Palma, Mallorca – a spectacular city golf destination

I’ve played golf courses all over the world and I just love it. You just cannot beat arriving in a new country with your golf clubs over your shoulder, ready to attack the local courses and sample the local bars and cuisine.

I’ve been to quite a few places now and I’m building up a decent repertoire of must play golf courses to write about. Recently, I managed to get out to Palma, Mallorca with a super bunch of journalists from various publications and fall off a Segway at Golf son Gual so I thought I’d better fill you in on the golfing and nightlife scene in Palma.

I’d never been to Palma before and I thought it would be a bit of a pain to be honest. It’s a major city and I didn’t think that was really conducive to a hassle free golfing experience in the last weekend of November. I’m glad to say, I was wrong.

Arriving at the airport and being greeted by 21 degrees of sunshine in November was just fabulous. I think we were pretty lucky with the weather but it was a great start. The camaraderie between the journos was already hotting up and team selection was on the agenda already.

Just driving into Palma was a great experience. It’s a fantastic city that’s as modern as any I’ve visited and it’s truly beautiful. The Palma de Mallorca Cathedral just shines out across the skyline and is a superb welcome into the bohemian city.

The Hotel Association of Palma have set-up an organisation called Palma Urban Golf with the sole aim of promoting golf near the city whilst staying at the city’s hotels. Their lovely representative Nieves had checked us in at the four star Hotel Saratoga which I can definitely recommend.

I’ve stayed in five star hotels in Europe before that weren’t as good as the Saratoga. It really was the perfect city hotel with private balconies overlooking tree-lined streets. I sat on my balcony for a while with a drink just watching people go by and the blossom falling from the trees in the wind. A welcome change from the usual pressures of home I can tell you.

The best part about the hotel is that it is just a two minute walk to the main shopping area and the many al fresco cafes and bars. We ended up sitting directly across from C&A which we all thought had gone bust years ago, having a good giggle over the C&A jokes we could remember. Before we knew it, time had slipped away and it was time for our evening meal.

We were taken to a local restaurant specialising in Mallorcan food which was just fabulous. Tapas, fish and meat dishes that would rival any top class London restaurant. The food was so different and it was a real delight to sample really well cooked local cuisine. We were all so full, we virtually rolled out of the restaurant and staggered back to the hotel jazz bar, nice.

An early rise was in store and we jumped on a coach with our golf clubs in tow and headed for Golf Son Gual. It was only a short ride away and gives you time to take in the city and the countryside as you go by.

As soon as you arrive a Son Gual you know you’re somewhere really special. You enter up the long driveway giving you chance to check out the course as you drive by. It has a real wow factor about it and leaves you itching to get cracking and play the course.

Golf Son Gual is only 18 months old apparently but it looks like it’s been there for years. The course was built in a money no object kind of way by an uber rich German industrialist so everything is absolutely perfect.

I know we were there in November but even so, the course was bloody fantastic and not a single dry or sun-burnt spot anywhere on the course. The greens were amazing and I felt privileged being able to play here.

I’d heard that Golf Son Gual had recently invested in a load of Segway X2s. If you are not familiar, the Segway is a personal transporter that you stand on. It’s a great invention that automatically balances itself as you lean back or forward and transports you around the course. (See video)

Anyway, I’d always wanted to have a go on one of these so I asked if I could borrow one. They kindly obliged and a nice lady turned up to show me how to use it. Unfortunately she didn’t speak English and I don’t speak Spanish so I didn’t really understand what she’d said. I watched carefully though and it seemed that she just got on it and off she went.

Thinking I had it sussed, I jumped on it and leaned forward and SMACK, fell straight off it. The nice Mallorcan lady shouted “No No No NO NO!!” at me. I was feeling like a complete plonker at this point but decided to continue anyway. Turns out that I had wait for the thing to set itself before I jumped on which admittedly was quite simple. Anyway, once I had it sussed I was away and met-up with the lads on the first tee.

