The lazy days of summer are here. The weather is perfect if you like it hot and steamy and it hasn't rained in weeks. Visitors and locals gather on the beaches and the routines of summer establish themselves. Get up early, do your chores and then let the day unfold. A little walk to the Soller square, collapse with an iced coffee and local gossip and that's it until the sun loses its heat. At least that's how it was but now it's all change. There is a huge amount of action in the Soller streets and opening parties galore. Men in suits and bottles of Cava tell you that this summer isn't going to offer the indolent respite of previous years. There is a frisson of excitement as, one after another, the big hitters arrive in town ready to make their mark. Alarm bells are ringing and worries abound that this could be the end of the Soller we know and love. Come on friends, don't be worried. They are only estate agents after all.
Estate agents - yes, the few local agents have been added to by the big hitters and in the last month six new agents have opened in Soller. Last week alone three new offices opened with more to follow later this month. It is very nice if you are on the party circuit, enjoy the air kisses and cava but really, what is going on? The worst recession anyone has ever known, unemployment running at 20% and Soller is being taken over by estate agents, all selling the same properties. There is a fight for prime position and there is no doubt that these business people have made their business decisions for good reasons.
Soller is firmly on the map and its beauty is about to be shared with a new generation of people interested in the Tramuntana Mountain area and its new designated status as a World Heritage Site. This is a breaking story and it is too early to say how many extra people it will bring to the area. It is probably not that fact alone which has brought the estate agents in to live with us. Maybe it has more to do with what is going on in the Port of Soller. The Jumeirah Hotel is taking shape and dominating the cliff top of Sa Talaia at the harbour end of the port. The existence of a hotel catering for the luxury end of the market cannot be underestimated. Why would Jumeirah open its first hotel in the Balearics in Soller without doing its homework? The same can be said for the men in suits who now have the commute through the tunnel each day to work in our beautiful town. They all have information that the rest of us are not party too.
The wise ones who give the benefit of their opinion over the coffees of the day say that they have seen it all before and nothing much will change. Soller is timeless, unchanging and bigger than those that would seek to change it. I wonder if that is true.
Back to the beach, the pool, the books and summer in the hidden valley - do come and see us soon. Smile sweetly to our new kids on the block and ask them, is it really necessary to wear a suit in 35 degree heat? This is, after all, the people's republic of Soller with its own rules.
