First time having second thoughts about Pollensa

[Rab]

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.

Come on Sparky you really think that people have stopped using this site because of the big bad people who sometimes tell it like it is?

People are members of this forum because they either love PP or are planning on going there and want some idea of what they are gong to. Probably more the former than the latter. Just because you love a place/person is doesnt make you blind to their downsides. Members of this forum arent moaning for the sake of it, they genuinely feel that unless it pulls it socks up a wee bit it might get left behind with so many other choices these days which wouldnt be good for anyone. Everything has to evolve and PP is no different.

 

[Tonsyl]

Interesting comments on this subject in to-days Alcudiapollensa blog.

 

[Sparky]

Come on Sparky you really think that people have stopped using this site because of the big bad people who sometimes tell it like it is?

People are members of this forum because they either love PP or are planning on going there and want some idea of what they are gong to. Probably more the former than the latter. Just because you love a place/person is doesnt make you blind to their downsides. Members of this forum arent moaning for the sake of it, they genuinely feel that unless it pulls it socks up a wee bit it might get left behind with so many other choices these days which wouldnt be good for anyone. Everything has to evolve and PP is no different.

No Rab i don't think so, i KNOW so, i have learned a lot of Spanish since i moved here, but can still understand English and that is what i have been told.
Nor am i blind, of course there are problems here but do you really think there is a place anywhere in the world that is perfect. If you know of somewhere please let me know, i will go and check it out. PP is still a hell of a lot better than where i came from.
I respect everyone's right to criticise the place but i have the right to defend it and hope to be respected for it.

 

[mwc]

Come on Sparky you really think that people have stopped using this site because of the big bad people who sometimes tell it like it is?

People are members of this forum because they either love PP or are planning on going there and want some idea of what they are gong to. Probably more the former than the latter. Just because you love a place/person is doesnt make you blind to their downsides. Members of this forum arent moaning for the sake of it, they genuinely feel that unless it pulls it socks up a wee bit it might get left behind with so many other choices these days which wouldnt be good for anyone. Everything has to evolve and PP is no different.

Rab

100% agree with what you are saying, we love PP as much as the next person but some people can not take constructive criticism. Rose tinted specs me thinks.

 

[Timberman]

Mmmmm lots of controversial posts about PP and everyone is entitled to their opinion. I have tended to keep clear of these threads but I feel I have to put in my t'uppence worth.

Sure PP will not appeal to everyone some people will go there and wonder what all the fuss is about and find it "ordinary" some will find it expensive and not what they are used to in other, maybe, cheaper resorts.

Not everyone will have the benefit of the knowledge to know where the more reasonable restaurants and bars are, that of course comes with visiting a place and getting to know the pifalls, doesn't that apply to other places when visiting for the first or second time. But to say that PP is ripping people off in my opnion is unfair.

I have only been going to PP for 7 or 8 years and my wife and family have allways has good times and we have never felt ripped of at any restaurant we have been to. Sure not all the meals have been as good as we would have hoped but now we know where we like and still find new very good restaurants.

There are still bars where you can get a good old pint overlooking the bay for under 3 euros i.e. Miramar and El Ancla to name just 2 and restaurants where I could feed 6 adults with 2 courses, beer wine and sangria for little over 170 euros a tad over £25 per head. I couldn't have done that here with the quality of food we had in PP.
The exchange rate is taking it's toll on the prices but there is nothing we can do about that, but it's still not expensive only dearer then in the past.

People will all have different ideas opinions what angers or makes them feel ripped off.

For me, no I don't feel ripped off by PP it may not be the cheapest place to holiday but I know for sure it's not the most expensive I've been to some places in France, Italy and Spain that would make your eyes water at the expense, 95 euros for a small lobster.

I did debate for a while whether we would go back to PP next year, well for about 1 minute until my children said "we have to go back where else is there " and there 22/25/and 27 with varying husbands and partners and they can't wait go back. So we will return....

Any way thats how I feel. It wont be everyones opinion but thats life.

Only feel cheesed off about car hire.

Timberman

 

[eleanor]

Only feel cheesed off about car hire.

Timberman[/QUOTE]



NOW - that is a rip off!!

 

[its cd]

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

Why should they?

Because in the main the cafe's / Restaurants in these places are serving lower quality products or are serving them out of cheap tacky establishments

I had the need to go to Palma Nova to visit somebody last July ...... we were early and made the mistake of going into a cafe because they were advertising a coffee and cake for a few euros .......... the coffee was instant !!!!

