Majorca Mallorca

What is Sóller really like when you live there? Vicki and Oliver take the Majorca Mallorca Podcast out of the studio and meet Shirley in Sóller for a wide-ranging conversation about life in the valley, from tourism and traffic to housing, buses, winter in Mallorca and the extraordinary build-up to the August 2026 total solar eclipse.
There are stories about Northern Ireland, weddings, eclipse proposals, cars, electric scooters and the practical realities of getting around the island, alongside a candid discussion about the tension between residents and visitors. If you are visiting Sóller, considering moving to Mallorca or simply interested in how the island works beyond the holiday brochures, this episode offers plenty to think about. Subscribe to Majorca Mallorca for more conversations about life on the island.

Sóller is one of Mallorca's most recognisable destinations, but it is also a real place where people live, work, raise families, run businesses and deal with the same pressures found elsewhere on the island.
In this episode, Vicki and Oliver meet Shirley in Sóller rather than recording in the studio. The result is an informal conversation that moves between food, travel, tourism, transport and everyday island life.
The timing is particularly interesting. Mallorca is approaching the 12 August 2026 total solar eclipse, an event that has generated enormous interest in Sóller and the wider island. The eclipse is particularly significant for Port de Sóller: astronomical calculations put maximum eclipse there at approximately 20:31 local time, with totality lasting about 1 minute 34 seconds.
The conversation also looks beyond the eclipse. Shirley discusses a forthcoming protest in Sóller, the reasons behind local frustration, housing affordability and the difficulty of separating tourism from wider economic and social pressures.
Traffic is another major theme. The group discusses congestion into Port de Sóller, car ownership, parking, public transport and electric scooters. One of the most useful points is that the problems are not necessarily as simple as “too many tourists”. Arrival patterns, local car ownership, the physical geography of the valley and the capacity of public transport all play a role.
And then there is winter. For people who only know Sóller in July and August, the quieter months offer a very different experience.
What you will hear in this episode
Recording the podcast from Sóller
The food and character of the restaurant hosting the recording
Shirley's trip to Northern Ireland
Escaping Mallorca's summer heat
The changing nature of destination weddings
Proposals and wedding photography during the eclipse
The August 2026 total solar eclipse
Where the eclipse may be visible around Sóller
The eclipse rush and restaurant bookings
The forthcoming Sóller protest
Housing affordability and the cost of living
Whether Sóller is really overcrowded
The Sóller train, tram and Sa Calobra visitor flow
Traffic into and out of Port de Sóller
Local car ownership and parking
Public transport and full buses
Electric scooters and road safety
Why Mallorca is a place where people actually live
Winter in Sóller
The 90/180-day Schengen issue for British visitors
Northern Ireland and unexpected travel adventures
Plans for the Camino de Santiago
The Perseid meteor shower following the eclipse

