First time having second thoughts about Pollensa

[mwc]

Have just had a call the other day from the people who rent us there villa every year for three weeks in August, and for the first time we are having second thoughts due to the rise in costs. Car hire (which we need) has gone up atleast £200, flights seem to have gone up with Jet2, don't know when Easy jet prices come out though. The euro as you know is not very clever, so all in all find myself thinking that I might be better having a change, we love Pollensa but I am starting to feel ripped off a little, never thought I would even consider going somewhere else.

 

[Sparky]

But surely car hire and flight costs will have increased wherever you go and the £/ € rate is the same all over Europe .
Pollensa and PP have no control over any of these things so you will feel "ripped off" wherever you take a holiday .

 

[mwc]

But surely car hire and flight costs will have increased wherever you go and the £/ € rate is the same all over Europe .
Pollensa and PP have no control over any of these things so you will feel "ripped off" wherever you take a holiday .

Car hire costs have gone up much more in Majorca over the last year than most places, that is the main reason for me feelimg ripped off, also the prices of some eating places are getting silly (as discussed on here), & who says I have to holiday in Europe. Don't get me wrong we love Pollensa, that's why we are regular visitors, I just think over the past couple of years it is getting very expensive to go there.

 

[sws97sdg]

Hi MWC, this seems to be a very similar thread to one that is already running, if you look at http://www.forum.puertopollensa.com/miscellaneous/5232-worrying-times-puerto-pollensa.html you may find some answer to your questions and concerns.

 

[mwc]

SWS, I have read through that thread & there is some great points, I just never thought we would consider going anywhere else, but when you pay £400 for a hire car & they want in some cases over £1,000 for the same car at the same time of year twelve months later you have to consider it.

 

[gers1873]

what kind of car are you hiring for £1000? i am hiring a focus for a week in dec for just over £200 excluding fuel, perfectly fair price!

 

[mwc]

Gers, If you read the post, we need a car for three weeks in August, of course the rates will be cheaper for one week in the winter for you.

 

[Sparky]

mwc, i was only trying to make the point that Pollensa and PP cannot be held responsible for car hire and flight costs.
My other point was that the exchange rate is the same all over the euro zone, i did not say you had to holiday in Europe.
As for restaurant prices, you did not even mention them in your original post.
And that post is what i responded to.

 

[CathB]

mwc...easyjet due to release flights 4/11

 

[Tonsyl]

Interesting observations being aired, yet again but with the same theme, increasing costs for holidays in Mallorca. We have looked at next years prices and they are going up, in some cases by larger margins than you would expect. Increased airport taxes and VAT are a couple but by no means all.
In one area, we have decided that whilst a car is nice, it's not really needed and in our case (2 adults only) we take public transport and/or airport transfers and save a bomb, even when you consider the taxis we may use for late evening "getting home" after an good night out. It's nice to have a set of wheels at your disposal but, an expensive luxury when you can walk from one end of PP to the other in under an hour and the bus from PP to Palma costs just 6 euros.

 

[roig cat]

Hi MWC, I know exactly how you feel, We love Pollensa as you do and will still make our pilgrimage in December and April but, with the car hire fiasco (in all of Spain) we have decided to holiday in Northern Portugal in the summer where the euro goes much further and you can still get reasonable car hire without the "full tank" up front rip off! (Staying in a rural villa, taxis not an option). The problem we had with car hire last summer (ie denying our booking even though we had all the paperwork) made for a very stressful start which we dont want to risk repeating!

 

[JEPSET]

I too will be thinking twice about spending our summer holiday in Pollensa next year. Already booked a week early doors,car hire included in villa price. But i think if during later months there is a repeat of this years prices, with regard to car hire, Cyprus here we come!!! I realise there are alternative ways of getting around but we favour the more secluded locations so buses aren't an option.
We had a week recently and the car hire was almost as much as the cost of our flights. It's difficult not to feel ripped off!! So unless we can get a good deal where car hire is included, it will be bring on the meze!!!
That's my only real issue. I have no problem about the price of eating out, supermarkets are no more expensive than any other holiday type place i've visited. I just think Majorca needs to wake up and realise folk who like the freedom that a car gives will be looking elsewhere for their holidays if this price hike carries on.