Also there are many many shops and restaurants in places like Benidorm and Magaluf so there should be less people competing to rent them, hence lower rents ........ owners of shops and restaurants in those places are aware that the majority of visitors are choosing where to eat and drink based upon price as one of their main criteria and so they will generally apply the pile it high sell it cheap approach.

There are a limited number of commercial properties on the front line in PP or on the square and so I would think that supply and demand would generally ( though maybe not in times of recession ) mean the rents were higher than on a tacky strip in one of the more brash resorts, ........ so the owners will need to apply a different cost model because they will need to make more profit from the food in order to cover their rents .... so they need ot offer sufficient added value, therefore restaurants will try to provide good quality so people won't mind paying the additional prices.

So that's why PP is the way it is and why the other places are the way they are and long may it remain.

Also, this isn't new ........... 30 years ago when I first came to Majorca and was staying in the hell hole that is Arenal, I came to PP for the day ....... and the thing i remember most was that everything seemed to cost me nearly twice as much ......... but that it was lovelly. So when I grew older and had a family ...... where did I choose to come ....... yes PP not Arenal , despite Arenal being so much cheaper.

Also, this concept applies here in the UK ....... goods in the Tesco near my house are more expensive than the same goods in the Tesco store near where I work ( 30 miles away ) ........ houses where I live are double the price of the same size property close to where I work, price of a meal and drink in my local wine bar is twice the price you would pay near where I work ......... but that doesn't make me want to live there or socialise there. We accept this as the norm at home and make our decisions re. where we live and where we socialise based upon personal choice and our economic circumstances, we don;t expect things to cost the same in different areas, we know that almost everything will cost more in a more desirable place and we just accept this as a fact ..... so why do we expect things to be any different when we go abroad.

Face it ......... PP is more expensive than some other places , its a fact, live with it and enjoy PP for the great place it is and if you want a cheaper place then exercise your right to make your own choice and holiday somewhere else .......... simple.

 

[gers1873]

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

Why should they?

logistics and market forces rab, as someone who travels all over the uk with work i have noticed great differances in prices from one town to the other, usually the larger the population the cheaper the prices (except se england) prices even greatly differ in the same town as they indeed do in pp, i would assume spain is the same

example; pint of lager in aberdeen about 3 quid, litre of deisel 1.09
3 hrs from aberdeen on the ferry to outer hebrides, pint 3.50, deisel 1.25
reason; logistics and supply and demand, simplez

meaning magaluf, palma nova etc a bit cheaper due to larger market share

 

[ragdollabbi]

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

Why should they?

Thanks CD....my thoughts exactly....you have saved me the trouble of typing out a reply.....you must be reading my mind!!!

 

[Rab]

Because in the main the cafe's / Restaurants in these places are serving lower quality products or are serving them out of cheap tacky establishments

I had the need to go to Palma Nova to visit somebody last July ...... we were early and made the mistake of going into a cafe because they were advertising a coffee and cake for a few euros .......... the coffee was instant !!!!

Also there are many many shops and restaurants in places like Benidorm and Magaluf so there should be less people competing to rent them, hence lower rents ........ owners of shops and restaurants in those places are aware that the majority of visitors are choosing where to eat and drink based upon price as one of their main criteria and so they will generally apply the pile it high sell it cheap approach.

There are a limited number of commercial properties on the front line in PP or on the square and so I would think that supply and demand would generally ( though maybe not in times of recession ) mean the rents were higher than on a tacky strip in one of the more brash resorts, ........ so the owners will need to apply a different cost model because they will need to make more profit from the food in order to cover their rents .... so they need ot offer sufficient added value, therefore restaurants will try to provide good quality so people won't mind paying the additional prices.

So that's why PP is the way it is and why the other places are the way they are and long may it remain.

Also, this isn't new ........... 30 years ago when I first came to Majorca and was staying in the hell hole that is Arenal, I came to PP for the day ....... and the thing i remember most was that everything seemed to cost me nearly twice as much ......... but that it was lovelly. So when I grew older and had a family ...... where did I choose to come ....... yes PP not Arenal , despite Arenal being so much cheaper.

Also, this concept applies here in the UK ....... goods in the Tesco near my house are more expensive than the same goods in the Tesco store near where I work ( 30 miles away ) ........ houses where I live are double the price of the same size property close to where I work, price of a meal and drink in my local wine bar is twice the price you would pay near where I work ......... but that doesn't make me want to live there or socialise there. We accept this as the norm at home and make our decisions re. where we live and where we socialise based upon personal choice and our economic circumstances, we don;t expect things to cost the same in different areas, we know that almost everything will cost more in a more desirable place and we just accept this as a fact ..... so why do we expect things to be any different when we go abroad.

