Artà

Artà occupies the northeast of Mallorca and is one of the municipalities with the most personality in the Llevant: a large stone village on the slope of a hill, crowned by a walled sanctuary that can be seen from afar, with a well-preserved old town and a cultural life of its own that does not depend on tourism. Its municipality is vast and largely protected: it includes a natural park of low mountains and one of the least built coastlines in Mallorca, with coves that can be reached by track and without a single building. On the coast, there is a quiet settlement, the Colònia de Sant Pere. It is a municipality that attracts those seeking a village with character and nature, and its market reflects just that.

The municipality is extensive and mountainous: the last elevations of the Serra de Llevant descend to a coastline of coves and cliffs, with holm oaks, pine forests, palmito, and a countryside landscape enclosed by dry stone walls. The village climbs the slope to the sanctuary of Sant Salvador, a walled enclosure at the top that is the image of the municipality; below, cobbled streets, stone houses, and a lively square. Artà also has a notable prehistoric heritage, with a talayotic settlement on the outskirts of the village, one of the best preserved in Mallorca. And what distinguishes it most today: a very large part of its municipality is within the natural park of the Llevant peninsula, which has left an almost untouched coastline.

Artà has a large village, a coastal settlement, and plenty of protected countryside. Artà village concentrates the majority of housing and all services: an old town of stone on a slope, 19th-century extensions on the hillside, and a constant life throughout the twelve months; it is also the area with the most character and the most sought after by outside buyers. On the coast, the Colònia de Sant Pere is a quiet settlement of low houses by the sea, with much less hustle and bustle than other points in the east, and nearby there are some low-density residential developments. Betlem is a tiny and secluded coastal hamlet. Surrounding it is the rustic land with fincas and country houses, and the strip of the natural park, where no construction is allowed. The choice here is between village, quiet coast, and countryside.

Artà village functions as one of the hubs of the Llevant: varied commerce and not just local shops, weekly market, educational centres, health centre, sports facilities, administrative services, and a fairly active cultural and associative life for its size, with a stable community all year round. This autonomy is its most valuable feature: the village does not change pace in winter. The Colònia de Sant Pere has basic services and is more seasonal, although it maintains a resident population; Betlem depends entirely on the car. For specialised services and a larger commercial offer, the reference is Manacor, and then Palma. It is a comfortable municipality to live in all year round if one chooses the village.

This is where Artà has no comparison in the east. The natural park of the Llevant peninsula occupies a large part of the municipality, with low mountains, holm oak forests, and paths, and the accompanying coastline preserves sandy coves without any construction, which can be reached by track or on foot: it is one of the last stretches like this in Mallorca, and it is worth knowing that access is not comfortable, precisely for that reason. The Colònia de Sant Pere offers a quiet beach and anchorage. Culturally, the sanctuary of Sant Salvador and its walled enclosure are the reference visit, the talayotic settlement contributes to the prehistoric heritage, and the village maintains deeply rooted festivals and a stable programme throughout the year. Hiking and cycling are intense in the area.

Artà is located at the extreme northeast, connected by road to Capdepera, Son Servera, and the rest of the Llevant, and with Manacor —and from there with Palma and the airport— along the eastern axis; it is also connected to Santa Margalida and the bay of Alcúdia to the north. It is one of the municipalities furthest from the capital, and this is what should be valued most. There is no train. Within the municipality, the car is essential: the village and the Colònia de Sant Pere are not contiguous, Betlem is remote, and the coves of the park can be reached by track. The village can be explored on foot, with the peculiarity that it is on a slope and the old town has narrow streets, with parking being a common inconvenience.

The characteristic product is the stone village house, with several floors, many spacious, with a patio or terrace and views over the village or the countryside; there are quite a few to be renovated and also rehabilitations done with care, which is what is most valued here. In the extensions, there are single-family homes with plots and better access by car. In the Colònia de Sant Pere and its surroundings, there are low houses, apartments, and villas near the sea, used for both residence and second home. And in the countryside, there are fincas and country houses with land, the most exclusive and scarce product, limited by the extent of the natural park. New builds are very limited, conditioned by land protection, so the market moves in second-hand, rehabilitation, and renovation.

Artà is a market of modest volume and a very defined profile: people do not come here looking for a beach apartment, they come looking for a village house with character or a finca with land in a municipality with heritage, services, and protected nature. This attracts a constant national and international demand, which coexists with the main residence of local and regional buyers. The Colònia de Sant Pere functions almost as a separate market, small and appreciated for its tranquility. That the published offer is short should be read as what it is: a municipality where little is built due to protection and where good products appear slowly. The offer of long-term residential rentals is more real in the village than on the coast, although scarce.

Artà particularly suits those seeking a large village with character, heritage, and life all year round in the east, those wanting a stone house to renovate or already rehabilitated, those looking for a finca with land, with profiles of second homes and international buyers who value protected nature above easy access to the beach, and with hiking and cycling enthusiasts. It is worth valuing, however, that it is one of the municipalities furthest from Palma and the airport, the total dependence on the car, that the most beautiful coves in the municipality are the least accessible —by track or on foot, without services—, the seasonality of the Colònia de Sant Pere compared to the stability of the village, the old town on a slope and the parking situation, the condition of many of the stone houses, which often require extensive renovation, and the constraints of building or expanding within or near a natural park.