Once one of Mallorca's top nightspots, the Casino de Calvia in Sol de Mallorca has been closed since 2011. This venue, where Muhammad Ali and Jimmy Ellis staged an exhibition (to call it a fight would be an exaggeration), has suffered from abandonment ever since. There is graffiti and rubbish. An illegal rave in 2022 didn't help.
Calvia Town Hall is now finalising an agreement for the casino's rehabilitation. The deputy mayor for urban planning, Jaime Bujosa, says this revives provision for a 204-bed hotel in a forested area of great environmental value under the 2000 urban plan.
He explains that this doesn't entail a rezoning, as there was already a land use for tourism, commercial or healthcare purposes. "It will simply be a redevelopment with the aim of preventing the destruction of this area." The plan includes a green area that will be for public use.
Photo: Alejandro Sepúlveda
Bujosa adds that the previous administration at the town hall had started negotiations with the owners, Cala Xada Beach Hotel GmbH, and that these were resumed "the moment we took over".
"It is an obsolete building, completely abandoned, and a completely degraded space. It is an area full of filth, and we have had complaints from neighbours. This will mean a revitalization of the area. In the past, the casino brought people and wealth. Now it is abandoned."
Could've been a nice retirement village with care home and medical facilities.
But these Balearic consels always see and think in the short term.
As the International property developer said "Pass the brown envelope, I got more notes to stuff in there."
Stan The ManIt's short term greed. However much money the multinational hotels have, however many millions of tourists come, it will never be enough for these people.
And no doubt this will be followed by demands from the hotel lobby to remove a further 400 private holiday lets from the ever powerful hotel lobby. An opportunity missed perhaps to reduce the bed numbers
Sometimes I do wonder why I ever, occasionally, scan this rag. One day its "need to reduce hotel bed numbers" next "great, More hotel beds", then we have "too many tourists" the next "booking are down" to be followed by "record season" "flight increases" "restaurants suffer", The hotel lobby complaining about any other entrepreneur trying to make a living. Oh, but its OK because someone really rich just visited the island and there's a big yacht in one of mallorcas bays (it will be in Sardinia next week but who cares).
Some of us are lucky enough to be able to read the Mallorquin papers so we do get the "local" new as well. I would be nice if the MDB printed some of this as well.
5 comments
To be able to write a comment, you have to be registered and logged in
Could've been a nice retirement village with care home and medical facilities. But these Balearic consels always see and think in the short term. As the International property developer said "Pass the brown envelope, I got more notes to stuff in there."
Stan The ManIt's short term greed. However much money the multinational hotels have, however many millions of tourists come, it will never be enough for these people.
Zoltan TeglasYes!! When there is a housing shortage. Why another Hotel?
Oh great, another hotel. Is the Balearic government deaf as well as dumb?
And no doubt this will be followed by demands from the hotel lobby to remove a further 400 private holiday lets from the ever powerful hotel lobby. An opportunity missed perhaps to reduce the bed numbers Sometimes I do wonder why I ever, occasionally, scan this rag. One day its "need to reduce hotel bed numbers" next "great, More hotel beds", then we have "too many tourists" the next "booking are down" to be followed by "record season" "flight increases" "restaurants suffer", The hotel lobby complaining about any other entrepreneur trying to make a living. Oh, but its OK because someone really rich just visited the island and there's a big yacht in one of mallorcas bays (it will be in Sardinia next week but who cares). Some of us are lucky enough to be able to read the Mallorquin papers so we do get the "local" new as well. I would be nice if the MDB printed some of this as well.