No-one else had been brave enough to hire one of these stupid looking contraptions so I felt like even more of a plonker on the tee to be honest but hey-ho, it was good fun. Everyone else wanted a go later on, I can tell you.

Anyway, the view from the first tee is epic and sets you right up for what you’re about to experience. A round of golf at a nice club in England this is not. It’s pure perfection, it’s the reason you took up the game, it’s everything you could ever want in 18 holes of pure golfing heaven.

Thomas Himmel’s design is excellently thought out and makes full use of its 156 hectare footprint. It’s incredibly challenging without being over the top. It’s playable for golfers of nearly every ability and a true delight.

The course is brilliantly designed to reward aggressive golfers on some holes and punish them on others. Only a truly super golfer that has excellent control over his own mind and course management will conquer Son Gual. What a perfect contribution to European golf this course has made. I hope I can go back again someday.

Unfortunately our team lost by a couple of points and I fell off the Segway a couple more times but it didn’t matter, it was a great day out finished by another round of beers and another beautiful meal. Son Gual is not cheap at €200 a round but it’s worth it in my opinion because you’ll never forget it as long as you live.

We headed back to the hotel and freshened up for dinner before heading out to possibly the best fish restaurant I’ve ever eaten in. I think the fish course alone was €100 a head but it was outstanding.

If you get chance to visit Mallorca, stay in the city of Palma in the main area. It’s so much better than the English touristy areas and offers the best of everything from shopping, bars, restaurants and nightclubs. Palma truly has something for everyone and I’d go back in a heart-beat.

A couple of us headed out to the bars with Nieves as we wanted to sample the nightlife. We visited everything from super-cool wine bars to cheesy club discos and had a great time wherever we went. The people were friendly and the atmosphere was buzzing. We managed to stick it out until about 4am, then headed home to catch-up on some well earned beauty sleep.

Next day we headed off to Golf Son Muntaner where I opted for the more traditional golf buggy. I was a little hung-over to say the least but we still had a great time.

The course was a great layout with some really tricky holes. I hit some of the longest drives I’ve ever hit in my life but the rest of my game was rubbish and we lost again. The course is not on the same par as Son Gual but still a great track and a lot cheaper I can tell you.

The greens were in fairly good condition but were far too soft, even walking across them left them marked. It didn’t spoil the round though and we all agreed we’d go back for another round. It was a very hilly course and we were all glad we took buggies to be honest, especially as it was the second day at it.

All in all, we had an absolute cracker of a time and it only rained as we stepped off the 18th green at Son Muntaner just as we were about to head home so it didn’t matter one bit.

For a trip like ours staying at the Hotel Saratoga for two nights in a double room, breakfast included, with a round at Golf Son Gual and a round at Golf Son Muntaner would be €366 + VAT per person. For groups of minimum 6 people that would be € 335 + VAT per person. In both cases there would be a total single supplement of € 100 + VAT per person.

The transfers to and from the golf courses will set you back € 190 + VAT there and back for a twelve seater minibus.

Palma is a truly fantastic city and if you ever get the chance to get out there for a golf holiday then you won’t regret it. Stay right in the heart of the city though so you can experience the real Palma experience. It’s much more enjoyable than I’d imagined. The culture, great restaurants, art museums, bars and clubs are all excellent and well worth checking out. It’s such a pretty place I’m positive it’ll leave you wanting to return again and again. It certainly did with me.

For a trip like ours staying at the Hotel Saratoga for two nights in a double room, breakfast included, with a round at Golf Son Gual and a round at Golf Son Muntaner would be €366 + VAT per person. For groups of minimum 6 people that would be € 335 + VAT per person. In both cases there would be a total single supplement of € 100 + VAT per person.

The transfers to and from the golf courses will set you back € 190 + VAT there and back for a twelve seater minibus.

Category: Golf Course Reviews
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