So, we usually go to Miami each year for a girls' holiday, though obvs didn't get there last year. We were hopeful for this year but as time went on it was pretty obvious that USA 2021 was but a pipe dream. So when the rules adjusted yet again, we decided to head for a week in very, very sunny Majorca.
Had a hideous start though – despite me having checked my passport over and over – expiry date definitely Aug 2022, a whole year ahead, the moment you never want to happen, happened. Despite having put my passport details in when booking the flights (no alarms raised), the utter bastards at Tui decided that it wasn't valid. 'But it runs out in a year's time', 'we're only going to Spain for a week!' etc didn't wash, as they claimed that it's now all about how much time has elapsed since the passport issue date.
Mine was issued in Nov 2011, and for some reason (clearly not requested by me!) it runs for 10 years and 9 months. It's just what I got issued. So they claimed that 'due to Brexit' (oh that old chestnut, the excuse for anything these days) they now had to check issue dates only, and that as early Nov 2021 (the 10 year anniversary of my issue date) was just less than 3 months from our flight date. my passport was not valid. WTF!!!!!
Long story short, we check with Easyjet who were happy to fly us and lo and behold, my passport cleared the electronic entry gates in Majorca with no problems. But as you can imagine it was a horrific day, no idea if I would get it or if we would be on a return flight home that evening, no idea if my passport was going to cause both of us to lose our much looked forward to break. First time I have ever sung Easyjet's praises from the heights!!!!!
Anyway – after that, the whole thing was great. Had a fab little house with a small pool, right in the heart of old town Pollensa. Very quiet apart from a busy main square.
Booked a couple of day activities – avoiding the 200 pissed people rammed on a catamaran type of thing – and instead went quad biking (including a stop for a swim, nice) round the hills or the SW. I arrived, saying hi in my best Spanish only to discover the 2 guys running it were French. So had to scramble my easily confused brain into French instead. They looked very surprised 'but why does someone English bother to speak other languages?'. Ummmm, because its really useful? Quite sad that foreigners would see us that way.
And also had an afternoon out on a small rib with 7 other people, round the little bays of the SE of the island. Great lunch up a little hill overlooking the bay before we went – everything that we have missed about small cafes, outdoor eating, being in the shade of a brolly while enjoying the views, charming service etc.
Totally by coincidence Clare Greenwood and Andy plus their adult girls and sons in law and the 2 grandsons were in a villa about 2 miles from us, for exactly the same week! So we spent some good time together – lovely bonus. And bumped into everyone in the group in the local Lidl – as you do, the day you arrive to stock up!
Other ex-AV spots were Steve Padgett, away with his wife and teen girls, who we met in a cocktail bar. And J & I spotted Chris Allinson – still rather good looking – trying to round up his kids in the main square, who seemed mostly to be running in separate directions.. Who knows who else from AV was also there – seemed to be the holiday spot of choice this year.
Just great to wander the streets, Pollensa was fab as a smaller town and we had a final 1/2 day in Palma – where I finally found the grilled sardines I had been hunting for all week!
Yes, there's a fair bit of form filling, ordering tests in advance, submitting these and hoping you don't catch Covid while these, as that would be tricky. But it all went well and being on a sunbed in our little garden, chatting away, dipping in the pool, with a cold diet coke and a monster slice of watermelon from the excellent Pollensa market to hand – priceless.
Happy holidays.. x