Keep up to date with Shirley's daily updates here. www.sollerweb.com
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What is it really like to work on a superyacht in Mallorca? Erica Lay, founder of EL CREW CO and author of The Superyacht Life, returns to the Majorca Mallorca Podcast to talk about yacht recruitment, crew life and the changing reality of working in one of the island's most important industries.
From the days when newcomers could arrive with a backpack and a hope and a dream to today's world of qualifications, visas, money and online recruitment, Erica explains what aspiring crew need to know. We also discuss yacht crew welfare, recruitment scams, rising costs in Mallorca and the growing attraction of alternative yacht hubs such as Vilanova i la Geltrú. Listen to the full episode and subscribe to Majorca Mallorca for more conversations about life and work on the island.
Episode overview
Mallorca has been at the heart of the Mediterranean yachting industry for decades, but the business is changing.
Erica Lay has spent years working at the sharp end of that change. After arriving in Mallorca in 2007, she moved from a career in construction project management into yacht recruitment and eventually established her own agency, EL CREW CO, in 2013. Her business works with yacht crew across a wide range of roles and vessel sizes. Erica has worked in international yacht crew recruitment since 2007 launching her own agency in 2013.
In this conversation, Erica talks about her early years living in Santa Catalina, before moving to the Mallorcan countryside, and about the dramatic changes she has seen in both Palma and the yacht industry.
She explains how finding yacht work has changed. The old image of arriving in Mallorca with a backpack, walking the docks and hoping for day work has largely disappeared. Today's newcomers need qualifications, documentation, money behind them and a much more professional approach.
There is also a warning for anyone tempted by the glamour portrayed in television programmes such as Below Deck. Yacht work can provide excellent opportunities, but it can also mean long hours, cramped living conditions, isolation and significant pressure.
Perhaps most importantly, Erica discusses recruitment scams, fake jobs and fraudulent approaches targeting inexperienced crew.
The wider conversation looks at Mallorca's future as a yachting centre. Rising costs are encouraging some yachts and businesses to consider places such as Vilanova i la Geltrú, raising questions about how much the island can charge before the industry begins to move elsewhere.
What you will hear in this episode
Erica's journey from the UK to Mallorca
Life in Santa Catalina before its transformation
Why Erica moved from Palma to the countryside
How yacht recruitment became her career
How yacht jobs have changed over the past two decades
What new crew need before arriving in Mallorca
Why Below Deck is a poor guide to real yacht life
Seasonal yacht work and freelance crew
The realities of working and living aboard a yacht
Crew welfare and isolation
Mental health support for yacht crew
The importance of qualifications and documentation
Fake yacht jobs and recruitment scams
How social media has changed recruitment
Why Mallorca became a major yachting hub
Rising costs for yachts and businesses
Vilanova i la Geltrú as a potential alternative
What the changing industry could mean for Mallorca

About Erica Lay
Erica Lay is the founder and director of EL CREW CO, an international yacht crew recruitment agency based in Mallorca. She has worked in yacht recruitment since 2007 and established EL CREW CO in 2013.
She is also the author of The Superyacht Life: How to Start, Succeed & Stay Sane, a guide covering different stages of a career in yachting.

www.elcrewco.com

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What would Mallorca’s total solar eclipse smell like?
In this episode of the Majorca Mallorca Podcast, Vicki and Oliver meet Trudi Murray, founder of Gaia Natural, to explore the fascinating world of fragrance, memory and Mallorcan creativity.
Gaia Natural creates bespoke amenities and spa products for some of Mallorca’s leading luxury hotels. Each property receives its own exclusive fragrance, inspired by its gardens, architecture, history and guests.
Trudi also welcomes visitors to her beautifully restored windmill in Costitx, where she hosts intimate perfume-making experiences. Guests learn how to build a fragrance one note at a time, using scent to unlock memories and create something entirely personal.
The centrepiece of the conversation is Trudi’s extraordinary limited-edition perfume inspired by Mallorca’s total solar eclipse on 12 August 2026. Named I’m Sorry, Dave, I’m Afraid I Can’t Do That, it draws on lunar dust, Apollo missions, childhood fireworks and what Trudi describes as “burnt fireworks and crushed dreams”.
Only 50 bottles have been created, each presented as an interactive work of art with handmade packaging, Mallorcan ceramics and its own tiny diorama.
It is a conversation about following an idea down a rabbit hole, turning imagination into something tangible and refusing to stop creating.

