Mallorca’s Magnificent Mountains and Coast

Sole Occupancy Supplement

The sole occupancy supplement of £31 per night is already included in the cost of this holiday. – as shown at the top of the page.

There are no single rooms available at Hotel Marina and you will be allocated a twin room for sole occupancy.

You purchase your own flights for this holiday.

The price you pay to Secret Hills Walking Holidays is a land only price.

When you reserve your flight, our policy is to enable you to fly from your local airport, wherever possible.

 Flights to Mallorca are from all London airports/Manchester/Newcastle/East Midlands/Leeds Bradford/Bristol/Birmingham/ Cardiff/Liverpool/Glasgow/Edinburgh

This means that clients will arrive at the destination airport at different times and we will arrange the onward transfers to the hotel, and return you to the airport at the end of the holidays.

Transfers 

As you have the choice of airports and flight times, where this is practical, we arrange transfers that accumulate clients together for onward transfer to hotels/and return to the airport. This can mean small delays whilst we accumulate clients together for group transfers- un avoidable- and this policy impacts favourably on the cost of your holiday.

Should you want an individual transfer- to avoid any waiting time – then there will be an additional charge for this

A typical walking day

We leave at 9.15am, travel by minibus or local taxi to walk start – generally each walk lasts for five and half hours – maybe with a coffee or orange juice stop in the country, lunch is normally packed from the local supermarket – lovely baguettes. Walking is moderate with some steeper sections, but we won’t rush these. The Majorcan country side is superb – high mountains all around but lovely river valleys, a coast line that enchants  and splendid villages to pass through. It is always a pleasure to look at the lovely wild flowers and village floral displays.

Walking is varied and some of the routes are shown here.

• Cala Tuent –  classic varied walk to idyllic Cala Tuent cove, From Ses Barques viewing point through lemon groves to the cliff edeg – then walk to Cala Tuent for the journey back by boat- sometimes we reverse the route and take the boat at the beginning of the day.
• Valldemossa – The Arch Duc path  –  lovely walk along ancient way marked routes and mule tracks. Magnificent views over a blue sea for miles around. The classic Majorca walk enjoyed by so many people over the years.
• Deia – Soller – on the GR221 national route. Visit Deia Bay to start with, then climb to the Gr221 route to Can Bleda, a couple of choices then- either down to Port Soller lighthouse or a shorter trek back to Repic beach and your hotel
• Castell de Alaro –  to the Castell, perched on one of the “Molar Mountains”, once a Moorish stronghold, beautiful view. We ascend from Lorient to the castle, then wander our way down hill to Alaro town for that well earned drink.
• Tossals –  Lloseta –  starting under Puig Major, at the Cuber reservoir, ascend the Pigeons Pass, and down to Almendra and Loseta.
• Binifaldo – Menut – Lluch Monastery – starting at Coll de Sabatia, reaching Coll des Palat, with superb views of Massanella, the second highest peak, finishing at the historic Lluch Monastery
• Cuber -Es Barranc – Soller  Along side the reservoir, then climbing the majestic L’Ofre peak, then descending the Barranc on the ancient Pilgrims Way to Biniraix then into Soller Town centre.
• Ses Barques viewing point – Fornalutz- Soller- hotel- leaving the lovely viewpoint and taking in the idyllic village of Fornalutz and Soller Old Town
• Hotel – Coll de Pedregat – Soller town- hotel

We transport you to the walk start each day and also to the various historical sites we visit.  The travel through these magnificent mountains is a big feature of our holiday.

The Climate
Is typically Mediterranean, mild winters and hot summers – too hot for walking.  We organize our holidays in March/April- lovely spring flowers and a green paradise, and October, when it is still lovely and warm, ideal for walking.

Exclusions

Although our leaders are well trained  and experienced in dealing  with different capabilities of our walking clients, if they have any concerns about  any clients ability or suitability to undertake safely any walking activity we plan or they feel that participation of an individual may affect the groups safety and cohesion, then they have full permission to exclude that client from an activity.

They will try at all times to provide an alternative suggested activity, though this may involve the client in additional local cost.

We rarely have to enforce this above recommendation, but it is a sensible and necessary protection for the individual client, the group and the leaders.

• The sun on your backs
• Majorca’s outstanding walking trails
• Walk the Tramuntana mountains and coast.
• The Arch Duke’s trail from Vallerdommossa
• L’Ofre Mountain and the Pilgrims steps
• Superb Soller town and the tram between Soller and Port Soller
• Lemons and Oranges all the way
• Glorious scenery every day- the sparkling sea always in view
• Lovely beach front hotel
• Bathing from the front door of the hotel- or the hotels outdoor pool
• Excellent choice of local and international foods
• Your friendly, knowledgeable Secret Hills guides
• Our social relaxed approach

On each Majorca holiday,  the grade of walking is moderate .

