Steve MacNaull
Abundant sun, countless beaches, palm-treed promenades, boat excursions galore, an armada of tapas and sophisticated sips and sensational stays. The Spanish island of Mallorca oozes Mediterranean charm. This vibe is now more accessible for Canadians with Air Canada’s three-times-a-week, seasonal, non-stop flights between Montreal and Palma de Mallorca, from June 18 through Oct. 23.
It’s the first and only direct link between Canada and Mallorca – one of four Balearic Islands in the Med off the south coast of Spain along with Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera. Air Canada is also considering launching Toronto-Mallorca next summer.
Air Canada Vacations is currently packaging flights on the 255-seat Dreamliner 787-8 with airport transfers and hotels, most including breakfast. ACV pays travel agents around 10% to 12% commission on all packages sold, including the new Mallorca product.
For inspiration for clients looking for two ways to stay in Mallorca, we flew Air Canada to experience both a cosmopolitan city resort stay at the 138-room Gran Melia de Mar near the capital of Palma and then had a chic small-town stay at the 90-room Pure Salt, 34 kilometres away in Port de Soller on the island’s north coast.
Pure Salt Port de Soller
This spring, Pure Salt Luxury Hotels business development manager Judit Ivern Rubio, travelled to Montreal as part of the Turespana delegation representing four-and-five-star hotels in Mallorca.
The goal: meet with Canadian and American travel agents to promote Mallorca as a desirable destination and get them booking their clients into hotels throughout Mallorca, either directly or through Air Canada Vacations.
“Airlines have so much power because they can start non-stop flights to a new destination and make it pop,” said Rubio. “That’s why when Air Canada announced service to Palma de Mallorca, Pure Salt made sure we packaged it with Air Canada Vacations.”
Previously, Canadians generally found their way to Mallorca on a Med cruise or after spending the first half of their vacation in Barcelona or Madrid.
“With Air Canada’s non-stop flights, Canadian tourists can come straight to Mallorca and discover it’s not just a sun destination, but a cultural one full of stories and history,” said Rubio.
She is quick to point out Pure Salt Luxury Hotels is not a chain, but a collection of design-driven beachfront properties.
The three hotels in the collection are distinctive, but unified. The 90-room Pure Salt Port de Soller is across the street from the beach-ringed harbour and also has a pool complex carved into the mountainside.
It caters to an international clientele of sunseekers, beach-goers and cyclists from the rest of Mallorca, Germany, Britain, Scandinavia and increasingly Canada, due to the flight from Montreal, and the US, thanks to a non-stops from Newark.
The 93-room Pure Salt Port Adriando has 50% repeat business with loyal tourists, mostly German, British, Swiss and Arabic.
The 149-room Pure Salt Garonda, the first five-star hotel on Playa de Palma, also caters to a German-led international crowd with increasing bookings from Canada thanks to Air Canada and Air Canada Vacations.
While staying at the Pure Salt Port de Soller we did a speedboat excursion with Sollermar to snorkel in hidden coves, hopped the Bonnie Lass for a sunset cruise, lounged by the beach and pool and had long tapas lunches and dinners with Mallorcan wines at restaurants with sea views.
Gran Melia de Mar
Again showing the power of non-stop flights, the five-star Gran Melia de Mar is seeing a burgeoning number of Canadian, American and Emirati guests thanks to direct service from Montreal, Newark and Abu Dhabi.
The new wave of visitors is choosing Gran Melia de Mar, either independently or as part of a package, for the tried-and-true combination of sun, location, luxury, amenities and brand loyalty.
(While Melia Hotels International is Spain’s largest hotel chain, advisors likely know the Melia name for its popular all-inclusive resorts in Mexico.)
While part of a big chain, the adults-only Gran Melia de Mar is unique with its ‘Gran’ status representing the company’s highest expression of luxury, membership in The Leading Hotels in World and a storied history.
The hotel dates back to 1964, when it opened as a mid-century modernist showpiece by visionary Spanish architect Jose Antonio Coderch. The glazed brown tile exterior and stacked and staggered seven-storey design earned it the nickname ‘The Chocolate Hotel’.
“The tiered architecture means everyone of our 138 rooms and suites has a sea view and terraces that are private and big enough for lounge chairs,” points out Gran Melia de Mar head concierge Cinthia Parra. “We also have two pools, beach, the ocean and four restaurants and spa, so there’s lots of room for guests to never be crowded or rushed.”
Located five kilometres from Palma’s Old Town in the Illetas Beach neighbourhood, the Gran Melia de Mar has the best of both worlds. It looks and feels like a retreat, but it’s just a short cab ride into bustling Palma. As such, we spend most of our time at the hotel lounging by the sea and the pool, but nip into Palma for a tapas and wine tour with Gastrowalk via GetYourGuide.
