Formentor
Over the years, among adults and children alike, ‘Shall we go to Formentor?’ was a rallying cry. No one demurred. It was further away from Pollença town than other beaches, along a narrow twisty-turny road; but there was fine sand, clear pale-turqoise water and shady crooked pines at the end of that road. Swimming at Formentor was a joy, even for lesser waterbabies. As the only fluent Spanish speaker, my friend occasionally eased us into the Hotel Formentor’s restaurant for lunch, which was a great treat in a lovely setting.
Years later, and after more than a decade cruising Australia’s relatively empty highways, the shock of Cap de Formentor’s switchback hill-climb in surprisingly busy traffic – this was a weekday towards the end of October – was stressful, especially agitated by many fearless obsessives on racing bikes. The Hotel was closed for lengthy renovation, yet the beach was unacceptably crowded. I had never expected things to have remained unchanged, however, and Mallorca’s dramatic northeast coast had lost none of its impact.
It got me to thinking: can an exceptional place, such as Cap de Formentor, remain as beautiful whatever happens to it? The question takes me back to Byron Bay, on Australia’s east coast. I never knew it in its hippie hey-day, but I fell in love with the relaxed vibe and stunning beaches on my first fleeting visit, last century. Once we were living in Aus, one holiday weekend we popped down from Brisbane. Byron town was rammed, not with hippies, nor gap-year students or young families, but buses full of oldies, as in coach tours for retirees. I was shocked: it marked the final stage in the commercialisation of an idyll. I was upset in fact, and didn’t return for ages. On later visits, we chose mid-week, during inclement winter weather, or we stayed much further out of town. Over time, we preferred the beach at Broken Head, which was rarely crowded. The magic of Byron Bay had dissipated somewhat; but I would always include it on my list of extra-special places, perhaps with a footnote specifying an era in which to visit – via dream or time machine.
