Cook's Tour

Thinking that it might be cheaper to stay in the UK for the annual holiday this year? Thomas Cook would suggest otherwise. Reported on in yesterday's "Diario" is a cost comparison for various holiday destinations, based on various prices including those for a beer, a coffee and a three-course meal. The most expensive of the eleven destinations is the UK. Of others, Mallorca is the second most expensive behind Cyprus. The island may not be cheap in the way that Goa is (slightly less than a third of the Mallorcan daily cost), but it still comes out some six and a half euros less than the UK. Of the three items quoted, the prices in Mallorca - on average it would seem - are 2.78 euros for a beer (and this is for a caña, i.e. more like a half), 1.67 for a coffee and 22.26 euros for the meal.

These findings are not especially surprising, though the fact that Mallorca is nine euros per day per person more expensive than the Iberian peninsula does make one wonder as to relative costs between the island and the mainland. But of the Mallorcan prices, all seem a bit on the steep side. It depends where you drink a beer or a coffee or eat a meal, but each can be purchased for less than the amounts mentioned. A coffee (café con leche) is typically 1.50, but you can pay less. A three-course menú del día can be as low as seven or eight euros, and there are places that are offering them for less. The problem with the menú del día is that all too often your average tourist will not avail him or herself of it as it tends to be confined to "Spanish" restaurants and therefore funny foreign food. The second problem is that the menú del día is not to be had in the evenings, which is when, typically, tourists might prefer to take their main meal of the day. The third is that you don't get a lot of choice.

Nevertheless, it is still quite feasible to have a good evening meal for a lower price. It also depends how hungry you are, but there are plenty of places which will serve up seriously good portions as a main meal that will set you back maybe 12 to 13 euros. The starters are often pretty substantial as well; a main course will usually suffice. As far as beer is concerned, the British brews will always tend to be more expensive than local ones. But if one's taste is for Tetley's rather than a Saint Mick or Cruzcampo then it will make more of a dent in the budget.

As a comparative exercise between different destinations, the Thomas Cook survey is probably, in general terms, fairly accurate, but the savvy holidaymaker can do it for a lower amount. It may require a bit of looking around and drawing your own comparisons, but the prices stated should not be taken as gospel.


An historical curio about Mallorcan trains
Occasionally, one stumbles across something quite unintentionally. And so it was yesterday. An article reproduced from "The Railway Magazine" for April 1936. Here are some snippets:

On actually getting to Mallorca: "the most usual route - via Paris and Barcelona, and thence by the very fine 3,000-ton motor-ships that ply nightly, reaching Palma, the capital, in the early morning. The journey by way of Barcelona takes about 43 hours."

On railways themselves: "In March, 1921, an extension from Manacor to Arta, 30 km. (18¾ miles), was opened." (It no longer exists of course but may be reactivated.)
"At the present time extensions of the railway are proposed from La Puebla (Sa Pobla), about 14 km. (8¾ miles), to serve the growing residential town of Alcudia and the port there, at which an increasing number of steamships call."
"The island is increasingly popular with both Spanish and foreign tourists, and there would seem to be scope for the development of more speedy rail transport, such as might be provided by fast and comfortable railcars."

How fascinating is this. It once took nearly two days to get from England to Palma, the Alcúdia extension was planned over 70 years ago and there was a call for more speedy rail transport. Of these, only the time of travel to the island has really changed. And note when this was written. 1936. The year of the start of the Civil War and thus the Franco era and thus, for many years, economic stagnation.

For the whole article, which does have a lot of technical stuff about gauges and such like but which is thoroughly recommended, go to http://freespace.virgin.net/neil.worthington/mallorca.htm


QUIZ
Yesterday's title - Paul Simon (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46bkXgxb66E). Today's title - no question, just an explanation. Cook's Tour was what Thomas Cook first offered his travellers; the journey to Palma was once something of a Cook's Tour in terms of time; and meals are made by cooks. Oh well, suit yourselves.

(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)