 

[pollensa]

In case you are all wondering what's going I've moved posts on specific car issues to http://www.forum.puertopollensa.com/car-hire-airport-transfers-majorca/5367-car-hire-issues.html & kept this one on the general them of why some of you may be thinking of going elsewhere next year. Such a shame.... but I can see why.

 

[bee67]

try staying in berlin if you want to feel ripped off. Yes, I know we were in an hotel but 10euros for a pint of lager and a glass of indifferent wine. Now that's what I call a rip off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[kate1]

You are so right - am getting slightly cross at posters who single PP out for ripping people off... friends who stayed in France this year (on a campsite) report prices in supermarkets similar to those in PP and someone else I know who stayed in Paris recently, in a very ordinary hotel, paid 18 euros for two small glasses of wine in the bar... And over the summer we were putting together a picnic in Suffolk and a deli charged us £7 for a small (and I mean small!) pot of antipasti. Admittedly this was because my other half had put four artichokes in there and they weigh a ton... but still. If it wasn't for the state of sterling we would not be half so conscious of price rises - though I am the first to admit that certain restaurants need to take a look at what they charge, especially for starters and wine.

I guess this debate is particularly galling because, like some other Forum members, we have invested money and our future in PP by buying a place there... We still love the place and have no regrets but we don't have the option of just 'going somewhere else' when the whim takes us. We see PP as our home just as much as the UK - hopefully it will be our full-time home one day - so it's a bit distressing to hear our home town described as harshly as it is in some posts... And as villa owners let me assure you that we have absolutely no desire to 'rip people off'. We charge what we have to in order to cover running costs and each year we just about break even. We do try hard to give guests what they want and every year seem to spend a small fortune upgrading fittings and providing extras... please don't think we begrudge this but it is a bit heartbreaking to think that some guests believe we are out for all we can get...

 

[sws97sdg]

Great post Kate, dont worry there are lots of us who feel the same as you, I guess it must be very galling as you obviously put so much effort it what you do, dont be put off thats all.

 

[Sparky]

Hi Kate,
i really sympathise with you, i am renting long term here and my landlord is fantastic, he also has holiday apartments and i know he has not increased his rents for 2 or 3 years but still maintains them to a very high standard.
I also know that many PP forum members are as fed up with all the negative posts as we are, how do i know?...simples i have met up with them here and they have told me. In fact many have stopped using the forum because of it.

 

[alcanadakid]

try staying in berlin if you want to feel ripped off. Yes, I know we were in an hotel but 10euros for a pint of lager and a glass of indifferent wine. Now that's what I call a rip off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In Rome it is €8 for a pint!

 

[ragdollabbi]

Hi folks

Only came to Puerto Pollensa (and Majorca) for the first time 3 years ago and already we have been 4 times,once in summer and 3 times in October. We were very much Menorca people before that, having been there almost every year(or every other year) for the past 18 years. We think that PP compares favourably with Menorca, as we enjoy fairly quiet holidays...not looking for clubs and entertainment every night and happy just to have a meal out and possibly a drink on the way home. Prices have increased everywhere, yes PP prices will be more expensive than those in Magaluf or Benidorm or the likes but would you want to stay in these places!!! Not if you like PP. If people want cheap holidays they should go on cheap package holidays, to cheap tacky resorts....not me, I would rather have 10 days holiday in PP than 14 days in a tacky resort. We have just booked for 11 nights in July and I hope that we are not going to be disappointed. Roll on!!!!!

 

[Rab]

yes PP prices will be more expensive than those in Magaluf or Benidorm or the likes[/QUOTE]

Why should they?