Magaluf is a major holiday resort on the Spanish island of Majorca, primarily catering to the British, Russian, Irish, German, and Scandinavian package holiday market. Magaluf is in the municipality of Calvià and is situated within a group of towns, primarily Torrenova and Palma Nova. Son Sant Joan Airport - Majorca's main airport - is from Magaluf.
Resort
Magaluf is part of the municipality of Calvià and is located within a group of towns which includes Palma Nova and Torrenova. The resort caters to young adults and couples as well as families, with peak season during July and August. During the winter season, the population of Magaluf consists primarily of local residents, with most resort and package-based hotels closing their doors. The Palma Nova resort is located just north of Magaluf and is approximately a five-minute drive from the centre of Magaluf. Magaluf consists of a white sandy beach and the Magaluf strip, which is the centre for the main nightlife and restaurants. The twin resorts of Magaluf and Palma Nova are the largest resort developments of the municipal district of Calvià, and are situated on the island's south west coast at the western end of the huge Palma Bay, approximately from Palma, and the Son Sant JoanInternational airport. Meliá Hotels International started the required investment for the first stage in modernising the resort of Magaluf, by updating four hotels on the beach front, known as the Calvià Beach Resort, which opened in June 2012. It is expected that within the next five years there will be renovation of other hotels in the area, changes in their use, improvement of existing facilities, and construction of new facilities, as well as the ability to attract visitors in the low season. A popular challenge for tourists is a swim to Black Lizard Island located in the centre of Magaluf Bay. The island is known by this name due to the very high number of black lizards that can be found scurrying away during one's climb. The island is situated right in the centre of Magaluf's bay and is approximately 400 m away from the beach front.
The resort focuses almost exclusively on British binge drinking tourism, with extremely low alcohol and fast food prices, and British staffed medical emergency centres located close to bar areas. British tour operators have warned the Spanish Tourist Board that the image of Magaluf is affecting their efforts to market Mallorca. It is commonly called ‘Shagaluf’ in popular British culture.
