The first of the Weekender Special series and it’s Magaluf. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t expecting much as we boarded the budget Jet2 flight from London Stansted to Palma de Mallorca, for five days in the notorious party-town. It’s a Weekender Special, as I think you only need a few days here to experience almost everything.
I’m not condoning binge drinking and now being off alcohol completely I don’t think I would do anything like this again. That being said, a weekend like this can definitely be fun if managed properly with a good group of friends!
Arrival
Our flight arrived into Palma and we got straight into the taxi for the beachside apartment; Balear Beach. That was it before night one on Magaluf’s strip commenced. We needed to know what the buzz was all about (although one member of our party owned a holiday apartment in the town, so was very familiar with the area) so were straight to the first recommended bar. Even from the early stages of the evening (and by that I mean an hour or two before midnight) we had girls screaming along the strip, men selling very non-authentic Ray-Bans which nobody wanted and reps for every single bar tempting you in with a range of the same offer. €5; a drink, shot and fishbowl for the group. Sometimes €6. Never more, never less.
Night one saw me off by this stage; the quadruple vodkas which here seems to be a ‘drink’, washed down with shots of Jet Blue and luke warm Caramel Vodka were enough for me by 1am and I was a write-off.
Alcohol Management
As for the rest of the week, I managed to pace myself and navigate the labyrinth of cheap drinks deals and bar after bar and make it to the other end of the strip to a club. The Office was the first we tried. €7 entry and free bar for an hour. No complaints there. Until you realise that of the 3 bars in the club, you can only use one depending on which entrance you used and the queues were ridiculous. You definitely get your €7 worth, believe you me, but don’t be expecting to get leathered in the hour unless you plan on standing at that bar and not moving.
Just next door, on a couple of occasions, we found ourselves in Tokio Joes. Entry depends on when you go to get in; for us we went in at 3am and it was €20 for free bar for the whole night. Closing at 6am, this wasn’t a bad deal and the bar was much quieter without the hour rush found in Office. Both very valid options and to be honest, you are spoilt for choice on the vibrant, infamous strip. That being if you don’t get roped into a brothel or strip club before you make it far enough.
The Morning After
So hangover recovery? A spot of jet skiing? Visit to the aquarium? Walk up the hills? Unfortunately, you’re reading the wrong post if you’re looking for these sort of recommendations. As you can tell by now, night one was heavy and almost wrote me off for the entire week. Put it this way, I smelt vodka on the second day and gagged. No more. As we emerged (before midday might I add) we found ourselves falling into a very similar routine for most part of the trip.
Food
The second most important morning-after remedy in Magaluf, after a pharmacy for some painkillers! We ventured up to a small café after the first night, where a full ‘English’ was served. From there on in, we pretty much only ate, if we ever did, at The Duke. This was a quiet place on the beachfront below the apartment and meals were good value (for the quality received). Also, the smoothies were a perfect compliment to the hot August sun.
Filling in the Gaps
The beach itself, the Palmanova on the Son Matias side of Magaluf, was lined with restaurants and places to grab a drink during the day. We spent many hours each afternoon relaxing on this beach and there were many families around. That being said, the children weren’t too loud for a late day snooze.
Before we knew it, it was time to leave again. We had spent 4 nights in the party town and were feeling the effects. We spent our last afternoon, after checking-out of the apartment, at a nearby hotel pool and utilising their table tennis table while we waited for our evening flight. For a cheap holiday to get completely ‘off your face’, Magaluf ticked all the boxes. For anything seeking any element of class, whilst still having a party vibe, try Zante or Ibiza.