The Hermitage Hotel is in the valley of Orient. It is a converted monastry.
It has double teniss courts, an indoor gym with swimming pool and spar, an outside pool and a classy restaurnat.
orient
Orient
Orient valley is a hidden valley through which
passes the old road between Bunyola and Alaro.
It has its own geographic which is a result firstly
its altitude, and secondly being a watershed for the
Sierra de Tramuntanya which means that it has more water
than the main plains of Mallorca.
video tour
map
The town of Orient is on top of a small and distinctive hill
at oneend of the valley giving it a distincly 'fortress' feel. On top of
the hill is one of the best restaurants of the island, Mandelas, and in the
town it is possible to eat traditional suckling pig by an open fire in the winter at the
bar.
One of thebest kept secrets of the Island, in Winter there is a spectacular waterfall system
going down to Santa Maria.
Mallorca
Mallorca
Mallorca History
Mallorca, inhabited since the Prehistoric Age, developed an important culture during the Bronze Age. In the year 123 BC Quinto Cecilio Metelo conquered the island for the Romans giving way to later invasions : the Vandals ( 468 ) the Byzantines ( 533 ) the Arabs ( 902 ).
In december 1229 the island was conquered by King James I of Aragon and repopulated by peopel of Catalan origin. With the succession of James II, the independent Kingdom of Mallorca was setup, and this went on to form part of the Crown of Aragon in the mid 14th Centure. After the War of Succession, the Kingdom of Mallorca disappeared, and the island lost all its privileges and exemptions ( 1715 ).
At the beginning of the 20th Centurythe island came under the dominion of Franco's troops ( 1936 ). In the 60s and still under dictatorship, the island began to experience the boom in tourism which has become one of the great driving forces behind its economic development today.
Mallorca in Figures
Population
The island of Mallorca at present has 740,900 inhabitants which accounts for 80% of the Balearic islands. 16% of the population are forigners . The foreign population is not just English and Germans, but alsomanypeople from South American countries.
Language
The official languages are Castillano and Catalan. The version of Catalan which is spoken is Mallorquien which is difficult for even some Catalan speakers to understand. This traditional version is spoken mostly in the villages.
Hotels in Mallorca
There are over 1000 hotels in Mallorca. These range from very traditional old hotels to modern holiday complexes and parks. The Hotels can be broken down into the following types:
Modern beach hotels
Finca hotels
Superlux hotels
Agrotourismus hotels
