Buzzing about Mallorca
This blog post has taken longer than planned. Mainly due to being busy, but I also wanted to get it right and record this holiday in the best way possible. The post is long, but I hope the way it is broken down will help with skim reading and focusing on what may be of interest.TravelI wouldn't have been so reluctant to fly out of London had the weather not been so gorgeous, and the weather had been a little more gorgeous in Pollença, Mallorca. Nevertheless, I was excited, yes, EXCITED (for all of you who say it was not a holiday!), to go swim, cycle and run for a week in the sun. Luckily the weather did improve in Mallorca, phew!Driving over Westminster bridge at 6am was a treat. London really is a beautiful city. It was a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of Victoria station and Gatwick Airport. It appears most people go on holiday starting on a bank holiday Sunday. Britain does indeed know how to holiday and it was sweet to see so many excited small children (as long as they were silent on the plane), but not so sweet to see the rowdy hens and stags. The champagne being cracked open at 9am made me feel a little nauseous!Whilst waiting for my bag to arrive, Kim, friend and fellow ski instructor, called asking about the car insurance for the hire car."Oh yeah, I speak some Spanish, Kim, I can come and help?""Whaaat? You tell me now!""Yeaaah, it's only just sunk in that Mallorca is a Spanish speaking country and I did study the language for four years at university. I was wondering why it sounded so familiar on the plane..."Idiot.The return journey caused me greater stress as I had booked a 0610 flight. I needed a taxi for 0330 and was trying to shop around to get a decent price or even share. In the end I decided I had paid very little for the flight so paying more for the transfer balanced out the costs – it is all about balance!HotelWe stayed in Hotel Sport Villaconcha. Nearly every guest was wearing lycra, a pair of trainers or clearly off for a swim. Days when the sun decided come out during our downtime, we hit the sun loungers (there was never a need to fight for a lounger, guests were too busy being active!) and from a horizontal position we observed that nearly every balcony had a wet-suit out drying.The 'recreational' pool, as opposed to the 'training' pool, was freezing. Refreshingly so after a run and great to cool down legs, but I can't say I spent much time wallowing in it. I'm sure it warms up as summer gets going.The training pool was a 25m outdoor pool and provided me with my crazy tan lines. The pools were not chlorinated but slightly salty, which I think is nicer!
The bike room was insane. If everyone respected the 'rear wheel/front wheel' up organisation then they all fit in rather snuggly. I daren't imagine the general cost of the contents of that room.
Drinking water was provided, a free washing machine and dryer with liquid to buy for 50 cents at reception, pumps, hose, tools and racks. And, a bike shop with all the goodies.Our room was like a little apartment with cooking facilities, bathroom, balcony, two singles and a sofa bed in which I slept. It was just like the singles with a pull out option for a double, but I definitely did not have the short straw as it was just like a bed.Breakfast and dinner at the hotel were presented in the form of a buffet (the best way!) and it was training in itself to see how many plates you could consume and how to negotiate the salads, the hot food, the cold platters, the fruit and dessert and at breakfast, the cereals, the fruit, the pastries and the cooked breakfast. Thank goodness we were burning 3000+ kcals a day.All the food was healthy but yummy with plenty of choice. For the 70.3 Ironman that took place on the Saturday, they even made suggestions as to what to eat.A fantastic hotel with great facilities for a training holiday.TeamOn the Sunday evening we met the team for the week. Morzine had moved to Mallorca. Almost! It was great to see many familiar faces, and a few new ones in the mix too. We had a good balance of boys and girls and ages. Some had come with their families, so there were some kiddies around too.
It's worth noting that the hotel really accommodates families, with children entertainers (aside from Joe and Amelia!) and that with some organisation it is possible to go on a training holiday with family. The same goes for couples where there may be a split in abilities. Joe and Amelia always provide options, make nothing compulsory and ensure that everyone has a great time. If you reach the top of a col quicker than the group, you're encouraged to loop back and find the rest of the team, or your other half, and motivate them to the top.The team vibe with Buzz is infectious, so supportive and with very healthy competition. Kim, and I hope she won't mind me saying this, but has said how much she has loved meeting everyone and how inspiring, supportive and encouraging Buzz/Tri Montagne are.Buzzroom BuddiesYes, I did come up with the name. Rachel and Kim were my, very entertaining, room-mates. We spent the week primarily giggling. Kim and I even had matching jumpers (unintentionally I hasten to add!), and sunglasses. I'm sure Rachel felt left out.
The bike room was insane. If everyone respected the 'rear wheel/front wheel' up organisation then they all fit in rather snuggly. I daren't imagine the general cost of the contents of that room.Drinking water was provided, a free washing machine and dryer with liquid to buy for 50 cents at reception, pumps, hose, tools and racks. And, a bike shop with all the goodies.Our room was like a little apartment with cooking facilities, bathroom, balcony, two singles and a sofa bed in which I slept. It was just like the singles with a pull out option for a double, but I definitely did not have the short straw as it was just like a bed.Breakfast and dinner at the hotel were presented in the form of a buffet (the best way!) and it was training in itself to see how many plates you could consume and how to negotiate the salads, the hot food, the cold platters, the fruit and dessert and at breakfast, the cereals, the fruit, the pastries and the cooked breakfast. Thank goodness we were burning 3000+ kcals a day.All the food was healthy but yummy with plenty of choice. For the 70.3 Ironman that took place on the Saturday, they even made suggestions as to what to eat.A fantastic hotel with great facilities for a training holiday.TeamOn the Sunday evening we met the team for the week. Morzine had moved to Mallorca. Almost! It was great to see many familiar faces, and a few new ones in the mix too. We had a good balance of boys and girls and ages. Some had come with their families, so there were some kiddies around too.It's worth noting that the hotel really accommodates families, with children entertainers (aside from Joe and Amelia!) and that with some organisation it is possible to go on a training holiday with family. The same goes for couples where there may be a split in abilities. Joe and Amelia always provide options, make nothing compulsory and ensure that everyone has a great time. If you reach the top of a col quicker than the group, you're encouraged to loop back and find the rest of the team, or your other half, and motivate them to the top.The team vibe with Buzz is infectious, so supportive and with very healthy competition. Kim, and I hope she won't mind me saying this, but has said how much she has loved meeting everyone and how inspiring, supportive and encouraging Buzz/Tri Montagne are.Buzzroom BuddiesYes, I did come up with the name. Rachel and Kim were my, very entertaining, room-mates. We spent the week primarily giggling. Kim and I even had matching jumpers (unintentionally I hasten to add!), and sunglasses. I'm sure Rachel felt left out.
A brilliant ten days away and I can not wait until next year!