Porto Cristo is in the vicinity of the giant cities of Cala Millor and Cala d’Or, but fortunately it didn’t follow their footsteps and has not defaced the surrounding area with excessive constructions.
But, despite having had a net improvement in recent years, with the tourist boom that has led to the birth of numerous very pleasing hotels and hostels, it can be said that Porto Cristo has been in some way penalized by its nearby cities: or because the tourists preferred them to this quiet village, or because the visitors in search of natural and uncontaminated sites did not approach to the most built zone of the Island.
Then do not be fooled, once arrived to Porto Cristo, by the great quantity of tourists you will find: most of them are just doing a break with their tourist bus before continuing their journey towards the nearby Drac coves (or Cuevas del Drach in Castilian), which are pride of the inhabitants of the zone.
However, the positive side of this devaluation of Porto Cristo is that the town is always very quiet and relaxing and it is one of the few places on the island where you can find a room at the last minute even in the crowded months of July and August.
So, spending a few days here perhaps it is not the best solution for those who search the wild "movida" of the Balearic Islands, but surely it is very pleasant, both for the recent reconstructions and restorations of the city, and for the charming beach that is near the port, within the town.
The lido is a thin strip of sand, ideal to sunbathe, but with little space for swimming, as the sea is narrow and within a deep and thin inlet, almost a channel with the V shape included between two rocky promontories that make it the most repaired port of the whole eastern coast of Mallorca.
Interesting, finally, are also the historical origins of Porto Cristo, which remain uncertain: surely the city dates back to the XIIIth century, when it was the port and the fishing place that served the Manacor city.
There is nothing left about that period and the historical centre of the city is entirely occupied by buildings dating back to the XIXth century. |