On the moderate walks – 8/9miles – we ascend and descend at least once per day – up to 300 metres but generally over  an hour and a half. Pace is critical – we don’t rush, there’s too much to see, but we do stride out where it is possible. Underfoot conditions in Majorca can be stony – it is limestone country after all – and we take care on these sections.

Good walking boots or shoes are obligatory. You may find that walking poles will aid your enjoyment of this land.

The trip requires a reasonable amount of fitness, ideally with previous hill walking experience.

Exclusions

Although our leaders are well trained and experienced in dealing with different capabilities of our walking clients, if they have any concerns about any clients ability or suitability to undertake safely any walking activity we plan or they feel that participation of an individual may affect the groups safety and cohesion, then they have full permission to exclude that client from an activity.

They will try at all times to provide an alternative suggested activity, though this may involve the client in additional local cost.

We rarely have to enforce this above recommendation, but it is a sensible and necessary protection for the individual client, the group and the leaders.

It’s all about meeting new friends. Each holiday is designed to be a friendly, relaxed and stress-free occasion. Talking is as important as walking on Secret Hills Walking Holidays. We don’t go in for discos, we may use an event that is taking place in the area we are in to boost the weekend’s activities – but it’s good, old fashioned chat that makes our short breaks successful.

“Make new friends that turn into old friends” – that’s our motto.

You might be surprised by what fun you’ll have with people who are older or younger than you during a holiday with us, and that’s exactly the sort of atmosphere we encourage; people find it very rewarding. It doesn’t matter what your reasons for travelling with us are, we’ve had people who are single, divorced or widowed, people who have partners that are unable to travel, and people who can’t holiday with their friends anymore as they’ve all got married themselves. There are people who want to make friends, see sights, and experience something completely new. Whatever your reason, we’ll welcome you with open arms and our friendly hosts will help you to get the most out of your holiday.

Don’t worry if this is the first time you have ventured to join a group holiday – its always a bit daunting – but we will look after you and ensure that you get used to being amongst friends again. Trust us to to get you back into the swing of things.

Oh – by the way – it’s not a dating agency – over the years we have had people meet and fall in love – but that’s just chance. Our aim is that you make like-minded friends – just relax and enjoy.

Just arrive and enjoy.

There are other walking holiday companies that cover Europe but we believe we offer the best value for many reasons….

• We specialise in organising guided walking holidays for single and solos travellers
• We are a small friendly company
• We have a loyal customer base who return again and again (so we must be doing something right) – read our testimonials page on the website
• We offer a lot of flexibility – you can stay extra nights which we are happy to organise for you. We are also very flexible on the walks we provide, adapting to suit walkers and weather conditions
• Our walk leading is second to none. Unlike some other large Walking Companies, we use LOCAL leaders who live in the area and who love their surroundings. They have expert knowledge of everything you need to know to make an area come alive.
• You are safe in our hands – our guides are experts, fully qualified in first aid. Also, because of their local knowledge of the hills, they can respond to any situation that might for example demand cutting short a route. They don’t need to consult maps – they know the hills intimately.
• Our leaders are all easy-going, genuinely sociable people who want to ensure that you have the best time you can with the rest of the group. They make the weekend fun by engaging with all members of a group, and ensuring that everyone feels part of the group experience.
• We give great value for money. Because we recognise that lots of walkers holiday on their own, we have negotiated no single supplement deals with all our hotels to ensure the best possible deal.
• We always use good hotels, selected and constantly reviewed.
• We have smaller groups than some of the larger walking companies because we believe the social experience is much better in a smaller group. People can talk to everyone, especially at dinner where you can all sit at one table in a small group. Our numbers vary from holiday to holiday but an average group size would be 8-12.

You may book and pay online.

Payment is in two parts – you pay a deposit of 25%, payable when reserving your holiday place. You will receive an invoice for the holiday showing the deposit paid, and full amount to pay for the holiday. This acts as your confirmation.

The balance is due 8 weeks prior to the holiday start date. You will be sent a reminder.

About three weeks prior to departure, we will send you holiday joining details, and details of the transfer from the airport to the appointed hotel we have arranged for you.

Once you arrive at your holiday destination

Secret Hills Walking Holidays organise all aspects of your holiday– including guiding, transport to walks start and provide you with an experienced tour guide. You make your own arrangements to get to the airport in the UK, we meet you at the airport you are flying to, and help you with your transfer to the appointed hotel.

It is important to read Secret Hills Walking Holidays Terms and Conditions – click on the tab on our web site – before you complete the booking form.

Insurance – you need to be fully covered

It is a condition of joining any of our holidays that you must be fully insured against travel, medical and personal accident risks (to include repatriation costs and air ambulance or helicopter rescue services where appropriate).

We will ask you to provide us with the details of your insurance prior to the holidays start date and it is a condition of reserving a place.

If you are a UK citizen and travelling in Europe you should obtain the UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) which is available only online from the UK Government website.

This gives you medical care at a reduced cost, and some cases for free, in many European countries, but should not be considered a substitute for adequate travel insurance.