Getting away on a holiday always involves a little airport trauma but despite events conspiring against us the airport was remarkably calm if boring. My dad had offered a lift to the airport but due to having my sister's graduation ceremony to go to dropped us to the airport at 7.30 in the morning. When we booked the holiday the flight time was 11AM but a few weeks before going we received notification that the flight time had changed to 2.45PM. When we arrived to check in the time had moved further back to 3.30PM and the final delay meant that the take-off time of 4.30PM had given us a delicious nine hours to explore Gatwick airport. Its funny but the success or otherwise of these travel trials inevitably hinges on the youngest member of the party and with Emily at six years old happily looking forward to holiday and involved with the colouring books and games we had taken along the day was quite pleasant.
At the airport we had the benefit of a taxi transfer to resort which meant that a little over an hour after landing we were sat enjoying the salad that the restaurant at the hotel had saved back for our late arrival.
Mallorca is a real mix of an island for those considering a holiday there. The area around Palma, the capital not just of Mallorca but of all the Balearic islands, is a combination of club resort and family resort. Moving to the north of the island Alcudia is all things to all people; a busy bar area for the 18-30 crowd, a range of competitively priced family hotels, and an old town area more suited to the more mature and better heeled. The south-east of the island is relatively undeveloped and is home to arguably the most pretty beaches and bays if you can be troubled to hire a car and explore. We stayed in Cala Bona on the east coast of the island. Cala Bona is one of three resorts that almost merge into one, the other two being Cala Millor and then Sa Coma working south along the coast. The resorts are just a short bus ride to the north of Porto Cristo, a pretty rocky bay that is home to the Caves of Drach - one of the more famous attractions of Mallorca.
The week was a mixed weather batch but with the imminent move to Spain the weather wasn't as important as finding a space to relax together as a family and we managed to do just that. A couple of days were warm enough to lay by the pool for the day but most of the week there were clouds and a cool breeze blowing. This had the advantage of getting us out and about on local buses and trying out our Spanish. By the end of the week it was clear that our Spanish is good enough to grasp meaning but lacking in conversational speed of understanding. Definitely securing further Spanish lessons will be essential when we move out later in the year.
Like all holidays though the return home is a bit of a bump after the relaxation of the holiday. In this case we spent a couple of pleasant days with family in Sussex and then came back to Plymouth on Tuesday ready to start afresh on the tasks essential for moving. I had considered with the house prices looking like they might slip that it would be worth talking to both estate agents and rental agencies and getting a clearer picture of whether we would be better off selling our house and investing the money or renting it out. Therefore this week is a diary full of estate agents and letting agencies coming to value the house and discuss the service they provide. This morning I met two agencies and at the risk of sounding nieve, an honest estate agent. I spent some time talking over our family plans and mentioned the idea of giving the Spain move at least two years before we return, even if it appears not to be for us. At this point he suggested that he wouldn't be selling property with that time scale but would be renting as he was sure that over a two year p-eriod prices would at least hold up and may even be growing again. He had lots of reasons but felt that the rental market was a better bet and that it would still offer long term security. Then, ideally timed came a rental agency who only wanted 10% to manage the property which compared to previous figures of 15% or the guaranteed rental scheme of nearly £200 per month seemed like a good deal.
As if that wasn't enough I sat down to begin writing and the phone rang. The construction company that are replacing the bathroom floor and putting in a new kitchen ceiling where water has slowly leaked over time are able to start work tomorrow so for the next two days the house will be noise and dust as one of the essential insurance repairs gets underway.
Holiday...what holiday I will be thinking as the floorboards are ripped up and the kitchen ceiling collapses in a plaster dust cloud.
Both Sally and I though felt really positive when we came back to find an envelope from the head of the school in Spain which included some paperwork about the school and a copy of a local newspaper that indicated rental at €500 euros per month is a real possibility. Now, we just can't wait to get out at the end of May to meet our new colleagues and look around the area and who knows, maybe even secure our living accomodation.