Face it ......... PP is more expensive than some other places , its a fact, live with it and enjoy PP for the great place it is and if you want a cheaper place then exercise your right to make your own choice and holiday somewhere else .......... simple.

So how come Hostel Paris can do a pint of lager for 1 euro? How come restaurants can do MDD at lunch for 8 euros? How come the chinese restaurants can do their fayre so cheaply?

The "Face it ......... PP is more expensive than some other places , its a fact, live with it and enjoy PP for the great place it is and if you want a cheaper place then exercise your right to make your own choice and holiday somewhere else .......... simple" attitude I find staggering. Should PP be reserved for those who are affluent and those who are not should be confined to hell-holes like Arenal?

I genuinley feel that there is plenty of choice in the port to eat and drink depending on your circumstances which IMO ruins your argument CD. However some of the necessities in PP are staggering. Bread, milk, fruit 'n' veg, taxis etc. I feel sorry for ordinary families with children who perhaps who cant source cheaper stuff, who arent as fortunate as yourself CD and who cant just live with it.

 

[gers1873]

rab,

hostel paris - 1 euro a pint, seems very cheap but i'm in no position to say its not, suggest its a loss leader as many other places do

should pp just be for the more affluent - imo yes, keep the louts as far away as possible

as for "ruins your arguement" - this forum is not for arguements, its a discussion forum, perhaps if you're after an arguement you look elsewhere

bread, milk, taxis etc too expensive - not in my experiance, similar to uk

i too have posted in the past about my greiviances about prices, the great bonys debate, the owners rental rates debate and even the buggies debate and have taken on board others opinions and have accepted i'm not always right

if you think pp is becoming too expensive go to turkey on holiday, yes it is that simplez

 

[its cd]

I feel sorry for ordinary families with children who perhaps who cant source cheaper stuff, who arent as fortunate as yourself CD and who cant just live with it.[/QUOTE]

I don't really think fortune comes in to it ....... there are pleanty of people who are not fortunate enough to even have a foreign holiday or any type of holiday ( as was the case for my family when we were growing up ) ........ the fact that we are speaking ( because I think I am speaking and not arguing and my apologies to anyone who thinks I am argueing .... not my intention ) about holiday choices means that we are discussing the impact upon people who have sufficient disposable income to choose to spend some of it on a foreign holiday. That established, the rest is just about choice ........ anyone in that position is fortunte enough to make their choices ....... they choose how much to spend on a holiday ...... some will save all year for a holiday by being thrifty for the rest of the year ( as was our case until very recently ) and others will not need to do so. Some will spend houndreds of pounds a year on things like Sky TV, expensive clothes and trainers, electronic toys and evenings out ......... others will not ....... people choose how they spend any money thay have that is over and above that which they need for the basic necessities. One of the choices they also make is how much the want to spend on their holiday and if it costs more to go to a particular place of their choice, they consider whether or not it is worth it to them and if it is they make a few sacrifices elsewhere in their lives. For many years we could have gone on cheap holidays to other places and maybe enjoyed going out for meals throughout the year or subscribing to movie channels , owning PS2's, designer clothes, fancy laptops and the like ....... but we didn't , we wanted to come to PP, we knew what it would cost us and we chose to spend our money on that rather than other things. When we got here we filled the freezer and fridge in the apartment we rented with soft drinks, icelollies and icecreams for the children, we bought large bags of crisps and ham and cheese for picnic lunches, all to ensure we kept within our budget ........ ie we made choices to suit our circumstances. However, all of this aside, I can also say that only once in the past 20 years have I felt ripped off and that was very recently at the Cafe on Formentor Beach ( nearly 5 euros for a cup of coffee )

I guess I've waffled on for a bit .... at the end of the day it's not about "fortune" its about the choices we make relating to our discretionary spend and that goes for where we choose to eat and drink whilst we are in PP ..... some will want to go to the Hostel Paris and have a pint for a Euro or have the great value MDD at Trio or Tango and some will want to spend 3 or 4 times that elsewhere .......... just like at home when you can have a drink in Wetherspoons for not much and the same drink in a city centre hotel bar for loads more.

