The south coast eastwards from the capital Palma, in Majorca the first resort to arrive at is called Can Pastilla. This close proximity to Palma and the Son Sant Joan International airport, would possibly explain why this was also one of the first resorts to be discovered by the Brits during the onset on tourism in the early 1960s.



Although the close proximity of Can Pastilla to the airport does have the benefit of a very short transfer time, usually around 15 to 20 minutes, it does however also mean that many visitors are likely to experience some degree of aircraft noise during their holiday here.

Can Pastilla consists of little more than a narrow main street, with the small parish Church of Sant Antonio de la Playa set among tightly packed side streets which lead down to the very picturesque harbour and the Club Maritimo San Antonio de la Playa marina, which is the home to a number of yachts and other pleasure craft.

The town itself is built at the western end of a 2 mile stretch of beach called Playa de Palma, which is joined by a wide promenade to the resort of Arenal in the east. If you dont fancy the walk between the 2 resorts, a popular Mini Train runs along the promenade which is a convenient way to get around.

For those of you who have never visited the island before, Arenal is very popular with the German 18 to 30s who are looking for all night clubs and bars it is certainly not suitable for a family holiday or anyone wishing to get some sleep before dawn. Arenal has over the years continued to expand its influence over this area of Playa de Palma, and we wonder how much longer Can Pastilla will be able to resist this German invasion.

At present however, Can Pastilla still retains a very strong British and is most likely to suit those looking for sea and sun.

The beach of Playa de Palma is very popular and shelves gently into the sea. A feature of this stretch of coastline is the 16 small huts which run from Can Pastilla to Arenal. These small beach huts usually have toilets, showers, and a kiosk selling cold drinks and snacks and prove to be a useful aid to navigation around the resort.

Regrettably, in recent years the beach at Playa de Palma has had a bit of a problem both from litter and from Lookie Lookie Men selling genuine designer watches which are almost certainly fake and may not even be working at all, although in its defence the local council have now recognised these problems and will hopefully address them.