CHRISTMAS in Palma del Mallorca is something to be looked forward to by tourists. Palma del Mallorca has long been associated as a summer paradise. Not many people know that spending time here during Christmas season is also swell. Palma del Mallorca is actually the capital city of the island of Mallorca, one of the islands in the Balearic Archipelago in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea across the Iberian Peninsula. Palma del Mallorca is an emerging tourist destination next to Ibiza. So many people have gone to Ibiza. The trend now is for people to go to Palma del Mallorca.

People usually go there during Christmas because they like the very temperate climate there. It’s not as cold as it is in the Pyrenees in the Spanish mainland. You may even skinny dip at night if you want because maximum coldness here is only at 5 degrees Celsius tops. Just make sure to bring somebody with you because Guardia Civil and beach lifeguards do not patrol remote beaches which are not under their jurisdiction. However, accommodation by beach resorts here are truly at par with the rest of the world.

That’s because beach resorts not just in Palma del Mallorca but all over Europe are monitored by the European Union. They all want to be given the coveted blue flag accreditation which means that these beach resorts and hotels have achieved excellent customer service. One of the many innovations they have instituted for the past few months is the establishment of nurseries. After the famed Madeleine McCann kidnapping in Praia da Luz in Portugal, hotels all over the Iberian Peninsula and other places even as far as Tenerife have instituted nurseries so that couples in their second honeymoon won’t be disturbed.

More so, these nurseries are staffed with people who are child psychologists and they are also equipped with state-of-the-art playing facilities like the ones found in shopping malls. Another thing to watch out for in Palma del Mallorca is the meticulousness of the place in terms of keeping the environment. In Palma del Mallorca, make sure that you don’t park the off-road vehicle that you have rented at the parking spots of the beaches or even at the beaches themselves. The muddy tires of the off-road vehicle will be ruining the beaches and they don’t like that.

Also, there are a few nudist beaches here in Palma del Mallorca but they are understandably deserted during Christmastime as most of the naturists who frequent here during summer go back to their respective Scandinavian homes during winter. But their absence makes for a very pleasant winter experience for you as you can have the nudist beach all by yourselves. You can even skinny dip and take a plunge during nighttime on a moonless night and just watch the planktons glowing around you in the cold Mediterranean waters. Meanwhile, other attractions that you need to watch out for during Christmastime here in Palma del Mallorca are the religious celebrations. Christmas celebrations here begin on December 2, 2007 and that is the first Sunday of Advent.

PALMA del Mallorca is the capital of Mallorca, the biggest island in the Balearic archipelago splashed in the Mediterranean Ocean. One of the many features of Palma del Mallorca is the olive plantations there. In fact, Palma del Mallorca has the most number of olive plantations than any place in Europe. Olive oil is sort of a staple in the Mediterranean cuisine. Olive oil is said to be the healthiest cooking oil in the world because it contains less fat content. Olive oil is fermented in these plantations.

As winter is approaching, Palma del Mallorca is still a serene place with lots of tourists hovering about. Some of them who come from Britain and other Western and Northern European countries even come here during the holiday season just to chill. During winter, temperatures here tend to be low but not as low as -3 degrees Celsius experienced elsewhere in mainland Europe. Thus, the temperature is just right for a honeymooning couple who don’t want their sojourn to be interrupted. They can have the beaches all to themselves after all. They can do anything that they want there just like skinny dipping and stuff.
The advantage of Palma del Mallorca over other places is that there are no torrential rains there. So even though the sun is not shining and there are gloomy clouds hovering about, your honeymoon will definitely not be spoiled. Of course, there are lifeguards in the distance but be sure not to stray away to remote coastlines which are not part of the beaches anymore because lifeguards don’t strut there.

One advantage of being checked in or billeted at a beach resort is the availability of immense Mediterranean seafood there. As you well know, people here in Palma del Mallorca don’t want to cook their seafood frozen or refrigerated. Thus, everyday, restaurant staff goes to the fishing villages and fishing ports, queue and wait for the catch. They then haul these directly to the restaurant kitchens where lobsters, prawns, crabs, redfish and grouper are chopped and cooked, whether stewed, fried or grilled.

Speaking of grilling Mediterranean seafood, one can enjoy an experience of a lifetime experimenting with this right in one’s own backyard. That is if you have purchased a house here in Palma del Mallorca. But fret no more because there are also holiday homes for rent here. They may be settled by the beaches or established somewhere in the boondocks. But whatever the case, these holiday homes have a nice rural feel to it and it seems that one has reached paradise already.

Amenities in the beach cottages are still a swell though as each suite is pumped with cable television, wired and wireless high speed Internet connection, LCD television and subwoofer system. You can also plug in your game console if you like.

But the beauty of Palma del Mallorca does not stop in its beaches, including the nudist ones. The locals here are actually its number one asset as the folks tend to be friendly and polite. They can be as hospitable as they can be. So why not check them out as well?

PALMA del Mallorca is the capital of Mallorca, the biggest island in the Balearic archipelago off the coast of the Iberian Peninsula in Spain. The Balearic Islands include the world-famous tourist spot of Ibiza. Suffice it to say then that the capital of the Balearic is also famous among foreigners. There is an international airport at Palma del Mallorca and flights come here from Madrid and other regional capitals of Europe such as Portugal, England, France, Italy and Germany. There are many English tourists coming here during summer because the Balearic Islands are what is Caribbean in the Americas and Bali in Asia. But the catch here is that its relatively colder here than in the tropics where other Western and Northern Europeans cannot withstand. Temperature here is only between 18 to 23 degrees Celsius during summer, no more than that. Thus, this is definitely an ideal place to get a tan. If one is not contented in stripping down to his or her bikini, then go commando. There are numerous nudist beaches here in Palma del Mallorca. Palma del Mallorca may be a part of Spain and the natives here may be devout Catholics but the owners and patrons of these nudist beaches are definitely foreign.

That is also one thing that people like in Palma del Mallorca. Spanish real estate laws and policies are so relaxed that there are no difficult ways to obtain a property to be converted into a beach resort even if the purchaser is a foreigner. All the foreigner needs to exhibit is his or her good intentions in investing in the kind of business which induces the economy of Palma del Mallorca all the more. Once the property has already stood up, the owner must allow the beach resort to be inspected constantly so it can get the coveted blue flag accreditation. The blue flag accreditation means that the property has passed stringent water quality tests where even the tap water at individual suites and cottages in the beach resort are good to be drunk.

In a related development, Palma de Mallorca has recently won acclaim by a professional tourist writer as one of the best autumn sites in the world. According to Peter MacNeil of the Belfast Telegraph, November is an ideal place to stay in Palma del Mallorca because many tourists are already back in their English homeland by then and this is one cozy cold place to snuggle if you are a honeymooning couple. Almost all of the holiday homes are vacant and one can go to the beaches in tranquility just like what you have seen in the Phuket-set movie The Beach. All the youngsters spinning techno and house music are gone and the couple can have the coast to themselves. Just make sure not to wander far out alone because lifeguards are not on duty on remote beaches. During this time, there is definitely no worry on when to reserve and book your resort stay here because there are virtually no tourists alone. This is even one right place to have a seaside wedding.