And finally, I don't really understand the statement " can't source cheaper stuff". People are not stupid, I know that if I were new to a resort and on my first trip to the local shop or bar/restaurant I thought the prices were more than I wanted to pay for items , I would ask one of the locals ( shop assistant; bar staff; waiter etc ) where they ate/drank/ shopped and then make my choice whether I was willing to pay the price for convenience or take a trip to wherever one of the locals had recommended ..... and it costs nothing to ask a question and listen to the answer just like it costs nothing to have good manners and good judgement

 

[eleanor]

I think it is very sad when value judgements are put on people by the amount of money they have. I think it is fair to say that just because some people have less than others, it doesn't mean to say they are 'rif raf' ! We only need look in our newspapers at some behaviour of those with plenty of money to know that money doesn't buy manners or good behaviour - respect is something that earned and not bought. How many times have we seen pop stars, football players etc etc displaying behaviour that is unacceptable. These people possibly would not go to Benidorm or magaluf as suggested but perhaps PP because they can afford too!!
To suggest that money and good behaviour/manners or whatever go together is not in my opinion, living in the real world and is very short sighted.

 

[gpm]

If you havn,t been in to the hostel paris, I dont think you would spend the day there, 1 euro a pint or not. You pay for the ambience of a place.

 

[Rab]

rab,

hostel paris - 1 euro a pint, seems very cheap but i'm in no position to say its not, suggest its a loss leader as many other places do

should pp just be for the more affluent - imo yes, keep the louts as far away as possible

as for "ruins your arguement" - this forum is not for arguements, its a discussion forum, perhaps if you're after an arguement you look elsewhere

bread, milk, taxis etc too expensive - not in my experiance, similar to uk

i too have posted in the past about my greiviances about prices, the great bonys debate, the owners rental rates debate and even the buggies debate and have taken on board others opinions and have accepted i'm not always right

if you think pp is becoming too expensive go to turkey on holiday, yes it is that simplez

Gers, dont get all offended now. A point can be "argued" without an argument taking place.

I really cant believe you have just argued that less afluent people are loutish. Would you care to edit your post?

Are you paying the equivelant of 1.79 euros for a litre of milk and 2 odd euros for a loaf of bread in your local supermarket? Seriously?

Why should I go to Turkey? I have property in PP and love the place but as I stated earlier just because I love it doesnt mean to say I cant offer constructive criticism.

 

[Sparky]

Great reply CD thank you for taking the time, i agree with all you say, it is about choices and not fortune.
I went to Hostal Paris back in September, the beer was €2 for a pint, it was warm and quite frankly i could not drink it. Maybe they can sell it that cheap because they don't spend money on chillers, the whole place is very shabby so no money invested there, i don't know but, i would rather pay €3 and be able to drink cold beer in comfortable surroundings.
Needless to say i have not returned.

 

[Rab]

CD is fortunate enough to say "PP is more expensive than some other places , its a fact, live with it". Others dont. Others will want to enjoy the beauty of PP without paying over the odds for necessities which they dont have any choice whether to buy or not.

 

[sws97sdg]

Once again this thread is going round in circles again, I think the members have given enough hints and ideas how we can all still enjoy PP on a budget, or by making the best use of the spending money people have, can we move on?

 

[gers1873]

no i'm not offended rab i'm not the sensative type

no i'm not saying less affluent people are loutish at all just that the type of folks that holiday in magaluf and the likes are wecome to it, pp seems to not attract that type of person and i'm happy with that, i'm no snob i came out of a tenament building with an outside lav and a wash house out the back and will never forget that, i work hard to earn money that gives me greater choice to holiday anywhere in the world but i choose pp, so no i dont feel the need to edit my post

sorry cant comment on bread and milk prices as thats the wifes department therefore i'll bow to your greater knowledge on the super market prices

surprised to read you have property in pp, would never have guessed reading your posts

 

[Smiddy]

Problems in PP

No Rab i don't think so, i KNOW so, i have learned a lot of Spanish since i moved here, but can still understand English and that is what i have been told.
Nor am i blind, of course there are problems here but do you really think there is a place anywhere in the world that is perfect. If you know of somewhere please let me know, i will go and check it out. PP is still a hell of a lot better than where i came from.
I respect everyone's right to criticise the place but i have the right to defend it and hope to be respected for it.

Hi Sparky! Been on a self-imposed ban for the last 6 weeks or so (the odd post has actualy been Mrs S) will be over 5th Dec and no doubt will bump into you. I agree with you, far too much bickering and lack of manners, 'fraid the board ain't no fun anymore, hence my ban.