Majorca - The Undiscovered Towns and Villages | Home

The municipal town of Alaro is situated on the southern slopes of the Sierra de Tramuntana Mountain range, approximately 30km, or 18 miles, north west of the capital Palma, and the Son Sant Joan International Airport. Overall, the municipal district of Alaro covers an area of around 46km2, and figures taken from the latest Consell de Mallorca census for the island shows a resident population of just 4,869.

As you would expect Alaro and the surrounding area, doesn't as yet feature in any of the major tour operators brochures, and since public transport from the Son Sant Joan airport just isn't really a practical option, anyone considering a holiday here must make provision to either collect a hire car from the airport, or make the transfer into the town by one of the many taxis that will be waiting outside the arrivals hall.

For those visitors who do prefer to make the short journey by car, in preference to a taxi transfer, after arcing around the northern residential suburbs of Palma, the fast Ma-13 road will take you as far north as Consell, at which point the much slower Ma-2050 and Ma-2022 roads will then take you the final few miles into Alaro. A more detailed version of this route, complete with links to maps where appropriate, is available from the Route Map link on the left hand frame of this page.

On a good day an experienced driver should be able to complete the journey in around 30 minutes, however, but as in the UK if you get stuck behind a lorry or tractor, this may increase the driving time substantially.

Although geographically the municipal district of Alaro has a total of eight mountains, with the Puig de Font Fresca at 836m and the Puig Ventos at 274m being the highest and lowest of the eight, it is without a doubt that the silhouettes of the almost symmetric mountains of Alaro at 822m and Alcadena at 816m, are the most outstanding images of the area.

A visit to the Castell d'Alaro, located on the top of the mountain of the same name, is an absolute must for anyone visiting the area, as it offers panoramic views over the island from both the Palma and Alcudia bays to the magnificent Tramuntana mountain ranges. Walking to the summit of the mountain is certainly not for the faint hearted, or those with mobility problems, and generally takes about two hours from Alaro, but once there you can certainly reward yourself with a well earned glass of sangria at the XVII Century Mare de Deu del Refugi sanctuary and hostelry.

In Mallorcan history, the first recorded mention of the town of Alaro was made in the year 1241, as the settlement of "Oloron", although it is believed that the original Castell d'Alaro pre-dates this by several hundred years. There is much debate amongst Mallorcan scholars upon how the town was originally named. The first theory is that "Oloron" derives from the Iberian word "Ilurone", which is commonly found throughout all of mainland Spain as part of historic town names.

The second theory however, is based upon an Islamic text traced back the 903AD conquest of the island, where the words "Hisn al´-Arun" were used to describe a Roman fort situated in a high and solitary place. Although both arguments are equally plausible, I seriously doubt if the true origin of the town name will ever be known. Today however, residents of the town are happy to be known as either "Alaroner" (male) or "Alaronera" (female).

Little has really changed in Alaro since the arrival of the first urban electricity network on the island, this event happened August 15th 1901, although in more recent years many of the locals have now be able to resist the urge to stare at strangers. So who would find a holiday here appealing? Certainly not children or young teens, who would be hopelessly bored within 15 minutes of arriving in the town, however, middle aged couples or those in search of solitude, and a little peace and quiet, may find Alaro to be a real hidden gem away from the neon lit south coast of the island.

For more information on the village of Alaro, or the island of Majorca in general, please try the Search Engine below:

© Copyright Islas Travel Guides
No part of this web site may be reproduced without the prior written permission of the publishers. For further information please contact Islas Travel Guides. Whilst every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of editorial content of this site, no responsibility can be taken for any errors and omissions that occur therein.