Blue Hotel: Sa Ràpita and Es Trenc

One of the problems with selections of the best this or the best that is that the selections are determined by those who are making the selections and by familiarity with what might qualify as the best. So it was with Trip Advisor's travellers' choice of Puerto Alcúdia as Spain's best beach destination. It wasn't a bad choice by any means, but it was a choice that owed much to popularity and familiarity. Though Puerto Alcúdia's beach clearly played an important part in the selection, the travellers' choice was actually that of beach destination as opposed to just beach. But even had "destination" not been part of the question, Puerto Alcúdia's beach would still have won. It's that familiarity thing.

There is another beach in Mallorca that would, were it a real beach destination as such, give Puerto Alcúdia a run for its money or, in the opinion of many, beat it hands down. A German newspaper once nominated it as one of Mallorca's seven wonders. The beach is that of Es Trenc.

Es Trenc is not a beach destination as it is a stretch of beach that lies between one fairly popular destination, Colonia Sant Jordi, and one that isn't, Sa Ràpita. Hardly anyone goes to Sa Ràpita, not many more actually live there, and it doesn't feature with any major tour operator. But this is about to change.

The Balearic Government has declared that a project by which Blau Hotels & Resorts would construct a 1250-room luxury hotel complex is in the interests of the autonomous region of the Balearics. This is policy talk for meaning that it is good for the economy, but not everyone agrees. What might be good for the economy often isn't good for the environment; in fact it very rarely is.

An open letter has been issued to Blau Hotels which asks the company to "not be responsible for the destruction of Es Trenc beach". It doesn't stand much chance of being taken any notice of. The 120 million euros being earmarked for the project will create 850 construction and construction-related jobs and 300 more once it is finished. It is in the economic interest of the autonomous region and in particular of the town of Campos.

Sa Ràpita is what passes for beach tourism in Campos. But the tourism it brings and therefore the wealth that it brings to the town is minimal. Es Trenc, which isn't directly in Sa Ràpita, does attract a substantial number of visitors. It most certainly is popular, but it isn't exactly an earner. Well, not to Campos it isn't.

If anywhere on Mallorca deserves a new hotel complex, then Campos, so ill-served by tourism of any sort let alone beach tourism, is surely that place. You might think this, but in wider environmental terms, i.e. those that consider Mallorca as a whole, there is much to be said for the adoption of the so-called "Benidorm effect" by which concentration of tourism is far more sensible in terms of environmental management than having tourism complexes all over the place.

The environmental arguments against the Sa Ràpita development centre on the ecology around Es Trenc and on the beach still being essentially unspoilt. But the beach's popularity is such that this brings with it its own environmental harm. Humans being on beaches in any great number do in fact affect their ecology. It is why, for example, an unspoilt part of the bay of Alcúdia beach, Es Comú between Playa de Muro and Can Picafort, has signs asking people to not take sand away with them.

Es Comú is not dissimilar to Es Trenc. It is not as long, but it is "rustic" and it has its own sensitive ecology. Unlike Es Trenc, though, it has dense concentrations of tourists and of hotels to either end of it. Yet its ecology is pretty much secured, especially since the dunes behind it were roped off.

So why is there such an objection to the Sa Ràpita development as, for a kick off, it won't be on Es Trenc or anything like on it? Yes, it may consume land, but it's not Es Trenc land. The answer may lie with a wish for the beach to not suddenly become the best, in the opinion of far more than is currently the case. Its choice as a wonder of Mallorca had much to do with the fact that, despite the beach's popularity, it isn't that popular and it most certainly isn't Puerto Alcúdia's beach. In other words, people would prefer that the fewer who know about it the better.


Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.