists. However, you'll most likely have some great memories and possibly some new friends.

Magaluf Night Life

For the youth, the night life is Magaluf's main attraction. During the peak season partying goes on all day and it's the norm to get back after a night out between 4am and 7am (possibly even later).

Also, you should be aware that a lot of the bars won't get busy until around 23:00, as many people tend to go out later in the evening, especially as their holiday draws on and the effects of all the booze and late nights creep up on them!

Alcohol can be bought for very cheap in local shops / markets and drunk in the apartment if you're on a budget, when you get to the bars prices will be a bit more expensive, but no way near what you will pay in a bar in the UK.

As far as we know, during 2008, the local government of Calvia, Majorca banned any selling activity on the streets, this includes bar and club 'street reps' (the ones that tempt you into their bars with free drinks). Apparently, this activity is now illegal in Magaluf and any street touting may lead to offender being dealt with by the local police. Avoiding the bar reps used to be a nightmare for some, so this new legislation may be a welcome change. We'll see how this plays out over the summer months of 2009 and let you know.

BCM Square and the Main Strip are where the night action centres around.

There are a number of night clubs in the resort and a pass (the Magaluf Club Pass or MCP) can be bought that gives entry to many of them for a week or two. The clubs participating in the pass scheme include Honeys Lap Dance, Banana Disco, Tokio Joe's, Buffalo Girls and Boomerang.

The resorts biggest club, BCM, is famed for its foam / popcorn parties and laser shows. It's a great club, but don't expect anything sophisticated like the Ibiza club scene here... yet.

Each year there are a number of guest appearances from famous DJ's, who normally come along with the likes of Cream. Previous big hitters have included DJ Tiesto, Paul van dyk, DJ Sammy, Judge Jules, Pete Tong, Dave Pearce, Erick Morillo and Armand Van Helden.

The club is actually split into two, one being BCMs and the other BCM Millennium, quite why I'm not sure, as the entry ticket gets you access to both. Expect to pay up to €50 for one of the big nights (i.e. Cream) and around €20 upwards for any other night (it depends who and what is on).

There are well over 100 bars in Magaluf, so you won't be hard pressed to find somewhere to have a drink.

Magaluf Attractions

The main attractions in Magaluf are the sun, beach and water sports activities available. You'll find all the usual stuff like paragliding, water skiing, boat trips, inflatable rides, scuba diving, booze cruising, etc. The beach itself stretches out for over 1.5KM of fine golden sand.

Magaluf is not particularly known as a cultural hot spot and you will be hard pressed to find any 'old Majorca' left.

If you're interested in seeing a bit more, I'd advise hiring a car, moped or motorbike. Mopeds can be hired for around €30 per day and 125cc's for around €60 per day. Unlike in the UK, you can drive on the motorways with a 125cc motorcycle in Spain. Expect to pay €100 / day and upwards for car hire.

Discounts are normally found for multiday bookings (i.e. 3 days) and you may get a discount for groups (i.e. 2 or more bikes/cars), it doesn't hurt to ask. Make sure you don't forget your driving license.

If the hire prices are a little steep you can always opt for the public transport. The local bus system in Majorca is excellent and you can get a bus from Magaluf to Palma for less than €3, running every 30 minutes. In addition, the number 50 bus is will take you around the sites of Palma and then back to Magaluf.