As we briefly mentioned on the general introduction page, the nearby town of Manacor is the home of the Majorca Pearl industry. These artificial pearls are produced in a special process that somehow combines glass and pulverised fish scales, whereby the finished pearl is then barely distinguishable from the genuine naturally formed article. The general public are welcomed to watch the manufacturing process, and afterwards visit the on site factory shop, which is open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 1pm, and again on a Sunday from 9.30am to 1pm. Prospective buyers should be aware that these pearls are usually priced based upon 3 distinct grades of quality, and you should always look out for those that carry the official Orquidéa shield. Contact details are:
Perlas Orquidéa
Plaza Ramón Llull 14
Manacor

The more energetic may consider hiring a bike to explore the surrounding countryside, including the inland town of Felanitx, and the port of Porto Colom. Serious cyclists can even tackle the climb to the sanctuary of San Salvador above Felanitx.

A glass bottomed boat trip along the fjord like east coast, with its remote beaches and pine fringed coves, is a must. Some of the trips stop at Porto Cristo, giving you time to visit the Caves of Drach, whilst others visit the sand and shingle beach at Cala Murada, just south of Calas de Mallorca. The boats are usually quite modern, with both a small bar and toilet facilities onboard, and on most trips the captain will normally stop for about 30 minutes giving you the chance to dive or jump off the back of the boat and cool off in the sea.

You can watch parrots perform acrobatics at the Exotic Parque Los Pajaros just outside the resort. There are also flamingos, a children's zoo and a garden containing several varieties of cactus. Open every day from 10am to 7pm. Although we don't believe that they have their own web site as yet, they can be contacted at:
Exotic Parque Los Pajaros sl
Ctra. Porto Cristo s/n (Cala Murada)
07014
Manacor
Telephone: +34 971 183 492

The Tropical Park Jumaica, on the road from Porto Cristo to Porto Colom, first opened it's door to the public in 1995, although prior to this it took the owners almost 22 years to transform the 25,000 square metres of dry Majorcan countryside to the lush tropical gardens that visitors see today. Walking through the gardens visitors can discover rare plants, trees, and bamboo groves and a multitude of free flying exotic birds. The gardens are open in the summer from 9am to 6pm, and in the winter months from 10am to 4.30pm. Contact details for further information are:
Tropical Park Jumaica
Complejo Can Pep Noguera
Ctra Porto Colom - Porto Cristo, Km 4,5
Mallorca
Telephone: +34 971 833 355 or +34 971 833 979

Almost in the centre of Calas de Mallorca is an adventure playground with trampolines, mini karts and giant bouncy castle. It's open throughout the summer from around 7pm to 11pm.

The Acqua Life Dive Center is conveniently located in the middle of Comercial Center Las Palmeiras in Calas de Mallorca. Its friendly and professional staff endeavour to offer you the best scuba diving service and experience in the resort, with both wet and dry areas, along with lockers and classrooms for courses. Contact details for further information are:
Acqua Life Dive Center
Carrer de Formentor 5,
Complexo las Palmeiras,
07896
Cales de Mallorca
Telephone: +34 654 150 334
Web site: www.acqualifedivecenter.com

If you've hired a car and can get out of the resort, the east coast does have a number of other attractions worth a visit.

Discovered by Pedro Caldentey in 1905, the Caves of Hams are famous for their peculiar formations, and for their marvelous underground lake. If you are driving they are 2 km West of Porto Cristo. Opening times from March to October is 10am to 6pm and from November to February 10:30am to 5:30pm. Entrance fee for adults is around ?8.00. Full contact details are:
Cuevas dels Hams
Carretera Mancor
Porto-Cristo s/n
07680
Porto Cristo
Telephone: +34 971 820 988
Fax: +34 971 820 271
Web Site: www.cuevas-hams.com

Nearby are the more famous Caves of Drach which are open daily from April to October from 10am to 5pm, and from November to March 10:45am to 12:00 and 2pm to 3:30pm. Admission for adults is around 13.50€, and children under 7 are admitted free. Full contact details are:
Cuevas del Drach
Carretera Cuevas s/n
07680
Porto Cristo
Mallorca
Telephone: +34 971 820 753
Fax: +34 971 815 089
Email: cuevasdeldrach@cuevasdeldrach.com
Web Site: www.cuevasdeldrach.com