Ponent Mar Hotel

The Ponent Mar Hotel is a fantastic place to have as a Canadian hot spot for cyclists looking for great cycling in the early Spring months. So many europeans come here in March, April and May, I kept thinking why aren’t long suffering Canadians coming here getting a healthy jump our their season too? So I invited friends and members of the Collingwood Cycling Club to come last Spring and over 60 people came. I’m absolutely delighted to report that everybody loved it and could see why I keep coming back every year. The roads and scenery are simply incredible. They have countless gentle climbs, beautiful corners and breathtaking scenery. You really need to experience Majorca to truly appreciate it. Ask those that went last year. Everybody is keen to come back. 

Ponent Mar: a proper cycling hotel

This is a very important detail. It means the hotel staff understand and cater to all the needs of cyclists. You are not a spandex clad freak in this hotel. You are customer number 1! They provide you with proper secure storage for your bikes or provide you with a rental bike if you choose that option. They have a staff of cycling guides that lead out all variety of cyclists every day. They know the island very well and they will take you on the best routes. There are no crappy rides under their guidance. That’s their guarantee. Ask any guests from last year, everybody was very happy with the quality of the hotel, the food and most of all the price. The quality and value is definitely spot on. 

Here are some important details about the trip and about Majorca, Spain:

- First we would like to make it clear that we, as a club are only inviting our members to come to Majorca and to stay at the Ponent Mar hotel, but we are not legally responsible for your rides or the air travel. You will be booking and contracting directly with Ponent Mar and also arranging for your own flights. 

- Please review the Ponent Mar website carefully. It should answer all your questions, but I (Steve Varga at vargasteve183@gmail.com) may be able to help with some of your questions.

Be sure to use the code ‘VARGATOURS’ in the promo code field of the booking form to get the club discount. 

- The cycling season is from early March to May 31st and you can book anytime in that window or even the Fall when the second cycling season begins. Most C3 members like to come in the last 2 weeks of April so they can ride together but you can come anytime and stay for any length of time. You are not bound by a weekly schedule. You can organize your own group of cyclists and come when its best for you. May is a great time to come because by then it’s like our summer in the low to mid 20’s. April is high teens to low 20’s. 

- Note the VargaTours discounts for this year. The hotel management really loved us and would like to have us back. To help spread us around a bit they are offering a 15% discount for those visiting in March, in the other months they are offering a 5% discount. The other truly big offer for VargaTours patrons is free daily guiding. This is normally 20 euros a day but a VargaTours special deal for 2023 is free guiding! I wanted to make sure you guys had the best rides every day, and professional guiding is the best way to ensure that. 

This is the Ponent Mar Hotel

- Flying to Majorca is pretty simple. The destination city is Palma, Majorca, Spain. There are no direct flights to Spain at that time of year, but most flights from Toronto go to either Frankfurt, Munich or Zurich and then you would take a connecting flight to Palma. Overseas flights to Europe depart Toronto typically in the evening and depending on your connection, you would arrive in Palma the following afternoon with plenty of time to build up your bike and be ready to ride the next day. One warning, do not take flights that have a short lay over ie less then 2 hours. Everything has to be perfectly on time for those connections to work. Also please don’t forget to take out medical insurance. 

- If you would like to bring your bike, Air Canada usually charges $127 one way. Note that if you book with Lufthansa, bikes fees are much higher. If you wish to rent, Ponent Mar offers decent bikes at good prices. Just provide your bike fit numbers to Ponent Mar when you book and the bike will be ready for you when you arrive. You can rent top quality bikes from off site rental companies too. 

- Ponent Mar organizes its rides much like we do. They break the groups up based on the speed of the riders. You pick the group you want to be in and you can change during the ride at one of the water stops. All rides have one very nice coffee stop. Rides vary from 60 to 100 kms long but there is a lot of flexibility to suit the group. It is possible to customize a group ride. If there is a particularly fit bunch we can go longer and harder. 

This is the main cathedral in Palma

- The routes for each day of the week are fixed. They thoughtfully do a hard/easy structure, so when one day is hilly, the next day is flatter. Wednesdays are the off day but they offer an optional ride that is really a must do ride. They rent a small bus and trailer and take us out to the famous Sa Calobra climb or some other adventure on the other side of the island. Sa Calobra in my opinion is one of the greatest climbs/descents in the world. It’s truly spectacular and unforgettable and it would be a huge mistake to miss it. That ride adds an extra cost, but it includes a huge Majorcan feast at the end of the ride and is well worth the cost. Check out  the roads on YouTube ‘Cycling down Sa Calobra’ and also check this video out for quality shots of the roads, not the car.

This is the famous Sa Calobra, a true work of art.

- The Hotel offers a variety of food options ie buffet breakfast and/or buffet dinner at the hotel. A lot of socializing happens at breakfast and dinner so that’s an important time of day. All the rooms have kitchenettes too. There are ample places to have lunch on the beach, at the hotel or in your room. The city of Palma is 20 minutes away and is a must see. It’s very beautiful on so many levels. I highly recommend going in to sightsee and have a great dinner at least one night on your stay.

- For those who have non cycling spouses, Majorca has a lot to offer. They have world class tennis facilities next door and 2 golf courses nearby. The hiking is unreal. People come from all over the world to hike there. The capital, Palma, is an absolutely beautiful city with excellent shopping, scenery and restaurants. The sightseeing around the whole island is spectacular. 

- How to book at the Ponent Mar Hotel:To book with the Ponent Mar hotel I recommend you go directly to their site. You will get a better price by booking directly with them and using our promo code VARGATOURS. The discount is currently 5% for April and May, 15% for March. Their site is very conveniently named ponentmar.com. So here are the steps to booking:

1) Get on ponentmar.com 

2) Click on BOOK on the top right

3) Go to Promo Code box, delete Ponent and add in VARGATOURS 

4) click on book

5) Now enter your arrival and departure dates

6) Select the room(there is a tremendous selection of different rooms) and meal plan you would like

7) A page titled ‘Improve your stay’ pops up. On this page you book the number of days for guided riding ie every day and if you want a rental bike.

That’s it!