Every winter brings changes. What was previously that is now this or is in the process of becoming this. Some of that which is now this is fairly grand, such as the conversion of the old Alcúdia cinema into what is the Roman-themed Satyricon. There is also some of that which is to be that once again, apparently - the minigolf opposite Bellevue for instance. But nowhere seems to offer greater evidence of the transformation from that to this than Puerto Pollensa. Indeed the square - some know it as market, some as church - is in a state of empire-building. The yellow peril advances ever more in the form of the Dragon Oriente people and then there is of course the Bonyisation of Puerto Pollensa. For some, the devil that has taken the soul of the resort is a two-horned satyr, one being Grupo Boulevard and the Dakotas, the other being José, olé, and Bony. For some; not me.
There is a corner of a foreign market square that will forever be Bony - or "not forever" to use the rather enigmatic slogan that I tried to persuade José not to use. And that corner of a foreign market square is growing from both sides. Abutting what will be the yellow peril in the square will be son of Bony, Bony Mark II or, to give it the actual name, Más Bony y-to, which is a play on the Spanish "más bonito" (meaning prettier) in which the "más" will in fact be represented by a plus sign. "Don't cry." And "don't panic". That seems to be the latest José-ism. Corporal Jones to the rescue, or rather Bony with prices being cut to 2007 levels, more or less, so I understand. Of course, every time I pass Bony I am reminded of myself. It's that poster, the one with trousers rolled up and the clothes-pegs. Who do you have to blame for that? Yep, I'm afraid it was me; not the trousers and the legs, but the photo and what passed for design.
Elsewhere, the change has yet to be effected but seemingly everyone knows about it - it being The Nag's Head. However, I'm not going to go into it - the story - as it hasn't happened. Suffice to say that it was being spoken of in JK's where I had gone for the express purpose of taking the piss out of Kevin for being quoted three times in quick succession in "The Bulletin" apropos different things, including being the inspiration for the Pollensa tourism cash boom that isn't (as referred to on 26 February). Kevin is now a sort-of rent-a-quote for pretty much anything I think. What's your view of quantitative easing? "20%," said Kevin Park, owner of JK's Bar in Puerto Pollensa. Actually, between you and me, it's more than 20%. Because that's what Kevin told me. However, I am not in the rent-a-quote quoting business - yet. Anyway, what do you think about the Costa Brava Pyrenees Tourism Authority using a photo of a beach in Australia to publicise the 100th anniversary of the Spanish coastline? "Twenty per cent," said Mr. Park of Puerto Pollensa's JK's Bar. Yep, I reckon so, too. Odd thing though that the Spanish coastline is only a hundred years old. I would have said it was a bit older. But according to "The Times", that's all it is. Or maybe it's according to that tourism authority. Just so you know what I'm talking about, I quote (from "The Times") - "The photograph of a man and a boy standing on a white beach, staring out into a clear blue sea was used by Costa Brava tourism officials to mark the 100th anniversary of the Spanish coastline at the recent Forum Gastronimic (sic), a food fair in the nearby city of Girona." So you see, it definitely does refer to a hundred years - and that's all - of coastline. More embarrassing though is the fact that the beautiful coastline of the Costa Brava was not the Costa Brava but a beach in Perth, Australia. And to add to the embarrassment, the publicity company responsible (or should that be irresponsible, to use an old Peter Cook gag?) was the same publicity company that secured a photo of a beach in the Bahamas for another Costa Brava ad. Oops.
Kevin was first contacted by "The Bulletin" about the couple who got stuck in their boat in the Atlantic and who are now on dry land. Stuart, who is known to Kevin, was interviewed on Five Live's "Drive" programme yesterday. Though this whole thing has been blown up into a major story by, among others, "The Bulletin", he is - and I quote again - "amazed at how much hype" there has been, while he reckons it was "a storm in a teacup" and that he and his partner Andrea had "a lot of laughs" for the 40 days that they were floating around. If you missed the connection, Stuart and Andrea used to work at The Nag's Head, and that is why it became a story here and why Kevin found fame. I didn't catch all the interview, but I don't think Puerto Pollensa featured exactly; it will - and does - elsewhere.
QUIZ
Yesterday's title - Len Barry (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=An1-ntyBcz8). Today's title - no clues given or needed.
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
Showing posts with label JK's Bar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label JK's Bar. Show all posts
Friday, March 06, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom
As noted on the twitter thing, Steve reckoned that the 6% increase in January tourism was down to an aunt and uncle having come for a weekend. It wouldn't take a lot to register an increase, I guess is the conclusion one can draw. Actually, it was a bit more than a couple of relatives, around 8,500 more I'm hazarding. But as also "tweeted" yesterday (see I've got all this lingo sorted, you know), whatever happened to this social tourism that was going to boost the island's winter tourism industry? Or is this increase solely down to impoverished oldsters from Prague and Warsaw being dragged over to Mallorca to escape minus twenty degrees of a mid-European winter? Some 48,000 were expected to come (4 December: Rescue Me) to the Balearics. When you start to play with the figures, assume that this social tourism would be for the months of January, February and March, factor in that some would go to the other islands, and there, bingo, you have your answer. It's not just Steve's aunt and uncle, but a bunch of Hungarian pensioners who are making the Balearics the shining beacon of Spanish winter tourism; those Hungarian pensioners of which there have been vast numbers knocking around Alcúdia and Pollensa; have there not? But then we are also told that these January visitors were from a German market that is bucking the recessionary trend and is sending us many a Nordic pole-wielding Waltraud and Hellmut. Uh, huh. In that case, if there has indeed been this social tourism influx, are we to assume that had there not been, then the January figure would have been down on last year? I think we would have to, would we not? You see, there is always another story, always another way of looking at things, though, of course, maybe there isn't as perhaps those social tourists haven't turned up. In which case everything is indeed hunky-dory. Maybe.
