S'illot is a small tourist town on the south east coast of the
Balearic Island 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 Bale ...
,
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, ...
, divided between the council areas of
Manacor
Manacor () is a town and municipality on the island of Mallorca, part of the Spanish autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. It is the second largest town in Mallorca, after the capital of Palma. The municipality has tourist areas such as P ...
and
Sant Llorenç des Cardassar
Sant Llorenç des Cardassar () is a small municipality on Mallorca, one of the Balearic Islands, Spain.
History
The was built in the 17th century. Sant Llorenç des Cardassar was part of the municipality of Manacor, until 1892.
Sant Llorenç de ...
. The two districts are separated by the river ''Torrent de Ca n'Amer''
which is spanned by a large bridge in the town. A range of seaside leisure activities take place in the town. At the entrance to the town there is prehistoric settlement that is well preserved.
Geography
S'Illot is located 63 km east of
Palma de Mallorca
Palma (; ; also known as ''Palma de Mallorca'', officially between 1983–88, 2006–08, and 2012–16) is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. It is situated on the south coast of Mallorc ...
and 16 km east of
Manacor
Manacor () is a town and municipality on the island of Mallorca, part of the Spanish autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. It is the second largest town in Mallorca, after the capital of Palma. The municipality has tourist areas such as P ...
. The little cove of Cala Morlanda and the wide beach of Cala Moreia are situated to the town's south, while the resort of
Sa Coma
Sa Coma is a town on the east coast of the island of Majorca, Spain. It is close to the towns of Cala Millor and Cala Bona in the municipality of Sant Llorenç des Cardassar. To the south it merges with the small town of S'illot.
A majority of ...
lies immediately to its north.
[ There is a headland of craggy rock projecting out into the sea between S'illot and Sa Coma.
S'Illot is near the larger town of Porto Cristo and other tourist resorts such as ]Cala Millor
Cala Millor is a town located on the Spanish Balearic Island of Mallorca. It consists of a small bay in the municipalities of Son Servera and Sant Llorenç des Cardassar. Overlooked by Mt. Na Penyal to the west.
With over 5,000 inhabitants an ...
.[ It is linked to Palma and to ]Palma de Mallorca Airport
Palma de Mallorca Airport ( ca, Aeroport de Palma de Mallorca, es, link=no, Aeropuerto de Palma de Mallorca; ; also known as Son Sant Joan Airport or ''Aeroport de Son Sant Joan'') is an international airport located east of Palma, Mallorca ...
by the Autovia MA-15 highway that crosses the island from east to west.[
]
History
The word "Illot" is Catalan for "islet", and the name is derived from a small rocky island off the coast.[ The site of the town was occupied in prehistory, but was abandoned around the second century BC at the time of the ]Romanisation
Romanization or romanisation, in linguistics, is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and ...
of Mallorca following the Second Punic War
The Second Punic War (218 to 201 BC) was the second of three wars fought between Carthage and Rome, the two main powers of the western Mediterranean in the 3rd century BC. For 17 years the two states struggled for supremacy, primarily in Ital ...
.[
Modern S'illot developed from a fishing village and ]fishing boat
A fishing vessel is a boat or ship used to catch fish in the sea, or on a lake or river. Many different kinds of vessels are used in commercial, artisanal and recreational fishing.
The total number of fishing vessels in the world in 2016 was es ...
s still work from a small harbour. The town originated as summer resort for the inhabitants of Manacor in the 1930s. The division of ''Ca n'Amer de S'Illot'' into development plots was approved in 1948 and the urban development of S'Illot took place from 1959. In 1965 S'Illot and Cala Millor together had 19 hotels with a total of 1414 beds.[ ]Tourism
Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism ...
is now the town's primary economic activity.
Facilities
The town is mostly flat.[ Its beach is 350 metres long with an average width of 50 metres.][ It is a sandy ]Blue Flag beach
The Blue Flag is a certification by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) that a beach, marina, or sustainable boating tourism operator meets its standards.
The Blue Flag is a trademark owned by FEE, which is a not-for-profit non- ...
and is backed by a promenade with bars, restaurants, cafes and tourist shops.[ Beach-related facilities include lifeguards, showers and the rental of sun loungers, parasols and ]watersports
Water sports or aquatic sports are sport activities conducted on waterbodies, and can be categorized according to the degree of immersion by the participants.
