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Accommodation
At the last count Majorca offered visitors a choice of 1230 hotels and apartments to suit all tastes and budgets. The leading trade organisation on the island, which represents almost 80% of these establishments, is the Federación Empresarial Hotelera de Mallorca, which is often abbreviated to the FEHM. As with any holiday, it is certainly worth while checking the location of your chosen accommodation before booking, which hopefully the resort map pages of this site should be helpful. If your chosen accommodation is towards the rear of a resort, it may also be worth checking if they provide a courtesy bus service into the town centre.

Airport Transfers
Most UK tour operators now consider the transfer from the airport to your resort accommodation to be an "optional extra" and will charge anything up to £20 per person for the service. As an alternative, you may wish to consider the service being offered by Majorca Airport Transfers. They offer to meet you outside the airport arrivals hall with a uniformed driver displaying a greeting board with your name on it.

Banks
Most Banks are open from 9am to 2pm Monday to Friday. Always remember when exchanging any form of money to take along your passport, check the exchange rate before dealing, and collect a receipt before leaving the premises. For those who feel nervous about carrying large sums of money and their passport around together, most hotels will also gladly exchange money at perhaps a slightly lower rate. Most banks also have hole in the wall type cash machines where you can withdraw money using either your credit or debit card. Don't forget that the official currency of Spain is now the Euro.

Bars
There is a wide variety of bars throughout all resorts, most of which either offer live music, karaoke, Sky Sports, or videos of films not yet released in the cinema.

Buses
The local bus service is excellent around the southern resorts, but not so reliable if you want to travel further a field. Many visitors ask us for information about bus timetables, although our general advice is the "sit and wait, and enjoy the sun", 3 of the bus operators do actually publish what they claim to be the timetable their buses run to. Whilst no guarantee is provided on our behalf on the accuracy of these timetable, they can be found at:
www.autocaresmallorca.com/may-oct/index.htm
for the service provided by Autocares Mallorca, and

http://tib.caib.es
for the El Transport a les Illes Balears web site.

If you do intend to use the bus to get around, it's certainly worth considering buying a "BONO-BUS" card which entitles the owner to discounted bus travel. These can be purchased from any TIB bus driver and are issued in values of €16, €32 and €45.

Camping
In addition to the numerous hotels and apartments throughout Majorca, there is also a camp site hidden away in the north of the island at:
Camping Club San Pedro
Cala Dels Camps
Colonia de San Pedro
7570
Artà
Mallorca
Telephone: +34 971 589 031
Fax: +34 971 589 023

Chemist
You can always spot a chemist shop by the green cross they all display. Outside of normal opening hours, a notice on the door will always give the address of the nearest duty chemist.

Cycling
Majorca is very popular for cycling due to its varied terrain and mild winter climate and offers a wide variety of cycling challenges from 16km climbs to long flat roads ideal for time-trials. It should be noted that if you are traveling on a package tour, many coach operators will no longer carry bicycles due to the increased demand and lack of space.

Disabled Access and Facilities
It's fair to say that not all hotels and apartments on the islands are able to offer full disabled access to their facilities. However, Disabled Access Holidays are a UK based organisation who have a number of specially adapted two and three bedroom self catering apartments in Puerto Pollensa, that are suitable for people of all ages with varying disabilities. For independent travellers who are are looking to hire a mobility scooter once they are out there the the Easy Rider Mobility & Hire Centre in Alcudia will be the best people to contact for the northern resorts. Their full contact details are:
Easy Rider Mobility & Hire Centre
Calle Major, 42
Alcudia 07400
Telephone: +34 971 545 057
Email: easyriderscooters@yahoo.co.uk
Web Site: www.easyridermobilityhire.com

Doctor
If you require urgent medical assistance, 24 hour English speaking doctors are available throughout the island, and also in recognition of the huge British presence in the south of Majorca, certainly worth a mention, but hopefully not a visit whilst on holiday, is the British Surgery in Magaluf. With five surgeries in the area at Avenida Notario Alemany (opposite the Hotel Sol Barbados/Antillas), Calle Blanc (opposite the Aparthotel Fiesta Sahara), Calle Hermanos Pinzones (opposite the Hotel Sol Tordos/Mirlos), Cami Sa Porrassa (opposite the Hotel Sol Guadalupe) and Calle Martin Ros Garcia (opposite the Hotel TRH Palmanova), they aim to provide the highest level of medical care for both British tourists and the ex-pat residents in Mallorca. Unlike most, if not all, of the other medical centres on the island the staff here are all British and of the highest calibre. Contact details are:
Edificio Magasol, No 10
Cami Sa Porrassa, No 3
07182
Magaluf
Mallorca
Telephone: +34 971 132 828
Fax: +34 971 131 948
Web site: www.thebritishsurgery.com

Electricity
The voltage in Majorca is 220 volt. Most British items will work with the correct adaptor from the UK standard 3 pin to European 2 pin socket.

