Muro
Muro - Location Overview:
Muro is a secluded, relatively new resort, midway between the resorts of Alcudia and C'an Picafort on the northern coast of Mallorca. Playa de Muro (otherwise known as Platja de Muro) lies at the centre of the magnificent Bay of Alcudia.
Muro - Getting there:
Muro is located 60km north from the Son Sant Joan International airport and it takes approximately one and a half hours to get there by car. There is always vast choice of taxis waiting outside of the arrivals hall and the cost for the journey to Muro is approximately 75-80 depending upon the number of suitcases, the time of day or night, and of course the number of passengers carried.
If you prefer the freedom of hiring a holiday car the route to Muro is relatively straightforward. Once you have cleared the airport, the fast PM-27 motorway will take you as far north as the town of Inca, and from there the main C-713 continues the journey to the north coast. From here you can enjoy lovely sceney by cutting across open countryside to Playa de Muro, alternatively you can continue north along the C-713 to the outskirts of Alcudia before then heading south into the resort of Muro.
Muro - What is it like there?:
Playa de Muro is one of Mallorca's newest holiday destinations that, until only a few years ago, was nothing more than a small village nestling between the S'Albufera wetlands and the port of Alcudia.
Although S'Albufera has not been developed, the growing demand for tourist accommodation has seen the resort of Alcudia expand ever eastward towards Can Picafort to the point where Alcudia and Playa de Muro have effectively merged to become one large tourist development.
It is hard to distinguish exactly where Alcudia ends and Muro begins, but Muro offers a more sophisticated atmosphere than its neighbour and is generally regarded as somewhat more exclusive than nearby Alcudia.
Although Muro is indeed convenient for visiting Alcudia, in reality, Playa de Muro is quite remote, and some considerable distance from the centre of Alcudia. Walking between the two resorts along the busy C-712 northern coast road would take the best part of half a day. There is a dedicated cycle lane, although this is shared with taxis, and impatient locals who cannot be bothered with the formality of using the main road.
For those who prefer to use public transport then the local bus operator runs a number of routes that pass through the resort en route to either C'an Picafort or Puerto Pollensa and beyond. These buses are very popular and often full, especially on market days.
Muro - Beaches:
The warm shallow waters of Alcudia Bay make Playa de Muro very popular with families with young children. The beach is without doubt a major attraction to this resort, with almost 8km of fine, clean sand, offering visitors a wide variety of water sport and other facilities to suit all tastes and abilities.
Muro - Out and about:
Apart from its beautiful sandy beach Muro has one over-riding attraction - the Museu Etnologic de Mallorca. This museum, housed in a former mansion, gives you a fascinating glimpses into Mallorca's past. The kitchen contains pottery similar to that seen in the markets today, the reconstructed pharmacy has a pair of scales in the shape of a crucifix.
Upstairs there is a fine Collection of siurells (clay whistles) featuring men on horseback, carrying water and playing guitars. A courtyard with a well, a waterwheel and orange trees leads to more exhibits blacksmith's and cobbler's workshops, a collection of carriages, and tools once used by siversmiths, sculptors and spoonmakers.
The Catalan-Gothic church of Sant Joan Baptista looks almost Arabic, guarded by palm trees and a tall, square bell-tower linked to the main church by a tiny bridge. Rebuilt in the 16th century, it has a colourful rose window over the west door. Another church, the convent of Santa Anna, used to stage fights between bulls and bulldogs, and bullfights can still be seen at the Placa de Toros, built out of white stone in its own quarny in 1910.
Sa Pobla, 4km north of Muro, is Mallorca's vegetable garden; this fertile area of marshes reclaimed as farmland is referred to as 'the land of a thousand windmills' it is also the home of one of Mallorca's most unusual festivals, the Revelta de Sant Antoni.
For two days each January pets are led through the town to be blessed outside the church, dancers drive out the Devil for the coming year, and everyone eats pastries filled with spicy spinach and marsh eels.
The original old town of Alcudia, 4km inland from the coastal development of Muro, is certainly well worth a visit, with parts of the town dating back to around 1300. What visitors may not realise however, is that it was the Phoenicians and Greeks who first settled here, closely followed in the 2nd century BC by the Romans, who made Alcudia the capital of the island.
Visitors to the old town today enter the narrow streets through one of the two gates that were constructed, along with the impressive city walls, after the conquest of the island by King Jaime I of Spain. The best way to fully appreciate this side of Alcudia, is to take the 2 hour guided walking tour that is organised by the local tourist office every Wednesday starting at noon.
Muro - Our holiday accommodation and service:
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