I'm sorry Dave, I can't do that...Instagram reel.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZ5XdDutDCY/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
https://www.instagram.com/perfume.experience.mallorca/
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Is Mallorca really telling tourists to go home?
This week, Vicki and Oliver examine the huge anti-tourism demonstration in Palma, the clashes outside Ses Voltes and the complicated reality behind the headlines. The protest may be described as anti-tourism, but concerns about housing, overcrowding, traffic, natural resources and the island’s tourism-dependent economy make the story far more complex.
They also discuss reports of long EES queues for British passengers arriving at Palma Airport, the proposed European firefighting hub at Son Sant Joan and the devastating wildfire risk facing Spain and the western Mediterranean.
Finally, the episode turns to the rapidly developing humanitarian crisis in Ceuta, where approximately 50,000 people reportedly crossed from Morocco into Spanish territory within 24 hours.
Plus, Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox arrive in Mallorca aboard a superyacht, Cristiano Ronaldo sparks engagement rumours and excitement continues to build ahead of the total solar eclipse.
Listen for honest conversation, local insight and a closer look at the stories affecting Mallorca this week.
00:00 Welcome and Mallorca eclipse update
01:55 Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox in Mallorca
02:30 Superyachts and Sa Foradada
04:20 Cristiano Ronaldo’s Mallorca visit
05:15 Pedro Sánchez and the royal summer in Palma
06:25 Mallorca’s anti-tourism protest
08:00 What happened outside Ses Voltes
10:15 Are tourists still welcome in Mallorca?
11:35 What “tourists go home” really means
13:10 Mallorca’s housing and tourism problem
17:15 EES queues at Palma Airport
21:25 Airport assistance and potential disruption
22:25 Mallorca’s proposed European firefighting hub
23:15 Wildfire risks in Mallorca and Spain
25:45 The developing crisis in Ceuta
35:40 Coming next on the podcast
The Majorca Mallorca Podcast brings you real stories, local voices and insider knowledge from across Mallorca. Hosted by Vicki McLeod and Oliver Neilson, the podcast explores island life, local businesses, inspiring people, events, food, culture and everything you need to know about living in or visiting Mallorca.
Whether you call it Mallorca or Majorca, subscribe for honest conversations, practical advice and a closer look at the people and places that make the island so special.
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On Wednesday 12 August 2026, Mallorca will experience one of the most remarkable natural events of our lifetime: a total solar eclipse.
However, seeing it will not be as simple as walking outside and looking up.
The eclipse will reach totality shortly before sunset, when the Sun is extremely low in the west-north-western sky. Across much of Mallorca, the Serra de Tramuntana, local hills, buildings and vegetation could completely block the view.
In this episode, Oliver is joined by Majorca Mallorca group contributor Nick Brown, who has studied the island’s geography, viewing angles and official eclipse planning in impressive detail.
They discuss:
• Why the eclipse will be difficult to see from parts of Mallorca
• Which areas may offer a clearer view
• Why Palma city centre and much of northern Mallorca could be problematic
• The official traffic restrictions affecting the Serra de Tramuntana
• Why driving across the island could be a serious mistake
• The additional risks posed by August heat and forest fires
• What boat owners and charter guests need to consider
• How to check whether the eclipse will be visible from your location
• How to protect your eyes while watching it
The eclipse begins in Palma at approximately 19:38, with the maximum occurring at around 20:32, shortly before sunset. The official advice is to plan early, remain close to your accommodation where possible and avoid unnecessary journeys.
Since recording this conversation, we have checked the official eclipse safety guidance. Do not point a phone camera, photographic camera, binoculars or a telescope directly at the Sun unless the equipment has a suitable professional solar filter. The safest options are certified eclipse glasses used according to their instructions or an indirect projection method.
Please remember that looking directly at the Sun can cause permanent and irreversible damage to your eyesight. Use properly certified eclipse glasses or a safe indirect projection method.
You can also read the detailed blog which is updated with the latest information here https://majorca-mallorca.es/events/mallorca-solar-eclipse-2026-where-to-watch-and-how-to-prepare/

Official Balearic Government eclipse information
https://eclipsisegur.caib.es
Horizonte Eclipse 2026 visibility tool
https://www.horitzo2026.com
Spanish National Geographic Institute eclipse information
https://eclipses.ign.es
IGN eclipse viewing and eye-safety guidance
https://eclipses.ign.es/como-observar-eclipses.html
..and here is how to make an eclipse viewer from a Pringles tube, it works best with sour cream and onion.
https://youtube.com/shorts/5DBjU573gm4?si=beQxwE9JAOZJoviC
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