The heat is on in Mallorca

And when you look around at what’s on offer, you can’t really blame people for wanting to spend their holidays here. It’s just a tragedy that the islands popularity is sadly causing problems for a minority of islanders and attracting negative publicity from alcohol fuelled incidents and highly vocal, anti-tourist brigades.

However, it can safely be said that the majority of people who come with their families to Mallorca for a week or fortnight’s holiday, are not looking to upset the local population by their presence; but merely attracted by the prospect of golden beaches along with the guaranteed hours of glorious sunshine, something which is often missing in other people’s lives, and a huge tonic for those seeking solace from the world’s current chaos.

There seems to be such total disharmony across the globe at present, that all people want to do is let their hair down, play it cool, and chillax on a sunny beach, albeit with temperatures set to soar beyond ‘scorhio’. But here’s the irony. While locals and residents alike are desperately trying to keep cool, tourists are desperate for the big roast, and are here seeking the sun!

I would just like to reiterate, that many holiday-makers visiting our sun-kissed shores, take advantage of Airbnb, which in effect is driven by island property owners, both foreign and local alike, who put their spare, second or third properties up for rent to tourists, in order to rake in some extra cash! I don’t blame them one bit, but where’s the justice in berating innocent tourists for visiting our shores when certain, income driven individuals have readily jumped on the bandwagon, and are fuelling the problem by offering seasonal rentals when they could alternatively offer permanent rental homes to locals? The same with those devious devils who promote their unregistered, illegal lets. Mallorca certainly doesn’t want to drive tourism away completely, so perhaps the anti-tourist brigades, along with the greedy government, should focus a little closer to home for an obvious solution and approach the locals, along with all second home owners on the island. Just saying!

But back to the sun folks! When I was a young thing, I loved the heat, and the moment that golden ball appeared in the grey sky, I was there, stripped off and worshipping. I would prick myself all over with a fork, and self baste for hours until I was barbequed to perfection. We didn’t even bother with sunscreen in those days. We actually used a product which was basically olive oil and lemon juice, sold in brown plastic bottles and capable of turning your skin to ‘crackling’ in hours.

These days, I prefer to sit comfortably in dappled shade, looking out into the sunshine, rather than challenging my skin to turn the colour of Malibu Mahogany on a Dulux paint chart. Keeping cool is the current quest through summer.

So, while the Mallorcan sun is set to sear, the first thing you should really take note of are the locals. See how v-e-r-y slowly they move. No one here is rushing around in the heat. Adopt the Spanish walk and amble everywhere. Seek the shade, preferably under a tree as the air is decidedly cooler than under a parasol. Sit quietly and don’t even think of doing anything strenuous or manual. It can always wait until ‘mañana’. Or next month. After all, it will cool down, eventually.

Up to 30 percent of unwanted heat comes in through your windows, so utilise your blinds and curtains by keeping out the sun. It might sound unbelievable, but by closing your shutters and pulling the shades you can effectively lower indoor temperatures by a few degrees. Wear light, loose-fitting clothing and go for natural cotton. Nuke the nylon, and leave the tight-fitting lycra for those lunatics out cycling in the midday sun!

Of course, back in the UK, none of this summer heat survival protocol is ever needed or applied. So, let’s not begrudge our friendly summer visitors a week or two in our glorious sunshine. Or judge too hard! The average holidaymaker here in Mallorca simply wants a bit of hassle-free ‘scorchio’ on our wonderful island!