On the water
* Boat racing, the use of powerboats to participate in races
* Boati ...
equipment.[
The town has many hotels][ but is quieter than the neighbouring resort of Sa Coma with few lively bars, the evening entertainment being mainly provided by the hotels.][ One of the liveliest nightspots in the town is the Crazy Monkey cocktail bar.][ There is also a small Eroski supermarket called "aprop" and a tourist information office. S'illot is on a number of bus routes.][
]
Population
It is difficult to measure the population of this tourist town due to its membership of two different municipalities. According to data from 2016, 243 inhabitants lived in the Sant Llorenç part and 1745 in the Manacor part. However, the latter figure also includes residents of the small resort of Cala Morlanda.[ As many of the dwellings are second homes, the population increases notably the summer months.][
]
Ancient monument
Within the current town there are the remains of the Poblat Talaiòtic de s'Illot, a Talaiotic village. The earliest discoveries on the site date from 2200 BC[ and the talliot itself dates from around 1100 BC. The site reflects the Talaiotic culture of the Balearic islands between the late 2nd millennium BCE and the ]Punic Wars
The Punic Wars were a series of wars between 264 and 146BC fought between Rome and Carthage. Three conflicts between these states took place on both land and sea across the western Mediterranean region and involved a total of forty-three ye ...
in the late 1st millennium BCE. The approximately 200 inhabitants of the settlement mainly practiced agriculture. Of great importance were hunting and the breeding of pigs and sheep. At the village's centre was a square talaiot (a megalithic structure of uncertain purpose) surrounded by 35 houses, which in turn were surrounded by the defensive wall of the town. In 123 BC the settlement was abandoned as a result of Roman colonization of the island. Between 1960 and 1970 the settlement was excavated by archaeologists from the University of Marburg
The Philipps University of Marburg (german: Philipps-Universität Marburg) was founded in 1527 by Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, which makes it one of Germany's oldest universities and the oldest still operating Protestant university in the worl ...
. The remains are now located in a public square set amongst housing and hotels. The site is open to the public following a redevelopment project which has added walkways and picnic areas, viewing platforms and interpretation boards, and a visitor centre.[
]
Nearby places of Interest
*Talaiot de Cala Morlanda – About 690 meters south of Cala Moreia, near the beach of Cala Morlanda, are the remains of a talaiot.
*Talaiot de na Pol – This circular talaiot is located in the middle of the neighboring village of Sa Coma, near the Safari Park.
*Punta de n'Amer – This headland is classed as an area of special environmental interest.[ It is a nature reserve about 200 hectares in size, located about two kilometers north of the resort at the end of the beach promenade. This landscape can be explored on numerous small paths. The castle, built in 1696 and which once served as a shelter from pirates, is open to the public. It houses a small museum and serves as a viewpoint over the bay of Cala Millor.
* Cuevas del Drach – The large accessible limestone cave system Cuevas del Drach ("dragon caves") is located about seven kilometers southeast of S'Illot near Porto Cristo. It stretches over 1700 meters and has six lakes. Within the caves is Martel Lake, Europe's largest underground lake. Regular concerts are organized in the caves.
*Caló d'en Rafalino – This nearby small cove south of Cala Morlanda has a ]naturist
Naturism is a lifestyle of practising non-sexual social nudity in private and in public; the word also refers to the cultural movement which advocates and defends that lifestyle. Both may alternatively be called nudism. Though the two terms a ...
beach.[
*Mini Golf Paradis – This ]miniature golf
Miniature golf, also known as minigolf, mini-putt, crazy golf, or putt-putt, is an offshoot of the sport of golf focusing solely on the putting aspect of its parent game. The aim of the game is to score the lowest number of points. It is played ...
course is nearby.[
]
Annual celebrations and events
*The Patron Saint's Day Festival in S'Illot is held at the end of August and ends with a firework display that can be watched from the beach.[
*The ''Fiestas de S'Illot'' take place annually on the second weekend of September.
*The ''Fiestas del Turista'' were created with the intention of extending the tourist summer season and take place annually around the last weekend in September in S'Illot as well as in Cala Millor and Sa Coma.
]
References
External links
Welcome To S'Illot
Land Survey Mallorca
{{Commons, S'Illot
Geography of Mallorca