Try also this, though, when it comes to looking at things in another way. "The Bulletin" ran with a headline yesterday which read that Pollensa was celebrating "a surprise winter tour cash boom". Just take that headline and the pretext for it, and you would think that Pollensa was awash with tourist money and indeed tourists. But this might not be the case. This headline reflects what has been said by one bar owner. Now, I could have mentioned this myself on the blog. In fact I sort of have alluded to it, but only alluded. What the paper reports is what was told to me, some while ago, by Kevin at JK's. I would not have dreamt of being explicit in stating that it was this bar which was telling me that business was up 20%. I get told all sorts of things - good and bad - as to how businesses are doing; sometimes by the owners themselves, sometimes by others, some of whom may have the best wishes of that business in mind but very often don't. But I only refer to such information obliquely, except today, in the case of JK's, because the paper has reported it. It is also, in this case, believable, which is not always the case when bars tell you how well they are doing. It is believable because this happens to be a very good bar. The crucial point, where the headline was concerned however, was that it was the experience of just one bar. Cash boom? Well, it may only be one hotel but I can tell you, though I wouldn't dream of being explicit in stating which hotel, that a particular hotel in Puerto Pollensa has so far failed to break double figures for when it opens next month.
There is, however, an aspect of this Pollensa so-called cash boom which does deserve attention and that is, as is pointed out, that people have been staying in private accommodation rather than hotels. Unless I'm mistaken, I don't think there is any major hotel open in the resort through the whole of winter, while private accommodation is an important aspect of Puerto Pollensa's tourism business all year. This may just prove the folly of the government's attack on private lettings, and nowhere demonstrates this more clearly than Puerto Pollensa where, were there to be a reliance on hotels, the tourism trade would slump dramatically. As the tour operators have all but given up with winter package deals, the do-it-yourself fly-and-rent arrangement becomes not just important but essential.
The One Euro Sale
And talking of Steve, Little Britain has a sale this coming weekend of various items at one euro and, perhaps more importantly, you will able to buy "The Bulletin" there from this weekend as well. How about that? Easter is approaching and there is a deal for early birds buying eggs. More on WHAT'S ON BLOG - http://www.wotzupnorth.blogspot.com.
QUIZ
Yesterday's title - Dixie Chicks (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLBgmbXBOb8). Introducing this song at a British concert was when Natalie Maines made the "ashamed of Bush" remark. Today's title - one of the great blues men who had late-career success with this. And don't say Basil Brush, Mr. Derek.
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
Try also this, though, when it comes to looking at things in another way. "The Bulletin" ran with a headline yesterday which read that Pollensa was celebrating "a surprise winter tour cash boom". Just take that headline and the pretext for it, and you would think that Pollensa was awash with tourist money and indeed tourists. But this might not be the case. This headline reflects what has been said by one bar owner. Now, I could have mentioned this myself on the blog. In fact I sort of have alluded to it, but only alluded. What the paper reports is what was told to me, some while ago, by Kevin at JK's. I would not have dreamt of being explicit in stating that it was this bar which was telling me that business was up 20%. I get told all sorts of things - good and bad - as to how businesses are doing; sometimes by the owners themselves, sometimes by others, some of whom may have the best wishes of that business in mind but very often don't. But I only refer to such information obliquely, except today, in the case of JK's, because the paper has reported it. It is also, in this case, believable, which is not always the case when bars tell you how well they are doing. It is believable because this happens to be a very good bar. The crucial point, where the headline was concerned however, was that it was the experience of just one bar. Cash boom? Well, it may only be one hotel but I can tell you, though I wouldn't dream of being explicit in stating which hotel, that a particular hotel in Puerto Pollensa has so far failed to break double figures for when it opens next month.
There is, however, an aspect of this Pollensa so-called cash boom which does deserve attention and that is, as is pointed out, that people have been staying in private accommodation rather than hotels. Unless I'm mistaken, I don't think there is any major hotel open in the resort through the whole of winter, while private accommodation is an important aspect of Puerto Pollensa's tourism business all year. This may just prove the folly of the government's attack on private lettings, and nowhere demonstrates this more clearly than Puerto Pollensa where, were there to be a reliance on hotels, the tourism trade would slump dramatically. As the tour operators have all but given up with winter package deals, the do-it-yourself fly-and-rent arrangement becomes not just important but essential.
The One Euro Sale
And talking of Steve, Little Britain has a sale this coming weekend of various items at one euro and, perhaps more importantly, you will able to buy "The Bulletin" there from this weekend as well. How about that? Easter is approaching and there is a deal for early birds buying eggs. More on WHAT'S ON BLOG - http://www.wotzupnorth.blogspot.com.
QUIZ
Yesterday's title - Dixie Chicks (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLBgmbXBOb8). Introducing this song at a British concert was when Natalie Maines made the "ashamed of Bush" remark. Today's title - one of the great blues men who had late-career success with this. And don't say Basil Brush, Mr. Derek.
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
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