Humphrey CarterPalma08/08/2018 00:00
TW

This summer I thought it would be nice to avoid all the airport hassle and have a holiday at a hotel on the island, something I have not done for a number of years. So when the hoteliers announced they were going to start offering special deals to fill the empty beds which have not been sold this peak season, I thought there would be some good deals knocking about. No.

A hotel I used to love in Colonia Sant Jordi - great sporting facilities etc. - four years ago put their prices up by 1,000 euros from one year to the next, so obviously I have not been back. This week, looking at the online booking websites, for two people, eight nights, half board at a four-star hotel in the south of the island, I was quoted the "great deal book now" price of 6,050 euros - way out of my price range, and quite probably many others.

Just think of the holiday option two people would have with a 6,000 euro budget. The world is pretty much your oyster.

Then, of course, venturing out of the hotel to local bars and restaurants I end up paying tourist prices. It’s bad enough living in the centre of Palma, but as a local you get to know the right places. But for those who don’t know Palma that well, it is an expensive city - as is the island as a whole. We’ve got the most expensive hotel rates in Spain and the hoteliers are now panicking like blue-arsed flies about a downturn in sales. I am not surprised, but they’ve only got themselves to blame. I am going elsewhere in Spain.