Euro
The Euro is the name of the common currency of the 12 countries forming the European Monetary Union. Since January 1999 Spain has been a member, and the UK has opted out at this time. Euro notes are issued in 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 denominations and are identical in all member countries of the EMU. The designs symbolise European architectural heritage but not royal or national monuments. The coins are issued as 1, 2 and 5 cents and are copper in colour, 10, 20 and 50 cents yellow in colour and finally 1 and 2 Euros white and yellow in colour. Although all the coins have a common European face, each member state is allowed to stamp their own motif on the reverse face.

European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)
The European Health Insurance Card, which is often abbreviated to EHIC, replaced the old E111 Form on 31 December 2005, and entitles British citizens to reduced cost, or sometimes free, medical treatment that becomes necessary while you’re in a European Economic Area country or Switzerland.

The EHIC is normally valid for three to five years and covers any medical treatment that becomes necessary during your trip, because of either illness or an accident. The card gives access to state-provided medical treatment only, and you'll be treated on the same basis as an 'insured' person living in the country you're visiting. Remember, this might not cover all the things you'd expect to get free of charge from the NHS in the UK and you may have to make a contribution to the cost of your care.

Although the EHIC also covers any treatment you need for a chronic disease or pre-existing illness, it won't however cover you if getting medical treatment is the main purpose of your trip.

If prior to 31 December 2005 you ticked the relevant box on the E111 application form, an EHIC would have been automatically sent to you during January 2006, however, for new applications they are also available from the Department of Health web site, by calling the EHIC Applications Line on 0845 606 2030, or alternatively by completing an EHIC application pack from any local Post Office branch.

Food
Restaurants in Majorca cater for a wide range of tastes. In the larger resorts you can get anything from a traditional English breakfast to a Chinese take away. Traditional Mallorcan cuisine makes full use of the islands home grown produce, pork, fish and vegetable dishes are very popular, flavoured with garlic, tomato and herbs. For those visitors on self catering breaks, all resorts have a number of Spar type supermarkets, which, in recognition of the high number of British visitors, stock readily recognisable UK branded goods, although in many cases the prices charged may be considerably higher than those you would expect to pay at home. The underlying principle of consumer choice was once explained by a local shopkeeper as, "if you don't like the price, you don't have to buy", however, the stark reality is unless you are prepared to travel out of the resort to the hypermarkets on the outskirts of Palma "you do have to buy", which of course the local shopkeepers are only too aware of. Certainly worth considering is the service offered by Yachts Food where, via their web site, it is possible to pre-order food and provisions and have them delivered direct to you accommodation. Contact details for more information and ordering is:
Yacht Food
Ap 787, Palma de Mallorca
07001
Telephone: +34 687 820 229
Web site: www.yachtsfood.com
Email: info@yachtsfood.com

Getting Married in Majorca
Getting married in Majorca can be extremely complicated. In very simple terms, if one of the partners has lived legally in either Majorca or Spain for at least two years, then the civil marriage can be carried out at the local town hall, followed by a religious ceremony in church or other approved location. However, if neither of the partners fulfil the above residence requirements, then the civil marriage will have to take place in their country of residency, followed by a religious ceremony in church. In practical terms for UK citizens, this usually means a civil marriage taking place in the local registry office in the UK, which can then be followed by the religious ceremony on Majorca. For further information on marriage in Majorca our two recommended points of contact are:
Julie Bussell
My Majorca Wedding
PO Box 130
07150
Andratx
Mallorca
Telephone: +34 971 136 308
Web site: www.mymajorcawedding.co.uk and www.mymallorcawedding.co.uk
Email: info@mymajorcawedding.co.uk

The Revd. Robert Ellis
The Anglican Parish of St Philip & St James in Mallorca
Calle Nuñez de Balboa, 6
Son Armadans
07014
Palma de Mallorca
Telephone: +34 971 737 279
Fax: +34 971 454 492
Web site: www.anglican-mallorca.org
Email: anglicanpalma@terra.es

Golf
Majorca is famed for its excellent golf courses. With no less than 23 courses offering a variety of different challenges, and some spectacular sea views, it is fast becoming the "Golfing Mecca" of the Mediterranean. Clubs, trolleys etc can be hired at most courses at a cost and whilst shorts are permitted, beachwear is frowned upon. A short description, along with the contact details for each of these courses, can be found on our Majorca Golf pages.

An organisation based in Magaluf called "Mallorca Golf Connection" are the Tui official golf booking agency on the island. They can organise on your behalf tee-off times, transport to and from the course and generally take all the hassle away from you. They can be contacted at:
Mallorca Golf Connection
Avenida Solivera 5
Local 17
07182
Magaluf
Calvia
Mallorca
Telephone: +34 971 221 973
Fax: +34 971 221 974
Web site: www.mallorcagolfholidays.com

In addition to the above, most resorts also have mini-golf courses, however, four of these have been developed into massive 54 hole complexes with enough attractions to occupy you for a full day. These are Golf Fantasia at Palma Nova and Arenel, Golf Paradis at Sa Coma and Super Golf which is part of the Hidropark complex at Alcudia.

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