Alcudia

If the frantic resorts in the south of the island are not to your taste, then Alcudia on the north coast of Majorca may be the place you are looking for to spend your next family holiday

The original old town of Alcudia is 2 miles inland from the coastal development, and it is certainly worth a visit during your stay with parts of the town dating back to around 1300. What visitors may not realise however, is that it was the Phoenicians and Greeks who first settled here, closely followed in the 2nd century BC by the Romans, who made Alcudia the capital of the island.

Visitors to the old town today enter the narrow streets through one of the two gates that were constructed, along with the impressive city walls, after the conquest of the island by King Jaime I of Spain. The best way to fully appreciate this side of Alcudia is to take the 2 hour guided walking tour that is organised by the local tourist office every Wednesday starting at noon.

The resort itself is spread either side of the busy C-712 northern coast road, and really lacks a centre or focal point. When booking a holiday here it may be worth checking on which side of this road your accommodation is situated.

For the more adventurous, brave or just stupid, this road does have a "dedicated" cycle lane running the full 3 mile length of the resort, which on occasions you do have to share with taxis, or other locals who can't be bothered with the formality of using the main road. Bicycle hire is plentiful and relatively cheap throughout the resort, and costs around £4 per person for a days hire.

The warm shallow waters of Alcudia Bay make this resort very popular with families with young children, and the beach is without doubt a major attraction with fine, clean sand with a wide variety of water sport and other facilities available to suit all tastes. Whatever part of the beach you choose, you will never be more than a few hundred metres from the nearest beach bar or cafe.

One thing that we did unfortunately encounter on our visit is that actually getting around the resort is sometimes very difficult. Buses are often full, especially so on market days, and taxis are almost non-existent when you need one. So be prepared to walk.

If however you are determined to use public transport to see more of the surrounding area, during the summer months at least, the local bus operator Autocares do in all fairness run 11 routes that pass through the town.

Alcudia is not a loud resort. Evening entertainment here is mainly hotel based, however, the resort does have a small number of late night bars and nightclubs. But in all fairness, these could never compare either in quantity or volume to the all night clubs in the popular south coast resorts which unashamedly target the very profitable 18 to 30's market.