Quiet but optimistic – a postcard from Mallorca, where overtourism is no more
Mid-morning is a busy time at Ca’n Joan de S’aigo. Hidden on a backstreet in the labyrinthine Old Town, this coffee house has been a Palma institution since it opened in 1700. Though it must have been renovated somewhere in its 320 year history, its dark-wood furniture, tiled floors and antiques are unwaveringly traditional.
Patrons are sipping hot chocolate and eating home-made ice cream and ensaïmadas: the coiled, sugar-dusted pastries so emblematic of Mallorca. The only thing missing is the usual queue of people waiting outside; otherwise it’s business as normal. And in this anything-but-normal year, that in itself is exceptional.
Unlike in lockdown London, cafés such as this (along with museums, shops, bars, restaurants and gyms) are open all over Palma. The Old Town’s traffic-free streets still have plenty of footfall, but they're unquestionably quieter because there are very few tourists. According to the Fomento del Turismo (the island’s tourism board) some 70 per cent of Mallorca's visitors come from Britain and Germany, whose governments both imposed quarantine restrictions on travellers returning from Spain back in August. Those restrictions remain (despite coronavirus infections now being far lower here) and the subsequent lockdowns in Britain and Germany have only compounded the problem.
It's a far cry from 2018, when protesters took to the airport and beaches to highlight "overtourism". The tourist crowds at which they railed are now a distant memory and mass-market travel will likely take years to recover. But Palma is well-placed to shrug off the downturn.
Lying within a two-hour flight and a 10-minute drive from the airport, it’s filled with history, shopping, cultural attractions and lots of boutique hotels: all the essential elements for convenient, cosmopolitan city breaks. For the moment though, there's not enough business to sustain all of Palma's boutique boltholes.
I’m staying at Can Alomar, an elegant eyrie filling the upper floors of a 19th Century townhouse on Passeig del Born, the city's grandest avenue. All three of its sister properties are taking extended siestas, but Can Alomar is going strong.
"Given the year that everyone has had, we really can’t complain," says sales ambassador, Ilka Karl. We're sitting on an open-air terrace looking through the avenue’s treetops where falling leaves have revealed glimpses of La Seu, the Gothic cathedral.
"Those who can afford to travel are desperate to do so,” she continues, “and a lot of our guests are unperturbed by the issue of quarantine. They just want to get away somewhere sunny, safe and with plenty of street life. We’ve only got 16 rooms but we are achieving decent occupancy. Meanwhile we’re refurbishing our other properties, which we hope to reopen in February or March."
Ilka's optimism is shared a few doors down at Gerhardt Braun Gallery where bold and bright, contemporary artworks fill a renovated palace. "Business is slower for sure, but ticking over comfortably," I’m told by manager Marc Bibiloni. He's just putting the final touches to an exhibition (launching mid-December) by German artist Leon Löwentraut, whose colourful, textural works range from €10,000 sketches to a €100,000 diptych. "We just sold a piece by another artist that hasn’t even been finished yet. Even though we have fewer people visiting, the demand for fine art is still there."
Business is similarly subdued but brisk along Passeig del Born, the "Golden Mile" where flagship stores are shaded by stately plane trees. Smaller stores and boutiques in nearby streets are keeping tills ringing with discounts and sales. And at Mercat Olivar, the main covered market, seasonal produce is piled high for shoppers stocking up on groceries.
Everyone wears face masks (required outside the home since July), which seems a minor inconvenience compared to a tedious English lockdown. The same polite buzz (this time with Mediterranean views) also permeates the seafront suburb of Portixol, a half-hour stroll from the cathedral.
The go-to spot here is Hotel Portixol, a gleaming white, mid-century landmark with navy blue accents and nautical interiors that reference the yachts moored in the adjacent marina. I snag the last table on the poolside terrace and join the comfortably-off crowd enjoying al-fresco lunches. It's a jacket-and-sunglasses kind of day that nearby diners are comparing to the far less cheerful weather they’ve left back in Britain.
"It’s always this busy at weekends," reveals manager Christina Ostrem, who greets me in the lobby after lunch. "The restaurant is so popular that it’s allowed us to keep the hotel open, which means that we’ve retained all our staff, albeit on reduced hours."
Like everyone else, they’ve had a tough year, but it’s far from doom and gloom at this Scandi-chic property on the promenade. "A lot of cancelled bookings rolled over to 2021, so we’re positive for next season," she says. "But another year like this would be a disaster for so many." In hospitality, merely surviving 2020 is an accomplishment.
But Palma is no stranger to adversity; it’s withstood occupations, sieges and the Spanish Civil War, not to mention "La Crisis" a decade ago. By the time spring gets here with its promise of vaccines, Palma’s galleries, bars and boutique hotels will be poised to bounce back into action. And when they do, there will be cake. Just don't be surprised to find the queues back outside Ca’n Joan de S’aigo.
Rooms (including breakfast) at Can Alomar currently cost from €165 per night, or from €150 (excluding breakfast) at Hotel Portixol. For more information, visit infomallorca.net.
