Santa Ponsa (

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

and officially: ''Santa Ponça'') is a

small town "Small Town" is a 1985 song written by John Mellencamp and released on his 1985 album ''Scarecrow''. The song reached #6 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and #13 Adult Contemporary. Content Mellencamp wrote the song about his experiences ...

in the southwest of

Mallorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean. The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Bal ...

. Located in the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

Calvià Calvià () is a municipality on the island of Majorca, part of the Spanish autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. It is located in the southwestern part of the island of Majorca, between the Serra de Tramuntana and the Serra de Na Burgu ...

, it is 18 kilometres from the capital Palma.

History

It was believed that Santa Ponsa derived from a Roman villa called Santa Ponctia, but derives from the Arabic words ''Sanat Busa'' which means area of rush bushes. Santa Ponsa is where King

James I of Aragon James I the Conqueror ( es, Jaime el Conquistador, ca, Jaume el Conqueridor; 2 February 1208 – 27 July 1276) was King of Aragon and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1276; King of Majorca from 1231 to 1276; and Valencia from 1238 to 1276 ...

(''Jaume'' in Catalan) landed on September 12, 1229 in his successful quest to conquer the island and take it from the

Moors The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or ...

after more than 300 years of Muslim rule. Majorca became part of the

Crown of Aragon The Crown of Aragon ( , ) an, Corona d'Aragón ; ca, Corona d'Aragó, , , ; es, Corona de Aragón ; la, Corona Aragonum . was a composite monarchy ruled by one king, originated by the dynastic union of the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of B ...

following James's conquest, and was later annexed to the

Monarchy of Spain , coatofarms = File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Spanish_Monarch.svg , coatofarms_article = Coat of arms of the King of Spain , image = Felipe_VI_in_2020_(cropped).jpg , incumbent = Felipe VI , incumbentsince = 19 Ju ...

. A cross at the sea entrance to the marina marks the spot where James landed. Every September there is a grand fiesta to commemorate the landing with a mock battle between the ''Moors and Christians'' on the beach. It is a two-week fiesta which incorporates a pop concert and firework display.

Tourism

The town is a popular holiday destination and attracts people from countries with colder climates such as Germany, the Netherlands, Ireland and the United Kingdom, especially from May to October. Some have bought villas and apartments in the hills on each side of the bay. In recent years, it has become a popular party destination among youths due to its great nightlife and its close distance to Magaluf, another party area.

Facilities

Santa Ponsa has two 18-hole (I, II) and one 9-hole

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...

s (III). Santa Ponsa II has hosted a

PGA European Tour The European Tour (currently known as the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons), legally the PGA European Tour is the leading men's professional golf tour in Europe. The organisation also operates the European Senior Tour (for players aged fift ...

event and is open only to club members. Its 18th green is in the shape of the island of Majorca within a pond, reached by a bridge. The Baleares International College, an English school founded in 1956, is located on the road to the nearby village of

Magaluf 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 gro ...

. Santa Ponsa also has a private

marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships o ...

, ''Club Náutico Santa Ponsa'' (Santa Ponsa Yacht Club), built in 1975 within the natural cove known as "Sa Caleta". The marina can accommodate up to 522 boats from 7m to 20m in length as well as offering dry dock services. Santa Ponsa hosts the Balearic Islands node of the COMETA electric power transmission system from the Spanish mainland.

Santa Ponsa is a well known holiday location for people of all ages, However, it is especially well recognised to be a holiday location for teens of the age 17 and up and was listed as the top ten holiday spot for older teens.https://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/top-teen-destinations-1.188801 Retrieved 02 of Decembder at 15:49pm

References

External links

Santa Ponsa tourist informationSanta Ponsa tourist information UKSanta Ponsa - MallorcaSanta Ponsa - Majorca
{{Authority control Populated places in Calvià Seaside resorts in Spain