© seemallorca.com
© seemallorca.com
Winter finally arrives in Soller
The Jumeriah Hotel begins to take shape
The blue skies of January have been such a treat. Endless sunshine and lunchtime temperatures worthy of spring. The hidden valley of Soller is always beautiful but right now the clear light of day and the tiny sliver of moon at night make it stunning. We haven't had to think about umbrellas or boots as we make our plans for walks or winter picnics. It's all change today and the excitement gathers. The locals greet each other with dire warnings of snow, rain and plummeting temperatures.
The weather forecast for this newsworthy event says that this is expected to last a couple of days. We will resist the temptation to put the snow chains on the car. Us mountain folk can never be too careful. It's great, with world gloom being what it is, for the only subject on my Soller friends' lips to be the weather.
The Jumeriah Hotel takes its final shape on the headland of the Port of Soller. The finishing touches are happening with an army of people working to a well tried formula. This hotel company is no stranger to prestigious hotel openings and it all appears to be going like clockwork. I went to a meeting at the Jumeriah offices above the Lapanto car park in the Port and saw that the company has taken over the third floor of the building. They are using this as their base to mastermind the finishing touches and start the recruitment process. The senior staff are all in place and come from similar positions in the corporate hotel world. They have a huge job to recruit over 200 staff and train them to the Jumeriah standard in time for opening day in a few weeks time. The stories of the applicants experiences when they had their telephone and face to face interviews are doing the rounds in Soller's coffee houses. This is, after all a very small town and the job opportunities from the Jumeriah have been eagerly awaited.
When asked by the Jumeriah HR people why they were interested in the Jumeriah applicants were often phased. They want a job, firstly and secondly, they are delighted by the training and experience that a prestigious hotel group can give them. They all somehow knew that this was not the right answer to the question. A number of people felt they had failed their telephone interview on this question alone. The promise of employment for locals is being scrutinised on a daily basis. I am sure that the Jumeriah have every intention of keeping faith with the population of Soller and I don't envy them their task.
As winter visits us for a short time the town is beginning to come to life. In Soller’s main square the bars and restaurants close gratefully for a rest at the end of November and begin to wake up again at the start of February. The Soller train re-opens next week after major track repairs and the town is shaking off its winter slumber. February, with all its beauty, awaits us; from almond blossom to carpets of spring flowers in the meadows. The creation of carnival costumes is already in full swing. There are some serious contenders in this town for the carnival crown and all the schools are planning their floats for the parade. I get ahead of myself a little here – it is still January and we are just about to have a weekend of winter! The children in my family, and across Mallorca, are all saying the same thing - 'Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow'.
For more information on Soller see our guide to the area.
